In Brief
HEATING UP
Temperatures on the rise from today, will stay high until Saturday Temperatures are set to rise across the country from today, reaching as high as 39 degrees Celsius (102F) by tomorrow. The hot weather is expected to prevail until Saturday, with cooler conditions expected from Sunday. Authorities recommend caution, especially for the elderly. Three killed Girl, 8, among dead in car crashes in northern Greece Two people were killed in separate roadside accidents in northern Greece yesterday. An 8-year-old girl was run over by a truck in Halkidiki while riding her pushbike. The driver and owner of the truck, which had no license plates, were arrested. In Thessaloniki, a 73-year-old pedestrian was killed after a car hit him when the driver lost control of the vehicle. In another case in Naoussa, an 80-year-old tractor driver was killed in a crash with a car. Oil slick Ship pollutes Navarino Bay A discharge of fuel oil from the George T, a Saint Vincent-flagged cargo ship, when it was anchored in Navarino Bay in the Peloponnese on Tuesday, caused a slick measuring 240 square meters, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. Pylos coast guard officials have launched an investigation and the cleanup operation has been assigned to a private company, the ministry added. Elounda drowning A 9-year-old boy drowned yesterday at a beach in the popular Cretan resort of Elounda, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. Aghios Nikolaos coast guard officials have launched an investigation. Bus boom Commuters will be able to use three new bus lines in Athens from tomorrow, the Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) said yesterday. Line No. 306 will run from the Doukissis Plakentias metro station to Gerakas, No. 307 will run from the same station to Kantza, and No. 310 will run from the Koropi urban railway station to the Attiki Odos. Also, two bus lines, Nos. 608 and 222, will be combined into one which will run from Academias Street to Galatsi. Sea rescue Two coast guards and a 71-year-old swimmer helped rescue a 25-year-old man who was in danger of drowning yesterday morning in the port of Lavrion, east of Athens, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. The younger man was taken to the KAT emergency hospital in Athens for treatment. Caught red-handed Police caught three thieves red-handed yesterday after they broke into a church in Imathia, northern Greece, and were prying open the counter which contained the church’s cashbox, police said. The three men, aged 41, 44 and 54, were found with 121 euros in cash on them and the tools used to break into the church. Drug overdose A 28-year-old man was found dead in his home in Iraklion, Crete, from a heroin overdose, police said yesterday. The man is the fourth person to die from a drug overdose in Iraklion in the first half of 2005. Bars shut down Four bars on the island of Rhodes had their licenses revoked for 10 days after police found underage patrons on their premises. Local authorities have said that they will crack down on the problem, threatening to close down bars permanently if the offense is repeated. Hash quartet Four Albanian nationals were arrested yesterday by police and border guards in the Delvinaki area of Ioannina, close to the Albanian border, after officers found some 56 kilos of cannabis in their possession. Officers said that a fifth accomplice managed to escape. Empty-handed thieves Two would-be robbers, one of whom was armed, did an about-face in Iraklion, Crete, yesterday after they both started to beat up a kiosk owner with the intention of robbing him. The victim, however, quickly recovered from the blows to fight back and chase away the empty-handed thieves.
