In Brief
SWINE FLU
Seven more test positive, taking total number in Greece to 30 Another seven people were diagnosed with swine flu in Greece yesterday, bringing the number of those afflicted with the virus to 30, health authorities said. The cases diagnosed yesterday were a 73-year-old man and a 15-year-old girl from Argentina, four US nationals, including a 2-year-old boy, and an Australian national. Authorities noted that all 30 of those diagnosed with swine flu in Greece have had a mild strain of the virus. Thirteen have already been treated and discharged from the hospital. CAR BLAST Woman injured in Neo Iraklion A 52-year-old economist was in the hospital with minor leg injuries yesterday after trying to start her car which had been booby-trapped. Police attributed the attack in the northern Athens suburb of Neo Iraklion to an attempt to settle personal differences but did not provide any details. Bomb disposal experts were analyzing the remains of the explosive device yesterday for clues about the perpetrators. OECD meeting Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and US Ambassador Daniel Speckhard yesterday met to discuss a scheduled meeting on Corfu next weekend of foreign ministers from the member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), whose rotating presidency is currently held by Greece. Speckhard confirmed that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would attend the high-level summit on June 27 and 28, which will focus on the issue of security in Europe. Cyprus extradition Two young British tourists found guilty of complicity in manslaughter for the hit-and-run death of a Greek-Cypriot teenager in the summer of 2006 yesterday lost a British High Court fight against extradition to Cyprus, where they face 3-year jail sentences. The judges ruled that it was impossible to conclude that the Cypriot trial process had been flawed and violated their right to a fair trial. The lawyer for Michael Binnington, 21, and Luke Atkinson, 22, from Essex, southeast England, said they would appeal the ruling. Pensioner killed An elderly woman was found dead yesterday after being bound and gagged in her home in the village of Ammos in Messenia, in the Peloponnese. Police said that they discovered the 93-year-old’s body after villagers stopped a patrol car and told officers they had not seen the woman, who was not named, for 24 hours. It was not clear if anything had been stolen from the victim’s home. Viagra route Two men have been arrested at Greece’s Evros border with Turkey after border guards found Viagra tablets and vials of testosterone hidden in their car. Authorities said yesterday that the suspects, an Iraqi and a German, were traveling from Iraq to Germany where the latter of the two owned a gym where he planned to sell the substances. Some 6,800 tablets and 500 vials were found in the vehicle. Syria visit Greek President Karolos Papoulias will pay an official visit to Syria next week, it was announced yesterday. Papoulias will visit Syria from June 24 to 27 after being invited by President Bashar al-Assad.
