United News of Bangladesh

The Louvre Museum has reopened its historic Apollo Gallery to visitors for the first time since last year's high-profile theft of the French crown jewels. The gallery no longer displays the royal jewels and other valuable treasures, as the museum has restored the space to its original 17th-century ceremonial purpose. The Louvre has also strengthened security by installing additional surveillance cameras and new anti-intrusion systems following the robbery. During the heist, thieves broke into the Apollo Gallery through a window and stole French crown jewels worth about 88 million euros (around $102 million). The theft took less than eight minutes and exposed major security weaknesses at the world-famous museum. The security upgrades are part of the Louvre's long-term "Louvre New Renaissance" renovation programme, launched last year. The project, estimated to cost up to 800 million euros (about $933 million), aims to modernise the museum, reduce overcrowding and create a dedicated gallery for the Mona Lisa by 2031.

Paris, OCT 22 (AP/UNB) — Much about Leonardo Da Vinci remains an enigma: the smile of the "Mona Lisa"; why the world's most famous painter left so many works unfinished; and more recently, who bought the contentious "Salvator Mundi."

Lievin, Oct 8 (AP/UNB) — The Louvre has opened a new art conservation center some 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Paris to protect the museum's priceless artworks from its flood-prone reserves.