In Brief
Prison strike
Work stoppages this week over low staff levels, pay dispute Staff at the Thessaloniki prison called two work stoppages this week in protest at low staff numbers, work hours and the lack of overtime pay. The Union of Thessaloniki Prison Employees said yesterday that the first stoppage will take place tomorrow between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and will be repeated on Wednesday. The employees argue that the lack of adequate staff puts the prison’s safe operation at risk. Emergency stop Sick passenger grounds flight An Olympic Airlines flight from New York to Athens made an emergency landing in Ireland yesterday after one of its passengers, a male, suffered a heart attack aboard the plane. The passenger was rushed to a local hospital from the airport in Shannon, Ireland, but passed away en route. The passengers details were not released. Director dies Film director Grigoris Grigoriou passed away yesterday at the age of 86. Grigoriou is considered a leading figure in Greek cinematography after more than 50 years in the business. Body found Police said yesterday they found the body of a man in Omonia, central Athens, in an underground storage area. The man had severe head injuries that may have resulted from a fistfight, authorities said. Further details of the man, a Polish national, were not known. Deadly accident Two people were killed in a car accident close to Thessaloniki yesterday. Authorities said the driver of a vehicle was killed when his car ran into a motorbike, then hit a roadside utility pole and then went up in flames. The driver of the motorbike, a 63-year-old man, was fatally injured. Fire death A 75-year-old man burned to death in his apartment in central Athens on Saturday, authorities said. Neighbors broke into the man’s ground-floor apartment and dragged him out of the flat that was ablaze. He was taken to the hospital where doctors confirmed his death from burns and smoke inhalation.
