Justice minister says ‘we have failed’ after thieves take seven minutes to steal priceless jewels from museum

The French government is under increasing pressure over museum security as police continue to search for thieves who took seven minutes to steal priceless jewels from the Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum.

“What is certain is that we have failed, since people were able to park a furniture hoist in the middle of Paris, get people up it in several minutes to grab priceless jewels, and give France a terrible image,” the justice minister, Gérald Darmanin, told France Inter radio on Monday.

Former French president set to start five-year sentence for scheme to obtain campaign funds from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime

The former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, will go to prison on Tuesday after a court sentenced him to five years for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain election campaign funds from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Sarkozy, who was the rightwing president of France between 2007 and 2012, will become the first former head of an EU country to serve time in prison, and the first French postwar leader to be jailed.

Necklace given by Napoleon to his wife among items taken from Paris museum in highly professional daylight raid

French police are hunting four thieves who carried out a highly professional daylight raid on the Louvre, breaking into one of the museum’s most ornate rooms and escaping with eight pieces of “priceless” historic jewellery, including a necklace given by Napoleon to his wife.

The world’s most-visited museum was suddenly closed for the day on Sunday after the break-in targeted pieces in two glass cases in its Apollon gallery, where the French crown jewels are held.

The president is seen to have accelerated the financial crisis, social inequalities and the rise of the far right

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Three French governments have collapsed in less than a year, and the political crisis looks likely to continue, overshadowing Emmanuel Macron’s last 18 months in power and his domestic legacy.

This week, the latest minority government narrowly survived its first vote of no confidence. But it remains the weakest cabinet in decades and could be toppled at any moment if opposition parties join together to oust it. France faces a brutal two-month battle in parliament to achieve what once seemed the most basic element of governance: passing a budget.

Closeness of first vote highlights difficulties Sébastien Lecornu faces as budget debate looms

The French prime minister has survived two votes of no confidence that had sought to threaten to topple his fragile, minority government days after it was appointed.

Sébastien Lecornu, a key ally of the centrist president, Emmanuel Macron, told parliament on Thursday that lawmakers must choose to take part in “parliamentary debate” on next year’s budget or sink the government and create “political chaos”.