In Brief
TEMPE CRASH
Truckdriver, 8 others to answer to murder charges on Saturday A truckdriver and another eight people charged with murder with possible malice aforethought in connection with the death of 21 schoolchildren in last Sunday’s bus accident are to appear before an investigating magistrate in Larissa on Saturday, after securing more time yesterday in which to prepare their defense. Dimitris Dolas, 43, was at the wheel of the truck and trailer carrying plywood boards that sliced through the bus in the Vale of Tempe. The two owners of the truck and six employees of a Thracian wood-processing firm where the boards were loaded have also been charged. ILLEGAL HOTEL Rhodes businessman fined 8.2 mln euros for infringements Town-planning officials for the Dodecanese islands yesterday imposed a fine of 8.2 million euros on a hotel owner for building illegally across thousands of square meters of land on Rhodes. Most of the buildings forming Nikolaos Nikolaides’s Atlantika Imperial Hotel have been built illegally, according to officials. In February, a Rhodes prosecutor brought charges against Nikolaides for building without a license, and against local authorities for letting him do so. An investigating magistrate is handling the case. MEDIA VILLAGE Mayor plays down ruling The mayor of Maroussi yesterday played down the implications of a Council of State ruling rejecting plans for the construction of an Olympic media village in the northern Athenian suburb as illegal and unconstitutional. The decision, which has not been officially published, was a «formality» which would not stop the project from moving forward, Panayiotis Tzanikos said. He added that all actions taken by municipal authorities had been legal «as is proven by the rejection of more than 20 appeals to date by the Council of State.» Drugs in jail A 17-year-old boy was arrested yesterday for trying to smuggle a fruit juice carton full of drugs into a police station in the northern town of Katerini, where the man had been brought to be tried on drugs charges from the Thessaloniki jail where he was detained. The carton contained 12.5 grams of marijuana and 2.8 grams of heroin, police said. Neither the father nor the son were named. Aegean violations Thirteen formations of Turkish fighter jets yesterday violated the Athens Flight Information Region 13 times and Greek national air space 70 times south of Chios and Rhodes, military officials said. In all cases, the 28 Turkish jets were chased off by as many Greek aircraft, resulting in simulated dogfights 11 times. Grandmother killed A 35-year-old man who fatally stabbed his 75-year-old grandmother in her home in the Athenian district of Aghios Panteleimonas on Tuesday night was arrested yesterday after his wife informed police. After the attack, Grigoris Sakelaris – who is said to be psychologically disturbed – returned to his home in the southern Attica town of Saronida, his wife told police. Foteini Sakelari died of multiple stab wounds to the chest. Greek-Turkish talks A 10th round of exploratory talks on Greek-Turkish issues begins today between the Foreign Ministry’s political director, Anastasios Skopelitis, and his Turkish counterpart, Ugur Ziyal, Foreign Ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis said yesterday. Fireworks confiscated More than 97,000 illegal fireworks destined for use during traditional Easter celebrations have been confiscated from a toy store in the Athens district of Nea Ionia, police said yesterday. Historic rally The Second Historic Acropolis Rally, held to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the standard Acropolis Rally next month, begins tomorrow. The two-day rally will feature several vintage cars, including the Jaguar XK120 and E-Type, the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud III and the Ford Mustang. Thessaloniki railway? A suburban railway line connecting central Thessaloniki with outlying areas will be built by the beginning of 2008, Minister for Macedonia and Thrace Giorgos Paschalidis claimed yesterday.
