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Islamic fundamentalists in Syria have started to destroy archaeological treasures such as Byzantine mosaics and Greek and Roman statues because their portrayal of human beings is contrary to their religious beliefs. The systematic destruction of antiquities may be the worst disaster to ancient monuments since the Taliban in Afghanistan dynamited the giant statues of Buddha at Bamiyan in 2001 for similar ideological reasons.
People who try to stop officials exterminating “invasive species” such as parakeets, ruddy ducks and Japanese knotweed on their property should face a prison sentence, under proposals drawn up by the Law Commission.The Law Commission proposed people breaking a “species control order” could be jailed for as long as six months or fined up to £40,000.
This week, Queen’s Greatest Hits became the first album to sell more than 6 million copies in the UK; one in three families is believed to own a copy. Put another way, it is now the all-time biggest-selling album in this country, and, with digital downloads increasingly battering the CD into submission, it looks certain that no other release will ever catch it.
Toyota announces big Prius recall1.9m third-generation cars affected by software problem that could damage hybrid system and cause sudden stop
Greece plummets to 99th place in press freedom indexFreedom of information is "repeatedly and blatantly flouted" in Greece, pushing the country into 99th place out of 180 countries this year's World Press Freedom Index.The country's downwards spiral in press freedom, which represents a drop of 50 places in just five years, is a "dizzying fall for the world’s oldest democracy", said Reporters Without Borders, which authored the report.
Spanish police have arrested an angry football fan on charges of animal cruelty after he threw a dog at a referee.
Turin Shroud: Could earthquake dating back to time of Jesus solve the mystery?Scientists believe radiation released by an earthquake may be behind the mysterious Shroud of Turin, Christianity's most famous relic... a team in Italy are now claiming the powerful magnitude 8.2 earthquake, which occurred in Old Jerusalem in the year 33 AD, the same year Christians believe Jesus was crucified, would have been strong enough to release neutron particles from crushed rock.
QuoteGreece plummets to 99th place in press freedom indexFreedom of information is "repeatedly and blatantly flouted" in Greece, pushing the country into 99th place out of 180 countries this year's World Press Freedom Index.The country's downwards spiral in press freedom, which represents a drop of 50 places in just five years, is a "dizzying fall for the world’s oldest democracy", said Reporters Without Borders, which authored the report. http://www.enetenglish.gr/?i=news.en.sport&id=1758Edit: typo
While freedom of information is occasionally abused in some European Union countries, it is repeatedly and blatantly flouted in others. This is the case in Greece, which has plunged more than 50 places in the press freedom index in the space of just five years. This is a dizzying fall for the world’s oldest democracy. The 2007 economic crisis hit the Greek media hard. The few wealthy shipowners and entrepreneurs who financed the national media have moved their investments into more profitable sectors. One news organization after another has announced layoffs. Many journalists are now unemployed. As well as economic difficulties, the Greek media have a bad reputation that is the result of years of clientelism. Reporters covering the frequent street protests against the austerity measures adopted by a series of short-lived governments have been the victims of both police violence and violence by demonstrators accusing them of colluding with the government. The security situation has been aggravated by the rise of the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, which won nearly 20 seats in the Voulí (parliament) in June 2012 thanks to euroscepticism and growing hostility towards foreigners accused of “stealing Greece.” Golden Dawn’s leaders and supporters openly target journalists. Physical attacks have become systematic throughout the country. Death threats are growing. June 2013 was a turning point in Greece’s media history. In a race to cut spending, conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras took what was an unprecedented decision in a European Union country. Under pressure from the troika (the European Commission, European Central Bank and IMF) to reduce the budget deficit, Samaras closed the state-owned national broadcaster, ERT, consisting of four TV stations and five radio stations. Just hours after ERT was told of the decision, dark screens with the words “No signal” stunned Europe and the world. Under international pressure, the government finally announced the creation of a new state broadcaster to be called NERIT.