Day: February 24, 2026

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Laurence des Cars, who has been under fire in the wake of the heist at the world’s most visited museum, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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In a statement, the presidential office said Macron praised des Cars’ resignation decision as “an act of responsibility at a time when the world’s largest museum needs calm and a strong new impetus to carry out major projects involving security upgrades, modernisation” and other initiatives.
Thieves took less than eight minutes in October to steal £76 million worth of crown jewels in a weekend heist at the iconic Louvre Museum.
They used an extendable ladder mounted on a truck to break through an unmonitored window.
Two entered the building while two stayed on the ground. All four then escaped on motorbikes, but in their haste, they dropped a diamond and emerald crown.
Numerous people have been detained since the start of the investigation, with authorities now believing they have all four members of the team who were directly involved in the heist in custody.
In total, five people have been charged in connection with the incident, including the four main crew members and the partner of one of them.
However, the location of the jewels, including an emerald and diamond necklace that Napoleon I had gifted his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, remains unknown.
Since the theft, security at the Louvre has been transformed after its operators admitted it had been lacking.
Several of its most valuable items have also been transferred to the Bank of France.
The Louvre has also hiked prices for visitors from non-EU countries in recent months, with it rising from 22 euros (£19.25) to 32 euros (£28).

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