He will succeed Laurence des Cars, who resigned on Tuesday, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said

International News via Reuters:

France on Wednesday appointed Christophe Leribault as the new head of the Louvre, bringing in the director of the Palace of Versailles to turn around the world’s most-visited museum after a humiliating jewellery heist and staff strikes. 

He will succeed Laurence des Cars, who resigned on Tuesday, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said. Des Cars has faced intense criticism since burglars made off in October with jewels worth an estimated $102 million that are still missing, exposing glaring security gaps at the museum.

“Leribault’s priority will be to strengthen the safety and security of the building, the collections, and people, to restore a climate of trust, and to carry forward, together with all the teams, the necessary transformations for the museum,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement about President Emmanuel Macron’s pick for the job.

Leribault, 62, is an 18th‑century art historian who previously led Paris’ Musée d’Orsay and the Orangerie before taking over at Versailles in 2024. He will leave the Versailles job to take up the Louvre role.

He was deputy director of the Louvre’s department of graphic arts from 2006 to 2012, the ministry said.

SECURITY LAPSES HIGHLIGHT FUNDING NEEDS

As well as the heist, strikes over pay and work conditions have repeatedly shut the Louvre since mid‑December, while water leaks and a ticket‑fraud probe that prosecutors say siphoned more than 10 million euros over a decade have also cast a shadow over one of Paris’ top tourist attractions. 

A state auditors’ report last year urged management at the Louvre, home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, to redirect spending from acquisitions to overdue security and infrastructure upgrades.

During Leribault’s first year at Versailles, which hosted the Olympics equestrian events, the institution secured nearly 8 million euros ($9 million) in philanthropic contributions, according to an annual government report.

The Louvre’s new chief told a parliamentary inquiry on museum security last Thursday that Versailles had “stepped up vigilance” under him, leaning on cutting-edge technology while flagging new risks from drone overflights and cybersecurity. 

Unions welcomed the appointment, citing Leribault’s willingness to work collaboratively with staff.

Alexis Fritche, general secretary of the CFDT-Culture union, told Reuters that the new director must listen to the museum’s 2,200 employees and secure funding for renovations and security improvements.

“Fundamentally, what was lacking with the previous leadership is that we didn’t know where we were going,” Fritche said. “We expect a lot from him.”

($1 = 0.8493 euros)

Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro and Elissa Darwish; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten, Gabriel Stargardter and Alison Williams

The pope will also make a one-day visit on March 28 to Monaco, the microstate on the French Riviera, and will visit Spain from June 6-12, the Vatican said

International News via Reuters:

Pope Leo will visit four countries across Africa from April 13-23, the Vatican announced on Wednesday, with the pontiff making his first major overseas trip in 2026 to the continent where the Catholic Church is growing fastest.

The pope will also make a one-day visit on March 28 to Monaco, the microstate on the French Riviera, and will visit Spain from June 6-12, the Vatican said.

In Africa, Leo will visit Algeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. He is expected to draw large crowds, urge world leaders to support development on the continent, and highlight efforts at Catholic-Muslim dialogue.

Leo, elected in May to succeed the late Pope Francis as head of the 1.4-billion-member Church, has made only one overseas trip so far, visiting Turkey and Lebanon in November and December on a visit originally organised for Francis.

Vatican officials and African Church leaders say the upcoming papal tour in Africa is a sign of the priority the Church places on the continent.

“Pope Leo’s visit will remind the world that Africa matters and the vibrancy of the Church in Africa remains at the heart of a thriving (global) Church,” said Reverend Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, a Jesuit from Nigeria who led his order’s communities across Africa from 2017-23.

About 20% of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics live on the continent, according to Vatican statistics.

Wednesday’s Vatican announcement did not give full programs for the pope’s upcoming trips, only naming the countries he will be visiting.

As part of the trip to Spain, Leo is expected to visit the Canary Islands, which has become a major point of entry for migrants trying to get to Europe.

Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Alvise Armellini and Alison Williams

Brent futures were up 33 cents at $71.10 a barrel by 1127 GMT. WTI futures gained 22 cents to $65.85

International News via Reuters:

Oil prices held around seven-month highs on Wednesday as investors weighed up the threat to oil supply from potential military conflict between the U.S. and Iran.

Brent futures were up 33 cents at $71.10 a barrel by 1127 GMT. WTI futures gained 22 cents to $65.85.

Brent prices reached their highest since July 31 on Friday while WTI hit its highest since August 4 on Monday, as the U.S. positioned military forces in the Middle East to try to compel Iran to negotiate an end to its nuclear and ballistic missile programme.

An extended conflict could disrupt supplies from Iran, the third-biggest crude producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and other countries in the key Middle East producing region. 

Supporting oil prices, U.S. President Donald Trump briefly laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, saying he would not allow a country he described as the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon. 

“The market is trying to get a sense of what’s happening between the U.S. and Iran,” said SEB commodities analyst Ole Hvalbye. “If we did not have any sort of escalation or harsh rhetoric between the U.S. and Iran, (Brent) oil prices would probably trade between $60 and $65 per barrel.”

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are due to meet an Iranian delegation for a third round of talks on Thursday in Geneva. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday that a deal with the U.S. was “within reach, but only if diplomacy is given priority”. 

“Trump has warned that without a deal, there will be ‘very bad consequences’. Whether (Iran’s) concessions will meet the U.S.’s ‘zero enrichment’ red line remains to be seen,” IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said in a note.

Amid the heightened tensions, Iran has accelerated talks to purchase Chinese anti-ship cruise missiles, according to Reuters sources, which could target U.S. naval forces that have assembled near the Iranian coast.

While geopolitical tensions have supported prices, the market is also contending with concerns over large inventory gains as global supply exceeds demand. 

According to market sources, the American Petroleum Institute late on Tuesday reported a massive increase in U.S. oil stockpiles of 11.43 million barrels in the week ended February 20.

Official U.S. oil inventory reports from the Energy Information Administration are due later on Wednesday.

Reporting by Stephanie Kelly in London, Katya Golubkova in Tokyo and Jeslyn Lerh in SingaporeEditing by Mark Potter and David Goodman