In Brief
HELIOS INQUIRY
Chief investigator in air crash probe says final report ready next month The final report into the crash of the Helios Boeing 737-30 north of Athens last year will be ready by next month and will likely conclude that human error was the main factor that led to the accident, chief crash investigator Akrivos Tsolakis said in Cyprus yesterday. Tsolakis said his team was working to produce «a fair and clear report without any gray areas or shadows.» All 121 people aboard the airliner were killed when it crashed in Grammatiko on August 14 last year. A memorial service will be held in the area on the same date this year. ON TRACK Proastiakos railway resumes normal service after engineering work The suburban railway (Proastiakos) is due to return to its normal schedule today after the completion of work at the Acharnes junction, officials said yesterday. The suburban railway will be operating a full timetable, identical to that in use before the engineering work began, officials added. BOOKSTORE BREAK-IN Lawyer caught after stealing books A 50-year-old lawyer was arrested in Exarchia, central Athens, police said yesterday, after being caught red-handed with books that had been stolen from a local bookshop. Several books were stolen from the Spanos bookstore after the alleged thief forced open the shop’s door. Residents witnessed the robbery and called the police. Officers said they ran into the lawyer nearby as he was carrying several books and immediately arrested him. The name of the lawyer was not made public. Fatal crash Two people were burned to death in the suburb of Glyfada, southern Athens, early yesterday when they were trapped in a car that had crashed into a wall, police said. The accident happened at 5 a.m. when the driver lost control of the car on Poseidonos Avenue as he was traveling toward Voula. The vehicle hit a wall, overturned and caught fire, officers said. The fire service arrived soon afterward and pulled out the charred remains of the driver and passenger. Authorities were yesterday trying to establish the identity of the pair. University deadline The Education Ministry yesterday reminded any foreign nationals who wish to apply for a place in tertiary education that they need to submit their forms by tomorrow. The application forms need to be submitted to offices 120-121 on the first floor of the Education Ministry at 15 Mitropoleos Street in central Athens. The offices are open between 8.30 a.m. and 2 p.m. The ministry said that tomorrow’s deadline will not be extended. Migrant crackdown An operation by police last month to track down illegal immigrants led to 433 migrants being detained, officers said yesterday. The operation was carried out by policemen from stations in central Athens, Gerakas, northern Athens and Aspropyrgos, west of Athens. They checked 10,409 people and 4,005 vehicles in total. Car costs A trip from Athens to western Greece by car will cost some 12 percent more this year than it did last year due to a rise in petrol prices and road tolls, the Greek Consumer Center said yesterday. The consumer group said the average return trip will cost 104 euros compared to less than 93 euros last year. IKA dodgers Almost a third of businesses in Hania and Rethymnon, Crete, which were inspected during the last two weeks were employing workers without social insurance, Costas Smirilis, the head of the inspection service for the country’s largest fund, IKA, said yesterday. He said that 490 businesses were checked and 170 were found to be breaking the law. Smirilis said that by evading their contributions, these companies were costing IKA 51,000 euros a year. Electronic goods swiped Some 30,000 euros’ worth of equipment was stolen from a Korasidis electronic goods store on Galatsiou Avenue, near central Athens, police said yesterday. The robbers used an empty house next to the store to launch their raid, forcing open one of the shop’s doors and disabling the alarm system. Officers said the robbery was discovered on Monday but the police were informed yesterday.
