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Thief conks jewel courier on head in Paris, steals sapphire priced at 150,000 euro

The injured courier was hospitalized

© AP Photo/ Aurelien Morissard

PARIS, December 24. /TASS/. An unknown assailant robbed a jewel courier in Paris, making away with a sapphire worth 150,000 euros, the newspaper Le Figaro reported.

The incident occurred on December 22 in the 20th arrondissement of the French capital. When the courier parked his car and got out, the perpetrator, who had been waiting behind a parked van nearby, ran up to him, struck him hard on the head and snatched the small bags containing the jewels, which, in addition to the sapphire, also included gold jewelry worth 10,000 euros. The criminal then fled the scene on a scooter.

The injured courier was hospitalized. The investigation has been assigned to the Anti-Banditry Brigade (BRB). Neither the jewels nor the robber have been found yet, the newspaper specifies.

Air defenses down two more drones heading towards Moscow — mayor

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Ahmed Musa, head of the Iraqi ministry's press service, noted that Baghdad "has taken emergency measures to prevent a crisis at power plants until gas supplies resume"

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Ukrainian troops try to bypass Russian EWF systems using short-range UAVs — developer

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Hungarian PM rings alarm bell on war

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Russia to formulate its position following Miami meeting, to soon continue talks — Kremlin

Negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement took place in Miami on December 20 and 21

US NATO envoy believes ball is in Russia's court in Ukrainian settlement

According to Matthew Whitaker, Washington is trying to find out the maximum that Russia is willing to do to end the conflict

Deployment of Oreshnik in Belarus will not affect balance in Europe — defense minister

Viktor Khrenin emphasized that the deployment is a direct response to aggressive actions by Western nations

Russian air defenses destroy drone en route to Moscow

Emergency services are working at the crash site

US moves additional forces to Caribbean — media

At least ten Osprey tiltrotor aircraft that are used in special operations, as well as a C-17 large military transport aircraft have been deployed to the area

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Medvedev calls on world to designate Ukraine’s nationalism as destructive ideology

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Kremlin spokesman urges Poland to remember political distortion has no place in G20

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European Union disintegrating before our eyes — Orban

The Hungarian PM noted that "EU decision-makers are constantly forced to backtrack"

Russian-made Snickers bars on sale in London despite sanctions

Employees at one of the stores said they did not know where the bars were made

Russian troops liberate Zarechnoye in Zaporozhye Region over past day — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup East inflicted roughly 245 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Ukraine conflict likely to end in 2026 on terms unfavorable to Kiev — Politico

Foreign affairs columnist Jamie Dettmer doubts a €90 billion loan will be sufficient to keep Ukraine solvent

Putin warned Bush that NATO membership would split Ukraine — declassified documents

During their meeting in Sochi in April 2008, Bush asked the Russian leader why Russia opposes to Ukraine’s NATO membership

Medvedev curious about reasons for unexpectedly conciliatory statements from EU

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Emergence of BRICS payment system quite possible — ambassador to Moscow

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Hungary refuses to ignore 'constitutional coup' in EU — minister for EU affairs

Janos Boka warned that the Hungarian government "will not sit idly by" as this happens

US remains hostage to approaches it criticizes in case of Venezuela — UN envoy

Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya expressed hope that "Washington will be able to stop in time and avoid a fatal mistake"

Air defenses down 172 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight

110 of them were destroyed over the territory of the Bryansk Region

Europe has 'epiphany' on Ukraine negotiations — opposition figure

Viktor Medvedchuk said that Europe had previously acted as a "bridge between Russia and the United States," but today's attempts by Europeans to build a wall between Moscow and Washington "are a joke"

Thai F-16 fighter jets attack Cambodian territory — newspaper report

Thai jets dropped six bombs near Phnom Sampov in the Banan district of the Battambang Province in northwestern Cambodia

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Imports of Chinese trucks weighing more than 16 tons into Russia dropped by 90%

West accuses Russia of Bucha killings just as it did with Holodomor — Medvedev

According to the politician, the groundwork laid by predecessors in creating false ideologies is now actively exploited by the "regime of the bloody Kiev comedian"

Medvedev suggests encouraging separatism in West as countermeasure

"Separatism is a gamble that can be played by two," the politician noted

Another drone flying toward Moscow destroyed

Emergency services specialists are working at the site of the fallen debris, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said

Plotter of terrorist attack on oil pipeline neutralized in Tyumen Region — FSB

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US can gain control of Greenland without 'firing a shot' — EP member

Anders Vistisen also noted that Denmark "cannot defend Greenland alone"

Russian air defenses destroy drone en route to Moscow

In total, three drones were shot down after midnight

None of BRICS members wants to leave association — Brazilian ambassador to Russia

Sergio Rodrigues dos Santos noted that BRICS is a constructive force in strengthening a multipolar world order that is becoming increasingly inclusive and democratic

Brazil concerned about Trump's actions towards Venezuela — ambassador to Russia

Sergio Rodrigues dos Santos also expressed hope that a military conflict between the United States and Venezuela will not occur

Anglo-Saxon nations tap into Soviet-era tactics to 'decolonize' Russia anew — Medvedev

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About 417,000 Russians have signed military service contracts — Medvedev

Additionally, more than 36,000 have voluntarily joined units dispatched to the zone of the special military operation, the politician stated

Globalist fake media machine attacks Trump, his peace efforts — Dmitriev

Russia’s Special Presidential Envoy commented on Donald Trump's opinion that the NYT newspaper poses a serious threat to national security and that its dissemination of false information should be stopped

Russian expert questions CNN wolf story

According to Amirkhan Amirkhanov, the wolf population has increased in recent years in the European part of Russia and Europe in general

German top diplomat says Russia’s military successes pose 'serious threat' to NATO

Johann Wadephul also noted that there was no point in providing Ukraine with security guarantees without clear commitments from the United States

Serbia supports Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine, offers venue for talks — top diplomat

Marko Duric said that Belgrade strongly support US President Donald Trump’s peace plan and all other initiatives that may put an end to hostilities

New German intelligence chief holds phone call with Russian counterpart — portal

The WDR broadcasting company’s investigative unit described the conversation as "a rare instance of direct contact between German and Russian agencies"

Sanctions against Russia have not hindered growth of its trade with Brazil — ambassador

Today, Russia ranks eighth among Brazil's trading partners, Sergio Rodrigues dos Santos said

Russia, China promote new world order standing back-to-back — Russian ambassador

Igor Morgulov highlighted that Moscow and Beijing have faced unprecedented Western pressures aimed at stifling their development

Russia, Brazil plan to increase trade in national currencies — ambassador to Moscow

The large trade deficit between the two countries limits the use of national currencies for trade and commercial transactions, the diplomat noted

Global gas consumption gain 25 bln cubic meters in 2025

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The network was assisted by several individuals residing in Belarus

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Denis Alipov added that "overall, the prospects in the Russian labor market are enormous"

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Sergey Naryshkin said the phone conversation was held "just a few days ago"

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"It is crucial to recognize that the root cause of the conflict in Ukraine stems from the aggressive ‘Eastern policy’ pursued by Anglo-Saxon nations along with NATO and the European Union," the politician stated

Brazil fully supports peace talks on Ukraine — ambassador to Moscow

Sergio Rodrigues dos Santos noted that Brazil has never supported the diplomatic isolation of Russia

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The Libyan Army Chief of Staff Muhammad al-Haddad was also on board the Falcon 50 aircraft

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The autumn session of the Federation Council is closing and the Russian Parliament is summing up the year-end results, Dmitry Peskov said

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Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, December 23rd

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BRICS has developed criteria for admitting new members — ambassador to Moscow

A candidate country must have good relations with its neighbors and be opposed to unilateral sanctions, Sergio Rodrigues dos Santos noted

Ukrainian media outlet releases Kiev’s 20-point peace plan

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Brazil interested in Russian diesel, gasoline supplies — ambassador to Moscow

Sergio Rodrigues dos Santos emphasized that "diesel is especially important because Brazil's transportation system relies heavily on road freight"

London recklessly provokes US into confrontation with Russia — UK journalist

Frank Wright said "it's not realistic for the Europeans or the British to win a war against Russia"

Russian scientists create 72-qubit quantum computer — Rosatom Quantum Technologies

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KazTransOil, PERN ink agreement for oil transot to Germany

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Parade of Russian Father Frosts, Snow Maidens takes place in Mexico City

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Venezuela has overwhelming support in UN Security Council — president

The Venezuelan leader called the US seizure of vessels "piracy" and noted that "no one can defeat" the country

Anti-Venezuela actions to be template for US actions against other states — Russian envoy

Vasily Nebenzya pointed out that US policy represents "an unambiguous signal to all countries in the region seeking to pursue a sovereign course and independently determine their economic, political, and cultural systems"

Russia’s Novocheboksarsk minesweeper conducts patrol sweep in Baltic Sea

The ship's crew also practiced laying out contact and non-contact sweeps

Russian forces now occupy both banks of Seversky Donets River — military expert

Andrey Marochko said that significant success has been achieved in this area in a very short time

Top Syrian diplomat says country’s relations with Russia enter new stage

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EU had chance to prevent Russia conflict in 2022 — Hungarian PM

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Two policemen die as result of explosion while detaining suspect in Moscow

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Liquidation of Hezbollah’s military wing aligns with Lebanon’s security interests — MFA

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Ukraine lost 1-2 GW of power grid capacity as a result of December 23 explosions

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Debris of plane crash near Ankara located - NTV

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Spacecraft with artificial gravity patented in Russia

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Putin to present state awards at Kremlin today

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Europe's biggest nightmare is Ukraine deal on Russia's terms — senior diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov said that nobody can rewrite history

Polish prosecutor’s office receives Kiev's extradition request for Russian archaeologist

Alexander Burtyagin, who heads the North Black Sea region sector at the Ancient World department of the world-famous Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and heads the museum’s Kerch expedition, was detained on December 4

Italy becomes first NATO country to receive Rheinmetall’s Skynex air defense system

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Press review: Ukraine mulls elections and Trump plans laser fleet as gold prices soar

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FACTBOX: Two traffic police officers killed in explosion in southern Moscow

The suspect is also dead

FACTBOX: What we know about terror attack on senior Russian general in Moscow

A parked car exploded at 12, Yasenevaya Street at around 7:00 a.m. Moscow time

Russian reconnaissance drones penetrating deep behind Ukrainian lines — expert

Vitaly Kiselev added that the weather is also helping Russian forces operate in these areas

Russia to make more efforts to remove irritants in relations with US — senior diplomat

"Minimal progress has been made," Sergey Ryabkov added

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 160 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy armored combat vehicles in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Taliban harms Russia less than Western-backed groups promoting division — Medvedev

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Corruption in Biden's team at root of Ukrainian conflict — Dmitriev

"Warmongers are warmongers for one reason: they profit from war," the envoy stated

Russian troops pressing Ukrainian army in Krasny Liman direction — expert

Igor Kimakovsky said that Russian forces are also successfully fighting near the settlement of Ozyornoye

SANA reports on meeting between Syrian foreign, defense ministers and Putin in Moscow

The Kremlin press service has not yet reported such contact

Ukraine’s major oil producer Ukrnafta sustains critical damage

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Russia no enemy of Europe — State Duma speaker

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Putin warned Bush that admitting Ukraine to NATO will lead to Russia-US confrontation

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