In Brief
ANTI-WAR PROTESTS
Rallies today and tomorrow, unions call strike for April 3 The Greek arm of the European Social Forum is organizing an Athens demonstration outside the meat and vegetable markets on central Athinas Street at 10 a.m. today in protest at the death of Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad market during a US missile strike this week. PASOK’s youth arm is organizing sit-down protests after 8 p.m. in 13 Greek cities. Another demonstration is scheduled for noon at Syntagma Square tomorrow. A rally will take place in Thessaloniki today. Meanwhile, the civil servants’ union yesterday called a 24-hour strike for next Thursday and the General Confederation of Greek Labor announced a four-hour work stoppage for the same day. TURKISH APPEAL Business leader asks Greece to push for Cyprus solution The head of the Turkish Union of Industrialists and Businessmen has appealed to Greece to push for a solution to the Cyprus problem and acceptance of a UN proposal for the island’s reunification, saying his country faces an economic disaster unless it gets back on an EU-oriented course, the Athens News Agency reported yesterday. Tuncay Ozilhan said Greece and Turkey should work together to conduct referendums on both sides of Cyprus, noting that his country risks going back 50 years unless the current economic downturn is reversed. SUMMERTIME Clocks go forward on Sunday Clocks will be set forward one hour – from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. – on Sunday morning as official summer time begins, the Transport and Communications Ministry said yesterday. Hospital bribe The director of the gynecological clinic in Iraklion’s state Venizeleio Hospital is to face a prosecutor today after allegedly demanding 600 euros from a patient for a routine operation. The unnamed doctor was arrested after accepting 600 euros in bills, which had been marked by police officers, from his 50-year-old patient. Pizza thieves Two unidentified individuals early yesterday forced a 36-year-old Thessaloniki pizza delivery man to hand over the pizzas they had ordered earlier by threatening him with a knife. The two, who waited for their delivery in front of a building site, also robbed the man of 105 euros. Air space violations A total of 25 Turkish fighter jets yesterday violated the Athens Flight Information Region 10 times and Greek national air space five times in the northern and central Aegean and east of Rhodes, Greek military officials said. In all cases, the Turkish jets were chased off by Greek aircraft which resulted in simulated dogfights eight times. Hepatitis line Citizens can now receive advice and information about hepatitis by calling a free telephone line – 800.11.33633 – between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday, the Hellenic Society for the Study of the Liver said yesterday. The society said it had decided to launch the phone line after its research showed an increase of 10-25 percent in the number of people suffering from the disease – a rise the society attributed to the influx of illegal immigrants over the last few years – alongside the general ignorance among citizens on how to protect themselves against hepatitis. EU-Latin American ties Foreign Minister George Papandreou is to meet with his counterparts from Panama and El Salvador, Arturo Vallarino and Maria Evgenia Brizuella De Avilla, on the sidelines of a summit of EU and Latin American ministers which culminates in Vouliagmeni today. Round of Athens Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyianni yesterday called on Athenians to participate in the annual Round of Athens run next Sunday, April 6, which is also World Olympic Day that will this year mark 107 years since the first Olympic Games were held in Athens. The 8.5-kilometer (5.3-mile) race is run on major central roads. A special route will be marked out for disabled runners this year.
