A previously unknown painting by American artist Jackson Pollock has been unearthed during a police raid in Bulgaria, the country's state media has announced.
Believed to have been produced in 1949, the work was discovered in Sofia by a joint operation between Bulgarian and Greek anti-organised crime forces, co-ordinated by Europol, reported Bulgarian National Radio or BNR.
BNR sources have valued it at up to €50 million ($54 million). So far, few details have been provided about the work and what it depicts, however, Novinite news agency cited a report by Bulgarian National Television, claiming it was part of the personal collection of the late Romanian communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu — as evidenced by a stamp on its reverse.
The piece was seized alongside five paintings by other notable artists during simultaneous crackdowns on the trafficking of cultural objects in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, and Athens and Crete in Greece. Four suspects, including three Greek citizens and one Bulgarian, are said to be in custody.
"This is an international operation with the participation of Europol, Greece and other countries," Bulgaria's chief secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Petar Todorov said, according to Novinite.
"To our great joy, we managed to establish and keep this painting and at the moment the expertise shows that it is an original."
Pollock was an influential member of the Abstract Expressionist movement of the 1940s and '50s, known for his "drip technique" of splashing or pouring liquid household paint on to large canvases. While some celebrated the primal and immediate nature of his works, produced using the force of his whole body, others criticised the seemingly random results.
His works represented a radically new approach, where works had no clear focal points of emphasis, or even identifiable parts. He died in 1956 aged 44 in a car crash while driving under the influence of alcohol.
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The flights
Emirates (www.emirates.com) and Etihad (www.etihad.com) both fly direct to Bengaluru, with return fares from Dh 1240. From Bengaluru airport, Coorg is a five-hour drive by car.
The hotels
The Tamara (www.thetamara.com) is located inside a working coffee plantation and offers individual villas with sprawling views of the hills (tariff from Dh1,300, including taxes and breakfast).
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Coorg is an all-year destination, with the peak season for travel extending from the cooler months between October and March.
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Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
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His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
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Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
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Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
