Named: Curator sacked after British Museum treasures vanished

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [The Independent]( August 18, 2023 [View online](   [Morning Headlines]( 1 /[Named: Curator sacked after British Museum treasures vanished]( A British museum antiquities expert sacked after the disappearance of gold jewellery and semi-precious stones has had his name “dragged through the mud”, his family has said. Peter Higgs, 56, a curator of 30 years and head of the department of Greece and Rome, was dismissed last month after it was discovered that artefacts thought to be worth tens of millions of pounds had vanished from the vaults. It is believed to have been the largest breach of security in a decade at the central London institution and tourist attraction. Museum bosses said on Wednesday that they were taking legal action and had launched an independent review of security, but did not identify the employee concerned. The Metropolitan Police are investigating but say no arrests have been made. The missing items include gold jewellery, semi-precious stones, and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD. Mr Higgs was one of the museum’s “Monuments Men”, a team that tracks down looted artefacts and returns them to their home countries or puts them on display in London.   2 /[He hated John Wayne and sparred with Ali: Michael Parkinson defined the British chat show]( With his relaxed charm and Yorkshire brogue, Michael Parkinson got some of the world’s biggest stars to open up. 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