British PM Cancels Meeting With NATO Ally Over Ancient Greek Relics Dispute

A long simmering controversy between the UK and Greece over the Elgin Marbles is back under the spotlight. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitskotakis who was recently in the UK. It was reportedly scrapped after Mitsotakis said the marbles had been ‘essentially stolen’ from Greece and that having a portion of them in London is like cutting the Mona Lisa in half. Sunak says Mitsotakis broke a promise not to talk publicly about the marbles during his visit. But the Greek government denies any such promise was made. In recent years, the British museum has faced increasing pressure to address its massive collection of ancient artefacts which were acquired during the era of the British Empire. We’ll discuss this more in a moment, but first Fay Doulgkeri has more on the reactions from Athens.