In Brief
FLIGHTS GROUNDED
OA staff protesting sell-off to force cancellations today Passengers planning to travel on domestic or international flights today will face disruptions as Olympic Airlines staff stage a 24-hour strike, protesting at the privatization of the ailing national carrier. At least 96 domestic flights are expected to be canceled and many others delayed. Passengers should telephone OA on 210.966.6666 for details about rescheduled flights. Protesters have threatened to stage a series of four rolling 24-hour strikes after Easter, which falls on April 19, unless the Transport Ministry satisfies their salary and pension demands. UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE Summer tests start on May 15 The Education Ministry has announced that university entrance exams for senior high school students will begin on May 15 this year, a little earlier than usual. The ministry also said that more than 128,000 candidates would be competing for just over 88,000 university places for the new academic year. Driver knifed A Greek truck driver was fatally stabbed by another driver, also Greek, at Ancona yesterday, police at the Italian port said. The drivers had both just arrived at the port on a ferry from Patras when they started a violent argument for reasons that remain unclear. ‘Killer’ remanded A 26-year-old Cretan man, charged with shooting dead a 25-year-old member of a rival family in his native village of Kissamos in Hania prefecture on Saturday, was remanded in custody yesterday. The suspect allegedly claimed that the victim had opened fire first, prompting him to respond with the fatal shot. Police said the two families have a history of antagonism, noting that a vendetta in the early 1990s resulted in deaths on both sides. Nikos Palaiocostas Nikos Palaiocostas, the brother of serial robber and escaped convict Vassilis, was yesterday given a six-year jail sentence for a bank robbery in Karpenisi in 2001. The defendant, who is already serving time for other armed raids, is believed to have been involved in planning at least one of his brother’s two helicopter breakouts from Attica’s Korydallos Prison, the first in June 2006 and the second last month. Crete quake An undersea quake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale shook the island of Crete shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday but no serious damage or injuries were reported. Seismologists said the epicenter of the quake was located off the island’s coast. Fraudster thwarted Police in Thessaloniki yesterday arrested a 59-year-old man who is alleged to have secured 27,000 euros from personal loans and credit cards as well as purchasing 31,000 euros worth of goods by using the identity card of a 52-year-old acquaintance with a health problem. According to officers, the suspect told the 52-year-old that he would use his ID card to secure him a bank loan but then used it to obtain loans and credit cards for himself. Officers are also seeking a 38-year-old man who is believed to have been an accomplice.
