March 16-17, 1953
JOURNALISM AND STALIN: Since 1926, the newspapers have unofficially «killed off» Joseph Stalin, who died on March 5, a total of five times. Also, various newswires referred to him as having died in 1930, as having suffered a stroke in 1929 and as about to retire from politics for health reasons in 1945. Stalin’s first «death» occurred in 1926, when the British newspapers announced that he had been assassinated. Four years later, the Latvian press reported him as having been killed in Moscow. In October 1945, the Russian Embassy in Paris was forced to issue a statement categorically denying persistent rumors that Stalin had died. Three years later, Russian delegates in London characterized similar reports in the Berne press as «ridiculous.» The last news item announcing the Soviet leader’s death before it event actually occurred was in 1949, when it was claimed that he had succumbed to a heart attack. FOOD: Grocers and greengrocers in the city center and suburbs are fully stocked with basic food items, but despite the major crisis plaguing the general market, including the food market, not only have prices not fallen, but on the contrary, there have been price increases on some items, especially on oranges and apples. In addition, some European cheeses are being sold for 52,000 drachmas per oka (1.2 kilos).
