In Brief
METRO MATTERS
Italians confirm Turin subway built for less than Aegaleo extension The company managing the recently built metro system in Turin, GTT, confirmed to Sunday’s Kathimerini that the network in the Italian city was built for a total cost of 625 million euros even though Greek authorities claim it was more expensive. Attiko Metro, which manages the Athens subway, claimed that the Turin system, which has 15 stations, cost 880 million euros after Kathimerini last week reported that the 4.3-kilometer Monastiraki-Aegaleo metro extension was going to cost over 600 million euros, even though just three new stations are being built. STORMY SUNDAY Trees and billboards blown down An early-morning storm caused minor damage in Athens yesterday after high-speed winds leveled a number of trees in the capital. The fire brigade said that it received 25 calls between 3.30 a.m. and 5.30 a.m. from people reporting that trees or other items, such as advertising billboards, had been blown into the street. A metal roof measuring 10 by 15 meters blew off a temporary structure on an apartment block near Alexandras Avenue and damaged two parked cars, authorities said. No injuries were reported. Negative test An Afghan immigrant tested negative for bird flu on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos, hospital officials said on Saturday. The unnamed 21-year-old had been admitted to the island’s hospital on Friday after suffering flu-like symptoms. Authorities found him on Lesvos on Wednesday. Base protest Peace campaigners from around the world protested outside a US naval base in Souda Bay, Crete, yesterday. They were demanding the removal of all foreign military bases from Europe and the Mediterranean. A heavy police presence was on hand outside the base to prevent any trouble from flaring up. Road block More than 200 farmers blocked the national road between Thessaloniki and Moudania in northern Greece on Saturday for the third time in a week. They were protesting fines of up to 47,000 euros by the Public Power Corporation (PPC). PPC said the farmers used more electricity than they had been allocated under a cut-price scheme, but the farmers claimed the power company changed the terms of the deal without informing them. PPC has offered to write off half the debt and allow the farmers to pay the rest in 24 interest-free installments. Rice row Rice farmers used 150 tractors to halt traffic on the Thessaloniki-Katerini national road in northern Greece between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday. The farmers parked their vehicles across lanes in both directions to protest what they claim are low state subsidies for their produce. Fan attack Some 20 hooligans on motorbikes early on Saturday attacked a cafeteria in Kaisariani, eastern Athens, where a fan club of Panathinaikos soccer team had been meeting. The attackers threw stones and Molotov cocktails at the building, sending at least two people to hospital with burns. The hooligans sped off before police could make any arrests.
