The Daily: August 6

We scour the news so you don't have to.

Stolen Matisse Painting worth £2 million recovered
There is delight for those in the art world as the stolen 1925 masterpiece by Matisse entitled ‘Odalisque in Red Pants’ has been recovered. It was uncovered by FBI agents in Florida, who posed as art collectors interested in obtaining the masterpiece from the yet-to-be named duo who were attempting to sell it. Previously on display in Sofia Imber Contemporary Art Museum in Caracas, Venezuela, it was swapped for a forgery in 2003. This is not the only Matisse to go walkabout. In 2006 ‘Luxembourg Gardens’ was stolen from Rio de Janerio Museum, along with a Picasso, Dali and a Monet.  

Touchdown for Nasa’s Rover Curiosity on Mars
A rover robot the size of a small car has successfully landed on Mars after a journey lasting more than eight months. Named Curiosity, the robot cost £1.6 billion and weighs one ton, and is one of the most challenging and ambitious inter planetary operations ever attempted. Its task is to establish evidence proving whether conditions on the planet were ever favourable to support life. After 10 years of planning and constructing, there were tears and celebrations at Nasa's mission control centre as news of its successful landing was transmitted via satellite. Curiosity will now spend the next two years gathering crucial evidence.  

Rise in vermin visitors
Recent record flooding and cuts in council budgets are said to be causing vermin overflow in our towns. 29 councils have ceased the use of the pest control business, necessitating private call outs  for victims of vermin visitors. For those who are unable to afford the call out costs of private companies, DIY attempts tend to be the solution. This has lead to concern over the safety of such measures for both the individual and wildlife. However some private contractors pointed out that in areas where private pest controllers take significant control, the rise of pest infestations has not significantly risen as some would suggest.  

Kindle E-Readers outsell the traditional printed book
Kindle E-Books are now outselling the traditional printed book, say Amazon.co.uk. Digital editions have overtaken both hardback and paperback books. Furthermore, those owning a Kindle are said to be purchasing four times as many books as they would have done prior to owing an e-reader, something which has lead to what Amazon are calling a renaissance of reading. Since its launch, The Kindle has been Amazons best-selling product.

Olympic news
Team GB enjoyed a triumphant weekend in the Olympics. Jessica Ennis took Gold in the Heptathlon, Ben Ainslie became the most decorated Olympic sailor of all time, Mo Farah gained gold in the 10,000m final, and Britain finally saw a win on Wimbledon’s centre court thanks to Andy Murray. Britain now stands at 3rd place in in the medals table. Elsewhere, viewers around the world tuned in to see history made in the Men's 100m final. While this saw the BBC boost their views to 20 million, there was outrage in the US, as NBC elected not to show Usain Bolt take gold once more despite the fact they had three athletes participating, instead opting to broadcast the race on Sunday night's result show. This follows on from criticism over how the channel have elected to show coverage of the London 2012 games.