In Brief
22 dead in holiday crashes
Fatal roads accidents up 40 percent from last year The Public Order Ministry said yesterday that 22 people were killed on the country’s roads over the three-day weekend (March 3-6) during which an estimated 1.7 million Athenians left the city. There were a total of 167 traffic accidents in various parts of the country, with 20 claiming at least one life. The number of fatal road accidents over the Clean Monday holiday rose 42.9 percent from last year. BOURBOULIA RETURN Ex-judge expected back in Greece within nine days Former judge Constantina Bourboulia will be returning to Greece within the next nine days after a decision by a French court to extradite her. Bourboulia is wanted by authorities in connection with an alleged trial-fixing ring and stock market manipulation. Sources said she gave up her right to appeal the extradition order despite her lawyer’s instructions. ABUSED WOMEN 1,250 cases of violence More than 1,250 cases of violence against women were reported to a special helpline called «Dipla Sou» (By your side) last year, according to figures made public yesterday ahead of International Women’s Day today. Shots fired Two armed men held up a branch of Eurobank in Thessaloniki yesterday at about 11 a.m., police said. The men made away with about 10,000 euros and fired two shots in the air before escaping on a motorbike. Fire deaths Fire service workers on the island of Lesvos yesterday morning recovered the charred remains of an elderly couple from their village home. Giorgos Kontelos, aged 98, had apparently been trying to flee his home when the fire broke out, as his corpse was found near the door of the couple’s house. The body of Argyro Kontelou, 97, was found in her bed. Neighbors did not notice the fire until just after 8 a.m., probably due to the heavy rainfall, the fire service said. Opel recall Opel Astra models are being recalled from the market, according to the Development Ministry, due to problems with the steering system. The recall affects 344 cars that have been sold in Greece. Opel importer EM Hellas said all owners have been notified by mail. EYDAP service The Athens Water Company (EYDAP) will start operating a new online system on Monday that aims to improve services for its clients. Due to the installation of the system, EYDAP pay points will be closed tomorrow and Friday. Student killed A 22-year-old university student was killed on the island of Lesvos yesterday after he lost control of the car he was driving and crashed into a wall. Nikos Topouzlis was fatally injured in the incident. His 22-year-old passenger was slightly injured. Traffic diversion Traffic will be diverted on the Athens-Corinth highway starting today and continuing for the next 45 days due to construction work in the Elefsina area. Flights redirected A British Airways flight from London to Thessaloniki was forced to land in Skopje, FYROM, due to heavy fog over the northern Greek port yesterday morning, authorities said. Three more international flights, involving Aegean Airlines, Malev, Olympic Airlines, were also required to land in Athens rather than Thessaloniki due to bad weather conditions. The airport resumed normal operations later in the day. Weather worsens Heavy snowfall and plunging temperatures in and around Thessaloniki yesterday caused problems on regional roads. More snow is forecast today for the northern city. Meanwhile, Athens is expected to get some sleet mixed with snow in the mountains and possibly also in the northern suburbs.
