In Brief
FYROM PUSH
US says Skopje should accept latest proposal by Nimetz US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried yesterday called on the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to accept the latest proposal made by the United Nations mediator in the dispute over the country’s name or face «isolation» on the international stage. «Exploit this latest proposal by (Matthew) Nimetz and secure a brighter future for you and your children,» Fried told a group of FYROM reporters visiting Washington. Fried said the name spat could be solved before a NATO summit late next month. FYROM is tomorrow due to present Nimetz with its response to his proposal. VISTONIDA DISPUTE Vatopedi says it still owns lake Despite the intervention last week of a court inspector who found that 270 hectares of land around Lake Vistonida in northern Greece should never have been given to the Vatopedi Monastery, the latter has issued a statement saying that it is still entitled to the land. In a memorandum that was also sent to Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios, the monastery’s head monk Ephraim claims that Vatopedi acted completely within the law when it swapped property with the state and that it is the legal owner of the land. Siemens probe Another two former Siemens employees will go on trial in Munich on November 18, Kathimerini has learned, in a case that could have implications for the bribery probe being carried out in Greece. The German officials are to stand trial on charges of paying off foreign politicians to secure contracts. The case of the C4I security package sold to Greek authorities for the Athens Olympics will also be investigated as part of the court case. Land register The opening hours of land registry offices are to be reduced now that the deadline for submitting applications has been extended to November 21. Apart from the Syntagma Square office, they will be open 8.30 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Wednesday and 8.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. on all other weekdays. The office in the Syntagma metro station will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every weekday. Fatal robbery A 30-year-old man from Bangladesh was shot and killed during a robbery at a gift shop in Patissia, near central Athens, on Monday night. Police said two men entered the store at about 8.20 p.m. and shot the unnamed man before taking cash and various other items and then making off on foot. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment but died yesterday morning. Megara burglary A group of four burglars who robbed a house in Megara, western Attica, early yesterday morning, were surprised on their way out by the family’s son, who was returning from a night out. The burglars, who had pocketed large quantities of jewelry while the son’s parents slept, fired shots into the air to stop the young man from intervening. House fire A 94-year-old man was burned alive in his home in Gortynia, in the Peloponnese, early yesterday after a fire broke out. It was unclear what provoked the blaze that completely destroyed the house.
