In Brief
UN ADDRESS
PM tells General Assembly that law needs to be enforced around world Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis called on world leaders to better implement human rights and international law during an address to the UN General Assembly at the end of a three-day summit in New York. «We must take concrete steps to reduce selective application, arbitrary enforcement and breach without consequence,» said Karamanlis. He also labeled the UN reforms adopted yesterday as «a good beginning in the long path of necessary reforms.» BOOKWORMS Young students cannot escape private lessons, study finds Some 95 percent of Greek pupils spend up to 10 hours a week receiving private tuition in foreign languages, according to the results of a survey carried out by the University of Ioannina, made public yesterday. Almost six in 10 students spend at least five hours a week at private tutorial centers, the poll of 800 students from 27 schools found, prompting experts to say the extra workload could burn out children. POSTING LOSSES Worker caught stealing from bank An employee of the branch of the Postal Bank in Delvinaki, Ioannina, has been arrested on suspicion of siphoning off some 276,000 euros from customer accounts between January and August to feed his alleged gambling habit, police said yesterday. The unnamed suspect also stole some 55,000 euros from the payment books of five customers, officers said. The suspect admitted spending the money on the lottery and games of chance. Helios probe Relatives of victims in last month’s Helios Airways crash have filed a lawsuit in the United States against the Cypriot airline, its holding company Libra Holidays and Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer, The Associated Press reported yesterday. The team investigating the accident returned to Greece yesterday from a fact-finding trip to England. The head of the team, Akrivos Tsolakis, said he was happy with the information he gathered while interviewing two of the airline’s British engineers, Alan Irwin and Malcolm Fowler. CD factory Police seized some 15,600 counterfeit music CDs and 460 copied DVD movies at an apartment in Kypseli, near central Athens, yesterday and arrested a 24-year old woman on suspicion of making the copies. Officers also confiscated 36 recording units. Salonica supermarkets Store employees in Thessaloniki have threatened to block supermarkets in the city center today as part of protests to make sure the work week does not exceed 48 hours. They are also demanding that shops remain closed for three afternoons each week and the basic wage be raised to 1,300 euros per month. Bus lanes Nine new bus lanes will open around Athens starting Monday, authorities said yesterday. The lanes include one on Vassileos Constantinou between the Hilton Hotel and the Panathenaic Stadium. Holdups Two armed robbers wearing crash helmets held up a branch of Egnatia Bank in Argyroupoli, eastern Athens, yesterday and made off with 4,000 euros in cash, police said. In a separate incident in Thessaloniki yesterday, two armed men held up a Eurobank branch and absconded with 22,000 euros in cash, police said. The men were wearing motorbike helmets and held up the bank around 10.30 a.m. using hand guns. Roadworks Drivers heading south on the Athens-Corinth highway will be redirected to the old national road due to roadwork on the new highway’s tunnels over the next 15 days, authorities said. The work will take place in the evening from Monday to Thursday from Sept. 19-29. Aluminium risk Aluminium company Elval could be hit with a 150,000-euro fine for dumping piles of rusty aluminium in an outdoor area that created a health hazard to the region after recent rainfall. Authorities said a prosecutor will investigate complaints from local residents who claim to have fallen ill from a strong ammonia smell caused by the exposed aluminium after the rainfall. According to the law, the company is obligated to store the aluminium in a covered area.
