In Brief
VGENOPOULOS SUIT
Government says it disapproves of legal action against PASOK leader The government yesterday distanced itself from the decision of Marfin Investment Group (MIG) Vice Chairman Andreas Vgenopoulos to sue PASOK leader George Papandreou over his comments about the deal to sell a stake in OTE telecom to Deutsche Telekom. «In no way do we agree with such practices,» said government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos when questioned about Vgenopoulos’s move. Roussopoulos denied that the government had encouraged the businessman, emphasizing that the ruling conservatives had prevented MIG from acquiring a larger stake in OTE. Close shave Two children hurt when 2-ton gate to basketball court collapses on them Two children, both aged 10, were recovering in the hospital yesterday after a two-ton metal gate fell on them at an abandoned basketball court near their primary school in Ancient Corinth. The children said they had tried to push open the old metal door when it collapsed on them. One of the boy’s sustained bone fractures. Tainted oil EFET seizes another 3,000-ton batch The Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) said yesterday it will broaden its search to find contaminated sunflower oil on the market following the discovery of a second 3,000-ton batch of tainted goods stopped at customs. Its origin was unclear. The first 3,000-ton batch of contaminated oil had been imported from Ukraine. The food oil was found to contain mineral oil. Detention death A 28-year-old Iraqi immigrant yesterday died in a detention center in Komotini where he had been waiting to be transferred to the psychiatric unit of Attica’s Korydallos jail, police said. An initial coroner’s assessment attributed the migrant’s death to natural causes, police said. Green House Energy regulator RAE approved yesterday the installation of solar panels on top of Parliament that will help power the building’s energy needs. The 78,336 KW photovoltaic system was specifically approved for Parliament since it is illegal to install them on legally protected buildings. Any power produced that is not consumed by Parliament will be passed on to the national power grid. Tax declarations The deadlines for the submission of income tax forms have been postponed by 10 working days, the Economy Ministry said yesterday. The deadlines for submission of forms depend on each individual’s tax registration number (AFM). A chart explaining which deadlines relate to which AFM endings can be found on www.taxisnet.gr. Forms can be submitted electronically at this address, mailed by registered delivery or presented at the tax office. Murder charge Police on Crete yesterday charged a 30-year-old man from the region of Mylopotamos with the murder of a 21-year-old student who was fatally stabbed last Thursday during a brawl outside a restaurant in Hania. Illegal immigrants Authorities said yesterday they had arrested 117 illegal immigrants in separate operations across Greece. Most of the immigrants told police they had sailed to Greece from Turkey by boat. The largest single group, consisting of 44 people, was detained on the Aegean island of Farmakonisi. Flight disruptions Tens of domestic Olympic Airlines flights were canceled or delayed yesterday due to an ongoing strike by pilots. Most of the changes affected flights to the Aegean Islands. Passengers are advised to to call the airline on 210 966.66.66 or 801.44.4444 before setting off to catch a flight. Israeli response The Israeli Embassy yesterday issued a statement expressing disappointment with the Greeks who had signed a proclamation by Greece’s Palestinian community condemning the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the creation of Israel. «It is saddening that such a one-sided manifesto, which criticizes Israel for all the problems in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but disregards the major responsibilities of the Arab side… was adopted,» the Israeli Embassy said.
