In Brief
CYPRUS TALK
Papoulias calls for reunification as Papadopoulos slams isolation ‘myth’ President Karolos Papoulias yesterday called on Greece to unite behind its «major national goal» of helping to achieve the reunification of Cyprus. Papoulias was addressing locals and dignitaries at Mesolongi in the framework of events marking the 181st anniversary of the sortie of the townspeople in 1826 following a siege by Ottoman forces. Papoulias said the Greek War of Independence should give Greeks the courage to «fight for a lasting and just solution» of the Cyprus problem. Meanwhile, Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos said he was confident that other European Union members were beginning to understand that Ankara’s claims about the Turkish-Cypriots being isolated were a «myth.» Nicosia on Saturday submitted to the EU proposals on economic funding for Turkish-occupied Cyprus. EASTER SHOPPING Stores open for longer from today A new timetable with the longer opening hours for shops comes into effect today to help consumers in the runup to the Easter weekend. Stores will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday. On Good Friday, also a public holiday, stores will be open from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Easter Saturday, they will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stores will be closed on Easter Sunday and Monday. Anarchist rampage A resident of Zografou, eastern Athens, was slightly injured as he attempted to prevent self-styled anarchists from damaging his car while they were on a rampage in the early hours of Saturday morning, police said yesterday. The group of hooded youths damaged two ATMs belonging to the Bank of Cyprus and Laiki Bank on Iroon Polytechniou Street. They also smashed the windows of a mobile phone shop and damaged three parked cars. Police said the injured resident refused to be taken to hospital. No arrests were made. Anarchists often attack targets in Zografou as they use the nearby university halls of residence in the area as cover from the police. Lambs to slaughter Stockbreeders in northern Greece called off their blockade of slaughterhouses on Saturday night but are due to meet today to decide whether to take further action in their dispute with merchants over the price of lamb. Merchants have refused to offer more than 6 euros per kilo despite farmers’ demands for 8 euros per kilo for the animals’ meat. Stockbreeders had blocked access to slaughterhouses in Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Drama, Eleftheroupolis and Kavala in an effort to force merchants to negotiate as the demand for lamb increases over the Easter period. Book review The head of the academic team that compiled the controversial primary school history textbook told Sunday’s Kathimerini that the authors will try to improve the book over the summer. Maria Repousi said that the recommendations that which have been made by the Academy of Athens will be taken on board by the authors who will seek to make changes to the book in time for the new school year, which will begin in September. However, Repousi a professor at Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University, stressed that the focus should be on making progress and not let «scaremongering» and «undemocratic practices» be responsible for the book. She said that 12-year-olds should not learn the textbook by heart but should use it as a tool to help them think. Fatal crashes Two car drivers were killed yesterday in a head-on collision near Eleftheroupolis, northern Greece, on the Thessaloniki-Kavala national road. Authorities named the drivers as Eren Mehmet Hussein and Evridiki Maniki. The causes of the crash were not immediately clear. Meanwhile, a 25-year-old man was killed near Hania, Crete, on Saturday morning when he lost control of his car and crashed into a ditch. The man’s identity was not released.
