In Brief
MOLOTOV ATTACK
Blast at ND supporters’ club in Athens causes minor damage An unidentified assailant early yesterday launched a Molotov cocktail bomb through the window of a ground-floor apartment used by supporters of ruling New Democracy in the northwestern Athens district of Ilion, police said. The bomb, thrown into the apartment after a brick was used to break a window, caused minor damage. There had been no claim of responsibility for the attack by late yesterday. PHONE SCAMS Prosecutors to monitor TV shows that lead to hefty call bills Greece’s top prosecutor has instructed prosecutors across the country to keep a close eye on television programs that invite viewers to participate in telephone games promising easy prizes but that result in exorbitant bills for the callers. The numbers begin with 090. Callers are charged for the time they are on the line, often waiting 15 minutes before the connection breaks after which they call again, Supreme Court prosecutor Dimitris Linos wrote in a circular to appeals court prosecutors. THRACE SHOCKS Loutra rocked anew Strong aftershocks yesterday struck the area around the village of Loutra, near Alexandroupolis in northeastern Greece, which was hit by a 4.8-magnitude earthquake on Sunday. State officials, who inspected a total of 347 homes, have slated 21 for demolition. Another 88 were listed as badly damaged but repairable. Summit briefing Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis yesterday briefed President Costis Stephanopoulos on the NATO summit in Istanbul and on the EU summit that resulted in the appointment of Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso as the new president of the European Commission. Karamanlis welcomed Barroso’s unanimous election, noting that, coming as he does from a southern European nation, he is well aware of the issues that concern Greece. Victoria station The Kifissia-bound platform of Victoria station on the Piraeus-Kifissia urban electric railway (ISAP) will be back in operation on Monday, ISAP said yesterday. Renovation works at the station are to continue however, ISAP added. Cyprus tax deal Cyprus’s parliament yesterday unanimously approved legislation granting sharply reduced tax rates to Cypriots who come clean about an estimated 2.5 billion euros in funds hidden in secret bank accounts on the island and overseas. The government estimates the revenue windfall from the amnesty may be as high as 50 million Cyprus pounds (85.6 million euros) but the bill’s passage through parliament has been much delayed. (AFP) Trolley route Transport Minister Michalis Liapis yesterday announced the commencement of two new trolley buses linking central Athens with the northern suburb of Halandri. Trolley lines 18 and 19 will follow the same circuit as the existing A6 and B6 bus routes and will be extended to the metro station at Doukissis Plakentias Avenue at the end of July. The routes will be serviced by new trolley buses, with air conditioning and disabled access, which will run every 10 minutes until 3.45 a.m. over the course of the Olympics. Media strike There are unlikely to be any national newspapers available on Tuesday as journalists launch a 24-hour strike starting 8 a.m. Monday, which has been called for by the Athens Journalists’ Union (ESIEA). Unionists are demanding the immediate signing of a new collective labor contract. A protest rally is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday outside ESIEA’s offices in central Athens. Body found The decomposing body of a young man, partly eaten by dogs, was found in an empty lot in the northwestern Athenian suburb of Menidi, police said yesterday. First indications were that the man died of a drug overdose nearly two months ago.
