In Brief
Jail protest
Unrest at Corfu prison ends after authorities move to ease crowding A protest by some 60 inmates at a prison on Corfu ended yesterday afternoon after the Justice Ministry assured them that some of them would be transferred to alleviate overcrowding. There are 230 inmates at the prison, which is designed to house no more than 180, and as a result there are cases of 4-square-meter cells holding up to four prisoners. The prisoners complained that some of them have to sleep on the floor. The protesting inmates had climbed onto the roof of the prison on Wednesday night, forcing authorities to shut the school opposite the jail yesterday. The ministry said that 52 prisoners would be moved to other jails. Armed raid Robbers use assault rifle for holdup, injure 2 bystanders and an employee Two bank robbers in Hania, Crete, fired more than a dozen shots and injured three people as they made a getaway after holding up a branch of Piraeus Bank in the city. The raid occurred at about 2 p.m. when a man wearing a crash helmet walked into the bank armed with an AK-47 assault rifle. He ordered staff to hand over an unspecified amount of cash while his accomplice waited outside on a scooter. One robber used the butt of a gun to strike a couple outside the bank before the assailants sped off. A bank employee attempted to stop the robbers but they shot at and injured him. They also fired 12 times at a patrol car that unsuccessfully tried to stop them. Pedophilia probe Hotelier remanded in custody A 36-year-old hotelier from Karpathos, alleged to have advertised free holidays for pedophiles if they brought children with them, was remanded in custody yesterday after testifying before an investigating magistrate. Apart from allegedly promoting his hotel as a place where pederasts could act with impunity, the 36-year-old is believed to have traded child pornography on the Internet. Road rage Police in Thessaloniki were yesterday seeking a motorist alleged to have fired a gun at a traffic policeman, who had signaled for him to stop for an inspection, just outside the northern city. The shot missed the officer and the motorist sped off to avoid arrest. Timely trams The firm operating the Athens tram is to launch a pilot program at major stations – including Syntagma and the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Neo Faliron – which will inform commuters of the estimated arrival of trams to the second. The eventual aim is to extend the system to all stations. Sustainable communities Industrial regeneration projects abroad that could provide lessons for Athens is just one of the issues being debated at the EcoWeek 2008 conference that began yesterday at Zappeion Hall and continues through Monday. (Page 3) Water needs Cyprus will import water from Greece to help cover the country’s needs, Cypriot government officials said yesterday. The transportation of water will be done via tankers but the necessary infrastructure to complete its conveyance in both countries has yet to be installed. Greece will supply Cyprus with 8 million tons of water, officials added. Tourists sentenced Two young British tourists found guilty of complicity to manslaughter for the hit-and-run death of a Greek-Cypriot teenager were sentenced to three years in jail yesterday. Michael Binnington, 21, and Luke Atkinson, 22, from Essex, southeast England, did not appear before the high court in Nicosia but Cypriot authorities are seeking to bring them back to the island. A Cyprus arrest warrant has been issued, with a European warrant to follow. (AFP) Wrong turn Two men were arrested early yesterday after attacking a policeman who attempted to stop them going the wrong way on a one-way street in Ambelokipi, central Athens. The two motorcycle riders punched the officer and sped off but were caught shortly afterward.
