NEWS

In Brief

ATHENIANS FLEE

More than 300,000 people expected to leave city for long weekend Up to 1/3 million people are expected to desert Athens this weekend for the Pentecost holiday in one of the largest exoduses the city has seen in recent years, authorities said. Traffic police stepped up supervisory measures to help improve traffic flow. Extra trains, buses and flights have also been scheduled to meet demand, with traffic at the city’s bus depots up 15 percent and city ports showing a 25 percent increase. SALES AHEAD Summer discounts to run from July 18 to August 27 Greece’s consumers can take advantage of the summer retail sales period, starting from July 18 through to August 27, according to the Development Ministry. Retailers are obliged to display on tags the prices before and after the applicable discount. Development Ministry and prefectural council officials will be keeping an eye on retailers for possible infringements. BATTERY RECALL Goods ‘were fire risk’ Fujitsu Siemens Computers has called on its customers to return the laptop batteries used by its Fujistu computers due to a risk of overheating and catching fire, the company said. Customers that own the models Amilo A1640, Amilo M1425, Amilo M7405 and Amilo pro V2020 can contact the company and have their batteries replaced. Of the 250,000 systems sold worldwide, there have been four reported incidents of overheating batteries, but none in Greece. Returning immigrants Albanian nationals residing in Greece will be allowed to re-enter the country between June 25 and July 10 after visiting Albania to participate in its parliamentary elections, the Public Order Ministry said. They must have a valid passport and residence permit or a document certifying that they have applied for a new work permit or residence permit. Alarm bells Alarm bells rang at a Greek jail located in the northern city of Komotini on Thursday after an inmate, Andreas Chtenas, threatened to jump off the prison roof in protest at a court decision failing to give suspended sentences to his wife and son who are serving sentences in other jails. After hours of negotiating, Chtenas returned to his cell yesterday morning. Fugitive caught Greek police arrested yesterday a 26-year-old fugitive from the Former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) convicted of the murder of two people. The fugitive was arrested in the northern city of Thessaloniki after recently escaping from a prison in Skopje. Illegal immigrants Greek authorities at the port of Patras detained 12 illegal immigrants on Thursday that were hidden on trucks headed abroad. The two drivers were arrested. Beslan survivors Forty children who survived the tragedy in Beslan, southern Russia, where 350 people died following a terrorist attack last year, will have a holiday in Halkidiki, northern Greece. The children will be the guests of a tourist company until the end of the month. Two injured Two people were slightly injured when a gas canister exploded in the kitchen of a cafeteria in central Athens, authorities said. The cafeteria owner and an employee suffered minor burns. Greeks lose European champion Greece lost 3-0 to world cup holders Brazil on Thursday at the Confederations Cup. Greece has until tomorrow to recover, when it meets Japan in Frankfurt.

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