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Knob-throwing to return to Dorset after five-year absenceDorset's famous knob-throwing festival is to make a comeback this summer, five years after it was scrapped for getting too big.The annual contest, which sees people compete to hurl the county's traditional biscuit as far as possible, began in 2008, but stopped in 2019 because a large enough venue wasn't available.The pandemic put paid to the 2021 event, and in 2022 organisers said the event had grown too large to be run by a small village committee.But now it's been announced the event will return to a new venue.
Post Office ex-chairman told to 'slow payments' to help Tories limp into electionThe former chairman of the Post Office has claimed he was instructed by a senior Government official to slow down compensation payments for sub-postmasters to allow the Tories to “limp into” the next election.Henry Staunton, who was removed from his role by Kemi Badenoch, the Business Secretary, just weeks after the outcry over ITV drama into the Horizon scandal, said the request from a civil servant came soon after he took up the role in December 2022.He also alleged that the chief executive of the Post Office, Nick Read, had written to the Government in an attempt to dissuade them from arranging blanket exonerations of the sub-postmasters. On Saturday the Government strongly denied the claims in the Sunday Times.
Court intervenes to remove minors from ‘Amish’ family living in tunnelThe underage children in a family that describes itself as an “early Christian community, similar to America’s Amish” and lives in a makeshift dwelling without rudimentary facilities in the northeast Peloponnese, have been taken into state care following the intervention of a prosecutor. The prosecutor ordered that the minors, who have been absent from school for four years, be relocated to a safe environment. Additionally, an investigation into the family’s living conditions, described in local reports as “primitive,” was requested. The seven-member family reportedly resided without access to electricity or running water in a shack with a 30-meter tunnel running beneath it, near the village of Manna in the Corinthia region. A search conducted inside the tunnel by special police forces also uncovered a shotgun, a military-grade rifle, 102 rounds of ammunition, two improvised firearms, seven makeshift bows, 20 arrows, two axes, two shell magazines, and 19 shotgun shells.
Prince William to build homes on Duchy of Cornwall land to tackle homelessnessThe Prince of Wales has announced plans to build homes on Duchy of Cornwall land to tackle homelessness in the South West of England.Working with Cornish homelessness charity St Petrocs, the project will provide 24 homes in Nansledan, Newquay, with “wrap-around support” for local people experiencing homelessness to create a path to a permanent home.The development of “high-quality temporary accommodation that feels like home” is due to begin in September 2024 with the first homes expected to be completed in the autumn of 2025, according to a statement from the estate.
I LOVE MY DOG SHOW 14 February-3 March 2024Our 2024 online virtual dog show opens TODAY Wednesday February 14th and will run until Sunday March 3rd for photo submission entries.There are 10 classes plus a special class for the cat/s in your life!Rosettes for places 1st to 8th in each classEntry is £2 per class. You can enter as many classes as you would like so long as your pet/photo fits the class description.
Proposal Limiting Commercial Use of Greece’s Beaches Seen Too WeakThe New Democracy government’s response to protests against public beaches being taken over by businesses has been to draft limits on how much can be used, with public responses and environmentalists saying it falls too short.Greek governments – in violation of the Constitution which stipulates all beaches are public – allows businesses to lease 50 percent of the space – often exceeded or violated and essentially exempted luxury resorts taking over whole beachfronts.Comments submitted after the proposal was put out for public review showed skepticism that the new measures would be enforced and that they didn’t go far enough to ensure public access to beaches.New rules would set distances between concessions, the maximum area of beach that can be granted for exploitation, and the safeguarding of beaches where commercial exploitation is not allowed.Current regulations have been ignored in many cases and demolitions of unlawful businesses on public beaches delayed for years and the ministry is taking jurisdiction over them away from municipalities, left powerless.