One of Banksy's recent artworks appears to be defaced with a tag apparently belonging to a deceased rival.
Create Escape on the wall of the former Reading Prison building, about 60 kilometres west of London, was daubed in red paint with the message 'Team Robbo'.
It is believed to refer to graffiti artist King Robbo who died in 2014. The two were embroiled in a feud after Banksy painted over a King Robbo tag on Regent's Canal in Camden, north London.
Part of Create Escape, which depicts a prisoner scaling the wall using a rope made of paper, was painted over to blot out a typewriter.
Save Reading Gaol, a campaign to turn the former prison into an arts centre, was among the first to discover the overnight addition.
“A sad morning as we learn that the Banksy mural on the side of Reading Gaol has been deliberately damaged with red paint,” it tweeted.
"Awful news to wake up to and to realise that the failure to protect something precious to the town has left it vulnerable to destruction."
The Banksy mural appeared on the prison wall on March 1 and a video posted on Instagram showed it being created.
A spokesman for Reading Borough Council said at the time that the local authority was "thrilled that Banksy appears to have thrown his support behind the council's desire to transform the vacant Reading Gaol into a beacon of arts, heritage and culture with this piece of artwork he has aptly called Create Escape".
Banksy is one of the art world’s most famous names, but he is also largely a mystery.
The street artist, whose thought-provoking works have appeared across the globe, has maintained anonymity despite years of making headlines, thanks to a combination of careful planning and a trusted inner circle.
Here's some more of his work:
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlexander%20Payne%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Giamatti%2C%20Da'Vine%20Joy%20Randolph%2C%20Dominic%20Sessa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
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