In Brief
Macedonia dispute
Athens to reply to Nimetz on name proposal next week Greece will be in a position early next week to submit an official response to a proposal by United Nations mediator Matthew Nimetz for the resolution of the Macedonia name dispute, Foreign Ministry spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos said yesterday. Meanwhile in Skopje, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) described as «realistic» a European Commission report that describes the name dispute as a fundamental issue of concern. TB CONCERNS Rate is high among migrants Tests conducted on immigrants in Greece over the past decade reveal that a worryingly large number suffer from active tuberculosis, which is contagious, experts say. According to a study by medics from the Thessaloniki-based Institute for the Study of Thoracic Ailments, 171 migrants were found to have active TB following tests on some 60,000 over the past 10 years. They said this was a high rate compared to other European countries. Bomb blasts An arson attack on offices of ruling New Democracy in Thessaloniki early yesterday caused minor damage but no injuries. The homemade explosive device used in the blast provoked a small blaze that was extinguished by the fire service. Oil recall The Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) yesterday called on consumers to return to retailers any 1-liter bottles of sunflower oil trading under the name Kope Sanola, with an expiry date of 23-9-2009. The particular batch of oil is believed to have been tainted with paraffin. Scam artist Some residents of Ileia in the Peloponnese fear they have fallen victim to a fraudster after it was revealed yesterday that they gave their ID card and tax registration numbers to a man claiming to be from a construction company that was preparing to give anyone affected by last year’s fires a payment of 12,000 euros. Police said the man has not been seen since taking the residents’ details a few days ago. Mugger caught A 22-year-old motorcyclist alleged to have stolen 35 bags from pedestrians and motorists in western and northern Athens with the help of an unknown accomplice has been arrested, police said yesterday. The motorcyclist would pull up alongside pedestrians or cars waiting at traffic lights and his accomplice would grab the victims’ bags, according to police. ATM fraud A Romanian believed to be part of a ring that swindled thousands of euros from bank customers by using cloned ATM cards issued by European banks has been caught, police said yesterday. The suspect was caught after allegedly withdrawing 300 euros from a cash machine using a cloned bank card. He is believed to have made 40 such withdrawals last week. Reds lose Olympiakos basketball club suffered its first loss in three games in the Euroleague as it went down 85-76 at Cibona Zagreb last night. On Wednesday, Panathinaikos scored its second win, downing Sluc Nancy 70-80 in France.
