In Brief
HIKER SOUGHT
Rescuers scour Lousios River as locals declare three days of mourning Rescuers continued to search yesterday for the body of a 27-year-old man feared drowned in the Lousios River in the southern Peloponnese where another six hikers died last Saturday in a flash flood. The search went on as the local municipality declared three days of mourning in honor of the victims. Meanwhile, members of the Greek Rescue Team (EOD) and representatives of extreme sport firms are due to meet today and tomorrow near Mount Olympus, central Greece, to discuss safety measures and conduct rescue exercises in the area. THEOPHILOS SNUBBED Jerusalem patriarch is informed that Jordan no longer recognizes him Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem was officially informed yesterday that Jordan no longer recognizes him as the head of the Patriarchate and will not deal directly with him. Jordan withdrew its recognition of Theophilos on May 13, saying he had failed to annul an unsanctioned sale of Church property to Israeli companies. Jordanian sources told Kathimerini that Theophilos has failed to live up to written commitments to take back the properties and, instead, is considering further land deals. LIGHTS OFF Acropolis in the dark on Tuesday Lights at the Acropolis and other city landmarks and public buildings will be switched off for 10 minutes on Tuesday to observe United Nations World Environment Day. The Culture Ministry said yesterday that lights at the ancient site would be switched off at 10 p.m. Greek government buildings, Parliament and Athens City Hall will also switch off lights. Greek embassies abroad will also observe the lights-out. «We are encouraging members of the public to join us and turn out lights at the same time… we are in contact with the grid operator to measure the effectiveness of this effort,» said the coordinator of the campaign, Kritonas Arsenis. (AP) Suspect confesses A 39-year-old man has been remanded in custody in Thessaloniki after being questioned in relation to the murder of his wife earlier this week, police said yesterday. The suspect, of Russian background, calmly described to a prosecutor how he killed his wife with his bare hands, police added. He told authorities that he had been having a growing number of arguments with his wife recently. The woman was found dead on Wednesday in their home, located in the Lagada area, close to Thessaloniki. She had suffered head injuries after being severely beaten. Suburban railway The suburban railway will connect Piraeus to Athens International Airport as of next week when a new station opens at the port. A test drive was successfully carried out yesterday. The route from Piraeus to the airport will take one hour and 40 minutes. Hashed job Port Authority officials in Kyparissia, in the southeastern Peloponnese, yesterday discovered 83 kilos of cannabis floating off the coast, in 83 packages. The packages, believed to have been at sea for several days, were destroyed. Fuel cheats A prosecutor will investigate 35 truck owners that transport heating oil after Development Ministry inspection teams found them to be in breach of regulations. Most breaches related to the lack of paperwork accompanying the fuel and incorrect amounts being declared on schedules. The checks, held in March and April, are part of government efforts to crackdown on diluted fuel being sold on the market and fuel distributors cheating on quantities sold. A total of 408 trucks were checked during the two month period. Ombudsman investigation The Ombudsman has sent a report to a prosecutor for further investigation containing complaints from consumers regarding services offered by three weight-loss centers, one in Thessaloniki and two in Athens. Apart from the centers operating without permits, they have been accused of failing to offer the services for which they had been paid.
