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☆ Gold pocket watch owned by the richest man on the Titanic, who died when the ship sank, fetches record $1.5 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A gold pocket watch owned by Titanic's richest passenger sold at auction for around $1.5 million. The watch was owned by John Jacob Astor IV, a businessman who died when the ship sank in 1912. AdvertisementA gold pocket watch that belonged to the richest man on the Titanic has sold at auction for a record-breaking £1.175 million, which is roughly $1.5 million. Astor IV, who was 47 at the time the Titanic sank, helped his wife, Madeleine, onto a lifeboat and then smoked a last cigarette as the ship went down. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesThe RMS Titanic sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Persons: John Jacob Astor IV, —, Henry Aldridge, Son's Instagram, Astor, Son, Astor IV, Madeleine, Wallace Hartley, Harland &, OceanGate Organizations: Titanic's, Service, Henry Aldridge & Son, Titanic, Getty, Harland, Harland & Wolff Locations: Devizes , Wiltshire, South West England, Belfast , Northern Ireland

☆ John Jacob Astor’s gold watch worn on Titanic to be sold at auction
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Emily Blumenthal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Astor was one of around 1,500 people who died when the Titanic sank on April 15, 1912 after hitting an iceberg. The violin itself was sold for $1.7 million via the same auction house in 2013 and is the highest-selling item from the ship ever. The valise belonging to Titanic bandmember and orchestra leader Wallace Hartley, which held the violin he played as the Titanic sank, is also for sale. The watch was among the personal effects found with Astor’s body after the Titanic sank, according to the auction house. In 1935, Vincent gave the watch as a christening gift to the infant son of William Dobbyn IV, John Jacob Astor’s executive secretary, according to the auction house.

Persons: John Jacob Astor IV, Astor, Madeleine, Henry Aldridge, bandmember, Wallace Hartley, Andrew Aldridge, Aldridge, Vincent Astor, Vincent, William Dobbyn IV, John Jacob Astor’s, ” Aldridge, John Jacob Astor IV’s cufflinks Organizations: CNN, Titanic, Henry Aldridge & Son, Son Locations: Wiltshire, England, United States

☆ A timeline of Bob and Rita Marley's tumultuous relationship
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Olivia Singh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Bob and Rita Marley were married from 1966 until the reggae star's death in 1981. Bob and Rita welcomed three children together, in addition to kids from relationships outside of their marriage. Their relationship is also at the heart of Reinaldo Marcus Green's recently released biopic, " Bob Marley: One Love ," starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob and Lashana Lynch as Rita. Jacques Langevin/APRita recalled how she became acquainted with Bob in her 2004 memoir, " No Woman No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley ." October 17, 1968: Their son, David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley, is bornZiggy Marley on the set of "Bob Marley: One Love."

Persons: Bob, Rita Marley, Cedella, Ziggy, Stephen, Rita each, —, Rita Marley's, Rita, Reinaldo Marcus Green's, Bob Marley, Kingsley Ben, Lashana Lynch, Here's, Jacques Langevin, Clement " Coxsone, Dodd, Robbie Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt, Sharon, Rita get, Cedella Marley, David Nesta, Marley, Ziggy Marley, Chiabella James, Paramount Pictures Ziggy, Stephen Marley, Robert, Robbie, Pat Williams, Rohan Anthony Marley, Janet Hunt, I've, Paul Natkin, Karen Marley, Janet Bowen, Julian Ricardo Marley, Lucy, Mani Marley, Anita Belnavis, Damian " Jr, Gong, Cindy Breakspeare, Owen, Stewart, Stephanie Marley, Serita Stewart, he'd, Graham Wiltshire, Cindy, Miami Bob, Josef Issels Organizations: Service, Wailers, Soulettes, Paramount Pictures, Jamaica, Miss Locations: Jamaica, Paris, Kingston, Ky, London, England, Miami

☆ An alternative healer was charged with manslaughter after a woman died attending his 'slapping therapy' workshop
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A 71-year-old woman died during a 'slapping therapy' workshop in 2016. The alternative healer who ran the workshop has now been charged with manslaughter. The woman attended the workshop to help with her diabetes, her son said. AdvertisementAn alternative healer has been charged with manslaughter by gross negligence after a woman died in one of his 'slapping therapy' workshops. According to BBC News, Carr-Gomm attended one of Xiao's slapping therapy workshops held at a hotel.

Persons: —, Xiao, Danielle Carr, Gomm, Carr, Matthew Carr, lajin Organizations: Service, . Wiltshire Police, BBC News, Guardian, Associated Press, Pailala Institute Locations: Cloudbreak , California, Australia, Seend, England, California

LONDON (AP) — An alternative healer who advocates a technique known as “slapping therapy” was charged Thursday over the death of a woman at one of his workshops in England seven years ago. Hongchi Xiao was charged with manslaughter by gross negligence in the October 2016 death of Danielle Carr-Gomm, Wiltshire Police said. Xiao promotes paida lajin therapy, in which patients are slapped or slap themselves repeatedly, ostensibly to release toxins from the body. Xiao, who is originally from China and runs the California-based Pailala Institute, has led paida lajin workshops around the world. Political Cartoons View All 1274 ImagesCarr-Gomm, 71, died at Cleeve House country hotel in western England while attending a workshop run by Xiao.

Persons: ”, Xiao, Danielle Carr, Carr, Xiao . Carr, Gomm’s, Matthew, “ Organizations: Wiltshire Police, British, Pailala Institute, ” Police Locations: England, Gomm, Australia, China, California, Cleeve, Salisbury

☆ Mystery of ‘Stick Man’ on Led Zeppelin album cover finally solved
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —After more than half a century, the identity of the elderly, stick-carrying man featured on the “Led Zeppelin IV” album cover has finally been revealed. The “Stick Man” who featured on the cover of English rock band Led Zeppelin’s 1971 fourth studio album was a thatcher from the late-Victorian era, the Wiltshire Museum in southwestern England said in a statement Wednesday. Led Zeppelin members (left - right) John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant pose in front of their private airliner The Starship in 1973. This colored version was the only feature on the “Led Zeppelin IV” album cover, which, unusually, had no words on it, not even the band’s name. “It is fascinating to see how this theme of rural and urban contrasts was developed by Led Zeppelin and became the focus for this iconic album cover 70 years later,” the museum’s director, David Dawson, said in the statement.

Persons: thatcher, Wiltshire thatcher, Longyear –, Brian Edwards, UWE Bristol, Wiltshire Thatcher, Edwards, Ernest, Zeppelin, Robert, Jimmy, John Paul, ” Edwards, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Ernest Howard Farmer, Jimmy Page’s, David Dawson Organizations: London CNN, Wiltshire Museum, University of the, England, Regional, BBC Radio Wiltshire, Zeppelin, Hulton Locations: England, Wiltshire, Mere , Wiltshire, Shaftesbury, Whitsuntide, ”, Berkshire

☆ Lucky Find at Auction Identifies Man on Cover of ‘Led Zeppelin IV’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Claire Moses | More About Claire Moses | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Nov. 8, 1971, Led Zeppelin released its iconic fourth studio album, which was untitled but is widely known as “Led Zeppelin IV.” It features the band’s major hit “Stairway to Heaven,” and the wordless cover shows the image of a bearded, older man with a large bundle of sticks on his back against the backdrop of a decaying wall. Now, 52 years later to the day, a minor mystery about that cover has been solved. Sometimes thought to be a painting, the image, it turns out, was a Victorian-era photograph of a man who made thatched roofs for cottages in Wiltshire, a rural county in southwestern England. His name was Lot Long and he was 69 at the time, according to Brian Edwards, a researcher who found the photo. As he was looking through a Victorian photo album full of landscapes and houses, Mr. Edwards noticed a photo he had seemingly seen before.

Persons: Lot Long, Brian Edwards, Edwards Organizations: Zeppelin, University of the Locations: Victorian, Wiltshire, England

☆ Oil major BP misses estimates for third quarter as profits plummet
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — Oil major BP on Tuesday reported a steep year-on-year fall in profits, missing analyst estimates. The British energy giant logged underlying replacement cost profit, used as a proxy for net profit, of $3.293 billion in the third quarter. Analysts had expected profit to come in at $4.059 billion in the third quarter, according to a collection of estimates by LSEG. Quarterly growth came from a rise in oil and gas production and higher realized refining margins, along with a "very strong oil trading result," BP said. The year-on-year profits of BP and other energy majors plunged in the second quarter, following weaker fossil fuel prices that have since risen sharply.

Persons: Borkhataria, Bernard Looney, Murray Auchincloss, Auchincloss, Dave Lawler, Looney Organizations: Oil, BP, LSEG, RBC Capital Markets, Organization of, Petroleum Locations: Warmister, Wiltshire, England, BP's London, U.S

☆ The billionaire son of H&M's founder owns a sprawling English country estate with over 100 cottages, a distillery, and a pub that sells his own beer
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Stefan Persson, the son of H&M's founder, owns a 19,000-acre country estate in southern England. In 1997, Persson splurged some of his fortunes on a 3,000-acre country estate in Wiltshire, southern England, which went on to become Ramsbury Estates. Ramsbury Estates has about 7,000 acres of farmland, with a focus on wheat and barley alongside a small herd of cattle. Geography Photos/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesLike many modern farms, Ramsbury Estates has diversified. Ramsbury Estates declined to comment on exactly what the "agency" portion of its business is comprised of.

Persons: Stefan Persson, H, Persson, Erling Persson, Stefan, Persson splurged Organizations: M's, Service, 101st, Bloomberg, Invest, –, Ramsbury Estates, Getty, Ramsbury, M Locations: England, Wall, Silicon, Sweden, Wiltshire, Ramsbury, Monki

☆ Fact Check-COVID traffic light system not reintroduced in Swindon Tesco
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A traffic light system at the entrance to a Tesco supermarket in the English town of Swindon was accidentally switched on for a brief time in August, a spokesperson for the UK’s biggest supermarket group told Reuters, and is not evidence of the company reintroducing social distancing measures, as is being claimed online. We’ve got the old traffic light system back in operation. Perhaps some lockdowns heading our way?” he asks, while stood outside the town’s Extra store (located here: tinyurl.com/y3ek3epd). However, a spokesperson for the supermarket group told Reuters the traffic light system was accidentally switched on for a brief period at the Swindon Tesco Extra in August and that it has not been reintroduced in any of its stores. The traffic light system was briefly and accidentally switched on at the Tesco Extra in Swindon, according to the company, which said the social distancing measure is not being reintroduced in any of its stores.

Persons: We’ve, Read Organizations: Tesco, UK’s, Reuters, Facebook, Swindon Tesco Locations: Swindon, Swindon , Wiltshire

When the French interior designer Camille Vergnes throws a dinner party in Paris, she opts for unfussy white table linens and white plates. This allows her Art Deco-style set of serving spoons, salad servers and carving knives, all with almond green shagreen handles, to take center stage. “I use [the serving set] as the key piece of the table along with the flowers or candleholders,” she says. Vergnes’s approach reflects a shift in focus when it comes to tableware, away from handblown glassware and patterned napkins to sculptural utensils. - Host Gift Guide: What T’s editors and contributors are bringing to thank their hosts this summer, including surreal serving spoons and cozy quilts.

Persons: Camille Vergnes, ”, Olga Bonne, Alessandra Williams, Frank Traynor, Ben Bodman, Yann Nury Organizations: Fair Trade, Bodman, Credit Locations: French, Paris, Copenhagen, Danish, Brighton, British, Zimbabwe, Nairobi, United States, Melksham, Wiltshire, England, Ibiza, Long, Amsterdam

☆ Fact Check-Photos don’t show Ghislaine Maxwell working at Disney
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Mirror, now the Daily Mirror, was owned by Ghislaine’s father Robert Maxwell from 1984 until his death in 1991. A great fun day in which Ghislaine Maxwell presented a cheque for £2000 for the save the children fund. Media reports on Ghislaine Maxwell’s past, including a Reuters article about her (here), make no reference to her working for Disney (here) (here). A spokesperson for Disney said Ghislaine Maxwell never worked for the company. Photos featured in this clip show Ghislaine Maxwell at a charity event organized by The Mirror in 1985.

Persons: Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine’s, Robert Maxwell, Maxwell, Epstein, ”, “, Donald Duck, George Phillips, Lady Bath’s, Henry Thynne, Lord Bath, Ghislaine, Read Organizations: British, Walt Disney Company, Daily, ” Reuters, Disney, Facebook, Media, The, Reuters Locations: Manhattan, Wiltshire, Virginia

☆ Former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy found not guilty of rape and attempted rape Benjamin Mendy: Former Manchester City footballer found not guilty of rape and attempted rape
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Matt Foster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Former Manchester City footballer Benjamin Mendy has asked for privacy to begin “rebuilding his life” after he was found not guilty on a charge of rape and a separate charge of attempted rape. But jurors at the time failed to decide on two charges, resulting in the second trial. Outside court, Mendy said, “Alhamdulillah,” meaning “praise be to God” in Arabic. Mendy, who plays as a left-back, was suspended by Manchester City in August 2021 when the original charges against him were announced. He began his career playing professional leagues in France for Le Havre, Olympique de Marseille, and Monaco before moving to Britain to play for Manchester City.

Persons: Benjamin Mendy, Mendy, “, Jenny Wiltshire, “ Benjamin Mendy, ” Organizations: London CNN — Former Manchester City, French, Chester Crown, CNN, Crown Prosecution Service, CPS, Manchester City, Le Havre, Olympique de Marseille Locations: England, France, Monaco, Britain

☆ Auction of Charlie Watts' book collection includes signed 'Great Gatsby' first edition
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Amarachi Orie | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A collection of first-edition books and jazz memorabilia belonging to the late Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts will go up for auction in September. Leading the auction will be a signed first-edition copy of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." “Charlie built his collection of modern literature and jazz with passion, intelligence and dedication, and this two-part auction celebrates his distinguished collecting taste,” they added. Christie's Images Limited 2023The collection also includes objects that once belonged to jazz legends, including Watts’ favorite saxophonist, the late Charlie Parker, according to the release. Christie's Images Limited 2023Highlights from the collection will go on display in Los Angeles between July 25 and 29 and New York between September 5 and 8.

Persons: Charlie Watts, Scott Fitzgerald, Scott Fitzgerald's, Benedict Winter, Mark Wiltshire, “ Charlie, George Orwell, Agatha Christie, James Joyce, Fitzgerald, Watts, Charlie Parker, Parker, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin’s, “ Porgy, Bess, ”, Charlie, Dave Green Organizations: CNN Locations: London, American, British, Los Angeles, New York

☆ I make hundreds of dollars a month filling in online surveys. I can do it from anywhere, even on my way to school.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Ryan S. Gladwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ben Thornbury of Wiltshire, England started doing online surveys at 13 as an easy way to make money while in school. Now he's 18 years old and makes hundreds each month filling in surveys for eight hours a week. My parents were shocked when they found out what I was doing online. On that site alone, I've made more than £200 (or $250) in a month filling in surveys for 10 hours a week. Online surveys are particularly great for teenagers like meI can do them on my commute to school or in my bedroom.

☆ Henry VIII military letter, handwritten Mozart music on offer at auction
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A person holds a rare signed letter from King Henry VIII to his Lieutenant-General in France before the English victory at the Battle of the Spurs and autograph music manuscript by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, at Christie's in London, Britain December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Maja SmiejkowskaLONDON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - A military letter from King Henry VIII and a sheet of music written in Mozart's own hand at the age of 17 are among lots being offered at auction house Christie's "Valuable Books and Manuscripts" sale in London next week. The letter has an estimate of 25,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds ($30,702 - $42,983). "Whereas we do occasionally see Henry VIII letters coming up, what’s particularly rare about this one is that it’s a campaign letter, it’s about war, it’s about his strategy," Mark Wiltshire, specialist in the books and manuscripts department at Christie's London, told Reuters. It has an estimate of 80,000 pounds - 120,000 pounds.

☆ American homebuyers are finding UK bargains, discounted by a weaker pound
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-30 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

American homebuyers are searching for bargains in the U.K., as a weaker pound contributes to double-digit price cuts. The fall in the British currency, which is off 17.5% against the U.S. dollar year to date, has made U.K. real estate cheaper for buyers paying in U.S. dollars. A property listed at 5 million pounds in Knightsbridge, for instance, would have cost $8.6 million eight years ago but $4 million today. The asking price: 30 million pounds, or about $33 million with today's currency exchange rates. That marks a savings of more than $6 million for U.S. buyers, paying in dollars, compared with a year ago.

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