Stop Press

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

8 May

• Six of the best: European cultural heritage projects
  Europa Nostra
  The six winners of the 2008 "European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards" are outstanding projects in the Czech Republic, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and Romania.

• 2008 Museums and heritage awards announced in London
  24 Hour Museum, United Kingdom
  The winners of the 2008 Museums and Heritage Awards, which recognise and celebrate best practice within museums, galleries and heritage visitor attractions, were announced at a ceremony in London on May 7 2008.

• Heritage lottery fund announces £11M for restoration of UK Parks
  24 Hour Museum, United Kingdom
  Fiona Jack: Parks across the UK are to share £11m from the Lottery to enable them to be restored as beauty spots and to create much needed breathing space.

• Acuerdo para proteger el patrimonio cultural y arquitectónico provincial
  Abierta TV, Argentina
  El gobernador Daniel Scioli encabezó la firma de un acuerdo de cooperación con el Comité Argentino del Consejo Internacional de Monumentos y Sitios, para el estudio, la investigación, la difusión y el conocimiento del patrimonio cultural urbano y arquitectónico provincial.

• Perú y Ecuador buscan repatriar las piezas arqueológicas desde España
  Terra.es, Spain
  Los Gobiernos de Perú y Ecuador anunciaron hoy que han iniciado gestiones para identificar y repatriar desde España las piezas arqueológicas decomisadas esta semana a una pareja de contrabandistas de La Rioja por la policía española.

• España exige que le devuelvan "su tesoro"
  BBC News, United Kingdom
  El gobierno de España pidió formalmente que le devuelvan "íntegramente" el tesoro que rescató la empresa estadounidense Odyssey, y que -según las autoridades de Madrid- es parte del contenido de un antiguo buque español hundido.

• América se pobló mil años antes
  BBC News, United Kingdom
  María Elena Navas: El primer asentamiento humano de América fue en el sur de Chile, y el lugar fue ocupado mil años antes de lo que hasta ahora se pensaba.

7 May

• Nyingchi créera un musée du patrimoine immatériel du Tibet du Sud-Est
  Centre d'Informations Internet de Chine
  Selon la source de la préfecture de la région de Nyingchi au Tibet, la province du Fujian (sud-est) – qui accorde une aide ciblée à Nyingchi – débloquera cette année la somme spéciale de 5 millions de yuans.

• New home for Greece's holy grail
  BBC News, United Kingdom
  The Acropolis Museum is now just months away from entering service in Greece's struggle with its most implacable cultural adversary.

• Facelift plan for heritage building
  Shanghai Daily, China
  A heritage building of a former foreign trade company on the Bund is undergoing a facelift and will become another high-end commercial complex, city officials said.

6 May

• Spain seizes 'priceless' antiques
  BBC News, United Kingdom
  Steve Kingstone: Spanish police have arrested a couple accused of illegally trafficking a "priceless" haul of artefacts from Latin America for resale in Europe.

• Pieces of Viking sword discovered
  BBC News, United Kingdom
  Fragments of a Viking sword have been discovered by two metal detector enthusiasts on the Isle of Man.

• Nursery for heritage
  The Times of India
  Better known for its wide range of exotic flowers and trees, the 70-acre Sundar Nursery in Nizamuddin area is also home to nine neglected Mughal period monuments, dwarfed and defaced by heavy vegetation over the years. But, now efforts are on to make the nursery popular for its monuments too.

• Un DVD, témoin du savoir-faire traditionnel
  Témoingnages, Réunion
  En1989, en prévision de l’ouverture du musée Stella Matutina, l’équipe du CEVAD (Centre d’Etude et de Valorisation et Développement) entreprend une vaste enquête ethnographique sur la mémoire orale des communes de l’île, et plus particulièrement sur les métiers en voie de disparition.

• Recuperadas en La Rioja más de 700 piezas precolombinas
  El País, Spain
  La Policía Nacional ha recuperado en La Rioja más de 700 piezas arqueológicas precolombinas de valor incalculable. En la operación ha sido detenido una pareja dedicada al contrabando de bienes culturales procedentes del expolio.

5 May

• UNESCO helps complete study on equitable access to documentary heritage in South Asian countries
  UNESCO News
  The National Mission for Manuscripts of India, in association with UNESCO, completed a research study to assist in the development of legal and policy framework and protocols for promoting equitable access to documentary heritage, relevant to India and other South Asian countries.

• Patrimoine : Quelque 6.000 poèmes de malhoun collectés
  Aujourd'hui le Maroc
  L’Académie du Royaume du Maroc a pu collecter quelque 6.000 «qçaïd» (poèmes) de l’art du malhoun appartenant à de grands poètes marocains.

• Le XXe siècle des bâtisseurs
  Le Monde, France
  Plusieurs expositions d'architecture sont actuellement consacrées au XXe siècle dans les institutions parisiennes.

3 May

• Hidden jewel of Afghan culture
  BBC News, United Kingdom
  Architectural historian and broadcaster Dan Cruickshank treks into the mountains of western Afghanistan to visit and film an architectural treasure, the leaning minaret of Jam.

• UN says Buddha statue remains safe after explosion nearby
  The Hindu, India
  A controlled explosion of old ordnance found near remains of the famed Bamiyan Buddha statues has not caused further damage to the 1,500-year old ruins, the United Nations said on Saturday.

• Corporate jollies to oust 'cultural fuddy-duddies' from Pompeii ruins
  The Independent, United Kingdom
  Peter Pophamin: It is perhaps the most remarkable archaeological site in the world and more than 3 million visitors stampede through it every year.

2 May

• Desempolvarán pinturas del patrimonio comunal ocultas durante años
  Perspectiva Sur, Argentina
  Rodolfo Cabral, director de Museos de la municipalidad de Quilmes, informó ayer que están terminando de preparar una muestra de pinturas que son parte del patrimonio comunal.

1 May

• Iraqi expert accuses West over antiquities trade
  The Telegraph, United Kingdom
  Arifa Akbar: A senior Iraqi official has accused the West of not doing enough to stop the thriving trade in antiquities smuggled out of the country's depleted archeological sites and sold in auction houses across Britain, America and Europe.

• Police Seize $100M Pre-Columbian Collection
  New York Sun, United States
  Police in Munich, Germany, said yesterday that they seized a disputed collection of Mayan, Aztecan, and Incan art treasures whose value is estimated at $100 million.

• Ban proposed on Iraqi antiquities trade
  The Guardian, United Kingdom
  Maev Kennedy: A worldwide ban on buying and selling any Iraqi antiquities was proposed yesterday in London by a senior Iraqi official, as the only way of ending an illicit trade which has left looted sites resembling lunar landscapes, pitted with hundreds of holes and trenches.

• Shipwreck off Namibia is 500-year-old treasure trove
  USA Today, United States
  Donna Bryson: The ship was laden with tons of copper ingots, elephant tusks, gold coins — and cannons to fend off pirates lurking off Africa some five centuries ago.

• Village on the Edge of Time
  The National Geographic, United States
  Amy Tan: For a thousand years the lives of the Dong people have resounded with song. Their distinctive culture endures—but for how long?

• Dino dung snapped up at auction
  BBC News, United Kingdom
  Two pieces of dinosaur dung have been sold at auction for $960 (£486) at an auction house in New York.

updated on: 2 April, 2008