In Brief
Mumbai attacks
Gov’t condemns hotel raids; two Greeks trapped but safe Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis yesterday condemned the coordinated attacks on luxury hotels in the Indian city of Mumbai that have killed more than 100 people. «We express our outrage at the new terrorist attacks in India and condemn any act of violence against citizens and democracy,» she said. A ministry spokesman said that two Greek nationals, a man and a woman, were trapped in the Taj Mahal hotel but were not among the hostages taken by gunmen. British Cypriot yachting tycoon Andreas Liveras, 72, was yesterday confirmed as one of six foreigners killed in the raids. Smuggling ring Officers face criminal charges Five Patras-based coast guard officials were yesterday charged with belonging to a criminal gang believed to have smuggled countless illegal immigrants to Italy from the western port. «There is no place for corrupt coast guard officials,» Merchant Marine Minister Anastassis Papaligouras said yesterday.Local Harbor Master Apostolos Liourdis has been suspended, sources said yesterday. Authorities are seeking another four Greeks and three foreign nationals. Builder crushed Rescue workers yesterday recovered the body of a 33-year-old laborer from the rubble of a 4-meter wall that had collapsed upon him during work at a construction site in the Athens district of Neo Psychico. It was unclear what caused the accident which occurred early yesterday morning. According to police, there had been no supervisor at the work site at the time of the collapse. Drugs reform Legislative reform proposed by Justice Minister Anastassis Papaligouras in Parliament yesterday would set a limit on the amount of drugs someone can have in their possession and claim it is for personal use, which carries a much lighter penalty than dealing. According to the reform, the limit for heroin will be set at 1.5 grams, for unprocessed marijuana at 20 grams and for marijuana in other forms at 2.5 grams. Busy thieves Police in northern Greece said yesterday that they are looking for three young men, aged 17, 19 and 20, believed to have carried out 22 raids on stores and homes in Halkidiki in March. Meanwhile police in Thessaloniki said they have arrested two men and three women believed to be behind 12 store robberies, also in March. Samothrace cleanup Municipal authorities yesterday began to clean up about 50 days’ worth of rotting garbage from the streets of Samothrace. The trash had started piling up after residents blocked municipal trucks from accessing the local landfill, which they believe poses a health risk. It was unclear whether the residents had reached a consensus with authorities regarding the operation of the landfill. Lucrative burglary A group of three burglars netted 30,000 euros from the home of a 75-year-old woman in Thessaloniki, police said. According to the account of the elderly woman, the suspects entered her home from the balcony before tying her up and searching the house for valuables.
