OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 213, 4 November 1996

HUNGARIAN UNDERWORLD FIGURE KILLED. Jozsef Prisztas was shot dead on the
morning of 1 November while getting into his car outside his Budapest
apartment, Hungarian and international media reported. Prisztas, a
restaurateur, was also said to deal in slot machines. Budapest Police
chief Janos Bodracska said gang warfare has gone beyond what a civilized
capital can tolerate, and police are offering a 1 million forint
($6,300) reward to anyone providing clues leading to those responsible
for four grenade attacks that have recently hit Budapest. Interior
Minister Gabor Kuncze said public security in Budapest is comparable to
other large European cities. He said homicides, burglaries, and
robberies have fallen in 1996, although car theft has become more
prevalent. -- Sharon Fisher

HUNGARY ASKS GERMANY TO TAKE BACK HAZARDOUS WASTE. A German
Environment
Ministry spokesman said on 2 November that Hungary has asked Germany to
take back 380 tons of industrial chemicals stranded on its territory for
months, AFP reported. The German weekly Der Spiegel reported that the
waste, destined for China, was to be shipped via Croatia; however,
Croatian authorities refused its passage and returned it to Hungary. The
German ministry stressed that the matter is the responsibility of the
state Environment Ministry of Lower Saxony, the region where the waste
supposedly originated. But a Lower Saxony spokeswoman said it was
unclear why her state should be responsible, adding that it was
uncertain whether the chemicals actually constitute hazardous waste,
Reuters reported on 3 November. -- Sharon Fisher

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Valentina Huber