A British farmer who built a castle and then kept it hidden behind straw bales for four years while he lived there was told to demolish it because he had not received planning permission.
Robert Fidler, 60, spent two years building his dream home — complete with cannon, ramparts and stained glass — in Redhill, Surrey, south of London before moving in with his wife and eight-year-old son.
But he had not been given the green light for construction by local officials and has been left grasping at straws as he considers a legal appeal.
Fidler thought he could exploit a legal loophole allowing some residents to avoid planning controls if their property was constructed more than four years ago and he kept the property secret from 2002, when it was finished, to 2006.
Judge Thayne Forbes at the High Court in London ruled this did not apply in his case, though, after several years of legal wrangling.
“Mr Fidler made it quite clear that the construction of his house was undertaken in a clandestine fashion, using a shield of straw bales around it and tarpaulins or plastic sheeting over the top in order to hide its presence during construction,” the judge said.
Fidler’s lawyer Pritpal Singh Swarn said his client was considering an appeal.
“Mr Fidler is obviously disappointed and will almost certainly want to appeal bearing in mind what he stands to lose, which is the house that he has built,” Swarn said.
(AFP WITH STAFF WRITER)
一個英國農夫蓋了一座城堡，將其隱藏在稻草堆中住了四年，但他當初沒有獲得建築許可，所以政府要求他拆掉這座城堡。
六十歲的羅勃．費德勒花了兩年時間，在倫敦南部薩里瑞德希爾建造他夢寐以求的家──有舊式大砲、城牆和彩色玻璃的城堡，然後帶著妻子及八歲大的兒子搬入。
但他並未取得當地政府的建築許可，於是只得作最後的掙扎，甚至考慮循法律途徑上訴。
當地市政條例規定，部份居民私自搭建的建築，屋齡若超過四年，就沒有建築許可的問題。他心想他可以鑽這個法律漏洞，因此二ＯＯ二年城堡完工後，他就一直隱藏到二ＯＯ六年。
經過數年纏訟，倫敦高等法院法官賽恩．富比斯仍裁定此規定不適用於他的案例。
法官說：「費德勒先生顯然是蓄意隱瞞這棟房產，除了利用稻草堆掩蓋，還在上面蓋上帆布或塑膠薄板，這些作法都是為了要在施工期間掩人耳目。」
費德勒的律師普利特坡．辛格．史旺表示，他的當事人考慮提起上訴。
史旺說：「費德勒先生對這個結果感到很失望，為了不讓蓋的城堡遭到到拆除，即使沒有勝算他也會繼續提出上訴。」
（法新社╱翻譯：袁星塵）
After the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the Vatican’s papal conclave on May 8 elected a new leader for the Catholic Church. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, who chose to be called Leo XIV, became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. But what exactly does a pope do? Here is a rundown of his main responsibilities. CATHOLIC LEADER The word pope comes from the Greek “pappas,” meaning “father, patriarch,” which is why believers call him the Holy Father. He is considered the successor of St Peter, to whom Jesus Christ is said to have entrusted
Have you ever wondered who decides what we see in a museum or how one artwork seamlessly connects to the next? Behind every thoughtfully arranged gallery space stands a curator, a skilled professional who combines art and storytelling to craft meaningful experiences. The term “curator” originates from the Latin word cura, meaning “to care.” Curators were originally caretakers of museum collections, but over time, their role has grown to include a broad range of responsibilities that extend far beyond preservation. Today, curators manage, organize and interpret collections in cultural institutions like museums and libraries. They research, acquire and catalogue
A: The 2025 World Masters Games will begin on May 17 and run until May 30. B: World Masters Games? A: It’s a quadrennial multi-sport event for people over 30, which will be jointly held by Taipei and New Taipei City. B: Cool, maybe we can go cheer for all the athletes from home and abroad. A: There will be an athletes’ parade in downtown Taipei prior to the opening ceremony on Saturday. Let’s go then. A: 2025雙北世界壯年運動會5月17日開幕，持續至5月30日閉幕。 B: 世壯運？ A: 這是四年一度、以30歲以上青壯年為主的運動會，本屆是由台北市和新北市共同舉辦。 B: 好酷喔，我們去幫來自國內外的選手們加油吧！ A: 週六在台北市區會有選手遊行，之後是開幕典禮，我們去看吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang However, not every toy has its moment. Some fans were __8__ that simple classics like balloons—a universal symbol of celebrations—haven’t made the cut yet. With their lightweight charms and transformative puffs of air, balloons have __9__ millions for decades and will have to wait at least another year for a chance to be inducted. As the Toy Hall of Fame continues to celebrate toys that __10__ creativity and joy, we can only wonder which treasures will earn a spot next. Will the widely adored balloon finally take its place in 2025? Only time will tell, but one thing is
RSS