The police watchdog will review how Metropolitan Police officers handled allegations of sexual misconduct against former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will review two cases the Met Police investigated in 2008 and 2013 after the force referred itself.
Hundreds of women have alleged the billionaire, who died last year aged 94, raped or sexually assaulted them.
Police are looking into some claims and Harrods is also settling hundreds of claims.
In a documentary which aired in September, the BBC revealed Al Fayed was accused by 21 women of sexual offences while he was alive.
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Since the documentary aired, more than 400 alleged victims have come forward with allegations of assault, harassment and rape over a period of more than 30 years when they were his employees.
However, questions have been raised around the Met’s investigations.
Of the 21 women who made allegations before September this year, the Met did not pass full files of evidence to prosecutors on 19 of the women who approached them.
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In her letter about Tim Harford’s advice on public speaking, Eithne Kennedy adds that the personal touch is important (November 2). Quite so.
Meanwhile it has been said that the mind can assimilate only as much as the behind can tolerate. The oratorical power of brevity in public speaking should not be underestimated. To that end, therefore, perhaps every public speaker should heed Enoch Powell’s advice that speeches should only ever be given on a full bladder.
I find it interesting to note (Letters, November 2) that the perception in the US that parliament’s victory in the English civil war was a victory for democracy goes back as far as John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Certainly I found it a commonly-held view when I lived there. I thought that this idea, espoused by the Levellers, had been summarily dismissed at the Putney debates of 1647.
Bill Buckland Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, UK
A HUGE new dinosaur-themed attraction is launching in the UK next summer.
The new immersive attraction will open at the Lightroom – a space for artist-led shows near London King’s Cross train station.
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Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs is a new immersive exhibition opening in London next summerCredit: Lightroom
Visitors will be invited to enter the world of Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs.
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Through the use of captivating storytelling, state-of-the-art visuals and groundbreaking technology, guests will see the role dinosaurs played in shaping the world 66 millions years ago.
Huge TV screens will play scenes from seasons one and two of Apple TV+’s Emmy Award-nominated series Prehistoric Planet.
Dinosaur-obsessed kids will be able to see some of their favourite ancient beasts, like a Tyrannosaurus rex, Mosasaurs and Adaltheriums, on digital screens.
Visitors will be able to travel alongside their favourite dinosaurs through desert landscapes, skies and the deep sea.
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The new exhibition will also feature never before seen material, including extended CGI scenes and illustrations.
Mike Gunton, Executive Producer of Prehistoric Planet and BBCHistory Unit Creative Director, said: “I always imagined Prehistoric Planet as like stepping into a time machine and travelling back to the time when dinosaurs ruled Planet Earth.
“The Lightroom experience will be just that! There’s nowhere else where you can be surrounded by the most amazing animals to have ever lived – see them all life-size, and really close-up, watch their dramatic lives unfold and understand what life was like 66 Million years ago.
“For a wildlife filmmaker, it’s a dream come true.”
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Even though it’s going to feature some of history‘s most formidable beasts, the new attraction will be suitable for all ages.
Stunning new Natural History gardens that are free to visit and are teeming with wildlife and giant dinosaur
Tickets cost £25 for adults and £15 for kids, with group discounts and educational rates also available.
The Lightroom is located inside the Coal Drops Yard – a shopping complex and public space in London King’s Cross.
There is one exhibition currently taking place at the Lightroom, The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks.
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However, this will end its run on November 10, with Vogue: Entering the runway opening on November 13.
There are plenty of things to do in the King’s Cross neighbourhood like the British Library.
There are plenty of other immersive experiences taking place across the UK too, including The Outernet.
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Despite only opening in November 2022, the new experience has become London’s most-visited tourist attraction.
Located just a mere one-minute walk from Tottenham Court Road tube station, the Outernet is a set of buildings with interactive, floor-to-ceiling screens.
At the heart of it is the complex is the Now Building, where visitors will find huge screens displaying interactive images and atmospheric surround sound.
Three little-known places to take dinosaur-obsessed kids
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There are a number of little-known places across the UK that are perfect for any budding palaeontologists – and they could be fun for adults too.
Paradise Park in East Sussex has life-size moving dinosaurs, fossils and a Dinosaur Safari at Paradise Park
Knebworth House in Herefordshire has a dinosaur-themed adventure section
Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park in North Devon has 19 animatronic dinosaurs, including a life-sized T-Rex, Dino Express train and a play zone.
Meanwhile, ROARR! Dinosaur Adventure in Norfolk is set to open a new land in 2026.
Gigantosaurus Land will be based on an animated series of the same name, which currently streams worldwide on services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus.
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Dinosaur-obsessed kids will be able to see some of their favourite ancient beasts, like a Tyrannosaurus rex on the big screenCredit: Lightroom
As a teenager in the 1960s and with more than a soft spot for Hendrix’s music, I raise a glass to Michael Hann’s choice of Jimi’s Woodstock performance of “Star-Spangled Banner” as the apotheosis of that anthem (“The life of a song”, Life & Arts, November 2).
But he gets the details about the Mexico City Olympics slightly wrong. Tommie Smith — surely the most elegant sprinter ever to grace the track — and John Carlos raised their gloved fists in a Black power salute, to the accompaniment of the US national anthem after the 200 metres (Smith taking gold in a new world record), not the 400 metres.
Smith, who had also broken the world 400 metre record the previous year, would undoubtedly have been part of the US 4x400m relay team but, along with Carlos, was suspended by the US management and sent home before that event took place.
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