The Association of Greek Archaeologists yesterday attacked plans, leaked by Athens 2004 officials on Wednesday, to relocate an Olympic track and field event from the capital to Ancient Olympia, and appealed to Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos to intervene. Holding the event at Olympia would cause irreparable damage to the ancient stadium and the site at Olympia, archaeologists complained, adding that the stadium was not a practical venue in which viewers could be seated. “Not one stone of the stadium should be touched,” they warned.

An earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale struck Nea Mesimvria, about 16 kilometers west of Thessaloniki, at 11.15 p.m. on Wednesday but there were no reports of injuries or damage. The quake, which was strongly felt in Thessaloniki, was followed by several weak tremors during yesterday’s early hours, culminating in a 3.5-magnitude tremor just after 11 a.m. Seismologists said there would probably be more aftershocks but that Wednesday night’s tremor had probably been the strongest in the series.

Seven formations of Turkish fighter jets yesterday violated the Athens Flight Information Region eight times and Greek national air space in the central and eastern Aegean 20 times, military officials said. In all cases, the 18 Turkish jets were chased off by the same number of Greek aircraft, resulting in one simulated dogfight. There had been no Turkish air space violations on Tuesday and Wednesday, national anniversaries in Greece and Turkey respectively.

Street fruit and vegetable market opening hours will be extended until 4.30 p.m. daily and until 3.30 p.m. on Saturday from mid-December, Deputy Development Minister Kimon Koulouris said yesterday after agreeing with unionists on a series of new measures to upgrade markets. It was also agreed that the market vendors’ pension fund will finance a program — to be implemented from the beginning of next year — to modernize markets that will include the installation of new standard stalls and the designation of specific areas for garbage disposal.

Police in Attica and Crete were yesterday investigating two fatal shootings — both attributed to a settling of accounts. A 47-year-old ethnic Greek from Russia was shot seven times outside his home in Aspropyrgos just before midnight on Wednesday. Georgios Tevrentzidis was ambushed when he arrived home in a car driven by his nephew, who was unharmed. Meanwhile, police in Iraklion are seeking a 34-year-old man believed to be behind the fatal shooting of 28-year-old nightclub doorman Manolis Samiotakis in Iraklion early yesterday. Officers discovered several boxes of firearm ammunition at Costas Klados’s Iraklion home.

Seamen on ferries at the Rio-Antirio crossing are to stage a 24-hour strike over pension demands from 7 a.m. today.

Piraeus-bound trains on the Piraeus-Kifissia urban electric railway (ISAP) will not be stopping at the KAT station from tomorrow due to refurbishment works. Kifissia-bound passengers can get off at KAT as normal.

A 78-year-old grocery store owner was found dead in her store early yesterday morning in the village of Kotrona, in the Laconia prefecture. Maria Rizeakou had been hit on the head with a heavy object, according to police, who added that various items had been stolen from the store.

Temperatures dropped to as low as 0C (32F) in Nevrokopi, in the Drama region, yesterday as rain and sleet fell across northern Greece.

A man and a woman made off with 13,300 euros following an armed raid on a bank in Thessaloniki’s Toumba district yesterday.