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Ankara has already done a lot to help patriarchate, Turkish PM says Turkey has already undertaken several initiatives to tackle the problems of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was reported as saying this weekend. «We have renovated churches while (Greeks) do nothing for ethnic Turks in Thrace. They do not accept religious leaders elected by minorities. But we have overlooked the election of five or six members of the (patriarchate’s) Holy Synod who are not Turkish citizens,» Erdogan was cited as saying. Erdogan added that references to «mosques» in Turkish town-planning projects have been changed to «places of worship.» RESCUE SORTIES Lost children, climbers saved Rescue workers seeking two lost children and two climbers in different parts of the Peloponnese since early yesterday found all four late in the evening. Fire service workers discovered two boys, aged 8 and 10, in a small church about 3 kilometers from their home in Komi, Arcadia, shortly before 7 p.m. Both children were safe and sound. The climbers were found on the slopes of Mt Helmos. One had sustained arm and leg injuries but was in no danger, according to rescuers. Donkey work Border guards were yesterday seeking unidentified Albanians who they said had tried to smuggle 300 kilos of cannabis into Greece using four donkeys. The Albanians fled back over the border – with their donkeys – after being spotted by police, officers said. The cannabis was found in sacks abandoned in the mountainous area of Pyli in Prespes, they said. Record breaker Greek runner Periklis Iakovakis broke a national record in the 400-meter hurdles on Saturday, while also becoming the country’s first athlete to clock in under 48 seconds in the event. Competing at a Grand Prix meeting in Osaka, Japan, Iakovakis finished second with a time of 47.82 seconds, breaking his previous record of 48.17 seconds. American World Champion Bershawn Jackson won the race with a time of 47.60 seconds. Kouyias slap A member of the Athens Bar Association’s disciplinary committee yesterday called upon the association’s president and board of directors to expel high-profile lawyer and PAS Ioannina soccer team president Alexis Kouyias for his behavior at a recent match. The committee member said that Kouyias – who is alleged to have struck a match official during a PAS Ioannina game on April 30 – displayed complete disregard for his profession’s code of conduct.

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