The International Criminal Court, which US President Donald Trump's administration has threatened to dismantle "brick by brick", has been awarded the European Union's Sakharov human rights prize.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that "illegitimate" protests would be banned in the coming days, ⁠while those from organised groups such as unions would be offered alternative paths for the marches to protect businesses. The government has said it will put French soldiers in the street after rioting and looting broke out on the fringes of mass peaceful demonstrations over the weekend. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Russia and Ukraine traded major drone and missile strikes on each other's capitals overnight, hours after Moscow signalled readiness to resume US-mediated peace talks. President Donald Trump said negotiations were closer than ever to ending the war, though the Kremlin expressed doubts over Ukrainian and European proposals.

Irish lawmakers voted Wednesday to scrap a requirement for UN approval before deploying military peacekeepers overseas, approving the controversial legislation by 79 votes to 71. Opposition lawmakers warned the move threatened Ireland’s longstanding military neutrality. Ireland is not a NATO member but has traditionally participated in international peacekeeping missions.

Pope Leo XIV, 71, will require no further treatment for lung cancer after tests confirmed the disease was localised, the Vatican said Wednesday. The pontiff underwent surgery last week to remove part of his right lung after being diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. He was discharged Saturday and will gradually resume activities.

EU prosecutors on Wednesday searched offices belonging to the far-right Patriots parliamentary group as part of a graft probe into the bloc’s dissolved predecessor, Identity and Democracy, which brought together several European far-right parties including French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen’s National Rally.

Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday said they are both ready to resume trilateral talks with the United States. The news comes after US envoy Steve Witkoff separately met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on two consecutive days.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo. Putin said during the meeting that Russia had released US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had been imprisoned for years in Russia after being charged of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine.

Local authorities on Wednesday banned protests planned in several French cities in the next few days – from Toulon in the south to Le Havre in the north – and also imposed night-time curfews in many of them. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.

Italy announced tougher security measures on Tuesday after weekend riots in Milan left more than 100 police officers injured and shops looted. The government will deploy 500 additional soldiers, impose harsher penalties for violent protesters and hold parents financially responsible for damage caused by minors.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has wrapped up talks with US envoys in Norway Tuesday where he was determined to put diplomacy back on a "more constructive path”, Oslo officials said.  Zelensky told a post-meeting press briefing that Ukraine was not losing the war but was “losing people and time”, adding that he was hopeful moving forward because “we have some clear ideas of how to get peace”.

The European Union unveils its new "strategy for the Arctic" on Tuesday, aiming to step up its presence in the far north as melting ice opens new maritime routes, and tensions with Russia and the United States increasingly put the region in the geopolitical spotlight.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the US on Monday of holding up deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles already paid for by European allies, as tensions with US President Donald Trump’s administration deepened over military aid and intelligence sharing.

Torrential rain battered eastern Spain on Monday, killing at least four people in recent days as floodwaters swept away cars, submerged roads and stranded residents. Emergency crews carried out more than 400 rescues in Valencia, where rainfall reached 700 litres per square metre in 24 hours in some areas.

Ukraine has evacuated a wounded soldier from the front line using an aerial drone in what a Ukrainian army brigade has described as a world-first operation. The successful mission highlights the growing role of unmanned technology in battlefield evacuations as drones continue to shape the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Russia on Monday said it carried out a "massive strike" on targets in Kyiv and its region as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that Washington had paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine and urged its President Volodymyr Zelensky to focus on ending the war.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has asked regional authorities to impose "partial curfews" in some cities on Monday evening as France reels from two days of unrest that saw town halls burned down and hundreds of businesses looted. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez earlier admitted that police had "lost control" of the protests in several cities, while the Yellow Vest movement called for a new round of protests on Saturday. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Sunday amid tensions after US President Donald Trump accused Kyiv of resisting peace with Russia. The talks came as both sides exchanged attacks on energy infrastructure, while Washington's easing of Russian sanctions raised concerns among European allies.

A large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's second-largest city Saint Petersburg killed at least one person and hospitalised another five on Sunday. The attack – which also sparked fires at an oil refinery and depot – comes as Kyiv accused Russia of violating Washington's "energy ceasefire" dozens of times.   

President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday slammed the "unbridled" violence that erupted in cost-of-living protests across France, as police battled protesters and looters in new clashes in Paris. Nearly 2,400 people were arrested and at least 1,000 police and gendarmes injured, the interior ministry said. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.