France

“Doudou on the Streets”: The Baffling Profile of a Louvre Thief

Abdoulaye N., 39, the key suspect in the October 19 theft of the Crown Jewels at the Louvre, does not fit the typical profile of a high-stakes burglar. Already known to police for minor but aggravated thefts, among them a 2014 jewelry store robbery in Barbès that earned him a three-year prison sentence, he reportedly has 15 entries on his ...

Star Designer Rousteing Quits Fashion Group Balmain

Star designer Olivier Rousteing announced Wednesday he was quitting as artistic director of French fashion house Balmain after 14 years in which he revolutionized the luxury group. Rousteing was the first Black designer to lead a major Paris fashion house and is credited with helping make luxury fashion more accessible, recruiting Kim Kardashian ...

Louvre Heist a 'Deafening Wake-up Call' for Museum Security

Last month's spectacular Louvre heist, in which robbers made off with some of France's crown jewels, was a "deafening wake-up call" for museum security, the head of France's highest audit institution said Thursday. Upgrades to security at the world-renowned museum have been moving at a "woefully inadequate pace", Pierre Moscovici told a press ...

France Moves to Suspend Shein Website as First Store Opens in Paris

Shein opened its first physical store worldwide in Paris under the eye of riot police, as the French government said it was suspending the Asian e-commerce giant's online platform following outrage over its sale of childlike sex dolls. Hundreds of shoppers streamed into Shein's permanent physical store on the sixth floor of the BHV department ...

The Louvre Heist Explained

Four thieves broke into the Louvre in under eight minutes and vanished with France’s imperial jewels. Here’s how one of the world’s most daring museum heists unfolded and how it remains unsolved.  

Lebanon Pressed Again to Hunt Down Assad Officials

Lebanon has once again found itself at the center of a sensitive international investigation tied to the post-Assad era. One year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, Beirut is being asked to cooperate with international judicial authorities to locate senior Syrian security officials accused of war crimes and crimes ...

Man Rams Car Into Pedestrians in France, Wounding 10

A 35-year-old man Wednesday rammed his car into pedestrians and cyclists on the French Atlantic island of Oleron, wounding 10 people, including four seriously, a prosecutor said. The Oleron resident "deliberately hit several pedestrians and cyclists" along a main road on the scenic island off the western city of La Rochelle, prosecutor Arnaud ...

French Pair Released after 3-year Iran Jail Ordeal

Iran has released from prison a French pair held for more than three years and sentenced to lengthy jail sentences on espionage charges their families always rejected, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday. Cecile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, both retired teachers, were both on a tourist visit to Iran when they were arrested ...

Female Suspect Charged in Louvre Heist

A woman arrested this week along with four other suspects over the unprecedented jewel heist at the Louvre on Saturday appeared before a magistrate who will decide whether to detain her. The 38-year-old woman was in tears as she confirmed that she lives in the northern La Courneuve suburb of Paris, an AFP journalist said. She has been charged ...

Funk Legend George Clinton Brings Psychedelic Energy to Paris Gallery

At 84, George Clinton is a funk legend, ubiquitous hip-hop sample source, father of psychedelic Afrofuturism — and now, a painter with a show opening in Paris. Through it all, the self-taught American artist, the force behind the celebrated groups Parliament and Funkadelic, has hewed to his signature vision: “Gotta have that funk.” A life ...

Rachida Dati’s Plan to Protect France’s Cultural Crown Jewel

France's culture minister said Friday anti-ramming devices would be set up around The Louvre by year's end, after a high-profile heist at the famed museum reignited debate over its security. The announcement comes after four thieves parked a truck with a moving lift under one of its windows during opening hours on October 19, then used cutting ...