China congratulates French president-elect Macron

Emmanuel Macron's alliance is in a tight race with the new left-wing union NUPES according to initial projections. Macron is predicted to win a greater number of districts which could grant him a parliamentary majority.

The US Defense Secretary said Chinese military activity around the self-governing island threatened to change the status quo. Lloyd Austin said Washington would continue to stand by Taiwan at an event in Singapore.

Would Beijing back away from its strategic partnership with Moscow if the war in Ukraine goes nuclear?

Germany sees massive dip in Russia exports, uptick in China imports. Despite trying to wean itself off of Russian energy imports, Germany is paying record prices for them. At the same time, Berlin has built up a large import surplus with Beijing.

More than 20 years ago, a community of men and women in the French region of Burgundy set themselves a massive challenge: to build a castle using the techniques of the Middle Ages. The site in the town of Guédelon is open to visitors, offering them an immersion into the 13th century. Today, nearly 40 people work every day on this medieval construction site. Stone quarrying is the first step in building a castle. And to transport the stones to the site, modern machines are banned: everything is done like in the 13th century, with horsepower.

Human rights campaigners say China is committing cultural genocide against its minority Uyghur residents in Xinjiang, where an estimated 1 million to 2 million residents have been incarcerated

Beijing has no reason to sanction Australia, said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The call comes after ministers from two countries met for the first time in years.

We take a look at how the press is covering the French, German and Italian leaders' visit to Kyiv. Meanwhile, French papers are largely divided over the country's upcoming legislative elections on Sunday. Also, Thailand gets closer to same-sex marriage legislation, while Saudi Arabia confiscates rainbow-coloured toys. Finally, the Washington Post debates whether QR code menus in restaurants should stay or go.

Executives at France's state-backed utility EDF say they're confident the troubled nuclear reactor at their Flamanville plant will be able to go online by the end of 2023. Under construction since 2007, the new EPR project has been plagued by cost overruns and repeated delays. We take a closer look. Plus, on the sidelines of the VivaTech trade fair in Paris, India's IT minister tells FRANCE 24 how the country is looking to bring its technology to Europe and beyond.

Forest fires have broken out both in Spain and France as a record early heat wave moves northward through Europe. And humans are not the only ones to suffer in the extreme temperatures.

An Italian energy firm says the Russian company is slashing its deliveries by 50%. France's gas operator says it has not received any natural gas from Russia via its pipeline from Germany for more than a month.

Flexible hours, a four-day working week and a sense of purpose are just some of the things that employees are looking for in a job. And if they feel like they're not appreciated, they might just jump ship. A recent survey found that one in four people in France are looking to quit their jobs in the next two years, as they seek better pay and better benefits. We take a closer look.