Reposted from The Guardian

The Palace of Versailles was briefly evacuated for the second time in days after a bomb threat on Tuesday as France remains on high alert for a possible terror attack. Hundreds of visitors were led out of the palace as a specialist police explosives unit was dispatched to the site. Hours later the palace, which has about 15,000 visitors a day, was reopened and a security cordon lifted. 

On Saturday, the palace was cleared and closed after receiving a message suggesting there was a security risk. This came just hours after the Louvre Museum, which has 30,000 visitors daily, was evacuated after receiving a threatening message. Both warnings were found to be false alarms. France has been on its highest security alert since the terrorist attacks on the Bataclan music venue and across the capital in November 2015 after a terror suspect stabbed to death a teacher, Dominique Bernard, and injured two others in the northern French town of Arras on Friday morning. The 20-year-old arrested at the scene was a former pupil. On Tuesday morning, a 45-year-old Tunisian man suspected of killing two Swedish tourists in Brussels was shot dead by Belgian police. Security fears have been raised across Europe since Hamas’s attack on Israel 10 days ago.

After the weekend’s alerts, France’s culture minister, Rima Abdul Malak, said: “Maximum security is in place; we will not give in to terror. “There are wonderful exhibitions everywhere and it has always been France’s strength to maintain a cultural life. It’s a way of affirming our attachment to the values of the republic.” The Museum of Jewish Art and History’s president, Dominique Schnapper, said in a message published on its website: “In the face of violence and hatred, more than ever the museum’s response will be to give nothing away in its mission to educate people about citizenship and the fight against antisemitism. With strengthened security measures, the museum will remain open and welcomes you.” At the Institute of the Arab World in Paris, visitor numbers to an exhibition entitled What Palestine Brings to the World remained stable, said the institute’s president and former Socialist culture minister, Jack Lang. “More than ever, people want to understand the situation,” Lang told Le Monde.

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Reposted from CISA

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently announced the release of a new resource titled, Preventing Workplace Violence: Security Awareness Considerations Infographic | CISA. This product provides an overview of workplace violence and actionable, culture-based guidelines for critical infrastructure leaders, human resources personnel, managers and workers to consider and tailor to their unique workplace environment.

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Reposted from Türkiye Newspaper

Türkiye has ensured the safe return of 3,016 cultural treasures, underscoring the international commitment to preserving heritage and combating the illicit artifact trade, Culture Minister Ersoy says.  The total number of artifacts brought back from abroad within the scope of the anti-smuggling of historical artifacts increased to 12,076 in 2023 as work to identify and digitize the artifacts continues.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced on Wednesday the recent data on the cultural assets returned to Türkiye as part of the fight against the smuggling of historical artifacts.  "We continue our efforts to return our cultural properties that belong to these lands but were found to have been taken abroad in the past," Ersoy said at the Turkish Parliament Plan and Budget Commission. "In this context, the 'Anti-Smuggling Department' was established within our ministry in March 2020. We have also signed bilateral agreements with 12 countries in the field of combating smuggling of cultural property," Ersoy added. "As a result of these efforts, in 2023, a total of 3,016 artifacts were returned from abroad to the lands where they belong. The total number of artifacts brought from abroad between 2002 and 2023 increased to 12,076," Minister Ersoy noted.

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Reposted from Muscat Daily

Muscat – The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is proactively working to curtail illicit trade and trafficking of cultural property, which includes prevention of unauthorized excavations, production of counterfeit artefacts, and smuggling of heritage items. “The ministry is collaborating with international and regional   organizations in this regard,” said Rahma bint Saeed al Zawaidi, who heads the Cultural Heritage Register and Combating Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property Department at the ministry. Rahma emphasized the crucial role of coordination between the ministry and the Royal Oman Police, ensuring that heritage and archaeological pieces are not exported without a permit issued by the ministry after thorough inspection. 

In 2019, the ministry established the Cultural Heritage Register and Combating Illicit Trafficking Department, making it the central unit to coordinate preventative measures, besides monitoring risks associated with cultural property preservation, managing risks, and ensuring that warning regulations are implemented at various archaeological sites throughout the sultanate. Rahma also mentioned the ministry’s initiative to encourage citizens to submit any found antiquities to the ministry.  The legal framework in Oman stipulates stringent penalties for illegal possession of cultural heritage – ranging from one month to three months and a fine between RO500 and RO10,000.

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Reposted from CBC News

 A pioneering Ottawa b-boy is hunting for his vintage velour tracksuit after it was stolen from a hip-hop exhibition at a local art gallery. Stephen Leafloor, also known as "Buddha," is one of the founding members of the Canadian Floor Masters. The crew helped bring "breaking" — or what's often known as breakdancing — to Ottawa in the early 1980s. 

They opened for James Brown, Ice-T and Grandmaster Flash.  Leafloor called the blue and red Fila tracksuit "a vintage relic" from the early days of hip-hop with both emotional and historic value. The theft makes him feel disrespected. "It was a beautiful tracksuit," he said. "It's that crushed velvet velour. … You feel magical." The theft was captured on camera at the Ottawa Art Gallery on Daly Street, where Canadian Floor Masters memorabilia was displayed as part of an exhibition on the local history of hip-hop.  The gallery's director, Alexandra Badzak,  said it happened Nov. 5 and the crime took fewer than three minutes to complete in broad daylight. "It was very quick," she said. "They were out the door, unfortunately, before security was able to apprehend." Badzak said surveillance footage revealed the thief climbed up on a glass display case and apparently used a tool to cut the wires holding up the tracksuit. Scuff marks are still visible on the walls.  Senior curator Rachelle Dickenson called the theft "appalling." She said the tracksuit represents a period in hip-hop fashion and losing it affected her deeply. "I felt sick," she said. "The first thing I thought of was that I needed to call Buddha." Leafloor was out of town when Dickenson broke the news.  He's been drawn to "swag" from an early age. He still remembers what motivated him to pick up the tracksuit in the late 1980s during a trip to Detroit.  "When I saw it way back then, I was like, 'yo, LL Cool J rocks this — I want one too,'" Leafloor said.  He posted a Facebook message about the theft, which has produced an outpouring of support and indignation. But Leafloor isn't holding out hope that he'll recover his tracksuit. He said he can't put a value on an item with such a deep personal connection. "I wish it would come back just because it's emotionally part of my life," he said. "It's part of who I am."  Dickenson said the Ottawa Art Gallery has hourly security patrols, but anyone can simply walk in and out of the gallery, which is free and open to the public.  She said the gallery will raise up suspended exhibits higher to further limit public access, but there are no plans to impose stricter controls on public access to the gallery itself, she added. "We're not prepared to risk community comfort and that sense of ownership that community should have when they come into the Ottawa Art Gallery," Dickenson said. "This is an appalling incident. It's a very rare incident. But it's more important to us that folks feel like it's their space, too. Why would we punish everybody for the actions of one person?" She said she's currently tracking online shopping websites to see if the tracksuit turns up. If search efforts are unsuccessful, she said insurance is expected to cover its value.  

Leafloor has no animosity toward the art gallery, which he commended for working collaboratively with the dozens of people from the hip-hop community.  "This is an important exhibit. Go see the exhibit if you want to feel and touch the vibes of the generations of hip-hop," he said. He hopes his experience doesn't discourage others from lending their artifacts. "This can have a beautiful impact on how we celebrate our history, and I would hate that not to happen out of fear."

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Reposted from Museums Association

The British Museum must "own [its] mistakes" and not shy away from
controversy, chair George Osborne has said in a speech at the institution’s
annual dinner for trustees.
 Acknowledging that 2023 has not been the “easiest of years” for the museum,
Osborne pledged that it would be more open in addressing contentious issues
such repatriation, as well as confronting its failures in dealing with the
alleged thefts. “I think too often we’ve thought: let’s keep quiet; if we don’t talk about things that are difficult, then no one else will,” he said. “And course, it hasn’t worked. There is a big conversation happening about this museum, and other great museums like it – it’s just not taking place just in this building. We want that to change.” Osborne said the museum needed to be upfront about the mistakes it had made in dealing with the alleged theft of around 2,000 objects from its collections, which was revealed in August after an art dealer first raised
concerns in 2021.
 “We can’t pretend it didn’t happen, or it doesn’t matter, or that some
years ago we weren’t warned. It was our duty to look after these objects
and we failed in that duty,” he said. “That’s why we made news of the thefts public. It’s why we commissioned a far-reaching, independent review into what went wrong and how to fix it. It’s why we will publish its conclusions in the coming months. And it’s why I’ve apologized for what has happened.” Osborne emphasized that the objects were “most likely taken by someone who
worked here and we trusted”. “I tell you, the people who feel the betrayal most keenly are the many hundreds of staff – who work so hard, and who in many cases have devoted their professional lives to this place,” he added Acknowledging that the dinner was being held in Deveen Hall, home to the Parthenon sculptures, Osborne spoke about the long-running ownership
dispute over the marbles and said he remained committed to resolving the
issue with Greece – although he appeared to indicate that a deal is less
than certain. Osborne said: “As trustees we look for a partnership with our Greek friends that requires no one to relinquish their claims, asks for no changes to
laws which are not ours to write, but which finds a practical, pragmatic
and rational way forward. We may well not succeed. But we think it’s worth
trying.” Osborne thanked interim director Mark Jones, who he said had come out of semi-retirement to lead the museum after getting a call “out of the blue”
last August following the resignation of former director Hartwig Fischer.
In response to the recent crisis, Jones is spearheading a project to make
the museum’s collection fully accessible online within five years.
“Under Mark’s leadership, we are now embarking on the huge task of not just
documenting our whole collection – but doing so in a way that makes it more
accessible, and gives it more global reach, than ever before," said Osborne.
“The simple answer to a security breach would have been to restrict access
to our treasures – the right answer is to open it up.” Osborne also announced further details of the Museum Masterplan, the ambitious redevelopment project that will transform how the museum presents its collections, expand display space for objects from African, the Americas and the Pacific, and put the Round Reading Room at the center of the visit.
Architects and designers will be invited to pitch for the project next
year. Other capital projects being undertaken by the museum include the new
Archaeological Research Collection (ARC) facility, due to open shortly in
Berkshire, and a new energy center that has just received government
funding. Osborne also announced artist Tracey Emin as the British Museum’s new Royal Academy-nominated trustee, replacing Grayson Perry. Emin is the first
female artist to be nominated by the academy for the role.

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Reposted from Pembrokeshire Hearold

Volunteers at Haverfordwest Museum are in a race against time to remove and store valuable artifacts after thoughtless thieves stripped the lead from its building, leaving rain pouring into the 238-year-old structure. The incident occurred last Wednesday (Nov 8), and it became apparent the following day that something was wrong when rain started dripping through the ceilings. Staff scrambled to move exhibits to the drier ground floor. The historical building, located in Haverfordwest Castle grounds, was built in the 1780s as a prison governor’s residence and is an important part of
Pembrokeshire’s history. Archaeologists working within the castle grounds discovered a large amount of lead hidden under tarpaulin. A good twelve wheelbarrows full, The Herald was told. It appears the thieves found more lead than expected and were unable to transport all of it in the vehicle they had. They may have planned to return for the rest but never did. Water is still leaking through the upstairs ceilings, and one volunteer, Mrs. Evans, believes that the plastic sheeting put on the roof by the county council to keep the rain out was not effective. Museum curator Simon Hancock told The Herald, “There is shocking damage. We are having to empty the upper floors and place the items in storage.” The Herald has learned that the police have been informed and will be reviewing CCTV footage soon. House-to-house inquiries have already been conducted, it was confirmed. During our reporter’s visit to the museum, which was closed to the public before the incident due to archaeological work in the castle grounds, many exhibits had been moved downstairs. Buckets and sheeting were in place on the first floor to contain water. Some larger exhibits, including a butter churn, clocks, and other locally manufactured items, were still awaiting relocation. A significant number of important books also awaited movement. Three noteworthy items in the collection that have been moved to safety are ‘Haverfordwest Priory’ by Samuel Prout (c.1835) (a watercolor), ‘Haverfordwest Castle’ by William Pitt (1872), and the charter of freedom of the borough granted to Admiral Horatio Nelson in 1802. Haverfordwest Town Museum holds a diverse collection of archaeology, photographs, and paintings and is rich in social history artifacts. The Museum opened in 1996 as a registered charity, drawing the core of its collection from the former local authority museum that closed down in 1994. Several donations and gifts have augmented the collection, and grant aid has led to several significant acquisitions. The Museum reflects on the 900-year history of Haverfordwest. The collection also records the rich associational civic life (through uniforms and regalia), together with finds from the excavations at the local Augustinian priory.”

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Reposted from CBS12

HUTCHINSON ISLAND, Fla. (CBS12) — A man is behind bars after spending an unauthorized night at a museum on Hutchinson Island. The Martin County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) said employees at the Elliot Museum arrived at work on Friday morning to quite a surprise. The sheriff's office said employees discovered Port St. Lucie resident, 42-year-old Jason Allen Dark, was already inside the museum. However, he wasn't taking an early morning tour, he was taking items from the museum.MCSO said Dark was able to enter the museum through an unlocked door. When deputies searched his backpack, a handful of items were recovered, including a knife. The sheriff's office said Dark was taken to the Martin County Jail and charged with burglary and theft.

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Reposted from CISA

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) kicked off the 2023 Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month.

Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month is the agency’s annual effort focused on educating and engaging all levels of government, infrastructure owners and operators, and the American public about the vital role critical infrastructure plays in the nation’s security and why it is important to strengthen critical infrastructure security and resilience. This November, CISA is asking everyone to Resolve to be Resilient by preparing and investing in resilience today, so that, as a nation, we can recover quickly in the event of an incident tomorrow. We are highlighting practices critical infrastructure organizations can implement to recover rapidly in the aftermath of any significant disruption: 

• Assess Your Risk. Organizations should identify their most critical functions and assets, define dependencies that enable the continuity of these functions, and consider the full range of threats that could undermine functional continuity.
• Make a Plan and Exercise It. Organizations should perform dedicated resilience planning, determine the maximum downtime acceptable for customers, develop recovery plans to regain functional capabilities within the maximum downtime, and test those plans under real-life conditions to ensure the ability to operate through disruption.
• Continuously Improve and Adapt. Organizations should be prepared to regularly adapt to changing conditions and threats. This starts with fostering a culture of continuous improvement, based on lessons learned from exercises and real-world incidents, and evolving cross-sector risks.

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Reposted from CISA

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently launched the new “Shields Ready” campaign to encourage the critical infrastructure community to focus on strengthening resilience. Resilience is the ability to prepare for, adapt to, withstand, and rapidly recover from disruptions caused by changing conditions. The new campaign was unveiled during a joint press conference at the Port of Long Beach alongside speakers from the Long Beach, California community and members of the U.S. Coast Guard.   

Shields Ready complements CISA’s successful “Shields Up” campaign, which encourages critical infrastructure stakeholders to take specific, time-sensitive actions that reduce risk in response to specific threat intelligence during cyberattacks physical security threats, or natural disasters in response to specific threat intelligence. Shields Ready focuses more broadly and strategically on how to prepare critical infrastructure for a potential disruption and how to build more resilience into systems, facilities and processes by taking action before a crisis or incident even occurs. It also aligns with and complements FEMA’s Ready campaign. Each campaign webpage will feature and link to the other for easy reference and use.   This focused approach highlights how critical infrastructure entities and other organizations can Resolve to be Resilient by integrating certain practices that will make themselves secure, resilient, and able to bounce back quickly and build back stronger from an incident, entities should:  

• Identify Critical Assets and Map Dependencies: Determine the systems that are critical for ongoing business operations and map out their key dependencies on technology, vendors, and supply chains.  
• Assess Risks: Consider the full range of threats that could disrupt these critical systems and the specific impacts such threats could pose to continuity of operations.  
• Plan and Exercise: Develop incident response and recovery plans to reduce the impact of these threats to critical systems and conduct regular exercises under realistic conditions to ensure the ability to rapidly restore operations with minimal downtime.  
• Adapt and Improve: Periodically evaluate and update response and recovery plans based on the results of exercises real-world incidents and an ongoing assessment of the threat environment. 

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