Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Norway's crown princess apologises after pressure over Epstein friendship

 

at 2/6/26 2:34pm

Mette-Marit says she is sorry to Norwegians for not realising what kind of person the late sex offender was.

— Canada and France open Greenland consulates after Trump demands

 

at 2/6/26 12:28pm

The moves were planned before Trump said he wanted the Arctic island but they are being seen as a show of solidarity with Greenlanders.

— Ukrainian mother's joy after phone call with son she thought had been killed

 

at 2/6/26 11:17am

Nazar Daletskyi's family were sure he had been killed and had buried what they thought was his body in 2023.

— Suspected Chinese spies arrested in quiet French town

 

at 2/6/26 10:18am

Intelligence experts believe south-west France's proximity to defence and aerospace sites makes it a target for espionage.

— Europe feels the impact of weeks of wet weather and freezing cold

 

at 2/6/26 9:03am

A blocked weather pattern has been bringing persistent heavy rain to the Iberian Peninsula. As Darren Bett explains, that's not the only type of extreme weather affecting Europe at the moment.

— Watch: Ukrainian soldier thought to be dead calls his family

 

at 2/6/26 7:36am

Nazar Daletskyi's relatives were told he had been killed in 2022, the first year of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

— BBC at scene where Russian general was shot in Moscow

 

at 2/6/26 7:14am

Russia editor Steve Rosenberg reports from the outskirts of the Russian capital, where Lt Gen Vladimir Alexeyev was shot and wounded.

— Further 22 infant human remains recovered from Tuam site

 

at 2/6/26 5:54am

It brings the total number of human remains recovered from the former mother and baby home to 33.

— Russian general shot several times in Moscow

 

at 2/6/26 1:36am

Lt Gen Vladimir Alexeyev is a senior figure in the main directorate of Russia's military general staff.

— All you need to know about the 2026 Winter Olympics

 

at 2/6/26 1:17am

The Winter Olympics opening ceremony takes place on Friday, and for the 16 days that follow many eyes of sport lovers worldwide will be focused on the Milan-Cortina Games.

— Newly discovered Michelangelo foot sketch sells for £16.9m

 

at 2/5/26 11:21am

Experts at Christie's say it is a foot sketch of the Libyan Sibyl, which was later painted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

— US and Russia agree to resume regular military contact

 

at 2/5/26 10:23am

Channels of communication were suspended in 2021 shortly before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

— Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners as peace talks end without breakthrough

 

at 2/5/26 10:21am

The swap - the first since October - sees 157 Ukrainians and 160 Russians returned home.

— Newly discovered Michelangelo foot sketch could fetch up to £1.5m

 

at 2/5/26 9:33am

Experts at Christie's say it is a foot sketch of the Libyan Sibyl which was later painted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

— Could this be the beginning of the end for Starmer?

 

at 2/5/26 7:38am

Few Labour MPs are publicly calling for Sir Keir Starmer to go but this is very serious moment for the PM.

— 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in war with Russia, Zelensky says

 

at 2/5/26 7:10am

The Ukrainian president also said a large number of people were "officially missing", meaning the total death toll is thought to be much higher.

— Frenchman cleared of drug trafficking returns from Malaysia

 

at 2/5/26 5:51am

Tom Félix, 34, was arrested in 2023 as he was preparing to open a restaurant in the country.

— Italy foils 'Russian cyber-attacks' at Winter Games

 

at 2/5/26 4:08am

Italy has foiled "Russian origin" cyber-attacks targeting the Winter Olympics, says Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

— Warning of long airport queues under new EU border control system

 

at 2/5/26 4:06am

Airport organisation says queues could last up to six hours over the summer holidays.

— Europeans don't admit Greenland concessions, JD Vance says

 

at 2/5/26 3:56am

Vance says it is not true Europeans have not made any concessions to the US over its designs to control Greenland.

— Fears of new arms race as US-Russia nuclear weapons treaty expires

 

at 2/4/26 10:33pm

The New Start treaty has limited the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads for both countries.

— Fearing Russia will seize her town, war widow moves husband's grave to Kyiv

 

at 2/4/26 2:59pm

Russia's gains on the battlefield have forced Natalia to rebury her husband.

— Church fresco resembling Italian PM has face scrubbed out

 

at 2/4/26 1:04pm

The artist who painted the cherub has admitted it was Giorgia Meloni's face, as the Rome church sees a steady flow of curious visitors.

— How plans for Trump International hotel in Belgrade unravelled

 

at 2/4/26 11:14am

The project would have built on the ruins of the defence ministry bombed by Nato back in 1999.

— Boy, 14, stabbed art teacher because he had 'too much hatred', he tells police

 

at 2/4/26 9:44am

The teenager allegedly took a knife from his kitchen with the plan to attack the 60-year-old, the prosecutor says.

— Son of Norway's crown princess holds back tears giving evidence at rape trial

 

at 2/4/26 9:00am

Marius Borg Høiby gives evidence after the first woman he is alleged to have raped told the court she believed she had been drugged.

— Greece blames smugglers over migrant deaths but early accounts have been questioned before

 

at 2/4/26 6:22am

Greek officials were quick to blame smugglers, but experience tells us to be wary of instant and unequivocal explanations.

— Spain announces plans to ban social media for under-16s

 

at 2/3/26 1:32pm

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says the move will protect children from the "digital Wild West".

— BBC reports from Oslo court ahead of rape trial of Crown Princess's son

 

at 2/2/26 1:22pm

Norway's royal family has been embroiled in recent scandals, including Crown Princess Mette-Marit links with Epstein.

— 'Pay and smile' - Rome visitors face Trevi Fountain charge

 

at 2/2/26 6:43am

Italy's capital city has introduced a €2 fee to access the viewing area of its iconic fountain, which had previously been free to visit.

— 'Enemy' insults and questioning Putin: Steve Rosenberg on tightrope of reporting from Russia

 

at 2/1/26 11:00pm

The BBC's Russia editor reflects on the difficulties of working as a British journalist in Moscow.

— Watch: Frozen river hosts dance party in Kyiv

 

at 1/31/26 7:45am

Residents in the Ukrainian capital are finding joy in unusual places, despite power cuts caused by Russian attacks and freezing winter temperatures.

— One wrong move and it could all go wrong - the men clearing deadly undersea Russian mines

 

at 1/30/26 5:19pm

A team of divers are tasked with de-mining parts of the Black Sea still under Ukraine's control.

— The stars and styles from Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week

 

at 1/29/26 9:24am

Fashion's finest gather in the French capital for a week of high-end designs and celebrity sightings.

— Watch: Huge landslide in Sicily after Storm Harry

 

at 1/27/26 5:42am

More than 1,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes on the Italian island.

— 'It's 2C in our flat': Inside Kyiv apartment as Russia targets power and heating

 

at 1/27/26 5:32am

Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure have left millions without power in freezing temperatures.

— Could trilateral talks yield a breakthrough in Ukraine-Russia war?

 

at 1/23/26 7:54am

It's the first time representatives from Kyiv, Moscow and Washington have come together since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

— Waterfall in Ukraine completely freezes

 

at 1/20/26 4:16am

Temperatures in the country have dropped to around -20C.

As of 2/6/26 6:26pm. Last new 2/6/26 3:17pm.