In Brief
POLLUTION
Greece among EU members threatened with court action over carbon dioxide Greece and another seven EU countries were warned yesterday by the European Commission that they could face trial at the European Court over lapses in implementing, by last July’s deadline, commission legislation on the emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases harmful to the environment. Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Spain and Germany were reprimanded for failing to submit data for the year 2000 crucial for measuring progress in combating climatic change, according to the commission’s executive committee. RENDI MARKET Modernization plan discussed ahead of EU inspection Plans to restructure and modernize Athens’s central Rendis fruit and vegetable market were discussed yesterday by Deputy Development Minister Christos Theodorou and market officials ahead of a scheduled inspection by EC food safety officials between May 17 and 26. Among the proposals discussed was round-the-clock trading to ensure perishable goods are shifted. A study on the restructuring of the market should be completed by the end of this month and market cleanliness will be handled by a private company in due course. KOSTUNICA Yugoslav president cancels visit Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica yesterday canceled a planned visit to Thessaloniki after the attempted suicide of a former interior minister and Serbian police chief indicted for war crimes, followed by the suicide of a top Yugoslav health ministry official. Vlajko Stojiljkovic was close to death yesterday night after shooting himself in the head on Thursday. Miodrag Kovac, who faced charges of embezzlement, was found hanged yesterday. Kostunica had been due to join a European People’s Party summit. Queen Mother service A memorial service is to be held for the British Queen Mother at 10.15 a.m. on Sunday at St Paul’s Anglican church on Filellinon Street near Syntagma Square. The mother of Queen Elizabeth II died on March 30 at the age of 101. Church of contention Eight residents of the Athens district of Nea Smyrni have appealed to the Council of State against the transfer of a rich church from their local bishopric to that of Archbishop Christodoulos. The residents claim the annexation of Aghios Sostis, which has annual revenues of about 146,000 euros (about 50 million drachmas), was a decision made by Christodoulos and never approved by the Holy Synod – the governing body of the Church of Greece. Tram demo Residents of the southern Athens coastal district of Palaio Faliron – protesting against the routing of a tram-line along the seafront from Glyfada to Neo Faliron – will demonstrate at 11 a.m. today on the beach opposite Achilleos Road, along which the tram-line is destined to run. Protesters, who say the plans are the result of pressure on the government to complete projects ahead of the Olympic Games, are proposing the diversion of coastal traffic underground so that trams can run along existing roads without trees and beach land having to be destroyed. Kalash telethon A fund-raising telethon for Pakistan’s Kalash people – who claim to be descended from the soldiers of Alexander the Great – will be aired between 7.30 p.m and 11 p.m. today on state television channel ET3. Funds will go toward improving the tribe’s living conditions. Patriots The airforce yesterday took delivery of the first six of 36 Patriot anti-aircraft missile launchers assembled at the Hellenic Aerospace Industries (EAV) plant at the Tanagra military airport in Viotia, north of Athens. EAV is responsible for the final assembly and functioning of the missiles produced by US firm Raytheon. Sheep saved Police, firemen and locals participated in a large-scale operation yesterday to extract a lone sheep trapped under a capsized articulated truck near the Bulgarian border crossing of Promachonas near Serres. The sheep, which was slightly wounded, was the lone survivor of a herd of 150 which were all crushed to death when the truck in which they were being transported overturned when its driver – who was slightly injured – lost control of the wheel.
