Another four people were diagnosed with swine flu in Greece yesterday, bringing the number of those afflicted with the virus to 35, health authorities said. The cases diagnosed yesterday were a 13-year-old girl from Australia, a 37-year-old man from Canada and two boys from the US, both aged three-and-a-half. Of the 35 swine flu cases in Greece, 16 have already been treated and discharged from hospital. The remainder are believed to have a mild strain of the H1N1 virus.

The president and chief executive of OTE Panagis Vourloumis, and another 10 members of the state telecom operator’s managing board yesterday were given an extension until next month to prepare their defense on charges of breach of faith. An investigating magistrate is to see the defendants between July 15 and 28. The charges relate to contracts the value of which exceeds 40 million euros that were signed by OTE, Siemens, Intracom and Anco in 2005 to provide OTE with technical support.

Firefighters battled several blazes across the country, on the islands of Corfu and Evia as well as in Halkidiki, northern Greece, and in Livadia, northwest of Attica, yesterday as strong winds fanned flames. It was unclear what caused the fires, all of which had been brought under partial control by late yesterday. Meanwhile, police in Attica detained a 47-year-old owner of a store selling hunting and fishing equipment in connection with a large fire in Ano Glyfada earlier this week. The suspect is believed to have started the fire by accident while doing target practice in the area.

A strong quake, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale, struck the undersea area off the coast of Rhodes shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday but no injuries or damage were reported. Earlier, at around 2 p.m., Reuters cited the US Geological Survey as reporting a 5.8-magnitude quake some 85 kilometers south of Rhodes. Seismologists in Greece, who did not determine the quake’s magnitude, described it as “natural seismic activity” and said there was no cause for concern.

A total of 85,354 senior high school pupils yesterday received confirmation of a place at one of the country’s universities, Education Ministry officials said. This year there was a significant increase in the number of students achieving grades above the pass mark, the officials said without citing a percentage rise.

Two groups of cyclists are organizing excursions this weekend in the city center and along the coast. The first group, Podilates, has organized two tours, one today and the other tomorrow, both starting at Thiseion. More details can be found on the group’s site at www.podilates.gr. Another group of cyclists from 12 seaside municipalities are to participate in a coastal cycle ride tomorrow morning, calling for free access to beaches.