France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said, which will make it the first G7 nation to do so. In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York. “The …

Hugh Schofield Paris correspondent AFP Georges Abdallah is due to be deported to Lebanon Georges Abdallah, a 74-year-old Lebanese teacher who became a left-wing symbol for the Palestinian cause, has been freed by France on Friday after 41 years in jail. Described by his lawyer as “the man who has …

Erika Benke BBC News, Rovaniemi BBC/Erika Benke “Make sure the reindeer have plenty of water – and don’t forget to drink a glass every hour too,” Santa reminds a team of elves as Lapland swelters in a record heatwave. It’s not every day that Father Christmas finds himself briefing about …

Five people have been killed in overnight strikes in Russia and Ukraine, as the two sides continue to trade drone attacks. Ukrainian officials said on Saturday that more than 200 drones and almost 30 missiles were fired by Russia, with most targeting Dnipropetrovsk where three people died. In Russia, Rostov’s …

Magerram Zeynalov & Grigor Atanesian BBC News Russian Getty Images When a young peace activist was jailed for 15 years for high treason in Azerbaijan last month, his friends’ anger was directed primarily at the European Union, ahead of the government that put him behind bars. Bahruz Samadov, a 30-year-old …

Greece continued to battle major wildfires across the country amid a severe heatwave, but firefighters have brought many outbreaks under control. Extreme heat persisted, with temperatures reaching 42.4C (108.32F) in central Greece on Sunday. Firefighters were working on five major fire fronts late on Sunday in the Peloponnese area west …

Three people have been killed and several others badly hurt after an overflowing sewage shaft caused a landslide that derailed a passenger train in south-west Germany, local authorities say. Prosecutors said the train crashed between Riedlingen and Munderkingen near Stuttgart on Sunday following heavy rain in the area. The deluge …

BBC Donald Trump has struck an agreement with the European Union that means the US will not impose the 30% tariffs – export taxes – on EU imports that the US president had threatened. However, the EU will still face a new 15% tariff on the goods it sells into …

BBC Donald Trump has struck an agreement with the European Union that means the US will not impose the 30% tariffs – export taxes – on EU imports that the US president had threatened. However, the EU will still face a new 15% tariff on the goods it sells into …

Greece and Turkey are among the countries battling wildfires as temperatures spike in southern Europe. It reached 42.4C in central Greece on Sunday and neighbouring Turkey recorded its highest ever temperature, 50.5C, in the south-eastern city of Silopi, the country’s, environment ministry said. Videos also show firefighters tackling blazes in …

I’m disappointed with President Putin, Trump says Donald Trump has presented a new, shorter deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire over the war in Ukraine of “ten or 12 days” from Monday. The US president said there was “no reason” in waiting any longer as no progress towards …

The Kremlin has described reports of a cyber-attack on Russia’s national carrier Aeroflot as “worrying” after the airline reported a failure in its information systems and cancelled dozens of flights. A statement purporting to be from a pro-Ukraine hacking group called Silent Crow said it carried out the attack, together …

The Kremlin has described reports of a cyber-attack on Russia’s national carrier Aeroflot as “worrying” after the airline reported a failure in its information systems and cancelled dozens of flights. A statement purporting to be from a pro-Ukraine hacking group called Silent Crow said it carried out the attack, together …

Greece is battling five major wildfires across the country, with officials evacuating residents in a hard-hit region just north of capital city Athens. The ongoing emergency comes amid a severe heatwave with temperatures forecast to reach up to 44C (111.2F) on Sunday. The BBC’s Nikos Papanikolaou is in Athens and …

Nikos Papanikolaou BBC News, Athens Watch: Greece wildfires burn homes and fill skies with smoke Greece is battling five major wildfires across the country, with officials evacuating residents in a hard-hit region just 30km (18.6 miles) north of Athens. The smell of burning wood carried as far as central Athens, …

Hugh Schofield Paris correspondent AFP Georges Abdallah will be released on Friday after 40 years behind bars Georges Abdallah, a 74-year-old Lebanese teacher who became a left-wing symbol for the Palestinian cause, is to be freed by France on Friday after 41 years in jail. Described by his lawyer as …

DSNS Odesa The famous Pryvoz market in Odesa, Ukraine was damaged by an overnight strike Drone strikes by both Moscow and Kyiv killed two in Russia and three in Ukraine, hours after a brief third round of ceasefire talks concluded in Istanbul. Three people were found dead in the rubble …

Two people have died in a car in a wildfire which has torn through southern Cyprus amid soaring temperatures which are expected to climb to 44C on Thursday. Cypriot police said two charred bodies were found in a burnt out vehicle after the blaze started in the village of Malia …

Paul Kirby Europe digital editor Bloomberg via Getty Images Failure to reach a deal would lead to 30% US tariffs and EU countermeasures targeting US exports The European Union has said it believes a deal on trade tariffs with the US is “within reach”, ahead of a 1 August deadline …

James Waterhouse BBC News correspondent Jason Arunn Murugesu BBC News, North East and Cumbria Rustavi 2 Bella Culley, pictured at a previous hearing, appeared at Tbilisi City Court A British teenager on trial for drug smuggling charges in Georgia has told the court she hopes they will be able “to …