Monthly Archives: April 2015

Under normal circumstances, the inauguration of a multistory parking garage would not be not newsworthy. But the case of the new facility opened by Athens metro operator Attiko Metro in the downtown area of Kerameikos is somewhat unique. The underground parking garage is located on the original site for the Kerameikos metro station, which was then moved 300 meters away due to archaeological discoveries.

The plot on the corner of Pireos and Iera Odos streets lay unused for years until finally things got moving and the underground parking garage opened in early March. It has five stories, with each level measuring 2,500 square meters and with a capacity for 274 vehicles. It is open 24 hours a day (a wise decision considering it is located close to one of the capital’s busiest nightlife districts) and is reasonably priced: starting at 2 euros for metro passengers (who have to display their tickets) or 3 euros for everyone else from 6 to 9 p.m., and up to 5 euros from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The ground-level “roof” of the parking garage has been turned into a green space and ceded back to the City of Athens, which originally owned the plot.

The story of the parking lot is strange, aside from the fact that the facility has been ready for several years but didn’t open until now. To begin with, it was built simply as a way to hold on to European Union funding. According to the original plans in the 1980s, the plot was intended for the new Kerameikos metro station, which is now on the main square in the nearby Gazi district. Excavations began in 1992 and the metro tunnel was supposed to run 20 meters underground, well below the level that the majority of antiquities in central Athens were found at. But archaeologists had expressed serious reservations about the location because of its proximity to the Ancient Cemetery of Kerameikos.

As it turned out, they were right. After five years, the excavations hit the western end of the cemetery, prompting a scramble to find a new site for the station that took on such controversial proportions that it was taken as far as the European Parliament. In 1997, the Central Archaeological Council laid the matter to rest by prohibiting the construction of a tunnel beneath Kerameikos. In the meantime, however, Attiko Metro had started the building the station’s shell, spending some 5.8 million euros on that phase of the project.

The station was moved, some 300 meters away, to Gazi. But if precious European funding for the project was not to be lost, something had to be made of the shell at Pireos and Iera Odos which had to be linked in some way to the operation of the metro. The decision for a parking garage was reached in 2007 and a tender was launched. The budget was 8.3 million euros with a 2009 completion date.

However, years of abandonment had turned the huge hole dug for the station into a massive pool, affecting the structural integrity of the shell in which the five-story car park would be constructed. The contractor had to carry out additional construction, raising the budget by an additional 978,000 euros. He claimed the cost to have been higher and took the matter to court, where he was this year awarded an additional 419,000 euros on top of his claim.

Therefore, adding the initial cost of 5.8 million euros for the station’s shell, the overall tab for the parking lot has come to 15.8 million euros, when the car park at the Syngrou-Fix metro station, for example, cost 13.2 million euros and has more than double the capacity, at 642 slots. So, when you park your car at the new car park, remember that your space cost the state 57,400 euros.

source: ekathimerini.com

Photo: Anthony Ray Hinton was greeted by family outside the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Alabama. (Reuters: Marvin Gentry)

 An Alabama man who spent 30 years on death row for crimes he did not commit has walked free from court after his conviction for a 1985 double murder was overturned because of insufficient evidence.

Anthony Ray Hinton, 58, emerged from Jefferson County Courthouse to cheers from well-wishers before being embraced by tearful friends and relatives, a day after a judge dismissed all charges against him.

“Sun do shine,” an emotional Mr Hinton said moments after his release.

“They had every intention of executing me for something I didn’t do … I shouldn’t have sat on death row for 30 years.”

Mr Hinton was released after a key piece of ballistics evidence used against him in his December 1986 trial for two separate murders during robberies in Birmingham was discredited.

State technicians said bullets recovered from the crime scene were fired from a gun later recovered from Mr Hinton’s mother.

But subsequent tests later cast doubt on the assertion that the bullets used in the killings came from the gun.

A long legal saga culminated in victory last year when the US Supreme Court ruled Mr Hinton had not been given an adequate defence.

His trial lawyer had hired an expert witness not properly qualified to challenge the ballistics evidence.

“All they had to do was test the gun,” Mr Hinton told reporters, frequently wiping away tears.

“But when you think you’re high and mighty and above the law, you don’t have to answer to nobody.

“But I’ve got news for you — everybody that played a part in sending me to death row, you will answer to God.”

Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Laura Petro dismissed all charges against Mr Hinton after his lawyers from the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) argued there was not enough evidence linking him to the crimes.

Hinton one of longest-serving death row prisoners

Mr Hinton, who was 29 at the time of the killings, was one of the longest-serving death row prisoners in Alabama history and among the longest-serving condemned prisoners to be freed, according to EJI.

He was charged after two restaurant managers were shot dead in a robbery at a fast-food restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama.

Police did not find eyewitnesses or fingerprint evidence, according to EJI. That same year, another restaurant was held up at gun point and the manager was shot and seriously injured.

The manager identified Mr Hinton as the suspect, though Mr Hinton said he was at work at the time 24 kilometres away. A manager and colleagues backed his alibi.

Chief attorney Bryan Stevenson said Mr Hinton, who is black, was wrongly convicted in part because the colour of his skin.

“Race, poverty, inadequate legal assistance, and prosecutorial indifference to innocence conspired to create a textbook example of injustice,” Mr Stevenson said.

Mr Hinton is the 152nd person on death row to be cleared since 1973 and the second to be exonerated in 2015, according to the Death Penalty Information Centre.

source:abc.net.au

Rallies and counter-rallies have been held around the country, with one man arrested as opposing groups of protesters confronted each other over issues of extremism and tolerance.

The Reclaim Australia group said its rallies on Saturday were a public response to Islamic extremism and a protest against minority groups who want to change the Australian cultural identity.

The group held 16 rallies in capital cities, regional and rural centres, speaking out against sharia law, halal certification and Islamic extremism.

Counter-rallies organised by opposing groups were protesting against Reclaim Australia, which they say is anti-Muslim.

A man at the Reclaim Australia rally in Hobart was arrested and charged with assault after his group clashed with the counter-rally supporting multiculturalism.

Clare Fester, who organised the counter-rally in Sydney, said Reclaim Australia was racist and divisive.

“It’s quite clearly an attack on Muslims and Muslim communities in this country,” she said.

“It’s all about halal food, sharia law, banning the burka.

“[It’s] something I think that’s been encouraged by mainstream politicians as well, with Abbott attacking Muslim leaders and telling them they need to stamp out extremism that really doesn’t exist, certainly not in Australia.”

Reclaim Australia’s John Oliver said it was wrong to label the group racist.

“We’re not against any particular race or any particular religion,” he said.

“We’re against the extremists of one particular religion.

“I know in Sydney and Melbourne they’ve got Muslims already signed on to attend because they can see what’s happening and they don’t like what’s happening.”

Heavy rain in Sydney did not deter either group, with 500 Reclaim Australia supporters gathering in Martin Place and police having to remove opposition protesters after they stormed the group’s stage.

“We have an extreme ideology called Islam which is starting to gain a foothold in our societies,” a man known as “the great Australian patriot” told supporters.

Anti-racist rally organiser Mel Gregson said Reclaim Australia was spreading “conspiracy theories”, particularly by linking halal products with the Islamic State terrorist group.

“It’s basically implicating good Muslim people in the political movements of a tiny minority,” she said.

Ms Gregson said the coalition of community organisations, trade unions and left groups had chosen to hold their rally at Federation Square to directly oppose Reclaim Australia’s message.

“We’re not interested in holding our rally somewhere else and talking to people who already agree that racism is a bad thing — the vast majority of people in Australia agree with us on that,” she said.

“What we’re trying to say is that this is dangerous to allow hate speech to occur on the streets of Melbourne.”

One Nation’s Pauline Hanson addressed supporters in Brisbane, while opposition protesters booed and held signs saying “racists and bigots please go back to where you came from”.

“My fellow Australians, we have people here today who stand against racism. Thank you for your support, so do I,” Ms Hanson said.

“[The] media and some others have targeted this as a racist rally before any Australian has the opportunity to voice their concerns.

“For too long we have suffered trial by media and those with hidden agendas. Let my fellow Australians judge me on what I say, but don’t deny me my right to have my say.

“I’m not a racist — criticism is not racism. I am a proud Australian fighting for our democracy, culture, and way of life.

“This rally being held across our nation today was called out of sheer frustration from ordinary Australians who fear for the future of our nation and the mindset of our politicians, who don’t appear to be listening.”

Photo: There was a significant police presence at the rallies in Brisbane’s King George Square. (ABC News: Alison Middleton)

 Danny Nalliah from the Rise Up Australia Party addressed the rally in Melbourne and said he was “not against Muslim people, but … opposed to the teachings of Islam”.

“We love the Germans, we oppose the Nazi philosophy. We oppose communist philosophy but we love the Russians and Chinese,” he said.

“Likewise, we oppose Islam but we love the Muslim people.”

In Tasmania, the Reclaim Australia protesters were outnumbered by opposition groups, with 40 turning out to protest against halal products and Sharia law.

They were met by about 100 people in a counter-rally calling for an end to racism and Islamophobia.

Photo: Police kept a close eye on protests in Hobart’s Franklin Square. (ABC News: Linda Hunt)

 There were several heated exchanges between groups, including pushing and shoving during the protest.

Likewise there was a heavy police presence in Adelaide as rival groups came face to face outside Parliament House in the city.

Hundreds of protesters rallied at Elder Park, then marched to nearby Parliament House carrying banners against Islam.

Some people were draped in Australian flags and some dressed as tubes of Vegemite.

Police cordoned off a rival group of supporters of multiculturalism, who protested against the Reclaim rally.

Protester John Bolton said his group was opposed to extremism but not Muslims in the wider community.

“What I’m not against is ordinary Australian people who happen to be Muslims who follow their faith, they don’t need anybody’s permission provided they comply with the Australian civil and criminal law and want to comply with our constitution,” he said.

Photo: Police separate protesters from Reclaim Australia and the Socialist Party at opposing rallies in Perth, April 4, 2015. (ABC News: Marcus Alborn)

 About 300 people attended the rally at Parliament Place in Perth, including men, women and children.

Some of the men had their faces covered with skull masks or flags.

In their speeches, Reclaim Australia advocates denied several times that they were racist and said they just wanted Australia to be a Christian-based society.

Those at the rally goaded and jeered at a counter protest about one-third the size of the Reclaim rally.

Socialists, unionists and Indigenous people were joined by others who opposed the sentiments of Reclaim Australia.

A heavy police presence kept the two groups separated across the car park.

 

Η καταστροφή της αρχαίας πόλης Χάτρα από τους τζιχαντιστές έγινε γνωστή τον προηγούμενο μήνα. Σοκ προκαλεί τώρα βίντεο που φέρεται να δείχνει τζιχαντιστές του Ισλαμικού Κράτους να καταστρέφουν αρχαιότητες της πόλης.

Το βίντεο που δόθηκε στη δημοσιότητα το βράδυ της Παρασκευής δείχνει έναν άνδρα ανεβασμένο σε μία σκάλα να χρησιμοποιεί βαριοπούλα για να χτυπήσει ένα από τα γλυπτά που κοσμούν κτίριο της Χάτρα, μέχρι αυτό να γίνει χίλια κομμάτια.

Το βίντεο δείχνει, επίσης, έναν ένοπλο να ρίχνει με καλάσνικοφ σε άλλο γλυπτό, ενώ κάποιοι άνδρες καταστρέφουν αγάλματα.

Το Ισλαμικό Κράτος καταστρέφει αρχαιότητες, λέγοντας ότι προωθούν την ειδωλολατρία. Πολλές άλλες θεωρείται ότι πωλούνται στη μαύρη αγορά για να χρηματοδοτήσουν τη δράση των τζιχαντιστών.

Μετά την κατάρρευση της αυτοκρατορίας των Ασσυρίων, αραβικές φυλές μετανάστευσαν στη βόρεια περιοχή της Μεσοποταμίας και εγκαταστάθηκαν στην περιοχή της μελλοντικής Χάτρα. Το 3ο αιώνα η Χάτρα έχει ιδρυθεί ως πόλη στο βασίλειο των Σελευκιδών.

Υπήρξε σημαντική οχυρωμένη συνοριακή πόλη και άντεξε επανειλημμένες επιθέσεις από τη Ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία.

Στην πόλη διακρίνονται οι επιρροές της ελληνικής κουλτούρας με άλλες (της Μεσοποταμίας, της Χαναανικής). Η Χάτρα αποτελεί προστατευόμενο μνημείο κληρονομιάς της UNESCO.

Σοκ έχουν προκαλέσει οι καταστροφές που προκαλούν τζιχαντιστές στον πολιτισμό του Ιράκ. Αφού κατέστρεψαν τους αρχαιολογικούς θησαυρούς στο μουσείο της Μοσούλης, ισοπέδωσαν με μπουλντόζες την πόλη Νιμρούντ, ένα ανεκτίμητης αρχαιολογικής και ιστορικής σημασίας στολίδι της παγκόσμιας πολιτιστικής κληρονομιάς.

Πηγή:in.gr

Protests in Melbourne turned violent when anti-Islam and anti-racism groups clashed.

Police were forced separate Reclaim Australia supporters and opposing protesters by forming a wall at separate rallies. Crowd numbers continued to grow throughout the afternoon, and some protesters had to be treated by paramedics after the ugly clashes.

It comes after a Twitter account claiming to be linked with anti-Islam groups has mocked protests being held around Australia.

Melbourne police formed a barrier between the separate rallies to attempt to disperse the protesters

It comes after a Twitter account claiming to be linked with anti-Islam groups has mocked protests

It was originally thought Reclaim Australia had handed over the reigns to one of their supporters to control their feed throughout the protests

Crowd numbers grew during the afternoon, and some protesters had to be treated by paramedics

Across Australia, 16 rallies were scheduled to take place, but Sydney and Melbourne drew the biggest crowd

It was originally thought Reclaim Australia had handed over the reigns to one of their supporters to control their feed throughout the protests.

‘Whats wrong with muslims anyway? I dun get it,’ one tweet from the account read.

‘In the car reading stuff – wots xenophobia? help me out,’ another said.

However, ‘Jeremy’ began to tweet a number of joke comments shortly after the Sydney protest got underway.

‘Man f**k this noise I’m gonna get stoned in the park peace out.’

Once the tweets began to get attention, a ‘statement’ was released that explained its account was misused and it then said other events around the country would be cancelled.

Two people were taken away by police officers after they rushed the stage and attempted to disrupt the rally

More than 100 police officers, eleven mounted on horses were used to form the separation wall

However, organisers behind the Sydney protest were quick to disassociate themselves with the account.

‘It’s not us,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. ‘Ours is @reclaim_aus.’

Twitter users quickly began to poke fun at the group after doubts over the page emerged.

‘Maybe before you you practice on something small like reclaiming your Twitter account. Work up to the big stuff slowly,’ one said.

Several were injured during the violent rally that saw hundreds of people protest for anti-racism

There was a strong police presence throughout the protest, which included riot police

Two people were arrested after they attempted to break through a police barricade that separated the groups

Across the country, 16 rallies were scheduled to take place, with events in Sydney and Melbourne appearing to have drawn the biggest crowds.

About 500 people attended the rally held in Martin Place, Sydney, which included speeches from former Australia Defence League member Shermon Burgess and Rise Up! Australia Party NSW President Norm Bishop.

Hundreds of people attended the ‘Reclaim Australia’ rally held in Martin Place, Sydney

Protesters in the crowd carried flags and chanted “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie – Oi, Oi, Oi” and many carried banners denouncing Islam

Two people were taken away by officers after they rushed the stage and attempted to disrupt the rally

Protesters cheered as speakers said Australians had to be aware and alert to the threat of Islam and sharia law

There was a strong police presence throughout the protest, which included riot police. Two people were taken away by officers after they rushed the stage and attempted to disrupt the rally. One took the microphone and told the crowd they should be ‘ashamed’.

In Melbourne, protesters clashed with anti-racism activists in Federation Square. Two people were arrested after they attempted to break through a police barricade that separated the different groups.

Several more were injured in the combative protests, according to reports.

source:dailymail.co.uk

Sydney were left to rue a glut of chances but a standout performance from gloveman Eugene Galekovic, who made nine brilliant saves and then provided the assist for Mabil, ensured the Reds went home winners at a rain-soaked Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

Adelaide temporarily take a one-point lead on the ladder with Wellington, Melbourne Victory and Perth yet to play.

Sydney continued their poor home form, with all five losses this season coming at Allianz Stadium, to drop to fourth.

Sydney dominated the Reds, who for the first time in their history, did not register a single shot on target in the opening half.

After missing last week’s clash on international duty, Marc Janko was back leading Sydney’s attack.

And he almost found the back of the net inside the first five minutes when Bernie Ibini whipped the ball across, but sent his header wide.

Ibini provided the perfect ball into the box again in the 17th minute with skipper Alex Brosque launching on to it to force a save from Galekovic.

Ibini continued to terrorise Adelaide on the right wing, sending several more balls across the face of goal, the Sky Blues just unable to capitalise.

Brosque looked like finally breaking the deadlock just before the break with Galekovic pulling off a superb save to deny the striker.

Bruce Djite finally attempted the Reds’ first strike in the 47th minute, but it proved light work for gloveman Vedran Janjetovic.

The 11,585 fans were sent into raptures when Janko appeared to put Sydney ahead in the 51st minute, only to realise he had been correctly ruled off-side.

Galekovic came to the Reds’ rescue in the 53rd minute to deny a shot from close range from Christopher Naumoff and again, two minutes later, to diffuse a shot from Brosque.

The Sky Blues were dealt a blow with midfielder Mickael Tavares suffering what appeared to be a groin injury on the hour with Rhyan Grant replacing him.

With Janko having no luck, coach Graham Arnold made the bold move of taking the marquee striker off in favour of 17-year-old George Blackwood in the 76th minute.

But for all of Sydney’s tirades, it would be the Reds who would score when substitute Mabil was able to get on to a long ball from Galekovic to net a sensational strike in the 82nd minute.

source:theaustralian.com.au

Galekovic would deny the Sky Blues several times again before the final whistle, diffusing strikes from Blackwood, Matthew Jurman and Robert Stambolziev.