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Four more people have been taken into custody in connection with last month’s high-profile jewel robbery at the Louvre Museum, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Tuesday. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced that two men and two women, all residents of the greater Paris area and aged between 31 and 40, were arrested as part of the widening investigation. Authorities did not disclose the specific roles the four are believed to have played in the Oct. 19 theft. Under French law, they may be held for up to 96 hours of questioning. None of the stolen items — valued at roughly $102 million — has yet been recovered. The missing collection includes a diamond-and-emerald necklace gifted by Napoleon to Empress Marie-Louise, pieces linked to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and a pearl-and-diamond tiara worn by Empress Eugénie. Earlier arrests targeted other suspected members of the team believed to have executed the rapid daytime break-in. Investigating judges previously filed preliminary charges of robbery and criminal conspiracy against three men and a woman detained in October. The audacious theft has renewed scrutiny of security measures at the Louvre, the world’s most visited museum. The robbers took less than eight minutes to enter through a window into the Apollo Gallery, smash open display cases with power tools, and flee with the jewels via a freight elevator, where scooter riders were waiting. Empress Eugénie’s emerald-studded imperial crown featuring over 1,300 diamonds— was later found abandoned outside the museum.

The head of the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport Committee has raised doubts over whether the BBC board is in “safe hands” under its chair Samir Shah, calling his testimony to MPs “wishy-washy” amid an escalating crisis at the broadcaster. Shah appeared before the committee on Monday as the BBC grapples with the resignations of its director general and head of news, following controversy over its handling of impartiality complaints. Speaking to BBC’s World Tonight after the hearing, committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage said she was worried about a lack of “grip at the heart of BBC governance,” noting that Shah did not offer clear answers on how the board would act more decisively. Shah insisted he would not quit, telling MPs he intended to “steady the ship” and “fix it.” He confirmed that the search for a new director general had begun and said he supported creating a deputy DG role, arguing the top job had become “too big for one person.” The crisis stems from a leaked memo written by former external editorial adviser Michael Prescott, which criticised how a speech by US President Donald Trump was edited for the Panorama programme. The BBC later apologised, saying the edit had given the “mistaken impression” Trump had urged violence, but Shah admitted the apology took too long because of internal disagreements. Dame Caroline said MPs “weren’t wildly enthused” by Shah’s assurances. “Everything was very wishy-washy… we didn’t get the sense the board has proper grip,” she said, adding that stronger answers would be required in the coming months. Ofcom chief Dame Melanie Dawes also told BBC Breakfast on Tuesday that the corporation faced “serious issues with editorial decision making,” saying the board had “a lot to do” to put things right. Prescott, who also appeared before MPs, warned that problems were “getting worse” and said he feared the board was not taking concerns seriously enough, although he did not believe the BBC was “institutionally biased.” Other senior figures, including board member Sir Robbie Gibb, also defended themselves before the committee. Gibb dismissed claims he orchestrated a politically motivated coup as “complete nonsense.” In a message to BBC staff on Monday, Shah said that appointing a new director general would be his “top priority,” and confirmed a review was underway into how the Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee operates to ensure it has proper authority and representation. Both outgoing DG Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness have rejected allegations of systemic bias within the BBC.   Source: BBC

A British politician and former ally of Nigel Farage was sentenced Friday to more than 10 years in prison for accepting bribes to make pro-Russia statements in the European Parliament. Nathan Gill, 52, pleaded guilty earlier this year to eight counts of bribery. Police said he took around 40,000 pounds ($53,000) in payments between December 2018 and July 2019. Prosecutors said Gill, who served in the European Parliament until the U.K. left the European Union in 2020, was instructed by Ukrainian politician Oleg Voloshyn to make statements supporting Russia on events in Ukraine. He also published opinion pieces in outlets like 112 Ukraine. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The U.K. has been a major supporter of Ukraine since the invasion. At London’s Old Bailey, Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said Gill had allowed money to “corrupt his moral compass” and had failed in his duty to act with honesty as an elected official. Gill was stopped at Manchester Airport in September 2021 while trying to travel to Russia and was formally charged in February 2025. Investigators found messages on his phone showing financial dealings with Voloshyn and efforts to influence other European Parliament members to support Russia. Gill was first elected to the European Parliament in 2014 for the U.K. Independence Party, later representing the Brexit Party, and led the Welsh branch of Reform U.K. in 2021. Gill’s sentencing has prompted calls for wider investigations into Russian interference in British politics. Reform U.K. described his actions as “reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable,” while Farage called him a “bad apple” and said such cases can happen in any party. Voloshyn, linked to Ukrainian media outlets, is believed to be in Russia and is wanted by authorities in both Britain and Ukraine.  

A Russian glide bomb struck a residential neighborhood in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia overnight, killing five people as Moscow’s forces continued to target civilian areas, officials said Friday. Another 10 people, including a teenage girl, were injured in the attack, which came as details surfaced of a U.S. proposal aimed at ending the nearly four-year war. Ukrainian officials are reviewing the plan, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming days. Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, said the powerful munition damaged several high-rise apartment buildings — the third such strike on the area since the full-scale invasion began — and also devastated a nearby market. Glide bombs, retrofitted Soviet-era weapons released by Russian aircraft flying at high altitude, have become one of the most destructive tools in Moscow’s campaign. Ukraine has struggled to counter them, and the weapons have inflicted severe damage across multiple front-line cities for months. Russian strike kills 19 in western Ukraine as Zelenskyy arrives in Turkey for talks In a separate overnight assault, a Russian drone strike on the southern port city of Odesa hit a residential district, injuring five people, including a 16-year-old boy. The latest attacks follow a deadly barrage of drones and missiles on the western city of Ternopil two days earlier, which killed 31 people — among them six children — and injured 94 others. Emergency services said 13 people remain missing after the strikes collapsed the upper floors of apartment buildings and sparked multiple fires. Source: AP

A massive overnight barrage of Russian drones and missiles struck the western Ukrainian city of Ternopil, killing 19 people and injuring at least 66 others, authorities said on Wednesday, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy travelled to Turkey to seek fresh diplomatic support against Moscow’s invasion. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the attack hit two nine-storey apartment buildings, where emergency crews continued searching the rubble for survivors. Ternopil, located about 200 kilometres from the Polish border, has been regarded as one of Ukraine’s safer regions since the start of the war. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 476 strike and decoy drones and 48 missiles of various types during the night, including 47 cruise missiles. Air defences shot down all but six cruise missiles, it said. Western-supplied F-16 and Mirage-2000 jets intercepted at least 10 of them. “Every brazen attack against ordinary life indicates that the pressure on Russia is insufficient,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. Zelenskyy said he would meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later Wednesday as part of efforts to increase international pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said the talks would focus on strengthening diplomatic efforts to secure “a just peace.” The Ukrainian leader also referred to “some positions and signals” from the United States, without elaborating. Tough new US sanctions targeting Russia’s oil industry are set to take effect on Friday, aimed at pushing Moscow toward negotiations. A senior Turkish official initially said US special envoy Steve Witkoff would join Zelenskyy in Turkey but later retracted that statement, noting the envoy would not attend. Elsewhere in Ukraine, nearly 50 people were injured in Russian strikes across three other regions. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it targeted Ukrainian energy facilities, drone depots and military-industrial sites in response to Kyiv’s recent attacks on Russian territory. Romania scrambled two Eurofighter Typhoon jets and two F-16s after a drone entered its airspace during the strikes, its defence ministry said. Poland also deployed military aircraft overnight and temporarily closed Rzeszów and Lublin airports to prioritise military flights. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Russian drones injured 46 people, including two children, regional chief Oleh Syniehubov said. The attacks damaged residential buildings, a school, an ambulance station and other civilian infrastructure. Russia, meanwhile, claimed Ukraine fired four US-supplied ATACMS missiles at the Russian city of Voronezh on Tuesday. The missiles were intercepted but debris damaged several buildings. There were no casualties, according to Moscow. Ukraine’s military said it fired ATACMS missiles but provided no details.  

A massive fire ripped through a landmark skyscraper in central Zagreb late Monday, severely damaging the building but causing no casualties, according to Croatian officials. The blaze erupted near the top floors of the 16-story Vjesnik tower — named after a prominent newspaper once headquartered there — and rapidly spread downward, Croatian media reported. Firefighters were unable to enter as flames engulfed multiple levels, with around 100 personnel deployed to contain the blaze. The tower was nearly empty when the fire started shortly before midnight. By midday Tuesday, firefighters had largely extinguished the flames, although parts of the structure continued to smolder. Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said the damage appeared “total” after inspecting the site but expressed confidence that reconstruction would begin soon given its prominent location. Local outlet Index.hr reported that pieces of the tower fell during the fire and that the blaze may have spread through ventilation shafts.  

Nearly four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s energy workers continue to risk — and often lose — their lives trying to keep the country’s electricity system running amid relentless attacks. When strikes hit, turbine operator Mykhailo does not head for shelter. “If all the operators hid, there’d be no energy,” he said inside a thermal plant’s machine hall. He has worked in the sector for 23 years, but never imagined the job would become so dangerous. At least 160 energy workers have been killed and more than 300 wounded since the war began, according to Ukrainian officials. Colleagues say they keep working despite fear, exhaustion and the constant threat of drones and missiles. Many also face added frustration as a major embezzlement scandal at the state nuclear energy company places top executives under scrutiny. Mykhailo lost a close colleague, Dmytro, who was killed just meters away during a strike. The AP had met Dmytro in 2024 after an earlier attack; he had vowed to “work as long as I can.” He died seven months later. Across the country, repairs have become part of daily life. In Chernihiv, 58-year-old technician Andrii Dzhuma has spent decades maintaining the same power lines he helped install in Soviet times. Since the invasion, he has repaired nearly 100 kilometers of damaged wires. “Somehow, we still give people light,” he said. In Shostka, 24-year-old lineman Bohdan Bilous said he often works 12-hour shifts under the sound of drones. “If one hits me, it’ll be sad, but at least it isn’t a child or a house,” he said. “It’s a kind of self-sacrifice.” The danger is constant. In October, crane operator Anatoliy Savchenko was hit by a drone while returning from a substation in Chernihiv. A second drone struck as colleagues rushed to help. Savchenko, 47, and worker Ruslan Deynega, 45, were killed. “Nobody thought this would happen, especially on the way home,” said Savchenko’s widow, Liudmyla. For many, the work has become a mission. In the Kyiv region, substation repair supervisor Oleksandr Tomchuk said his team rushes out within minutes when drones damage equipment. “People’s heat and comfort depend on us,” he said. Western-supplied electrical gear is crucial to keeping repairs going. “We’ll restore again and again — even if it’s hit today after being fixed yesterday.” At home, Tomchuk shrugs off talk of fatigue as his children clamber around him. “There’s no time to be tired,” he said, though he knows the risks remain high. The emotional toll is heavy. Mykhailo said morale often dips, but workers support each other to cope. Quitting, he added, is hardly a safe option — it could mean losing his profession or being sent to the front. “It’s scary and mentally hard,” he said. “You go to work knowing you could be killed.” Dmytro’s widow, Tetiana, said her husband understood the risks after fleeing occupation in southern Ukraine in 2022 when he refused to work for Russian-installed authorities. “Light doesn’t come from machines,” she said. “It comes from people who risk their lives to bring it. If they stop going to work, there will be no gas, no heat, no light.”    

Russian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a package of tax increases as Moscow seeks fresh revenue to support its wartime economy nearly four years into the conflict in Ukraine. The State Duma endorsed the crucial second reading of a bill that would raise the value-added tax (VAT) rate from 20% to 22%, a change expected to bring an additional 1 trillion rubles (about $12.3 billion) into state coffers. The legislation also lowers the annual sales threshold for mandatory VAT collection from 60 million rubles (about $739,000) to 10 million rubles (about $123,000). The phased changes, set to run until 2028, aim to curb businesses from splitting operations to avoid taxes, but will sweep many small firms into the VAT net for the first time. The VAT move is part of a broader set of new taxes the Kremlin hopes will bolster a slowing economy. One measure eliminates a special concessional rate on the state “recycling fee” for cars, which will primarily hit high-end imported vehicles. Other proposals target higher taxes on alcohol, cigarettes, vapes and beer, as well as new duties on technology products, including smartphones and laptops. After two years of strong growth driven by military spending, Russia’s economy contracted early this year and is forecast to expand by only about 1% in 2025, according to government estimates. High interest rates — now at 16.5% — aimed at curbing inflation of around 8% have added further pressure. Lawmakers on Tuesday also approved the draft budget for 2026, which sets military spending at 12.93 trillion rubles ($159 billion), or 16.84 trillion rubles ($207 billion) when security and law enforcement allocations are included. The tax and budget bills require a final vote in the lower house before moving to the upper chamber and then to President Vladimir Putin for his signature.    

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Tuesday that he will travel to Turkey this week to try to revive negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine. Turkey hosted earlier low-level talks this year, which led mainly to prisoner exchanges, but no major breakthrough on peace has been achieved. Zelenskyy said he will arrive in Turkey on Wednesday, following a visit to Spain where he sought new international support. “We are preparing to reinvigorate negotiations, and we have developed solutions that we will propose to our partners,” he said on social media, without providing further details. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that no Russian representatives would attend the Turkish meetings, though Moscow remains open to future discussions. U.S. President Donald Trump has also expressed frustration over Russian inflexibility, and new U.S. sanctions targeting Russia’s oil industry are set to take effect Friday to pressure Moscow into negotiations. Zelenskyy’s visit comes amid ongoing fighting. Ukraine recently launched an aerial attack on energy infrastructure in Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk, leaving areas without power. Russian-appointed authorities described the assault as “unprecedented.” In Kharkiv, a 17-year-old girl was killed and 10 others injured by a Russian missile strike, while drone attacks in Dnipro damaged residential buildings and public infrastructure. Ukrainian forces reported intercepting 114 Russian drones overnight. Earlier this week, Zelenskyy signed a letter of intent in Paris to purchase up to 100 French Rafale warplanes, along with drones and ground-to-air systems. He also plans meetings with senior Ukrainian officials, parliament leaders, and his political party, Servant of the People, to coordinate strategy. Despite Ukraine’s heavy losses and ongoing Russian strikes, Zelenskyy emphasized that ending the war remains the country’s top priority, while international pressure and sanctions aim to push Russia toward meaningful negotiations. The Turkish visit marks a critical attempt by Kyiv to restart dialogue and explore possible pathways toward ending the conflict, even as fighting continues across multiple fronts.

Ukraine on Monday signed a letter of intent with France to purchase up to 100 Rafale fighter jets over the next decade, a move both leaders described as a major step in strengthening Kyiv’s long-term defense capabilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the decision at a joint press conference at the Elysée Palace, calling the document a strategic roadmap for future defense cooperation. Zelenskyy said the plan includes the potential acquisition of 100 Rafale jets, advanced French radars, and eight SAMP/T air-defense systems equipped with six launchers each. “This is a strategic agreement that will operate for 10 years starting next year,” he said, hailing it as a historic deal. Macron said the agreement covers France’s latest-generation jets with full armament packages, as well as training and industrial programs. It also outlines possible deliveries of drones, drone-interceptor systems, guided bombs and next-generation SAMP/T systems, with initial transfers expected within three years. French defense officials say the SAMP/T batteries deployed in Ukraine have proven highly effective against Russian missiles — in some cases outperforming U.S.-made Patriot systems. Zelenskyy, making his ninth trip to Paris since Russia’s full-scale invasion, is pressing Western partners for more air-defense support as Ukraine braces for another winter of heavy Russian attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure. Earlier Monday, Zelenskyy and Macron visited an air base near Paris before heading to the headquarters of a multinational “coalition of the willing” that France and the U.K. are coordinating with more than 30 countries. The force is being prepared to help oversee any future ceasefire, though Moscow has rejected such proposals. The visit follows Ukraine’s recent agreements with Sweden on exploring the purchase of up to 150 Gripen jets and ongoing deliveries of U.S. F-16s and French Mirage aircraft. France remains one of Kyiv’s key defense partners, supplying air-defense systems, jets and other equipment. French military chief Gen. Fabien Mandon recently warned that Ukraine urgently needs additional air-defense assets, saying Russia is launching roughly 1,700 drones per week alongside missile barrages.