Egypt recovers ancient artefacts smuggled to U.S.April 20, 2015 - 11:59 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Egypt said on Sunday, April 19 it has recovered 123 ancient artefacts that had been smuggled outside the country and were later confiscated in New York, Art Daily reports citing AFP. Egypt's major archaeological sites were targeted for looting after the 2011 uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak. Thousands of artefacts, most obtained from illicit digs, later surfaced on the international market, at auction and on websites. The 123 artefacts to be returned were "illegally taken outside Egypt, and have been confiscated by the U.S. customs authority in New York," Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damati said in a statement. "Egypt proved its ownership of the artefacts and the United States has decided to return them." The items were on a ministry list of smuggled items, and include a group of coloured coffins dating back to the 26th dynasty, a stele from the new kingdom and several Greco-Roman coins. Officials say the artefacts will be repatriated in the next few days. Egypt has signed several agreements that enable it to reclaim such ancient pieces after proving their ownership and that they had been smuggled abroad. Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan. Lemkin Institue slams Pashinyan's “cryptic engagement with Genocide denial” The Lemkin Institute is alarmed over Pashinyan’s statements “questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Turkey”. 41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan 41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience. Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. |