The Louvre Museum in Paris closed to the public on Sunday after a robbery in which nine items of great historical value were stolen, leaving visitors with pre-booked tickets feeling disappointed and shocked.
At around 09:30 local time Sunday, a gang of four burglars broke into the museum's Apollo Gallery -- home to the French Crown Jewels and other treasures -- by smashing the gallery's windows with angle grinders after hoisting themselves up from outside on a cherry picker.
Among the robbery's targets were a sapphire necklace from the jewelry of Queen Marie Amelie and Queen Hortense and a tiara from Empress Eugenie. During their escape, the gang abandoned one of the nine stolen items, which was found damaged near the museum.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, who visited the scene, described the stolen artifacts as being of "inestimable" heritage value. The Louvre and the Ministry of Culture are working to compile a detailed list of the stolen items and assess their value. Nunez said he was "hopeful" that the perpetrators, who fled on a scooter, would be apprehended "very quickly". At present, the suspects are still at large.
"I am admonished that there was no people who work for the museum in the place. Normally, when you get inside, in each room, you have one person watching, but there was nobody this morning," said Monica, a visitor.
"I find it strange because normally, as the lady said earlier, there’s a guard in the room. There should be a guard, an alarm, security, you know? And now it seems so easy. It happened right out in the open. I think it’s odd, and I believe there’s something we don’t know. There are things we don’t know," said Adem, another visitor.
The Louvre's management had previously warned of infrastructure problems affecting the preservation and security of its collections, pending a major renovation program.
Culture Minister Rachida Dati told the television network TF1 that "organized crime today targets works of art, and museums have become targets".
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the robbery on X, calling it "an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our history". He said the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
The last recorded theft at the Louvre occurred in 1998, when a painting was stolen in broad daylight and has not been recovered.
Paris Louvre museum robbery leaves visitors shocked
Paris Louvre museum robbery leaves visitors shocked
A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.
Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.
In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.
"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.
Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.
In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.
"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.
By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.
After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.
"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.
Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.
As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.
Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media
