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The 2,500-year-old gold helmet from Romania, known as the Helmet of Coțofenești, has been recovered after being stolen from the Drents Museum in the northern Netherlands in January 2025. The theft was carried out by a gang of robbers who used firework bombs to break into the museum and smash display cases.“It’s amazing. It’s the best news we could have got,” said Arthur Brand, a Dutch art detective, confirming the recovery of the helmet. Prosecutors are expected to make an official announcement regarding the recovery.The stolen items, including the golden Helmet of Coțofenești and three gold bracelets, are considered national treasures in Romania. The Dutch government had set aside €5.7m for a potential payout after the theft, highlighting the significance and value of the artifact.The recovery of the helmet has triggered outrage and relief in Romania, where the items are deeply valued. This incident underscores the importance of protecting cultural heritage and the challenges faced by museums and authorities in securing priceless artifacts.

The Tate has made history by lending an LS Lowry painting to a school for the first time. The painting, 'Dwelling, Ordsall Lane, Salford', was displayed at the Lowry Academy in Salford for two days.The artwork, painted in 1927, shows a crowd of children on the corner of a bustling residential road and shines light on Lowry's belief that 'a street is not a street without people'.The physical presence of the painting has had a hugely positive impact on the school, teachers said. It has spurred a number of art, history, and English literature projects and led to careers workshops that may have set children on paths they had not thought about previously.Helen Legg, the director of Tate Liverpool, said that the loan was a significant event, highlighting the importance of making art accessible to young people. 'We want young people to come to our museums,' she said. 'They are their museums. But sometimes you need to make that invitation really explicit and that is what this is about.'The loan was welcomed by the culture minister, Ian Murray, who said that it was a great chance to inspire Salford's young people and ignite creativity.

Israel has confirmed that it has struck a uranium processing facility in the central Iranian city of Yazd, in an escalatory move that comes as regional diplomats have been attempting to broker an agreement to halt the joint US-Israeli war on Iran.The Israeli Air Force said it hit a plant used to extract raw materials essential to the uranium enrichment process, describing it as a 'unique facility' in Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization confirmed the strike, but said there were no casualties or radiation leaks.A projectile also hit near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation said. The attack caused 'no casualties, financial, or technical damage,' the organisation said.Friday marked day 28 of the conflict, and the assault by the Israeli army was part of a broad wave of attacks on sites across the country. The Khondab Heavy Water Complex in central Iran was hit, as well as two major steel plants: the Khuzestan Steel facility and the Mobarakeh Steel complex in Isfahan.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran will 'exact heavy price' for Israeli attacks on several important infrastructure sites. 'Israel has hit 2 of Iran's largest steel factories, a power plant and civilian nuclear sites among other infrastructure,' said Araghchi in a post on X.Strikes also hit areas in and around Tehran, the city of Kashan and Ahwaz, while 18 people were killed in Qom. More than 1,900 people have been killed in US-Israeli attacks on Iran since the war began on February 28.Iranian officials said US-Israeli strikes have damaged at least 120 museums and historical sites across the country since hostilities began.Negar Mortazavi, a senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, told Al Jazeera that even Iranians who had been critical of their own government increasingly view the war as an assault on the Iranian people rather than its leadership, saying the targeting of water, electricity, gas, cultural heritage, schools and hospitals was 'unacceptable.'Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel would 'intensify' its campaign and expand the range of sites it targets, accusing Tehran of deliberately directing missiles at Israeli civilians.