In Brief

TOXIC SEAFOOD

Authorities in western Greece warn against local mussels, shellfish Authorities in western Greece warned yesterday that mussels and other shellfish that have been found on one side of the Amvrakikos Gulf should not be sold or eaten because they contain toxic substances that pose a danger to people’s health. Officials said that the side of the gulf that belongs to the prefecture of Aitoloacarnania is being investigated as inspectors try to work out why the shellfish have become contaminated. In 2004, scientists had warned that high levels of pesticides and insecticides had found their way into the water of the Amvrakikos Gulf. FYROM APPEAL FM asks Skopje to cooperate in talks to solve Macedonia name dispute Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis has again warned the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) that it needs to be willing to negotiate over its name. Speaking in Malta ahead of talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington tomorrow, Bakoyannis said, «Now is not the time for raised tones and intransigence, it is time for serious and effective negotiation.» Bakoyannis and Rice are expected to focus on the Macedonia issue during their talks. CHRISTODOULOS WILL Late archbishop’s assets go to Church The late Archbishop Christodoulos has left the majority of his personal belongings to the Church of Greece, according to his will, which was made public yesterday. Christodoulos, who died last month, asked for most of his personal effects to be put on display at a Church museum which is currently under construction. The remaining items are to go to close aides of the late archbishop. The will appears to have been handwritten by Christodoulos on May 15 of last year, a few weeks before he was admitted to the hospital. Firebombed The offices of the Manpower Organization (OAED) in Neos Cosmos, near central Athens, were seriously damaged in a firebomb attack late on Monday. Assailants smashed the building’s glass doors and threw Molotov cocktails inside the offices. The resulting fire caused widespread damage. There were no injuries or arrests. Sea Diamond Authorities yesterday froze the assets of the firm that owns the Sea Diamond cruise liner which sank off Santorini last April. The Merchant Marine Ministry is urging Louis Hellenic Cruises to raise the wreck and clean up local pollution. Three foreign firms have submitted proposals for the best way of raising the wreck. Bust stolen Police in Veria were yesterday seeking to recover a bust of Alexander the Great which unidentified thieves removed from the entrance to the city’s business chamber on Monday. The gold-plated bronze bust – 58 centimeters tall and weighing nearly 20 kilos – is the work of artist Efthymis Varlamis. Singer critical The singer-songwriter Arleta was yesterday in critical condition in a Volos hospital after suffering a heavy stroke just a few minutes before she had been due to appear on stage at the central city’s municipal theater. Reluctant patient A man who visited a private hospital in Nicosia, Cyprus, yesterday after experiencing strong pains in his chest but refused to receive treatment was found dead outside the hospital shortly afterward. The man, whose age was not made public, was told he was at serious risk of having a heart attack and should enter the hospital’s intensive-care unit but he refused and discharged himself, doctors said. Drug hauls Police yesterday seized 70 kilos of cannabis in three rucksacks hidden near the border with Albania. No arrests were made.