Arts And Culture

Published: 26 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III has delivered a forceful defence of the institution’s role in documenting American history, telling an audience in Washington that confronting difficult chapters of the past is not an act of disloyalty but an essential part of understanding the country. Bunch, who is due to retire from the Smithsonian at the end of...

Published: 25 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Britain’s food and drink trade deficit has climbed above £21 billion, reaching its highest level since 2000 as exports weaken and imports remain close to record levels. Industry representatives have described the figures as a warning for policymakers, arguing that the country needs a stronger long-term strategy to protect domestic food production and strengthen resilience against international disruptions....

Published: 24 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Greece’s long-running campaign to secure the return of the Parthenon marbles from Britain has entered another important phase, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis saying an agreement could still be reached if there is sufficient political will and courage on both sides. However, Athens has made clear that it would not accept an arrangement requiring Greece to recognise the...

Published: 23 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Archaeological discoveries beneath Bath Assembly Rooms have opened a rare window into everyday life in Roman-era Bath, revealing evidence of ordinary residents who lived beyond the city’s celebrated baths and monumental centre. The unexpected finds were uncovered during restoration work at the historic Georgian building and include pottery, coins, glassware, animal bones, roof tiles and a fragment of...

Published: 17 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Saoirse Ronan takes centre stage in Bad Apples, a dark school-based satire that combines elements of psychological horror, social commentary and black comedy. Directed by Jonatan Etzler and adapted with co-writer Jess O'Kane from Swedish author Rasmus Lindgren's novel De Oönskade, the film places an apparently ordinary primary-school teacher in an increasingly disturbing situation. Ronan plays Maria, an...

Published: 17 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online A traditional farming skill once familiar across the British countryside is being brought back into use by a new generation of volunteers as English Heritage launches a programme to maintain meadows using hand-held scythes. The heritage organisation is training volunteers in the centuries-old craft of cutting grass by hand, with the first group beginning work at Muchelney Abbey...

Published: 16 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online A Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul has been fined after serving customers a dessert topped with ants that had not been approved for use as a food ingredient under South Korean regulations. The Seoul Western District Court on Wednesday fined the company operating the restaurant 10 million won and its chief executive 15 million won after finding them guilty...

Published: 14 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. US President Donald Trump’s ambitious programme of construction and renovation in Washington DC is facing growing criticism from architects, preservationists and other observers, who argue that a series of large-scale projects could permanently alter the character of the American capital. The projects include a major ballroom at the White House, a proposed triumphal arch, extensive changes to historic...

Published: 08 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. CAGNES-SUR-MER — Two thieves broke into a museum dedicated to French Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir on the French Riviera early Tuesday, stealing four artworks in a raid that authorities estimate could involve works worth about €9 million. The incident took place at the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer, in southern France, where the painter spent the final years of...

Published: 05 September 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. The return of the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain for a major exhibition in London has become more than a landmark cultural event. After centuries of rivalry, cooperation, conflict and reconciliation between Britain and France, the arrival of the medieval masterpiece has provided an unusually powerful symbol of renewed Franco-British friendship. French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to make the...