A fire that broke out at a candle-making factory near the Cretan capital of Iraklion on Saturday afternoon destroyed the plant and also damaged an adjacent cleaning-products factory. Firefighters arrived at the scene of the fire promptly but were unable to contain the blaze, which was fueled by stocks of candles and paraffin on the site. The fire was brought under control before it could spread to nearby chemical and paper factories. No one was injured as the factories had been closed at the time. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

The Cypriot capital of Nicosia was set to elect its first female mayor yesterday, according to exit polls released after municipal elections on the island. The polls revealed two women as front-runners in the four-way race - independent candidate Anna Marangou, backed by the opposition party DISY, and Eleni Mavrou, a member of President Tassos Papadopoulos's ruling coalition. Marangou, with a third of the vote, was just a fraction ahead of Mavrou, according to exit polls last night. Incumbent Michalakis Zampelas was a few percentage points behind.

On Saturday Archbishop Christodoulos returned to Athens from Rome, where he had conducted a landmark visit to Pope Benedict XVI. Christodoulos said the visit marked the beginning of a «new era in relations» between the Orthodox and Catholic churches.

A 42-year-old motorist was killed when an oncoming train smashed into his car on a level crossing in Stefanovikeio in central Greece, police said on Saturday. The unnamed man, from Volos, had been trying to cross the railway lines when he was hit by the train which had been en route to Volos from Larissa. The man had been missing since last Wednesday, police said without determining the date of the incident.

An Albanian national stormed into a cafe in the central Athens district of Aghios Panteleimonas on Saturday evening and fired a gun at another Albanian and a Syrian, injuring them both, police said yesterday. The assailant, who was not named, fled after the attack which, according to police, had been motivated by a personal dispute. The two victims were hospitalized.

Two foreign nationals were arrested in Thessaloniki after police found in their possession 2.3 kilograms of heroin, authorities said yesterday. The narcotics were discovered hidden in a truck that the two suspects were driving. No additional details were available last night.