In Brief
BALKAN FOCUS
As OSCE president, Bakoyannis to visit Kosovo and Serbia Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis, in her capacity as the president of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), is due to visit Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, where the OSCE has its largest mission, and the Serbian capital of Belgrade today. During its rotating presidency of the OSCE, Greece is expected to place particular emphasis on issues involving the western Balkans. DIEGO SCORES Sniffer dog in heroin haul A sniffer dog called Diego helped police on Greece’s border with Bulgaria catch two drug smugglers yesterday, as they discovered almost 60 kilos of heroin hidden in a car at the Kipi customs post in Evros, northeastern Greece. Officers’ suspicion was aroused by the behavior of the Bulgarian couple, who appeared very nervous. Diego discovered some 100 bundles of the drug hidden between the rear seats and boot of the car. The couple denied knowing about the presence of the heroin in the vehicle. Final called off The final of the Greek Cup in volleyball between fierce rivals Panathinaikos and Olympiakos was called off yesterday amid crowd trouble. Panathinaikos refused to begin the game unless the arena in Patras, which was hosting the final, was cleared of supporters because of fears for the safety of players. The police refused to remove supporters without the help of Olympiakos officials, who said they did not want their fans to be forced to leave. There had been clashes inside and outside the stadium. The Greek Volleyball Federation is due to meet today to decide if and when the final will be played. Cathedral renovation The Athens Cathedral will be shut from today so repairs can be carried out. Extensive renovation of the cathedral’s exterior has taken place recently but workmen will now begin repairing damage to the building’s interior. The services that would normally have been held at the cathedral will take place at Aghios Dionysios on Skoufa Street. Gaza aid Greece has sent another shipment of humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday. More than 100 tons of medical supplies and food were loaded onto a ship that set sail from Piraeus for the Palestinian territory. It is the fourth aid shipment that Greece has organized since the end of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza strip. Burned body The charred remains of a man were found yesterday near the village of Listaros in Messara, southern Crete. A coroner was due to examine the body of the unidentified man as police launched an investigation into his death. Cephalonia quake An earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale shook the Ionian island of Cephalonia early yesterday. The tremor struck just before 3 a.m. but did not cause any injuries or damage. Bank attacked A branch of Emporiki Bank in Ambelokipi, central Athens, was seriously damaged early on Saturday when assailants threw petrol bombs and camping gas canisters inside the building. Police said that the attack took place at about 1 a.m. Nobody was hurt.
