Greek coastline receding – many beaches under threat.
28th February 2007 Kathimerini

The Greek coast is receding on average by 1 to 1.2 meters a year. These were the findings of research
conducted by the NTUA Topography and Maritime Engineering School, which has collected data, and
studied and compared images of the Greek coastal zone since 1945 using more than 3,000
photographs taken from the air, a large number of maps and satellite pictures.

Efstratios Doukakis, an associate professor in maritime geodetics at the National Technical University of
Athens (NTUA), together with Costas Synolakis, a professor of natural disasters and maritime
engineering at the University of Crete, have raised the alarm. They say beaches will disappear, more
frequent and more violent storms will occur, seawater will seep into aquifers, the coastline will recede
by as much as 100 meters and properties will end up in the sea.
And yet as evidence mounts that global warming will wreak havoc on the country, the state has not
taken any measures.
«We have the largest number of islands, the longest coastline in Europe and no national environmental
policy to protect it,» said Synolakis.

Man hid dead woman in flat for two months
26th February 2007 AFP

Police in Thessaloniki are questioning a 46-year-old German man who allegedly kept a dead woman
hidden in his rented flat for over two months, local police sources said yesterday.
Officers found the 54-year-old woman, also a German, lying on a bed in the small coastal town of
Asprovalta, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Thessaloniki, local police said.
The investigation has so far determined that the unidentified man, who kept another home in town,
would regularly visit the flat to disinfect the premises with chlorine and place aromatic candles.
The authorities were alerted by the woman’s parents after they had been unable to contact her for
more than two months. A coroner has so far ruled out foul play in the woman’s death.

Five sailors airlifted from stranded ship as gales blow around Greece
26th February 2007 ekathimerini.com

Gale-force winds disrupted air and sea transport on Saturday and forced authorities to rescue five
sailors yesterday from a freighter near the southeastern Aegean island of Karpathos. A helicopter
airlifted the seamen, three Turks and two Russians, from the North Korean vessel Nitalko, which was
carrying a shipment of marble and had been sailing from Rhodes to Crete. On Saturday, Olympic Airlines
had to cancel several domestic flights, while passenger ferries from Piraeus and Rafina were at port as
winds reached up to 9 on the Beaufort scale

Extracurricular activities
26th February ekathimerini.com

Two brothers studying at Crete Technical College in Hania have been arrested on suspicion of dealing
drugs, police said on Saturday. Officers said that they found more than 1 kilo of cannabis at the homes
of the two men. Police also arrested a third man who sent one of the suspects a text message asking
to be supplied with cannabis while the two men were being questioned by police.

NEW EVIDENCE IN CORNISH COUPLE'S MURDER
23rd February 2007 Western Morning News

New forensic evidence has emerged which could help prove the innocence of a Westcountry dance
teacher accused of killing his parents.
Ryan Johnson is charged with murdering his mother and father, Josephine and Terry, as they slept at
their home in Almirida, Crete, where they had moved to start a new life.
The 34-year-old, who had relocated from Truro to Greece to live with his parents, has always
vehemently protested his innocence.
It is now thought that new evidence could help clear his name.
Johnson's uncle, John Bailey, from Penzance, said the family's lawyers had been told that DNA
belonging to an "unknown male" had been found underneath the fingernails of Mrs Johnson.
"It is upsetting to hear that Jo was fighting for her life, but at the same time this (evidence) is going to
go a long way to helping prove Ryan's innocence."
Mr Bailey said police had only just allowed his nephew to return to the house where he lived with his
parents until their deaths last March. "Until now, it has been a crime scene, but now police have said he
can go back in and Ryan has been able to take an inventory."
Police in Crete do not have a DNA database, so it may be impossible to link the new evidence to
anyone.

Mr and Mrs Johnson, who hailed from Newlyn, had been strangled. Mrs Johnson had also been stabbed.
Ryan Johnson is on bail but prevented from leaving the island until it decided whether the case will go
to trial.


ANCIENT THEATER  - Minister announces expropriation of newly discovered  site in Menidi
22nd February   ATHENS (Reuters) -

An ancient Greek theatre accidentally discovered by construction workers in Athens is one of the
classical world's most famous lost stages.
Builders stumbled last week across the 2,500-year-old amphitheatre of Acharnes, known from ancient
writings to be an important arena for tragedies, comedies and musical contests.
"The discovery of the ancient theatre of Acharnes is an exceptional find," Culture Minister George
Voulgarakis told reporters after touring the site on Wednesday.
Archaeologists supervising the digging of foundations for a building in the area of Menidi - known in
ancient times as Acharnes - discovered 13 rows of limestone seats which formed part of an open air
theatre.
They have dated it to the 4th century BC, the golden age of ancient Greek drama when the works of
Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides were performed before thousands of people.
Voulgarakis said the discovery widens the archaeological map of Athens and indicates more can be
found in the area, a working class district about 10 km (6 miles) north of central Athens.
In ancient Athens, Acharnes was known for its many charcoal peddlers whom Aristophanes mentions in
his comedy "The Acharnians"
The Acharnes theatre is one of seven in the Attica region surrounding Athens where the remnants
survive. Another six are known to have existed.
"The theatre locates the centre of the ancient deme (clan) of Acharnes which has been sought by Greek
and foreign researchers since the last century," the ministry said in a statement.
It said the steps were buried half to two metres (yards) underground. The orchestra and stage are
under a city street and other parts are under nearby building lots.
Voulgarakis said the lot under construction would be expropriated so that a complete excavation could
take place.
"Later on, in cooperation with the city council, we will proceed with the revelation of the wider
monument so that we can have it whole," he said

Increase in Property Objective Value
22nd February 2007  Ert.gr

The Ministry of Economics at noon today announced an average 20% increase in property objective
value. However, increase in objective value ranges depending on the region of the property in order to
cover the gap between objective and market value. Increase in objective value is higher particularly in
regions with a rapid development in the recent years due to infrastructure projects and lower in
regions where objective value approaches market value.

The new upwardly revised real estate objective values are to take effect as of this Thursday, 1st March.
. This increase is counterbalanced by cuts in taxes on main residence. With regard to real estates
within the city planning, objective values will soar by 16%, and up to 37% for those outside city
planning. Furthermore, tax relief for main residence acquisition is to post a 20% rise. However, those
wishing to petition for estate transfers, parental donation or transfer for full ownership until February
28, when the old objective values are still in effect, were given a two-month deadline. A special
provision will creep in favouring the disabled. In the Attica basin, rises have been reported in the so-
called "cheap" districts of Perama, Ano Liossia, Drapetsona, Aspropyrgo and Magoula, while hikes have
been reported in the already expensive districts of Kifissia, Filothei, Vouliagmeni and Paleo Psihiko.
Speaking on NET radio, Andreas Karagiorgos, BoD member of the Greek Association of Real Estate
Agents, dismissed the hikes as sudden tricks raising obstacles in the smooth running of the estate
market.

Services sector created most new jobs in 2006
Kathimerini 2 1st February 2007

Tourism and trade along with construction created the majority of the 201,000 new jobs in the private
sector in Greece over the 2004-2006 period, according to the National Statistics Service. The public
sector created 55,000 new jobs in the same period, most of them covering the so-called inflexible
needs of the civil service. Meanwhile, unemployment fell from 11.3 percent in March 2004 to 8.3 percent
in the third quarter of 2006.

Police bust ring selling illicit icons
Kathimerini  21/2 /07

A 61-year-old man believed to have stolen and sold dozens of religious icons from churches across the
country and sold them to an ecclesiastical goods store in Plaka, central Athens, has been arrested
along with the 43-year-old shopkeeper, police said yesterday.
A total of 113 extremely valuable icons – up to 500 years old – were discovered following a raid on the
store and a warehouse in Kallithea, according to the police, who are now seeking a 68-year-old man
believed to have worked with the 61-year-old.
Officers carried out the raids last week following a tip-off that the owner of the store, which is directly
behind the Athens Cathedral, had been due to negotiate the sale of two icons from the store for
around 40,000 euros. The raids also yielded 21 ancient artifacts, including statuettes and amphorae
believed to be the products of illegal excavations.
The Culture Ministry has set up a committee to conduct a more detailed assessment of the icons and
artifacts.


Revellers celebrate Clean Monday
20th February 2007

The climax of the Carnival period was celebrated all over Greece  yesterday , and on Sunday with
30,000 revelers joining a parade in Patras and thousands more in Rethymnon.  Winds were strong
enough for kite-flying enthusiasts to enjoy the traditional Clean Monday pastime.

Airport Arrest
Ekathimerini 20th February 2007

A 52-year-old Greek man was arrested at Macedonia Airport in Thessaloniki yesterday after trying to
board a flight to Brussels while carrying a 9-millimeter handgun and 74 bullets, authorities said. The
unnamed man is a resident of the Belgian capital, officers added. Police did not indicate why the man
had been carrying the gun but said that he did not have a license for the firearm.

Five drown near Samos
20th Feb 2007 www.ekathimeri.com

Five people drowned and another 20 are missing after a wooden boat carrying illegal immigrants sank
off the eastern Aegean island of Samos on Saturday, the Merchant Marine Ministry said.
The bodies of the five victims – three men and two women from Somalia – were found near the Galazio
area of the island, the ministry said.
Coast guard vessels, a warship, a helicopter and commercial ships tried to search for survivors in the
rough seas on Saturday but only managed to rescue one man.
He told coast guard officers that 26 Somalis who were trying to reach Greece from Turkey had been
aboard the boat which sank on Friday evening.
The incident happened less than two weeks after at least seven migrants drowned off Samos when the
boat they were traveling in sank.

New rules for universities
Education Ministry finalising reforms on asylum and length of degrees
20th Feb 2007  www.ekathimerini.com

A new law which will give universities greater autonomy while introducing stricter rules for students will
likely be unveiled in a few days by the Education Ministry after the Inner Cabinet debates the issue
today, sources told Sunday’s Kathimerini.
The long-awaited bill seeks to make eight key changes to the current framework for universities as the
government prepares the ground for its constitutional reform which will lead to private institutions
competing with state-funded colleges.
Ministry sources told Sunday’s Kathimerini that the new law aims to give universities greater
independence to govern themselves.
It aims to do this by allowing each institution to draw up a four-year budget and its own operating
regulations. It will also give each department the power to decide which subjects will be compulsory for
students.
Currently, the Education Ministry has a big say in how universities are run.
If passed, the draft law will also place a limit on the time students can take to complete their degrees.
Although the provisions have been watered down, students will be given double their course’s
minimum length to complete their studies. So, a student on a four-year degree will have to finish his or
her studies within eight years.
The government has met the most opposition in its attempt to reform the asylum law, which prevents
police from entering university campuses.
Under the proposed law, the university’s council will be able to vote by majority decision whether to
allow officers onto the grounds as opposed to current regulations which require a unanimous decision,
including the vote of the student representative


School Canteen checks
17th February ekathimerini

Prefectural inspection teams from Iraklion, Crete, detected 27 school canteens selling unsuitable or
banned food items to students out of a total of 32 schools checked. The findings have been handed to
Prefect Vangelio Schinaraki for further action. No details were released on the types of infringements
committed.

Greece 13th best country for children
Ekathimerini.com 15th February 2007

Greece is the 13th best country in which to raise children out of 21 wealthy countries surveyed by
UNICEF. The report, which was made public yesterday, ranked the Netherlands as the best country for
a child’s well-being and the UK as the worst. The USA ranked 20th out of 21 developed countries which
were rated according to material well-being, education, peer and family relationships, health and
safety, behaviors and risks and young people’s sense of well-being

Greece fears drought, import cuts will spark summer power problems
Associated Press 13th February 2007

ATHENS, Greece: Greece may face power supply problems this summer due to a prolonged drought and
reduced electricity imports from Bulgaria, an official said Monday.
"This will be a difficult year in terms of the management of high peak demand," said Nikos Stefanou,
general secretary of Ministry of Development.
He forecast that demand this summer will peak between 10,200 and 10,300 megawatts, up from 9,961
MW last year.
Greece was hit by the Dec. 31 closure of two units at neighboring Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power
plant, which Stefanou said led to a 77 percent decline in electricity imports from Bulgaria.
As part of its European Union accession package, Sofia was forced to close down the two aging
reactors because of concerns about their safety. This has prompted worries of electricity supply
shortages this year across southeast Europe. Stefanou said an unusually warm and dry winter has
reduced water reserves in Greece's reservoirs by 41 percent.
"And if the drought continues, it will completely deprive the system of the operational availability of the
hydroelectric power stations, which have a total installed power capacity of 3,065 MW, " he said.
Stefanou said that the ministry, in cooperation with dominant energy provider Public Power
Corporation, was seeking other sources of electric power to meet demand this year. He did not
elaborate.

Napping makes the heart grow stronger
Ekathimerini  13/2 /07

Greeks who take regular naps are significantly reducing their chances of developing fatal heart disease,
a study by researchers at the University of Athens Medical School and Harvard University has revealed.
A six-year study of nearly 24,000 Greek adults found that those who napped at least three times a
week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease
than non-nappers.
“We interpret our results as indicating that among healthy adults, a siesta may reduce coronary
mortality, possibly due to stress-releasing consequences,” a lead author of the study, Androniki Naska,
wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a bimonthly medical journal. “This is an important finding
because the siesta habit is common in many parts of the world, including the Mediterranean and
Central America,” Naska said.

Victims of Meningitis - Seasonal Upsurge in Greece
Ert.gr 13th February 2007

Scientists do not appear concerned over the recent meningitis victims recorded in the last weeks,
categorically stressing that there is no meningitis epidemic in the country while this year’s cases are
less compared to last year. An 8 year-old boy was admitted to hospital in Thessaloniki with symptoms
indicating pneumococcal meningitis while another 17 year old student from Veroia, also admitted to a
Thessaloniki hospital is out of danger.
In the meantime, the four students in Athens, who received treatment for meningitis at Athens
hospitals, are not running any danger and their state of health is on a good course. However, the
death of a 34 year –old Albanian, admitted to Sotiria hospital with symptoms of pneumococcal
meningitis has given rise to concern.

Air passengers to be tagged?
12th February 2007 ekathimerini

Questions have been raised at the European Union about a Brussels-funded project, in which Greece is
participating, that could lead to air passengers being electronically tagged when they check in for
flights, Kathimerini has learned.
The project, known as Optag, is based at a research center at University College London but the
Telecommunication Systems Institute of the Technical University of Crete in Hania is also taking part in
the scheme.

Hungarian and French firms are also participating in the program, which began in 2005.
The main aim of Optag is to allow airports to be fitted with a network of cameras and RFID (radio
frequency ID) tag readers, which would monitor the movements of passengers inside the airport.
Travelers would be issued with a tag at check-in and the surveillance system would allow airport
authorities to track them within the terminal buildings.

The system is being designed so that airlines can quickly locate late passengers, who are estimated to
be responsible for 10 percent of flight delays.
However, electronic tagging can also be used for security purposes and there are fears that this may
lead to the constant monitoring of passengers and an invasion of their privacy.
New Democracy MEP Nikos Vakalis recently raised the issue with the European Commission.
In a written response EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said the tagging system will only be used
if passengers agree to be monitored or if a law is passed making the use of the system mandatory.

The tags do not store any data but emit a signal containing a unique ID which authorities can use to
cross-reference with passenger identification information.
Experts say that biometric data could be incorporated into this system in the future.
If the tagging scheme is tested successfully, it could be ready to use at international airports within two
years.


Head of IKA murdered - Man confesses
11th February 2007 kathimerini.com & Associated Press

Yiannis Vartholomaios, the head of Greece’s main social security fund (IKA), was found dead at an
apartment block in Athens Friday as police said  that he had been murdered.
Officers said that they were informed at 6.06 p.m. by the ambulance service that 66-year-old
Vartholomaios had been found dead on the first-floor staircase of a building on Lykavos Street in
Zografou, eastern Athens. Police chief Anastassios Dimoschakis said the IKA chairman’s body bore
several bruises and that Varthalomaios had been involved in a fight. It was not immediately clear
whether Vartholomaios died from his wounds or suffered a heart attack.
The 66-year-old became head of IKA in June 2004. He had previously served as New Democracy’s
general manager.

Police arrested a man today, Sunday who said he killed the head of Greece's largest pension fund
because he suspected his wife was having an affair with him, authorities said.

The 59-year-old man, whose name has not been released, was charged with murder after he turned
himself in to police Sunday and confessed to killing Yiannis Vartholomeos, whose body was found Friday
in the stairwell of an apartment block in the central Zografou area of Athens.

Vartholomeos was killed by multiple blows to the head after visiting the 59-year-old's wife in the
Zografou apartment building Friday.

According to state-run NET television, the man told police he suspected his wife was having an affair
and claimed he had no intention of killing Vartholomeos.

NET reported that he told police that he lost his temper and started to hit Vartholomeos with his hands
and cell phone.

Greek Cemetery to get crematorium
9th February ekathimerini

The first crematorium in Greece will be located at the First Cemetery in Athens, Mayor Nikitas
Kaklamanis said yesterday. A law was passed last year allowing the dead to be cremated in Greece.
Greece currently has no cremation facilities. Kaklamanis did not say when the crematorium will be ready.


Getty Museum Returns Greek Antiquities
7th Feb www.ert.gr

Two important Greek artifacts, a gold Macedonian wreath and a marble statue of a "kore", taken
abroad by illicit trade in the past, will be returned by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles till the end of
March, 2007. An agreement was signed on Tuesday between representatives of the Greek Culture
Ministry and the Getty Museum.

Culture Minister, Giorgos Bulgararkis stressed that the return of the Greek antiquities reconfirmed a
confidence and understanding climate which would create new prospects in relations between the
Greek Culture Ministry and the Getty Museum.


ATM fraud
6th February 2007 ekathimerini

Police believe they have broken an international ring that allegedly used electronic devices to copy PIN
numbers inserted into bank ATM's in order to withdraw hundreds of thousands of euros from
customers’ bank accounts. Police, who arrested a 26-year-old Romanian in Athens over the weekend,
believe the ring comprises mostly Romanians. The ring is believed to have stolen 450,000 euros from
just one bank in Athens over the past six months, police said.

Missing migrants
5th February 2007 ekathimerini

Rescue workers said yesterday that hopes were fading in efforts to find the 12 remaining illegal
immigrants who disappeared after their boat sunk off the Aegean island of Samos last Friday. The
bodies of seven of the 19 illegal immigrants who had been aboard the boat were found washed up on
the island over the weekend. The migrants had attempted to cross over into Greece from Turkey but
their boat sunk about a nautical mile off the island due to gale-force winds.

Hoax Bomb Threat
2nd February 2007  www.ekathimerini.com

A phone-call to Mega television in Athens spread panic in the early hours of Friday.  An unidentified
person called at the television network’s operation centre, warning an explosive device was about to
go off in half an hour. The unidentified person claimed he was speaking on behalf of terrorist group
"Epanastatikos Agonas" (Revolutionary Struggle). The area was immediately cordoned off by the police
authorities, while a traffic ban on Mesogeion Avenue was in force until 6am. A thorough investigation
into the area proved that the phone-call was but a hoax.

Rape Investigation - Iraklion woman, 89, reports assault
2nd February 2007 ekathimerini.com

An 89-year-old woman is believed to have been raped early yesterday by a 25-year-old man in Iraklion,
Crete, while she was sleeping in her home, police said. In her report to police, the victim said the
assailant entered her home through an unlocked door. The man is then believed to have covered the
victim’s mouth in order to stop her cries for help from being heard. Police said that the woman has been
hospitalized and that forensic tests confirmed the rape.    

Five arrested in Arta counterfeit operation
31st January 2007   Kathimerini

Police said yesterday they had arrested five suspects, including a mother and son, in Arta, western
Greece, in connection to a suspected counterfeit operation.
The gang is believed to have printed money to the value of 700,000 euros and distributed fake 20-, 50-
and 100-euro notes in nearby areas such as Corfu and Preveza.
Police said that over the last seven months they had been keeping a close eye on the district that has
been flooded with fake banknotes since spring of last year.
Authorities added that they had found printing equipment in the home of one of the suspects in the
Aghion Spyridon area and described it as being very sophisticated.
Investigations continue as police are still searching for another suspect believed to be the head of the
operation.

Olive tree myth cut down
30th January 2007 Kathimerini

Health authorities said yesterday that there is no evidence supporting claims that olive trees contain
healing properties for cancer victims and stressed that taking a drink containing its leaves could even
be dangerous to a patient’s health.

Extensive media reports over the past week about the leaves’ alleged ability to cure illnesses have
triggered an angry response from doctors and pharmacists. The Health Ministry stepped in yesterday in
a bid to stop patients from being misguided on the issue.

“There have been no tests completed on the toxic levels of the product (olive tree extract), it is possible
that its use gives rise to immediate dangers for the patient,” said the Health Ministry, citing Last week
several chat shows, including on state television, said a thick, green drink made of raw olive leaves and
water, mixed in a blender, was doing wonders for cancer patients.
Several elderly guests said they were cured by the drink and self-described therapists mixed the juice
on live television.

The news spread like wildfire and the television shows fielded a flood of inquiries about the drink’s
recipe.
According to local press reports, retailers in some parts of the country were selling packaged olive tree
leaves for between 45 to 60 euros per kilo.
On Sunday, an argument erupted between two brothers in Messini, southern Greece, over whether
they should give the leaf juice to their third brother, who suffers from cancer, ended with one stabbing
the other to death.


Taxi Fare Hikes
29 Jan 2007 Ert.gr,  NET - ANA

A year after the latest taxi fare hikes, a fresh rise will take effect across Greece. As of March 1, taxi
fares are to soar by 5.5%, as it was decided Monday morning by Greek Transport Minister Michael Liapis
and the representatives of the taxi association. A bill, compiled by the Ministry of Transport and which is
to be voted for within the week, provides, inter alia, for the installation of taximeters to taxis operating
in  regional Greece.


Rainless but Biting Cold
28 Jan 2007  ert.gr

Despite the gusty winds and the fall in temperature by up to 10 degrees, the winter has not set in yet.
No rainfalls are forecast, while there is going to be a rise in temperature as of Monday. Sunshine,
scattered northerly winds and temperature fall make up the weather conditions in most regions of
Greece. A great inconvenience awaited some 140 passengers on board Express Pigassos. The ferry,
which was on the Syros-Mykonos-Evdilos-Karlovassi-Vathy service, had been trying to dock at Samos’
port for five hours, before managing to do so at 4:30a.m.  In the meantime, the Ministry of Mercantile
Marine has extended a plea to travellers, urging them to contact the port authorities prior to heading
for the ports, due to the gusty winds blowing in SE Aegean


Education Row Goes On
26 Jan 2007   NET/ERT

The situation at Universities continues to be tense as examinations are being suspended in many
University Departments and students disagree as to whether they should continue with their
mobilizations. Undergraduates are facing the most serious problem as they cannot sit for exams.
According to the University Students’ Coordinating Committee, about 320 sit-ins are taking place in 320
University Departments. Students appear determined to continue with their mobilizations until the
Ministry of Education withdraws its proposals on changes at Universities and the government does not
proceed with the revision of Article 16. The Rectors’ meeting, scheduled to take place in Athens on
February 3 will prove determining for the future of mobilizations

Dry, Sunny Spell continues in Greece. .  Driest January for 18 years
25th Jan 2007

This is set to be the driest January since 1989.  Crete has been basking in temperatures of over 20
degrees C for the past week.. The temperatures in Athens and Thessaloniki are some three degrees
above the average for this time of year and the unseasonably warm weather that Greece has
experienced in recent weeks could have devastating consequences on the country’s agricultural sector,
officials told Kathimerini yesterday.
The lack of rain this winter as well as the increased temperatures have upset crops and unless there is
a gradual shift to more wintry weather, they will suffer. Wheat is withering because of the drought. The
blossoming of trees, particularly citrus trees, will bring production forward.

Some livestock breeders are having difficulty finding grass on which to graze their animals and farmers
in southern Greece cannot plant spring vegetables because the land is too dry.

Adapted from www.ekathimerini.com

Two injured in balcony collapse
25th January 2007  ekathimerini.com

An 18-year-old woman was seriously injured in Iraklion, Crete, yesterday when a worker and part of a
second-floor balcony fell on her as she was walking along the road. The worker was fitting railings to
the balcony when it gave way. The woman was unconscious when she was rushed to the hospital.
Doctors did not give details of her condition last night. The 40-year-old worker was also taken to the
hospital with minor injuries.
Health & safety concerns –  officials are looking into why the worker had not placed a  warning of work
in progress on the street below the balcony.

Cheap fuel
23rd January 2007 www.ekathimerini.com

Greece has the cheapest unleaded fuel in Europe this month, according to country’s main motoring
organization. The Greek Automobile and Tours Club (ELPA) found that the average price of unleaded
fuel in Greece was 0.92 euros per liter. The price of fuel in Slovenia, which was the next cheapest
country, was two cents more expensive. Research by ELPA also revealed that Greece had the second-
lowest price in Europe for diesel.

Another terrorist hit feared in Greece
22nd January 2007  www.ekathimerini.com

Officers heading the investigation into the missile attack on the US Embassy told Sunday’s Kathimerini
they fear that the terrorists behind the strike are preparing another, possibly more spectacular, assault.
Police believe that the lack so far of any proclamation claiming responsibility for the strike makes it more
likely that the same organization – thought to be Revolutionary Struggle – is lining up another hit.
The investigation has failed to yield any concrete results yet, but officers told Sunday’s Kathimerini they
believe the Greek terrorists involved in the attack worked with a militant group abroad to smuggle the
missile used in the embassy strike into Greece.
There has been no evidence so far to suggest that arms smugglers were involved in bringing the
Chinese-made RPG 7 to Greece.
Police think the weapon may have been smuggled into the country about two years ago and then
hidden by the terrorists, who wanted to make sure that the authorities were not onto them

New resource for Crete jobs and long term rentals
20th January 2007

A new bulletin board is added to the Living in Crete site today.  Job seekers, employers looking for staff
or those selling a business in Crete are invited to post details on the board. There is also a section for
long term rentals - to let and wanted. Just click and browse or post here: Message Board


Internet virus hiked OTE bills
18th January 2007  www.ekathimerini.com

Thousands of customers of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE), who received massive
phone bills after an Internet “dialer” virus connected them to phone sex lines while they were online,
will not have to pay for these calls, the state telecoms watchdog said yesterday.

The Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) said that it had ordered the company
that runs the “901” phone lines – which charge very high rates per minute – to deactivate them all
immediately. The regulator has also instructed OTE not to charge its customers for calls made to these
numbers by the virus.

The EETT issued its decision after receiving thousands of complaints from OTE customers shocked at
receiving inflated bills for calls they had not made.


Rarely seen shark breed netted off Crete
17th Jan 2007 www.ekathimerini.com

A breed of shark which is rarely seen in the Mediterranean was caught in the nets of a Greek fishing
boat off the coast of Crete yesterday. Experts at the Hellenic Center for Marine Research (ELKETHE)
identified the animal as a ragged-tooth or smalltooth sand tiger shark (Odontaspis ferox). The shark
measured 3.5 meters in length and was netted three nautical miles off the coast of Crete at a depth of
250 meters. Experts said it is extremely rare for this type of shark to be caught in fishing nets in the
Mediterranean as it usually lives at great depths in warm, tropical waters.

Explosions
16th January 2007   ANA - MPA . NET

A self-explosive device went off at a shop selling motorcycles in Nikolaou Plastira Street at Pasakaki,
Chania a little after midnight last night. The explosion caused damages to the shop and to
neighbouring houses. The shop owner could not explain the bomb attack against him as he had no
differences with anyone

In Athens two Eurobank branches, one in Pagrati and the other one at Poseidonos Avenue 124
sustained damages last night when explosive devices went off in the early morning hours of Tuesday.
Specifically, a bag with nine gas canisters placed at Eurobank Open 24 ATM went off, causing a small
fire that was put out by police officers. In the other branch, three gas canisters exploded at the
entrance of the bank, causing minor damage and a fire that firemen put out.

Gas canisters were also used in Thessaloniki. A car sustained damages when gas canisters went off on
Davaki and Megalou Alexandrou crossroads, Pilaia at 04:00. A branch of the Commercial Bank and the
Greek Postal Savings Bank also sustained damages from self-explosive devices in Stavroupoli.

Hunt on for terrorists
US and Greek experts examine evidence from embassy attack
16th January 2007  www.ekathimerini.com

Greek security officials and American FBI experts spent the weekend sifting through evidence from
Friday's missile attack on the US Embassy hoping to find clues leading to the culprits.
Authorities continued to maintain that a domestic terrorist group was likely behind the attack.
Revolutionary Struggle, which began its urban guerrilla campaign in September 2003, is the prime
suspect.

As of last night, the group had not made any further claims of responsibility other than the two calls
allegedly made on Friday morning to the security firm which guards the embassy.
Police sources told Sunday's Kathimerini that Revolutionary Struggle is made up of no more than five
members. One of its key members is thought to have spent time in jail and is known to authorities but
is very guarded in his movements.

Security officials think the group had contact with November 17 members before they were jailed in
2002 but the bonds between the two groups are not thought to be strong.

Kathimerini understands that American and British officials have recently expressed dissatisfaction with
the government's under-use of the terrorist squad which was formed in the sunup to the Athens
Olympics and which played a significant role in tracking down N17 members.
Some of the squad members were allegedly allowed to move to other departments and British
diplomats were surprised by the decision by former public order minister Giorgos Voulgarakis to put the
police and not the anti-terrorism squad in charge of investigating the murder of a guard outside the
British military attache's residence on New Year's Eve in 2004.

Meanwhile, there were reports on Saturday that police were interviewing 10 witnesses who claim to
have seen up to four people fleeing on foot after the anti-tank missile struck the embassy. Authorities
said the rocket-propelled grenade was fired from a side street opposite the embassy


Woman Drowned in car in Rethymnon
15th January 2007  Haniotika Nea

A 38 year old woman drowned yesterday evening after the car  which she was driving  fell into  the sea
in Rethymnon marina.  It is thought that the woman, who was a learner driver, hit the gas pedal
instead of the brakes and swerved,  hit  a wall and ended up in the sea. Another passenger in the car,
a young Albanian man managed to swim to safety. He dived back in to  try to help the trapped woman
but was unable to rescue her.

Controlled explosions
13th January 2007 www.ekathimerini.com

Bomb experts detonated a mine in a controlled explosion at the port of Iraklion, Crete, yesterday. The
mine was found in an undersea area where a Dutch military ship had sunk in 1944. Authorities said that
more controlled explosions will be held on Monday of a large amount of ammunition found on the
sunken ship by divers .

Fake money
13th January 2007 www.ekathimerini.com

Authorities uncovered in Hania, Crete, yesterday, 33 fake 200-euro notes that had been deposited in
local banks by customers. Police said that the forged notes were of exceptional quality and that it is the
first time that so many high-value euro notes have circulated in Hania. Authorities added that up until
now forged 10-, 20- and 50-euro notes had been detected on the island.

New Tax Brackets for 2007
Medium Earners to Benefit  
8th January 2007   Net – Net 105.8


Tax-payers, whose annual income is over €12,000 and have a family with two children will benefit with
the increase of the non-taxable limit by €1,000.

For example, in 2006 the retained tax for a couple with two children and an annual income of €18,000
was €1,477,50, while in 2007 it will drop to €1,142,60, that is €334,90 less.

The retained tax of the same couple with a €28,000 annual income in 2006 was €4,925 and in 2007 it
will be €4,000 that is €925 less.

Also, those who do not own a house and pay a rent, university students who pay a rent and all those
paying for social insurance and health contracts will be entitled to tax deductions.

As for houses, fee stamps for rents will be gradually abolished in two years, set to 1, 8% in 2007. The
tax-deductible amount for insurance premiums and repair expenses will rise to 40%. VAT for the repair
of old buildings will drop from 19% to 9%.

At the same time, Greece will have to raise its special consumption tax on fuel in 2007, complying thus
to the EU regulations. Thus, the special consumption tax for unleaded petrol will rise by 5, 8%, that is
two cents per litre, for super unleaded petrol 3, 4% and for diesel oil 6, 2%.


Sales start 22nd January
ANA - MPA

The government announced that winter bargain sales for 2007 are to begin on January 22 and will last
five weeks. According to legislation, bargain sales should begin the first Monday after January 20 and
last five weeks. Thus, the 2007 sales will begin on Monday 22nd January.

According to the law, shop-owners are forbidden to inform customers about offers, or bargain sales 30
days before the beginning of the sales period, either through announcements or advertisements.


Real Estate New Objective Prices Nearing
08 Jan 2007    ert.gr  

The list with new objective values in the real estate sector, drawn by the Economy Ministry, is at the
final stage, expected to be announced soon. According to reports, average increase in real estate
objective value is expected to range around 25%. Market experts believe that prices of real estate in
the north and west suburbs are likely to remain around the same level while they expect a slight
increase in prices of real estate in the Athens center, Mesogeia and south suburbs. In the meantime,
surplus in new constructions in 2006 have upheld increase in real estate prices, noting that in some
regions real estate prices even dropped to 2005 levels. Market experts predict that increase in
objective value will not bring a significant increase in real estate prices.

Corinth Canal reopens
6th Jan 2007  ekathimerini.com

The Corinth Canal, west of Athens, reopened on Friday after being closed for five days due to a
landslide, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. The canal, which connects the Ionian and the Aegean
seas, provides an alternative route to sailing around the Peloponnese.


                                                       
___________________________________________________________________  
                 Copyright 2004-2008  Carol Palioudaki. Latest News in Crete & Greece.   www.livingincrete.net
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