The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 is set to take place in February. BBC News

Patrick Jacksonand Emma Brancatisano Reuters Recruits on live-fire exercises in Ahlen, Germany, last month Some of Europe’s biggest Nato members are moving to strengthen their professional armies through voluntary national service schemes. Large conscripted armies were a feature of Nato states during the Cold War but they dwindled in size …

Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after it was decided Israel could compete. BBC News

Which countries are boycotting Eurovision and why? BBC News

Paul KirbyEurope digital editor BELGA MAG/AFP Federica Mogherini became rector of the prestigious College of Europe in Belgium in 2020 Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief until 2019, has resigned from a leading role in Belgium after she was detained for questioning and accused in connection with an anti-corruption …

President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow disagrees with parts of a US plan on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war, after talks with US negotiators in the Kremlin. “At times we said that yes, we can discuss this, but to that we can’t agree,” Putin told India Today. He did …

What does the latest round of diplomacy on Ukraine tell us about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mood and intentions? For starters, that he’s not ready to sign a peace deal. At least, not right now. And certainly not the deal (or deals) on the table. “No compromise version has yet …

Three teenagers were killed when their car skidded off the road in southern France, went through a wall and crashed upside down in a private pool, trapping them inside. The vehicle was a similar size to the pool and the teenagers – aged 14, 15 and 19 – were unable …

The EU’s former foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, has been accused of fraud as part of an EU investigation into the misuse of funds, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has said. The EPPO said searches were carried out on Tuesday at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, headed …

Nick Beake,Europe correspondentand Bruno Boelpaep,Additional reporting AFP Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever has written to the European Commission chief warning that the EU’s plan is “fundamentally wrong” Belgium has accused the EU of “downplaying” its concerns over a plan to use frozen Russian assets held in Europe to support …

The former Prime Minister of Finland talks to presenter Clare McDonnell about her rise to the top. BBC News

Maia Daviesand Laura Gozzi Getty Images President Putin and his foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov Vladimir Putin hosted US negotiators at the Kremlin on Tuesday for five hours of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, which a Russian official said had been “productive”. The discussions with US envoy …

Jonathan BealeDefence correspondent, Kyiv Watch: Escaping Ukraine’s war-ravaged Donbas region. Trains no longer run to Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region – part of the Donbas claimed in its entirety by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. It’s another sign of the steady Russian advance. Instead, the last station is now on the western …

AFP via Getty Images Protests took place in cities across Bulgaria – the biggest for decades Bulgaria’s government has said it will withdraw its controversial 2026 budget plan after massive rallies were held against it on Monday night in the capital, Sofia, and in cities across the country. Tens of …

Getty Images An Italian mayor has apologised to the family of opera star Luciano Pavarotti after the town of Pesaro encased a statue honouring the late singer within a Christmas ice rink. The singer’s widow, Nicoletta Mantovani, told local media that she was “angry and upset” at what she called …

A Russian missile attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro has killed four people and injured 40, authorities have said. Unconfirmed reports say a ballistic missile was used in the strike, which took place on Monday morning. Videos shared online showed a large explosion occur on the side of …

Kostas KoukoumakasThessaly, central Greece AFP via Getty Images Sheep and goats across Greece have been hit by outbreaks of pox Hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats are being culled in Greece, due to the outbreak of an infectious disease. It may affect production and exports of the country’s famous …

The founder of the Swiss right-to-die organisation Dignitas has died by assisted suicide, the group says. Ludwig Minelli, 92, died on Saturday, days before his 93rd birthday. The group paid tribute to Minelli, saying he had led a “life for freedom of choice, self-determination, and human rights”. Minelli founded Dignitas …

Thieves have stolen €90,000 (£79,000; $104,000) worth of snails from a farm in northern France that supplies gourmet restaurants. L’Escargot Des Grands Crus in Bouzy, near Reims, said it had been robbed of its entire stock of fresh and frozen snails – a “real blow” ahead of the holiday season. …

Ukrainian naval drones hit two oil tankers from Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” as they travelled through the Black Sea, Ukrainian officials have said. Footage verified by the BBC shows waterborne drones speeding through the waves into the vessels, before detonating into a ball of flame, sending black smoke into the …