In Brief
FIREFIGHTER KILLED
Rescue worker, 46, crushed by collapsing wall in Pirgos block blaze A 46-year-old firefighter was killed yesterday while he was attending to a blaze in the town of Pirgos in the Peloponnese, the fire brigade said. Father of two Fotis Anagnostopoulos was called to the fire in an abandoned building – frequented by drug addicts, according to locals. At around 5 a.m. and during efforts to put out the blaze, a section of the building came loose and fell on the firefighter, killing him instantly. Firemen searched the building in case anyone was trapped inside but found no other victims. BISHOP CLEARED Church court finds Nikiforos not guilty of sexual misconduct A special Church of Greece court yesterday cleared Nikiforos, Bishop of Didymoteicho, of any wrongdoing over allegations of sexual misconduct. Some 570 character witnesses, including politicians and local officials, wrote to the court in support of Nikiforos. Only one person – the one who had brought the initial claims – testified against the cleric, sources said. BANK ACTION Daylong strike due next Tuesday State banks are unlikely to be operating next Tuesday following yesterday’s decision by the Federation of Bank Employees’ Unions (OTOE) to go ahead with a planned 24-hour strike for that day. Banks will also be closed next Monday due to a public holiday. Unionists are calling upon bank workers to renew their protests against controversial reforms to bank workers’ pensions which were voted through Parliament at the end of June. Price announcements In reaction to the high costs of the beverages and snacks served on ferries, the Development Ministry said yesterday that passenger shipping companies will be required to announce by loudspeaker ceiling prices applicable to food and drink items served on board. Fast-food companies that operate canteens on ferries sometimes charge up to 100 percent more for their products, such as coffee, than what they normally charge at their other stores. Jewel heist Four armed robbers held up a jewelry store in the western Athenian suburb of Vyronas yesterday, after smashing the entrance with a hammer, and made off with a bag containing 70,000 euros’ worth of valuable items, police said. Officers suspect that the four men, who had their faces covered, are the same gang that has hit four other jewelry shops in Hellenikon and Palaio Faliron in recent weeks. They struck the owner and his wife with the butts of their guns before fleeing on two motorcycles, officers said. Jet ski A British teenager pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of negligently causing the death of his 16-year-old girlfriend when their jet skis collided in an horrific crash off Cyprus last week, police said. Hannah Sutton died of her injuries in the crash at Pissouri, a popular family resort on the southern coast of Cyprus, where she had been visiting her mother, a teacher at a nearby British military base. James Dudley, 16, will be sentenced by a magistrate in the southern port city of Limassol today, police said. He could face jail, a suspended sentence or a fine. (Reuters) Irate farmers Peach farmers continued their road blockage of the Thessaloniki-Edessa highway in northern Greece yesterday waiting for a response from Agriculture Minister Evangelos Bassiakos over their demands for better prices for their produce. The farmers, who have been blocking the highway at six different points since Monday, are threatening to prolong their action if their demands are not met. Murder suspect Police arrested a 38-year-old man in Kifissia, northern Athens, late on Monday, in connection with the death of a woman who was beaten to death in late July, police said yesterday. The man was taken to the prosecutor yesterday. Samos migrants Samos coast guards yesterday picked up six Afghan and two Liberian illegal immigrants off the island’s coast, authorities said. The men were taken to an immigrant reception center in the island’s main town.
