Culture
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Wiener Holocaust Library reopens after major renovations with exhibition on Jewish émigré sculptor Fred KormisThe world’s oldest Holocaust studies library and research center, the Wiener Holocaust Library, is set to reopen its doors on September 20th following extensiveRead More...
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Van Gogh's 'Les Canots Amarrés' expected to fetch $50 million at Hong Kong auctionA painting by Vincent van Gogh, titled "Les canots amarrés" (The Anchored Boats), is set to be auctioned at Christie's 20th and 21st Century Evening Auction inRead More...
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Silk Roads at the British Museum: a first glimpse at a route of vast historical importanceThe upcoming "Silk Roads" exhibition at the British Museum promises to be an expansive exploration of one of history's most significant trade networks.Read More...
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Library closures are a 'decimation,' says former Children's LaureateFormer Children's Laureate Michael Rosen has strongly condemned the closure of libraries across the UK, describing it as a "decimation." Rosen, who grew up in Harrow,Read More...
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Historic painting once owned by Britain's first Prime Minister faces export riskA temporary export bar has been placed on Le Rêve de L’Artiste, a painting by the influential 18th-century French artist Jean-Antoine Watteau, to allow time for a UK galleryRead More...
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National Gallery enlists social media influencers to attract Gen Z and shed 'stuffy' imageIn an effort to draw in Gen Z visitors and refresh its image, the National Gallery has teamed up with social media influencers to promote its art and engage with aRead More...
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Liverpool library rises from the ashes: community defies UK riotsAmid a wave of community support, a library in Liverpool is rebuilding after being set on fire during a series of racist riots that swept across England last week.Read More...
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Banksy's latest artwork in London stolen just hours after unveilingAnother of Banksy's animal-themed artworks was stolen in London only hours after it was unveiled. The piece, which featured a stencil of a wolf howling towards the sky, was painted on whatRead More...
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UK museums introduce child-friendly hours for summer visitorsSeveral museums and galleries across London and the UK are introducing designated child-friendly hours this summer to make parents feel more comfortable bringingRead More...
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Cineworld to close six UK cinemas in major restructuring effortCineworld has announced its decision to close six cinemas across the UK as part of a comprehensive restructuring plan. The closures come as the world'sRead More...
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Unseen letters from Diana, Princess of Wales, to be auctionedPreviously unseen letters from Diana, Princess of Wales, are set to be auctioned this weekend, offering a rare glimpse into her personal correspondence withRead More...
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JSO activists face jail time for soup attack on Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'Two activists from Just Stop Oil (JSO), Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland, both 22, have been found guilty of criminal damage after throwing tomato soup overRead More...
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Harold Wilson sold papers to fund care amid Alzheimer's battleHarold Wilson, who served as Prime Minister during the 1960s and 1970s, sold his personal and political papers to fund his care in his later years, as revealed byRead More...
British Queen celebrates
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UK news
Photo by AndrewHA .
An independent inquiry into the alleged misuse of public funds by senior executives at Network Rail (NR) will begin in the New Year.
Sources said it will led by Antony White QC and will begin formal hearings in London in January.
The move has been agreed by NR and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), which represents senior staff at the publicly-funded rail firm.
The inquiry's terms of reference state "that an inquiry should be conducted to investigate any allegations of misuse of public funds and serious financial impropriety, potentially including fraud, presented to the inquiry by TSSA or present or former employees of Network Rail".
Thousands of extra deliveries have been made by postal workers as the Royal Mail made strenuous efforts to clear the huge Christmas postbag despite the snow.
Up to 14,000 extra delivery rounds are planned across the UK, weather permitting, over the next four evenings.
Around two million homes should receive an evening delivery this week.
The delivery programme follows £20 million investment by the Royal Mail in additional measures to deal with what is already the most severe December weather in almost 30 years.
More than 100 British veterans are considering handing back their medals to the Government to protest against their frozen pensions.
The veterans, who have more than 600 years of military service between them, have delivered a petition to Pensions Minister Steve Webb complaining that their state pension is not increased in line with inflation each year because they live outside the UK.
Britons who retire to a number of countries outside the UK, including Canada, Australia and South Africa, have their state pension frozen at the level at which it was when they left the country or retired, although those who retire to countries with which the UK has a reciprocal tax agreement, such as the US and EU countries, continue to receive an annual inflationary increase.
The veterans are calling on the Government to change the situation. They said they felt so outraged by the way they have been treated by the Government that they are prepared to hand back their medals in protest.
The International Consortium of British Pensioners estimates that around 500,000 people are affected by the freeze, with these pensioners receiving less than 60% of the income they would get if their state pension had been increased in line with inflation.
The number of council jobs cut or threatened with the axe in recent weeks is now almost 74,000, with unions fearing that services will now be "slashed" in the New Year, officials have said.
The GMB union said 79 local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland had now issued warnings of job losses as a result of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review in October.
Union officials were now involved in the statutory 90-day consultations over job cuts in councils across the country, said the GMB.
Bookies' favourite Matt Cardle has been crowned the winner of this year's X Factor.
The 27-year-old former painter and decorator declared "I'm so proud" after his name was called out by host Dermot O'Leary.
Cardle, from Colchester, Essex, beat fellow finalist Liverpudlian Rebecca Ferguson to take the 2010 title of ITV's hugely popular show.
Earlier in the show, five-piece boy band One Direction were named as the third place runners up.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved
The Prince of Wales may have to abandon his historic Rolls-Royce in the wake of the attack by tuition fee protesters, Home Secretary Theresa May hinted.
Mrs May suggested the Phantom VI might not be "appropriate" for transporting the Prince and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall.
She also confirmed that Camilla had come into contact with the mob who surrounded the car in the West End and poked sticks through the window.
The comments came as the inquest continued into the violent demonstrations over hikes in university charges that rocked central London last week.
Amid reports that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson offered to resign after the chaotic scenes, Mrs May insisted she had not considered falling on her sword.
The coalition suffered three resignations and saw its majority slashed as the Liberal Democrats split three ways over moves to hike university tuition fees to up to £9,000.
Violence raged among protesters outside the Commons before and after the vote - and there are reports that a car containing the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall has been attacked.
In the vote, 21 Lib Dem MPs defied desperate pleas from leader Nick Clegg and voted against the controversial rise, while eight abstained. The Government won the vote with a majority of just 21, with 323 MPs in favour and 302 against.
The vote came after a tense five-hour debate in the Commons, which saw a number of Lib Dem MPs and a handful of Tories voice opposition to the plans.
Two Liberal Democrat MPs resigned as ministerial aides ahead of the vote.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson will join representatives of London's Jewish community on Wednesday (December 8) when the final light is lit on the giant Menorah in Trafalgar Square as part of the capital's celebrations to mark the festival of Chanukah.
Organised by the London Menorah Council in association with the London Jewish Forum and Chabad House Hendon with support from the Mayor, business leader Gerald Ronson, who is sponsoring the event, will symbolically "flick the switch".
The Mayor said: 'Chanukah is a wonderful occasion. It embodies the universal message of the power of light over darkness, of freedom over oppression, of tolerance over tyranny. Recalling how over 2,000 years ago the Maccabees secured the freedom of the Jewish people and the re-dedication of the Temple, it is the story of hope and faith in the future.
The sale of the Government's shares in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) would be "a symbol of Britain's recovery", its chief executive has suggested.
Stephen Hester made clear he would welcome the move, saying it would help RBS - which is 83% state-owned - and provide a boost to the nation's finances.
The head of Lloyds Banking Group refused to say when the Government's 41% stake in his company should be sold off, but also held out the prospect of a windfall for the Treasury.
The taxpayer was "in the money", Eric Daniels told MPs.
Speaking to the Treasury Select Committee, Mr Hester acknowledged criticism that money invested in banks could be better spent on schools, hospitals and roads.
An elderly man has been found dead in snow at a caravan park.
Humberside Police said the man, believed to have been in his 70s, was found by security guards patrolling the Thorpe Park site in Cleethorpes, north-east
Lincolnshire, on Saturday.
The pensioner's body was found outside in freezing conditions and was fully clothed.
Officers said they could not confirm reports he may have lay undiscovered for two days.
A spokesman said the man had not been formally identified and his death was not being treated as suspicious.
Thorpe Park is a large site of static holiday caravans by the sea on the south side of Cleethorpes, near the village of Humberston.
It is currently closed to visitors and it is understood owner-residents are also absent at this time of year as part of their site agreements.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved