Nikolaos Makarezos, senior figure in 1967-74 Greek dictatorship, dies aged 90

October 3rd, 2009 Greece's Kokosalaki serves up elegant drapingPARIS — Greek designer Sophia Kokosalaki served up on Saturday a spring-summer 2010 ready-to-wear collection of artfully draped cocktail dresses that would have done her ancestors proud. Abbreviated cocktail dresses in neutral tones were wound in whisper-light chiffon so graceful it evoked classical Greek sculptures.

September 30th, 2009 Former Oklahoma Gov. Henry Bellmon diesOKLAHOMA CITY — Henry Louis Bellmon, who in 1963 became Oklahoma's first GOP governor since statehood, has died.

September 9th, 2009 Correction: Greece-Obit-MakarezosATHENS, Greece — In an Aug. 5 obituary of Nikolaos Makarezos, a senior figure in the 1967-74 Greek dictatorship, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Makarezos was sentenced to death for treason after the fall of the military regime — a sentence later commuted to life imprisonment.

August 6th, 2009 Reports: Ex-Greek junta minister dies at 90ATHENS, Greece — Nikolaos Makarezos, one of the leaders of the military dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967-1974, has died at age 90, according to media reports. Makarezos, the junta's chief economic policymaker who served as deputy prime minister and minister for coordination under dictator George Papadopoulos, died Monday, the respected To Vima daily and a major Web site reported Wednesday, without citing sources.

July 6th, 2009 British comedy actress Mollie Sugden dies aged 86LONDON — British comic actress Mollie Sugden, who played the formidable saleswoman Mrs. Slocombe in the BBC's long running comedy series "Are You Being Served?", has died aged 86.

July 1st, 2009 Former Greek Siemens exec ordered held in GermanyMUNICH — A German court said Wednesday it has ordered that a former head of Siemens AG's Greek branch be kept in custody pending a decision on his possible extradition to face money laundering and bribery charges. Michael Christoforakos, who holds both Greek and German citizenship, was arrested in Bavaria last week on a Greek-issued European warrant.

July 1st, 2009 Greek law restricts public smokingATHENS, Greece — Europe's most nicotine-addicted nation adopted a new public smoking ban Wednesday in a bid to stub out the Greek habit of lighting up practically everywhere. Exceptions have been made for mental patients and gamblers.

June 25th, 2009 Sky Saxon of '60s rock band the Seeds diesAUSTIN, Texas — Sky Saxon, lead singer and founder of the 1960s band the "Seeds," who had a Top 40 hit in 1967 with "Pushin' Too Hard," has died after a brief illness. Publicist Jen Marchand said Saxon died Thursday but did not have other details.

June 25th, 2009 Greek ex-Siemens executive arrested in GermanyMUNICH — A former senior executive of industrial conglomerate Siemens AG who faces money laundering and bribery charges in Greece was arrested in Germany on Thursday, prosecutors said. Michael Christoforakos, who holds both Greek and German citizenship, was arrested near Rosenheim, southeast of Munich, following a tip-off from the public, Munich prosecutors said in a statement.

May 30th, 2009 Former Greek king has heart operation in LondonLONDON — Former King Constantine, the deposed monarch of Greece, has undergone a successful heart bypass operation in London, his wife says. Constantine, 68, underwent the operation Friday at a private hospital in north London, former Queen Anne-Marie said in a statement posted to her family's Web site.

May 3rd, 2009 Brazilian theater director Augusto Boal diesRIO DE JANEIRO — Augusto Boal, the Brazilian theater director and playwright known for the interactive genre called the "Theater of the Oppressed," died Saturday. He was 78. Boal died of respiratory failure following a long battle with leukemia, according to Elisa Nunes, a spokeswoman for Rio's Hospital Samaritano.

April 30th, 2009 2 Greek weightlifters suspended for dopingATHENS, Greece — The Greek weightlifting federation has suspended two athletes who tested positive for a banned stimulant during national games this year. A third athlete who took part in the European Union weightlifting championships in Poland in March has also tested positive for an unspecified stimulant but results on his backup sample were not yet available, the federation said Wednesday.

March 26th, 2009 LONDON - Former James Bond Pierce Brosnan is teaming up with actress Uma Thurman to play a pair of Greek gods in a big-screen adaptation of the Percy Jackson children's adventure books by author Rick Riordan. Contactmusic.com reports that the duo will star in 'Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief', an adaptation of Riordan's first novel in his popular five-part Jackson series.

March 20th, 2009 ATHENS - Pirates seized a Greek-owned cargo ship off the coast of Somalia late Thursday, Greece's merchant marine ministry said. The Saint-Vincent-flagged cargo ship Titan, with 24 crew, was loaded with steel and was reportedly sailing from the Black Sea when pirates seized the ship off Somalia.

January 19th, 2009 ATHENS - Greek shipping magnate Pericles Panagopoulos was freed unharmed by his abductors after a ransom was apparently paid, according to media reports early Tuesday in Greece. The amount of the ransom was not known.