Greek Orthodox ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew displays a jersey of Panathinaikos presented to him by the Greek club players during their visit to the Fener patriarchate in Istanbul October 31, 2002. Panathinaikos will play against Turkish side Fenerbahce in the UEFA Cup second round first match in Istanbul on October 31, the first ever between the two countries in past decades, which may also be seen as a test by UEFA over a joint bid by Turkey and Greece to stage the European 2008 soccer championship.
PHOTO – REUTERS
LONDON – The Dukes of Northumberland have known it for 700 years, but it is now official – the small northeast town of Alnwick is the best place to live in Britain. In a survey measuring quality of life, Country Life magazine chose Alnwick – home to the Dukes of Northumberland since 1309 – ahead of second-placed Midhurst in West Sussex and Cornwall‘s Fowey, which tied with Gloucestershire‘s Tetbury in third place.
„It‘s just a beautiful place to live in,“ the 12th Duke of Northumberland told Reuters when asked what made the market town, population 8,000, so special. „There‘s fantastic scenery, good beaches, great fishing and the traffic is not as bad as London.“ The imposing presence of Alnwick castle – used as Hogwarts wizardry school in the Harry Potter films – also helped secure the town‘s victory.
Despite the northeast‘s inclement climate Alnwick also beat its southern rivals in its low crime rates,
provision of affordable housing and a variety of local shops. The survey did not measure economic prosperity. A mix of beauty and communal spirit was considered more important than income. Reuters
