Vardar

A bid to remove three faux galleons erected in the Vardar river a decade ago has run aground, leaving behind an unsightly reminder of the megalomania of a fugitive former PM.

Five proposals for FYROM's (Macedonia's) new name are still on the table after a meeting in New York, writes the Albanian language website Tema.

The meeting brought together representatives of Skopje and Athens and was mediated by UN envoy Matthew Nimetz.

The meeting brought together representatives of Skopje and Athens and was mediated by UN envoy Matthew Nimetz.

According to the report, these five proposals are: the Republic of New Macedonia, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, the Republic of Upper Macedonia, the Vardar Republic of Macedonia, the Republic of Macedonia (Skopje),.

The new Mayor of Skopje, Petre Silegov, who was elected in October, has said he has ordered the removal of three imitation galleons from the Vardar river - installed by the previous government - for safety reasons.

"The 'ships' hinder the normal water flow and, if the water level rises, it could result in spillage," Silegov told TV 24.

An ambitious project being considered to establish a vertical link between the Danube, Europe's second-longest river, and Greece's Aegean coast by a navigable route via the rivers Morava and Vardar/Axios, may seem like a prospect of colossal proportions by European standards, but its development cannot be ruled out as it would serve the interests of China, an undisputed powerhouse trader.

A small training aircraft crashed on an islet on Axios river in Epirus on Sunday, at around 15.00 in the afternoon.

According to the fire department, three people were rescued, including the pilot and two Italian nationals. The pilot was slightly injured and the two other passengers are unharmed, but were transferred to the hospital of Kilkis for precautionary reasons.

Construction will be able to take place on a beach in Katerini, northern Greece, the government decided on Thursday despite the European Commission chiding Athens two years ago over damage to the environment caused by building activity in the area.