The sources said that the crews of the two Turkish vessels were firing weapons at sea in contravention of the rules of safe passage, after the two boats entered Greek waters yesterday west of Imia islets. They said the two Turkish vessels abandoned the area and headed back towards Turkey after a Greek gunboat patrolling the area warned the captains of the two vessels of the violation of the maritime safety rules and asked them to leave the Greek waters. Supreme Court orders investigation into strike Greece's Supreme Court prosecutor Panayiotis Dimopoulos today began a preliminary investigation into today's 24-hour strike by public transport, utilities and corporations. Dimopoulos's investigation will examine whether the strikes were lawfully called and whether state services have been provided with a skeleton staff, as required by law. It is the second strike called in a week over a provision in the government's tax bill that allows a change in the status of workers at public sector organisations within the framework of their reform.
Workers say that the provision directly undermines their status.
Dimopoulos's order, sent to the heads of Athens and Piraeus appeals courts, stresses that legal action will be taken in the event violations are ascertained. The government said on Monday that a reworded version of the provision, clarifying that the reforms related only to ailing and heavily indebted public organisations, had been decided upon by the entire government, approved by the prime minister and would not be changed. However, negotiations have been continuing on the sidelines and the unions are hoping for a formula that will defuse the current tension. At Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport all Olympic Airways domestic and international flights were cancelled. The only flight to Athens will leave from Thessaloniki tonight at 9.25 p.m. Only two trains left Thessaloniki Station today - one for Athens at 8 a.m. and one for Alexandroupoli at 8.30 a.m.