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'Democratic backsliding': Armenia's 'extreme polarisation, hate speech, stigmatization' mar election

FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin is pleased to welcome Dr Narek Sukiasyan, Senior Policy Researcher at Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Armenia and Adjunct Lecturer at American University of Armenia. He argues that while Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's victory does signal a continued ouverture towards the West 'in the shape and form of the European Union" he must carefully manage Armenia's dependence on Russia. The election was about far more than foreign policy, explains Dr. Sukiasyan. Security, social concerns, economic vulnerability, and the legacy of conflict were equally central to voters' decisions. Armenia navigating multiple transitions at once: between war and peace, dependence and diversification, polarization and democratic consolidation. 

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Armenia confirms turn towards West in election

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's ruling party has won parliamentary elections, according to results from Armenia's electoral commission, cementing the nation's Westward tilt. The result comes despite threats from Moscow and claims of Russian interference. According to the country's electoral commission, voter turnout in the ballot was 59%.

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More than a million attend Pope Leo's mass in Spain

Pope Leo XIV honoured Spain's centuries-old tradition of religious devotion on Sunday as a “school of faith” for today, as he presided over a Mass before a million people and a procession highlighting one of the most iconic expressions of Spanish popular piety: flower carpets. FRANCE 24's Sarah Morris reports.

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Pope Leo visits Spain with focus on immigration

Pope Leo arrived in Spain on Saturday for a week-long visit, his first to an EU country outside Italy, where he will inaugurate ​a new tower ‌in Barcelona's famed Sagrada Familia basilica and meet migrants who braved dangerous Atlantic waters to reach ⁠Europe. FRANCE 24's Sarah Morris reports from Madrid.

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Ukraine's Zelensky pledges clear timetable of talks on EU membership

President Volodymyr Zelensky ⁠pledged on Thursday that ​Ukraine would keep to a clear timetable in talks on joining the ​European Union and in sticking to its obligations with the 27-nation bloc. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with Georgia's former minister of Euro-Atlantic integration and professor at SciencesPo Paris Tornike Gorgadze.

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Massive disinformation campaign underway in Armenia ahead of elections, analysts warn

One ballot box, two competing battles. In Armenia, voters are heading to the polls to decide the future direction of their country. But beneath the political campaigns lies a far more insidious warfare. Analysts warn that a massive, coordinated network of foreign disinformation - much of it tracing back to Russia - is systematically weaponizing the deep-seated trauma of recent wars. FRANCE 24's Olivia Bizot reports from Yerevan.

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A 'rogues' gallery' of notorious figures at Russia's biggest economic conference

Russia-U.S. talks on economic and energy issues continue despite a pause in Ukraine peace negotiations, Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev told ​Reuters on Thursday, ‌adding he spoke to U.S. counterparts a day earlier. He spoke on the sidelines of the St Petersburg economic summit, where, as FRANCE 24's international affairs commentator Douglas Herbert explains, a veritable 'rogues' gallery' of notorious figures showed up in support of Putin's policies.

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Ukraine pushed Russia back in May for second month running, ISW finds

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.

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Deadly attack on migrants highlights issue of labour abuse in Italy

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.

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UK far right exploiting student stabbing attack 'to promote moral panic', expert says

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".

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Ukrainian drones hit Saint Petersburg as 'Russian Davos' opens in the city

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.

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UK: Outrage grows after police handcuff dying student

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.

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