In Argentina, authorities recover long-lost Italian painting looted by Nazis
Argentine authorities recovered an 18th-century painting in Mar del Plata looted by the Nazis during World War II, a federal court announced Wednesday. The giant, gold-framed “Portrait of a Lady” by Italian painter Giuseppe Ghislandi had been missing for 80 years and is in “good condition,” valued at roughly $50,000, art expert Ariel Bassano told the Associated Press.
Last month, a color photo of the painting surfaced online after being spotted in a Mar del Plata real estate listing posted by Patricia Kadgien, one of the daughters of Friedrich Kadgien — a Nazi fugitive and financial adviser to Hermann Göring, one of Adolf Hitler’s right-hand men. Kadgien allegedly stole the painting from a prominent collector during the war. The image was discovered by journalists at Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, who were investigating Kadgien for theft of Jewish artifacts and fleeing to Argentina after the fall of Nazi Germany.
The listing was taken down shortly after the article, published on Aug. 25, exposed the painting’s location. The next day, police officers raided Patricia’s home in Mar del Plata, but the painting was not there. They raided other homes belonging to the Kadgien sisters, confiscating other works and engravings which were also suspected of having been stolen in the 1940s.
The federal prosecutor’s office placed both Patricia and her husband under a 72-hour house arrest Tuesday, which was lifted after the two attended a hearing Thursday on charges of concealment and obstruction of justice. An Argentine judge imposed a 180-day travel ban on the couple, which defense lawyer Carlos Murias called “excessive.” Both parties agreed to send the painting to the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires.
In China, a military parade stirs online feud between Trump and Xi Jinping
The Chinese government held a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, where President Xi Jinping touted his missiles, fighter jets and marching troops, standing alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The event both commemorated the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II and aimed to display China’s strength to Western countries. It followed a weekslong campaign by the country’s Communist Party promoting nationalism and Chinese sovereignty amid increased tensions with the United States.
China debuted LY-1 laser weapons mounted on top of armored trucks, along with hypersonic missiles, nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and long-range rocket launchers, amidst growing concerns of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump, who was not in attendance, accused Putin, Jinping and Jong Un of conspiring against the United States.
“The big question to be answered is whether or not President Xi of China will mention the massive amount of support and ‘blood’ that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader,” Trump wrote in the Wednesday post.
In the United Kingdom, government officials move to ban sales of energy drinks to kids
The British government on Wednesday announced plans to restrict the selling of energy drinks to children in an effort to reduce negative health effects associated with the highly caffeinated and sweetened drinks, the BBC reported.
If passed, the law would ban cafes, restaurants, shops, vending machines and online vendors from selling energy drinks with more than 150 milligrams of caffeine per liter to anyone under 16. Soft drinks with low levels of caffeine would not be affected, according to the country’s health department.
The decision, which would pertain to popular drinks like Red Bull, Prime and Monster Energy, follows similar laws by other countries in Europe, like Kazakhstan’s recent ban on energy drinks for anyone under 21. Such regulations aim to improve the diets of young people amidst a growing body of research connecting energy drinks to health effects like disrupted sleep, increased anxiety, reduced concentration and obesity.
Energy drinks have sparked longstanding debate in the United Kingdom — the law, if passed, would be enacted in England, while officials in Northern Island, Scotland and Wales can act at their discretion.
“I won’t shy away from decisions to protect kids, even if there are the predictable cries of nanny state,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in an X post Wednesday. “We’re stopping shops from selling high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16s, so they can turn up to school ready to learn.”
The U.K. Department of Health and Social Care has begun a 12-week consultation to gather evidence from health and education experts before parliamentary approval.
Contact Eva Mundo at [email protected].