In Brief
NATO exercise – Greek contigent to participate in war games in western T Eighty Greek soldiers will participate in NATO’s Adventure Exchange 2001 exercise which starts in western Turkey on Monday and will continue until October 25. Over 2,000 troops from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the USA will also take part. Cyprus visit Tsochadzopoulos to meet Clerides Defense Minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos will visit Cyprus tomorrow, to represent the Greek government at celebrations for the island republic’s Independence Day on Monday. He will attend a military parade and have talks with President Glafcos Clerides. Missing ornithologist Search under way off Crete A sea and air search was under way on the northern coast of Crete yesterday for German ornithologist Luettker Witte who, as part of a team of three, had gone to the islet of Paximadi, north of Siteia, where the others in the group lost sight of him. A coast guard vessel and two fishing boats began a search but were not able to approach the islet because of bad weather. An air force helicopter was also searching the area yesterday. Slight tremor. Coastal areas of Athens and the port of Piraeus were slightly shaken by a 3.8 Richter earthquake at 2.12 p.m. yesterday, recorded in the sea bed off Vari, 23 kilometers (14 miles) southeast of Athens. Geodynamic Institute seismologist Maria Sahpazi told Kathimerini there appeared to be no cause for concern. It is a region where there are small tremors on a regular basis, she said. No damage was reported. Church donation. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is to donate $50,000 to rebuild the church of St. Nicholas in Manhattan that was destroyed in the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11. Patriarch Vartholomaios told Archbishop Demetrios of America that the donation was a symbolic expression of the Patriarchate’s concern and support. Migrants. The Cypriot coast guard stopped a fishing boat carrying 14 illegal immigrants from landing on the island on Thursday night and sent it toward Lebanon, Reuters reported from Nicosia yesterday. A police spokesman told the agency the vessel was guided to a safe distance away from Cypriot territorial waters toward Lebanon, from which it was believed to have departed. Fontaine. European Parliament speaker Nicole Fontaine met President Costis Stephanopoulos and Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday at the end of a visit to Athens. Maneuvers. The Greek armed forces will use their new Ukrainian-made Zubr hovercraft for the first time during the final phase of the ongoing Parmenion exercise, in the Evros region of Thrace. President Costis Stephanopoulos and Defence Minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos will observe the end of the war games on Tuesday. Organic livestock. A decision providing subsidies for the breeding of organic livestock was signed yesterday by Agriculture Minister Giorgos Anomeritis. They apply to those participating in livestock breeding programs in the European Union’s Directive 1257/99 on agricultural-environmental measures, and include goat and sheep, cattle and pig breeding. Salamis. The Navy said yesterday it would hold a ceremony at 11 a.m. today at the Salamis naval base to commemorate the 480 BC Battle of Salamis. Piraeus concert. A concert dedicated to the work of composer Mikis Theodorakis is to take place on Monday night, sponsored by the municipality of Drapetsona, in the heart of Piraeus’s dock area. The concert, which begins at 7 p.m. on the site of the ancient Ietionian Gates, is aimed at promoting Piraeus as a gateway to culture. Composers Christos Leontis, Nikos Xydakis, Dimitris Papadimitriou and singer Arleta are taking part. Entrance is free. Roadwork. A section of Kifissos Avenue between Iera Odos and the Petrou Ralli bridge are to be closed between 7 a.m. today and 3 p.m. tomorrow, while work is carried out on a flyover. Traffic will be diverted via side streets.
