Milestones

RECOVERED. The Scream (pictured) and Madonna, two paintings by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch stolen from Oslo's Munch Museum in August 2004; in Oslo. Three men were given jail sentences in May for their roles in the daring daytime theft, but two others involved are still at large. Police have not released details of the paintings' return; museum experts who authenticated the works said they were scarcely damaged.

HONORED. Billie Jean King, 62, trailblazing athlete and social activist; by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), which named the National Tennis Center, home to the U.S. Open, for the champion; in New York City. In recognizing King?a loud voice for gays, women and other minorities?the association gave up millions it could have earned in corporate naming rights, but succeeded, said USTA chief Arlen Kantarian, at making it "clear that some things are not for sale." King won 39 Grand Slam titles, successfully lobbied for equal pay at the Open and famously trounced chauvinist Bobby Riggs in a televised 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" match.

ESCAPED. Alfredo Reinado, 39, army officer who led a breakaway faction of East Timor's military to rebel against the government; in a mass breakout along with 55 other prisoners; in Dili. Widespread unrest and fighting between Reinado's troops and government forces in May killed at least 20 people, prompting the deployment of international peacekeeping troops and eventually leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri in June. Gang violence in Dili following Reinado's escape has raised concerns about the nation's fragile security situation.

SENTENCED. Ching Cheong, 56, Hong Kong-based reporter for Singapore's Straits Times newspaper, to five years in jail on charges of espionage; by Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate Court; in Beijing. After his arrest in April 2005, state media reported that Ching confessed to selling military secrets to Taiwan and setting up a spy network, but rights groups called the charges baseless, and Ching's wife said he was a victim of entrapment. His sentencing was seen as a setback for journalism in China. "This is our darkest day," Hong Kong Journalists Association chairwoman Serenade Woo said last Thursday. "We are extremely unsatisfied with the verdict."

APOLOGY DENIED. To Chen Yabian, 79, and seven other Chinese "comfort women" held as sex slaves by Japanese soldiers during World War II, in what is expected to be the last of several lawsuits against the Japanese government for war crimes; by the Tokyo District Court; in Tokyo. While the court acknowledged that Japanese soldiers had abducted and repeatedly raped the wom-en?some only 14 years old at the time?it dismissed their demands for a formal apology and $200,000 each in compensation, saying that the current government could not be held responsible for Japan's wartime military actions.

DIED. Vladimir Tretchikoff, 92, globetrotting, self-taught painter dubbed the "King of Kitsch" for massively popular works including Chinese Girl, one of the best-selling art prints in history; in Cape Town. Born in Kazakhstan, Tretchikoff fled to Manchuria with his family after the Russian Revolution and traveled widely in Asia, settling in South Africa in 1946. While critics blasted his colorful paintings of exotic beauties, fans lined up to buy his cheap reproductions, prompting the painter to remark that the main difference between himself and Van Gogh was that he was rich.

Died. Glenn Ford, 90, nice-guy leading man who won consistent critical praise over a career that spanned half a century and more than 80 films; in Los Angeles. The Canadian-born actor oozed decency and strength as the good guy in westerns, comedies and thrillers?including The Blackboard Jungle, as a teacher who inspires rebellious New York City kids, Pocketful of Miracles, with Bette Davis, and the noir classic The Big Heat, as a detective determined to track down his wife's killers. Of his genre-crossing career, he once said simply: "I like to work."