Monday briefing: Are the vanished British Museum relics the tip of the iceberg?

In today's newsletter: As police in the UK launch an investigation into what happened to missing artefacts, an art detective explains why such thefts are so difficult to prevent

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Good morning. The British Museum is reeling from the discovery that gold jewellery, semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD are either missing or stolen.

A senior curator, who worked at the institution for 30 years, was dramatically dismissed after the items were discovered missing. His family deny he had anything to do with the lost items.