Greek triple jumper Chrysopigi Devetzi came third in the World Indoor Championships in Budapest on Saturday with a jump measuring 14.73 meters. Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia clinched the gold medal with her 15.36-meter jump — a new world record — while Yamile Aldama of Sudan came second with a 14.90-meter jump.

Solid showing at world indoors

A detainee charged with sexual assault was found hanged in his cell yesterday in the police station of Koufalia in Thessaloniki. The Greek man, who was not identified, had used his leather belt to hang himself from the iron door of his cell, according to police who are conducting an internal investigation into the incident.

Police on Crete were yesterday looking for a 26-year-old Albanian convict who escaped from the island’s Halikarnassos jail on Friday afternoon. Ilia Albert, who had been serving a 15-year jail sentence for a drug-related offense, managed to scale the prison walls using the bedsheets from his cell during the foreign prisoners’ recreation period. Prison guards noticed Albert’s absence on Friday night and confirmed his escape on Saturday. A local prosecutor has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the convict’s escape.

A child of around 5 years old was killed on Saturday after being hit by a truck at a crossroads in the Athenian district of Votanikos where she had been begging for money. The unidentified girl, believed to be a Gypsy, was taken to the Aghia Sophia children’s hospital where her death was confirmed. The driver of the truck, whose name was not made public, was arrested.

Archbishop Christodoulos yesterday called for all Greeks to move beyond political polarization and concentrate on solving social and national problems. After casting his vote in Plaka, in answer to reporters asking whether he hoped for a better future, Christodoulos said, “Woe betide us if we do not have hope, otherwise we might as well go and drown ourselves.”