Key events
French prosecutors ask for 10-year-term for alleged Kardashian theft ringleader
Prosecutors urged a French court to hand a 10-year prison sentence to the main suspect in the 2016 robbery of US celebrity Kim Kardashian in a Paris hotel after a trial that saw the influencer testify, AFP reported.
“I know, just as you do, that among the 10 accused, eight proclaim their innocence,” prosecutor Anne-Dominique Merville told the court on Wednesday.
“Yet my firm conviction is that they are all guilty.”
“They were masked, wearing gloves, they were going to sequester her and tie her up. They have no empathy for Kim Kardashian, for the receptionist,” she said.
AFP said she requested that the alleged mastermind behind the robbery – Aomar Ait Khedache – be sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Ultranationalist Simion wants to challenge result of Romanian vote
Jon Henley
Speaking of elections and the fallout from the European Super Sunday…
The defeated ultranationalist candidate in Romania’s presidential election rerun has said he will ask the country’s top court to annul the vote on the same grounds – foreign interference – that led to the original ballot being cancelled last year.
George Simion, who was defeated in Sunday’s runoff by the liberal mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, said on Tuesday he would ask the constitutional court to void the ballot “for the same reasons they annulled the elections” last year.
The election, which Dan won by a margin of 53.6% to 46.4%, was the second time the vote had been held. The first, last November, was cancelled by the court after the first round amid allegations of campaign financing violations and a “massive” Russian interference campaign.
Simion has repeatedly alleged electoral fraud without providing evidence. His belated decision to contest the election’s outcome, while unlikely to succeed, will prolong the political uncertainty in Romania, which is under a caretaker government.
The ultranationalist, whose supporters carried out a parallel count at some polling stations, said votes were “correctly counted” but “international observers” had seen “foreign interference” and “social media and algorithms have been manipulated”.
He claimed there was “irrefutable evidence” of meddling by France, Moldova and others in “an orchestrated effort to manipulate institutions, direct media narratives and impose a result that does not reflect the sovereign will of the Romanian people”.
Poland rolls over law suspending asylum for migrants crossing from Belarus
Elsewhere, the Polish parliament has rolled over its controversial law temporarily suspending the right to claim asylum at the country’s eastern border with Belarus amid concerns about illegal migration flows being incentivised by Russia.
The restriction was due to expire on 26 May, and will now be rolled over for another 60 days.
Today’s decision was taken with cross-party support of 366 votes in favour, and just 17 opposed, mostly rebels from within the governing coalition.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday that he recognised the importance of offering international protection, but argued it was being deliberately abused by Russia, Belarus, and people smugglers, forming a “form of aggression” on Poland.
The law includes some very limited humanitarian exceptions.
Poland’s response to migration flows continues to be one of the key topics dominating the presidential campaign, with the run-off between the top two candidates in the first round last weekend – centrist Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski and conservative Karol Nawrocki – scheduled for 1 June.
Morning opening: Just stop it
Jakub Krupa
Finance ministers of the world’s seven largest economies – G7 – are meeting in Banff, Alberta in Canada to discuss their ideas on Ukraine and concerns about disruptions resulting from Donald Trump’s unorthodox trade policy.
Before the meeting, German finance minister Lars Klingbeil warned that trade disputes with the US should be resolved as soon as possible, as he stressed they were a burden on the economy and job security.
Instead of this infighting, G7 should make it clear that it “will continue to stand firmly by Ukraine’s side” and oppose “the terrible destruction caused by Russian president Vladimir Putin’s war,” Klingbeil said.
Ukraine will be represented there, with the country’s finance minister Sergii Marchenko in attendance.
These comments come as Europe scramble to keep pressure on Russia with the latest round of sanctions.
Even the Vatican is getting involved with Pope Leo XVI confirming to Giorgia Meloni his willingness to host the next round of negotiations to try to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
I will bring you all key updates from across Europe throughout the day.
It’s Wednesday, 21 May 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
