In Brief
ANTHRAX OUTBREAK
Two cows slaughtered in Achaia, mass vaccinations planned Prefectural authorities in Achaia and Corinthia, in the Peloponnese, were on standby yesterday after two cows were found to be infected with anthrax. The beasts were slaughtered, and their carcasses burnt. A total of 200 cows and 10,000 sheep and goats in the region are to be vaccinated as a precautionary measure, authorities said. The prefecture of Achaia, where the two infected animals had grazed, said it had not released any infected meat on to the market. Humans can catch anthrax by touching infected animals or animal products. RUBBISH WAR Ano Liosia landfill blockade A blockade of the Ano Liosia landfill by local residents due to begin today could result in piles of trash accumulating on the streets of Athens over the next few days. Municipal authorities said yesterday that street cleaners will gather trash but it is unclear where they will dump it if they cannot access the capital’s only landfill. Church ruling The Culture Ministry’s Central Archaeological Council (KAS) late on Monday rejected a bid by the see of Peristeri to replace a 17th century church that had been demolished without the required license from KAS with a large new structure. The council insisted that the new church should be a copy of the old one. Toy threat State inspectors have confiscated nearly 2,000 laser guns and lighters resembling toys which can deliver electric shocks, the Development Ministry said yesterday. The trade of toy-shaped lighters is henceforth illegal, Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas said. Eurovision reception Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis yesterday congratulated Eurovision song contest winner Helena Paparizou and her team of performers and songwriters during a reception in their honor at the Maximos Mansion. Meanwhile, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said Greece should make the most of its victory in Kiev. «The Eurovision victory gave Greece another chance to make a positive impression in all corners of the world. And this… should be exploited to boost the flow of tourism,» he said. Driver stopped Police who stopped the driver of a tourist coach on the Iraklio-Siteia highway in Crete for a routine check on Monday night established that he had been driving for 17 hours without a break. The unnamed driver, who had reportedly been behind the wheel from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. that day, was arrested. Special Olympics Around 450 athletes with intellectual disabilities are to compete in Greece’s Special Olympics which begin tomorrow in the northwestern town of Ioannina, organizers said at a press conference attended by Deputy Health Minister Giorgos Constantopoulos yesterday. President Karolos Papoulias is to conduct an awards ceremony on Sunday. Cyprus President Karolos Papoulias receives Cypriot Foreign Minister Christos Iakovou in Athens yesterday. Iakovou also met with his Greek counterpart Petros Molyviatis, with whom he discussed recent talks in New York between the United Nations undersecretary for Political Affairs, Kieran Prendergast, and the head of Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos’s diplomatic office, Tassos Tzionis. Military exercise. Commandos, attack helicopters, war ships, navy aircraft and fighter jets are due to participate in a military exercise off the eastern Peloponnese on Friday, military officials said yesterday. Zakynthos quake A moderate undersea quake, measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale, occurred off the Ionian island of Zakynthos shortly before 9 a.m. yesterday. No injuries or damage were reported. Child molester A 75-year-old man yesterday faced an Athens prosecutor after allegedly sexually molesting an 8-year-old girl on Monday in a park in the Athenian district of Peristeri.
