In Brief
A voter in opposition New Democracy deputy Alexandros Lykourezos’s Athens constituency yesterday lodged a lawsuit demanding that the MP be stripped of his seat as he is still practicing law. Lykourezos, a celebrity lawyer, is the second MP in as many days to be challenged over holding a second job alongside his parliamentary activities. On Monday, four voters in PASOK deputy Thanos Askitis’s Athens constituency demanded he resign as he is still a practicing doctor. Under constitutional amendments passed last year, MPs must suspend professional activities or step down. FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS Passengers traveling on Friday may be affected by 24-hour strike Air passengers scheduled to travel to or from Greece on Friday will most likely face disruptions following yesterday’s announcement by unionists that civil aviation workers would be staging a 24-hour strike on that day. Workers want the Economy Ministry to pay for extra staff they say they need in 2003. Civil Aviation Authority staff yesterday said they would abandon their duties on Sundays if the government fails to respond to their demands. CHURCH FINED Radio station ‘violated labor laws’ The state National Labor Inspectorate (SEPE) has fined the official radio station of the Church of Greece 14,000 euros for alleged violation of labor laws, it was revealed yesterday. The Church had failed to pay technical staff the salaries they were due, had not signed staff contracts and had not offered vacations, SEPE noted following an inspection of the radio station’s premises last month. «The employment of the staff is a contribution which most workers have offered voluntarily,» a Church lawyer retorted in a letter to SEPE, adding that «everything is done for the good of our listeners.» Road accident A 60-year-old Larissa woman was hospitalized with multiple fractures after the surface of a road in the central town gave way beneath her, the Eleftheros Typos reported yesterday. Zoe Saiti was rescued from a 4-meter hole by firemen after passers-by heard her cries for help, the daily said. Bank blast A homemade bomb comprising gas canisters bound together caused minor damage to the ATM of a bank in the Athenian district of Vyronas when it exploded in the early hours of yesterday morning. There were no claims of responsibility for the attack. Cyprus competition United Nations representatives in Cyprus said yesterday evening that they had received «1,000 and counting» entries for a new flag and national anthem for a united Cyprus. Proposals have been submitted by amateurs as well as by graphic design firms and orchestras from both sides of Cyprus as well as from numerous countries including Japan, New Zealand, the USA and Canada. Farmers retreat Thessaly cotton farmers yesterday put a stop to 13 days of road blockages after a meeting of farmers and representatives of other sectors involved in cotton production failed to reach any conclusions in Athens. The farmers’ standing demands – that cotton-processing plants reopen and take in cotton which has yet to be submitted – are due to be discussed by a European Commission agricultural affairs committee on March 18. Agriculture Minister Giorgos Drys has asked for the summit to take place earlier. Destructive getaway An 18-year-old Albanian car thief yesterday caused damage to more than 20 vehicles in his attempt to flee Thessaloniki police in a stolen car. Officers started pursing the man, who has not been named, after he broke into a parked car. In his determination to escape, the youth crashed into various parked vehicles before grinding to a halt after the final collision. Armed robbery Two masked robbers made off with just under 60,000 euros following a raid on a bank in Piraeus yesterday. The duo, who police said were probably Albanians, fled on a motorcycle.
