In Brief
SERIAL RAPIST?
Ex convict, 35, allegedly attacks young mother in Patissia A 35-year-old man was arrested late on Thursday in Patissia, north of central Athens, after he allegedly attempted to rape a woman on the street, police said yesterday. The woman, aged 28, told police that she was stopped by the suspect as she was walking down the street with her 3-year-old-child, and pushed to the ground by the man who then attempted to rape her. The suspect, however, stopped when a motorcycle drove past them and fled in his car. Police arrested the man shortly afterwards near the scene of the crime based on the description given by the woman. The man had been released from prison in 2002 after serving a 10-year jail sentence for rape. TSUNAMI AID Process of sending 10 mln euros to victims to begin, ministry says The process of sending some 10 million euros in donations to tsunami victims in Southeast Asia is due to begin soon, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday, citing the civil strife in Sri Lanka as the reason for the delay in releasing the cash. A group of aid groups entrusted with receiving the money will receive half of the money once they have deposited a guarantee with the state Deposits and Loans Fund, the ministry said. Greece collected a total of 15 million euros for victims of the catastrophic tsunami in December 2004 but, as Kathimerini revealed, up to 10 million euros of this remain in the hands of the Foreign Ministry. EUTHANASIA PROBE Nurse in Crete faces investigation Deputy Health Minister Thanassis Yiannopoulos arrived at the Cretan port of Hania yesterday after a local hospital launched an investigation into claims that a male nurse performed euthanasia on a female patient with heart problems. According to sources, the unidentified nurse admitted to intentionally ending the life of the patient because he thought «it would be the best thing he could do for her.» Authorities are also investigating whether the suspect may have interfered with the treatment of other patients at the hospital. Internet youth The overwhelming majority (96 percent) of older primary school pupils have used a computer at least once, while 56 percent have a computer in their home, according to research carried out by a psychology professor in Thessaloniki. More than a third (37.7 percent) of pupils start using computers at the age of 9 or 10, according to the study by Marinos Paraskevopoulos, which was carried out on a sample of 700 pupils and whose results were presented at a conference on «Safe Internet Surfing» for children. Weather alert The National Meteorological Service (EMY) issued a weather warning for today with storms expected to hit central Macedonia, Thessaly and the islands in the northern Aegean. The bad weather is expected to give way to rainy conditions tomorrow, particularly on the Aegean Islands. Armed robbery Two armed men yesterday held up a branch of the Bank of Cyprus in Aghios Dimitrios, southeast Athens, and made away with an unknown amount of money. The robbery took place at about 2.15 p.m. and the men escaped the scene by motorbike, according to police. Striking teachers Education Minister Marietta Giannakou has asked to hold talks with teachers on Monday in a bid to prevent further protest action. A five-day strike by primary and preschool teachers over pay demands ended yesterday but teachers are expected to meet today to decide on further strike action. Samos fire Residents on the Aegean island of Samos said that a fire that burnt forest land yesterday in the Lazaros area was the work of arsonists. Firefighters along with two water-dropping planes took part in the battle against the fire which broke out overnight and was fanned by strong winds.
