Phidias' sculptures

A throng gasped as a blue crate containing a 2.5-tonne slab of marble regarded as one of the most important works of antiquity, was hoisted by a giant crane from the Acropolis in Greece. This was the first sculpture to legally leave the citadel since Phidias carved the artworks 2,500 years ago. The sculptures are being transferred to a new museum 400 metres away.

Art on pollution

Phidias' sculptures

A throng gasped as a blue crate containing a 2.5-tonne slab of marble regarded as one of the most important works of antiquity, was hoisted by a giant crane from the Acropolis in Greece. This was the first sculpture to legally leave the citadel since Phidias carved the artworks 2,500 years ago. The sculptures are being transferred to a new museum 400 metres away.

Art on pollution

No respite from forest fires in Europe

Europe continues to reel under forest fires that has up till now caused considerable damage to life, the environment and the economy. Experts have blamed the recent spurt in forest fire on global warming. Greece witnessed its worst forest fire this year. In the Peloponnese peninsula, more than 150,000 hectares (ha) of land and forest and 2,000 homes were burned down. On August 20, forest fires in Kassandra peninsula went out of control in northern Greece, forcing thousand tourists and local residents to flee. In all, it claimed about 65 lives.

Heat wave hits Europe

A severe heat wave has hit most parts of central and southeastern Europe causing deaths, forest fires and damaging crops. Countries like Romania, Austria, Croatia, Hungary are reeling under the heat. In Greece, where temperatures reached 39c on July

Oil spill by <i>Sea Diamond</i> in Greece's Aegean Sea

The oil spill caused by the Greek cruise ship, Sea Diamond, sinking in the Aegean Sea off the Santorini island, Greece, is still dirtying the island's coastline. Though the incident occurred in the first week of April, the Greek government is yet to initiate a mop up operation.

Greece may experience tsunami before century-end

The Mediterranean region, particularly the area around Greece, could be hit by a major tsunami before the end of the century, according to Gerassimos Papadopoulos, a scientist at the Athens Institute of Geodynamics.

Athens's fall

The Peloponnesian war has baffled historians for long. Among the epic conflicts of the ancient world, the war pitted the Greek city states of Athens and Sparta against each other. The seagoing Athenians met their match in the Spartans and their allies during a conflict that stretched from 431 bc to 404 bc.

Alarm over terror tool

after the anthrax scare, it is the fear of the smallpox virus -- a potential bioweapon -- which is prompting some countries to acquire stocks of smallpox vaccine. British officials announced that they had placed an order with a company for 30 million doses of the vaccine. Israel had recently ordered six million doses and France three million doses. Germany too had recently ordered six million doses, while Ireland and Greece had asked for 600,000 and 150,000 doses, respectively.