A bust of Flight Lieutenant Costas Iliakis, who was killed during a mock dogfight with a Turkish fighter jet last year, was unveiled in his hometown of Hania, Crete, yesterday as Deputy Defense Minister Vassilis Michaloliakos urged Turkey to help reduce the tension over the Aegean. “Greece supports Turkey’s progress toward the European Union but this path must pass through total respect for international law and the EU’s accession criteria,” said Michaloliakos. He added that Greece’s armed forces remain ready to confront every “challenge or threat.”

Residents of Leipsoi in the Dodecanese yesterday welcomed the first ferry from Piraeus to dock at the tiny island in the last three years. Following protests by locals earlier this month, authorities agreed to arrange for two ferries from Piraeus to travel to Leipsoi each week. The islanders have vowed to ignore their tax and voting obligations until a comprehensive solution is proposed, including a ferry connection to Rhodes.

British Ambassador to Greece Simon Gass was among the dignitaries that attended a memorial service at the Souda cemetery on Crete yesterday to mark the 66th anniversary of the pivotal WWII Battle of Crete.

Police in Thessaloniki said on Saturday that they had arrested eight people in one day in connection with six different drugs cases. Two teenage girls, aged 15 and 17, were arrested by police in Yiannitsa, northern Greece, on suspicion of dealing drugs.