Subject: Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-03-11 From: "HR-Net News Distribution Manager" CONTENTS [01] Archaeological body warns of hiked up Acropolis ticket prices from travel webpage [02] Lesvos mayor welcomes government's announced growth plan for northern Aegean [03] Special guard who confessed to taxi driver's killing in Kastoria charged with murder --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [01] Archaeological body warns of hiked up Acropolis ticket prices from travel webpage The Archaeological Receipts Fund (TAP), which is responsible for collecting revenues from the country's archaeological product, said on Saturday a webpage is selling tickets to the Acropolis Hill at a hiked up price and warned the higher price does not provide priority entrance into the site. The fund said the webpage https://www.getyourguide.com/ sells tickets to the archaeological site seven euros over their normal price, which themselves have been bought by a tourist office in Athens. "Individual tourists showed up at the archaeological site and claimed priority entrance because they had purchased more expensive tickets from this webpage," the fund said. "No priority is ensured for individual visitors who buy their tickets from this, or any other webpage," it added. [02] Lesvos mayor welcomes government's announced growth plan for northern Aegean Lesvos mayor Spyros Galinos hailed on Saturday the 25-million-euro growth plan announced by the Greek government for the islands of the northern Aegean, saying it offers much needed support for the local economy. Alternate Economy Minister Alexis Charitsis will visit Lesvos on Monday (March 13) to meet Galinos, local governor Christiana Kalogirou and other officials. Galinos also commented on the European Commission's recent decision to extend for a year a pilot program allowing Turkish visitors to get a short-term visa upon arrival at the Greek islands of the eastern Aegean. "This event, especially at a time when tourist activity is being hit significantly, will maintain a steadily high wave of Turkish tourists who will boost the local island communities," he said. [03] Special guard who confessed to taxi driver's killing in Kastoria charged with murder The special guard who confessed to killing a taxi driver in a remote area of Kastoria on Friday afternoon was charged with murder and use of firearms. The 30-year-old policeman requested and received a deadline to prepare his defense and was then led back into detention. While the accused was appearing before the prosecutor, the funeral service of the 52-year-old taxi driver was held at the village of Tsakoni, in Kastoria, attended by hundreds of people, including his family, friends and colleagues. The guard confessed to killing the taxi driver with his private .45 pistol saying the motive was to steal the victim because he is facing economic problems but police sources said the victim had not been robbed and nothing was missing from the taxi. Police is investigating all possibilities as they have not been convinced by his explanations. The accused was revealed due to the taxi GPS which showed the drivers' last ride and which led to a property owned by the special guard. It was also revealed he is the same person who shot and apprehended Nikos Maziotis, a leading member of the Revolutionary Struggle terrorist organization, during a shootout in central Athens in 2014. He had filed a request to be transferred to his hometown of Kastoria, saying he was concerned about possible revenge attacks by supporters of Maziotis, after his arrest. He had served with secondment at the Crime Prevention and Suppression Group.