Pope Francis headed to Portugal on Wednesday to open the first post-pandemic edition of World Youth Day, hoping to inspire the next generation of Catholics while coping with the church’s ongoing clergy sexual abuse scandal.

Russian drones attacked port and grain storage facilities in the south of Ukraine’s coastal Odesa region in the early hours of Wednesday, including the inland port of Izmail across the Danube River from Romania. And Kyiv’s military administration said the city’s air defences downed more than 10 Russian drones during an overnight attack. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

Pilgrims fill the streets of Lisbon as the world’s largest Catholic gathering, a week-long religious festival known as World Youth Day, kicks off in the Portuguese capital, a day before Pope Francis arrives on his first foreign trip since recent surgery.

Journalists at France’s Journal du Dimanche newspaper ended a 40-day strike on August 1, 2023 over the appointment of a far-right editor in chief.

At five o’clock sharp, Poland paid homage to the heroes of the Warsaw Uprising.

Journalists at France’s sole dedicated Sunday newspaper announced on Tuesday they were halting one of the longest strikes in the recent history of French media, on the day a controversial editor aligned with the far right took up his post as editor in chief.