Stacey and her crew have a bumpy ride out on Lake Como. BBC News

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said a planned anti-drone system should be “fully operational by the end of 2027”, as part of a drive to toughen defences against Russia and be fully prepared for possible conflict by 2030. “Drones are already redefining warfare. Having drone defences is no …

Getty Images Greece’s parliament has approved a contested labour bill that would allow 13-hour workdays, despite fierce opposition and nationwide strikes. The government said it will modernise Greek labour laws, but a spokesperson for the left-wing opposition Syriza party called the bill a “legislative monstrosity”. Under the new law, annual …

AFP via Getty Images Sébastien Lecornu has had a turbulent start to his job, having resigned last week as prime minister before being reappointed France’s new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has bought himself breathing space after winning two no-confidence motions tabled by the opposition. In the tightest vote, a motion …

Jessica ParkerBerlin correspondent NurPhoto via Getty Images Under the plans, it will be compulsory for men to fill out a questionnaire at the age of 18, but optional for women Plans to re-introduce military service in Germany have been thrown into chaos because of an 11th hour row amongst the …

Two French nationals have been handed lengthy prison sentences by a court in Iran after being convicted of espionage, Iranian state media reports. The reports do not name the defendants but they are believed to be Cecile Kohler, 40, and her partner Jacques Paris, 72, the only French nationals being …

Bruno BoelpaepIn Brussels and Paul KirbyEurope digital editor Reuters Demonstrators held a banner that read “social health: vital” Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in Brussels as part of a national strike over government reforms and spending cuts that has brought flights to a halt and …

Three police officers have been killed and at least 15 other people injured in an apparently deliberate gas explosion at a farmhouse in northern Italy. The blast was triggered as police and firefighters went into the house near Verona to carry out an eviction order for two brothers and a …

Nato chief Mark Rutte joked about the condition of Russia’s naval fleet on Monday as Moscow denied one of its submarines had to surface because of technical problems. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet said the diesel-powered submarine Novorossiysk had surfaced off France to comply with navigation rules in the English Channel, …

Venezuela announced on Monday it would close its embassy in Oslo, days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In a statement, the Venezuelan government did not comment on Machado’s prize, saying that the closure was part of a restructuring of its foreign service. Norway’s …

The president of Germany will visit the UK later this year, Buckingham Palace has announced. The visit by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, from 3 to 5 December, will be the first German state visit to the UK in 27 years. King Charles and Queen Camilla will host the visit at Windsor …

US President Donald Trump is considering sending Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine, saying it would provide “a new step of aggression” in its war with Russia. When asked on Air Force One if he would send Tomahawks to Ukraine, Trump replied “we’ll see… I may”. It follows a second …

Floods caused by torrential rain have left a number of people trapped in vehicles in Spain’s north-eastern Catalonia region, officials say. Videos on social media have emerged showing torrents of muddy water sweeping through the towns of La Ràpita and Santa Bàrbara in the Tarragona province, and moving everything in …

Drone footage has emerged showing a blaze destroying the historic Bernaga Monastery in Italy. Founded in La Valletta Brianza in 1628 it’s located about 30km (19 miles) east of Milan. All 22 cloistered nuns were evacuated from the scene, according to Italian media reports. BBC News

Bernd Debusmann Jrat the White House Reuters All smiles – Stubb and Trump There was no small talk required to break the ice between these two leaders who have become unlikely friends. Instead, it was real ice breakers – 9,000-tonne hulking ships – that sealed a deal between Donald Trump …

Stuart Lau and Danny AeberhardBBC World Service Europe editor Bloomberg via Getty Images A Danish warship off Nuuk, Greenland (April 2025) Denmark has announced $4.2bn (£3.2bn) of extra defence spending to boost security in Greenland and the Arctic and North Atlantic regions. It will also spend $4.5bn buying 16 more …

The worst-hit areas are expected to be around Cabo de la Nao on the coast between Valencia and Alicante, and nearby inland areas. Rainfall here could exceed 60 mm in an hour, leading to dangerous flash flooding. Over the next few days as much as 250–300 mm of rain is …

A woman whose body was found on a Dutch beach in 2004 has become the fourth person to be named through an international police campaign called Operation Identify Me. The woman was named on Friday as 35-year-old German citizen Eva Maria Pommer. She was identified following a tip-off to police …

Police in Belgium have arrested three people suspected of plotting an attack on the country’s prime minister, Bart de Wever. The alleged plot was described by prosecutors as a “jihadist-inspired terrorist attack” on the PM and other politicians. Authorities found a suspected improvised explosive device and evidence the suspects were …

A Dutch beekeeper has spoken of his shock after his 10 beehives were burned down in a park in the central city of Almere, with the loss of an estimated half a million bees. Harold Stringer said each hive had a colony of 40-60,000 bees, and the thought that anyone …