In Brief
GREEN ROAD TAX
New charges, based on carbon emissions, come into effect The new road tax charges, which penalize owners of cars that pollute heavily, came into effect yesterday. Car owners who obtain their sticker for 2011 will pay according to the carbon emissions produced by their vehicles. A sliding scale has been developed whereby drivers will pay for each gram of carbon dioxide their vehicle emits per kilometer. For instance, the owner of a car that emits between 101 and 120 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer will pay 0.80 euros per gram. At the other end of the scale, drivers whose vehicles emit more than 251 grams per kilometer will have to pay 3 euros for each gram. Dumpster death Homeless man dies in accident A homeless man who had been sleeping in a garbage dumpster in the district of Tavros, south of central Athens, died yesterday after street cleaners emptied the dumpster into a garbage truck. The man suffered serious injuries, believed to have been caused by the truck’s trash-compacting mechanism. He was transfered to the hospital by ambulance but was proclaimed dead on arrival. Voting information Those registered to vote in the City of Athens can visit the municipal services office at 22 Liosion Street, or call 210.527.7001 for information about where and how to cast their votes in local authority elections on Sunday. Information can also be acquired by calling the Athens municipality’s four-digit number 1595, by logging onto to www.cityofathens.gr or by visiting a Citizen Service Center (KEP). Terror suspects Magistrates probing the Revolutionary Struggle urban guerrilla group yesterday offered additional time to three suspected members to prepare their testimonies. One of the three is the wife of Costas Gournas, who has confessed to playing a leading role in the group’s activities along with suspected ringleader Nikos Maziotis and the latter’s girlfriend, Panayiota Roupa. The three are to testify on November 4 and 11. A fourth suspect is to be summoned later this week, police said. Schools closed All state primary and secondary schools will be closed on Friday, November 5, and Monday, November 8, to allow the schools to be readied as polling stations for local authority elections due on Sunday. Schools in prefectures or municipalities where elections will go to a second round will also be closed on Friday, November 12, and Monday, November 15. Schools will also be closed tomorrow due to school council elections. Cheap power The Public Power Corporation’s reduced household rate entered its winter schedule yesterday, meaning consumers who paid to be eligible for cheaper electricity will be charged less between 3.30 and 5.30 p.m. and from 2 to 8 a.m. Mevgal three The appeal of former Competition Commission official Panayiotis Adamopoulos, merchant Constantinos Constantinidis and customs official Panayiotis Anagnostopoulos, who were found guilty last year of attempting to extort money from the Mevgal dairy firm, has been postponed until September 2011. The three men received five-and-a-half year sentences but were released on bail pending their appeal.
