Greece's new Acropolis museum will drop some scenes of a short film by director Costa Gavras after protests from the country's powerful Orthodox Church, the museum's director said yesterday.
The row over the film, which informs visitors about the history of the 5th century BC Parthenon temple and depicts early Christians ruining the monument, erupted just weeks after the opening of the new Acropolis museum in June.
The Greek-born filmmaker, contributed a one minute and 40 second animation film showing figures in robes hacking at the temple to the museum's 13 minute video presentation.
"We don't want to offend anyone," the museum's director Dimitris Pantermalis said. "We will exclude this piece from the material he (Gavras) gave us," he said.
Greek media said the Church had protested to the museum. There was no official statement by the Holy Synod.
Greece's Orthodox Church officially represents more than 90 per cent of the 11 million strong population. Early Christians tore down statues and temples in a effort to eradicate paganism. (Reuters)
Grabbing poolside chairs even earlier
German tourists can now reserve their poolside recliners before they have even left home.
The German arm of Thomas Cook, Europe's second largest travel company, has been deluged with inquiries since announcing that holidaymakers at nine hotels in Turkey, Egypt and the Canary Islands can book recliners in advance for a fee.
Germans are famous around Europe for rising early to reserve recliners near the pool with their towels, and then going back to bed or eating a lengthy breakfast.
This often annoys tourists from other nations, but they will be unable to take advantage of the new service - it is valid only for holidaymakers booking their trips from Germany, Mathias Brandes, head of communications at Thomas Cook in Germany, said. (Reuters)
Claiming lost lottery ticket
A 44-year-old man who found a winning lottery ticket on a supermarket floor and cashed it in was ordered to pay back half the money plus interest to the original buyer.
Michael Stacey was told to return £15,111 at Swindon Crown Court in southwest England while his wife Amanda, 34, must pay a nominal fee of £5.
They spent half of a £30,000 jackpot after collecting the winnings on 61-year-old Dorothy McDonagh's ticket last year.
The pair were given 11-month suspended sentences for fraud in April but faced a further hearing last Friday to decide what should happen to the cash.
The case was brought after Ms McDonagh proved to lottery operators Camelot she had bought the winning ticket because she had kept the receipt. She has now hinted she may take further action against Camelot in a bid to recover the rest of the cash. (AFP)
Wedding dance video goes viral
A Minnesota couple's joyous wedding dance featuring the bride and groom boogieing down the aisle to the altar has become a web sensation, racking up millions of views on YouTube.
The dance sequence opening the wedding ceremony of Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson in St Paul, Minnesota, has been viewed more than 4.75 million times since it went up on the video-sharing site less than a week ago.
In the five-minute video, ushers, bridesmaids and groomsmen shimmy down the aisle to the strains of the Chris Brown song Forever - and the surprise of the guests gathered in the church. The groom performs a somersault on his way to the altar and his hip-swaying bride receives a standing ovation as she joins him for the exchange of vows.
Ms Peterson and Mr Heinz, the only guests who were aware of what was going to happen were their parents.
The new bride said she has always "loved dance as a way to express yourself and share joy." (AFP)
Warship fires on apartment block
A Russian warship preparing for a holiday celebration accidentally fired a dummy artillery shell into the courtyard of an apartment building on Friday, officials said.
Nobody was hurt but the shell's impact broke windows and left a small crater outside the nine-storey apartment building in Vladivostok, a port city on Russia's Pacific Ocean coast close to China and Japan.
"There were no explosives in the dummy shell," Roman Martov, a spokesman for Russia's Vladivostok-based Pacific Fleet, said. "The reasons why the rocket-assisted projectile flew a greater distance than it had been assigned are unknown," he added.
Local police said in a statement that the impact shattered the windows of several apartments and scattered fragments of rock and glass on nearby cars, but added that there were no injuries.
The warship that fired the shell was taking part in rehearsals for yesterday's celebrations of the annual Navy Day holiday. (AFP)
Minister rapped for holidaying with limo
Germany's Social Democrat (SPD) Health Minister came under pressure yesterday to explain why she took her official limousine, complete with chauffeur, on holiday to Spain where the vehicle was stolen. Opposition politicians demanded Ulla Schmidt provide more details about the affair, which could damage the SPD who trail Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives by more than 10 points in opinion polls.
The Health Ministry issued a statement yesterday, saying an official car and driver were available to Ms Schmidt, and all Cabinet members, for business and private use at all times.
"She used the official car several times both on official business and privately on her holiday in Spain this year," said the ministry in a statement. Thieves stole the keys from the chauffeur's accommodation near Alicante, a ministry mouth-piece had said on Saturday. (AFP)