In Brief
TOY RECALL
Mattel withdrawing products due to fears about levels of lead The Greek subsidiary of US toymaker Mattel said yesterday that a number of its products were being recalled as part of a worldwide withdrawal of millions of toys. Chinese-made Sarge die-cast toys from the Pixar film «Cars» have been recalled because their paint contains lead. Mattel has also recalled toys containing small magnets that can come loose, including Polly Pocket, Batman Magna, Doggie Daycare and One Piece play sets. Mattel said that consumers could call 900.801.8040 to learn if their purchases are part of the recall. PLAIN SAILING No problems reported on packed ferries as more Athenians head off Ferries and hydrofoils leaving Athens’s main ports of Piraeus and Rafina were completely full yesterday as the last big batch of holidaymakers left the capital. A total of 42 departures from the two ports were planned and by yesterday evening no major problems had been reported. More than 600 flights were due to leave Athens International Airport and trains were operating at 85 percent capacity. Traffic police were also out in full force on national roads. DRUG DEALER Man caught with a kilo of heroin Police arrested a man in Athens yesterday who was in possession of a kilo of heroin during a routine check on cars in Neos Cosmos, near the city center. Officers said that the man is a 24-year-old Albanian national who also had 12,000 euros in cash on him. It is believed that this was money he earned selling drugs. Police noticed the suspect behaving suspiciously while they were conducting checks on other cars. The 24-year-old allegedly tried to get rid of a bag containing the heroin but was seen by officers. Police are trying to establish whether the suspect was acting on his own or was part of a gang. Halkida quake An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale was measured near Halkida, some 60 kilometers northeast of Athens, at 9.09 a.m. yesterday. The tremor and some minor aftershocks did not cause any damage or injuries. The Geodynamic Institute of the Athens Observatory described the earthquake as an «isolated incident» that was no cause for concern. Fire warning The General Secretariat for Civil Protection issued a high fire risk warning for today on the islands of Evia, Lesvos, Chios and Samos. Authorities called on people to take care and avoid actions that could start forest fires, such as burning of trash. Meanwhile, a fire in Akrites, in northwestern Greece, burned 10 hectares of forest and farmland yesterday. Thirteen firefighters using six fire trucks were involved in the firefighting operation along with a water-dropping helicopter and airplane. Migrant smuggler A Greek man has been arrested near Florina, northern Greece, for transporting four illegal immigrants in his car, police said yesterday. The vehicle was stopped in the Kato Kleines area. The migrants are believed to have crossed into Greece from Albania and were also detained. No more details about the alleged trafficker were released. Meat seized Thessaloniki Prefecture authorities yesterday confiscated 5.2 tons of frozen pork that had been marked with misleading labels. The meat, imported from Spain, bore labels which showed it to be fillet when the product came from different offcuts. The importers will be called before a trade prosecutor. Thessaloniki suspect Police arrested a 36-year-old man in Kalamaria, Thessaloniki, yesterday after finding in his possession amounts of heroin and cash. The unnamed suspect was found to be in possession of 238 grams of heroin, 2,280 euros in cash and five air pistols.
