In Brief
Arson attack
Athens tax office suffers severe damage in bloodless hit An arson attack caused serious damage to the building housing the tax department in the Athens district of Galatsi a few hours before dawn yesterday. The attackers had placed a homemade explosive device consisting of gas canisters at the entrance to the building. The resulting fire caused extensive damage to the first floor of the tax department, as well as to an adjacent accountant’s office and a clothing store. Sex sting Cretan bar owner detained Police on Crete have arrested a 55-year-old bar owner and a 22-year-old Nigerian woman in a vice sting operation in the district of Nea Kydonia, Hania. A policeman posing as a customer entered the bar in the early hours of Monday. The owner introduced the officer to the Nigerian who led him to a back room where she performed a striptease for 30 euros. The woman then offered «other services» for a fee of 80 euros but was promptly arrested. Gazi unwired Visitors to the Technopolis complex in central Athens and residents in the immediate vicinity will now be able to surf the Internet at speed and for free, following the realization of a «Digital Strategy» initiative within the framework of the EU-funded Operational Program «Information Society.» The City of Athens IT company DAEM played a key role in coordinating the various agencies participating in the project to provide high-speed wireless Internet access. The area covered by the free service is now one of the largest of its kind in Greece. Swine flu Four new cases of the H1N1 influenza virus were detected in Greece over the weekend, taking the country’s total to 151. The new cases are a 46-year-old Greek man returning home from the USA, a 19-year-old woman and 34-year-old man from Britain and a 27-year-old man from Spain. Of the 151 swine flu cases so far, 54 have completed hospital care and are out of danger. Taxi mugging Police yesterday were seeking two Roma men alleged to have mugged a taxi driver who had collected them in Larissa and taken them to a makeshift Roma settlement in Tyrnavos, near the central Greek town, shortly after 2 a.m. The two suspects allegedly robbed the cabbie of 300 euros. There were no reports of him suffering any injuries. Maroussi blaze A blaze that broke out early yesterday morning at a store selling glassware in the affluent northern Athens suburb of Maroussi was brought under control before it could spread to adjacent buildings. A team of 24 firemen manning 12 fire engines took about half an hour to extinguish the fire. It was unclear what caused the blaze which did not cause any injuries as there was no one in the store at the time. KEP strike Staff at state-run Citizen Service Centers (KEPs) yesterday morning launched a 48-hour strike, closing down KEP offices around the country, demanding better work conditions and additional benefits. The centers are due to open again tomorrow morning.
