NEWS

In Brief

TEEN RAPE

Lawyer of alleged victim claims girl was ‘in love’ with one of boys The lawyer representing two of the four teenagers accused of raping a 16-year-old classmate at a school on Evia told Kathimerini yesterday that the girl allegedly consented to having sex with the boys. «The girl was in love with one of the four boys,» said Thanassis Tartis. «He told her, ‘If you want me, you must have sex with my friends as well.’ The girl gave in and that is how it all happened,» Tartis said. The unnamed girl and her mother, who are both originally from Bulgaria, are currently in Athens so the teenager can undergo psychiatric observation. MANTOUVALOS EXPOSED Parliament votes to lift MP’s immunity for a second time Parliament yesterday voted overwhelmingly in favor of again lifting the immunity from prosecution of independent MP Petros Mantouvalos. The deputy has been linked to an alleged trial-fixing ring. Parliament does not lift an MP’s immunity often but yesterday renewed a mandate from last December to allow the Piraeus deputy to face trial. The former New Democracy deputy made an emotional plea for his immunity to be lifted so he could clear his name in court. MPs also lifted the immunity of PASOK MP Eleni Kourkoula so she can face charges over alleged town-planning violations. WATER RISK Kimi batch may contain bacteria A consignment of Kimi mineral water, in 1.5-liter bottles and bearing an expiry date of September 4, 2007, may contain a bacteria which could pose a health risk to babies and other vulnerable consumers, the Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) warned yesterday. EFET issued the warning after checks on a consignment revealed the presence of the pyocyanic pseudomonad bacteria. Bank shootout Three armed men held up a branch of National Bank of Greece in Patras yesterday and made away with an unknown amount of cash, police said. The men, whose faces were covered, exchanged gunfire with the bank guard but no one was hurt in the incident. The culprits escaped on a high-powered motorcycle which police later found on a nearby street. Suspect escapes Officers said yesterday they are searching for a robbery suspect who escaped from a police holding cell in Kypseli, near central Athens, early yesterday morning. Police said it was not immediately clear how the Albanian national managed to break the metal bars on his cell window. The suspect then climbed a 3-meter-high wall and ran away. (Editorial, Page 2) Ambulance strike National First Aid Center (EKAB) staff yesterday announced a 24-hour strike for Monday which will mean fewer ambulances on the roads. Workers are calling for the recruitment of extra employees to tackle understaffing as well as salary increases and the classification of their profession as hazardous and unhealthy. EKAB staff have threatened to continue with rolling strikes unless their demands are met. Doctor in custody A doctor accused of prescribing narcotics for drug addicts was remanded in custody on the island of Rhodes yesterday. The doctor, who works for Greece’s largest social security fund, IKA, allegedly wrote the prescription which police officers found in the house of one of his relatives last September. Murder suspect A 56-year-old man was arrested yesterday in Komotini, northeastern Greece, accused of killing a 42-year-old local businessman, on Tuesday, police said. The suspect is believed to have shot the victim at his store in Sapes, Rhodope, with a hunting rifle after an argument. News strike All three state-run television channels did not show any news programming yesterday because of a 24-hour strike by TV journalists over a contract dispute. Journalists’ union called the strike to protest ERT’s refusal to grant permanent employment to some staff who are on fixed-term contracts. Bomb threat An Aegean Airlines flight from Athens to Corfu was delayed by 45 minutes yesterday after a caller warned of a bomb on the plane. Police inspected the plane and luggage on board with the help of sniffer dogs before the flight took off at about 10.30 a.m.

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