A seven-metre high Damien Hirst sculpture which challenges society’s perception of disability has been unveiled as part of a new exhibition in London.
The sculpture, called Charity, is based on a familiar collection box from the 1960s of a disabled young girl clutching a teddy bear and a collection tin. It was installed next to the capital’s Gherkin building as part of the 2015 Sculpture in the City exhibition, along with 13 other sculptures.
But Hirst’s version depicts the charity box as worn and vandalised, with a crowbar lying next to the girl and her empty collection tin, in a bid to question society’s historical tradition of representing charity as a pitiful image.
Fast eels make for far safer eels
Scientists have found a way to help protect endangered eels from being killed in hydropower stations – by making them swim faster.
The European eel, a fish of commercial and conservation concern, has suffered a dramatic decline over recent decades, with the number of juvenile fish returning to rivers down by more than 90%.
Studies have suggested that the drop in numbers has been caused by various factors including overfishing, pollution and climate change as well as hydropower stations which can injure or kill the long-bodied adult fish as they migrate to the ocean and to the Sargasso Sea where they spawn.
Dietrich wig under the hammer
A wig belonging to Hollywood actress Marlene Dietrich is being auctioned. The ash blonde hairpiece with Alice band and securing comb is set to fetch between £200 and £300. The German star, who died aged 90 in 1992, gave it to Daniel Gee while he was working as a 17-year-old telegram boy in 1972.
Mr Gee delivered telegrams to Dietrich at an apartment in London’s West End where she was appearing in a solo show at the Queen’s Theatre in Shaftsbury Avenue.
Plan for cannacamp is canned
A planned pot-friendly resort in Colorado has been snuffed out before it opened.
A marijuana-tourism company had touted weed-friendly activities such as hiking and fishing at a 170-acre ranch just outside Durango, but the deal fell through after the CannaCamp announcement made international headlines and became the butt of jokes on late-night TV.
The MaryJane Group, which runs marijuana-friendly inns in Denver and Silverthorne, said it hopes to find a new home for CannaCamp. Guests who had already booked stays are being offered rooms in the B&Bs instead.
News crews robbed at gunpoint
News crews from two television stations were robbed at gunpoint and a cameraman was pistol whipped during live broadcasts.
The robbery and assault occurred on San Francisco’s famous waterfront as camera crews were broadcasting live reports about a killing at nearby Pier 14 on the Embarcadero, a popular spot for tourists. The cameraman was examined at the scene and was not taken to hospital.
The robber drove away in a black BMW with two cameras and two tripods from stations KTVU and KNTV. Television and newspaper crews have been robbed in the San Francisco Bay Area several times in recent years, and many travel with armed guards when reporting in high-crime areas.
No-hurry heroes get their medals
Three US Army veterans who were taken prisoner by German troops in the Second World War finally received their medals – more than 70 years after they were liberated.
John Pederson, 89, Clayton Nattier, 92, and Keith Hereford, 89, each received the Prisoner of War Medal at a ceremony in Denver. Mr Pederson also received the Bronze Star, while Mr Nattier and Mr Hereford received the Purple Heart and Air Medal.