In Brief
PIRAEUS DISRUPTION
Two seamen’s unions decide to block ferry port again People trying to travel from Piraeus port tomorrow are likely to experience difficulties after two of the 14 unions that make up the Panhellenic Seamen’s Federation (PNO) voted to join in the 24-hour general strike on the same day. The same two unions blocked five ferries from leaving the port last Wednesday in protest at the government’s pension reforms. Following the scenes of hundreds of tourists and locals being stranded at Piraeus, the government said that it would not let such an incident take place again. EYE INFECTION Private clinic patients fall ill Thirteen patients who had cataract surgery at a private eye hospital in Serres, northern Greece, contracted an infection which meant that six of them had to be operated on for a second time, it was revealed yesterday. The clinic has been ordered to suspend all further operations and is due to be inspected today by Health Ministry officials. Authorities said that the clinic appears to be fully licensed. Teenage rapes A 56-year-old man and a teenage boy have been arrested in Corinth, west of Athens, on suspicion of abducting a 15-year-old girl and raping her. According to police, the pair grabbed the girl and then drove her to a remote beach where the 17-year-old raped her. The victim was then abandoned. Meanwhile, a 25-year-old man was arrested in Thessalonki on suspicion of raping a 17-year-old girl after offering her a ride. The assault allegedly took place in Seikh Sou Forest. Power strike Employees of the Public Power Corporation (PPC) who are members of the GENOP-DEI union decided yesterday that the will stage a protest today at 6 p.m. in front of the company’s offices in central Athens before marching toward the Finance Ministry. They are also due to take part in tomorrow’s general strike against pension reforms. ATM stolen Police in Lamia, central Greece, are looking for a gang of three or four armed men who stole an ATM from the main square in the village of Pelasgia. The men allegedly pulled up next to the branch of National Bank at about 4.30 a.m. yesterday in an Audi car and a large truck. Some locals who were still sitting at a nearby taverna were threatened with shotguns when they attempted to call the police. The men ripped the cash machine from the wall and loaded it on the truck. It is estimated that the ATM contained 50,000 euros. Betting den The 25-year-old owner of a DVD rental store in Thessaloniki has been arrested after allegedly running an illegal gambling operation from his shop. The suspect was allegedly taking bets from his customers on World Cup soccer games. Officers said that he accepted more than 4,500 euros in bets between June 20 and 25. Hidden drugs A 44-year-old Belgian woman was arrested by Rhodes customs officials on Saturday after they found 2.5 kilos of heroin in her luggage. The woman, who had arrived by ferry from Turkey, claimed that the suitcase had been given to her as a gift from a Nigerian friend and that she did not know there were drugs inside.
