| Stop Press
A compilation of media articles on heritage topics. Obviously, these all reflect the viewpoints of the authors.

31 July
- X-rays reveal Van Gogh portrait
BBC News, United Kingdom
A new X-ray technique has revealed a previously unknown portrait of a woman by Vincent van Gogh, which was painted over by the artist.
- Una antigua "computadora" olímpica
BBC Mundo, United Kingdom
El "Mecanismo de Anticitera", un artefacto construido en Grecia hacia el siglo II AC, no deja de generar sorpresas, según se desprende del último hallazgo sobre las funciones de esta especie de primitiva computadora.

30 July
- Olympic link to early 'computer'
BBC News, United Kingdom
A 2,100-year-old "computer" found in a Roman shipwreck may have acted as a calendar for the Olympic Games, scientists report in Nature journal.
- English Heritage launches online TV
The Press Association, United Kingdom
The programmes on the English Heritage website also include one on Dover Castle's secret wartime tunnel and another on the conservation of Silbury Hill.
- La Chine augmentera les cours de "patrimoine culturel immatériel"
Xinhua, China
Après avoir introduit l'Opéra de Pékin dans les cursus des écoles primaires secondaires, la Chine plannifie d'ajouter d'autres spécialités du patrimoine culturel immatériel du pays à la scolarité, telles que les découpages de papiers et les chansons folkloriques.

29 July
- Treasure hunt in heritage city
Malaysia Star, Malaysia
The National Press Club-Celcom Media Treasure Hunt 2008 will be held for the second year on Aug 23 with George Town, recently listed as a World Heritage Site, being chosen as the destination.
- Our heritage is sacred
ICOMOS-UK, United Kingdom
Our Sacred Landscapes was an evening discussion event organised by ICOMOS-UK, the first in a new series called Conversations.
- L'histoire du Maroc en caravane
Le Matin, Morocco
Le soir, des groupes de différentes tendances musicales à savoir chaâbi, andalousi, malhoun, rap… chantent et dansent pour un public émerveillé et conquis.
- «Globo» diffuse une série de reportages sur le Maroc
Le Matin.ma, Morocco
A l'occasion de la Fête du Trône, la chaîne de télévision brésilienne "Globo" a diffusé, du 22 au 25 juillet, quatre reportages sur le Maroc dans le but de permettre au public brésilien de découvrir la richesse de la culture millénaire du Royaume.
- Plus de 1200 musées seront ouverts gratuitement au public
Centre d'Informations Internet de Chine
L'année prochaine, plus de 1200 musées d'Etat ouvriront gratuitement leurs portes au public et le prix des billets d'entrée de certains musées et sites historiques, tels que la Cité Interdite de Beijing ou bien encore l'armée de terre cuite de Xi'an, devrait très probablement baissé, a annoncé Zhang bo, directeur adjoint du Bureau d'État du Patrimoine Culturel lors d'une interview qui a eu lieu au centre international des médias de Beijing.
- Un costoso accidente artístico
BBC Mundo, United Kingdom
Una obra de la escultora costarricense Tatiana Echeverri Fernández valuada en US$12.000 fue destruida accidentalmente por un visitante a una exhibición que tiene lugar en la Royal Academy of Arts de Londres.
- Promoverán Patrimonio Cultural
Tribuna de San Luis, Mexico
Brenda Román Ibarra: Con la finalidad de hacer una guía turística que permita promover al municipio entre los mismo residentes de esta localidad y de esta manera puedan conocer y apreciar los distintos valore tangibles e intangibles con los que se cuentan, se llevará a cabo el Registro del Patrimonio Cultural.

28 July
- Aid to conserve heritage houses
Times of India
Heritage houses in Goa could get a new lease of life courtesy tourism. In a move that could serve two purposes, the government has announced financial assistance to owners of heritage houses in a bid to augment room capacity while also conserving heritage homes in the state.
- Pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine
Radio-Canada
Le gouvernement du Québec versera une contribution de 187 000 dollars au Musée des Ursulines de Québec pour la réalisation d'un projet de restauration.

26 July
- Cambodia promises Thai safety
Bangkok Post, Thailand
Cambodia imposed extra security and will make it a priority to ensure all Thais and their businesses are safe during weekend elections.

25 July
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Cover-up mummies to be unwrapped
BBC News, United Kingdom
Manchester Museum's controversial decision to cover up its Egyptian mummies has been reversed.
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Mission possible: Film restoration
BBC News, United Kingdom
Spencer Kelly visits the Warner Bros archive in Los Angeles to meet the people painstakingly restoring old films using the latest technology.
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Rare fossils in India threatened
BBC News, United Kingdom
Salman Ravi: A treasure trove of history preserved by nature for millions of years in eastern India is threatened with extinction.
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Antique maps transferred to Heritage Malta
Times of Malta
Salman Ravi: Heritage Malta today formally acquired a unique collection of antique maps of Malta which was built over a period of 50 years by lawyer and historian Dr Albert Ganado.
- Renforcement de la coopération décentralisée
Le Matin.ma, Morocco
Au terme d'une réunion, tenue mercredi et jeudi à Béni Mellal, une série d'actions prioritaires ont été identifiées visant notamment la lutte contre la pauvreté en valorisant les potentialités locales, la promotion de la diversité et de l'ouverture culturelle et le développement local durable.
- Le patrimoine culturel sérère visité
Sud Quotidien, Senegal
La communauté sérère s’est donnée rendez-vous mercredi nuit au centre culturel de Ziguinchor pour la prestation de Latyr Faye, lead vocal du groupe Khelaar. Une tournée placée sous le signe de la paix en Casamance, organisée avec l’appui du ministre de la culture et du patrimoine historique classé.
- Campaña de TV resaltará importancia del patrimonio
La Nación, Costa Rica
Pablo Fonseca Q: ¿Por qué es importante que se proteja el patrimonio arquitectónico de Costa Rica? La respuesta a esta pregunta la ilustra una campaña que el Ministerio de Cultura presenta desde ayer en la televisión.

24 July
- Heritage center opens in Beijing
Xinhua, China
The World Heritage Institute of Training and Research-Asia and Pacific was set up Wednesday in Beijing to promote the country's work of conserving cultural and natural heritage.

23 July
- Temple row 'to ease after polls'
BBC News, United Kindom
A stand-off involving hundreds of troops at a border temple will ease after Cambodia's general election on Sunday, the Thai prime minister says.
- Fossils date Dry Valleys' origin
BBC News, United Kindom
Jonathan Amos : Tiny fossils have helped refine the timing of the climate shift that gave rise to Antarctica's remarkable Dry Valleys, a landscape akin to Mars.

21 July
- 2 sides to discuss temple area dispute
Chicago Tribune, United States
Cambodia and Thailand will begin talks Monday aimed at resolving a lingering dispute over territory near a World Heritage Site temple, where more than 4,000 troops from the two sides have been deployed.

20 July
- Hadrian sculpture to go on show
BBC News, United Kingdom
Marble sculptures of Roman Emperor Hadrian, his wife Sabina and male lover Antinous are to be displayed at London's British Museum.
- Restauration des sculptures rupestres de Dazu
CCTV.com, China
Les sculptures rupestres de Dazu, qui figurent sur la liste du patrimoine culturel mondial de l'UNESCO, se situent dans la province du Sichuan, au sud-ouest de la Chine.
- Recuperan El pintor y su modelo
BBC Mundo, United Kingdom
La policía brasileña recuperó uno de los dos grabados del artista español Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) robados en junio de un museo de Sao Paulo, informaron el sábado medios locales.

19 July

18 July
- Des reliques du Haut-Ogooué pour le “musée” de Mba Abessole
BDP Gabon Nouveau
Dans le cadre de la conservation du patrimoine culturel matériel du Gabon, une nouvelle collection de reliques en provenance de la province du Haut-Ogooué a été remise au vice premier ministre en charge de la Culture, Paul Mba Abessole.
- París, ¿ciudad museo?
BBC MUndo, United Kingdom
Gerardo Lissardy: ¿Será buena idea modificar París, considerada por muchos una de las ciudades más bellas del mundo? ¿O la capital francesa debe conservarse tal cual es, como si fuera una pieza única de museo?

17 July
- Intach-Japan sign MoU to preserve heritage
Hindustan Times, India
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and Shinnyo-en of Japan signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of protection, preservation, promotion and management of cultural heritage in India.
- Heritage dig yields Zulu artefacts
Independent Online, South Africa
Sharika Regchand: An archaeological dig at Zulu King Dingane's former royal residence at uMgugundlovu has unearthed artefacts dating to the mid-19th century.
- Enriquece patrimonio musical de Cuba
El Comercio, Ecuador
El patrimonio de Cartagena, Cusco y Quito es procesado en una base de datos. La próxima semana, los actores del proyecto IFAP-Unesco Modelo de Gobierno Electrónico para Ciudades Patrimonio de la Humanidad se citarán en la capital, en el taller: Automatización y Procesamiento Documental de Colecciones de Patrimonio.
- El patrimonio de tres urbes, en un archivo
Prensa Latina, Cuba
Tres nuevos CD/DVD contentivos de ritmos cubanos enriquecen desde hoy la colección fonográfica Historia de la Música Cubana, un proyecto conjunto del sello discográfico EGREM y la casa productora de audiovisuales Mundo Latino.

16 July
- L’historien cubain Eusebio Leal honoré en Espagne
Ahora.cu, Cuba
L´Historien de la Ville de La Havane, Eusebio Leal, a reçu à Séville, Espagne, un hommage pour sa tâche dans la restauration et une réhabilitation du centre historique de la capitale cubaine.

14 July
- La momia que tuvo dolor estomacal
BBC Mundo, United Kingdom
Los antiguos mexicanos también padecían úlceras y dolores estomacales, a juzgar por un nuevo descubrimiento en ese país.

12 July
- El último mamut del Mediterráneo
BBC Mundo, United Kingdom
Gabriela Torres : En el sur de Barcelona, España, habitaron mamuts. ¡Y muchos! A juzgar por el reciente descubrimiento de restos prehistóricos en la localidad de Viladecans, este animal encontró en las rieras del Mediterráneo un lugar idóneo para pasar lo que podría haber sido la última época de su existencia.
- La Habana contra el olvido
ABC.es, Spain
Lola Rodríguez: Del paseo por las calles de La Habana siempre se desprende la sensación de estar en muchas ciudades distintas y en una sola a la vez. Esa variedad arquitectónica es el fruto de casi cinco siglos de actividad constructiva unida al hecho de que, a diferencia de otras ciudades latinoamericanas y a causa del aislamiento económico, no ha caído bajo la piqueta de la especulación urbanística.

11 July
- Museum Investigated in Purchase of Painting
New York Times, United States
Jacques Steinberg: Two committees of the Association of Art Museum Directors are examining ethical questions that have been raised about the Denver Art Museum’s purchase of an 1892 painting by Thomas Eakins in April, The Denver Post reported.

10 July
- Hidden Kafka papers set to emerge
BBC News, United Kingdom
Paul Wood: Experts are to examine previously unseen documents belonging to the writer Franz Kafka, which were locked away in a Tel Aviv flat for 40 years.
- La culture et l'architecture françaises à Hanoi
Le Courrier du Vietnam
L'Association d'amitié franco-vietnamienne de Hanoi a tenu, le 9 juillet dans la capitale, un colloque consacré à la culture et à l'architecture françaises à Hanoi.
- Bordeaux, qu’as-tu fait de ton patrimoine ?
Libération, France
Un an après avoir été inscrite en grande pompe par l’Unesco au patrimoine mondial de l’humanité, la ville de Bordeaux a été placée sous surveillance par le comité qui gère cette liste, dont la réunion a pris fin hier à Québec.

9 July
- Pre-quake changes seen in rocks
BBC News, United Kingdom
Scientists have made an important advance in their efforts to predict earthquakes, the journal Nature says.

8 July
- UNESCO’s World Heritage List now boasts total of 27 new sites
UN News
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has inscribed a total of 27 new sites to its World Heritage List, including a Canadian fossil park, a thousand-year-old temple in Cambodia and the lagoons of New Caledonia.
- Patrimoine mondial : l'UNESCO inscrit 27 nouveaux sites
UN News
L'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'éducation, la science et la culture (UNESCO) a inscrit 27 nouveaux sites culturels et naturels sur la Liste du patrimoine mondial, lors de la 32ème session du Comité du patrimoine mondial à Québec (Canada), avec pour la première fois des sites situés en Arabie saoudite, en Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, à Saint Marin et au Vanuatu.
- Art of deception: Crystal skulls in British, US museums were fakes
Yahoo News
Richard Ingham: Less than three months after the Quai Branly Museum in Paris discovered that a crystal skull once proclaimed as a mystical Aztec masterpiece was a fake, it is now the turn of the British Museum and the Smithsonian Institution to find they were victims of skull-duggery.
- Heritage: The fight to save a rich past from looters
Financial Times, United Kingdom
Kerin Hope and Theodor Troev: Archaeologists found the mosaic portrait, dating from the 2nd century AD, in the master bedroom of Villa Armira – a showpiece Roman-era mansion that straddles the border between Bulgaria and Greece.
- Fossil feathers reveal their hues
BBC News, United Kingdom
The complex coloured plumage of extinct birds which once soared over the heads of dinosaurs could soon be revealed.
- Les portes du temps
Sortiraparis, France
Clément Dagada: Du 7 juillet au 23 août 2008, "Les Portes du Temps" proposent aux enfants et aux adolescents de découvrir de hauts lieux du patrimoine culturel, à travers un programme d’ateliers artistiques.
- El "Che" en su puño y letra
BBC News, United Kingdom
El Gobierno de Bolivia tomó los primeros pasos para lanzar una edición facsimilar de los diarios escritos por el legendario Ernesto "Che" Guevara

7 July
- Korea's Early Modern Architectural Heritage
Korea Times, South Korea
Robert Koehler: Although it doesn't get quite the attention it deserves in tourist guide books, early modern architecture is an important part of Korea's cultural heritage.
- Hundimiento, enemigo del patrimonio histórico
El Universal, Mexico
Con una alberca del tamaño del Zócalo capitalino y tan alta como las torres de la Catedral, compara el arquitecto Sergio Zaldívar la cantidad de agua que se extrae cada día del suelo de la ciudad de México.

6 July
- Buddha’s Caves
NY Times, United States
Holland Cotter: On the lip of the Gobi Desert, sand and tourists threaten Mogaoku’s singular art.
- Ancient Peruvian tomb unearthed
BBC News, United Kingdom
Archaeologists have unearthed an ancient tomb in northern Peru that could throw light on the pre-Columbian Moche Indian culture.
- Hallan tumba milenaria en Perú
BBC News, United Kingdom
Arqueólogos aseguran haber descubierto en el norte de Perú restos humanos y artefactos de valor en la tumba de un noble que perteneció a la cultura antigua de los indios Moche.
- Reinterpreta Alberto Gutiérrez Chong el patrimonio ferroviario
Mundo Hispano, United States
Juan Carlos Castellanos C.: Las instalaciones que Benito Juárez inauguró en esta ciudad, en 1869, como estación del tren, y que hoy luce el flamante recinto del Museo Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Mexicanos, es marco para que el artista conceptual Alberto Gutiérrez Chong presente su serie "Cruce de caminos".
- El patrimonio nacional se vende en Europa
El Comercio, Ecuador
Gabriela Paz y Miño: Son 700 piezas. Hay máscaras de oro, pendientes, colgantes, 30 telas precolombinas, collares, lanzas, arcos, utensilios domésticos y objetos de cerámica con representaciones antropomorfas, zoomorfas, eróticas y rituales.

5 July
- Decapitan a Hitler en museo de Berlín
BBC News, United Kingdom
Las autoridades de Alemania detuvieron a un hombre que arrancó la cabeza de la réplica en cera de Adolf Hitler a sólo horas de que el famoso museo Madame Tussauds abriera las puertas de su nueva sucursal en Berlín.

4 July
- China’s Legacy: Let a Million Museums Bloom
NY Times, United States
Holland Cotter: This year, in a drive to promote awareness of China’s national heritage, the government introduced a free-admission policy at the country’s public museums. Officially the cultural establishment greeted the news with smiles.
- Stolen fossils back in Argentina
BBC News, United Kingdom
Daniel Schweimler: Four tonnes of dinosaur bones and other fossils stolen from Argentina are back home after they were seized while being sold on the US black market.
- Italy declares Pompeii emergency
BBC News, United Kingdom
The ancient city of Pompeii has fallen into such disrepair that the Italian government has declared a "state of emergency" in a bid to save the ruins.
- La "Metrópolis" que reapareció
BBC News, United Kingdom
Lawrence Pollard: En Argentina se redescubrió media hora de material, que se consideraba perdido, del clásico del cine mudo de ciencia ficción, Metrópolis.

3 July
- Temple troubles
Phnom Penh Post, Cambodia
Thet Sambath and Khouth Sophakchakrya: Dispute over Preah Vihear temple heats up, with several unions threatening to protest against Thai efforts to scuttle the Hindu monument's listing as a World Heritage Site.
- Preserve the Integrity of Preah Vihear
Bangkok Post, Thailand
Achara Ashayagachat: Government and civil authorities should take this opportunity and reaffirm Thailand's former stance that a joint World Heritage Site for the ancient ruins is in order.
- Student volunteers to preserve India’s heritage: minister
Thaindian News
The culture ministry has submitted an ambitious programme to the Planning Commission to educate students in nearly 12,000 senior secondary schools and 5,000 colleges across the country on the rich cultural history of India.
- Futbolistas del medioevo
BBC Mundo, United Kingdom
Hace poco más de un siglo que se escribe sobre el beautiful game o el juego bonito, que es como llaman al fútbol en el Reino Unido, la cuna de este deporte.
- Argentina: repatrian restos de dinosaurios
BBC Mundo, United Kingdom
Las autoridades argentinas, en colaboración con las estadounidenses, repatriaron este jueves 4.000 kilogramos (cuatro toneladas) de fósiles de dinosaurios, en una de las mayores operaciones de este tipo realizadas en el mundo hasta la fecha.

2 July
- Heritage: Race to save mystery wreck from shipworm
BBC News, United Kingdom
Matthew Collin: "Don't destroy the building," pleaded a placard held by a young demonstrator outside a late 19th Century block in the centre of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.
- Afghanistan’s artistic side
Financial Times, United Kingdom
Constance Wyndham: I show the class Braque’s Cubist painting of a clarinet. “What do you see?” I ask. “A gun!” three Afghan students shout in unison. This is day two of an art workshop organised as part of Afghanistan’s first contemporary art prize.
- 15th-Century Sculpture Shatters at Met
New York Times, United States
Randy Kennedy: A glazed terra cotta relief by the Renaissance sculptor Andrea della Robbia came loose overnight from its perch above a doorway at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and crashed to the stone floor below, seriously damaging it, museum officials said Tuesday.
- New York museum admits third of its Coptic art is fake
The Independent, United Kingdom
David Usborne: A major New York museum has admitted that about one third of its collection of Coptic sculptures and reliefs from ancient Egypt are fakes. It plans to put them on public view in a highly unusual exhibition next year.
- Diamonds hint at 'earliest life'
BBC News, United Kingdom
Jonathan Fildes: Tiny slivers of diamond forged on an infant Earth may contain the earliest traces of life, a study has shown.
- Wood density key to violin sound
BBC News, United Kingdom
Matt McGrath: The unique sounds of a Stradivarius violin may come down to the density of the wood it is made from.

1 July
- Bare essentials
RIBA Journal, United Kingdom
Jan-Carlos Kucharek: Conservation architect Julian Harrap’s approach to the Neues Museum had the local team puzzled. He wanted them to use their formidable restoration skills, but keep the scars visible.
- Manhattan waterfalls spur tourist revenue
Financial Times, United Kingdom
Sarah Mishkin: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg established his credentials as an art aficionado early in his administration when, soon after his 2002 election, he threw the full weight of the city’s support behind “The Gates,” by the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

updated on:
20 April, 2010
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