Statue looted in WWII returned to Poland
WARSAW, Poland – An 18th-century marble bust of the goddess Diana looted by the Nazis in 1940 has returned to Warsaw from Vienna, where it recently surfaced at an auction house.
The return of the sculpture by French master Jean-Antoine Houdon, valued at $270,000, is the latest development in Poland’s yearslong effort to retrieve tens of thousands of works of art looted from museums and private collections in the nation’s tumultuous history, most recently during World War II.
Poland has listed some 63,000 works of art as missing.
The white marble, bare-breasted bust of the hunter goddess was officially returned on Friday to Warsaw’s Lazienki Palace, following months of efforts by Poland’s government and the Art Recovery Group Ltd.
EU threatens to end Thai fish imports
BRUSSELS – The European Union warned Thailand on Friday that it should “promptly” address the human rights and slavery issues that have dogged its seafood industry if it wants to stave off an EU seafood import ban.
Several investigative reports by The Associated Press focused on slavery in the seafood industry and resulted in the rescue of 2,000 men this year, highlighting longstanding abuses in Thai fisheries.
Thailand is a major exporter of seafood, with yearly revenues of almost $5.4 billion, and an EU ban would seriously affect the industry.
Annual Thai fish exports to the EU are estimated to be worth between $624 million to $792 million.
Houthi rebels halt Yemeni peace talks
SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni peace talks in Switzerland were halted on Friday after the country’s Shiite Houthi rebel delegation suspended all meetings with the internationally recognized government in protest of its cease-fire violations, members of Yemen’s two warring sides told The Associated Press.
The Houthis said they would not resume talks unless the UN condemned government breaches of the week-long truce, the delegates said. Houthi fighters have also ignored the cease-fire agreement.
But the United Nations, which is mediating the talks, cast doubts on the alleged suspension.
The United Nations has urged factions to end the violence and is pressing to keep the talks going.
Carter vows support for Afghan forces
JALALABAD, Afghanistan – Defense Secretary Ash Carter told his Afghan counterpart Friday that the United States is “with you,” committed to supporting Afghan security forces and building their capabilities for years to come.
Carter made a one-day visit to Afghanistan to assess the fragile security situation, amid reports of increased violence and a growing campaign by Islamic State loyalists to gain a foothold in the eastern part of the country.
“We’re with you. We stand by you,” Carter told Afghanistan’s acting Defense Minister Masoom Stankzai during a news conference at Operating Base Fenty in Jalalabad.
Carter’s visit comes as his top commander there, Gen. John Campbell, voiced concerns that foreign fighters from Syria and Iraq are joining with Afghans who have declared loyalty to IS in the east, near the Pakistan border.
Officials have been warning for some time that while the presence of IS has been small, about 1,000 to 3,000 troops, it is attracting disaffected members of the Taliban.
Associated Press
