Doctors at the Aretaion Hospital in Athens, where Archbishop Christodoulos is being treated, said that the head of the Church of Greece will remain in an intensive care unit for a few more days. Christodoulos underwent an operation on his intestine last Wednesday but doctors said that his digestive system is not yet back to normal, although they said that he is making satisfactory progress. Politicians continue to visit Christodoulos; the leader of the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS), Giorgos Karadzaferis, was at the hospital yesterday and Synaspismos Left Coalition President Alekos Alavanos is due to visit today.

The European Commission is set to take Greece to the European Court of Justice because Greek legislation is not strict enough in protecting certain areas of natural beauty, sources said yesterday. The legislation covers the protection of Natura 2000 sites, which are part of a European network of protected sites that contain natural habitats and species of plants and animals that are rare, endangered or vulnerable in the EU. Brussels feels that the Greek law allows far too many exemptions and could lead to the protection of the areas being compromised.

An 11-year-old girl was hit in the shoulder by a stray bullet while playing outside her home in the village of Sarchos, near Iraklion, Crete. The girl said she felt a burning sensation in her shoulder and called for her parents, who saw that the child was bleeding and took her to the hospital. Doctors operated on the girl and removed the bullet from her shoulder. Police said that it was not immediately clear who had fired the bullet.

A 52-year-old woman had a remarkable escape yesterday when she drove her car off a bridge near Thessaloniki yesterday but the vehicle wedged itself between two abandoned train carriages beneath the bridge. The woman was unscathed but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

A 17-year-old Turkish man was sentenced to three years and 10 days in jail yesterday by a court on the eastern Aegean island of Samos after being found guilty of human trafficking. Coast guard officers caught the teenager on Saturday as he was disembarking 10 illegal immigrants on the island.

The coast guard has confiscated 1 ton of cannabis since the start of May as part of checks at the country’s ports, authorities said yesterday. Other drugs found in the same period include 2 kilos of heroin and 3 kilos of cocaine. There have also been 55 arrests made in connection to the narcotics. Separately, a parcel containing 30 kilos of cannabis washed up on the shores of Falasarna, Crete, yesterday, the coast guard said.

Evangelismos Hospital in central Athens is holding a series of free and anonymous tests for HIV, the virus that can lead to AIDS. No appointment is necessary for the tests, which will take place every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and every Thursday from noon to 3 p.m. For more details call 210.720.1242

Three men, including a 19-year-old student, are to be released from prison today following their detention more than a month ago in connection to clashes between self-styled anarchists and riot police outside Aristotle University in Thessaloniki on May 5. All three are being released on bail, pending trial. The courts ruled that the student, as well as the two other suspects, aged 24 and 27, were not flight risks. All three have been accused of creating and using explosive devices, which is a criminal offense.

Three armed men held up a betting agency in Thessaloniki late on Sunday and made away with 2,200 euros in cash, police said yesterday. Police have launched a manhunt for the assailants.