In Brief
FYROM talks
UN mediator tries to drum up enthusiasm as new round starts A fresh round of talks between envoys from Athens and Skopje, aimed at solving the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) name dispute, did not result in any new proposals but nor did it reach an impasse, the United Nations special envoy appointed to mediate the negotiations said yesterday. Matthew Nimetz said «positive steps» and «a more positive climate» was necessary to push forward negotiations. Greece’s envoy Adamantios Vassilakis said the talks were «calm.» FYROM negotiator Zoran Jolevski stressed the importance of a settlement for regional stability. SUPERMARKET THEFT Four charged over store raid Two men and two women arrested on Wednesday for allegedly stealing food from a supermarket in Larissa and distributing it to passers-by, copying similar raids in Athens and other cities, yesterday were charged with predatory theft, which is a felony in Greece. US-Greek ties Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis is scheduled to meet her US counterpart Hillary Clinton on February 25 at the State Department in Washington, ministry spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos said yesterday. The two diplomats are to discuss issues including the Cyprus problem, he said. Abduction probe Police in Athens yesterday were questioning five Pakistani nationals believed to have been holding hostage a 21-year-old compatriot and demanding 7,500 euros from his relatives in Pakistan for his release. Officers traced the five suspects after the alleged hostage managed to escape from the apartment in which he was being held in Aegaleo, western Athens. Abusive father A 58-year-old man alleged to have been forcing his 24-year-old mentally retarded daughter to work as a prostitute for his financial gain was yesterday being questioned by police in Karditsa, central Greece. The suspect is alleged to have used force to oblige his daughter to have sex with several older men in exchange for an unspecified amount of money. Child molester A 32-year-old man alleged to have sexually molested a 7-year-old girl last week gave himself up to police yesterday, officers in the northern town of Kilkis said. The girl is believed to be a friend of the suspect’s daughter. Waste rap European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas yesterday said that the European Commission had lodged an appeal with the European Court over Greece’s «inadequate» inspections of the handling of dangerous toxic waste. Dimas was responding to a question submitted by Dimitris Papadimoulis, an MEP for the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA). Large quantities of toxic waste are believed to have been dumped in illegal landfills in the past. Leros collision A passenger ferry struck a pier at the main port of the Dodecanese island of Leros yesterday, but caused no injuries, as strong winds created choppy conditions. Bad weather kept ferries moored at Piraeus and other ports.
