In Brief
TWIN QUAKES
Two strong tremors shake Greek isles but no injuries reported Two strong quakes, measuring 6 and 5.9 on the Richter scale, struck the undersea area north of Samos yesterday, causing minor damage on Chios and several injuries in Turkey, although there were no reported injuries on any Greek islands. The first, and stronger, quake occurred at 8.45 a.m. and the second just over four hours later. The quakes shook islanders on Chios, Oinouses, Samos, Icaria and Fournoi and was even felt in some parts of Attica. Seismologists warned of weaker aftershocks. CHILD PORNOGRAPHY Large ring may have produced material in Greece, sources say A child pornography ring involving around 20 businessmen and professionals from across the country has been traced following a tip-off in a provincial town in northern Greece, police sources in Attica said yesterday. According to officers, the ring is responsible for uploading photographs and video footage of «extremely hardcore» child pornography, much of which is believed to have been produced in this country. The extreme nature of the material and the size of the ring make it an unprecedented case, sources said. Details are expected to be made public this week. AEGION SHOOTING Victim’s wife could recover Doctors at the intensive-care unit of the university hospital in Patras yesterday were hopeful that the wife of a Greek-Egyptian man shot dead near Aegion on Saturday could make a recovery. Amed Hanaan, 45, sustained injuries to her throat, stomach and hand after gunman entered a house belonging to her husband Nikos Zoubatlis and shot him and his parents dead. The couple’s children, who hid in a closet, survived the attack. Officers said they were with family friends yesterday but were still in a state of shock. Suburban railway Morning services on the Athens-Corinth suburban railway route are to start an hour earlier and run more frequently following requests by commuting workers, the train operator told Kathimerini yesterday. The first train will leave Corinth at 6.15 a.m., according to the new timetable, but it was unclear when this would come into effect. About 3,500 commuters currently use the Corinth-Athens service daily. DEKA trial The trial of the former chairman and board members of the Public Portfolio Management Company (DEKA) is set to resume at an Athens appeals court today after preliminary proceedings yesterday. Ioannis Kousoulakos and five board members have been charged with buying up shares in the runup to the April 2000 general elections which then lost value and cost the state some 700 million euros. Afghanistan troops There has been no official request for Greece to send more troops to Afghanistan, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos said yesterday. Responding to questions from journalists, Roussopoulos said that a decision about the future of the South-East European Brigade (SEEBRIG), in which 23 Greek soldiers are serving, will be made in December. Hash haul Police arrested a man in Halkidiki, northern Greece, yesterday after finding four kilos of hashish in his home. The 30-year-old was initially detained in a hospital car park with 622 grams of the drug on him. A search of his house then followed. Passenger killed A 50-year-old woman was killed in a car accident near Thessaloniki yesterday when the car in which she was traveling crashed into an electricity pylon. Her husband, who was driving the vehicle, was seriously injured in the accident. BA flights British Airways (BA) will start direct flights between the island of Rhodes and London from May next year, the company said yesterday. The flights, by BA’s franchise partner GB, will be twice a week from May through to October.
