In Brief
AEGEAN VIOLATION
Two Turkish jets fly over Lemnos, Foreign Ministry to lodge complaint Two Turkish fighter jets deeply violated national air space yesterday to fly over the northeastern part of the island of Lemnos, the Defense Ministry said in an unusual official confirmation of such an incident. The two F-4s were locked onto by anti-aircraft missiles and chased off by Greek jets, a ministry statement said, adding that the Foreign Ministry was due to lodge an official complaint. On Monday, military sources said that the rate of violations of Greek national air space in the Aegean by Turkish military aircraft dropped 44.2 percent last month compared to July 2003. CYPRUS TALKS Greek, Cypriot diplomats submit joint action program to president A joint action program for tackling outstanding matters relating to Cyprus and involving the United Nations and the European Union was presented to Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos in Nicosia yesterday by senior officials of the Greek and Cypriot foreign ministries. The prospects for a settlement following the April 24 collapse of the Annan peace plan, and increased trade between Greek and Turkish Cypriots were among the issues which dominated negotiations. Talks will continue throughout August, Cypriot Foreign Minister Giorgos Yiakovou said. SUPERMARKET PRICES Store owners deny talk of hikes Supermarkets will not be increasing their prices during the Olympics, the chairman of the Greek supermarket owners’ federation said yesterday. Rumors of imminent hikes are untrue, Pantelis Panteliadis said, stressing that stores had no reason to raise prices as suppliers had not increased theirs. Piraeus ferries The Aghios Spyridon jetty in Piraeus harbour will not be serviced by ferries serving the western Cyclades and Samos-Icaria route from next Monday until August 31 as cruise ships accommodating Olympic visitors will be docking there, the Merchant Marine Ministry said yesterday. Ferries for the western Cyclades will leave from and dock at the Aghiou Dionysiou and the Tzelepi jetties. And those for Samos and Icaria will use the Ietionos and Vassileiadis jetties. Menidi blast A homemade explosive device caused minor damage when it detonated before dawn yesterday in a toilet at the Menidi offices of Attikes Diadromes, the company overseeing the operation of the Attiki Odos highway. Police said a terrorist link was unlikely as the device did not have the capacity to cause great damage and there had been no warning call or claim of responsibility. Hotel strike Hotel workers are to decide next Wednesday whether to continue with ongoing strike action, unionists said yesterday. Staff from hotels in Attica and Piraeus marched through central Athens yesterday pressing their demands for wage hikes and an Olympic bonus. (Page 2) Journalists sue Two Mexican television journalists yesterday sued two harbour police officers for allegedly beating them after they were caught taking photographs within a restricted area in Piraeus on Monday evening. The coast guard is holding an internal investigation into the alleged incident. Ricomex appeal Architect Nikos Scholidis and civil engineer Alexandros Dovas, who last week received suspended five-year jail sentences in connection with the 39 deaths caused by the collapse of the Ricomex factory during the 1999 Athens earthquake, are to be retried after a prosecutor appealed against their sentences yesterday. The appeal was against a reduction of the charges from «murder with possible malice aforethought» to manslaughter – a misdemeanor. They are now to be tried on the original criminal charges. Prostitution ring A total of 26 individuals were involved in forcing a young foreign woman into prostitution in various parts of the country, Thessaloniki police said yesterday. Six people were involved in smuggling the woman into the country in September 2001, while the remaining 20 had forced her to work in sex clubs in Attica, Komotini, Kos, Lefkada, Lesvos, Drama, Alexandroupolis and Xanthi.
