In Brief
Fatal raid
Bank manager shot 3 times while trying to stop robber The 55-year-old manager of a branch of Alpha Bank in Orestiada, near the Greek-Turkish border, died yesterday after being shot three times in the stomach as he tried to stop a robbery. According to police, who arrested the 32-year-old suspect later, the gunman burst into the branch in the city center and forced cashiers to hand over 260,000 euros in cash. As the robber was leaving, the manager chased him to the door and started calling for help, prompting the thief to shoot him, police said. The manager, a father of two, was transferred to the hospital where doctors were unable to revive him. Police later traced the robber and confiscated the loot and a Russian-made hand grenade. Mayoral exchange Kaminis meets Kaklamanis Athens Mayor-elect Giorgos Kaminis yesterday met with incumbent Nikitas Kaklananis, who will give up his post at City Hall on January 1. Kaklamanis reportedly briefed Kaminis on the range of duties the former Ombudsman will undertake when he becomes mayor. After the meeting, which was said to have been cordial, the two men pledged to »cooperate for the good of the city.» Kaminis said he would leave the organization of the Christmas festivities in Kaklamanis’s hands. Corfu floods Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms yesterday caused widespread flooding on the Ionian island of Corfu, and injured three people while the local fire service was besieged with telephone calls from residents trapped in flooded homes and vehicles. Corfu’s Prefect Stefanos Poulimenos told Skai the storms that battered the island were the worst in 40 years. He said that the rainfall had caused several rivers to break their banks and provoked landslides across the island. The fire service received around 200 calls to pump out water from flooded shops and homes. The extent of the injuries sustained by the three islanders remained unclear late yesterday. Waste threat European Commission officials yesterday warned that Greece could face a heavy fine for violating European legislation in its management of industrial waste, which is believed to be causing ground, air and water pollution. Greece has no special unit for processing industrial waste, which ends up being exported to facilities in other countries or dumped, illegally, in landfills. Yesterday’s warning came just two days after the EC sent Greece its final written warning – the last step before legal action – over hundreds of illegal landfills that are still in operation across the country. Ship collision A cargo ship hit a section of rocky beach in southern Lefkada early yesterday but there were no injuries, the owner of the vessel said. The Colossus, which had left Corinth with 58 trucks on board and was bound for the Italian port of Ancona, hit the rocks near the Bay of Vassiliki, the Maritime Shipping Company of Lesvos said. None of the 20 Greek crew or the 11 foreign drivers aboard was said to be hurt in the collision. Island authorities said they had arranged for the vessel to be towed to the port of Vassiliki for repairs.
