French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting his final G7 summit, addressing key issues including Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Middle East conflict, Chinese competition, AI, and online child safety. This summit marks a significant moment as Macron prepares to leave office next year.

Two people were killed and four injured in overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast. Concurrently, Ukrainian strikes targeted strategic Russian industrial facilities, located 700km from the border, highlighting the ongoing intensification of the conflict.

Pope Leo XIV departed the Canary Islands for Rome on Friday aboard a Falcon plane provided by King Felipe VI, following a technical fault with his original aircraft. The flight, delayed by half an hour, took off shortly after 6:00 pm and is expected to arrive by 11:00 pm.

Christian Brueckner, prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, is no longer under 24/7 police surveillance but remains monitored with an electronic tag.

Hervé Lecoq, UNIFIL’s deputy head of mission, asserts that a peace process between Israel and Hezbollah remains “very complicated.” He emphasises that UNIFIL cannot “force an agreement,” highlighting that any breakthrough relies on the political will of both parties involved.

Leaders from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have backed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call for direct ceasefire talks with Russia, following discussions in London. They emphasised the necessity of a dialogue involving US and European participation to establish a ceasefire and facilitate negotiations.