Rebel strongholds in eastern Ukraine braced for more fighting on Thursday as Western leaders piled pressure on Kiev to strike a truce with pro-Russian separatists.
Sweden's Holocaust hero Raoul Wallenberg, who saved tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews before mysteriously dying in a Soviet prison, was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal at the US Capitol.
France and the United States on Monday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to pressure pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine to agree a dialogue on reaching a ceasefire with Kiev.
Former Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze, who helped end the Cold War as the Soviet Union's last foreign minister, died Monday aged 86, with tributes pouring in from friends and foes.
A team of Kazakhstan's professional stunt actors from Kun-Do action studio led by Igor Tsai is engaged in shooting of action scenes in Fighter, a Russian movie.
A journalist with Russian public television has been shot dead in east Ukraine where pro-Moscow separatists are battling Ukrainian forces, the media worker's employer Channel One said.
Sarajevo on Saturday was to mark 100 years since the assassination that sparked World War I, an act that still deeply divides the people of the Balkans over the legacy of that fateful day.
Jean-Claude Juncker has been named as the next president of the European Commission with backing from most EU leaders, dealing a bitter blow to opponent David Cameron and threatening to increase the chances of Britain leaving the bloc.
Uruguay star Luis Suarez exited the World Cup in shame after being hit with the heaviest suspension in the tournament's history for biting an Italian opponent.
The European Union on Friday signed association accords with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova as the three former Soviet republics committed themselves to a future in Europe.
Four OSCE observers who were abducted on May 26 by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine have been freed and have arrived at a hotel in Donetsk, a separatist leader said.
NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday the alliance will shortly offer Georgia closer ties, but made no mention of membership, amid growing concerns over Russia's intentions in Ukraine.