In Brief
LEFKADA QUAKE
4.5 Richter tremor shakes Ionian island, no damage or injuries An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale shook the Ionian island of Lefkada early yesterday but did not cause any injuries or damage. The quake struck at 6.38 a.m. and its epicenter was in the sea, southwest of the island. Seismologists said the tremor was not related in any way to the recent earthquakes around Lake Trichonida in central Greece. METRO TIMETABLE Night schedule ruled out due to maintenance, cleaning work Attiko Metro (AMEL), the company that runs the Athens metro, said that it is unlikely to offer service through the night as necessary maintenance and cleaning work is carried out during these hours. AMEL was responding to a question that was submitted in Parliament by MPs. The company said that the time that trains do not run is used to conduct maintenance work on the train lines and to clean the carriages. Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis has said that he would like the metro to run until the early hours of the morning every weekend. UNSAFE PACIFIERS Dangerous dummies withdrawn Two brands of baby pacifiers are being withdrawn from the market because they do not meet safety standards, the General Secretariat for Consumer Affairs said yesterday. One of the brands is the Soother Poupy Gommoto which was sold by AB Vassilopoulos supermarkets and shops at the Iaso and Mitera maternity clinics. The other pacifier which is being withdrawn is the French made Remond Sebir brand. A total of some 140 of the pacifiers have been sold so far. Armed raid Two armed robbers held up a branch of the National Bank in the Sykies area of Thessaloniki yesterday morning, police said. The armed men entered the bank at 11 a.m. and threatened staff with handguns. They made off on a motorcycle with 5,255 euros in cash. DEKA trial The trial of seven previous board members from the State Portfolio Management Agency (DEKA) who face charges of breach of faith was postponed yesterday to June 25. The officials have been accused of buying shares in large-capitalization companies in April 2000 for the purposes of maintaining high stock prices ahead of national elections. Defense lawyers said yesterday they could not represent their clients due to an Athens bar regulation that dictates a change in legal representation after a trial has been set back twice. Prosecuting lawyers consented to the decision. Bank fined The Hellenic Data Protection Authority (APPD) fined an unnamed bank 10,000 euros for sneaking a term into an application for an ATM card that allows the lender to pass on the customer’s personal details to third parties for marketing purposes. APPD said that the bank had not properly informed its customers of this term which had been unknowingly agreed to by clients. In a separate decision, APPD fined another bank and a private medical center 15,000 euros and 30,000 euros respectively for not destroying paperwork that contained client details and discarding them in a roadside dumpster. Artifacts seized A 66-year-old man was arrested in Serres, northern Greece, yesterday after police found in his possession 117 ancient copper and silver coins. A police search of the suspect’s home uncovered a variety of different objects protected by law as ancient artifacts. Illegal immigrants Police arrested a man on a national highway near Kozani, northern Greece, for attempting to smuggle 18 illegal immigrants into the country. Police found the illegal immigrants, from Albania, hidden in the back of the suspect’s truck at a roadblock. Heroin arrest A 35-year-old man was arrested in Neo Iraklion, northern Athens, yesterday after police found in his possession 207 grams of heroin, authorities said. A search of the man’s home with the help of a sniffer dog uncovered small quantities of drugs.
