British Museum Director Hartwig Fischer Steps Down Due to Thefts

British Museum director Hartwig Fischer is immediately stepping down, bringing an early end to his tenure at the London institution. Initially expected to depart next year, Fischer said he left because of controversy over the theft of objects from the museum’s collection, reportedly by a senior curator on staff there.This week, Ittai Gradel, a Dutch antiquities dealer, said he had told the British Museum about the thefts two years ago and claimed that his allegations had gone unheeded. Fis