Museums and auction houses should not hold human remains, UK lawmakers say
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Afrikan-Reparations (APPG-AR), which is made up of parliamentarians, campaigners and community members, released a report Wednesday calling for a ban on the sale and display of ancestral remains, including Egyptian mummies.
At present, the law that regulates the storage and use of human remains in the UK only requires consent for acquiring and holding body tissue from people under 100 years old.
The Human Tissue Act 2004 also only prohibits people from buying, selling and possessing body parts for transplantation.
The report, titled 'Laying Ancestors to Rest,' outlined the distress caused to diaspora communities by British institutions holding ancestral remains, many of which were taken during colonial rule.
'The mummified person has historically been traded among the upper classes of Britain and France as a luxurious commodity, also featuring as entertainment in British 'mummy unwrapping parties' in the 19th century,' the report said.
'In more recent times, Egyptian mummified persons have been transformed to the popularised, haunted 'mummy' figure, which reduces Egyptian heritage to exoticised mystique for the Western audience,' it added.
The report made 14 recommendations, including that the sale of human remains should be made illegal; the Human Tissue Act 2004 should be amended to include the remains of people who died more than 100 years ago; the boards of trustees for national museums should be representative of the diasporas in society; and funders should dedicate resources to mapping the inventory of ancestral remains in the UK's cultural institutions.
Guidance for museums and other institutions on how to care for human remains was published by the British government back in 2005.
Under that guidance, museums can decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to return human remains, if requested.
During a debate on the issue in the House of Lords, Parliament's upper house, on Thursday, Fiona Twycross, a junior minister in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, acknowledged that the guidance was dated and 'the world has changed substantially' since then.
She added that incomplete databases and collections also make it hard to know where human remains are being kept but said the recommendations put forward in the report 'will inform the government's consideration' of the issues.
In the debate, Paul Boateng, a peer from the governing Labour party, described the trade of human body parts as an 'abomination.'
'This abominable trade must stop, and the continued retention and objectifying of the remains of Indigenous peoples in our public collections, against the will of their descendants and the originating communities concerned, must cease,' he added.
He was among several politicians to praise the 'good practice' of the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford, which removed 120 artifacts, including an Egyptian mummified child, Naga trophy heads and shrunken heads, from display in 2020 as part of its 'decolonization process,' because the items 'reiterated racial stereotypes.'
Professor Laura Van Broekhoven, director of the Pitt Rivers Museum, told CNN in a statement Friday that the museum is 'very supportive' of the calls to 'ban the sales of human remains and the display of human remains in public museums.'
She added that her museum's approach 'rehumanises our museums and our collections in unprecedented ways, bringing opportunities of true partnerships, that work towards global healing and peace building.'
During the parliamentary debate, Boateng criticized the British Museum in London for refusing to hand over several preserved Māori tattooed heads and the skulls of two named individuals from the Torres Strait islands.
He added that the museum was 'forever seemingly on the defensive and on the back foot' and in need of 'long-overdue reform.'
Twycross said ministers regularly meet with the museum and that she would ensure that this was raised as an issue.
The British Museum holds more than 6,000 human remains, according to its website, which it says 'furthers our understanding of the past' and advances research.
'The Museum is mindful of ethical obligations and closely follows the guidance set out by the Department of Culture, Media and Sports and the Human Tissue Act 2004 which ensures that human remains held in its care are always treated and displayed with respect and dignity,' a spokesman for the museum told CNN in a statement Friday.
Controversy surrounding the display and auction of human remains persists globally.
In October, the Swan auction house in Oxfordshire, England, was forced to withdraw more than two dozen lots of human remains, including shrunken heads and ancestral skulls, from sale after an outcry in the UK and India.
In 2023, the head of the Smithsonian Institution in the United States apologized for amassing a collection of tens of thousands of body parts, largely taken from Black and Indigenous people without their consent, during the first half of the 20th century.
The same year, London's Hunterian Museum stopped exhibiting the skeleton of an 18th-century man known as the 'Irish Giant,' who grew to be 7 feet, 7 inches tall and wanted to be buried at sea to prevent his body being seized by anatomists.
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Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Putin praises Trump's efforts to end Ukraine war ahead of Friday summit in Alaska
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In a radio interview with Fox News, Trump also said he might be willing to stay in Alaska longer, depending on what happens with Putin. Meanwhile, Zelensky and other European leaders worked to ensure their interests are taken into account when Trump and Putin meet in Anchorage. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Zelensky to London on Thursday in a show of British support for Ukraine a day before the critical Trump-Putin meeting. The two embraced warmly outside Starmer's offices at 10 Downing Street without making any comments, and Zelensky departed about an hour later. Zelensky's trip to the British capital came a day after he took part in virtual meetings from Berlin with Trump and the leaders of several European countries. Those leaders said that Trump had assured them that he would make a priority of trying to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when he meets with Putin. Speaking after the meetings to reporters, Trump warned of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin doesn't agree to stop the war against Ukraine after Friday's meeting. While some European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, praised Wednesday's video conference with Trump as constructive, uncertainty remained over how the U.S. leader — whose rhetoric toward both Zelensky and Putin has evolved dramatically since retaking office this year — would conduct negotiations in the absence of any other interested parties. Both Zelensky and the Europeans have worried that the bilateral U.S.-Russia summit would leave them and their interests sidelined, and that any conclusions could favor Moscow and leave Ukraine and Europe's future security in jeopardy. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tamped down expectations for any breakthroughs from the Friday summit, saying there were no plans to sign documents and that it would be a 'big mistake' to predict the results of the negotiations, according to Russian news outlet Interfax. The Kremlin on Thursday said the meeting between Trump and Putin would begin at 11:30 a.m. local time. Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that Trump and Putin will first sit down for a one-on-one meeting followed by a meeting between the two delegations. Then talks will continue over 'a working breakfast.' A joint news conference will follow. Trump contradicted the Kremlin, saying that no decisions have been made about holding a news conference with Putin. The uncertainty reflects just how much about the summit, including its schedule, remains unsettled. Starmer said Wednesday that the Alaska summit could be a path to a ceasefire in Ukraine, but he also alluded to European concerns that Trump may strike a deal that forces Ukraine to cede territory to Russia. He warned that Western allies must be prepared to step up pressure on Russia if necessary. During a call Wednesday among leaders of countries involved in the 'coalition of the willing' — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — Starmer stressed that any ceasefire deal must protect the 'territorial integrity' of Ukraine. 'International borders cannot be, and must not be changed by force,'' he said. Kyiv has long insisted that safeguards against future Russian attacks provided by its Western allies would be a precondition for achieving a durable end to the fighting. Yet many Western governments have been hesitant to commit military personnel. Countries in the coalition, which includes France and the U.K., have been trying for months to secure U.S. security backing, should it be required. Following Wednesday's virtual meetings, Macron said Trump told the assembled leaders that while NATO must not be part of future security guarantees, 'the United States and all the parties involved should take part.' 'It's a very important clarification that we have received,' Macron said. Trump did not reference any U.S. security commitments during his comments to reporters on Wednesday. With another high-level meeting on their country's future on the horizon, some Ukrainians expressed skepticism about the summit's prospects. Oleksandra Kozlova, 39, who works at a digital agency in Kyiv, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she believes Ukrainians 'have already lost hope' that meaningful progress can be made toward ending the war. 'I don't think this round will be decisive,' she said. 'There have already been enough meetings and negotiations promising us, ordinary people, that something will be resolved, that things will get better, that the war will end. Unfortunately, this has not happened, so personally I don't see any changes coming.' Anton Vyshniak, a car salesman in Kyiv, said Ukraine's priority now should be saving the lives of its military service members, even at the expense of territorial concessions. 'At the moment, the most important thing is to preserve the lives of male and female military personnel. After all, there are not many human resources left,' he said. 'Borders are borders, but human lives are priceless.' Zelensky said Thursday that Ukraine had secured the release of 84 people from Russian captivity, including both soldiers and civilians. Those freed included people held by Russia since 2014, 2016 and 2017, as well as soldiers who had defended the now Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Zelensky wrote on Telegram. The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that it too had received 84 soldiers as part of a prisoner exchange. In other developments, Russian strikes in Ukraine's Sumy region overnight Wednesday resulted in numerous injuries, Ukrainian regional officials said. A missile strike on a village in the Seredyna-Budska community wounded a 7-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man, according to regional governor Oleh Hryhorov. The girl was hospitalized in stable condition. In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged several apartment buildings in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, near the border with Ukraine, where 13 civilians were wounded, according to acting governor of the region, Yuri Slyusar. Two of the wounded were hospitalized in serious condition, Slyusar said. Pylas and Spike write for the Associated Press. Spike reported from Budapest, Hungary. AP writers Lorne Cook in Brussels; Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine; Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England; Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Switzerland is eyeing cuts to its F-35 stealth fighter order amid price battles with the US
Switzerland is considering reducing its F-35 order in response to price negotiations with the US. It said the US government had abandoned a fixed price plan, leaving Switzerland vulnerable to inflation and tariffs. Some US allies and partners have questioned the F-35 over Trump's treatment of allies. Switzerland said it might scale back its order of US-made F-35 fighter jets after failing to fix the price in its negotiations with the White House. Amid shifts in US attitudes toward allies and partners, some Western nations have questioned the jet and, in at least one case, even rejected the fifth-generation fighter for European alternatives. Switzerland still wants the F-35, considering its high-end capabilities, but it may cut its order. Switzerland said that attempts to negotiate a fixed price for the F-35A fighter jet, made by the US's Lockheed Martin, were unsuccessful, with higher costs expected as a result. Switzerland may now order fewer F-35s, the defense minister, Martin Pfister, said in a press conference on Wednesday, per Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. He said that other options include asking parliament for another loan for the jets and deducting operating costs from the purchase price, among other possibilities. Switzerland committed to buying 36 F-35As after signing a contract in 2022, with the jets expected between 2027 and 2030. However, Pfister said the defense department must now examine whether that figure is really what the country needs. Switzerland's government explained in a press release on Wednesday, that while options were on the table after failed negotiations with the US, Switzerland remains committed to procuring F-35As, citing "a significant technological advantage over other aircraft" that would help "to protect Switzerland from airborne threats." Pfister said that Switzerland must continue the procurement of the jets, or else it won't have the defense it needs by the early 2030s. The Swiss government described the US government's actions in negotiations as an "abandonment of the fixed price." It previously viewed the price as fixed at what is now $7.2 billion. In a situation without a fixed price where the cost is subject to volatility as a result of inflation and tariffs, Switzerland is unable to determine the total price of its procurement. It says that the additional costs for procuring the jet could be more than $1.6 billion, which would represent a tremendous cost growth. The government said that the unsuccessful negotiations were with senior White House representatives and that there was a conversation between Pfister and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. It said "the discussions clearly showed that the USA is not prepared to deviate from its position." The Swiss defense department was thus instructed to consider other options by the end of November, with the government saying the department "will examine whether current air defence requirements still correspond to the principles on which the evaluation of the F-35A was based." Lockheed Martin told Business Insider in a statement that "since foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions, questions about F-35 cost, schedule and procurement are best addressed by the armasuisse and US government." Switzerland is a neutral country, and while it's not a member of NATO, it is seen as a partner nation and has deepened its cooperation with the alliance since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While it remains committed to the F-35, some US allies are no longer sure. Some wavering on the F-35 NATO member Spain said last week that it would not buy the F-35 and would instead focus on European alternatives. 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The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
In the room with Zelensky
NewsNation National Correspondent Robert Sherman has found himself on the front lines of some of the world's biggest stories: from Ukraine to Israel and across the United States. He shares what he's seeing on the ground. Subscribe to his newsletter: Frontlines with Robert Sherman here. I sat down at the conference room table as a technical assistant asked me what language I wanted my headset tuned to. 'English,' I replied. The man flipped through the channels on a small receiver sitting atop the table. Satisfied, he handed me the earpiece and moved on to the next person. I was one of about 20 journalists invited to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week. I made my way over to the Presidential Palace, where my phones, wallet and practically everything else in my pockets except a notebook and pen were confiscated. The conference room table was made of wood and was light in color. The room was an off-white, adorned with golden decor and detailing. Reporters sat there quietly, flipping through their notes. Suddenly, the door opened, and in walked Zelenskyy. He put his head down and made a beeline for the open seat at the table, which was reserved for him, sat down, muttered something in Ukrainian, and immediately began ticking off battlefield assessments and statistics. 'Kharkiv, we are holding,' Zelenskyy said. 'Sumy, more or less positive. Donetsk, that's where we have problems,' he said. The night before, it was widely reported that a small unit of Russian troops had pierced the Ukrainian front. The incident was causing concern on the ground among the locals, especially considering negotiations were scheduled to soon kick off in Alaska. 'Some have already been located — partly eliminated, partly taken prisoner,' Zelenskyy said. 'The rest will also be found and destroyed in the near future.' I saw a tense leader that morning with my own two eyes. That's how many on the ground here in Ukraine feel today. Tomorrow in Alaska, two world leaders will sit down face-to-face and discuss the future of a country thousands of miles away — which will notably be absent from this round of talks. Also on the outside looking in are the Europeans. It's no surprise we saw Zelenskyy in Germany yesterday, meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and in London today with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. President Donald Trump has said he wants to sit down, face-to-face with the Russian leader to determine if he's actually serious about reaching a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. He was asked if Russia would face any consequences if Putin doesn't agree to stop the war. 'There will be very severe consequences,' Trump said in response. However, if Friday is a success, the door is open for potentially all three heads of state to soon be together in the same room. 'If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one. I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskiy and myself, if they'd like to have me there,' Trump said. That's when the issue of territories will likely be brought up — in meeting No. 2. It's already a tense topic here, especially as Russia has already made gains in the East, and Ukraine anticipates a large-scale offensive will take hold sometime shortly after the Alaska meeting. 'Across all directions this month, they will try to demonstrate some kind of advance in order to exert political pressure on Ukraine, seeking certain concessions,' Zelenskyy said. 'And I want them to know that we understand this — and that our military will be preparing for it.' Zelenskyy told the group of reporters that, in total, he believes about 30,000 of the 53,000 estimated Russian troops in Sumy will be redeployed. Ukraine anticipates that Russia plans to send roughly 15,000 troops toward Zaporizhzhia, 7,000 to Pokrovsk, and 5,000 to Novopavlivka. In essence, the Russians believe they have found a weak spot in the Ukrainian line and intend to hit it. As the Kremlin appeared ready to up the pressure, Zelenskyy was less confident that Russia wants a deal. 'I told my colleagues, the U.S. president and our European friends, that Putin definitely does not want peace,' Zelenskyy said. 'He wants the occupation of our country. And we all really understand that. Putin will not be able to deceive anyone. We need further pressure for peace. Not only American, but also European sanctions.' That's how many feel here in Ukraine, as the bear and the eagle are set to collide Friday.
