Rome has given final approval to a €13.5bn ($15.6bn) project to build the world’s longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the region of Calabria, on the tip of Italy’s boot. The designers claim the bridge – which is due to be built on one of the most …

A meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russia’s Vladimir Putin is under way at the Kremlin, Russian media has said. Witkoff arrived in Moscow on Wednesday as Donald Trump’s deadline for Russia to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine looms. The US president has said Russia could face hefty sanctions …

Mircea Barbu BBC News in Bucharest Peter Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images Iliescu at Romania’s presidential palace in 1993, during his first of three terms in office Ion Iliescu, a figure whose name is intertwined with the tumultuous birth of modern Romania, has died at the age of 95. A career …

Bethany Bell BBC News, Germany EPA/Shutterstock Jian G – whose identity is being protected – has denied the charges against him The former assistant to a leading member of Germany’s far-right populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has gone on trial in Dresden, accused of spying for China. The German …

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has said he and Donald Trump discussed sanctions against Russia, defence cooperation and drone production ahead of a visit to Moscow by US envoy Steve Witkoff. Thanking Trump for “productive” talks on Tuesday, Zelensky claimed that Moscow was particularly “sensitive” to the prospect of sanctions. Trump has …

Passengers on several Eurostar trains are facing delays and cancellations after a power supply issue on a rail line in northern France led to its closure. The Eurostar website shows at least nine services on Monday between London and Paris have been cancelled, while a further 15 services have been …

Bloomberg via Getty Images US President Donald Trump said he would move two nuclear submarines closer to Russia last week but didn’t specify if they are nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed. The sub pictured above is a US ballistic missile submarine called the USS Kentucky. The Kremlin has played down Donald Trump’s …

A volcano in far eastern Russia has erupted for the first time in more than 500 years, which experts say may be linked to last week’s massive earthquake. The Krasheninnikov Volcano in Kamchatka threw up an ash plume up to six kilometres (3.7 miles) high overnight. The last recorded eruption …

Imogen Foulkes Geneva correspondent BBC In a small village in Switzerland’s beautiful Loetschental valley, Matthias Bellwald walks down the main street and is greeted every few steps by locals who smile or offer a handshake or friendly word. Mr Bellwald is a mayor, but this isn’t his village. Two months …

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called for stronger international sanctions on Russia after a deadly attack on Kyiv killed at least 31 people. Zelensky said five children – the youngest aged two – were among the dead and 159 people had been wounded in the assault on Thursday. “No matter …

Zhanna Bezpiatchuk BBC News Ukrainian in Kyiv TETIANA DZHAFAROVA/AFP Young Ukrainians were outside parliament again on Thursday as MPs voted to overturn a controversial law As Ukraine’s MPs gathered at the parliament in Kyiv on Thursday, some held cardboard signs that read, “We are with our people.” It was a …

Getty Images Since the deal was announced criticism of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has mounted It was all handshakes and smiles when European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump announced that a EU-US trade agreement had been reached after months of wrangling …

Georgina Rannard Science correspondent G Caspari and M Vavulin Scans of the ice mummy’s skin revealed details of animals and birds on her arms and hands High-resolution imaging of tattoos found on a 2,500 year old Siberian “ice mummy” have revealed decorations that a modern tattooist would find challenging to …

The removal of a French group of Jewish teenagers from a flight in Spain last week has prompted a diplomatic row, after their group leader was handcuffed by police and a Spanish minister called them “Israeli brats”. French government ministers Aurore Bergé and Benjamin Haddad have given a strongly worded …

A BBC Verify investigation has revealed that the identities of British public sector workers have been cloned using AI by a Russian-linked disinformation campaign. BBC News

James Chater & Jonathan Beale BBC News in Sydney & Kyiv Watch: Explosions seen in Kyiv during Russian attack At least six people were killed and more than 50 others were wounded in a barrage of Russian drones and missiles that struck several districts of Kyiv and brought down an …

A powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula at about 11:25 local time on Wednesday. Tsunami warnings and evacuation orders were issued around the world, including in Japan, Ecuador, Hawaii and the west coast of North America. BBC News

Sergei Goryashko & Investigations Team BBC News Russian BBC Russia’s President Vladimir Putin promised Russian soldiers a hero’s welcome when they return from Ukraine, but the BBC has found cases of servicemen robbed and scammed for their salaries and pay-offs by government officials. Since the invasion began in February 2022, …

A zoo in the southern German city of Nuremberg has culled 12 healthy Guinea baboons due to overcrowding in their enclosure, after which they were fed to predators. Seven animal rights activists were arrested on Tuesday after they entered the Tiergarten Nürnberg zoo in protest against the decision. One woman …

This is the moment a Spanish fighter jet was forced to perform an evasive manoeuvre during an air show in Gijon. Video footage shows the Spanish F-18 fighter flying at a low altitude, when it suddenly turns upside down – avoiding a flock of birds and hurtling towards the sea, …