In Brief
RISKY INTERFERENCE
Aviation authority asks for removal of antennae near site in western Greece The Civil Aviation Authority (YPA) yesterday demanded the removal of a collection of television antennae and radio transmitters from a plot of land in the Arcananian mountains in western Greece. They are 15 meters away from an YPA facility and are said to be provoking potentially dangerous interference with regional air traffic. In a letter to the National Broadcasting Council and the National Telecommunications and Post Commission, YPA said flight safety was being compromised and asked that the antennae to be moved half a kilometer away. TRAFFIC SAFETY Unionists call for enforcement of laws designed to protect road transport A northern Greek union of professional drivers yesterday appealed for legislation to ensure that safety in road transport be implemented ahead of the Olympics, when more traffic is expected on national roads. The transport of goods by road is carried out in old, badly-maintained trucks by drivers who work 12-14 hours per day, charged Michalis Papadopoulos, the president of the Drivers’ Union of Thrace and Macedonia. The situation is worsened by badly maintained roads and an absence of traffic police, he said, adding that Greek drivers are not trained to carry dangerous cargo. GM SEEDS Trikala corn crops to be destroyed The Agricultural Development and Food Ministry has ordered the destruction of several plantations in Trikala where, according to the results of state inspections, genetically modified (GM) corn seeds have been sown, local agricultural officials said yesterday. Officials found that seven farmers had sown the seeds, which formed part of a batch whose distribution the ministry had banned after a sample was confirmed as GM. The seeds had been imported from a US producer. Farmers want results of all tests to be made public and farmers compensated. Traffic disruptions Traffic in central Athens will be disrupted from tomorrow when work gets under way at the junction of Vassilissis Amalias and Vassilissis Olgas to prepare the route for the Athens tram which is due to begin operation next month. The works will be carried out on a 24-hour basis for the next seven days. Also, traffic in both directions of the Athens-Corinth national road at Kakia Skala will be disrupted from 8 p.m. today until 8 a.m. tomorrow due to work. Traffic will be diverted via the old national road. Bonus talks Health and Social Solidarity Minister Nikitas Kaklamanis yesterday proposed that National First Aid Center (EKAB) staff, who are seeking the payment of an Olympic bonus, work overtime to get extra pay. But EKAB staff were not satisfied with Kaklamanis’s proposal, noting that the law does not allow employees to work more than 60 hours overtime per month. Ship collision The one passenger and 39 crew members aboard a ferry were not harmed when it struck the islet of Aghios Efstathios, near the island of Kimolos, early yesterday, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. There was no sign of the Nona Mairi having sprung a leak nor of any pollution, the ministry said, adding that the passenger was taken to Milos by a coast guard vessel. Cyprus beating A teenage Scottish tourist was on a respirator in a Larnaca hospital after being found unconscious with serious head injuries in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa, Agence France-Presse cited Cypriot police as saying yesterday. Douglas Andrew Neilson, 19, was discovered in the yard of a church near Ayia Napa’s main square on Tuesday morning and was still in a coma yesterday, AFP reported. It said police had not ruled out attempted murder. Averoff closed The museum battleship Averoff, which is moored in the coastal suburb of Palaio Faliron, will be closed for renovation work from June 18 to 20 and from June 25 to 27. Migrants intercepted Coast guards on Kos detained nine illegal immigrants on Tuesday afternoon after inspecting a passenger ferry that had just docked, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. The ethnic origin of the would-be migrants was not clear.
