NEWS

In Brief

INNER-CITY VIOLENCE

Dozens of migrants join second brawl in two days Another brawl broke out between migrants in downtown Athens last night, the second this week. This latest round of tension involved 100 men, believed to be Bangladeshi and Afghan migrants, clashing on Geraniou Street in Omonia armed with makeshift weapons. Police detained 10 suspects for questioning and are investigating the causes behind the incident, which comes two days after 13 men were injured in a fight involving some 200 people on a street nearby. CYPRUS RULING Blow to refugees’ children The European Court of Human Rights yesterday issued a decision against the children of Greek-Cypriot refugees from the Turkish-occupied north claiming ownership of property that once belonged to their parents in the north. The court argued that in the 36 years that have elapsed since the 1974 Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus, the children have been living elsewhere and therefore cannot claim to have a bond with the properties they are contesting. Workers protest The civil servants’ union ADEDY said that it would not go ahead with a protest rally it had planned to hold in Athens today but instead will put all its energies into a joint rally with the General Confederation of Greek Labor (GSEE) next Saturday, June 5. ADEDY and GSEE are planning strike action in June – to protest a pension reform bill due to be submitted in Parliament soon – though a date has yet to be set. ‘Crooked’ monks Thessaloniki’s prosecutor is investigating the case of a group of monks and a lawyer charged by state inspectors of laundering some 17 billion euros through a nunnery in Thessaloniki. The inspectors’ attention was drawn to the case after they found evidence of the monks making large real estate purchases with money allegedly acquired through a scheme involving an offshore company established in Liberia in 2007. ISAP disruption The the section between Omonia and Ano Patissia stations on the Piraeus-Kifissia electric railway (ISAP) will also be closed today and tomorrow due to construction work. US visa fees The application fee for a US nonimmigrant visa will increase worldwide as of June 4, the US Embassy in Athens said in a statement yesterday. The cost of the visa will depend on the purpose of travel, the embassy said. More information on visa categories and how to schedule an appointment can be found at the embassy’s website (http://athens.usembassy.gov/visas.html). Hot-headed spouse A 75-year-old man in Kozani, northern Greece, yesterday struck his 78-year-old wife in the head with an ax following an argument. The victim was being treated for serious head injuries at the Kozani General Hospital, while her husband was charged with grievous bodily harm. Route canceled Bus route 400, a service taking in all the main tourist sights of the capital, will be suspended as of June 1 in a drive to cut costs, the Athens Transport Organization said yesterday.

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