A Roman Catholic cardinal who was once a close ally of Pope Francis has gone on trial in the Vatican, accused of misusing Church funds in a ruinous London property venture. Cardinal Angelo Becciu, 73, is the most senior cleric in modern times to face trial for alleged financial crimes. He is charged with spending […]
By Joshua Nevett BBC News Norwegians have been left awestruck by a bright meteor that illuminated the night sky in the country’s south-east. Footage shows powerful flashes of light over Norway, followed by what witnesses described as loud bangs on Sunday. Norwegian police say they received a flurry of emergency calls but there were no […]
The US says it has reached a deal with Germany to prevent Russia from using its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as political leverage over Europe. The near-complete 1,230km (764 miles) pipeline under the Baltic Sea will double Russian gas exports to Germany. US official Victoria Nuland said it was “a bad pipeline”, but said […]
Kurt Westergaard, a Danish cartoonist whose caricature of the Prophet Muhammad outraged many Muslims worldwide, has died at the age of 86. He died after a long illness, his family told the Berlingske newspaper on Sunday. Westergaard was a cartoonist for the conservative Jyllands-Posten newspaper from the early 1980s. He became world famous in 2005 […]
Climate change German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed shock at what she described as surreal destruction caused by last week’s flooding. Mrs Merkel visited affected areas of western Germany on Sunday, talking to survivors and emergency workers. At least 188 people in Germany and Belgium are now known to have died in the floods. […]
Rescue crews have been racing to find survivors of floods that have wreaked havoc across western Europe, killing more than 150 people. Many people are still missing after record rainfall triggered severe floods in Germany and Belgium, and the death toll is expected to rise further. Submerged cars are being searched for bodies as flood […]
The prominent Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries, who was shot and seriously wounded in central Amsterdam nine days ago, has died. “Peter fought to the end, but was unable to win the battle,” a statement from his relatives said. The 64-year-old was shot in the head minutes after leaving a TV studio. The […]
Climate change The European Union has announced a raft of climate change legislation aimed at pushing it towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. A dozen draft proposals, which still need to be approved by the bloc’s 27 member states and the EU parliament, were announced on Wednesday. They include plans to […]
There have been scenes of jubilation across Italy after their football team defeated England 3-2 on penalties in the Euro 2020 final in London. Cheering fans greeted the team as they arrived back in Rome with the trophy on Monday. The victory at Wembley stadium brought Italy its first European title since 1968. England remain […]
UK oil firm Cairn Energy has gained the right to seize Indian state assets in France worth more than €20m (£17m) as part of a long-running tax row. A French tribunal ordered a freeze on about 20 properties in central Paris as Cairn increases pressure on the Indian government over disputed tax claims. Cairn said […]
