Rare Edward VIII coin bought for million pounds

LONDON: A rare 1937 Edward VIII sovereign coin has been bought by a private collector for 1 million pounds ($1.31 million), making it the most expensive British coin ever. The coin was one of the six prepared by the Royal Mint when Edward became king in 1936 and was due to be mass produced for general circulation from January 1, 1937. But he abdicated in December 1936, quitting his job as king, to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, meaning that production was cancelled and coinage with his face on never entered circulation. Reuters

Dutch art sleuth finds rare stolen copy of ‘Prince of Persian poets’

Amsterdam: A stolen 15th century book by famed Persian poet Hafez has been recovered by a Dutch art detective after an international “race against time” that drew the alleged interest of Iran’s secret service. The gold-leafed volume worth around one million euros (USD 1.1 million) was found to be missing from the collection of an Iranian antiques dealer after his death in Germany in 2007. It sparked a decade-long search for one of the oldest surviving copies of the “Divan of Hafez” — the collected works of the poet. AFP

It’s a boy! Paternity leave looms for Japanese minister

TOKYO: Japanese environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi, who has said he will take paternity leave in a rare move for a Japanese man, announced on Friday the birth of his first child: a boy. Koizumi, son of charismatic former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and seen as a future leader himself, said on Wednesday he was planning to take two weeks of leave over three months, in an effort to become a role model for Japan’s working fathers.Reuters