In Brief
TANKER THREAT
Greek-owned ship could split in two, has leaked 4,000 tons of oil off Spain A Greek-owned oil tanker, which has already spilled thousands of tons off Spain’s northwestern coast is in danger of breaking up and causing further pollution, the Spanish coast guard said yesterday. Towboats tugged the Bahamas-flagged Prestige away from Cape Tourinan on Thursday night but the operation, hampered by bad weather conditions, widened a hole in the tanker, which is believed since Wednesday night to have leaked 4,000 of the 77,000 tons of fuel oil it was carrying. A Dutch salvage company official who inspected the vessel said it could split in two if weather conditions worsen. Police arrested the Greek skipper, Apostolos Magouras CYPRUS MEDALS Military to check list of veterans after allegations some took part in coup The army said yesterday it would re-examine the list of veterans awarded commemorative medals in 1998 for fighting in Cyprus between 1964-67 and in 1974, following yesterday’s press allegations that some senior officers who were decorated had participated in the 1974 coup on Cyprus. An army statement said an immediate review had been ordered «to ensure that suspect individuals are removed from the list» of honored officers and men. NO ROADWORK Municipal authorities restrained Municipal authorities of Palaio Psychico cannot go ahead with planned roadworks, aimed at easing traffic congestion on the northern suburb’s road network, without approval from the Public Works Ministry, according to a Council of State ruling made public yesterday. The decision to construct two road junctions, made by Palaio Psychico’s municipal council in 1996, can only be acted upon if approved by the ministry, the court ruled, noting that such measures cannot be regarded as a purely local affair. Technology summit Athens is to host a high-profile international technology summit shortly before the Olympic Games, the summit’s organizers said yesterday. The biennial World Congress on Information Technology, scheduled for May 2004, is to feature industry leaders and political figures. Too hot The Marathon race in the 2004 Olympics should be run in the early evening rather than the morning, the IAAF recommended yesterday. The governing body of world athletics, citing Athens’s intense summer heat, recommended that both men’s and women’s marathons should start at 7 p.m. The IAAF turned down a suggestion that the races start at 7 a.m. In a statement, the IAAF said the evening starts were at a «time when the effects of heat on athletes are more bearable than at earlier times of the day.» (AP) Bump in the dark The navy’s Elli frigate moored in the bay of Spetses sustained minor damage after the Calypso cargo ship, heading toward the port of Nafplion from Porto Rafti, collided into it early yesterday morning, the Merchant Marine Ministry said yesterday. Nobody was injured. Portuguese visit Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio will visit Athens on December 1 on a four-day official trip, it was announced yesterday. Debtor saved A father of four from the northern village of Gazoros in Serres, jailed over 500 euros in unpaid insurance contributions which he owed to the national fund for the self-employed (TEBE), was yesterday released after the Holy Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita paid off his debt with money collected in a local whip-round. TEBE took legal action against Pantelis Tsahiridis who had stopped paying his contributions to TEBE after closing down his loss-making taverna three years ago. Dangerous school Local authorities on the island of Kea were yesterday looking for new premises for 127 secondary school pupils whose schoolhouse was closed last Thursday after being deemed dangerously unstable. The 100-year-old building started falling apart after heavy rainfall earlier this month. Car death A 37-year-old car mechanic from Kryoneri in Kavala died yesterday when a truck he was fixing collapsed upon him. Athanassios Papasavvas had climbed under the truck to repair it but the jack gave way.
