In Brief
PENSION REFORMS
Parliament to look at possible reform of social security system after Easter Lawmakers will start examining the country’s social security system after Easter while representatives from employees, employers and political parties will be chosen in May to examine upcoming pension reforms, Labor Minister Savvas Tsitouridis said yesterday. The minister also said that by the end of the year, the government will prepare a new list of professions in which workers will be entitled to receive the «hazardous and physically demanding» work benefit that leads to early retirement. EATING HABITS Most schoolchildren do not dine with parents, preferring fast food Almost eight in 10 Greek schoolchildren rarely eat with their parents, according to a study by the Health Directorate of the Prefecture of Thessaloniki made public yesterday. The survey suggested that up to 56 percent of the children eat snacks such as potato chips during school hours and nearly two thirds of students choose to buy products with high sugar content from the school canteen. Between a quarter and half of the schoolchildren questioned said they had not been informed about nutritional matters by their parents. ZAKYNTHOS TREMOR 5-Richter tremor causes no damage An earthquake measuring 5 Richter shook Zakynthos at 6.55 a.m. but did not cause any serious damage or injuries, authorities said. The tremor was the latest incident of frequent seismic activity on the Ionian island in recent days. Civil engineers will today begin a second round of checks on buildings that have been damaged by recent earthquakes. So far, engineers have determined that 15 houses are not safe and should be knocked down. Another 115 are in need of repairs. Coptic protest Coptic Christians from Egypt will hold a protest march in central Athens to voice their opposition to the sectarian violence that has broken out in their homeland. The events in Egypt were sparked off by knife attacks at three Coptic churches that left one worshipper dead and 16 injured. There has been rioting between Muslims and Christians since then. It is estimated that some 10,000 Coptic Christians live in Greece. The march to the Egyptian Embassy will begin at 4 p.m. at Kaningos Square. Hot steam The Development Ministry said yesterday that it was banning the sale of the HD-106 model of Perla steam irons after finding it did not meet EU safety standards. People using the steam iron in question are in danger of being electrocuted, the ministry said. Anyone owning the product is advised to stop using it and return it the store from which it was purchased. Non-daily bread The bakers’ union said yesterday that bakeries in Athens will be closed on Easter Sunday and Monday. Opening on Tuesday will be optional, the union said. Bakeries will open on Easter Sunday between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. for customers who want to have food cooked in their ovens. Fake feta More than 100 kilos of feta cheese were seized at a factory in Argolida, eastern Peloponnese by inspectors from the Hellenic Food Authority (EFET). Tests on the cheese showed it contained cow’s milk and vegetable fat and so could not be called feta. The company, Alexandros Logothetis, had also breached another 17 food and hygiene regulations. Evros strike Employees at the Prefecture of Evros will refuse to serve the public today in protest at what they claim is a lack of aid given to the region in the wake of floods in March. Prefect Nikos Zabounidis said no solution had yet been offered to the problems caused by the floods, which were the worst the area had experienced in some 40 years. OA workers Some 350 Olympic Airlines workers demonstrated at Macedonia airport in Thessaloniki yesterday calling for open-ended work contracts. The workers, currently employed on limited contracts, did not disrupt flights but warned of strike action after Easter. Pot plants Police arrested a man in Hania, Crete, yesterday after finding 1.3 kilos of cannabis hidden in two metal containers on his farm.
