Connect with us

Published

on

The return of the Elgin Marbles has been discussed in what was described to Sky News as “private meetings”.

A senior source said these “private meetings” have been held between senior levels of the Greek government and the British Museum about returning the Parthenon Sculptures – also known as the Elgin Marbles – this year.

The news comes as Mr Mitsotakis is due to meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday – where it is expected they will discuss the sculptures.

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with Mr Mitsotakis in 2023 and believed the collection should remain in the British Museum.

Sir Keir is thought to be more favourable to a return of the sculptures than his predecessor.

A source close to the prime minister was quoted in the Financial Times saying: “We are open to whatever is agreed. It’s right to say there is no strong view on what should happen.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

From 2023: Elgin Marbles row explained

The Parthenon Sculptures are part of a frieze that decorated the ancient Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Athens.

More on British Museum

British diplomat Lord Elgin removed the sculptures in the early 19th century while he was the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which then ruled Greece.

Lord Elgin claimed he had been given permission by the Ottoman Empire for the transfer of the sculptures and sold them to the UK government in 1816 before the marbles were passed into the trusteeship of the British Museum.

Turkey believes that permission was never given, and representative Dr Zeynep Boz supported Greece publicly in June at the United Nations Return & Restitution Intergovernmental Committee (ICPRCP).

Read more:
What are the Elgin Marbles and how did they end up in Britain?

Dr Boz, who is head of the department for combatting illicit trafficking for Turkey’s culture ministry, told Sky News they have access to the entire Ottoman archive and there is no proof of the permission form, known as a firman.

“There is no firman, only an Italian text referred to as a translation of the firman, but without the original document, we cannot authenticate it,” she said.

“Despite extensive archival research, no such firman has been found. It is even difficult to call this document a translation when the original is not available.”

An employee poses as he views a horse's head which forms part of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Image:
The Parthenon Sculptures are part of a frieze that decorated the ancient Acropolis in Athens. Pic: Reuters

Dr Mario Trabucco della Torretta, classical archaeologist and longtime campaigner for keeping the Elgin Marbles in London, disagrees.

He told Sky News: “Overall, there is way more evidence for the permission than there will ever be for the fiction of the ‘theft’ of the marbles.

“The fact that we don’t have the original anymore is of no consequence. The original, seen by John Galt in Athens, was destroyed by the Greeks when they set fire to the archives of the Voivode in 1821.”

The British Museum Act 1963 prevents treasures from being legally given away by the British Museum. Meanwhile, the Department of Media Culture and Sport says it has “no plans to change existing government policy on restitution” and that it is up to the trustees of the museum to decide.

Read more from Sky News:
President Joe Biden issues pardon for son
Georgian protests spreading – reports

The British Museum declined to comment about the informal meetings but said it continues to talk about a Parthenon Partnership with the Greek government.

This could mean that a loan agreement between the British Museum and the Greek government could be in the pipeline – paving the way for one of the most significant cultural monuments in the world to be returned to Greece more than 200 years after they were shipped out of the country.

However, for that to happen, Greece would have to agree to be loaned an artefact it believes it rightfully owns, so challenges remain.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Tommy Fury says his drinking problem led to Molly-Mae Hague split

Published

on

By

Tommy Fury says his drinking problem led to Molly-Mae Hague split

Tommy Fury has opened up about having an alcohol problem – citing his drinking as the reason for his split from Molly-Mae Hague.

Hague, 25, shocked fans in August when she announced the end of her relationship with her then-fiancé, with whom she shares daughter Bambi, who turns two later this month.

Both stars had, until now, refused to publicly reveal the cause of the split. Fury, also 25, has now said the break-up came after he began “drinking quite a lot” while unable to train after hand surgery.

“I’d go out and just drink and drink and drink,” he told Men’s Health. “It went on that way for a long time.

“Most nights I would to drink to get black-out drunk. I think that’s what really took its toll on me.”

Shooting down claims he was unfaithful to Hague, Fury added: “Cheating was never a thing. You can ask Molly this yourself. It was the drink, and the drink is not a good thing. You need to get a grip of it.

“We broke up because I had a problem with alcohol and I couldn’t be the partner that I wanted to be anymore. It kills me to say it, but I couldn’t. I loved a pint of beer, loved to drink.”

More on Molly-mae Hague

Former Love Island contestant Tommy Fury with his partner, Molly-Mae Hague, who he met on the reality show
Image:
Fury and Hague were together for five years. Pic: PA

Fury, who was seen spending New Year’s Eve with his ex, added he has “got himself out of that [drinking] now”.

Hague’s break-up announcement came just weeks after she had referred to Fury as the “love of my life” to mark their engagement anniversary on Instagram.

She later told Vogue UK: “No one will ever really know what went down apart from Tommy and I.

“I do think that he will talk about things eventually. I do think that when he’s ready, like, maybe more will be said. But I think that’s for him to do on his terms.”

More entertainment news:
BAFTA nominations revealed
Hollywood events delayed due to fires

Meanwhile, Fury labelled allegations he had cheated as “horrendous” and thanked “everybody who has stood by me through this”.

The pair met on Love Island in 2019 and welcomed their daughter in January 2023. Fury proposed seven months later in Ibiza.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

BAFTA nominations 2025: Conclave, Emilia Perez and The Brutalist lead the race as shortlists revealed

Published

on

By

BAFTA nominations 2025: Conclave, Emilia Perez and The Brutalist lead the race as shortlists revealed

This year’s BAFTA nominations have been revealed, with papal thriller Conclave leading the race.

Starring Ralph Fiennes as a clergyman responsible for the selection of the next Pope, the film is up for 12 awards – including best film, best director, best actor, and best supporting actress for Isabella Rossellini.

Spanish-language musical Emilia Perez, which tells the story of a Mexican cartel boss who undergoes gender affirmation surgery, is another best film nominee and has 11 BAFTA nods in total – with star Karla Sofía Gascón up for best actress and co-stars Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez both in the running in the supporting actress category.

Emilia P..rez. (L-R) Selena Gomez as Jessi and Karla Sof..a Gasc..n as Emilia P..rez in Emilia P..rez. Cr. PAGE 114 - WHY NOT PRODUCTIONS - PATH.. FILMS - FRANCE 2 CIN..MA.
Image:
Selena Gomez as Jessi and Karla Sofia Gascon as Emilia Perez in Emilia Perez. Pic: Why Not Productions/ Netflix

The Brutalist, an epic drama starring Adrien Brody as a Hungarian architect attempting to build a life in the US after the Second World War, has nine nominations – including best film and best actor, and supporting nods for co-stars Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones.

Elsewhere there are seven nominations each for Wicked, Anora, and Dune: Part Two, six for A Complete Unknown and Kneecap, and five for Nosferatu and The Substance.

Read more:
Conclave: ‘It’s not a facile takedown of the Catholic Church’
Selena Gomez on Emilia Perez: ‘It’s a little pat on the back’
Kieran Culkin on A Real Pain: ‘I’d get defensive’

Rappers Kneecap are starring in a self-titled music biopic about their rise to fame. Pic: Curzon Film
Image:
Rappers Kneecap star in a self-titled music biopic about their rise to fame. Pic: Curzon Film

In the performance categories, Gascon is up against Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths), Mikey Madison (Anora), Saoirse Ronan (The Outrun) and Demi Moore, whose performance in body horror The Substance won her a Golden Globe earlier this month.

Fiennes and Brody’s best actor competitors are Timothee Chalamet, for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, along with Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Hugh Grant (Heretic) and Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice).

Kieran Culkin, another recent Golden Globe winner, makes the best supporting actor shortlist once again for his performance in A Real Pain, alongside Pearce and Yura Borisov (Anora), Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown) and Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice).

Pic: Mubi
Image:
Demi Moore has already won a Golden Globe for her performance as an actress whose star is on the wane in The Substance. Pic: Mubi

Ariana Grande, who stars as Glinda opposite Erivo’s Elphaba in Wicked, and Jamie Lee Curtis, for her performance in The Last Showgirl, make up the best supporting actress shortlist.

For 14 of the 24 acting nominees – including Culkin, Grande, Gascon, Gomez and Moore – it is their first BAFTA film nomination.

Erivo and Chalamet are both previous recipients of the rising star award, which is voted for by the public.

Read more:
Sing Sing: The prison drama based on a true story
Kneecap rappers on their unlikely big-screen stardom

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked. Pic: Universal Pictures
Image:
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked. Pic: Universal Pictures

In the best director category, Conclave’s Edward Berger is in the running alongside Brady Corbet, for The Brutalist, Denis Villeneuve, for Dune: Part Two, Jacques Audiard for Emilia Perez, Coralie Fargeat for The Substance, and Sean Baker for Anora.

Baker also has nominations for best original screenplay, casting and editing, making him the most nominated individual this year.

The BAFTAs also includes a category for outstanding British film, with Conclave also shortlisted here alongside films including Steve McQueen’s Blitz, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, and Irish-language film Kneecap – which stars the rap trio of the same name in a semi-autobiographical account of their rise to fame.

In total, there are 42 films up for awards, spanning a range of genres.

“The film industry has delivered in spades once again,” said BAFTA chief executive Jane Millichip.

“The skills on display from creative and technical practitioners across the board are phenomenal,” added BAFTA chair Sara Putt.

Could this be the most competitive BAFTAs for years?


Katie Spencer

Katie Spencer

Arts and entertainment correspondent

What do you get if you bring several priests, a Mexican cartel leader and an architect together under one roof?

Not the world’s most niche fancy dress party, but 2025’s BAFTA film awards shortlist.

Jazz hands and jump scares are the order of the day. Horror is unusually well represented this year, with The Substance, Heretic and Nosferatu all receiving nods, while musicals are also dominating thanks to Emilia Perez, Wicked and, arguably, the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.

Speaking of music, it’s very good news for Irish language rappers Kneecap, whose self-titled semi-true biopic is up for best British film and five other awards. It’s somewhat ironic given that while they rap about wanting Irish independence, the film qualifies as being British as they’re from Northern Ireland.

In the leading actress category, it’s all to play for as none of the nominees has ever won a BAFTA. Fans of ’90s nostalgia will be hoping the Demi-ssaince continues after Demi Moore’s Golden Globe win last month for her performance in body horror The Substance.

Hugh Grant, up for lead actor, last won that BAFTA back in 1995 for his breakthrough performance in Four Weddings And A Funeral. This time around, he’s in the running for a very different role, as a creepy killer in Heretic. He’s nominated alongside another ’90s winner – Ralph Fiennes, who last picked up a BAFTA for supporting actor in 1994.

The nominations this year really showcase a diverse range of genres – and with no clear frontrunners in some categories, could this be the most competitive BAFTAs we’ve seen in a while?

Read more:
The full list of films and stars up for awards
Oscar nominations and other events affected by LA fires

The nominees for this year’s rising star award, which is the only BAFTA prize voted for by the public, have already been announced, with Marisa Abela, Jharrel Jerome, David Jonsson, Mikey Madison and Nabhaan Rizwan in the running.

And Harry Potter star Warwick Davis has also been revealed as the recipient of this year’s BAFTA fellowship, the organisation’s highest honour, for his “trailblazing work” as an actor and for his charity supporting people with dwarfism.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Marisa Abela is among the rising star nominees

The BAFTA nominations come at a difficult time for the industry, with the organisers of several US awards ceremonies, including the Oscars, pushing their own announcements back and holding more low-key events due to the wildfires in Los Angeles.

However, the Oscars ceremony is still currently scheduled to go ahead as planned on Sunday 2 March.

The BAFTA ceremony will be held at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London on Sunday 16 February.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

BAFTA nominations 2025: The full list of films and stars up for awards

Published

on

By

BAFTA nominations 2025: The full list of films and stars up for awards

There are 42 films up for awards at this year’s BAFTA ceremony, from blockbusters to indie breakthroughs.

Organisers have now revealed the shortlists, with papal thriller Conclave leading the nominations, followed closely by Spanish-language musical Emilia Perez, and post-war epic The Brutalist.

The star-studded BAFTA ceremony will take place in London on Sunday 16 February.

Here’s the full list of the stars and films up for each prize.

Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger's Conclave. Pic: Focus Features 2024
Image:
Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence in director Edward Berger’s Conclave. Pic: Focus Features 2024

BEST FILM
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Perez

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
Bird
Blitz
Conclave
Gladiator II
Hard Truths
Kneecap
Lee
Love Lies Bleeding
The Outrun
Wallace And Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Rappers Kneecap are starring in a self-titled music biopic about their rise to fame. Pic: Curzon Film
Image:
Rappers Kneecap star in a music biopic about their rise to fame. Pic: Curzon Film

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
Hoard – Luna Carmoon (director/ writer)
Kneecap – Rich Peppiatt (director, writer)
Monkey Man – Dev Patel (director)
Santosh – Sandhya Suri (director, writer), James Bowsher (producer), Balthazar de Ganay (producer)
Sister Midnight – Karan Kandhari (director, writer)

More on Bafta

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
All We Imagine As Light
Emilia Perez
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed Of The Sacred Fig

DOCUMENTARY
Black Box Diaries
Daughters
No Other Land
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Pic: Netflix
Image:
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Pic: Netflix

ANIMATED FILM
Flow
Inside Out 2
Wallace And Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

CHILDREN’S & FAMILY FILM
Flow
Kensuke’s Kingdom
Wallace And Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

DIRECTOR
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet
Conclave – Edward Berger
Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve
Emilia Perez – Jacques Audiard
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

Mikey Madison in Anora. Pic: Neon/Augusta Quirk
Image:
Mikey Madison in Anora. Pic: Neon/Augusta Quirk

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
Kneecap – Rich Peppiatt, Naoise O Caireallain, Liam Og O Hannaidh, JJ O Dochartaigh
A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
A Complete Unknown – James Mangold and Jay Cocks
Conclave – Peter Straughan
Emilia Perez – Jacques Audiard
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
Sing Sing – Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence ‘Divine Eye’ Maclin, John ‘Divine G’ Whitfield

LEADING ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofia Gascon – Emilia Perez
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun

Ariana Grande (left) as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in the film.
Pic: PA
Image:
Ariana Grande (left) as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba in Wicked. Pic: PA

LEADING ACTOR
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothee Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Selena Gomez – Emilia Perez
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Jamie Lee Curtis – The Last Showgirl
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Perez

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice

Adrian Brody and Guy Pierce in The Brutalist. Pic: A24
Image:
Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce in The Brutalist. Pic: A24

CASTING
Anora – Sean Baker, Samantha Quan
The Apprentice – Stephanie Gorin, Carmen Cuba
A Complete Unknown – Yesi Ramirez
Conclave – Nina Gold, Martin Ware
Kneecap – Carla Stronge

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
Conclave – Stephanie Fontaine
Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
Emilia Perez – Paul Guilhaume
Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke

EDITING
Anora
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Perez
Kneecap

Pic: Searchlight Pictures
Image:
Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Pic: Searchlight Pictures


COSTUME DESIGN
Blitz
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Nosferatu
Wicked

MAKE-UP & HAIR
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Perez
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked

ORIGINAL SCORE
The Brutalist
Conclave
Emilia Perez
Nosferatu
The Wild Robot

Pic: Mubi
Image:
Demi Moore in The Substance. Pic: Mubi

PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

SOUND
Blitz
Dune: Part Two
Gladiator II
The Substance
Wicked

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Gladiator II
Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
Wicked

Robbie Williams as a chimpanzee. Pic: Panther
Image:
Robbie Williams is depicted as a chimpanzee in Better Man. Pic: Paramount Pictures

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
Adios
Mog’s Christmas
Wander To Wonder

BRITISH SHORT FILM
The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing
Marion
Milk
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Stomach Bug

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
Marisa Abela
Jharrel Jerome
David Jonsson
Mikey Madison
Nabhaan Rizwan

Continue Reading

Trending