A Van Gogh painting valued at $50 million that was stolen from the Mahmoud Khalil Museum in Cairo earlier on Saturday has now been recovered. The Egyptian cultural minister said two Italians were arrested at Cairo Airport, trying to smuggle the painting out of the country. Yolande Knell reports from Cairo.
Airports and ports in Egypt had been told to look out for this painting of a Vase of Poppies to make sure it wasn’t smuggled abroad. In the end, the picture estimated to be worth $50 million was discovered at Cairo Airport just hours after it was snatched. According to Egyptian officials, the painting had been cut out of its frame shortly after the Mahmoud Khalil Museum opened early in the day. The museum has one of the most impressive collections of 19th and 20th century paintings in the region.
The South African government has been granted an injunction prohibiting workers in essential services from continuing their national strike. The ruling also prevents nurses and teachers from intimidating workers who refuse to participate.
BBC News.
There’s been a mixed international reaction to Iran’s start of an operation to load fuel into its first nuclear power station at Bushehr. An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman called the move “totally unacceptable” and urged world powers to increase pressure on Iran to comply with international decisions and stop its uranium enrichment and heavy water reactor programs.