First Lady Sajidha Mohamed has stressed that investing in people remains the most effective investment any society can make, as she delivered a statement at the 8th Merck Foundation First Ladies Initiative (MFFLI) Summit today, held as part of the 13th Merck Foundation Africa Asia Luminary. Joining fellow First Ladies from Africa and Asia as Guests of Honour in the online session, she called for access to healthcare regardless of geography, emphasising that a child born on a remote island deserves the same opportunity for a healthy future as a child born in a capital city. The First Lady hig…

His Excellency Vice President Uz Hussain Mohamed Latheef has underscored that protecting rights in the face of sea-level rise demands sustained and coordinated partnerships across all levels of governance, while delivering a statement at High-Level Panel 1: Protecting Rights in the Face of Sea-Level Rise at the Berlin Climate Mobility Forum 2026. He highlighted that sea-level rise is already shaping the country's development planning, infrastructure investments, and long-term national priorities — threatening not only physical security, but also the ability of Maldivians to maintain their hom…

The European Commission’s yearly State of the Digital Decade report assesses how the EU is progressing on its2030 digital transformation targets. The 2026 report shows that the EU has made progress in key areas. However, structural gaps continue to hold back Europe’s digital transformation, and faster action will be needed to reach the 2030 targets. The report provides clear recommendations for both the EU and Member States on how to close the remaining gaps, including by scaling up successful projects and mobilising investments. The Commission is now calling on EU countries to update their…

His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received a phone call today from His Excellency Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. At the beginning of the call, His Excellency the Iranian President appreciated the position of His Highness the Amir in establishing security and stability in the region, expressing his thanks and appreciation for His Highness’s efforts in supporting calm, which contributes to consolidating regional and international stability. For his part, His Highness the Emir expressed his congratulations to His Excellency the President Iran…

China has warned Israel against obstructing the implementation of the Iran-US Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), urging all parties to take concrete steps to support regional peace and create conditions for future negotiations.Beijing on Thursday welcomed the signing of the memorandum, reaffirming its support for peace and stability in West Asia and the Persian Gulf region.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian warned Israel against undermining the implementation of the deal, as he addressed concerns over the agreement's first phase and the next round of negotiations between Tehran and…

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral relations during their first official conversation since the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).During a 30-minute telephone call on Thursday, Pezeshkian thanked Sharif and Pakistan’s Chief of Defense Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir for their mediation efforts, describing their role in facilitating the agreement as vital.Sharif congratulated Pezeshkian, Iran’s leadership, and the Iranian people on the "landmark agreement" aimed at …

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has hailed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed with the United States as a “historic document” and a demonstration of Iran’s strength on the world stage.“This is a historical document and a message from a powerful Iran: Peace will be realized in the shadow of mutual respect,” Pezeshkian wrote on social media on Thursday, sharing images of the signed agreement.The president reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to global peace while preserving its dignity, independence, and national interests.“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been committed and ste…

The national colours blue, yellow, red, white, green, were raised over La Digue and Praslin today as President Dr Patrick Herminie, accompanied by First Lady Mrs Veronique Herminie, led Constitution Day ceremonies on the two islands, joining Seychellois in marking the 33rd anniversary of the Constitution of the Third Republic under the theme, ‘Our Flag, Our People, Our Future.’ The two ceremonies followed the main flag-raising ceremony held earlier in the day at the Monument Lavwa Lanasyon in Victoria, Mahe. The President's programme on the inner islands began on La Digue, where he arrived a…

The results obtained by Benin at the end of the Open Budget survey, 2025 edition, were officially presented this Thursday, June 18, 2026 in Cotonou to public institutions, technical and financial partners, members of civil society and the media. These results result from an international evaluation conducted by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) and published on June 3, 2026. The recorded performances establish Benin among the world references in terms of budget transparency, of citizen participation and budgetary control. From the speech of Mr. Rodrigue CHAOU, Minister Delegate to the…

During the meeting with the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he informed in detail about the situation at the front and the consequences of Russian attacks on Ukraine. He talked about meetings at the G7 summit, agreements and diplomatic efforts to bring peace closer. Particular attention is paid to the European integration of Ukraine. After opening the first negotiation cluster, opening the remaining five clusters as soon as possible is a priority. Thanks to Greece for all the military aid provided and for the contribution to the PURL program. One of the most important tasks is t…

Before the meeting of the European Council, Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen discussed further steps towards Ukraine's accession to the European Union and coordinated positions. It is important to open the remaining five negotiation clusters in the near future. We expect to receive the first tranche of the EU financial support package soon to strengthen our defense. Particular attention is paid to security cooperation and work with the European Union on the Drone Deal format. They also talked about defense support for Ukraine, primarily strengthening air defense and protection against Ru…

Today, the Ukrainian army is actually the main army in Europe, capable of deterring and resisting large-scale aggression for a long time. And after this war, it should remain so. The existence of such an army should help prevent any future aggressive moves by Putin. That is why we need to start thinking now about how to secure the funding that the Ukrainian army will need in the coming years. If we want Europe to have the strongest army capable of truly responding to any threat, this is possible only on the condition of long-term cooperation with Ukraine and long-term support of the Ukrainian …

Yesterday I raised two pressing issues with Mark Rutte. The first is the number of ground robotic complexes. The second is long-range artillery ammunition. Now neither the first nor the second is enough. We urgently need both. Funding allocated for this is insufficient. The volumes produced by Europe are insufficient. What the Ukrainian army receives is not enough. But we can increase all of this. There are opportunities. From a speech at the 35th meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine. (2/3)

We can all see that Putin now relies on the last thing he has left: constant missile attacks. It has ballistic missiles. That is why we need anti-ballistic capabilities. We've done a lot to protect against drones, and our interception rate is over 90 percent. This is a serious achievement. We also defend against cruise missiles. But Russian ballistic missiles remain a problem, and we need an answer to that problem. Our anti-ballistic coalition - all the countries that are part of it - must demonstrate its full capacity and deliver real results. Better - this year. By this winter, we should alr…

During the audience with His Majesty the King of the Belgians, Philippe talked about the consequences of the Russian attacks against Ukraine, in particular about the damage to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. They discussed the need to increase sanctions pressure on Russia, the situation at the front and diplomatic work with partners. They also talked about the European integration of Ukraine and the development of defense cooperation. Thank you to Belgium for its solidarity with our people and constant support.

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LIVE . Press conference with Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen before the European Council meeting.

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The Regional Intellectual Property (IP) Club Competition held in Harare, Zimbabwe, aimed at promoting intellectual property awareness among young people and encourage innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship at the secondary school level across Africa. The competition provided a platform for students to showcase their understanding of intellectual property rights, including, patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial designs, and the role of intellectual property in fostering innovation and economic development through presentations, quizzing, debates, and other academic activities desig…

Ο Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας κ. Νίκος Χριστοδουλίδης, προσερχόμενος σήμερα Πέμπτη, 18 Ιουνίου 2026, στη Σύνοδο του Ευρωπαϊκού Συμβουλίου στις Βρυξέλλες, απάντησε σε ερωτήσεις δημοσιογράφων. Σε ερώτηση αναφορικά με τη συνάντηση που είχε με τον Πρόεδρο του Ευρωπαϊκού Συμβουλίου κ. António Costa και τη διασύνδεση του Κυπριακού με τα ευρωτουρκικά, ο Πρόεδρος Χριστοδουλίδης είπε: «Με τον Πρόεδρο του Ευρωπαϊκού Συμβουλίου συζήτησα τρία θέματα. Συζητήσαμε για τα αποτελέσματα της Προεδρίας και μού μετέφερε τα συγχαρητήριά του για το γεγονός ότι ένα μικρό κράτος μέλος απέδειξε στην πράξη ότι μπορεί να φ…