In Brief
LEBANON AID
Supply vessel stuck in Cyprus as Greece sends more shipments An aid ship due to bring supplies to the Lebanese port of Tyre has still not sailed to the city, despite an earlier Israeli security clearance, the International Committee of the Red Cross said yesterday. On Wednesday the ICRC said the long-delayed cargo of relief supplies had sailed from Larnaca. But the ship, which is carrying 100 tons of medical supplies and emergency kits, was still docked in Cyprus yesterday. Meanwhile, Greece yesterday flew 10.5 tons of humanitarian aid to Lebanon by military cargo plane, its eighth such shipment so far, the foreign ministry said. The shipment of food, medicine, milk and water was flown to Larnaca, Cyprus, on a C-130 transport plane, and will be transported to Beirut by the Greek Navy landing ship Chios on Sunday. (AFP) BEACH VOLLEYBALL STADIUM Court throws out appeal from locals over the future use of Olympic site The Council of State yesterday rejected an appeal by the Municipality of Kallithea, local residents and sports clubs against Olympic Properties, which wants to tender the use of the beach volleyball stadium in Palaio Faliron, southern Athens. The stadium was built for the Athens Olympics but has rarely been used over the last two years. Greece’s highest administrative court turned down the objections to the tender, ruling that they were not valid since the future use of the stadium would only be decided once the tender process is complete. BEACH COMBING Police in swim shorts make arrest Undercover officers arrested a 26-year-old man who had been stealing money and valuables from beachgoers while they were swimming in the sea in southern Athens, police said yesterday. The Iraqi national was arrested on Thursday after bathing suit-clad officers observed him stealing from swimmers at Bati beach in Palaio Faliron. Police said they believe the suspect stole from at least four beachgoers this month. Police said they have a number of undercover officers operating at beaches in Attica. Hide and seek Three stowaways were arrested after they were found in the back of a truck at the port of Patras, in the Peloponnese, the Merchant Marine Ministry said yesterday. The three migrants, aged 21, 25 and 31, were found after a check by port authorities. Officers said the three men, whose nationality was not made public, were carrying forged travel documents. KEP hirings The government announced yesterday that it would be hiring 1,952 employees to work at citizens’ information and service centers (KEP). The placements, which were advertised in the Government Gazette, are for university graduates, technical college graduates and for people who have completed high school. The positions will be filled by Easter next year, the Interior Ministry said. Migrants detained Coast guard officers detained five illegal immigrants early yesterday at a beach on the southeastern Aegean island of Kos, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. The migrants had rowed from Turkey to the island in a rubber dinghy which they destroyed when they reached Greek shores, officers said. Meanwhile, five migrants were also picked up on a beach on the eastern Aegean island of Chios after sailing there from Turkey, the ministry said. Robber nabbed Police said yesterday that they had caught a 50-year-old man in connection with a robbery at a bank in Aghia Paraskevi, northern Athens, last December. The man was not named but police said that he had allegedly stolen 10,450 euros from a branch of Piraeus Bank. Officers said that the suspect had also been found guilty in absentia of two other thefts. Fork in road Olympic Airlines fork lift drivers yesterday decided to suspend their threat to go on strike from Monday after Transport Minister Michalis Liapis invited them to a meeting on August 23 to discuss their demands. The fork lift drivers want their short-term contracts to be made indefinite. Bank holdup An armed man held up a branch of the National Bank of Greece in Thessaloniki yesterday and made off on foot with an unspecified amount of cash, police said. Nobody was injured in the raid.
