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Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
ATHENS – The captain and 12 crew members of a luxury yacht which allegedly set off fireworks that burned the only pine forest on the island of Hydra are being charged with felonies but the 17 Kazakhs who rented the boat weren’t yet.
A prosecutor in Piraeus brought complaints against the staff of the Persefoni I, the defendants given until June 26 to ready a defense and brought before a magistrate after it was said the captain of a nearby vessel witnessed what happened.
No names were given and the British newspaper The Guardian said that nationality of the crew members was unknown but that the 53-meter (176 foot) long superyacht costs 249,000 euros ($266,767) a week to rent in high season.
The site IYC indicates it comes from Mariotti Yachts in Italy and reports said that Greek authorities would confiscate it during the investigation of how the fire started and who may have set off fireworks during a high fire alert.
“The prosecutor has requested that the vessel in question be seized,” said the Minister of Climate Change and Civil Protection Vassilis Kikilias. “It remains to be seen from testimonies what they did, and didn’t, do.”
The fire destroyed a large swath of the otherwise rocky Argo-Saronic isle’s only pine forest before it was extinguished by firefighters, the newspaper said, the devastation coming as wildfires were sweeping other parts of the country.
“Six airplanes and two teams of firefighters, who had to be absent from dealing with other fires and services, were required to put it out,” said Kikilias, estimating that about 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of forest had been lost to the blaze.
Hydra bars private vehicles and is a favorite spot for the rich as well as celebrities like the late singer Leonard Cohen and yachts line the tiny harbor in the port, the island just 90 minutes from the port of Piraeus.
The island’s mayor, Giorgos Koukoudakis, said the municipality would be seeking compensation once the judicial process had run its course, if the accused were found guilty, the report said.
“Depending on the outcome, our town hall will seek compensation,” he said. “What was destroyed was absolutely beautiful pine forest and on the night in question, because of the winds, fireworks were banned. To use them was utterly irresponsible,” he added.
