Amal Clooney arrives in Athens on Elgin Marbles return mission

 


Amal Alamuddin has returned to work with her bang after marrying actor George Clooney, as she arrived in Athens on Monday. Mrs Clooney turned up for a three-day visit to advise the government on its legal chances for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum in London.

I am honoured to have been invited by the government to attend a series of meetings this week, I am very much looking orward to it, and thank you for the warm welcome.

Greece has been requesting the marbles return since the 1980's and various public figures, celebrities, and athletes have supported the cause, such as actors Sean Connery and Judi Dench.

The marbles, also known as the Elgin marbles, which are sculptured pieces of the Parthenon temple, were removed by Thomas Bruce, the Earl of Elgin, from 1802 to 1804, when Greece was occupied by the Ottoman Empire.

Bruce, who was an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, shipped them back to Britain. They were then passed on to the British Museum.

Along with lawyer and author Geoffrey Robertson, Amal is to discuss the possible legal avenues that could be available for the Greek government to pursue.

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Clooney Says Goodbye to the Single Life

 


The man once-dubbed the world's most eligible bachelor bids farewell to the single life.

Following their star-studded wedding at the 7-star Aman Canal Grande hotel, it's time for some rest and relaxation.

Newlywed lovebirds George Clooney and wife Amal Alamuddin greet the married life with a ride on the Venetian lagoon.

But not without basking in the limelight of a paparazzi frenzy as they cruise over to the Cipriani hotel for a late lunch.

As if their star-studded wedding could be more extravagant — rumors are circulating in Italian media that the former mayor of Rome, a film buff and friend of Clooney's, will officiate a civil ceremony Monday.

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Supermoon Lights up Night Skies

 


A moon of enormous porportions was in full view on Sunday as the satellite reached one of it's closets points to Earth during it's orbit.

From Malta to London… the shining supermoon was quite the sight for on lookers in cloudless skies.

One little girl in France described some scientific details on the phenomenon.

"As you can see, it's really bright. It's a full moon, but really, really bright. There's only going to be four … three, sorry, of these moons in the whole of 2014. There's only going to be three of these moons the whole year."

The moon will actually reach it's closet point all decade during the full moon on November 14th 2016 when it will be a mere 220,000 miles away from Earth.

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Amazing Rescue: British man saved from icy waters during Clipper race

 


“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! We have a man overboard.”

These chilling cries for help were called out in the early hours of Monday morning, as a British man was rescued from the Pacific Ocean, after falling overboard during the World Clipper Race.

Andrew Taylor, from London, was changing a sail with a fellow crew member when he went over the side and was dunked into the ice-cold water.

After being swept away from the yacht by high winds, he spent about one and a half hours in the Pacific before he was plucked from the ocean by his team-mates.

Speaking back on board the boat Andrew, who is being treated for shock and hypothermia, said he feared the crew would not be able to find him.

“I didn’t know if you were looking for me or not. I didn’t know if you’d see me.”

“Didn’t you hear Shane shout?”

“No, I heard nothing. And then I saw somebody at the mast. Initially, I thought it was a good thing because I knew you were looking for me, and then I realised that it might be a bad thing because it meant you didn’t know where I was.”

The terrifying incident happened during race 10 in the 16th stage of the Round the World Race, currently racing to San Francisco from Qingdao in China.

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Men base jump from World Trade Centre in New York

 


This head cam footage, filmed by daredevils in New York, shows heart-stopping scenes as they jump from the top of the World Trade Centre.

The video features two extreme thrill-seekers taking the plunge from the top of the 104 storey building.

Assembled at the top with helmets and parachutes, one after the other they leaped from the edge, gliding down to the almost-deserted roads below and walk off into the night with their parachutes.

Security cameras around the World Trade Centre site had recorded at least two figures in black suits and helmets, landing and making their escape on foot, in the early hours last September.

One person is said to have remained on the ground while the other three jumped. Four men have been accused of organising the stunt, and were arrested on charges of burglary and reckless endangerment, after turning themselves in at a New York police station on Monday.

A lawyer representing one of the men characterised them as “professional thrill-seekers”, and said that all four men would plead not guilty.

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Surfing dogs: Pups hit the waves for surfing competition in Australia

 


Is it a boat? Is it a plane? No, it’s a surfing dog. Yes, that’s right! This little doggy took to the waves during the world’s biggest surf festival in Australia. And he’s not the only one, as pups join their owners on the surfboards during the Dog Spectacular event, as part of the Noosa Festival of Surfing.

“It’s something very different. Two years ago when I first did it, I was just thinking wow, this is something different, the amount of the people on the beach. I’ve never seen that many people in my life, and having to share that with a group of mates, sharing that experience with our hounds, that’s awesome! He loves it. He would not do it otherwise, like I don’t know him from a bar of soap and all I’ve got to do is pat that deck of the board, and he’s on there.”

The surfing dogs are judged along with their master riders on commitment, length of ride and style. Around 500 riders from 13 nations including pro surfers and amateurs, hit Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, competing with canines and champions, but sadly, no cats.

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Sports car breaks speeds of 270 mph on NASA landing strip in Florida

 


The Hennessey Venom GT isn’t just pretty to look at. It’s now known as the fastest sports car in the world.

The super car set a new land speed record earlier this month, clocking in at 270.49 miles per hour. It narrowly beats the old record held by Bugatti’s Veyron Super Sport.

The record-setting run happened earlier this month at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on a runway made for space shuttle landings.

The entire run from naught to 270.49 mph took less than a minute.

It’s unclear, however, whether the car’s achievement will make it into the Guinness World Records. To be officially recognised, a car must make two runs in opposite directions, something that wasn’t allowed on the NASA landing strip.

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Piranha-Like Fish Bite Over 70 Bathers in Argentina

 


A swarm of biting fish injured more than 70 people who were bathing at a popular beach in Argentina on Christmas, said a medical official on Thursday.

A seven-year-old girl had her finger partially amputated and dozens more suffered bite wounds on their extremities.

Director of emergency services in Rosario says the biting fish is a relative of the piranha called "palometas".

The attack happened off the popular beaches of the Parana River near Rosario, 186 miles north of Buenos Aires, where many Argentines were seeking relief from a heat wave over the holiday.

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Pooing Christmas figurines: Strange Barcelona tradition kicks off for the festive season

 


Christmas arrives in Barcelona and with the usual festive figurines comes a strange Catalan tradition that of the “caganer” or “pooper”.

Traditionally, a caganer shows a peasant wearing a red beret and a white blouse bending over and going to the toilet, but in recent years an array of popular characters and celebrities have also been captured with their pants down with nobody being spared.

“I think it’s incredible. It’s funny. I’ve never heard of it and I think we should really start bringing it to America because it’s a great tradition.”

The figurines are often placed under bridges, behind haystacks or in the nativity scene… the choice of Barcelona’s midfielder Fabregas.

“My caganer has been in our nativity for three years now. My grandmother found it somewhere and bought it. It’s a very beautiful tradition and we have to keep it.”

Yes, because nothing beats a figurine of yourself squatting behind the manger.

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