In Brief
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Two men arrested for allegedly selling smuggled women to bars Two men, suspected of smuggling women into Greece and then selling them to bar owners, have been arrested, police in the northern city of Kilkis said yesterday. A 67-year-old man and a foreign national, aged 37, were caught after an officer posed as a prospective customer, offering 5,000 euros to buy two women. The two women, aged 18 and 34, from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) were also arrested. QUAKE AID Greece sends more food, medicine for victims in Pakistan, India A C-130 air force cargo plane is due to leave Greece today for Islamabad in Pakistan carrying humanitarian aid for those affected by the large earthquake that struck the region. The plane will be carrying medicine, blankets, food and a generator. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis sent his condolences yesterday to his Indian and Pakistani counterparts and said Greece was willing to offer any help it could. ATHENS AIRPORT Top prize for services in its class Athens International Airport was yesterday voted top of its class at the 11th World Route Development Forum in Copenhagen. Athens airport was ranked first for its airline support program and contribution to route development in the category of airports servicing 10-25 million passengers per year. More quakes More seismic activity hit Greece yesterday as a 4.8 Richter earthquake shook the islands of Karpathos and Kos, according to Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University, but there were no reports of injuries or damage. The quake, which struck at 8.45 a.m., had an epicenter in an undersea area 550 kilometers southeast of Thessaloniki. Studio fire Firefighters managed to control late yesterday a blaze that broke out at the studios of Alpha television station in Rendi, southwest Athens. It took 60 firefighters with 20 trucks to control the blaze that caused extensive damage to studios, according to Alpha staff members. Bishop probed Athens prosecutor Dimitris Papangelopoulos yesterday ordered a preliminary investigation into allegations from cantor Ilias Toumbas that he had been sexually molested by the Bishop of Piraeus Kallinikos. Food fines The Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) yesterday fined seven companies a total of 67,000 euros for breaches of food safety regulations. The bulk of the fines (40,000 euros) were for food distribution firm Arti and the Masoutis supermarket chain which both had goods unfit for human consumption on the premises. Illegal canteen The canteen at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Neo Faliron has been operating illegally, Piraeus prefectural officials determined following an inspection of the premises. The canteen has been operating without a license and without a price list, according to officials. Car ring Five Greeks and a foreigner have been charged in connection with the activities of a criminal ring believed to have been stealing luxury cars and selling them on for a profit over the past two years. Police said the cars were stolen from Athens and Thessaloniki but also from abroad – especially from Spain and Germany – before being sold on to unsuspecting customers, along with forged documents. Thirteen thefts have been traced so far. Diver drowns A 35-year-old diver who went spear-fishing off the coast of Elafonisos, Crete, was found dead yesterday, authorities said. The body of the diver, Manolis Efthymakis, was found by his brother at a depth of 60 meters after a rescue operation was launched by port officials. University strike University staff are due to stay away from work today after Hellenic Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (POSDEP) announced a 24-hour strike demanding at least a 20 percent increase in funding and protesting the creation of clerical universities, among other things
