In Brief
YOTOPOULOS FRUSTRATION
Court rejects appeal by N17 mastermind for new defense lawyers The mastermind of the November 17 terrorist group Alexandros Yotopoulos said yesterday that he will officially request the replacement of the five judges of the court that is hearing the appeal of the convicted terrorists. Yotopoulos made the claim after the judges again turned down his request to appoint new defense lawyers. He claimed the court-appointed lawyers did not have the know-how to prepare the appeal he wants to make to the European Court of Justice. UEFA CUP Greek sides drawn against French teams in competition’s round of 32 Both Greek soccer teams left in the UEFA Cup will face French opposition in the next round. Panathinaikos will need to overcome Lens to make it into the last 16 of the tournament while AEK will take on Paris St Germain (PSG). The two legged ties will be played on February 14, 15 and 22. Panathinaikos will play the first leg away from home and AEK will host PSG at the Olympic Stadium in Athens before traveling to Paris for the second leg. Meanwhile, an airplane carrying Panathinaikos fans from Milan to Athens yesterday had to land in Brindisi, Italy, after a brawl broke out on board the flight. IKA ROBBERY Armed thieves steal 200,000 euros Three armed men held up a branch of the Social Security Foundation (IKA) in Neos Cosmos, southern Athens, yesterday and made away with -200,000 in cash after disarming two police officers. Police said that IKA employees were in the process of paying workers their Christmas bonuses when an assailant, posing as worker waiting to be paid, pulled out a gun and demanded that the cashier put the cash in a bag. The other two assailants punched the two on-duty police officers and took their guns before they could react. Christmas wishes Athens Mayor Theodoros Behrakis is due to open the Land of Wishes in Kotzia Square in the city center today. The ceremony is due to take place at 1 p.m., after which youngsters will be able to visit the Workshop of Wishes to design Christmas cards and obtain special stamps which they can use to post their holiday wishes. More information is available on www.christmasinathens.gr or by calling 195. Inmate dead A 35-year-old male inmate from Syria was found dead in his cell in Hania, Crete, yesterday, police said. An autopsy is expected to be conducted on the body today but police ruled out any foul play, saying that the inmate had been linked to drug-related incidents without giving any further details. Milk fines The Development Ministry said yesterday that it fined 239 milk producers a total of -570,000 for not disclosing data concerning the origin and quantities of dairy products produced. The producers are obligated to submit this data in an attempt by the government to stamp out diluted milk being sold in the market. The ministry added that fines ranged between -500 to -21,000. Undeclared icons Officers from the police’s antiquities squad said they have arrested a 55-year-old artist on suspicion of breaking antiquity laws. Police said they found five religious icons in the woman’s apartment that had not been registered with authorities. The suspect was not named. Albanian immigrants Police arrested two Albanian nationals close to Ioannina in northern Greece yesterday attempting to smuggle into the country 20 of their fellow countrymen in the back of a truck. The illegal immigrants had each paid -700 to reach Greece and been hidden under bales of hay on board the truck, police said. The immigrants had been picked up in Greece by the organizers after walking into the country along an unguarded point on the Greek-Albanian border. Pensioner killed A 66-year-old pensioner was found dead of head injuries on his farm close to Kastoria, northern Greece, yesterday, police said. Authorities, who found the body 150 meters away from the victim’s parked car, are looking into the possibility that he was killed during the course of a robbery.
