In Brief
NATO visit
New alliance head in Athens for talks on Aegean and Cyprus NATO’s new Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, due in Athens today for his first visit as the chief of the alliance, is to have talks with Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and Defense Minister Evangelos Meimarakis. Tensions in the Aegean, due to ongoing Turkish violations of Greek air space, and the Cyprus problem are expected to figure high on the agenda of talks as Rasmussen has expressed his frustration with the negative repercussions of Greek-Turkish friction on NATO operations involving both alliance members. Tank death Sergeant, 31, killed in accident A 31-year-old army sergeant was killed yesterday when the tank in which he was traveling overturned on a country road near the village of Protoklissi in the northern prefecture of Evros, Defense Ministry sources said yesterday. The tank, which had been returning to base following an exercise, is believed to have overturned due to a wrong maneuver at a road junction. Another three army staff who had been in the tank at the time emerged from the accident unscathed, sources said. Debtor abduction A businessman from Akrata in the prefecture of Achaia was released yesterday following 24 hours in the hands of kidnappers who had abducted him with the aim of extorting 30,000 euros his father is alleged to have owed to an Albanian usurer. The abductors yesterday traveled to Athens, reportedly to collect the ransom from the businessman’s family, but they were surprised by police who had been contacted by the man’s relatives. Officers caught one of the four suspects – the other three eluded arrest – and subsequently released the businessman. Electrocution The Public Power Corporation yesterday expressed its regret over the death of a 38-year-old employee who was electrocuted while trying to repair a malfunction in the power board’s local network. The exact circumstances that led to the electrocution of Panayiotis Hatzidimitriou remained unclear late yesterday. ISAP disruption The Kifissia-Piraeus electric railway (ISAP) yesterday announced that ongoing engineering work would disrupt services this weekend. The section of the route between Tavros and Piraeus will be suspended. Commuters will be able to use their tickets on a shuttle bus that will service the stations on the suspended section. The section of ISAP’s route between Nea Ionia and Irini is to remain closed until Sunday, August 30. Burglars caught Three Georgian nationals yesterday faced an Athens prosecutor following their arrest on suspicion of carrying out 27 burglaries and robberies in central districts. The suspects, aged 24, 35 and 38, were traced by police in the district of Aghios Panteleimonas. Child porn Officers from the police’s electronic crime squad yesterday were questioning a 35-year-old man after finding in his possession dozens of videos believed to contain pornographic films featuring children. Police are investigating his possible involvement in a child porn network.
