The British Museum said Wednesday that a member of its staff has been dismissed after items dating back as far as the 15th century B.C. were found to be missing, stolen or damaged.
The museum said it has also ordered an independent review of security and a ‘‘vigorous program to recover the missing items.″
The stolen artifacts include gold jewelry and gems of semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century B.C. to the 19th century A.D. Most were small items kept in a storeroom and none had been on display recently, the museum said.
“Our priority is now threefold: first, to recover the stolen items; second, to find out what, if anything, could have been done to stop this; and third, to do whatever it takes, with investment in security and collection records, to make sure this doesn’t happen again,″ said George Osborne, the museum’s chair.
“This incident only reinforces the case for the reimagination of the museum we have embarked upon," Osborne said.
The museum said legal action would be taken against the dismissed staff member and that the matter was under investigation by London’s Metropolitan Police Service.
The 264-year-old British Museum is a major London tourist attraction, drawing visitors from around the world who come to see a vast collection of artifacts ranging from the Rosetta Stone that unlocked the language of ancient Egypt to scrolls bearing 12th century Chinese poetry and masks created by the indigenous people of Canada.
But the museum has also attracted controversy because it has resisted calls from communities around the world to return items of historical significance that were acquired during the era of the British Empire. The most famous of these disputes include marble carvings from the Parthenon in Greece and the Benin bronzes from west Africa.
Hartwig Fischer, the director of the British Museum, apologized and said the institution was determined to put things right.
“This is a highly unusual incident,'' said Fischer said. “I know I speak for all colleagues when I say that we take the safeguarding of all the items in our care extremely seriously.''
Rapper, songwriter, and record producer Warren G respects contemporary rappers like Kendrick Lamar. But he still prefers the 90s. It was 'the Golden Age,' he tells Cheddar, because rappers tackled social issues in their music, not just partying.
Nearly 150 victims of Larry Nassar's sexual misconduct stood on stage Wednesday during the ESPY Awards to accept the Arthur Ashe prize for courage. Josh Hill, Senior Editor at FanSided, explains that their visibility will raise general awareness for sexual abuse, far beyond the arena of sports.
The "I Hart Food" host explains that content creators should not be afraid to evolve ー especially as platforms change. From YouTube to the Food Network, Hart has learned to shift her content to consumer trends and the rise of the 'foodie' movement.
The FX dance-musical series with an 80s New York backdrop was renewed for a second season. Actor Dyllon Burnside says now is the ideal moment for a series addressing LGBTQ issues. "It's just the pushback we need against some of the hateful things that we've seen happening with policy," he tells Cheddar.
The pro wrestler and his wife's new reality show, "Miz and Mrs," debuts on USA July 24. The Miz tells Cheddar that if he had to fight a tech titan, he'd pick Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. "My recycling bin is out the roof. I need like three different recycling bins all filled with Amazon boxes because [Maryse] loves Amazon Prime."
The tech VC condemned Elon Musk's recent behavior, including calling one of the rescue workers on the Thai soccer team mission a "pedo," in an open letter. But Munster did note that Musk's apology via Twitter was a "big deal." "Elon Musk doesn't apologize, so I think this is significant," he tells Cheddar. "I think it is a sign that he's willing to change."
These are the headlines you Need2Know.
* **Damage Control at the White House:** President Trump will meet with his cabinet today after widespread criticism of his comments spread following Monday's joint meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. To appease his base,Trump declared yesterday that he simply misspoke during the presser--but some critics find that hard to believe.
* **Manafort Goes to Court:** The case against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort is moving forward--despite a denial of his team's request for a change of location. Manafort's team asked for the trial to be moved from Alexandria to Roanoke, believing that Alexandria's more liberal base would be less forgiving and attract more press.
* **University Doctor Under Fire:** A former Ohio State University doctor is accused of molesting student athletes after complaints surfaced from several ex-wrestlers--one of whom condemned is Congressman Jim Jordan for ignoring the allegations.
* **Vacancies at Comic-Con:** The 2018 Comic-Con kicks of in San Diego tonight. But some of the usual attendees will be missing: network HBO, the Avengers, X-Men and Deadpool will be among the absent guests.
* **American League Still Number One:** The American league clung to its title as reigning champ after it defeated the National League for the sixth straight year during last night's MLB All-Star game.
Cheddar Big News' Hena Doba gives us the details.
The 'Thinking Face' emoji best describes 2018 and the 'Exploding Head' is the best new emoji this year. The winners of Emojipedia's annual awards, selected by popular vote in an online survey, were announced on Cheddar on World Emoji Day.
The meme creator, and developer behind the documentary “Meme Gods,” believes memes are here to stay because of their power to connect a broad spectrum of internet users. “People thought it was a fad. Humor is never going to go out of style,” says Sinatra.
