BBC News Briefing

22 October, 2025

Jules has short dark hair and a beard. He is wearing round glasses and a white shirt

Jules Damarnin

Hello. Today the Louvre's director shed more light on the security "failures" that have led to the daylight robbery of some of France's most-prized jewels. In Nigeria, my colleague Ijeoma Ndukwe reports on the farmers who work alongside armed guards, under the threat of jihadists. And finally, a heartwarming story about a longstanding friendship.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Louvre director speaks out on robbery 'failure'

A member of a forensic team inspects a window behind a balcony in a classical building. Musée du Louvre is engraved in gold letters under the balcony.

Thieves stole jewellery worth €88m (£76m; $102m) and escaped in under eight minutes. Credit: Reuters

The security camera installed outside the room of the Louvre where crown jewels were stolen on Sunday was pointing the wrong way, the museum's director told French lawmakers today. Speaking to a parliamentary inquiry on the heist that shocked France, Laurence des Cars said that the CCTV system outside of the country's most visited museum was "very unsatisfactory". The balcony where four masked individuals cut through a first-floor window was not protected. "Some of the detail that came out in more than two hours of testimony was simply astounding," writes Europe editor Paul Kirby.

More on this story

Watch: Visitors have returned to the Louvre Museum, with some tourists eager to see where the heist took place.

Summary: Here's everything we know so far about the robbery, as the search for the four suspects goes on.

GET UP TO SPEED

Israel obliged to allow UN aid into Gaza: UN top court

The International Court of Justice has said Israel is obliged to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip by the UN.

Read more >

South African Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube in a white top as she speaks at an official event.

Alleged bullying causes outrage in South Africa

South African authorities have suspended eight pupils accused of bullying after the video of a horrific attack went viral.

More on the case >

Prince Andrew should face MPs, UK party leader says

Sir Ed Davey called for a parliamentary inquiry to 'properly scrutinise' the Crown Estate, which leases Andrew his mansion.

Read more >

AT THE SCENE

Borno state, Nigeria

The farmers working with armed guards

Aisha Isa stands near a plot in Darwa village. She is wearing a colourful wax top, an orange necklace and hat.

Aisha Isa is escorted by bus and surrounded by armed guards. Credit: Ayo Bello/BBC

In the 15 years since the Islamist insurgency began in north-eastern Nigeria, thousands of people have died and millions have been forced from their homes. Now, farmers have to harvest their crops next to guards tasked with protecting them.

Ijeoma Ndukwe, BBC News

As women water vegetables and uproot weeds in a rural corner of north-eastern Nigeria, men in uniform stand guard nearby holding huge rifles. They are Agro Rangers - a special security unit set up by the government to defend farmers from jihadist militants who can strike farms in Borno state at any time.

"There is fear - we fear for our souls," Aisha Isa, 50, tells the BBC as she tends to her crops. Here, the military has marked out a stretch of land, surrounded by clearly defined trenches, where people can plant their crops. If they venture beyond that border, the threat of Boko Haram looms large.

Keep reading

Last month: The jihadist group Boko Haram killed more than 60 people in an overnight attack in a Borno state village.

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