NEWS

In Brief

EDUCATION PROTESTS

Secondary school students to continue sit-ins until Friday Student groups decided yesterday to continue with sit-ins across the country until the end of the week in protest action aimed at convincing the government to up spending in the sector. Some 400 secondary schools across Greece have been shut down due to their actions. Meanwhile, university students are also preparing to step up protest action against government education reforms, including the introduction of private colleges. THESSALONIKI ARRESTS 25 suspects nabbed by police Police in Thessaloniki arrested 25 suspects last month and confiscated 4 kilos of heroin and half a kilo of cocaine as part of a broader crackdown on drug trafficking. The latest arrest was made late on Friday when police detained a 35-year-old man for posession of small amounts of cocaine. Authorities said the suspect had turned his apartment into a chemical laboratory containing equipment used to dilute drugs. Explosives found Four men were arrested in Kavala, northern Greece, after police found in their posession explosive devices and weapons, authorities said on Saturday. After being monitored by police, the four men, aged between 32 to 50, were detained for possessing two handguns, five detonators and explosive plastic material. Police did not comment on what they believe the weapons and explosive materials were intended for. Sheep culled Up to 300 sheep were to be culled on Cyprus yesterday after preliminary tests from an EU-accredited lab indicated «strong suspicions» of foot-and-mouth disease in a herd on the eastern Mediterranean island, the agriculture minister said. The state veterinary service would start culling «between 270 and 300 sheep» for immediate burial, Agriculture Minister Fotis Fotiou said after meeting with government vets in the southern coastal town of Larnaca. (AP) Environment talks European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas met with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis in Athens on Saturday where they discussed broader issues relating to the environment. After the meeting, Dimas said talks focused on climate change, water shortages and measures to reduce pollution. Illegal immigrants A 25-year-old Albanian national was arrested close to Thessaloniki as he transported seven illegal immigrants in a van, police said yesterday. The suspect had picked up the illegal immigrants from the Greek-Albanian border and was taking them to Thessaloniki when intercepted by police. Separately, seven illegal immigrants were arrested after attempting to sneak onto the Aegean island of Kos, authorities said on Saturday. The Merchant Marine Ministry said the coast guard intercepted a boat off the coast in the Lampi area and found the illegal immigrants. Police arrested the 21-year-old captain of the boat.

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