In Brief
ANXIOUS LANDING
Aegean Airline jet touches down safely after landing gear scare Emergency services were on standby at Athens International Airport yesterday afternoon after an Aegean Airlines flight from Bucharest with 68 people on board reported a problem with one of its landing gears but the airplane landed safely. The captain had reported to ground control that his instruments indicated a problem with the rear left landing gear of the Boeing 737 as he was approaching the airport. Technicians instructed the pilot to fly at low altitude over the airport so they could check visually whether the wheel was stuck. It appears that the problem had been with the plane’s instruments and the captain was given the all clear to land. OFFICER INJURED Policeman guarding minister’s house involved in row with two people A plainclothes policeman who was guarding the house of Sports Minister Giorgos Orfanos in Vrilissia, northeast Athens, was taken to the hospital early yesterday after becoming involved in an argument with two people. Police said that the officer saw a 40-year-old woman sitting on the hood of his car and asked her to get off but he was attacked by the woman’s 20-year-old son. The attacker allegedly used a flashlight to hit the officer. A witness called police, who began a search for the two suspects. The extent of the policeman’s injuries was not known. ADEDY ACTION Civil servants strike on Wednesday The civil servants’ union ADEDY said yesterday that its members will go on strike on Wednesday to protest the government’s plans to allow private universities in Greece. ADEDY said that civil servants will strike from 11 a.m. until the end of their shift. The union is also demanding more public funding for education. Sour grapes Police in Thessaloniki yesterday arrested a 38-year-old man alleged to have circulated slanderous notices on the Internet to seek revenge on his former girlfriend. The unnamed man allegedly circulated a notice featuring a photograph of the 29-year-old real estate agent, describing her as a fraud. The 38-year-old is also alleged to have published the woman’s mobile phone number next to an advertisement for sexual services. He also allegedly sent the woman offensive SMS messages. Officers searching the man’s flat found a printed photograph of the woman that was the same as the one used on the Internet notice. Rape suspect A 30-year-old Indian national was arrested yesterday accused of attempting to rape an Indonesian woman in his home in Kifissia, northern Athens. According to police, the suspect attacked the victim, aged 31, in his apartment shortly after a group of their friends had left the home. The woman said that she managed to fight off the alleged attacker and report the incident to authorities. Food fines The Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) said yesterday that it has imposed fines totaling 171,000 euros on food companies for violating health regulations. No further information was available. Drivers killed A 20-year-old motorist was killed in a car accident in Igoumenitsa, northwestern Greece, yesterday after his vehicle slammed into a lamppost. Police said they have launched an investigation into the accident, which also involved a second car hitting the lamppost at the same time. The driver of the second vehicle was slightly injured. Separately, a 50-year-old Albanian national was killed on a national highway near Arta, western Greece, after his vehicle collided with a small truck. Fire damage A branch of ATEbank in Zografou, eastern Athens, was slightly damaged after a group of people wearing hoods threw two firebombs at the building early yesterday morning, police said. Nobody was injured in the attack, which occurred at about 4 a.m., and none of the suspected anarchists was arrested. Post haste An armed robber held up a post office in Megara, west of Athens, at about 1 p.m. yesterday, making off with an unspecified amount of cash, police said. The man left on foot after threatening customers and staff with a gun.
