A court in Paris on Tuesday found French actor Gérard Depardieu guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021 and handed him an 18-month suspended prison sentence.

In one of the highest-profile #MeToo cases to come before judges in France, Depardieu, a towering figure of French cinema, had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. But judge Thierry Donard said Depardieu’s explanation of events had been unconvincing.

One of the two plaintiffs, Amelie K, a set decorator, had told the court the actor had groped her all over her body as he trapped her between his legs and made explicit sexual comments.

“He touched everything, including my breasts,” she told the court. “I was terrified, he was laughing.”

The presiding judge said two witnesses corroborated her account whilst Depardieu had been contradictory in his own accounts.

The #MeToo protest movement over sexual violence has struggled to gain the same traction in France as in the United States, though there are signs that social attitudes towards sexual assault may be changing.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

British police said on Tuesday they had arrested a 21-year-old man on suspicion of arson after counter-terrorism officers launched an investigation into three fires, including one at Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s private home.

Police were called to reports of a fire in the early hours of Monday morning at the property in Kentish Town in north London, the area that Starmer represents in parliament.

Nobody was injured but damage was caused to the property’s entrance, police said.

The man was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the fire and two further incidents, police said. He remains in custody, they added.

Police are investigating whether a fire at the entrance of a property in nearby Islington on Sunday and a vehicle fire in Kentish Town on Thursday are linked to the incident on Monday.

A BBC report said the Islington property was also connected to the prime minister.

Starmer lived in the terraced house on a back street with his wife and two children before he moved into Number 10 Downing Street when he became prime minister last July.

Officers from London’s Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command were leading the investigation due to the property’s connections with a high-profile public figure, police said.

His spokesperson thanked the emergency services for their work on Monday.

Kim Kardashian is set to testify Tuesday in the Paris trial of the burglars accused of tying up and robbing the billionaire reality TV star at gunpoint nearly nine years ago.

She is expected to detail her ordeal during the 2016 Paris Fashion Week burglary, where she was robbed of nearly $10 million in cash and jewellery, including a $4 million engagement ring that was never recovered.

It will be the first time Kardashian will face the alleged robbers in court.

The defendants – who consist of nine men and one woman whose ages range from their 30s to their 70s – are facing charges including armed robbery, kidnapping and conspiracy. Eight of them deny involvement, while two have admitted to lesser offenses.

Several are repeat offenders, with much of the beginning of the trial focused on their past criminal careers.

The trial opened on April 28 at a packed courthouse in the French capital.

The bodyguard, named only as Pascal D., said he found Kardashian “crying hysterically” on his arrival.

Dubbed the “Grandpa Robbers,” of the original 12 suspects, one has since died, and another defendant who has Alzheimer’s disease has been ruled unfit to stand trial. If convicted, some of the remaining defendants could face up to 30 years in prison.

The trial has been delayed for years partly because of major cases like those related to the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks.

The trial is scheduled to run through May 22, with a verdict expected on May 23.

A massive fire that destroyed a large shopping center in Warsaw last year was the result of arson ordered by Russian intelligence services, Polish officials said Sunday on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the blaze.

The fire broke out May 12, 2024, in the Marywilska 44 shopping that housed some 1,400 shops and service points. Many of the vendors were from Vietnam, and it inflicted tragedy on many in Warsaw’s Vietnamese community.

“We now know for certain that the massive fire on Marywilska was the result of arson commissioned by Russian services,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. “The actions were coordinated by a person residing in Russia. Some of the perpetrators are already in custody, while the rest have been identified and are being sought. We will catch them all!”

In a joint statement, Justice Minister Adam Bodnar and Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said the May 12, 2024, blaze gutted 1,400 shops and service points. Authorities have been investigating the incident for a year, with support from police and the Internal Security Agency.

Officials said the arson was part of a coordinated sabotage campaign directed from Russia. Some perpetrators are in custody, while others have been identified and are being sought. Polish authorities are also cooperating with Lithuania, where some suspects allegedly carried out related activities.

The investigation involved 121 days of site inspections and the work of 55 prosecutors and 100 police officers. More than 70 witnesses and over 500 victims were interviewed.

“We are determined to hold accountable those responsible for these disgraceful acts of sabotage,” the ministers said.

The announcement comes amid rising concerns in Europe over Russian attempts to destabilize the region through covert operations.

Russia has in the past denied allegations that it is orchestrating arson and sabotage operations across Europe.

The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for three ports in Yemen on Sunday night after vowing to “defend itself by itself” following a ceasefire deal between the US and the Houthis that excluded Israel.

The warning, posted on social media by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic media spokesperson Avichay Adraee, warned people to evacuate the ports of Ras Isa, Hodeidah, and Salif.

The anticipated airstrikes come two days after Israel intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, according to the IDF.

That missile was the first since President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire deal between the US and the Iran-backed rebel group last week.

Despite the deal, the Houthis said they would continue to attack Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian population of Gaza.

Blindsided by the deal, Israel vowed it would strike the Houthis alone if necessary.

“Israel must be able to defend itself by itself against any threat and any enemy,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement last week. “This has been true in the face of many past challenges, and it will remain true in the future.”

This marks the second time within a week that Israel has issued an evacuation warning for Yemen.

Last Tuesday, the military issued a warning for Yemen’s international airport in the capital of Sana’a before carrying out strikes that it said “fully” disabled the facility.

The governor of the Mexican state of Baja California, which borders the US, said on social media Sunday that the United States withdrew tourist visas from her and her husband.

Marina del Pilar Ávila, from the ruling Morena party, did not say why her visa was withdrawn.

A spokesperson for the US Embassy said that visa records are confidential and that the details of individual cases cannot be discussed.

Baja California borders California and day-to-day commercial ties between the two states run deep.

”I fully trust that the situation will be satisfactorily clarified for both of us,” Ávila said on X.

Her husband, Carlos Torres Torres, who is an active member of Morena, said his “conscience is clear,” in a statement on Facebook on Saturday.

“This proceeding does not represent a formal accusation, investigation or indictment by any authority in Mexico or the United States,” he added.