An artwork by the abstract Dutch painter Piet Mondrian has been hanging upside down in various galleries for 75 years, an art historian has said. Despite the recent discovery, the work, entitled New York City I, will continue to be displayed the wrong way up to avoid it being damaged. The 1941 picture was first put on display at New York’s MoMA in 1945. It has hung at the art collection of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Düsseldorf since 1980. Curator Susanne Meyer-Büser noticed the longstanding error when researching the museum’s new show on the artist earlier this year, but warned it could disintegrate if it was hung the right side up now. New York City I is an adhesive-tape version of the similarly named New York City painting by the same artist.(BBC)…[+]

Elon Musk declared on Friday “let the good times roll” after he completed his $44bn (£38.1bn) takeover of Twitter. The purchase of the social media firm by the world’s richest man was confirmed in a filing with the US government. The deal follows months of public – and often hostile – wrangling between Mr Musk and Twitter management. Senior figures at Twitter have already begun to leave the company with finance chief Ned Segal announcing his exit. Chairman Bret Taylor has also left and there are reports that Twitter’s chief executive Parag Agrawal has gone. On Friday, Mr Segal tweeted that his time at the company was the “most fulfilling of my career” and reflected on the strain caused by the uncertainty of the last six months. “You learn so much when times are challenging and unpredictable, when we are tired or feel our integrity questioned,” Mr Segal said, alluding to Mr Musk’s public criticism of the company’s leadership. I have great hope for Twitter,” he added. Mr Musk has signalled he wants widespread change at Twitter. A self-styled “free speech absolutist”, he has said he sees the platform as a forum for public debate, signalling a willingness to restore controversial users such as former president Donald Trump.(BBC)…[+]

A high-profile Republican candidate for the US Senate, standing on a strongly anti-abortion platform, faces claims from a second woman that he paid for her to have a termination. The former American football star, Herschel Walker, hopes to unseat the Democratic incumbent in Georgia in the mid-term elections next month. The latest accuser called him “a hypocrite” unfit to be a US senator. The ex-NFL star has denied both claims, calling the latest one “foolishness”. Mr Walker, who has the backing of former US President Donald Trump, is running neck and neck with Democrat Raphael Warnock in November’s mid-term race. The second woman spoke anonymously to reporters over Zoom, saying Mr Walker pressured her into ending her pregnancy. Neither woman has revealed her identity publicly. The woman, who is being named by her lawyer only as “Jane Doe”, told reporters on Wednesday that she had a years-long relationship with Mr Walker while he was married and that he had driven her to a clinic.(BBC)…[+]

The controversial Russian ban against promoting so-called “gay propaganda” looks set to be extended to all adults. The move represents a toughening of an existing 2013 law, which makes providing information about being LGBT to children a criminal offence. Those convicted face large fines for promoting what Russia calls “non-traditional sexual relations”. The initial approval of the extension was voted through by the Russian State Duma unanimously. Earlier this week, officials had urged politicians in Russia’s lower house of parliament to enact the extension – portraying it as part of a broader battle over civilisational values with the West and linking it to the decision to invade Ukraine. Under the proposal, information about “non-traditional lifestyles” or “the rejection of family values” would be considered legally the same as pornography, the promotion of violence, or stoking racial, ethnic and religious tensions. It also bans the “propaganda of paedophilia” – which the Russian government often conflates with being gay.(BBC)…[+]