Stolen paintings may have been burned
BUCHAREST, Romania – A Romanian museum is analyzing ashes found in a stove to see if they are the remains of seven paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Monet and others that were stolen last year from the Netherlands, an official said Tuesday.
Prosecutor spokeswoman Gabriela Chiru told The Associated Press that Romania’s National History Museum is examining the ashes found in the stove of Olga Dogaru. She is the mother of Radu Dogaru, one of three Romanian suspects charged with stealing the paintings from Rotterdam’s Kunsthal gallery in a brazen daytime heist.
Dogaru told investigators she buried the art in an abandoned house and then in a cemetery. She said she later dug them up and burned them after police began searching the village for the art.
Chiru said it could take months for the results of the tests to be known.
Snowden applies for asylum in Russia
Intelligence leaker Edward Snowden formally submitted an application for temporary asylum in Russia on Tuesday, his lawyer said.
Snowden argued in his application that he needs asylum because “he faces persecution by the U.S. government and he fears for his life and safety, fears that he could be subjected to torture and capital punishment,” lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said on Russian television.
The former NSA systems analyst has been living in the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport since arriving from Hong Kong on June 23. Snowden said Friday that he would seek at least temporary refuge in Russia until he could fly to one of the Latin American nations that has offered him asylum.
Panama seizes ship bound for North Korea
PANAMA CITY – A North Korean ship carrying weapons-system parts buried under sacks of sugar was seized as it tried to cross the Panama Canal on its way from Cuba to its home country, which is barred by United Nations sanctions, Panamanian officials said Tuesday.
The ship appeared to be transporting a radar-control system for a Soviet-era surface-to-air missile system, said a private defense analysis firm that examined a photograph posted on Twitter by Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli.
He said the ship was carrying missiles and other arms, but he provided no specific evidence or details.
UK’s gay-marriage law clears Parliament
LONDON – British lawmakers have passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in England and Wales, with the first gay weddings expected to take place by next summer.
In what was largely seen as a formality, members of the House of Commons approved minor amendments made to the legislation, which cleared the House of Lords. Now, all the bill needs is official assent from Queen Elizabeth II, which is expected to come later this week.
Associated Press
