Salome Zurabishvili

Prince William will visit Paris on Saturday to attend the reopening of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which was destroyed by fire five years ago, Kensington Palace announced Friday.

William will attend the ceremony on behalf of the United Kingdom at the request of the British government, the palace said.

Thousands of demonstrators have gathered outside Georgia's parliament in Tbilisi for a sixth consecutive night, protesting the government's suspension of negotiations on European Union accession. Riot police and special forces have continued to use water cannons, tear gas, and other means to disperse the crowds, often resulting in clashes marked by violence and mass arrests.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said Thursday that while Tbilisi remains committed to its goal of European Union membership, it will not pursue accession until 2028, accusing Brussels of "blackmail".

Georgia's new parliament convened for its first session on Monday amid protests over an election the opposition says was rigged and after the pro-European president demanded the result be annulled.

Political turmoil has rocked the Black Sea nation since the Oct. 26 vote, won by the governing Georgian Dream party.

A partial ballot recount in Georgia's contested parliamentary election confirmed the ruling party won, electoral officials said on Thursday, after opposition parties alleged violations and Washington and Brussels demanded an investigation.

Georgia has launched a probe into the alleged "falsification" of its parliamentary elections, prosecutors said on Oct. 30, after the pro-Western opposition said the vote was "stolen" and Western countries criticized irregularities.

In this handout picture taken and released by the Georgian presidential press service on October 27, 2024, Georgia's President Salome Zurabishvili, flanked by leaders of opposition parties, speaks during a press conference at the presidential palace in Tbilisi, a day after the parliamentary elections.

Thousands of Georgians rallied Tuesday outside parliament after ruling party MPs adopted a divisive "foreign influence" law as Georgian NGOs on Wednesday vowed to defy the law that has been criticised for mirroring Russian legislation.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has put a mostly symbolic veto on the "foreign influence" law which has sparked unprecedented protests and warnings from Brussels that the measure would undermine Tbilisi's EU aspirations.