NEWS

In Brief

ARCHBISHOP TO USA

Christodoulos flies to Miami to undergo a liver transplant Archbishop Christodoulos on Saturday flew to Miami where he is to undergo a liver transplant. The archbishop took with him a good-luck charm given to him by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis «so God may protect me and ensure I return in good health.» Several cabinet ministers and opposition politicians visited Elefsina military airport to see off the archbishop, who was escorted by three doctors onto the prime-ministerial jet. Christodoulos, 68, was admitted to hospital with intestinal problems in June, after which doctors discovered that he had liver cancer. ACADEMIC YEAR Schools to open on September 11, then close two days later for polls Schools will open for the new academic year on Tuesday September 11, it was announced over the weekend. However, they will close again two days later so they can be prepared for the general election on September 16, when they will be used as polling stations. The schools will then reopen on Tuesday September 18. ND office firebombed Ilioupolis hit causes no injuries Three gas canister devices exploded outside New Democracy’s party offices in Ilioupolis, eastern Athens, early on Saturday but nobody was injured, police said. The devices went off at about 3.30 a.m., damaging the entrance to the building. No arrests were made. Hospital fire A fire that broke out in Athens’s Evangelismos hospital early yesterday morning led to the premises being evacuated but no one was injured. The blaze, which was caused by a short circuit in a piece of hospital equipment, produced thick black smoke which spread quickly through the hospital wards. A team of 35 firefighters, manning 11 fire engines, managed to bring the blaze under control before it could cause widespread damage. Rape charge A 23-year-old foreign woman has lodged rape charges against two crew members of a passenger ferry en route to Kos from Myconos, the Merchant Marine Ministry revealed on Saturday. The woman, whose country of origin was not revealed, lodged her complaint with the local Port Authority on arriving at Kos, the ministry said. The precise circumstances of the alleged attack were not clear. Counterfeit euros Two men and a woman who allegedly intended to distribute 2,000 euros in forged 50-euro notes in Serres are to face a prosecutor, police said over the weekend. The men, aged 32 and 35, and the woman, aged 22, were arrested early Saturday after days of police surveillance. Police found 40 forged 50-euro notes in their possession. Officers believe the trio belong to a forgery ring and are seeking other suspects. Truck blast An explosive device placed under a commercial truck in the village of Tylisos, near the Cretan port of Iraklion, early on Saturday morning, caused minor damage when it detonated. The explosion sent pieces of metal flying from the truck, causing panic among residents though there were no injuries. It was unclear yesterday who planted the device but police said the owner of the same truck had been targeted about a year ago. Ship collision Two cargo ships collided off the coast of the southern Peloponnese on Saturday but suffered only minor damage and there were no injuries, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. It was not clear what caused the accident involving the Greek vessel Polikos and the Liberian-flagged Cap Rojo. All 38 seamen on board the two vessels were unharmed and the ships were towed to port for repairs. Repeat offender A 28-year-old man was arrested in Imathia, northern Greece, on Saturday on suspicion of illegally carrying a firearm and driving a stolen car. Police said that the suspect, an Albanian national, had served time in a Greek prison for robbery. He had then been deported. But officers arrested him on Saturday while he was allegedly driving a stolen car bearing the license plate of a different vehicle. The unnamed suspect also had a handgun and six bullets in his possession, police said. Turkish hijack Cyprus on Saturday condemned the hijacking of a private Turkish airliner that took off from an airport in the occupied north of the island, saying security measures there were beyond its control. The Foreign Ministry said the Atlas Jet plane took off from an «illegal airport in a region occupied by the Turkish army» that is «beyond the control of the legal authorities of the Cyprus Republic. The fact that the illegal airport at Tymbou operates without fulfilling international regulations on security and civil aviation… has been repeatedly pointed out by the Cyprus Republic to all international organizations and the international community,» it said in a statement. (AFP) Nursing congress The Third International Congress on Pediatric Nursing begins at 9.30 a.m. on Friday at the Athens Concert Hall. Those interested in learning more can call 210.6889.130 or log on to www.pediatricnursing2007.com for details about the event.

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