Politics
Louvre heist suspect revealed to be French social media star: reports – National TenX News
More details are being revealed about the suspects involved in the brazen daylight Louvre Museum heist that lasted less than eight minutes inside the world’s most-visited museum last month.
A 39-year-old French social media personality has been identified as one of the four suspects arrested and charged after the Louvre burglary, according to Le Parisien.
Abdoulaye N, known online as Doudou Cross Bitume, was detained at his home in Aubervilliers and placed in pre-trial detention. He faces preliminary charges of theft by an organized gang and criminal conspiracy.
In total, four suspects are in custody as part of the investigation, including three believed to be members of the team of four filmed using a cherry picker to reach the museum’s window and gain access.
Abdoulaye N. runs YouTube and TikTok channels under Doudou Cross Bitume. Videos show him performing tricks on motocross in Paris and Aubervilliers.
His acquaintances told BFMTV that he is a “role model for his generation” and a “star of motorcycle stunts.”
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that Abdoulaye N. had been convicted in 2015 for a robbery committed in 2014, in the same theft case involving a 37-year-old, who was also arrested last week in connection with the Louvre heist.
The suspect is believed to be one of the two thieves who broke into the Apollo Gallery with power tools, cutting into display cases to steal the jewels. His DNA was reportedly found on one of the cases and on items they left behind.
Suspect’s trial in separate case postponed
On Wednesday, a French court postponed the trial of Abdoulaye N. in a different case due to media attention and other issues that may impede the fairness of the proceedings, according to The Associated Press.
A court in Bobigny, north of Paris, said the suspect’s trial on charges of damaging public property will take place in April.
His four lawyers said the highly publicized Louvre robbery did not allow them to properly prepare for the trial.
Maxime Cavaillé, one of the lawyers, told reporters: “We’ll be extremely vigilant about several points, first of all the respect of the presumption of innocence … and the respect of [judicial] proceedings.”
Cavaillé said they will make sure the “privacy” of their client is respected despite the “extraordinary nature” of the Louvre case. They declined to provide further details.
The prosecutor agreed the case must be judged in “serene conditions” that were not met Wednesday due to “mediatization [sic] and recent events.”
The suspect had been initially scheduled to stand trial Wednesday on minor charges of breaking a mirror and damaging the door of the prison cell where he was detained in 2019 as part of a separate theft investigation, which later cleared him.
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Beccuau said the man gave investigators “minimalist” statements and “partially admitted” his involvement in the Louvre heist.
Alleged password to Louvre’s video surveillance system
At the time of the Louvre heist on Oct. 19, the password to the museum’s video surveillance system was reportedly just “Louvre,” according to ABC News.
French outlet Libération was the first to report the news of the alleged password and cited confidential documents. The outlet claims the password was revealed by France’s National Cybersecurity Agency in a 2014 audit.
The Louvre’s director Laurence des Cars faced questioning by a cultural committee at the French Senate last month amid questions over the museum’s security.
Des Cars said that the museum had a shortage of security cameras outside the monument and other “weaknesses” that were exposed by the thieves.
“Today we are experiencing a terrible failure at the Louvre, which I take my share of responsibility in,” she said.
“We did not detect the arrival of the thieves soon enough,” des Cars added.
She said the museum’s alarms had worked properly, but that it currently doesn’t have full video surveillance of the perimeter outside the museum, though there is a plan to provide full coverage of all the Louvre’s facades. The only camera over the Apollo Gallery, said des Cars, was facing west and didn’t capture the balcony where the break-in took place.
The Louvre urged to speed up security upgrades
France’s court of auditors urged the Louvre museum to speed up its security modernization plans as a priority in a report conducted before the heist that noted major delays in the renovation of the famous museum.
The report by the Cour des Comptes comes after a series of failings and security issues came to light following the robbery of the $102-million worth of crown jewels that shocked the world. The thieves used a truck-mounted cherry picker to reach a window of the Apollo Gallery and fled with the trove within minutes.
“The theft of the crown jewels is undoubtedly a deafening alarm bell,” Pierre Moscovici, head of the court of auditors, said at a news conference.
Moscovici said that the heist was a “wake-up call” for museum security and pointed out that upgrades to security at the Louvre have been moving at a “woefully inadequate pace.”
The report, focusing on the 2018-2024 period, said the museum’s investments prioritized “visible and attractive operations,” like buying new pieces of art and improving visitor experience. That was “at the expense of the maintenance and renovation of buildings and technical installations, particularly safety and security systems,” it said.
A plan to modernize security equipment was being studied since 2018, but its implementation kept being delayed, the report said. Actual technical work was only to start next year and was planned to be fully implemented by 2032.
“The pace is far too slow,” Moscovici said.
The court of auditors, which is an independent body, believes security can be improved without hiring more staff at the museum, Moscovici added. A previous assessment shows that the theft was made possible by outdated security systems, not because of a lack of staff, he said.
The cost for security modernization is estimated to be 83 million euros ($95 million), out of which only three million euros ($3.5 million) have been invested between 2018 and 2024, according to the report.
The museum said that over the past three years, 134 digital cameras have been installed to supplement or replace outdated cameras throughout the museum, the report noted.
The court of auditors recommended that the Louvre focus on priorities, including bringing the museum’s technical facilities — particularly safety and security — up to standards, and cut expenses in other areas. That means reducing art acquisition and saving on museum rooms’ renovation projects, the report said.
In response to the audit on Thursday, the Louvre said it “regretted” that the report did not take into account the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the 2024 Paris Olympics, which the museum said impacted certain decisions.
The Louvre said it agrees with most of the court of auditors’ recommendations and has already made similar proposals. It noted that the Oct. 19 theft occurred weeks before planned security improvements were to start being implemented.
— With files from The Associated Press
A trip to the world’s most-visited museum is about to cost Canadians significantly more.
France has hiked ticket prices at the Louvre by 45 per cent for visitors from outside the European Union, a move that is fuelling debate over so-called dual pricing and the growing backlash against overtourism.
Starting this week, adult visitors from non-EU countries, including Canada, must pay €32 to enter the Paris landmark, up from €22. That’s an increase from about $35 to $52 Canadian.
Visitors from EU countries, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, will continue to pay the lower rate.
The price hike comes as the Louvre grapples with repeated labour strikes, a high-profile daylight jewel heist last October that prompted a costly security overhaul, and years of chronic overcrowding. The museum attracts roughly nine million visitors annually.
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Some Canadian tourists told Global News they feel unfairly targeted.
“We didn’t cause the robberies or some of the other issues that happened and we are paying the consequences,” said Allison Moore, visiting Paris from Newfoundland with her daughter. “[In] Canada we don’t discriminate over pricing like that.”
Others argue tourists already shoulder higher costs simply by travelling long distances.
“In general for tourists, I think things should be a little cheaper than for local people, because we have to travel to come all the way here,” said Darla Daniela Quiroz, another Canadian visitor. “It should be equal pricing, or a little bit cheaper.”
Even some Europeans question the two-tiered system. A French tourist interviewed outside the museum said there was “no reason” to charge non-Europeans more and that the fee should be the same for everyone.
Tourism experts say the Louvre’s financial pressures help explain the decision.
“The Louvre is really cash-strapped right now and needs to do something,” said Marion Joppe, a professor at the University of Guelph. “It can’t really look to the government, which is already struggling with its own budget.”
The move also reflects a broader global pushback against mass tourism. Anti-tourism protests have spread across parts of Spain, New Zealand has increased its entry tax, and the United States recently raised national park fees for foreign visitors.
“You take Paris — it gets about 50 million tourists a year,” said Julian Karaguesian, an economist at McGill University. “That’s roughly a million a week. The city simply wasn’t built for those kinds of numbers.”
Despite the higher price, many visitors say they will still line up to see the Mona Lisa and other of the museum’s famous artworks.
“It’s one of the main attractions. It’s on everybody’s list,” Moore said. “We’re still going to go, and hopefully it will be worth it in the end.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Politics
Trump calls Canada-China deal ‘good thing’ as U.S. officials voice concern – National TenX News
Canada’s new trade deal with China is getting a mixed reaction in Washington, with U.S. President Donald Trump voicing support as administration officials warned Ottawa could regret allowing Chinese EVs into the Canadian market.
The deal signed with Beijing on Friday reverses course on 100 per cent tariffs Canada slapped on Chinese electric vehicles in 2024, which aligned with similar U.S. duties. Canada and China also agreed to reduce tariffs on canola and other products.
Asked about the deal by reporters at the White House, Trump said Prime Minister Mark Carney was doing the right thing.
“That’s what he should be doing. It’s a good thing for him to sign a trade deal. If you can get a deal with China, you should do that,” Trump said.
However, members of Trump’s cabinet expressed concern.
“I think they’ll look back at this decision and surely regret it to bring Chinese cars into their market,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at an event with other U.S. government officials at a Ford factory in Ohio to tout efforts to make vehicles more affordable.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters the limited number of vehicles would not impact American car companies exporting cars to Canada.
“I don’t expect that to disrupt American supply into Canada,” he said.
“Canada is so dependent on the United States for their GDP. Their entire population is crowded around our border for that reason. I’ll tell you one thing: if those cars are coming into Canada, they’re not coming here. That’s for sure.”
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Carney has said it’s necessary for Canada to improve trade ties and cooperation with China in light of Trump’s trade war and threats to let the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on free trade expire.
The trade pact is up for review this summer, and Greer reiterated that the Trump administration wants to bring more auto manufacturing back to the U.S. and incentivize companies to do so.
Under the new deal with Beijing, Carney said he expects China will lower tariffs on its canola seed by March 1 to a combined rate of about 15 per cent.
Greer questioned that agreement in a separate CNBC interview.
“I think in the long run, they’re not going to like having made that deal,” he said.
He called the decision to allow Chinese EVs into Canada “problematic” and added: “There’s a reason why we don’t sell a lot of Chinese cars in the United States. It’s because we have tariffs to protect American auto workers and Americans from those vehicles.”
Greer said rules adopted last January on vehicles that are connected to the internet and navigation systems are a significant impediment to Chinese vehicles in the U.S. market.
“I think it would be hard for them to operate here,” Greer said. “There are rules and regulations in place in America about the cybersecurity of our vehicles and the systems that go into those, so I think it might be hard for the Chinese to comply with those kind of rules.”
Trump and officials like Greer have taken aim at Chinese attempts to enter the North American car market through Mexico by bypassing rules of origin under CUSMA.
The CUSMA review set for July is expected to address those loopholes that American and Canadian officials have said are being exploited by China.
Those concerns, which were also raised by the Biden administration, in part helped spur the steep tariffs on Chinese EVs, which are heavily subsidized by Beijing.
Trump, however, has also said he would like Chinese automakers to come to the United States to build vehicles.
Both Democrat and Republican lawmakers in the U.S. have expressed strong opposition to Chinese vehicles as major U.S. automakers warn China poses a threat to the U.S. auto sector.
Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican, said at Friday’s event at the Ford plant that he was opposed to Chinese vehicles coming into the United States, and drew applause from the other government officials.
“As long as I have air in my body, there will not be Chinese vehicles sold the United States of America — period,” Moreno said.
—with files from Reuters
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trade mission to China is being framed as a win for British Columbia’s economy.
Carney announced a new deal with Beijing on electric vehicles and canola at the end of a high-profile trip on Friday.
“The inroads Canada has made this week are a sign that the government gets it and is showing Canadians and the world that we are open for business,” Alexa Young with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said.
The trade deal would allow up to 49,000 Chinese EVs into Canada yearly at a tariff rate of 6.1 per cent.
An expanded auto terminal on Annacis Island will be able to handle the additional volume of cars that could be more affordable than what is currently on the market, with prices expected to be under $40,000.
The New Car Dealers Association said in a statement to Global News that, “We look forward to reviewing the full details of this announcement and engaging constructively with governments to ensure that affordability, competition, and long-term market stability remain central considerations.”
In British Columbia, the overall reaction to the news on Friday is positive.
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“China’s economy is important,” Alex McMillan with the B.C. Chamber of Commerce said.
“Having trade deals like this — and diversifying our markets — is important. Providing certainty is important.”
There are concerns with the agreement, including privacy issues and China’s human rights record. But Ottawa’s goal is to double trade with partners outside the United States, which is a goal that would be impossible without China.
“We do want to see more trade and more diversification of our markets and know that China is an important nation and important economy, so having better trade relationships with them, I think overall is going to be good,” McMillan said.
–with files from The Canadian Press
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Louvre raises ticket prices for non-Europeans, hitting Canadian visitors TenX News
Trump calls Canada-China deal ‘good thing’ as U.S. officials voice concern – National TenX News
Canada-China trade deal framed as a win for B.C.’s economy TenX News
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