President Emmanuel Macron told members of the government on Wednesday that the French judiciary was "independent" and that "judges must be protected", according to an official present at the meeting.

Speaking after far-right leader Marine Le Pen was banned from standing for office as part of an embezzlement conviction, Macron also said that "all litigants have the right to appeal", according to the participant who asked not to be named.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said Russia was intentionally attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure and called on allies to mount pressure on Moscow to halt its invasion.

"Another round of deliberate strikes and damage to energy facilities –- an FPV drone hit a substation in the Sumy region, and in Nikopol, Dnipro region, a power line was damaged by artillery fire," the Ukrainian leader said, adding that the strikes had cut power to thousands of people.

Since President Donald Trump took office, the U.S. government has used its immigration enforcement powers to crack down on international students and scholars at several American universities who had participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations or criticized Israel over its military action in Gaza.

Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being "pro-Hamas," referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel's actions in the war.

Iran would have to acquire a nuclear weapon if attacked by the United States or its allies, an adviser to the country's supreme leader warned, following a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The comments came after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, promised to hit back if Trump carried out a threat to bomb the Islamic republic if it did not make a deal to curb its nuclear program.

China is ready to play a "constructive role" in ending the war in Ukraine but backs Russia in defending its "interests", top diplomat Wang Yi told Russian state news agency Ria Novosti in an interview published on Tuesday.

Donald Trump on Sunday repeated his suggestion he might seek a third term as president, which would defy the two-term limit stipulated in the U.S. Constitution.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Monday of a forceful retaliation if the Islamic republic is attacked, following a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump.

"They threaten to do mischief," Khamenei said of Trump's latest threat, during a speech on Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Residents scoured collapsed buildings Sunday searching for survivors as aftershocks rattled the devastated city of Mandalay, two days after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 17 in neighboring Thailand.

The initial 7.7-magnitude quake struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.

Iran has delivered a formal written response to U.S. President Donald Trump's letter proposing new nuclear talks and threatening consequences if a deal is not reached swiftly, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday.

Trump gave Iran a two-month deadline to sign a new nuclear deal or face potential military action in his letter, sent three weeks ago.

A powerful earthquake centered in Myanmar has killed more than 1,000 people in the war-torn country and neighboring Thailand and caused widespread damage.

Here is what we know: