In Brief
Private tuition
Over half of parents of high school pupils say extra lessons crucial Six in 10 parents of high school students do not think that their children receive a good education at state schools and seven in 10 feel the need to send their teenagers to private tuition schools as well. According to figures released yesterday, 63 percent of parents are unimpressed by the standard of education at high schools while 76 percent said they have no choice but pay for extra tuition. The survey was carried out by the Association of Private Tuition Colleges in northern Greece. Greek parents are estimated to spend more than 750 million euros a year on private lessons for their children. Pendeli blaze Arson suspect appeals for release, claims he helped to douse fire The 57-year-old man charged with arson in connection with the Mount Pendeli fire in mid-August, yesterday applied to a court of misdemeanors for his release, insisting that he had nothing to do with the blaze. Anastassios Halkos, whose firefighter son was killed earlier this year while trying to extinguish a factory blaze, disputed the veracity of the evidence used to prosecute him. In his appeal he invoked witnesses who reportedly saw him helping to extinguish the Pendeli blaze. He also claimed to have mobility problems that would have prevented him from fleeing had he set the fire. Ferry jolt Passenger slightly hurt off Tinos One passenger suffered light injuries yesterday when a ferry struck the harbor on the Cycladic island of Tinos. The Superferry II, operated by Blue Star Ferries, ran into problems at around 2.35 p.m. as it tried to dock at Tinos. There were 199 people on board as the ferry headed to Andros and then Rafina, having departed from Myconos. Local authorities inspected the vessel before allowing it to continue its voyage. Clean elections Recycling bins are to be set up outside polling centers throughout the capital to ensure that Athens is not littered by campaign flyers in the countdown to elections, municipal authorities said yesterday. Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis distributed a circular to all political parties and candidates, briefing them about the initiative. Careless farmer A 42-year-old livestock breeder was charged with arson yesterday in connection with a fire in the Krioneri area of Thessaloniki. The unnamed man had allegedly been trying to clear dried weeds and leaves around his farm by burning them. His farm is in a forested area and neighbors called the fire service to put out the blaze. The 42-year-old asked for 24 hours to prepare his defense. School buses The traffic police said yesterday that it is planning to put more officers on the streets of Athens next week for the start of the new school year in a bid to check the safety of school buses. More than 7,000 yellow buses were inspected last year and just over 5 percent of them were guilty of offenses. Almost 4,500 vehicles that had been hired as school buses were also checked. Offenses were recorded in 6.35 percent of cases. Traffic police are also planning to give lectures on road safety at schools. Cannabis arrests Police in Megalopolis, southern Greece, arrested a Greek man yesterday for allegedly cultivating 30 cannabis plants, reaching up to three meters high, at his home. Police said the suspect was also found in posession of small quantities of heroin and methadone. In two separate police operations in Thessaloniki, two men, aged 67 and 35, were arrested and 100 cannabis plants growing in the Pella region were seized. BMW recall The General Secretariat for Consumer Protection yesterday announced the recall of 265 BMW X5 vehicles due to a possible problem with the brake system and driver seatbelts. The recall relates to cars manufactured between November 2006 and April this year.
