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Aid mission set to enter Ukraine's Oleshky as localised ceasefire holds for third day

A humanitarian aid mission is set to enter the Ukrainian town of Oleshky, a Ukrainian official said on Thuirsday, as a localised truce between Kyiv and Moscow, brokered by US first lady Melania Trump, held for a third day. Some 2,000 residents in the Russian occupied city have been cut off from essential supplies amid reports that many are starving.

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Spain to observe three days of mourning after scores killed in high-speed train collision

At least 68 people were killed Wednesday after two high-speed trains collided in Spain's central Toledo province, regional authorities confirmed, with high-speed rail services between Madrid and Andalusia suspended. It is Spain's second deadly train crash in less than a year. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the country would observe three days of mourning. 

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US-EU trade truce at risk over $3.4 billion Airbus loan, Trump official warns

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer warned on Monday that a $3.4 billion European Investment Bank loan to Airbus could jeopardise a tariff truce between Washington and Brussels. Greer said his office had received no details about the financing, announced in June, and urged the EU to resolve the matter quickly.

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Europe's top NATO powers pledge greater defence role, reaffirm US alliance

Europe's five main NATO members said on Monday they were ready to take greater responsibility for the continent's security while reaffirming the United States as an "indispensable ally". Defence ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Britain pledged closer co-operation with Washington after talks in Paris on strengthening Europe's defence role.

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Serbia's Vucic concedes defeat in historic snap election with record turnout

Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat in an historic election on Sunday following a near to 70% turnout at polling stations – the highest since the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1992. The snap election followed nearly two years of student-led demonstrations against perceived corruption and authoritarianism triggered by the deaths of 16 people when a train station canopy collapsed in the ‌city of Novi Sad in 2024.  

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‘Nothing has changed’: Ukraine says still experiencing Starlink restrictions

Ukraine on Friday said it was still experiencing restrictions with the Starlink communication system despite a claim by US President Donald Trump made earlier this week that the country’s access had been fully restored. Trump said he had not yet spoken to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk about the problem, but that he would “straighten it out”. 

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French student groups call for protests to continue after meeting with Macron

Representatives from French high school student groups called for “continued mobilisation” after meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée palace for the first time since protests started more than a month ago. Earlier, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said some 70,000 security forces would be deployed to keep order throughout France for planned protests on Saturday. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded.

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‘No change’ in Russia’s attitude on war shown by deadly attacks, Zelensky says

Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine show there has been “no real change” in Moscow’s attitude towards the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday. The deadly strikes came just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin told US envoy Steve Witkoff his country was ready to resume trilateral talks with Washington and Kyiv.

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Authorities in Lyon and Marseille ban all protests Saturday

Local prefects on Thursday banned all protests in France’s second- and third-largest cities Marseille and Lyon for Saturday in an attempt to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s violence and looting on the margins of demonstrations over the cost of living and education funding. Read our liveblog to see how the day's events unfolded.

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Russia and Ukraine trade strikes overnight as Moscow signals readiness for peace talks

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.

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