Conversion of non-Christian places of worship into churches

Greece's Central Archaeological Council (KAS), the country's top advisory body on the protection of antiquities, has postponed a ruling on the legality of a recently-constructed 10-floor hotel in the central Athens district of Makriyianni which local residents say obstructs their view of the Parthenon.

Visitors to Greece's top historical monument were prevented from entering the site of the Parthenon atop Acropolis Hill in central Athens on Thursday afternoon in response to a storm warning issued by the country's weather service.

Six residents of Athens's downtown Makriyianni district on Wednesday filed a fresh complaint with the Council of State, seeking the abolition of a law allowing dense construction in the area at the foot of the Acropolis and of a building license for a 10-story hotel that threatens to block its much-coveted Parthenon views.

The Athens municipal authority on Tuesday called on the government to amend new zoning regulations that threaten to inundate the Greek capital's skyline with tall buildings that obstruct views of its most important monument.

The Acropolis Hill and the emblematic Parthenon at its top nearly went down on Greece's cadastre as belonging to an 'unknown owner,' the head of the company in charge of the land registry said. The reason, said Giorgos Dimitriou, is that the Culture Ministry did not register the monument on time. [Laurent Gillieron/EPA]

Fireworks explode over the ancient Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill during New Year's day celebrations in Athens, January 1, 2019. [Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters]

A gold earring believed to date back more than 2,000 years has been unearthed near the site of the ancient Jewish temples in Jerusalem, in what Israeli archaeologists called rare evidence of Hellenistic influence.

Workers stand on scaffolding at the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill in Athens, Tuesday. Years of repair work continue at the 2,500-year-old temple, dedicated to the goddess Athena. [AP]

Tourists take photographs in front of the Parthenon in Athens. The Acropolis is a must on the itinerary of most of the 30 million tourists Greece welcomes every year, yet the country only has one state school turning out guides who are licensed to conduct tours of the Sacred Rock and other Greek sites and monuments, and that school currently has just 40 students.

Jailed November 17 terrorist Dimitris Koufodinas, who has been on hunger strike for almost two weeks, will be granted a 48-hour furlough after his health recovers, authorities said Thursday.

Koufodinas had been on a strike since May 30 because authorities refused to give him a leave of absence from prison. He was transferred to an Athens hospital last week.