In Brief
PRICE INCREASES
Fresh fruit and vegetables up to 60 pct dearer over the last 10 days The price of fresh fruit and vegetables has increased by as much as 60 percent since December 19, the Development Ministry said yesterday, noting that the impact of severe weather on agricultural production was largely to blame for the hikes. Tomatoes are now being sold at around 2 euros per kilo as compared to 1.30 euros, cucumbers for 2 euros per kilo instead of 1.50 euros and spring onions for 2.20 euros per kilo instead of 1.80 euros, the ministry said. There have been marginal price drops for bananas, pears and potatoes, it added. CORPSE IDENTIFIED Wedding ring leads to suspect for 37-year-old woman’s murder Police in Thessaloniki said yesterday the wedding ring on a woman’s burnt corpse, discovered in forestland near Sochos last Saturday, helped them find the victim’s killer. Christina Iovanidou, a 37-year-old Gypsy from Dendropotamos, had her name and birth date engraved on the ring, according to police, who used the information to track down street vendor T.K., with whom Iovanidou had been living since summer 2002. T.K. allegedly admitted to killing Iovanidou with a shepherd’s crook because she had refused to share with him a 2,500-euro benefit check for her five children, police said. ROBBERIES Four lucrative raids Two armed robbers seized a bag containing 100,000 euros from a security guard outside a supermarket in Nea Erythraia shortly after 10 a.m. yesterday. The cash was to stock an ATM. Two hours later, a pair of gunmen stole 15,000 euros from a bank in Neos Cosmos. In Thessaloniki’s Kalamaria district, a couple netted more than 18,000 euros from a bank, and in Ioannina an unarmed man aged 60-65 swiped two bags of money from security guards stocking a central bank before fleeing on his motorcycle. Aegean talks Senior Greek and Turkish diplomats met in Ankara yesterday for the 21st round of exploratory talks on bilateral issues, Foreign Ministry spokesman Panayiotis Beglitis said. Evros alert off Prefectural authorities in Thrace yesterday called off a state of high alert declared on Friday after the rain-swollen Evros River threatened to break its banks. Fish farm damages The owner of a fish farm is to receive more than 200,000 euros in compensation from the Public Power Corporation (PPC) for losses incurred due to a fluctuating electricity supply, according to a Supreme Court ruling made public yesterday. A fluctuation of about 70 volts in the electricity PPC was supplying the fish farm disrupted the process of recycling and oxygenating the tank water, resulting in the death of the fish, the court heard. Weather warning The National Meteorological Service yesterday warned that heavy rain and stormy weather is expected to affect the entire country from today until New Year’s Day. Iran aid Donations for Iranian earthquake victims can be paid into accounts at Alpha Bank and Bank Saderat Iran, the Iranian Embassy in Athens said yesterday. The Alpha Bank account number is 101002002040226 and the account at Saderat, whose Athens address is 25-29 Panepistimiou St, is 3400-999999. Resignation A close aide to Defence Minister Yiannos Papantoniou, Giorgos Sotirelis, yesterday resigned from the chair of the ministry’s Institute for Defence Analysis, claiming top ministry officials interfered with his work. Migrants detained Seven illegal immigrants were arrested on the islet of Farmakonisi late on Sunday, the Merchant Marine Ministry said yesterday. Coast guards detained two illegal immigrants on Samos yesterday morning, and another four on Chios. Vehicle inspections Car owners wanting to arrange appointments with Vehicle Inspection Centers (KTEO) in Attica should now dial 1525, instead of 167.
