NEWS

In Brief

ABUSE CHARGES

Man, 54, accused of raping one of his daughters, prostituting the other two A 54-year-old man faced a Halkida prosecutor yesterday, charged with repeatedly raping his 14-year-old daughter and forcing his two older daughters into prostitution, police said. The unidentified man, who has allegedly been raping his youngest daughter for the past four years, was arrested after the second-oldest of his daughters called the police. The man’s wife – and mother of the three girls – apparently knew about the alleged abuse. ANTIBIOTIC OVERDOSE Greek consumption highest in EU, reducing defenses against illnesses Greeks, along with the French, consume the most antibiotics in Europe, resulting in the creation of bacteria that actually resist the antibiotics and encourage illnesses, experts said yesterday. Consumption of antibiotics has doubled since 1990, while studies show that up to 70 percent of children take antibiotics unnecessarily, professors from the University of Athens and medical experts from the Attiko Hospital told a press conference yesterday. FILM WARNING Bishop warns against ‘Da Vinci Code’ The bishop of Thessaloniki, Anthimos, advised all Greeks yesterday not to watch the «Da Vinci Code,» the film based on a best-selling Dan Brown novel exploring the idea that Jesus Christ has living descendants. Anthimos said the film and book were based on «arbitrary fictional constructions» and bore no relation to scientific and historical information. Anthimos also said he was in favor of a mosque being built in Thessaloniki as long as there was a need for it. He said there are already some 260 mosques in Greece, mostly in the northeastern region of Thrace. Damianos dies Film director Alexis Damianos died yesterday at his home in Ekali, northern Athens, after a long battle with cancer. Damianos had been nicknamed «the patriarch» of new Greek cinema following the success of his films «Until the Ship» and «Evdokia,» which were filmed in 1966 and 1970. Damianos had never studied film but developed a signature style featuring symbolism and powerful imagery. Kaklamanis campaign Former Health Minister Nikitas Kaklamanis began in earnest yesterday his campaign to be elected the next mayor of Athens in the October local elections. «I dream of a different Athens, full of culture in every detail of its life – from morning to evening and until the morning again,» Kaklamanis said during a function last night. Police attacked A group of youths emerged from the university student resident hall in Zografou and threw Molotov cocktails at a bus carrying riot police, officers said yesterday. The incident occurred at 2.30 p.m. but nobody was injured as the missiles missed their intended target. The youths had destroyed two traffic cameras minutes earlier, police said. No arrests were made. Meanwhile, another group of youths threw rocks at a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant on Patission Street, central Athens, early yesterday morning. There were no injuries. Going clubbing Several sticks of dynamite were thrown at a bar-restaurant co-owned by the chairman of AEK soccer club, Demis Nikolaidis, causing minor damage and no injuries, police said yesterday. The attack happened at around 1 a.m. in Petralona, southern Athens, but the bar was closed at the time. The dynamite was thrown onto the roof of a storage area. Nikolaidis has been locked in a dispute with some of the club’s hardcore fans. Car death A 30-year-old man from Avlona, north of Athens, was killed late on Wednesday when the car he had been working on collapsed on top of him, authorities said. The man had been conducting repairs under his car but the jack which was supporting the vehicle gave way. The man was taken to KAT hospital in Athens but was pronounced dead on arrival. Policeman arrested A police officer from Thessaloniki has been arrested, authorities said yesterday, on suspicion of illegally possessing drugs and a firearm. The 47-year-old was arrested after officers found pills and a starter’s pistol at his apartment.

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