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ABDUCTION ARRESTS - 2 September, 2010
Five more in custody on Crete over kidnapping of academic
Police in the Cretan prefecture of Rethymno said yesterday that they had arrested five additional suspects in connection to the abduction of a 50-year-old professor at the University of Manchester. The suspects are all Greek – three women aged 32 and 60 and three men aged 37, 41 and 43 – and are believed to have been involved in planning and executing the kidnapping. One of the suspects is the brother of an 18-year-old girl with whom the teacher was believed to be friendly, police said. It remained unclear whether the teacher was in Crete on vacation or a permanent resident of the island.
Mailman mugged
Unidentified robbers fled with about 12,000 euros in cash after holding up a mailman who had been due to deliver cash to pensioners near the port city of Iraklio on Crete. The robbers blocked the mailman's vehicle with their truck and forced him to hand over the cash at gunpoint.
From: Kathimerini
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Seizure linked to missing girl - 1 September, 2010
The brother of a 20-year-old woman who went missing on Crete in February turned himself in to police in Rethymno yesterday and allegedly admitted that he had kidnapped a lecturer from Manchester University in England who was holidaying on the island because he thought the academic had information about his sister's disappearance.
Police said that the 40-year-old brother of student Angeliki Stavroulaki told them he abducted the unnamed lecturer, who was friends with his sister.
The 50-year-old academic had been on holiday in Lasithi when he was abducted last Thursday. Four more people, two men and two women, are being sought in connection to his kidnapping. The victim has been found but officers said that he had been tortured physically and mentally by his captors, who hid him in abandoned buildings near Iraklio during his ordeal. Stavroulaki went missing after leaving her home earlier this year.
Tourists rescued
An air force helicopter yesterday rescued three New Zealand tourists who had lost their bearings off the island of Santorini after going out on jet skis. One of the three tourists had sustained minor injuries.
From: Kathimerini
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Kiosks and taxis in the grip of crisis - 30 August, 2010
Ubiquitous, distinctive, frequently useful and maddeningly self-serving, corner kiosks and Athens's yellow cabs are symbols of the country's closed professions. The unprecedented challenges they face reveal how fast Greece is changing as the economic crisis takes grip. Until recently, owning or operating a kiosk or taxi provided a good and steady income as the limited number of licenses created an oligopoly for those with the precious papers. This was reflected by the fact that until recently a license for a cab cost about 250,000 euros. A few months ago it was half that; now, cabbies say, they would be lucky to get 60,000 euros – if anyone was buying. Kiosks, once the most coveted two or three square meters of real estate in Greece, are closing down one after the other.
The crisis is overwhelming these two symbols of Greece. The kiosks (endearing in their wealth of merchandise and infuriating in the way they annex ever greater parts of the sidewalk) are being squeezed by a combination of high taxes and the reduction of customers' disposable income. Cab owners and drivers have managed to price themselves out of the market for many customers, raising their fares at the same time that the government is planning to break open their profession and allow more people to operate taxis. It obviously does not help cabbies that their reputation for rudeness, cheating and self-centeredness has made it easier for customers to turn to public transport now that every euro counts. Cabbies complain that they are already short of work and that opening up their profession will destroy their livelihood.
So, change is clearly upon kiosks and taxis. What will it look like? Will it be for better or worse? Will the number of kiosks and taxis – and many other factors of Greek life – disappear or will they be taken over by companies that will be able to achieve economies of scale, squeezing profits out of their employees and customers where the self-employed cannot? The head of the Attica kiosk owners' union, Yiannis Plakopoulos, has the right attitude: Use the kiosk's prime location to make it relevant to customers again. Kiosks can become service centers, providing a variety of goods and services that their location and long work hours – sometimes 24/7 – allow. The marriage of the digital age with such operating hours and locations offer a world of opportunity for diversification and specialization – kiosks can find ways to meet the needs of harried citizens.
Taxi drivers may have a harder task gaining the confidence of customers but they have to realize that they will survive only if they offer services of a level that matches the price of the ride. This they will achieve only when they become accountable to someone – either the shift supervisor of a large taxi company or a watchdog set up by the drivers' union itself. For too long, cabbies have allowed their profession to be sullied by bullies, crooks and incompetents. If they want to survive in the new, very demanding environment, they will have to become serious professionals and seek to please – rather than exploit – their customers. This applies to every sector of Greece's economy. Two of its most visible manifestations – kiosks and taxis – will demonstrate whether the Greeks' instinct for survival is alive after all these years of distorted development and lawlessness.
From: Athens Plus
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From 16 Municipalities of Chania Prefecture - 28 August, 2010
Debts 7.5 million
Up to 7.5 million euro of debt owes the Prefecture of Chania to the Banks and the Deposits and Loans Fund , according to official figures of the Union of Greek Banks and the Bank of Greece. [...]
IN Chania
Debts of Local Authorities
• Municipality Akrotiri : 0 euro.
• City of East Selino : 151.603 euros.
• City of Armenia: 17.836 euros.
• Georgioupoli : 1,045,695 euros.
• Vamos : 0 euro.
• Voukolies : 270.392 euros.
• Municipality of Eleftherios Venizelos : 0 euro.
• Theriso : 0 euro.
• Innachori : 81.109 euros.
• City Kantanos : 0 euro.
• Keramia : 0 euro.
• Municipality Kissamos : 45.028 euros.
• City Kolimpari : 79.443 euros.
• Kryonerida : 221.981 euros.
• Mousouroi : 271.955 euros.
• Mithimnis : 501.312 euros.
• Nea Kydonia : 127.121 euros.
• Pelekanos : 775.836 euros.
• Platanias : 0 euro.
• Souda : 1,799,031 euros.
• Sfakia : 63.142 euros.
• Fres : 29.931 euros.
• City of Chania: 2,049,708 euros.
• Community Gavdos : 0 euro.
• Asi Gonia : 0 euro.
 In the area of Sfakia
Pancretian meeting of mountaineers
The Pancretian 30th Mountain Gathering is organized by the Mountaineering Club of Hania, on 11 and 12 September, 2010 in Sfakia.
This is the annual regional meeting of the Associations of Crete, which will take place concurrently with the celebration of 80 years of life and action of the Mountaineering Association of Chania, from its founding in 1930. The event is organized under the auspices of the Greek Federation of Mountaineering - Climbing.
As announced by the Alpine Club , " the event will be held in the province of Sfakia, on the scenic, mountainous and historic plateau of Askifou, where participants will climb 11.9 Saturday afternoon and overnight and Sunday 9.12 am, followed by some easy uphill walker to climb the top of Mega Oros, alt. 1181 meters from where we enjoy wonderful views of the mountains and the Askifou plateau. The total length of all the hikes will be about 4-5 hours.
The camp participants will take place in a small basin on Laxaná, alt. 1,050 meters , where we offer traditional cherry dining - in cooperation with the charitable enterprise of Sfakia Municipality.
Access to the area will become the village corner of the plateau Askifou Sfakia. The small village square corner is important to stay open to receiving and reversing of buses and cars of the participants. Our club will pay his own transportation, carry bags of the participating at the camp. Access to the campsite will be allowed only in vehicles to support the event. The volunteers are members of the Association have been properly cleared and marked trails in the area of Laxaná and to the top of Mt Mega and will provide for the receiving and guiding the participants at the day of collection . Samaritans, volunteers of the Regional Department of Chania of the Greek Red Cross will help with their experience of such events in First Aid.
The Prefecture of Chania is co-hosting together with the municipality of Sfakia's Benefit Company, which already helps significantly in this event. The sponsors of the event are the companies Kretemporiki - Giannenakis SA Gerani Soft Inc. and ET.AN.AP. SA with Natural Table Water Samaria, which will help to feed on a small celebration of the gathering. CBA Events, Management & Marketing will help to highlight the organization'.
From: Haniotika Nea
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Flight disruption - 27 August, 2010
Air-traffic controllers to cause minor delays until Sunday
Flight disruptions can be expected to affect arrivals and departures at all Greek airports until Sunday after air-traffic controllers said yesterday that they would reduce by 20 percent the number of airplanes entering Greek air space at any given time as they are switching guiding systems. The main communication system collapsed last Sunday, causing long delays for travelers.
From: Kathimerini
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Draft bill for compensation of tourists tabled - 26 August, 2010
The Culture and Tourism Ministry submitted to Parliament yesterday a draft bill to compensate tourists stranded in the country. Tourists stuck in Greece due to strike action or the occurrence of a natural disaster will qualify for a payment of 50 euros per diem from the Greek state, for a maximum of two days. The daily fee is intended to cover a day's accommodation and food expenses. Once passed, the draft bill will provide tourists with the right to compensation retroactively from June 28, 2010, until the end of September. The government office that is to handle the claims and paperwork will be decided at a later date by the ministry.
From: Kathimerini
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Forest fires
Call for Preveli blaze probe - 25 August, 2010
The head of the regional authority of Crete, Athanassios Karountzos, yesterday called for an urgent investigation into what caused Sunday's catastrophic fire in Preveli, in the island's south, following reports suggesting that a fire detection system had not functioned properly. Meanwhile a prosecutor in Pyrgos, in the Peloponnese, called for the indictment of several individuals in connection to the catastrophic forest fires that ravaged the prefecture of Ileia in August 2007. The individuals include the prefect of Ileia, the mayor of Zacharo, a local resident and three fire-service officials.
From: Kathimerini
INSUFFICIENT FIRE PROTECTION PLAN
Staff shortages Samaria gorge
Shortages in human resources and lack of a modern fire protection plan threaten the Samaria Gorge. The constant presence in the gorge of a group of firefighters, who would intervene directly in case of fire, can not be done due to plaguing budget cuts.
At the same time, the Fire Service as the most competent to deal with fires is still incoherent with the Geographic Information System (GIS), which assists in the fire alarm. [...]
From: Haniotika Nea
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Wind fans fires on Crete - 23 August, 2010
[...] On Crete, firefighters yesterday fought three blazes in the prefecture of Rethymno. The worst of the blazes razed several hectares of forestland above the beach of Preveli, in the island's south. The blaze, which was also fanned by strong winds, had approached a local monastery at one point but firemen managed to contain it before it posed a real threat to the monastic community. The local prefectural official responsible for civil protection, Antonis Bayiartakis, described the damage wreaked by the blaze as "a massive disaster – a huge blow for the environment, culture and tourism sectors." The fire had been brought under partial control by late last night.
Moored
Strong winds, reaching up to 11 on the Beaufort scale, meant that many ferries remained moored to the ports of Piraeus and Rafina yesterday. Passengers due to travel to Aegean islands from Piraeus or other ports were advised to communicate with their travel agent or port authority officials for information about possible changes to scheduled departures.
From: Kathimerini
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Greek airports communications system shut down for more than 2 hours; flights grounded - 22 August, 2010
ATHENS, Greece - Officials say a breakdown in the communications system linking Greek airports prevented flights from taking off for 2 1/2 hours today, Sunday 22nd August.
They say takeoffs were stopped at all airports at 8:30 a.m. (0530 GMT; 1:30 a.m. EDT) Sunday.
Athens International Airport says that flights resumed around 11 a.m. (0800 GMT).
The cause of the breakdown is unknown.
The head of the civil aviation employees' union told a radio station that the system was last upgraded 17 years ago.
From: The Associated Press
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Holidays of 5000 Scots in disarray - 21 August, 2010
Thousands of Scots have had their holiday plans plunged into turmoil by the collapse of budget tour operator Kiss.
It is estimated 4000 people booked on Kiss flights from Glasgow Airport between the end of September and the end of the year will now be seeking refunds.
Trips to Malaga in Spain, Faro in Portugal, Dalaman in Turkey, Cyprus, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Corfu, Crete, Kos and Rhodes were affected.
A further 750 due to fly from Edinburgh Airport on flights to Rhodes, Corfu and Crete are also known to be affected.
Around 13,000 UK travellers were already abroad at the time of the Kiss collapse and an estimated 60,000 have forward bookings.
Concerns that hundreds of Scots might have been stranded abroad receded yesterday. The last summer Kiss flights left Glasgow and Edinburgh airports last month, although some Scots could have flown out of English airports. [...]
From: Herald Scotland
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Tourism income... - 20 August, 2010
Cruise ships docked yesterday in the port of Piraeus. Data showing a 14.8 percent dip in tourism income in the first half of the year to 2.7 billion euros has raised concerns among government officials about the health of one of the country's most crucial sectors. In a report issued yesterday, Alpha Bank blamed the drop-off on continued strike action that has hurt the country's image as a holiday destination. 'The opportunity Greece had to increase revenues from foreign visitors in the first half of the year due to a recovery in the global economy was lost due to protest action from certain groups, which harmed Greece's image,' Alpha Bank said.
From: Kathimerini
 Celebration of gruyere from Anopoli, Sfakia
Huge crowd together
Each year there is a revival of the celebration for the Madariani Gruyere of Sfakia by farmers of Anopoli. The promoter of the Cultural Association of the village managed to attract over a thousand visitors, which this year was held on the evening of Sunday, August 15, exceeding the visitors number of all previous years.
The festival was successfully launched several years ago by the Agricultural Society of Anopoli but progress stopped for reasons unknown to a steady from 2004 to date, according to the Cultural Association of the village's first president, Mr Fani Arvanitaki .For this year's celebration, the President of the Cultural Association was Mr. George Protopapadakis, who said: "Collective responsibility established the celebration of gruyere as an institution, after all the villagers can help in realising it. This year's festival is dedicated to the great case of the Sfakia Education and will not stop fighting for the upgrading of education provided at that location. Anopoli, apart from being in high mountains and a historic village that gave birth to great figures of fighters, against all odds manages to raise enough people with new families. In recent years especially it is growing rapidly, acquiring a tourist infrastructure. We are a large village with nine neighborhoods, Kambia, Mariani, Skala , Kambo, Pavliani, Agios Dimitrios, Giro, and the root Limnia, which are all inhabited.
For the evening celebration we have invited the great artist Perikles Tzouganakis, while dancing will be performed by the traditional music and dance Association "Ta Sfakia" and 'rizitika' traditional songs will be sung by the Cretan Association "Chrysothemis". Among us are many local councilors, political candidates , the president of New York Cretan Association Mr. Giannis Kriaras, the chairman of the Association of Greeks Sfakia Mr. Pavlos Polakis, and celebrates the presence of the independent MP Ms Sofia Sakorafa, who is on holiday in our region". There were beautiful views of the wonderful Anopolitiki "gravierovradia" table which was set with great care, and the dances lasted until dawn.
From: Haniotika Nea
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Brief respite from heat on the way - 18 August, 2010
Temperatures are expected to drop this week after Greece experienced one of the hottest days of the summer yesterday but experts have warned that there is a clear trend that shows the climate is heating up.
The highest temperature recorded yesterday was 39C (102F) in Sofades, near Karditsa in central Greece. In Athens and Larissa, the temperature reached 38C (100F) and was made more uncomfortable by high levels of humidity. "The heat should slowly begin to abate as of Wednesday," the head of the National Meteorological Service (EMY), Dimitris Ziakopoulos, told Kathimerini. "Temperatures should drop by two to three degrees, mainly in the western and northern parts. There will be a further drop over the weekend, when temperatures will return to seasonable levels."
It is rare for Greece to experience a heat wave in August, although there have been several devastating bouts of hot weather at this time of year in the past. In 1956, temperatures reached 47C (117F) between August 20 and 26, when some 600 people died as a result of the heat. The previous year, temperatures hit 45C (113F) between August 10 and 16. As for this year, the highest temperature was recorded Saturday, August 14, when thermometers at the National Observatory in Athens showed 41C (106F), according to head of research, Haris Kambezidis.
According to data collected by the observatory, since 1998 temperatures have broken the 40C (104F) barrier more regularly than in previous years. Kambezidis said that in the 13 years since then, at some point in the summer, the temperature has exceeded 40C in 11 of those years. However, in the 18 years before then, temperatures reached 40C just six times.
Caught on camera
A 39-year-old man has been arrested in Hersonissos, Crete, on suspicion of pretending to be a photographer so that he could steal potential customers' money and valuables. The suspect, a foreign national, was arrested after an 18-year-old British woman complained to police that the man had stolen her wallet after approaching her to take her photo. Police said that when they arrested the 39-year-old, they found stolen watches, cameras, cell phones, a gold ring and a purse containing 400 euros in his possession.
Heat turned up on tax cheats
Ministry sets up specialized groups of inspectors to target problem areas; SDOE powers broadened
Upon his return from his summer break yesterday, Finance Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou's first meeting of the day was with the head of the financial crimes squad (SDOE), Yiannis Kapeleris.
As government officials nervously watch budget revenues fall short of targets, Papaconstantinou agreed with the SDOE boss to set up within September five different teams, consisting of a total of 250 staff members, that will go after tax cheats.
The teams will be based in either Athens or Thessaloniki but will cover the entire country, checking high-income taxpayers, those who have forgotten to declare assets, such as pools and boats, and luxury-home owners.
The checks, which will also continue to focus on busy tourist districts, will also cover value-added tax declarations as well as residents who owe money to the tax office but refuse to pay up. [...]
From: Kathimerini
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High temperatures - 17 August, 2010
The long hot spell that has sent temperatures and humidity soaring in most parts of the country is expected to peak today. Temperatures in Athens, central Greece and parts of the Peloponnese are expected to reach a high of 41C (106F). However, according to the head of the National Meteorological Service, Dimitris Ziakopoulos, northwesterly winds will bring a drop of about 3 degrees tomorrow and another 2-3C over the weekend.
From: Kathimerini
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Thousands of visitors - 14 August, 2010
[...] According to official figures of Souda Port Authority, from Monday until yesterday afternoon arrived in Chania with two vessels operating on line 18.500 passengers and about 5450 cars, trucks and motorcycles.
At Chania Airport, according to airport control, since the beginning of the week, with 88 international flights and 36 domestic flights scheduled, it is estimated that 16.300 visitors came.
From: Haniotika Nea
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BY THE MINISTRY OF SHIPPING - 13 August, 2010
Competition for ferry line Sfakia - Gavdos
The competition for the exclusive service rights of the coastal line Sfakia - Gavdos for the period from August 28, 2010 until October 31, 2013 has been started by the Ministry of Economy, Competitiveness and the Marine.
The notice was posted yesterday on the website of the Ministry (www.yen.gr). Disbelief about this development is stated in the "Chaniotika Nea" by both the president of the Community of Gavdos, Stratis Lambakis, and the Prefect of Chania, Grigóris Archontakis, who were informed by reporters.
In the notice is stated, inter alia, that the ship or ships of the company chosen to perform the services between Sfakia - Gavdos and back are as follows:
• three services a week for the period 28/08/2010 to 31/10/2010.
• two services a week for the period 01/11/2010 to 31/10/2013.
The call further indicates that the selected company will have two ferry boats, a passenger- and a passenger and a truck - ferry.
In the first case it is noted that all ferries should have capacity of at least forty passengers in winter and summer, and effective surface area of at least two hundred and fifty square metres for vehicles and the ability to carry at least one truck.
In the second case the passenger ship should have a capacity of at least forty passengers in winter and summer and the truck - ferry to have an effective surface area of at least two hundred and fifty square metres for vehicles and the ability to carry at least one truck.
[...] Owners / shipping companies wishing to express interest in applying for launching these ships / vessels can contact the Directorate of Marine Transport in Piraeus up to and including 20 August 2010.
In the notice is also stated that the Directorate of Marine Transport will decide within fifteen days from the closing date [...].
Furthermore, it is noted that the Ministry of Economy, Competitiveness and the Marine may exclude owners from the proceedings of this call, even if they meet the procedural and substantive requirements, if it is justified that they and their ships have previously committed serious or repeated breaches of the terms for performing routes.
From: Haniotika Nea
KIOSK STRIKE?
Owners angry at tobacco tax
Kiosk owners are reportedly considering going on strike at the end of this month to protest the damage that has been done to their business by the rise in the special consumption tax on cigarettes. They claim that of the 45,000 kiosks and other outlets selling cigarettes that were in business at the start of the year, 1,300 have shut down. Kiosk owners say tax now represents 85.7 percent of the cost of a packet of cigarettes, allowing for just a 13-euro-cent profit, which is 10 cents less than they used to make before the hike earlier this year. They claim that cigarettes account for 80 percent of their total sales.
Court grants Britons bail
A court in Iraklio, Crete, late on Tuesday granted bail to five British men accused of brutally attacking another Briton while on holiday on the island two years ago.
The five men, all aged between 20 and 22, are accused of stabbing, assaulting with broken bottles and stomping on the head of Robert Hughes, a former semiprofessional soccer player, outside a nightclub in June of 2008. Hughes spent three months in an Iraklio hospital, where he underwent three lifesaving surgeries.
His alleged attackers, who deny all charges, were extradited to Greece last week after being detained in Britain on European arrest warrants in December. The Iraklio court has ordered them to each pay between 3,000 and 12,000 euros in bail.
A sixth suspect, aged 20, will face a separate extradition hearing next month. He also denies being involved in the alleged attack.
Heat wave
Forecasts of a heat wave over the next few days are expected to boost the number of people leaving Greek cities for the August 15 holiday. In Athens, where temperatures will inch up into the the high 30s, volunteers will be handing out refreshments to the homeless, according to a City of Athens announcement. Meanwhile, ports and airports have reported a significant increase in traffic over the past few days, though ferry operators said that bookings in July were down 6.5 percent compared to 2009.
From: Kathimerini
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Teacher numbers are plummeting - 12 August, 2010
Greek schools face a severe shortage of teachers because the number of educators applying for retirement has increased threefold this year, while hirings have been halved, it was revealed yesterday.
Spurred on by the reforms to the country's social security system, which will see pensions trimmed over the next few years, almost 11,500 teachers have officially announced that they will be leaving their jobs. Of these, almost 4,000 are from primary education and some 7,500 are from the secondary sector.
Last year, the total number of teachers who went into retirement was just over 4,300.
The Greek Primary Teachers' Federation (DOE) and Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OLME) expressed their concern about the severe lack of educators as soon as the figures were made public yesterday.
These fears have been heightened by the fact that, due to cuts in public spending, only 1,425 new teachers are to take up positions this September at secondary and high schools. OLME said at least another 6,000 educators would have to be hired.
The unions are also asking that a law be passed to ensure that high school teachers oversee classes of no more than 25 students.
The government said that the lack of teachers in the education system is a mounting problem. "Even last year, when there were twice as many teachers entering the profession as there are this year, we still had 7,000 places that had to be filled," said Deputy Education Minister Evi Christofilopoulou.
Sources said that the government hopes to bridge the gap by hiring 11,000 substitute teachers and by recalling all the educators that have been transferred to other posts within the civil service.
School's in
Schools will be opening on Monday, September 13, according to an announcement yesterday from the Education Ministry. The first day back at school will be dedicated to the annual opening ceremony, while the curriculum will be announced the following day.
From: Kathimerini
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 ABOUT PRICES OF FUEL IN CRETE - 11 August, 2010
Unhappy tourists
Foreign and Greek visitors to the island are dissatisfied with the fuel prices displayed in Crete.
This week the price of unleaded sold to service the county reached from 1.57 to 1.64 euro per liter.
Specifically Chania and Rethymnon are areas of the country with higher prices. "Everybody tells us that gasoline is expensive. Compared with six months ago it has risen over 50 cents. We have customers that after a few days of car rental asked another, smaller displacement, which consumes less fuel , "says Mr Christos Milonakis, chairman of the Association of Owners of car rental in Chania. Mr. Milonakis gives an example of a customer from Macedonia: "a customer came from Kozani and asked how they gasoline can be so expensive. A few days ago he had put fuel in the car, at home, at 1.45 euros per liter. With these prices we are certainly not helping tourism.
As explained by the chairman of the Union Venzinopolon Chania, Mr. Vaggelis Kotsis: "This time the average price of gasoline around Chania is 1.60. But it is always something new because the fuel was expensive and the prices have not changed. Indeed, a month ago it was more expensive. However, for this week an increase is justified, but there might be some reduction, 1-2 cents, because of falling oil prices internationally.
From: Haniotika Nea
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IN THE WATER AREA OF LOUTRO
Five people nearly drowned by wrong maneuvering of boat - 9 August, 2010
One wrong maneuver was sufficient to lead five people in the water who were aboard a vessel at a distance of 40 meters from the shore of Loutro, Sfakia. Fortunately, none of the five were injured and rescued directly by another boat that followed.
The incident took place last Saturday afternoon. The Port Police of Sfakia reported an incident of a sinking ship in the sea area of "Mouros", in the bay of Loutro . Directly to the point rushed the boat "Doxa" , which had on board the Coast Guard officer for an investigation, but it directly found the vessel.
Then, after it was found that this was the private vessel "Pantelis L.", on which allegedly were a total of five people (three men and two women), who a little earlier had fallen into the sea after a wrong manipulation of the captain, sailing within about 40 meters from the beach heading for the harbor entrance of Loutro. Five people were cleared from the sail boat and "supposedly" they landed on shore in good health.
The "Pantelis L." -according to the same communication- remains submerged at a depth of 15 meters without being observed as a marine pollution, and forms no danger to the safety of navigation, but should be lifted with care by the owner.
Please note that a week ago three people were killed in a boat, and were found by maneuvering in the marine area of Drapania Kissamos and in this case it had bad consequences for them, since rescue did not come in time, while their boat crashed on the rocks and suffered serious damage.
From: Haniotika Nea
Overboard
Three men and two women, all uninjured, were fished out of the water off the coast of Hania, Crete, yesterday by a passing yacht after the vessel they were sailing on started taking on water just 40 meters from the coast. Coast guards called into the area could not locate the vessel initially and were later informed that the five passengers were ashore and in good health.
Extradition request
Canadian authorities are applying for the extradition of a pediatrician who was arrested at the airport of Iraklio, Crete, on Saturday on an international warrant. The 30-year-old Greek doctor, who resides in Austria, is wanted in Canada on charges of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy, who was in the hospital where the doctor served as an intern two years ago.
From: Kathimerini
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Record dance - 7 August, 2010
Thousands of Cretans are to join hands this evening in a human chain that will form on the side of the road from Hania to Lasithi, which stretches for 200 km, in bid to break the world record for the longest dance. The dancers, who are to convene at 7.30 p.m., are aiming for a place in the Guinness World Records book.
SUMMER EXODUS
Patrols boosted on roads, ports and airports crowded
Traffic police yesterday intensified patrols on the country's national road network as thousands of city dwellers abandoned the capital to begin their summer holidays. The country's ports and airports were crowded yesterday afternoon as thousands more vacationers waited for ferries or planes. According to authorities at the country's main port of Piraeus, 13,300 passengers boarded ferries to Aegean islands yesterday. Officials at Athens International Airport said that 2,177 outbound flights were scheduled between Friday and Monday morning. Another major exodus of holidaymakers is due on Friday, August 13, ahead of the August 15 national holiday.
Greece tops EU for fake goods
More counterfeit goods are seized in Greece than in any other European Union member state, according to a new European Commission report, which notes that confiscations in Greece account for 20 percent of the EU total.
Greek customs officials seized 21.9 million counterfeit products last year, out of a total of 118 million bootleg goods confiscated in the 27 EU states, the report said. Cigarettes account for about a fifth (19 percent) of counterfeit goods seized by customs officials across the EU. Other tobacco products account for another 16 percent of the goods seized, with fake designer goods and bootleg medicines making up another 16 percent of confiscated products. Commenting on the findings of the EC's report, Vassilis Korkidis, president of the National Confederation of Hellenic Commerce, noted that the trade in counterfeit products accounts for 20 billion euros, a third of Greece's black market economy, which is estimated at 60 billion euros.
From: Kathimerini
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Invasive fish threaten Med - 5 August, 2010
The Mediterranean's delicate biodiversity is at risk due to an "invasion" of foreign marine species, according to experts who say hundreds of new fish have arrived in the last 140 years.
The findings, published in the online scientific journal PloS One, have been confirmed by the Hellenic Center for Marine Research (HCMR). According to Argyro Zenetos of the HCMR, at least one new species arrives in the Mediterranean every week. Zenetos said that between 960 and 975 "foreign species" have been recorded by scientists in the Greek seas over the past 140 years and reported an "aggressive increase" in different species of fish in the Mediterranean over the last decade, observing that the number of recorded types had doubled during that period. Zenetos and her team, who have been monitoring the marine population for more than 25 years, highlighted a particular problem in the waters of the Saronic Gulf. Zenetos noted that an increase in the number of research projects being carried out in the Aegean had helped to keep track of the sharp increase in the marine population. Most of the new species are believed to have reached the Mediterranean aboard ships in the seawater that the vessels use as ballast. But Zenetos said there were so many new species in the Mediterranean that it was unlikely they had all arrived in this way. It is considered likely that many species came via the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar.
Asked how the foreign species survive in their new environment, Zenetos cited several factors including the impact of climate change, overfishing and pollution. "We are seeing the creation of a new kind of sea and it is likely we will stop seeing many species that we recognize," she said.
Greeks have little enthusiasm for e-shopping
Consumers in Greece are reluctant to take advantage of online shopping services despite the growing use of the Internet in the country, according to the Observatory for the Greek Information Society. One in 10 Greeks makes purchases over the Internet, versus an average of 37 percent in the European Union as a whole, according to the nonprofit organization. Internet banking has also been slow to take off in Greece, with just one in 20 conducting transactions electronically. Domestic consumers are also more distrustful of the consumer groups and state bodies that have been set up to protect shoppers and their rights than elsewhere in Europe. The observatory said that four in 10 Greeks are satisfied with the way independant groups protect consumers, versus 64 percent in the European Union. More than 50 percent of Greeks say they have no faith in government agencies to protect their consumer rights, as opposed to four in 10 in the EU.
From: Kathimerini
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