By Danica Kirka
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.''
As the gender pay gap continues to close there is still some hesitation in women when it comes to being confident in their personal finances. Hilary Hendershott, President & Chief Advisor of Hilary Hendershott Financial joins Your Cheddar to discuss how to get your feet wet in investing.
Cheddar's CannaBiz explores the business of marijuana. Cheddar Anchors Tim Stenovec and Hope King explore the state of regulation, market opportunity, and businesses capitalizing on this trend.
The Washington Post broke the story that GPS tracking and fitness company Strava had revealed the locations of secret U.S. Military bases. Now, Rosie Spinks, reporter at Quartz, joins Cheddar to explain how and why she has been focusing on the privacy issues around Strava since this summer.
"Ultimate Expedition" is YouTube Red’s newest adventure competition series, bringing together eight celebrities with no previous climbing experience to summit Mount Tocllaraju in Peru. Chachi Gonzales is a Youtube star who decided to participate in the competition alongside other celebrities.
Earlier this month Facebook announced they would be adjusting their media and news strategy to give preference to reliable news sources. This has since resulted in fire from media moguls and another announcement from Facebook that they would be giving preference to local news sources.
Vimeo coming off a big year of changes in 2017. The company's CEO Anjali Sud explains how these changes are driving growth for the company. A look at the business of marijuana on Cheddar's Cannabiz. The New York Times released an investigative piece on the dark world of buying followers and bots for social media fame and recognition. Facebook faces calls to remove its messenger app for kids. The Dow closed today down more than 300 points. The major dip occurred on the same day as President Trump's first State of the Union address.
This weekend the New York Times released an investigative piece on the dark world of buying followers and bots for social media fame and recognition. Since the report has been released, the fallout has been significant. Nicholas Confessore, reporter at the New York Times, joins Cheddar to talk about his report and what the reaction has been.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently proposed government funding for a study to explore the impact of legalizing recreational marijuana in the state. State Senator Gustavo Rivera (D-NY) and High NY Founder and CEO Michael Zaystev discuss the state of regulation in New York.
Beth Dover is a talented comedian who shows off her impressive comedic timing in both Netflix's "Orange is the New Black" and Comedy Central's "Another Period." The funny lady currently stars in the period comedy which just premiered its third season.
Amazon is joining forces with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase to bring their employees better and cheaper healthcare. EasyJet's CEO is giving himself a pay cut to match the salary of his female predecessor. Actor Jeff Hiller joins us to discuss stepping into a critically-acclaimed off-Broadway solo show already in progress. Plus, we talk to Chat Sports about the Cleveland Indians' decision to do away with their controversial logo.
