Six Bulgarians convicted of spying for Russia face significant jail terms when they are sentenced at the Old Bailey in London on Monday.

Orlin Roussev, Biser Dzhambazov, Katrin Ivanova, Tihomir Ivanchev, Ivan Stoyanov and Vanya Gaberova will be sentenced for their part in a Russian spy ring run from a 33-room Great Yarmouth guest house.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said double figure sentences were appropriate for many of the defendants, who she said had endangered lives and harmed national security.

Evidence placed before the court this week has revealed new details of the spy cell's activities as well as their controller for Russian intelligence services Jan Marsalek's life on the run.

A Telegram exchange from August 2021 between Marsalek, an Austrian fugitive who fled fraud charges in Germany, and the UK spy cell's leader, Roussev, indicates the pair were contracted by the CIA to organise an evacuation flight from Kabul airport shortly before a suicide bombing.

"Interesting request from our friends, sort of, at the CIA," Marsalek wrote to Roussev on 17 August 2021. "They urgently need aircraft to fly out contractors from Afghanistan."

In subsequent messages Roussev and Marsalek planned the airlift.

"In the end, they did it," Mark Summers KC said in mitigation for Roussev on Thursday.

"We don't offer that as some humanitarian effort. It was, as with everything else Mr Roussev does, fixing for money. Mr Roussev is not an anti-western ideologue."

On Friday, Rupert Bowers KC, on behalf of Ivanova, told the court that she had been "lied to and manipulated by her partner" Dzhambazov.

Ivanchev's barrister, Mozammel Hossain KC, said his client was the "ultimate minion" and an "outsider in this case".

Stoyanov, according to his barrister Hossein Zahir KC, was "remorseful" and "accepts he acted in a selfish way".

Peter Wright KC said that the messages that Dzhambazov sent did not "contain proposals of harm" and that his client "embellished" his actions to make more money from them.

Further messages, which were not included in evidence during an earlier trial of Ivanova, Ivanchev and Gaberova, reveal Marsalek and Roussev plotted to trade weapons for diamonds.

"We can collect and inspect the diamonds in either Angola, Belgium Congo, Kenya," Roussev wrote to Marsalek.

"These guys want to spend around 60 million on guns and light infantry vehicles and pay with diamonds," he added later.

When Marsalek asked who the end client was, Roussev said: "Allegedly only government… but who knows…"

Marsalek, who is reported to be in Moscow, is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice, following his escape from justice.

Messages reveal he has had plastic surgery to alter his appearance as well as details of his life as a fugitive.

"I'm off to bed. Had another cosmetic surgery, trying to look differently, and I am dead tired and my head hurts," Marsalek wrote to Roussev on Telegram in February 2022.

In another, dated 11 May 2021, Roussev congratulated Marsalek for learning Russian.

"Well I am trying to improve my skills on a few fronts. Languages is one of them," the Austrian responded.

"In my new role as an international fugitive I must outperform James Bond."

In September that year, Marsalek wrote to Roussev complaining about being forced to drink a bottle of gin by "some deep-state guys who's [sic] names no one knows" while stuck between them, "the mafia, half of Russia's ambassadors, the GRU" and "a dozen naked girls".

During an exchange of messages between the pair in April 2021, Marsalek joked to Roussev: "Together we can pretty much organise anything they need except nukes. Even the nukes if they pay."

Ivanova, Gaberova and Ivanchev were convicted of conspiracy to spy for Russia in March following a lengthy trial.

Roussev, Dzhambazov and Stoyanov had previously pleaded guilty.

At the direction of Marsalek, acting on behalf of Russian intelligence services, the cell conducted surveillance operations on targets including investigative journalists, Russian dissidents and political figures.

They targeted Ukrainian soldiers believed to be training to use Patriot Missile Systems at a German military base, in an apparent effort to assist the neutralisation of Ukrainian air defences.

Roussev and Marsalek plotted murder and kidnap in service of the Kremlin, though these plans were never realised.

Ms Morgan read statements from victims of the spy ring's surveillance on Thursday. Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian investigative journalist said it had a "profound and enduring impact" on his life. He described it as "terrifying, disorientating and deeply destabilising".

"The consequences are not easily reversed," he said. "For my family and me the damage is ongoing."

A diver has died during preliminary operations to recover British tech tycoon Mike Lynch's superyacht from the waters off the coast of northern Sicily, local police said.

The accident happened on Friday happened while the diver was underwater in Porticello, police said, adding the precise cause of death was still unknown.

According to local Italian media, the diver was a 39-year-old Dutch national who worked for a specialist salvage company.

It comes as salvage ships arrived earlier this month to waters off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, where the Bayesian vessel sank during freak weather last August.

Seven of the 22 people onboard the Bayesian last summer were killed, including Mr Lynch, 59, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah.

Morgan Stanley International bank chairman Jonathan Bloomer, 70, and his wife, Judy, 71, US lawyer Chris Morvillo, his wife Neda Morvillo and the yacht's chef Recaldo Thomas, who was originally from Antigua, also died in the sinking on 19 August.

Fifteen people managed to escape on a lifeboat including a one-year-old and Mr Lynch's wife Angela Bacares.

The cause of the sinking is still under investigation with naval experts saying a yacht of Bayesian's calibre should have been able to withstand the storm and certainly should not have sunk as rapidly as it did.

The salvage operation is being overseen by British marine consultancy TMC Marine and led by Dutch-based companies Hebo, a maritime services company from Rotterdam, and SMIT Salvage, with support from Italian specialists.

About 70 specialist personnel have been deployed to Sicily from across Europe to work on the recovery operation.

• The 16 minutes that plunged the Bayesian yacht into a deadly spiral
• Bayesian sinking: The key questions for investigators
• Tributes to 'brilliant' Mike and Hannah Lynch as family speak of shock
• 'For two seconds I lost my baby in the sea' - Sicily yacht survivor

On Thursday, the team said on-site preparations were on schedule and "significant progress" had been made over the past five days.

Analysis of the yacht and the surrounding seabed confirmed there had been no change to its condition since the last inspection, meaning plans to raise the vessel can now go ahead.

Work to move the Bayesian into an upright position and lift it to the surface was scheduled to begin later this month - subject to suitable weather and sea conditions.

Before the vessel is transported to port, sea water will be pumped out of it.

Before the Bayesian is raised it will be held in position by steel slings, as salvage workers detach the vessel's extensive rigging and 72m (236ft) mast, thought to be one of the tallest in the world.

These will then be stored on the seabed and recovered after the team has recovered the ship's hull, which investigators say is a primary source of evidence.

There has not been any pollution from the yacht reported, with conditions being monitored and efforts made to secure its tank vents and openings.

Inquest proceedings in the UK are looking at the deaths of Mr Lynch and his daughter, as Mr and Mrs Bloomer, who were all British nationals.

Mr Lynch and his daughter were said to have lived in the vicinity of London, and the Bloomers lived in Sevenoaks in Kent.

The tycoon founded software giant Autonomy in 1996 and was cleared in June last year of carrying out a massive fraud over the sale of the firm to Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 2011.

The boat trip was a celebration of his acquittal in the case in the US.

Mexico is suing Google for ignoring repeated requests not to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America on Google Maps for US users, President Claudia Sheinbaum says.

She did not say where the lawsuit had been filed. Google did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.

On Thursday, the Republican-led House of Representatives voted to officially rename the Gulf for federal agencies.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office in January.

He argued the change was justified because the US "do most of the work there, and it's ours".

However Sheinbaum's government contends that Trump's order applies only to the US portion of the continental shelf.

"All we want is for the decree issued by the US government to be complied with," she said, asserting that the US lacks the authority to rename the entire gulf.

In January, Sheinbaum wrote a letter to Google asking the firm to reconsider its decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico for US users. The following month, she threatened legal action.

At the time, Google said it made the change as part of "a longstanding practice" of following name changes when updated by official government sources.

It said the Gulf - which is bordered by the US, Cuba and Mexico - would not be changed for people using the app in Mexico, and users elsewhere in the world will see the label: "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)".

The Associated Press (AP) news agency's refusal to start referring to the Gulf of America led to a months-long conflict with the White House, which restricted AP's access to certain events.

A federal judge ordered the White House in April to stop sidelining the outlet.

Trump hinted Wednesday that he may recommend changing the way the US refers to another body of water.

During an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, he plans to announce that the US will henceforth refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, AP reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has responded by saying he hopes the "absurd rumours" are "no more than a disinformation campaign" and such a move would "bring the wrath of all Iranians".

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A federal judge has ordered the release of a Turkish student at Tufts University who is being held in Louisiana after US immigration officials arrested her in Massachusetts.

Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, testified virtually at a court hearing on Friday, where US District Judge William Sessions said the student met all the conditions needed for release and lambasted the government's case against her, according to BBC news partner CBS.

"Her continued detention chills the speech of millions in this country who are not citizens," the judge said.

Ms Otzurk co-authored an opinion piece in her campus newspaper that was critical of Israel's war. Her arrest follows the White House's crackdown on what it has classified as antisemitism on US campuses.

The US Department of Homeland Security had accused Ms Ozturk of "engag[ing] in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans". The government did not call any witnesses during the hearing.

After the judge's ruling, a DHS spokesperson responded: "Visas provided to foreign students to live and study in the United States are a privilege not a right. The Trump administration is committed to restoring the rule of law and common sense to our immigration system, and will continue to fight for the arrest, detention, and removal of aliens who have no right to be in this country."

Videos of Ms Ozturk's arrest in March, showing masked plain-clothes officers handcuffing her and taking her into an unmarked car after a Ramadan celebration, sparked nation-wide protests.

Earlier this week, the judge ordered that Ms Ozturk be transferred by 14 May to immigration authorities in Vermont, where she was last held before she was taken to Louisiana.

The judge said Friday that she should be released immediately without travel restrictions, so she can go to Vermont or Massachusetts, where Tufts is located, as needed.

He heard from a number of witnesses in the case, including Ms Ozturk, her doctor and a Tufts University professor.

During her testimony, Ms Ozturk told the court about her Fulbright scholarship and her PhD work. She said her asthma condition had worsened during detainment, and at one point, had to take a short break after suffering an asthma attack on camera.

After hearing from witnesses for the defence, Judge Sessions said Ms Ozturk had raised "very substantial" claims that her First Amendment and due process rights were violated. He said the only evidence the administration had against Ms Ozturk was her op-ed.

"That literally is the case," he said, according to court reporters. "There is no evidence that she has engaged in violence or advocated violence."

In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing Ms Ozturk, said they were "delighted" by her release.

"Rümeysa can now return to her beloved Tufts community, resume her studies, and begin teaching again," said Noor Zafar, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU. "Today's ruling underscores a vital First Amendment principle: No one should be imprisoned by the government for expressing their beliefs."

Judge Sessions told the court that the government must notify him when Ms Ozturk is freed and said he would deny any motions to block her release.

The Trump administration has detained several international students - some legal residents - who have organised in support of Palestine.

Last week, a judge ordered the government to release Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi after immigration officials detained him during a naturalization interview.

The 34-year-old permanent resident was raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank and had been held at a facility in Vermont.

One of the highest profile cases thus far involves Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist, who remains in a Louisiana detention facility without charges.

Mexico is suing Google for ignoring repeated requests not to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America on Google Maps for US users, President Claudia Sheinbaum says.

She did not say where the lawsuit had been filed. Google did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.

On Thursday, the Republican-led House of Representatives voted to officially rename the Gulf for federal agencies.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office in January.

He argued the change was justified because the US "do most of the work there, and it's ours".

However Sheinbaum's government contends that Trump's order applies only to the US portion of the continental shelf.

"All we want is for the decree issued by the US government to be complied with," she said, asserting that the US lacks the authority to rename the entire gulf.

In January, Sheinbaum wrote a letter to Google asking the firm to reconsider its decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico for US users. The following month, she threatened legal action.

At the time, Google said it made the change as part of "a longstanding practice" of following name changes when updated by official government sources.

It said the Gulf - which is bordered by the US, Cuba and Mexico - would not be changed for people using the app in Mexico, and users elsewhere in the world will see the label: "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)".

The Associated Press (AP) news agency's refusal to start referring to the Gulf of America led to a months-long conflict with the White House, which restricted AP's access to certain events.

A federal judge ordered the White House in April to stop sidelining the outlet.

Trump hinted Wednesday that he may recommend changing the way the US refers to another body of water.

During an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, he plans to announce that the US will henceforth refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, AP reported.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has responded by saying he hopes the "absurd rumours" are "no more than a disinformation campaign" and such a move would "bring the wrath of all Iranians".

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South Africa has criticised the US amid reports it could receive white Afrikaners as refugees as early as next week.

A document seen by the BBC's US partner, CBS, describes the potential resettlement as a "priority" for President Donald Trump's government, however the timing has not been publicly confirmed by the White House.

In a statement published on Friday, South Africa's foreign ministry described the purported move as "politically motivated" and designed to undermine South Africa's "constitutional democracy".

In February President Trump described Afrikaners as victims of "racial discrimination" in an executive order, opening up the prospect for them to resettle in the US.

The South African authorities said they would not block the departures of those chosen for resettlement, but that the government had sought assurances from its American counterpart that those selected had been fully vetted and did not have pending criminal charges.

South Africa reiterated that allegations of discrimination against the country's white minority are unfounded, adding that crime statistics do not indicate that any racial group has been targeted in violent crimes on farms.

Some groups representing the rights of white farmers have said they are being deliberately killed because of their race.

A spokesperson for the US state department told the BBC they were interviewing individuals interested in resettling in the US, and prioritising "Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination", but would not confirm when the resettlement would begin.

The Trump administration has also accused South Africa of seizing land from white farmers without compensation, something Pretoria has repeatedly denied.

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