In Brief
Baccalaureate affair
Prosecutor orders investigation into alleged leak of test papers A prosecutor yesterday ordered a preliminary investigation into claims that a Greek educator teaching the two-year International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma leaked this year’s test papers to his pupils ahead of the May examinations in exchange for payment. Sources have told Kathimerini that officials of the Geneva-based International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), a nongovernment organization that offers the respected IB diploma, are re-examining hundreds of exam papers. It remained unclear yesterday whether there was any chance of the papers being declared null and void due to the alleged scam. Athanasiadis Released reporter ‘very well’ The parents of Greek journalist Iason Athanasiadis, detained in Tehran, Iran, for more than two weeks on charges of stirring up protests in the aftermath of the country’s disputed presidential elections, yesterday expressed their gratitude to Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios and the Foreign Ministry for their efforts to secure the release of their son. In a written statement yesterday, they said the 30-year-old «arrived in Athens early this afternoon… [and] seems in excellent health and spirits.» The parents of the freelance correspondent for The Washington Times also expressed their «deepest gratitude» to the Istanbul-based patriarch for his «decisive role» and to the «tireless efforts» of the ministry. Pro-migrant rally Police clashed with protesters yesterday during a pro-migrant rally in central Athens. Hundreds of self-styled anarchists and leftists joined the rally, some hurling firebombs at officers who responded with tear gas and flash grenades. Demonstrators were objecting to government plans to toughen measures to combat illegal immigration. There were no reports of injuries. A smaller rally also was staged in Thessaloniki. Ex-judge freed Evangelos Kalousis, a former judge sentenced to 26 years in jail last year for being a member of a trial-fixing ring, was released from custody yesterday after a court accepted his appeal for release on grounds of ill health. Kalousis had been found guilty of taking bribes, money laundering, abuse of power, breach of duty and attempted extortion. Warehouse fire A fire that broke out in a warehouse belonging to a logistics and delivery firm in Korytsa, near Aspropyrgos, northwest of Athens, was brought under control late yesterday afternoon but not before it had caused significant damage to the premises. There were no injuries. Swine flu Six new cases of the H1N1 influenza virus were detected in Greece over the past 48 hours, taking the country’s total to 162. The new cases are four British nationals who recently arrived in Greece, a 7-year-old Greek-Australian girl and a 30-year-old Greek woman believed to have come into contact with an infected person. Crete quake A mild undersea quake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale occurred off the island of Crete shortly after 3.30 a.m. yesterday. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
