Egypt's general prosecutor has blocked nine Culture Ministry officials from travel abroad as part of an inquiry into the theft of a Van Gogh painting worth an estimated $55 million, a state-owned newspaper reported on Monday. The painting, known as "Poppy Flower" was stolen on Saturday from Cairo's Mahmoud Khalil Museum.
An early investigation at the museum showed "flagrant shortcomings" in security with only 7 of 43 security cameras functioning properly, the state daily al-Ahram reported.
