More than 1.2 million people filled the streets of Madrid on Sunday to attend a mass by Pope Leo XIV at which he called for a renewal of the Catholic faith, saying Spaniards should not look at religion as "a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today". 

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s party took an early lead in parliamentary elections on Monday that could strengthen his push towards closer ties with the West, amid tensions with Moscow and accusations of Russian interference.

US Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Saturday marked the 82nd anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings in France with a speech that bemoaned the "invasion" of "boats and men" on Europe's beaches. In his address at a US military cemetery in Normandy, Hegseth also called on allies to contribute more to their defence. 

Protesters on Saturday gathered at the Vjosa-Narta lagoon, a nature reserve on the Albanian coast, to denounce a plan by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to build a ​luxury resort in an ‌environmentally sensitive area. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has insisted that "top" experts will be involved in the project, which has yet to be approved.

Ukraine on Saturday fired hundreds of drones targeting the St. Petersburg region in the second such attack on Russia’s second-largest city in less than a week. The attack came on the final day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, President Vladimir Putin’s annual investment forum known as “Russia’s Davos”.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Spain on Saturday for a seven-day trip focused in part on migration, including a visit to the Canary Islands where he will honour thousands of migrants who died trying to reach Europe. Leo is also scheduled to meet with victims of sex abuse by Catholic clergy, which some 200,000 minors are estimated to have suffered in Spain since 1940.

A sea drone exploded Friday near Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta without causing casualties. The incident prompted authorities to evacuate more than 1,000 people amid heightening concerns over the spillover effects of Russia's war in Ukraine just a week after a separate drone incident injured two civilians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday rejected a proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting to end the four-year war, saying he saw "no point" in meeting his Ukrainian counterpart until a possible peace deal had been agreed. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our liveblog.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for a face-to-face meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a rare open letter, saying he was also ready for a “full ceasefire”. In response, the Kremlin said Zelensky could meet Putin in Moscow "any time".

A massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, is facing mounting resistance from protesters in Albania, angered by its environmental impact and doubts about its legality. Here's what we know.

Russia has increased its pressure on Armenia ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections, pulling out virtually all the stops linked to trade should its long-term ally persist in its ambitions to join the European Union. Moscow has threatened to raise gas prices, put measures in place to be able to restrict the Russian import of certain Armenian products and warned it may suspend the country from the Eurasian Economic Union.

At least four people have been killed in Crimea, Moscow-installed authorities said on Thursday, a day after Kyiv targeted energy and military facilities in Saint Petersburg during Russia's flagship economic forum. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of a "real" risk of escalation, while Ukraine described the attacks as justified retaliation for intensified Russian strikes on its territory.

The captain of the Tagor, a tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s “ghost fleet” that was boarded in the Atlantic Ocean by the French Navy, was taken into custody on Tuesday, announced Brest prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger.

Ukrainian drone attacks in St. Petersburg targeted military and energy infrastructure overnight into Wednesday, setting ablaze a Russian warship and oil depots on the Baltic coast. This attack deep in Russian territory came on the opening day of Putin's three-day economic forum held in the city and as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv for an unannounced visit.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said in Kyiv on Wednesday that Russia was growing desperate as it faced mounting military and economic difficulties in its four-year-long invasion of Ukraine. Earlier, Kyiv launched drone attacks on the Russian city of St. Petersburg where officials and visiting dignitaries were gathering for a flagship economic forum. Read about the day’s events as they unfolded on our liveblog.

Protesters in the southern British city of Southampton on Tuesday attacked police at the site of the murder of an 18-year-old student who was handcuffed as he lay dying in December from stab wounds after his killer falsely alleged a racist attack. Far-right firebrand figure Tommy Robinson addressed the crowd, with many of them waving Union Jack and England flags.

Eight bottles of Chateau d'Yquem – one of the world's most expensive white wines – were among a collection of 136 bottles discovered under a Czech castle floor that were hidden by the owners after the end of World War II. They have now been restored by the original French winemakers in what the cellar master called a "magical experience" of preserving "liquid memory".

The European Union on Monday agreed a deal to allow countries to send migrants ordered to leave the bloc to third-country "return hubs". The legislation, which still requires formal approval by EU governments and the European Parliament, has drawn criticism from human rights groups.

Russian air strikes hit several major Ukrainian cities early on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people and wounding more than 100, authorities said. Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv were among the hardest hit, with residential buildings damaged and thousands of residents sheltering underground amid ongoing air raid alerts.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on Monday that she has formed a new left-leaning minority coalition after months of negotiations following inconclusive elections in March. The agreement secures her third term in office, bringing together four parties that hold a slim parliamentary majority.