Security was stepped up the last time Frans Hals’s painting Two Laughing Boys with a Mug of Beer was stolen from a small museum in the Dutch town of Leerdam. But it was not enough to stop art thieves forcing open the back door and making off with it for a third time. One of the Old Masters of the Dutch Golden Age, Frans Hals painted the work in 1626.

Art detective Arthur Brand said he believed it was “stolen to order”. “It’s very difficult to secure small museums as it costs too much money. If they want to have your stuff, they’ll get in,” he told the BBC. Two Laughing Boys was first stolen in 1988 along with a Jacob van Ruisdael work. Both paintings were recovered three years later.

The same paintings were taken again from the Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden museum in 2011 and found six months on. Frans Hals specialist Anna Tummers said at the time the painting was a “wonderful example of his loose painting style… it was very playful, daring and loose”.(BBC)…[+]

US intelligence officials say there is no evidence of foreign efforts to meddle with mail-in voting, refuting President Donald Trump’s claims. The report comes amid an ongoing row over the US Postal Service, which is tasked with handling mail-in ballots for the November presidential election.

A vast number of Americans are expected to vote by post due to the pandemic. Mr Trump has for months alleged, without evidence, that large-scale mail voting will lead to voter fraud. On Wednesday, a senior national intelligence official told reporters: “We have no information or intelligence that any nation-state threat actor is engaging in any kind of activity to undermine any part of the mail-in vote or ballots.” It contradicts Mr Trump’s remarks that voting by mail – which he himself has done – is susceptible to foreign interference. 

In the wake of confirmed Russian interference during the 2016 election, US authorities have been seeking to safeguard systems ahead of the 3 November poll. Election security officials earlier this month confirmed that the Kremlin was working against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, while China would prefer a Mr Biden win. Iran may also attempt to interfere with US institutions. Mr Trump has dismissed the notion that the Russians are seeking to boost his campaign. A cybersecurity official on Wednesday’s call noted that targeting voting machines is “in the playbook” for governments like Russia but that no such effort has successfully affected American’s ability to vote.(BBC)…[+]

Wisconsin’s attorney general has named the officer who shot a black man on Sunday, sparking days of demonstrations. Josh Kaul told reporters on Wednesday that Rusten Sheskey shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back as he opened the door of his car. Officers found a knife in Mr Blake’s car, he added, but no other weapons. The shooting has sparked a wave of protests in recent days, some of which have turned violent. 

A 17-year-old was arrested on Wednesday after two people were killed and another injured amid unrest on Tuesday night. Mr Blake is recovering in hospital and is conscious, but his lawyers fear it will take a “miracle” for him to walk again. US President Donald Trump has since sent federal law enforcement to Kenosha, tweeting they were to combat “looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets”.

The Department of Justice has opened a federal investigation into the shooting. It has sent more than 200 FBI agents and US Marshals to the city, according to a spokeswoman. Shortly after Mr Trump’s tweet, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers said he had authorised 500 National Guard troops to support law enforcement efforts amid concerns about further violence.(BBC)…[+]