Today's news

Germans give English le coup de grâce
Linguists in Germany yesterday called on the nation to use French words in place of their popular English equivalents in protest at the US-led war against Iraq. A professor from Magdeburg University, who heads the Language in Politics group, said: "This is a political demonstration through language against a war that we don't support." The protest is a response to the recent decision in the United States to rename French fries as "freedom fries".
(Daily Telegraph)

Ancient gold hoard found in Midlands
An amateur archaeologist has uncovered the largest hoard of Iron Age gold and silver coins found in Britain at a hilltop site in Leicestershire. Further excavations involving Leicestershire County Council's community archaeology project, English Heritage and the British Museum led to the discovery of more than 3,000 silver and gold coins as well as the remnants of a Roman gilded silver helmet.
(Times, Independent)

Study shines light on debate over brighter Sun
The Sun may be getting brighter, according to a study by Nasa scientists. Whether the trend is real has been hotly debated and the controversial finding will be discussed today at the UK/Ireland National Astronomy and Solar Physics meetings in Dublin. The scientists do not believe that changes in solar radiation are responsible for all climate change but may account for a significant fraction of warming attributed to greenhouse gas emissions since 1980.
(Daily Telegraph)

Avebury stones to regain true standing
Archaeologists began straightening two huge prehistoric standing stones in Wiltshire. The stones at Avebury have been fenced off for the past six years after movement was revealed by comparisons of a 3D computer-generated graphic of the stones in their present state with engravings by William Stukeley, an 18th-century Lincolnshire antiquary. The 16ft coffin-shaped stones, each weighing an estimated 50 tonnes, had developed a list of 15 degrees and were in danger of toppling.
(Times)

Swede wins Independent Foreign Fiction Prize
The true story of an English princess who helped provoke a revolution and almost overthrew a monarchy inspired the novel that won this year's Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. Last night, the Swedish writer Per Olov Enquist took the award for his book The Visit of the Royal Physician, published by Harvill Press. Enquist shares the £10,000 prize - announced at a ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London - with his translator, Tiina Nunnally.
(Independent)