In a shocking overnight heist, four masterpieces by iconic 15th-century artist Antonello da Messina were whisked away from the Museo Regionale di Messina. The museum’s leadership, as reported by Italian media, has confirmed the art theft, leaving a cultural void in the artist’s homeland.

This brazen theft erases from Messina the only existing collection of the renowned Renaissance painter’s works still housed in his birthplace, along with a diminutive artwork acquired by Sicily two decades prior.

When contacted by Reuters, a museum representative was unavailable to share any additional details regarding the incident.

Reports indicate that these art burglars exploited the national holiday on August 15 to carry out their plan. This date coincides with the summer’s peak activity in Italy, providing advantageous cover for the crime.

The culprits made off with three of the five remaining pieces from the famed Polittico di San Gregorio altarpiece.

Originally comprising six panels and destined for a local monastery known as Monastero San Gregorio, which was destroyed by Messina’s 1908 earthquake, the altarpiece was the only work by the Sicilian painter to have never left his hometown.

The thieves took a fourth artwork from a secure display case: a small two-sided painting depicting the Virgin with Child and a Franciscan monk on one side and the Christ on the other.

The work was part of the Wilhelm Soldan collection and was sold by Christie’s to the Sicilian Region in 2003, the year it was attributed to Antonello da Messina.

The theft took place after Italian police on Friday recovered three paintings by French masters Paul Cezanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse that were stolen from a museum near the northern city of Parma in March.

Born around 1430, Antonello da Messina trained in Naples where he studied the works of Provençal and Flemish artists, whose influence is apparent in his works.

He returned to Messina in 1457, where he worked until 1474.

CBS News’ lead reporter finds his turbulent broadcasting past under scrutiny once more, following allegations of sexual harassment from a former colleague recently surfacing against him.

Matt Gutman, at 48 years old, garnered accolades for his “fearlessness, energy, and relentlessness” when Bari Weiss introduced him to the network back in December, marking one of Weiss’s initial decisions as the new editor-in-chief.

This role transition concluded Gutman’s 17-year tenure at ABC News, during which he spent seven years as the chief national correspondent.

According to various insiders speaking to the Daily Mail at the time, Gutman had a reputation within the industry for being prone to errors.

Notably, in 2020, he issued a public apology after incorrectly reporting that all of Kobe Bryant’s children were involved in the tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, when in reality, only Bryant’s daughter was among the victims.

Gutman’s first ABC News suspension followed, for one month.

An ABC spokesperson said at the time: ‘Reporting the facts accurately is the cornerstone of our journalism… Matt Gutman’s initial reporting was not accurate and failed to meet our editorial standards.’

Gutman publicly apologized on-air and later said the error occurred during a panic attack, a struggle he detailed in his 2023 book about anxiety. 

‘Today I inaccurately reported it was believed that four of Kobe Bryant’s children were on board that flight. That is incorrect. I apologize to Kobe’s family, friends and our viewers,’ he wrote on X as well. 

Gutman’s second suspension came when he found himself in hot water in February 2021 for flouting Disney’s COVID-19 policies by visiting a Los Angeles hospital without ABC News execs’ permission to vet a story.

The exact duration of the suspension was never disclosed. ABC News did not issue a statement.  

More recently, before he left for CBS, he faced criticism for describing text messages between alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson and his transgender roommate as ‘very touching in a way we did not expect.’

After a furious social-media reaction, Gutman apologized, writing on X: ‘I deeply regret that my words did not make that clear.’

He was hired by CBS News within three months, though sources told the Mail ABC let him go without much of a fight at the time.

‘Matt’s contract was already up,’ they said, explaining that executives at ABC were fully aware of an offer made to Gutman but did not try to counter it.

The revelation came in marked contrast to reports of Weiss relentlessly pursuing top talent from other networks for her still-ongoing CBS News revamp.

The right-leaning Free Press founder was appointed by then-new Paramount CEO David Ellison in October, following an $8 billion acquisition the summer before. 

The effort, instead of yielding a big name like Bret Baier or Anderson Cooper, ended up showing Weiss’s inexperience, another insider told the Daily Mail at the time. 

‘Bari seems to be scraping the depths of her rolodex with her recent hire of Gutman, whom ABC exiled after his despicable comments in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk and who erroneously reported misinformation on Kobe Bryant’s children during a tragedy. That’s what he’s best known for,’ the source said. 

Weiss also ended up promoting Tony Dokoupil from CBS Mornings to CBS Evening News, when an effort to hire externally failed, Status first reported.

Gutman recently stood in for a struggling Dokoupil while the latter took two weeks off for the summer. The show enjoyed a brief ratings spike.

Last Friday, Gutman was named as a defendant in a wrongful termination suit filed on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court by former ABC News field producer Samira Said. Disney, ABC’s parent company, and the network are also listed as defendants.

Said claimed she was placed on a male-only team that included Gutman during an assignment, where Gutman ‘initiated a discussion rating a female correspondent’s appearance.’

He proceeded to ‘reduce her professional standing to a numerical score based on her physical attributes’ as other male members of the crew joined in, Said said.

The men allegedly ‘attempted’ to involve Said in the conversation, to which she declined on the basis that it was ‘inappropriate,’ according to the suit.

Gutman is also accused of making a ‘sexualized insinuation’ towards her on a separate occasion, where he asked her if she had an ‘after-hours date’ when she wanted to leave a movie press event.

Said said that Gutman made the remark ‘audibly to others’ and ‘demeaned’ her and ‘reduced her professional judgement to a sexualized stereotype.’ 

The suit also claimed that when Said returned from a medical leave, which lasted from August 2022 to January 2023, ABC denied her reasonable accommodation requests.

ABC News’ LA bureau chief, David Herndon, also ‘made it clear that unless she returned without restrictions and with full-week availability, she would not be permitted to resume her role,’ according to the lawsuit. 

Said was subsequently ‘demoted’ to weekend desk shifts in March 2023 and was fired in March 2025 after she ‘sustained a workplace injury when heavy equipment struck her foot, resulting in a bone contusion’ while covering ‘hazardous weather-related events.’

Said is seeking monetary damages and alleging discrimination based on ‘gender/sex; ancestry; and/or disability,’ hostile work environment harassment, retaliation for engaging in a protected activity, and failure to provide reasonable accommodation.

The Daily Mail approached ABC News for comment. 

An Alaskan jogger was hospitalized following an alarming encounter with a bear in Anchorage this week.

While running alone on the Wolverine Bowl trail near Prospect Heights, the woman managed to escape a brown bear attack by deploying her bear spray, as reported by Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game.

She received medical attention at a nearby hospital.

Biologists who later surveyed the scene gathered samples, but no bears were located.

The department advises that any sightings of aggressive or peculiar behavior in wildlife should be promptly reported.

Warning signs have been posted at the Prospect Heights trailhead, the department said, adding that hikers should stay off closed trails.

“Thick, dense summer foliage can block sightlines, making surprise encounters more likely,” the department said. “Choose hiking routes with good visibility and away from known attractants, like salmon-bearing streams.”

When hiking in bear country, people should carry a deterrent such as bear spray or a firearm, stay in groups, make noise to avoid surprising a bear, stay alert for signs of bears, don’t approach bears and keep pets on a leash.

“If you surprise a bear, especially one with cubs or on a food cache, it may react in a threatened or defensive manner,” the department said. “The bear may be agitated and may huff, stomp, make a popping sound with its teeth, salivate or lay its ears back against its head and charge.”

They urged staying calm, standing your ground, readying deterrent, staying in a group and talking calmly. Never run.

“If the bear is stationary, move away slowly while keeping your eyes on the bear,” the department said.

“If the bear starts to move toward you or charges, stop and stand your ground. Let the bear know you are not a threat. Behaving calmly, moving slowly, and speaking in a low calm voice will help de-escalate the situation. If the bear continues to approach, use your deterrent when the bear is within range.”

The attack comes less than a month after another woman was mauled by a bear in Anchorage.

The July victim was walking with a friend and her three dogs in the Bear Valley residential neighborhood, adjacent to Chugach State Park in south Anchorage, when the bear approached.

Officials said the hikers were on an unofficial, user-made trail that climbs a steep hillside in a zigzag pattern. The area was heavily overgrown with dense vegetation, which created poor visibility and increased the risk of surprising wildlife, the department said.

“The bear came out of the dense alders, made brief contact with one of the hikers, and left the scene,” the department added.

The woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was expected to recover.

In the wake of a reconciliatory meeting with King Charles, Prince Harry is reportedly eager to make more frequent trips to Britain. Sources reveal that the Duke of Sussex plans to return to the UK “every few months” over the next year.

The 41-year-old royal appears rejuvenated by last month’s journey across the Atlantic, which insiders say left him feeling “buoyed,” “very happy,” and “really energized.” As a result, we can expect Harry to increase his UK presence significantly moving forward.

Scheduled on his calendar is a trip next month when Harry will engage in activities for the upcoming Invictus Games, set to take place in Birmingham next summer. Additionally, he will support WellChild, a charity dedicated to helping children with serious illnesses.

As of now, it remains uncertain if the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, who is 45, or their children—Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five—will accompany Harry on his upcoming September visit.

Last month’s UK visit was marked by a momentous behind-the-scenes gathering at Highgrove, where King Charles hosted Harry, Meghan, and their children, fostering an atmosphere of reconciliation and renewal.

Queen Camilla, 79, was also present at the Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire when father and son exchanged words in what was the first public in-person meeting in four years. 

Charles had not seen his youngest grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, since 2022, when they were just three and one. 

Meghan posted a photograph online of Harry and their children in Althorp’s gardens carrying bouquets of flowers. They were believed to be making their way to lay the blooms at Diana’s grave.

It is understood Harry wants to spend more time in the UK so he can see his father and wider family more often, and as he feels he can support his UK-based charities with more in-person meetings. 

A source close to Harry told The Times: ‘The template for his visits has been working well, so the frequency of trips will increase, especially in the run-up to Invictus which he’s determined to make the best games yet. So he’ll be coming back and forth a lot more, every few months.

‘The way the wind is blowing, he’s going to want to be here more and more. He’s happy these trips can now have more focus on the patronages and be less obscured by the other nonsense. 

‘He wants more of a foothold here, more trips back, less courtroom drama. And he always loves seeing his family.’

It is not known whether the King and Harry will meet when the latter returns next month, as Charles is expected to be at Balmoral in Scotland on his summer break

Sources claim that no decision has been made on whether Harry will reside at Buckingham Palace during the visit.

Harry is also understood to be hoping to return to Ukraine in the coming months, having visited the war-torn country twice in the past two years. 

Earlier this month it was reported that Harry is believed to want his father to stand alongside him at next summer’s Invictus Games.

King Charles has reportedly received an olive branch from his son in the form of an invitation to the multi-sport event, held in Birmingham.

One source told the Mirror: ‘Next year is a big deal for Harry. He is determined the Birmingham Games will be the best ever. It would mean the world to him to have his father there.’

Harry and Meghan, who quit as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California, have also recently spoken about their wish to introduce their children to their British roots.

During a visit to Warwickshire last month, Harry said: ‘I love being here, this is the highlight of my month. 

‘Actually probably the last few months. It’s very easy to sit in your grief, to sit in your stress but, guys, if you are feeling it, share it.’