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.

British police on Thursday arrested a British-Iranian dual national in connection with the security incident at the Fairford airbase Wednesday. Five other men initially arrested over the incidence were later released without charge on bail.

This Thursday October 1, the French government is holding a summit aimed at attracting investors and revitalising wealth creation in France's overseas territories. Among the assets Paris wants to highlight is New Caledonian nickel. But the industry has been severely weakened by the political deadlock and tensions that have rocked the archipelago in recent years.

Russia launched its heaviest combined assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in months on Wednesday, killing seven people and triggering emergency power cuts in Kyiv and nearby regions. The strikes came as officials warned of a difficult winter amid Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power and heating infrastructure.

Andy Burnham put the idea of Britain rejoining the EU on the table on Wednesday, breaking a taboo for a UK prime minister and reopening the divisive Brexit debate. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Monte Francis, Catherine Barnard, Professor of European Law at the University of Cambridge, says that Burnham "is sending the message that actually it's been pretty cold being on the outside of the EU so we're now looking at the alternatives".

Andy Burnham put the idea of Britain rejoining the EU on the table on Wednesday, breaking a taboo for a UK prime minister and reopening the divisive Brexit debate. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Monte Francis, Catherine Barnard, Professor of European Law at the University of Cambridge, says that Burnham "is sending the message that actually it's been pretty cold being on the outside of the EU so we're now looking at the alternatives".

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Wednesday insisted that there were "strong indications" that Tehran was involved in a security incident on Sunday near an airbase in England that the US military uses in its war against Iran. The British government has still not explained the nature of the incident – in which five British men were arrested only to be later released on bail – and no explosives were found at the scene. 

A British-French agreement aimed at reducing the number of people trying to cross the English Channel in small boats has been scrapped, London said Wednesday. The pilot programme was intended to break the business model of "people smugglers" by exchanging undocumented migrants who had made the crossing for people who legally applied for asylum.

Speaking alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that it would be "a good decision" if the UK decided to rejoin the European Union. The two leaders met at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid on the second day of Macron's two-day state visit to Spain.

Ukraine's main energy provider DTEK said it had made emergency power cuts in Kyiv as directed by the national grid operator after Russia hit the country's infrastructure in a wave of deadly drone and missile strikes. At least seven people, including a 14-year-old child, were killed in the attacks, Ukrainian authorities said. Follow our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.

Britain's counter-terrorism police said ​on Tuesday that no improvised explosive devices had been found as part of an ​investigation ‌into a suspected plot targeting ⁠a British airbase used by US forces to ‌strike Iran, deepening uncertainty over the incident a day after five UK-based suspects were released on bail. 

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged Tuesday to give Britain "a new social contract for the 21st century", reform the country's electoral system and build consensus on a new relationship with the European Union as he set out a long-term vision to tackle the UK's woes in his first speech as leader at the annual Labour party conference.

A journalist who has spent more than 20 years investigating Russian leader Vladimir Putin and who is recognised as perhaps Russia's finest investigative journalist has told FRANCE 24 that Putin's aim with the war in Ukraine is simply to prolong his power inside Russia. Roman Badanin has just published a book, "Le Tsar en personne" or "The Tsar in person" which delves into exactly how Putin's mind works. Badanin says Putin acts like a gang member, and his attitude is that "if you beat me, I will beat you even harder". The book is so far out in Russian and French, with an English version to follow. He spoke to us in Perspective.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Russia launched a wave of overnight strikes across Ukraine, hitting two foreign-flagged vessels in the Black Sea and targets in Kyiv. The strikes come as Russia ramps up its pressure campaign intended to make Ukraine buckle under near-constant bombardment of its capital and other cities.