NEWS

In Brief

CRASH PROBE

Black box of one F-16 in fatal crash is found The black box of one of the two F-16 fighter jets involved in a fatal collision off Crete at the end of last month has been recovered from the seabed off the island’s southern coast, air force officials said yesterday, adding that the black box belonging to the other jet has been located but cannot yet be accessed. The black box, which was raised from the seabed near the islet of Gaidaronisi yesterday, has been sent to the US for analysis, the officials said. The crash between the two F-16s on August 26 killed one of the pilots, 33-year-old Anastasios Balatsoukas, instantly and left the other pilot, Iosif Anastasakis, 35, with serious injuries that led to his death a few days later. Anastasakis’s co-pilot, 25-year-old Pavlos Votzakis, suffered only minor injuries after ejecting from the plane. XIROS DAMAGES N17 convict was ‘mistreated’ The government has been ordered by the the European Court of Human Rights to pay 1,000 euros in damages to Savvas Xiros, a convicted member of the November 17 terrorist group who was seriously injured when a bomb exploded in his hands while he was preparing an attack in 2002. In a ruling made public late on Thursday, the Strasbourg-based court upheld Xiros’s appeal against his alleged mistreatment and lack of adequate medical treatment at Attica’s high-security jail in Korydallos. The court ruled that the conditions in which Xiros is being detained are «inhuman and degrading.» Xiros, 48, was jailed for life in 2003 for membership of N17. Xiros still suffers from complications from the explosion that led to the loss of one hand, including problems with his sight, hearing and mobility, the court heard. Weather turning The hot and dry weather of the past few weeks is to give way to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in many parts of the country over the weekend, meteorologists have said. The rain is expected to be heavier in northern Greece and the Ionian islands. Most of Attica will not be affected. Syndicate trial Twenty suspected members of the so-called «crime syndicate,» a criminal gang believed to behind a series of murders, bombings and other illegal activities, including the abduction in 2007 of shipping magnate Periklis Panagopoulos, are due to face trial on October 1, court sources said yesterday. A council of appeals court judges decided earlier this week that all 20, 13 of whom are already in jail for other crimes, should go on trial but that six should be tried for Panagopoulos’s kidnapping. Panayiotis Vlastos, one of the suspects who is currently in jail, is alleged to have been the ringleader of the gang. Breast cancer Specialist doctors from Athens’s Metaxa and Ippokratio hospitals will be on hand at special kiosks at the Syntagma Square metro station on Monday and Tuesday, offering free breast cancer tests and advice on prevention and early detection. The kiosks will operate on both days from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.