In Biref
AIDS alert
Experts warn of new HIV diagnoses, chiefly among men The Center for Infectious Diseases Control (KEEL) yesterday reported 462 new diagnosed cases of HIV in Greece this year, noting that 83 percent of the cases relate to homosexual men. «The reality regarding HIV/AIDS infection in Greece does not permit complacency, particularly if we bear in mind that the core of it is the core of the country’s active population, those aged 25 to 44, who are affected,» KEEL said in a statement ahead of World AIDS Day today. Disgraced teacher Porn ring suspect suspended Education Minister Anna Diamantopoulou said yesterday that she had ordered the immediate suspension of a school teacher in Kavala, northern Greece, and also asked a disciplinary council to consider his dismissal. The teacher is one of 17 people arrested by police last week as suspected members of a child pornography racket. Police grievances Police officers as well as members of the fire service and coast guard who have grievances about the operation of the units in which they serve can now fill in a form on the website of the Citizens’ Protection Ministry, www.ydt.gr. The page will be operational for the next two months and the complaints and proposals submitted by members of the security forces will be personally read by Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis, the ministry said. Psomiadis recovering Thessaloniki Prefect Panayiotis Psomiadis was recovering in a hospital in Thessaloniki yesterday, after being admitted on Sunday night, a few hours before voting in the New Democracy leadership contest, in which he was a candidate, concluded. The 61-year-old had a high temperature and was experiencing problems breathing. Doctors said that Psomiadis had been suffering from a form of bronchitis and that one of his lungs was slightly inflamed. Psomiadis was also tested for the H1N1 virus but the results will not be known until today. Municipal strike The union of municipal employees (POE-OTA) said yesterday that its members would hold a 24-hour strike on Thursday. Workers will gather at Karaiskaki Square in central Athens at 11 a.m. for a march to the Interior Ministry. The employees are demanding better pay and working conditions. Stefanakos appeal Underworld crime boss Vassilis Stefanakos has had his sentence for being a member of a criminal gang reduced from more than 14 years to just six years following an appeal, it was revealed yesterday. The sentence was reduced after Stefanakos’s former partner withdrew testimony in which she claimed the convict had attacked her and her boyfriend. Stefanakos is also accused of being a key member in a criminal network involved in robberies and blackmail. Billboards removed The Municipality of Maroussi, northern Athens, yesterday pushed ahead with its initiative to clear major roadsides of large advertising billboards that have been blamed for at least a tenth of road deaths. Under the supervision of senior municipal officials, workers dismantled four billboards on busy Kifissias Avenue, near the junction with the Attiki Odos.
