In Brief
TRANSPORT PROBLEMS
Four-hour bus strike in Attica today as drivers attend general assembly There will be no blue buses serving Athens and outlying areas between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. today as drivers attend a general assembly of Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) staff. Workers are due to determine their stance following the announcement of government plans to establish a single body to manage public transport. Unionists are also seeking the signing of a new collective work contract for 2005. FOOD INSPECTIONS Toxic dye ‘found in McDonald’s meals;’ honey ‘completely safe’ Sudan 1, an illegal food dye believed to be cancerous, has been discovered in the Dijon mustard sauce used in meals prepared by McDonald’s, the president of the Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) said yesterday as the number of food products found to be contaminated with the dye rose to 419. Food products containing the dye, including Worcester Sauce and Colmans Seafood Sauce, are to be withdrawn from shelves by the end of this week, Nikos Katsaros said. Meanwhile, beekeepers’ organizations stressed that Greek honey was «completely safe» and contained only «negligible traces of dichlorobenzine.» EVROS FLOODS Drinking water affected in parts An estimated 3,500 hectares of land has been flooded since the Evros River broke its banks last Thursday and drinking water has been sullied in villages such as Rigio, Pythio and Petrades, state officials revealed yesterday. Residents have been asked to refrain from drinking tap water until the results of tests, due today. Floodwater has also damaged river dikes and roads. An estimated 10,000 hectares of land is believed to have been flooded on the Turkish side of the river. Iran condolences Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis yesterday sent his condolences to Iranian President Mohammad Khatami after a 6.4-Richter earthquake struck the region of Zarand, killing at least 420 people. «I would like to convey the genuine condolences and solidarity of the government and the Greek people… at this time of great hardship,» Karamanlis’s message said. Price tags The price tags on retail goods will henceforth be set out in a simpler fashion, according to a decision signed yesterday by Deputy Development Minister Yiannis Papathanassiou. An item costing one euro and 20 cents will henceforth be tagged 1.20 euro, instead of E1.20C as before. Items costing less than one euro will be tagged 0.50 euro, etc. Omonia killing Police in Athens were yesterday investigating the murder of a man, aged between 25 and 30, whose corpse was found near central Omonia Square. The unidentified man had been strangled, according to a coroner. On Monday night, the corpse of a 54-year-old man was found in his Omonia apartment. Vassilis Papadopoulos had been shot in the head. Work site death A 62-year-old worker was yesterday fatally injured after getting caught in a conveyer belt in the Aghios Dimitrios power station in Ptolemaida, western Macedonia. Costas Efthymiadis had been employed to clean the conveyer belts carrying lignite. Lottery theft? A Piraeus resident yesterday claimed to have been robbed of his 200,000-euro «Joker» lottery win after an unidentified burglar allegedly swiped it from his home on Monday night. The intruder used an extendable metal ladder to climb into the first-floor flat and steal the cash, according to Vassilis Georgiou. ELA trial Defense lawyers representing six people allegedly involved in bombing attacks by the Revolutionary Popular Struggle (ELA) yesterday objected to the jurisdiction of the three-judge appeals court presiding over the trial. They claim that the political nature of the crimes being tried demand a mixed jury. The court is due to respond to the objections today. Also today, protesters are to stage a rally outside the gates of Athens University, condemning the trial.
