Argentine authorities detain relatives of Hitler’s advisor over missing Nazi-looted painting
Buenos Aires: Argentine authorities have detained the daughter and son-in-law of Friedrich Kadgien, a financial adviser to Adolf Hitler, following the disappearance of a 17th-century painting believed to have been looted by the Nazis, prosecutors confirmed on September 2.
NDTV Profit reported that the artwork is thought to be ‘Portrait of a Lady’ by Italian baroque painter Giuseppe Ghislandi (1655–1743). It was seen earlier this year in photographs of a property listed for sale in Mar del Plata, once owned by Kadgien. The discovery was first reported by Dutch newspaper AD. Soon after the story appeared, the painting vanished.
Kadgien, who fled to Argentina after World War II, died in 1978. His daughter and her husband were placed under house arrest for three days and are expected to face charges linked to the painting’s disappearance.
The family maintains the artwork belongs to them. Their lawyer, Carlos Murias, told local daily La Capital that they are cooperating with investigators. Argentine newspaper La Nación reported that the couple insisted the painting was inherited lawfully. Despite these claims, prosecutors told The Times of Israel that the painting has not been surrendered.
Interpol and Argentina’s federal police are assisting in the search. Investigators carried out four property raids last week, recovering two 19th-century paintings from the home of another Kadgien daughter. Authorities said the works are undergoing analysis to determine whether they too were taken during the Nazi era.
Jacques Goudstikker, a Jewish art dealer from the Netherlands, was thought to have the missing Ghislandi painting in his collection. During the Nazi invasion Goudstikker fled the country in 1940 and died while escaping. His collection of more than 1,000 pieces was seized and many were taken by top Nazi officials, including Hermann Goering, founder of the Gestapo.
The Dutch government recovered about 300 of Goudstikker’s works after the war and later restituted them to his heirs. In 2011, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles returned another piece linked to his collection.
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Bill to regulate deepfakes tabled in Lok Sabha
New Delhi (PTI): A Private Member's Bill seeking a clear legal framework for regulation of deepfakes has been introduced in the Lok Sabha.
The Regulation of Deepfake Bill, introduced by Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde in the House on Friday, aims to protect citizens by mandating prior consent from individuals depicted in deepfake content.
"Misuse of deepfakes for harassment, deception and misinformation has escalated, creating an urgent need for regulatory safeguards," Shinde said.
The Bill also lists penalties for offenders creating or disseminating deepfake content with malicious intent.
"With advancements in artificial intelligence and deep learning, deepfake technology has emerged as a significant tool for media manipulation. While the technology has potential applications in education, entertainment and creative fields, it also poses severe risks when misused, threatening individual privacy, national security and public trust," Shinde said in the statement of objects and reasons in the Bill.
The proposed Bill seeks to establish a clear legal framework to govern the creation, distribution and application of deepfakes in India, said Shinde, a three-term Lok Sabha member from Kalyan.
The Bill also seeks to establish the Deepfake Task Force, a dedicated body to combat national security implications and evaluate the influence of deepfakes on privacy, civic participation, and potential election interference.
The task force will collaborate with academic and private sector institutions to develop technologies that detect manipulated content, thereby promoting credibility in digital media.
The Bill also proposes to establish a fund to support public and private sector initiatives in the detection and deterrence of advanced image manipulation.
A Private Member's Bill is a procedure of Parliament that enables lawmakers, who are not ministers, to draw attention to issues that might not be represented in Government Bills or to highlight the issues and gaps in the existing legal framework that require legislative intervention.
