The head of trustees at the British Museum said Saturday that the museum has recovered some of the 2,000 items believed to have been stolen by an insider, but admitted that the 264-year-old institution does not have records of everything in its vast collection.
Chairman of trustees George Osborne acknowledged that the museum's reputation has been damaged by its mishandling of the thefts, which has sparked the resignation of its director and raised questions about security and leadership.
Osborne told the BBC Saturday that 2,000 stolen items was a "very provisional figure" and staff were working to identify everything missing. The items include gold jewelry, gemstones and antiquities as much as 3,500 years old. None had been on public display recently.
He said the museum was working with the antiquarian community and art recovery experts to get the items back.
"We believe we've been the victim of thefts over a long period of time and, frankly, more could have been done to prevent them," he said. "But I promise you this: it is a mess that we are going to clear up."
Museum director, Hartwig Fischer, announced his resignation on Friday, apologizing for failing to take seriously enough a warning from an art historian that artifacts from its collection were being sold on eBay. Deputy director, Jonathan Williams, also said he would step aside while a review of the incident is conducted.
In early 2021, British-Danish art historian and dealer Ittai Gradel contacted the Museum bosses with his suspicions, but they assured him nothing was amiss. However, at the start of this year, the museum called in London's Metropolitan Police force.
The museum has fired a member of staff and launched legal action against them, but no arrests have been made.
Gradel told The Associated Press Friday he became suspicious after buying one of three objects a seller had listed on eBay. Gradel traced the two items he didn't buy to the museum. The object he bought wasn't listed in the museum's catalog, but he discovered it had belonged to a man who turned over his entire collection to the museum in 1814.
The historian said he found the identity of the seller through PayPal. He turned out to be the museum staff member who has since been fired.
Gradel said Williams had assured him that a thorough investigation found no improprieties. "He basically told me to sod off and mind my own business."
Fischer said in his resignation statement that "it is evident that the British Museum did not respond as comprehensively as it should have in response to the warnings in 2021." He also apologized to Gradel.
The thefts, and the museum's bungled response, have plunged the institution into crisis. The 18th-century museum in central London's Bloomsbury district is one of Britain's biggest tourist attractions, visited by 6 million people a year. They come to see a collection that ranges from Egyptian mummies and ancient Greek statues to Viking hoards, scrolls bearing 12th-century Chinese poetry and masks created by the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
The thefts have been seized on by those who want the museum to return items taken from around the world during the period of the British Empire, including friezes that once adorned the Parthenon in Athens and the Benin bronzes from west Africa.
"We want to tell the British Museum that they cannot anymore say that Greek (cultural) heritage is more protected in the British Museum," Despina Koutsoumba, head of the Association of Greek Archaeologists, told the BBC this week.
Osborne, a former U.K. Treasury chief, said the museum has launched an independent review led by a lawyer and a senior police officer. He said it also had built a state-of-the-art off-site storage facility so the collection would no longer be housed in an "18th-century basement."
"I don't myself believe there was a sort of deliberate cover-up, although the review may find that to be the case," he said.
"But was there some potential groupthink in the museum at the time, at the very top of the museum, that just couldn't believe that an insider was stealing things, couldn't believe that one of the members of staff were doing this? Yes, that's very possible."
Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 storm forecast to bring extreme flooding, high winds and heavy rain to the central west coast of Florida.
Hundreds of thousands of vehicles are being recalled in Canada due to a steering-related issue that could increase a driver's risk of crash.
COVID-19 could be a powerful risk factor for heart attacks and strokes for as long as three years after an infection, a large new study suggests.
The federal government introduced a number of measures related to housing on Tuesday, which include measures for homeowners wanting to add a secondary suite, taxing vacant land and building homes in place of underused federal properties.
An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada鈥檚 institutions are slipping down its list.
One in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetimes, according to the American Cancer Society. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States, with 42,000 women dying every year from this cancer.
A steady rain fell in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday morning as a mighty Hurricane Milton churned toward a potentially catastrophic collision with the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay even after millions were ordered to evacuate. Stragglers face grim odds of surviving, officials said.
Andrew Garfield鈥檚 ability to so lovingly and poetically express his grief for his mother, Linda, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2019, offers a gift of connection, and, perhaps, catharsis, to anyone experiencing loss.
Amazon has just launched a new service in Canada where delivery drivers can drop packages off directly in garages for those who want to protect their parcels from being swiped by porch pirates.
Another beluga whale has died at Marineland and four years into a provincial probe, Ontario's solicitor general is saying little about the investigation's progress.
Erin Folk and her family are dealing with a nightmare of a situation, after their pet dogs were shot last week.
More than two weeks have passed since Hassan Ali walked out of a Toronto courtroom a free man, after prosecutors decided not to move forward with a first-degree murder trial against the local rapper.
On September 11, Madeleine Gervais was the victim of a theft in Ottawa's west end. It happened in the Loblaws parking lot in College Square, when she was approached by a man and a woman who insisted to help her load her groceries into her car.
A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.
As the war in Gaza escalates, Nabila Manna watches from her home with feelings of fear and helplessness. Her mother, siblings, and extended family are all in Gaza.
A steady rain fell in the Tampa Bay area Wednesday morning as a mighty Hurricane Milton churned toward a potentially catastrophic collision with the west coast of Florida, where some residents insisted they would stay even after millions were ordered to evacuate. Stragglers face grim odds of surviving, officials said.
A large-scale Israeli operation in northern Gaza has killed and wounded dozens of people and threatens to shut down three hospitals over a year into the war with Hamas, Palestinian officials and residents said Wednesday.
A Turkish Airlines jetliner headed from Seattle to Istanbul made an emergency landing in New York on Wednesday after the pilot died on board, an airline spokesperson said.
Donald Trump is holding rallies on Wednesday in pivotal Pennsylvania while U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris prepares for another visit to the West 鈥 even as Hurricane Milton menaces Florida and threatens to overshadow presidential campaigning.
Palestinian residents of the occupied West Bank share their stories of what life is like amid settler violence in the area.
The FBI has arrested an Afghan man who officials say was inspired by the Islamic State and was plotting an Election Day attack targeting large crowds in the U.S., the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Nathalie Drouin, the prime minister's national security and intelligence adviser, is scheduled to appear today at a federal inquiry into foreign interference.
The federal government introduced a number of measures related to housing on Tuesday, which include measures for homeowners wanting to add a secondary suite, taxing vacant land and building homes in place of underused federal properties.
The minority Liberal government is not considering proroguing Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday, despite persisting uncertainty over who is willing to keep propping them up and procedural wrangling over a Conservative led-privilege debate.
COVID-19 could be a powerful risk factor for heart attacks and strokes for as long as three years after an infection, a large new study suggests.
The Ontario Ministry of Health says four people have been sickened after consuming beef tongue believed to be contaminated with listeria.
One in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetimes, according to the American Cancer Society. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States, with 42,000 women dying every year from this cancer.
The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded Wednesday to three scientists for their breakthrough work predicting and even designing the structure of proteins, the building blocks of life.
The space rock is slinging toward Earth from the outer reaches of the solar system and will make its closest pass on Saturday. It should be visible through the end of October, clear skies permitting.
The Brazilian Supreme Court's Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Tuesday authorized the restoration of social media platform X麓s service in Brazil, over a month after its nationwide shutdown, according to a statement posted on the court's website.
Jenna Fischer is highlighting Breast Cancer Awareness Month by sharing that she is now 'cancer free' after she was diagnosed with the disease in October 2023.
Andrew Garfield鈥檚 ability to so lovingly and poetically express his grief for his mother, Linda, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2019, offers a gift of connection, and, perhaps, catharsis, to anyone experiencing loss.
Sum 41 lead singer Deryck Whibley alleges in his new memoir that he was pressured into a secret sexual relationship with his former manager, Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori.
A new report says condo inventory is on the rise in most major Canadian markets as more sellers are listing their properties in anticipation of growing demand from buyers.
Amazon has just launched a new service in Canada where delivery drivers can drop packages off directly in garages for those who want to protect their parcels from being swiped by porch pirates.
The U.S. Department of Justice is considering asking a federal judge to force Google to sell parts of its business in order to eliminate its online search monopoly.
An elevator mechanic mistakenly threw out a piece of artwork, made to look like empty beer cans, assuming it was litter, a Dutch museum revealed earlier this month.
Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.
A wildlife rescue in B.C. is caring for two orphaned bobcat kittens who have become as inseparable as 'real sisters' even though it's highly unlikely they are actually from the same litter.
Saskatchewan鈥檚 Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).
The NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning have left Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton to practice the rest of the week.
RJ Barrett will miss the rest of the Toronto Raptors' pre-season with an injury.
Hundreds of thousands of vehicles are being recalled in Canada due to a steering-related issue that could increase a driver's risk of crash.
Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and the provincial government to launch a new 鈥渋ncubator program鈥. One of the first three locations is Windsor, with the other two going to Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.
New data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) shows that even though claims for auto theft dropped in the first half of 2024 compared to their 2023 peak, the rates of reported theft remain well above those of years prior.
Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.
Saskatchewan鈥檚 Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).
A B.C. couple is getting desperate 鈥 and creative 鈥 in their search for their missing dog.
Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
Bernie Hicks, known as the 鈥楤atman of Amherst,鈥 always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.
Bubi鈥檚 Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.
The leaders of B.C.'s main political parties sparred over health care, housing, and affordability Tuesday, pitching competing visions for how to address the most urgent issues facing the province in a debate punctuated by a few feisty exchanges.
Some sparks flew during Tuesday night鈥檚 televised leaders鈥 debate between David Eby, John Rustad and Sonia Furstenau, as the trio had impassioned conversations about the issues that are on many British Columbians鈥 minds ahead of election night, including housing, health care, the cost of living and public safety.
An open letter signed by 23 doctors and one nurse practitioner in B.C.鈥檚 Lower Mainland highlights their concerns about the potential for cuts to the health-care system if John Rustad鈥檚 Conservatives form government after this month鈥檚 provincial election.
Amazon has just launched a new service in Canada where delivery drivers can drop packages off directly in garages for those who want to protect their parcels from being swiped by porch pirates.
Another beluga whale has died at Marineland and four years into a provincial probe, Ontario's solicitor general is saying little about the investigation's progress.
Hurricane Milton is expected to leave a path of devastation across central Florida, from Tampa in the west to Daytona Beach in the east.
An Airdrie resident is facing several charges after police say they were caught in possession of several stolen vehicles.
Calgary police are searching for a suspect or suspects in a stabbing that occurred in the city's southeast on Tuesday evening.
An Alberta man has won an award in a prestigious international wildlife photography competition.
St. Michael Catholic High School in Kemptville, Ont. is scheduled to open Wednesday after being closed for four consecutive days, as Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigated alleged anonymous threats.
As thousands of Canadians are on the hunt for deals during Amazon Prime Day this week, cybersecurity experts are sounding the alarm over an increase in fraudsters posing as the company online.
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is asking the public for help in identifying a suspect involved with a mischief incident that happened last month in the neighbourhood of Sandy Hill.
Quebec chicken chain St-Hubert is entering the 'value menu wars' by offering a series of cheaper options for lunch and freezing prices on its main courses.
The Quebec government is facing criticism for a program that paid students to learn a construction skill -- as less than half the graduates are certified to work in the industry.
The grind begins Wednesday for the Edmonton Oilers, but their head coach isn't trying to look too far ahead as the National Hockey League (NHL) team tries to reach the Stanley Cup Final as it did last season.
A cougar has been spotted within the city of Lloydminster, police are warning the public.
One of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith鈥檚 key advisers and the driving force behind the province鈥檚 recovery-focused addiction treatment policy is leaving the job.
Former CTV Atlantic employee Eric Bungay who now works for a CBS affiliate in Tampa Bay is bracing for Hurricane Milton's arrival.
International award-winning editorial cartoonist Michael de Adder has been cut from the Halifax Chronicle Herald.
Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 storm forecast to bring extreme flooding, high winds and heavy rain to the central west coast of Florida.
Concerns are being raised over a questionable PC campaign expense, after an invoice for a car rental was submitted by a company advertising sex and intimacy coaching.
There鈥檚 a new starting line-up at Canada Life Centre, which hockey fans and concertgoers will notice as soon as they walk in.
Manitoba RCMP and the Winnipeg Police Service are launching Manitoba's Most Wanted website.
Erin Folk and her family are dealing with a nightmare of a situation, after their pet dogs were shot last week.
The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan (JHSS) appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada Tuesday challenging a regulation that it says lets provincial correctional workers discipline inmates without sufficient proof.
Hundreds of thousands of vehicles are being recalled in Canada due to a steering-related issue that could increase a driver's risk of crash.
Fire crews were called to respond to Mohawk Plaza shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday.
The future of a hybrid shelter in Waterloo is up for discussion.
An app developed at the University of Guelph is aimed at making accessible doors more accessible.
The province鈥檚 consumer watchdog is investigating a Saskatoon company selling luxury vacation condos in Mexico.
Erin Folk and her family are dealing with a nightmare of a situation, after their pet dogs were shot last week.
In the wake of a near-fatal overdose at the doorstep of Saskatoon鈥檚 safe consumption site last week, the province鈥檚 political leaders are weighing in with their strategies to help those struggling with drug addiction.
Plans are on track for the proposed events centre in downtown Sudbury, city council heard the latest update on the major project Tuesday night.
Highway 144 is reopened north of Sudbury after a two-vehicle collision between a commercial and passenger vehicle happened around 1 p.m. Tuesday, police say.
Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 storm forecast to bring extreme flooding, high winds and heavy rain to the central west coast of Florida.
Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 storm forecast to bring extreme flooding, high winds and heavy rain to the central west coast of Florida.
Drivers and businesses along Wellington Street in London鈥檚 downtown area continue to feel the pain as the city works on the downtown loop for the bus rapid transit project (BRT).
City hall鈥檚 restoration of the People and the City monument has been stalled since early 2022, and a plan to resume the project next spring requires more money.
A person remains in serious condition in hospital after being shot during a gas station robbery.
A 20-year-old man who was behind the wheel of a speeding car that struck and killed an international student in Barrie last summer pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death on Tuesday but will not spend any time behind bars.
Funding for rural and Indigenous communities battling homelessness is on the horizon.
Hurricane Milton is a Category 4 storm forecast to bring extreme flooding, high winds and heavy rain to the central west coast of Florida.
In February, council voted to convert the property into new high-density housing 鈥 meaning the new development would have a minimum of 109 units.
Several cars are being pulled out of the Detroit River in west Windsor.
The leaders of B.C.'s main political parties sparred over health care, housing, and affordability Tuesday, pitching competing visions for how to address the most urgent issues facing the province in a debate punctuated by a few feisty exchanges.
Some sparks flew during Tuesday night鈥檚 televised leaders鈥 debate between David Eby, John Rustad and Sonia Furstenau, as the trio had impassioned conversations about the issues that are on many British Columbians鈥 minds ahead of election night, including housing, health care, the cost of living and public safety.
A retrial date has been set for a man accused of fatally shooting a rival gang member and an innocent teen passerby in Vancouver in 2018.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
NDP Leader David Eby is promising to offer a $75-million loan forgiveness program to entice doctors, nurses and heath professionals to expand health-care services in rural British Columbia.
Charges have been laid against a 44-year-old man following a traffic stop in Brocket, Piikani Nation RCMP said Tuesday.
A metal fabrication company west of Medicine Hat has been fined by Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) following a workplace fatality in 2023.
A Lethbridge police officer involved in a scandal involving former Lethbridge New Democrat MLA Shannon Phillips has been reprimanded.
A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Hortons last month.
The Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) is the latest organization to call on the Doug Ford government to re-open dialogue with an airline service that transports lower-income Canadians to crucial medical care far from home.
For decades, Mississauga First Nation has known that human remains from their land were at the Canadian Museum of History.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆影视. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.
