NEWS

In Brief

FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS

Cancellations, delays due today as air traffic controllers stage strike Airline passengers due to travel today are to face disruptions due to a planned four-hour work stoppage by air-traffic controllers from noon. Olympic Airlines (OA) has canceled 13 domestic flights and rescheduled dozens of others, and other airlines have also changed flight times. Passengers should call the airline they are traveling with for details about rescheduled flights. OA can be reached on 210.966.6666. MOSCOW TRIP President goes on first official visit President Karolos Papoulias is to begin his first official trip abroad in Moscow today by attending commemorative events marking the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to award Papoulias with a medal in honor of his resistance work during World War Two. Basketball Panathinaikos’s Vlado Scepanovic fights for control of the ball with Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv player Maceo Baston during the Euroleague semifinal match in Moscow yesterday. The Israeli team – the defending champions – defeated Panathinaikos 91-82 to advance to the final. Panathinaikos reached the Final Four for the first time since 2002, when the team won its third title, beating Maccabi. Turkish violations Defense Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos leveled strong criticism yesterday against Turkey, following a peak of violations in the Aegean on Wednesday when some 60 Turkish fighters breached Greek air space. «Turkey’s provocative behavior systematically violates international law, causes great problems to regional stability and security, sabotages attempts to improve Greek-Turkish relations and undermines (Turkey’s) European prospects,» Spiliotopoulos said in a statement. Dangerous medicine? The National Pharmaceutical Organization (EOF) yesterday advised medics not to give out prescriptions for the anti-eczema drugs Protopic and Elidel, following reports that they might be cancerous. The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations has launched a reassessment of these medicines following concerns about the possible risk faced by patients, EOF said. Blair congratulated Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis yesterday sent a message to his British counterpart Tony Blair, congratulating him on his re-election and looking forward to future cooperation. «I am sure we will be able to work together closely on a wide range of issues of common, bilateral and European interest and on international affairs,» his message read. Child porn A Greek man was indicted for allegedly producing pornographic material involving children as young as 1 and distributing it over the Internet for more than two years, authorities said yesterday. Police said the 35-year-old man was indicted after officers raided his store in central Athens yesterday, seizing thousands of pornographic photos and videos stored on discs and computers. (AP) Fraudster caught A 50-year-old fugitive with 71 convictions on fraud and smuggling charges and several pending arrest warrants has been caught, police said yesterday. The unnamed fraudster faces 60 years in prison and a total fine of 3.3 million euros for his transgressions, police said after arresting him in the Attica coastal resort of Saronida. Health staff Health Minister Nikitas Kaklamanis yesterday asked Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to approve the recruitment of 9,500 extra hospital staff – mostly nurses – for 2005. Forest fire Firefighters struggled yesterday evening to extinguish a blaze that had broken out on forestland near the mountain of Parthenio in Arcadia.

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