Athens  - Flights to and from Greece were halted Wednesday as air traffic controllers were to walk off the job for three hours to join a 24-hour public sector strike to protest pension reforms and low salaries.

All flights to and from Greek airports were scheduled to be grounded from 10 am to 1 pm (0900 to 1200 GMT), forcing the cancellation or rescheduling of hundreds of flights, paralyzing air traffic across the country.

Athens - Air transport across Greece is set to be paralyzed on Wednesday as air traffic controllers planned a three hour stoppage, forcing the cancellation of dozens of international and domestic flights.

Air traffic controllers announced they will walk off the job from 9 am to 12pm (0800 to 1100 GMT) as part of a nationwide strike called by Greece's largest public sector union ADEDY.

Most international airlines had informed their customers of the strike and re-booked them on flights for Thursday, Greek radio reported.

Athens - Four prison guards and a pilot were charged on Tuesday with negligence, after two of the country's most notorious criminals escaped from a maximum security prison by helicopter - for a second time.

On Sunday, kidnapper and armed robber Vassilis Palaiokostas and Albanian criminal Alket Rizal absconded from Athens' highest security jail by helicopter, in a repeat of an identical 2006 escape.

Athens - The Greek government ordered the freezing of all bank accounts of prison employees on Monday, after the embarrassment of seeing two of the country's most notorious criminals bust out of prison by helicopter - for a second time.

On Sunday kidnapper and armed robber Vassilis Palaiokostas and Albanian criminal Alket Rizal absconded from Athens' highest security jail by helicopter, in a repeat of an identical 2006 escape.

Athens - Greek truck drivers continued Saturday to block key ports and border crossings across Greece, demanding that authorities increase inspections on foreign trucks entering the country.

A key blockade was at the Promahon-Kulata crossing on the border with Bulgaria. The truckers permitted private cars and buses to pass, but stopped all lorries, state television reported.

The truckers also blocked the Evzones crossing on the border with Macedonia as well as the main port of Patras in western Greece and at Korinth.

Athens - The leftist Greek group Revolutionary Sect claimed Saturday responsibility for a gun attack on the country's fourth- largest television station earlier this week and threatened further suc