Demonstrators protesting against Spain's housing crisis reacted with fury on Friday after the country's parliament rejected two bills put forward by the government that centre-left Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hoped would address their concerns. Rents have doubled over the past decade, with average prices now almost equivalent to the average young person's monthly salary.

We sit down with David McAllister, the chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. He talks to us about the security threats facing Europe, and what defence gaps the EU urgently needs to close. For McAllister, the EU is "not at war with the Russian Federation, but we are no longer at peace with Russia". He also believes that the EU is not, as yet, capable of making sovereign decisions in certain areas of defence "because we are too dependent on US capabilities."

Alarm bells are ringing about fuel prices across the EU. The average cost of diesel per litre is well above €2, whereas in October of last year it was around €1.50. Even before this latest spike, the cost of living was already biting, and it seems that the conflict in the Middle East is not going to give Europeans much respite as the winter draws closer. We review what EU member states have done to cushion the blow of rising energy prices for ordinary people, and whether those measures have been effective.

Members of the Group of Seven bloc of highly industrialised economies on Friday agreed to release 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil from their reserves over four months, averting a potential US ban on diesel exports. The European Union had earlier pushed back against Washington's threat, with an EU official saying the 27-member bloc “fully” rejected the move.

Delano D'Souza is pleased to welcome Carlos Mascarell Vilar, political scientist based in Spain. From his own perspective, Emmanuel Macron's visit to Spain needs to be understood by European power, political legacy, and geoeconomics. France and Spain are seeking to reinforce their bilateral relationship at a moment when the balance of power within Europe is changing rapidly, particularly with the growing importance of countries in the east such as Poland. For Macron, strengthening the Madrid-Paris axis is also part of a broader effort to advance European defence and strategic sovereignty.

Russia is “tearing Kyiv apart”, the city’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Friday, as Russia pummelled key infrastructure across the Ukrainian capital. Russian drones have pummelled Kyiv’s Southern Bridge, forcing authorities to close traffic on it. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.

The United States on Thursday urged European allies to release strategic diesel reserves immediately to curb prices driven higher by the US war on Iran. EU states will discuss a coordinated response on Friday, as Washington increases pressure following US President Donald Trump's suggestion that he could ban US diesel exports.