Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy waved to supporters as he left his Paris home to begin a five-year prison term for conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya. His imprisonment marks the first time a former French leader has been jailed since World War Two.
Authorities in Poland have arrested eight individuals across the country on suspicion of espionage and sabotage.
In a brief statement on social media, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that the case is developing and that “further operational activities are ongoing” without providing further details.
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The detentions come amid accusations that Russia is operating a network of spies and saboteurs across Europe.
Referring to the prime minister’s post, the coordinator of Poland’s special services, Tomasz Siemoniak, said that the detained people are suspected of engaging in espionage and planning attacks.
They were arrested due to “conducting reconnaissance of military facilities and critical infrastructure, preparing resources for sabotage, and directly carrying out attacks”, he said.
While Warsaw has not directly linked the arrests, officials have said previously that Poland has been targeted with such attacks in a “hybrid war” waged by Russia to destabilise nations supporting Ukraine.
Several other European countries have also pointed the finger at Moscow as they have suffered similar attacks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Polish authorities have detained dozens of people over suspected sabotage and espionage over the past three years or so.
Moscow denies the accusations, insisting that they are the result of “Russophobia”.
In May last year, Polish authorities arrested three men for an arson attack. In September, Lithuanian prosecutors broke up a network that they said planned arson and explosive attacks in several European Union states.
The same month, Latvia’s security service announced the detention of a man suspected of passing military intelligence to Russia, and British police arrested three people suspected of running sabotage and espionage operations for Russia.
The United Kingdom has also repeatedly accused Russia of orchestrating sabotage and spy operations on its soil and beyond. The Kremlin has accused London of blaming Moscow for “anything bad that happens”.
This autumn, drone incursions have added to the European security concerns, with Belgium, Denmark and Germany among several countries reporting sightings.
The incursions provoked airport closures in both Germany and Denmark.
“We are at the beginning of a hybrid war against Europe,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said. “I think we are going to see more of it … We see the pattern, and it does not look good,” she added.
Tusk pledged to urgently upgrade Poland’s air defences after NATO forces shot down several drones over his country last month.
Even if art is stolen, it still has value.
Published On 21 Oct 2025
Published On 21 Oct 2025
Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the country’s Emir, criticized all Israeli violations of Palestine, including what he referred to as the “continued violation” of the ceasefire, during the opening session of Qatar’s Shura Council.
Published On 21 Oct 2025
EXPLAINER
After winning a leadership vote in the legislature, Sanae Takaichi will take office as Japan’s first female prime minister.
Following her victory, she was scheduled to meet with Emperor Naruhito on Tuesday, cementing her position in history.
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What details about Japan’s upcoming leader are essential to know:
What is the history of Takaichi?  ,  ,
In the 1990s, Takaichi, 64, joined the long-serving Liberal Democratic Party in politics.
According to her official biography, she was born in central Japan’s Nara prefecture and received her degree from Kobe University.
Her family background was a little less than that of other LDP senior members, many of whom had degrees from prestigious institutions like the University of Tokyo and the Harvard Kennedy School.
Takaichi is best remembered as Shinzo Abe’s protégé. She was a member of both his cabinet and that of former prime minister Fumio Kishida.
What are Takaichi’s political views?  ,  ,
Takaichi, a fan of Margaret Thatcher’s death, has been referred to in media circles as “Iron Lady” of Japan due to her similarly conservative bent.
In the most recent leadership race, Takaichi pushed for economic policies that were similar to those used by her mentor, “Abenomics,” a combination of structural reform, monetary policy, and fiscal expansion.
She opposes same-sex unions, opposes immigration, and thinks the imperial succession should still prioritize men.
She is also known as a “China hawk,” a proponent of a more militarized and stable Taiwan Strait. Much to China’s chagrin, she has also traveled to meet with the LDP and has also made several appearances there.
Past visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, a memorial to the Japanese who died in the war, have also been controversial. Due to the shrine’s inclusion of World War II war criminals, it is a contentious issue both in Japan and abroad.
What does Takaichi’s win mean for Japan?
Takaichi’s victory means that Japan will continue down a path of conservative governance with a more right-wing shift, according to experts.
Conservative politics in Japan, however, are somewhat different from the West, says Stephen Nagy, a professor of politics and international studies at Japan’s International Christian University.
While Takaichi wants to strengthen Japan’s defence force and curb immigration, one thing she will not be changing is Japan’s social welfare system.
“Conservative in Japan means strong on security, it means strong on China, it means strong US-Japan relations. It means protecting the emperor system”, he told Al Jazeera ahead of the vote. “It usually]also] means an interventionist government that provides quite a bit of social welfare programmes.
” We’ll see Takaichi lead a new conservative LDP party – but conservative in the Japanese-defined sense of conservative, “he added.
What’s next for Takaichi?
Takaichi’s road to victory was not straightforward, and she still faces many uncertainties.
She will become Japan’s fourth prime minister in five years and takes the helm from a relatively weak position.
While the LDP has been the dominant political force in post-war Japan, the party has lost its majority in both houses of the legislature over the past two years. Its long-term coalition with the far-right Sanseito party also collapsed shortly after Takaichi was elected leader of the LDP in October, due to disagreements about campaign donations and anticorruption measures.
The LDP was able to form a new alliance with the Japan Innovation Party, another conservative party, securing enough seats in the legislature for Takaichi’s win this week.
But as PM, Takaichi will need to address challenges ranging from Japan’s cost of living crisis to the effects of US President Donald Trump’s trade war, and the country’s long-term security concerns about China and North Korea. The LDP is also still recovering from a major corruption scandal.