Ukraine recaptured more territory than it lost to Russian forces in May for the second straight month, according to data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Christina Harward, Russia Deputy Team Lead at ISW, says that successful tactical counterattacks as well as ramping up of long range missile and drone strikes in Russian territory have been key in slowing down the advance in Eastern Ukraine.

Four migrants ​working as fruit pickers in slave-like conditions in southern Italy have been burned to death in a grisly murder case that is prompting fresh national soul-searching over labour exploitation. The migrants were found on Monday in ​a burned-out ‌van parked in a petrol station in Amendolara, in the southern region ⁠of Calabria. Surveillance cameras showed two people setting the car alight before running away. FRANCE 24's Seema Gupta reports from Rome.

Britain’s interior minister accused activists of hijacking a tragedy to stir up violence after police were attacked at a protest over the death of a teenager who was handcuffed as he lay dying while his killer stood nearby. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Aaron Edwards, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Leicester, says that "we're seeing a populist challenge from the right which is feeding perceptions not founded in reality and promoting a moral panic".

The captain of the Tagor, a tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s “ghost fleet” that was boarded in the Atlantic Ocean by the French Navy, was taken into custody on Tuesday, announced Brest prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger.

Volodymyr Zelensky called Kyiv's attack on Saint Petersburg a 'fair' response to the deadly Russian strikes on several Ukrainian cities a day earlier. It is also a testimony to Ukraine's growing capacity to strike further inside Russia. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert tells us what that means for Russia.

Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in Saint Petersburg early Wednesday morning as officials gathered for a flagship economic forum in the city, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said.

Ukrainian long-range drones hit an oil terminal in the Russian city of St Petersburg on June 3, setting the facility ablaze. It came hours before Vladimir Putin's showcase economic forum got under way in the city, apparently an attempt to embarrass the Kremlin chief. Moscow said it would keep striking Ukraine systematically in response to such attacks.

Ukrainian drone attacks in St. Petersburg targeted military and energy infrastructure overnight into Wednesday, setting ablaze a Russian warship and oil depots on the Baltic coast. This attack deep in Russian territory came on the opening day of Putin's three-day economic forum held in the city and as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv for an unannounced visit.

British police faced national backlash over the inflammatory case of an 18-year-old student who was handcuffed as he lay dying from stab wounds after his killer falsely alleged a racist attack. The killing of Henry Nowak happened in December, but the story got renewed attention after the killer was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, and video was released that showed police not believing Nowak when he said that he had been stabbed.

Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in Saint Petersburg as officials gathered for a flagship economic forum in the city. The strikes come a day after a barrage of Russian missiles and drones killed 23 people across Ukraine. FRANCE 24's Kethevane Gorjestani looks at why those strikes are so significant.

For the first time in Vatican history, a lay woman will head the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. Maria Montserrat Alvarado, CEO of a Catholic television network, will be in charge of the vast apparatus surrounding the Pope. Television, radio, broadcasting... A clear commitment to continuing Pope Francis’ legacy of modernizing the Catholic Church and giving women a greater role.

Protests erupted in the UK after a video emerged of a dying student being handcuffed by police. Eighteen-year-old Henry Nowak was heard repeatedly telling officers: "I can't breathe" after he was stabbed by a Sikh man who falsely accused him of racial abuse. The far right have seized on the case, saying white British people are treated as second class citizens by the police. This is despite a UK government report in 2024 which found that black people were 2.2 times as likely to be arrested as white people. The UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the bodycam footage was "harrowing" and there would be an investigation into police conduct.

Denmark's government has finally been unveiled after the country's general election back in March. Mette Frederiksen will return for a third term as prime minister, leading a centre-left coalition minority government. She is expected to maintain a firm stance against US President Donald Trump's ambitions for Greenland and to continue to support Ukraine. On a domestic front, she's vowed improve the cost of living.

NATO chief Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv on June 3 for an unannounced trip after a series of large-scale fatal Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital. It also comes as Ukrainian drones hit Saint Petersburg just as the city's flagship economic forum opens. FRANCE 24's Emmanuelle Chaze has more from Kyiv.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said in Kyiv on Wednesday that Russia was growing desperate as it faced mounting military and economic difficulties in its four-year-long invasion of Ukraine. Earlier, Kyiv launched drone attacks on the Russian city of St. Petersburg where officials and visiting dignitaries were gathering for a flagship economic forum. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our liveblog.

Here's one for free speech absolutists to chew on: What should the French government do when the former head of Russian state television's French-language channel is offered a place of rank on an all-news station with a free-to-air broadcast license and she touts Kremlin propaganda lines with little or no pushback or fact-checking? Introducing Xenia Fedorova, who's just had her 10-year residency permit approved and who's become the darling of far-right shipping magnate-turned-media mogul Vincent Bolloré, the same Bolloré who’s swooped for French TV, radio, print and publishing outlets.

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney, Anna Ohanyan, Richard B. Finnegan Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Stonehill College, explains that the narrative of "Armenia pivoting from Russia to Europe is a misconception", adding that [Vladimir] "Putin is trying to apply on Armenia his geopolitical binary". In reality, she says, Armenia "is diversifying its foreign policy" and "is emerging from Russia's peripheral state to a sovereign and independent state".

The European Union has moved forward with a vast overhaul of its migration policy, aiming to ramp up deportations and ink controversial deals to build detention centers abroad. Rights groups have criticized it, comparing the new regulations to the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Camille Le Coz, Director of the Migration Policy Institute of Europe, says that the way the policy has been framed in the EU law "is to make it compatible with international law".

Protesters in the southern British city of Southampton on Tuesday attacked police at the site of the murder of an 18-year-old student who was handcuffed as he lay dying in December from stab wounds after his killer falsely alleged a racist attack. Far-right firebrand figure Tommy Robinson addressed the crowd, with many of them waving Union Jack and England flags.

Angela Diffley is pleased to welcome Peter Zalmayev, director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative. He offers a forceful assessment of the evolving dynamics of Russia's war against Ukraine. Rejecting narratives of Russian momentum, he argues that Moscow's intensified bombardment of Kyiv reflects mounting pressure on President Vladimir Putin, whose military campaign has become increasingly "bogged down" and politically costly. While acknowledging the devastating impact on Ukrainian civilians, he contends that Russia's battlefield difficulties, growing casualties, and declining territorial gains have created pressure on the Kremlin to project power through spectacular strikes on urban centers. As Moscow faces AI-enhanced drone warfare to systematic strikes on Russian oil infrastructure and military logistics, Putin must demonstrate to his "jingoistic militaristic base" that "Russia is not impotent. Russia can strike back."