NEWS

In Brief

BABACAN VISIT

Turkish foreign minister expected for talks in Athens on December 4 Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will begin a two-day visit to Greece on December 4 to discuss a range of issues, including bilateral relations and Ankara’s European Union bid, with Greek counterpart Dora Bakoyannis, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said yesterday. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is expected to visit Turkey early next year. SCHOOL VANDALS Education minister angered by sight at ransacked complex in Athens Education Minister Evripidis Stylianidis said he was «enraged» after visiting the school complex in Pangrati, eastern Athens, that had recently been ransacked by vandals during a student lockout protest. After walking around the complex, Stylianidis pledged that the vandals would all be caught and punished. It is estimated that some 150,000 euros’ worth of damage was done to classrooms and offices by a group of some 10 vandals, who are not thought to be students. AEK BACK ON TOP Athens club thrash OFI Crete 4-0 AEK regained its place at the top of the Super League yesterday, after slipping to second spot in the previous round, with a 4-0 win at home against OFI. Previous leader Panathinaikos, now a point behind, surrendered top spot after salvaging a 2-2 at Larissa with a late equalizer. Defending champion Olympiakos climbed to third place, two points behind Panathinaikos, with a 1-0 home win against Veria on Saturday. Aris went into the weekend’s ninth round as the league’s only unbeaten side but lost 2-0 at Levadiakos and dropped from third to fourth. In the round’s other games, it was: Apollon Kalamaria-Atromitos, 0-2; Ergotelis-Asteras Tripoli, 0-3; PAOK-Panionios, 3-1; Xanthi-Iraklis, 0-3. Soldier killed A British soldier was killed in a car crash in Cyprus, authorities said on Saturday. The soldier was not named but the British Ministry of Defense said that he was serving with the Royal Logistics Corp and was killed in Nicosia on Friday. Migrants intercepted The coast guard detained a total of 187 immigrants in Greek waters or on a number of islands over the weekend. The Merchant Marine Ministry said that 127 migrants were intercepted on and off the Aegean islands of Samos, Lesvos and Kos on Saturday. Another 60 people were detained on Lesvos, Kos and Pharmakonisi on Sunday. Two suspected traffickers have been arrested. Pensioner fooled Police in Halkidiki, northern Greece, are looking for a man who swindled an 80-year-old woman out of 600 euros over the weekend. The man went to the pensioner’s house in the village of Varvara and pretended to be an acquaintance of her son-in-law. He said the man owed him payment for a new car he had supposedly bought and convinced the woman to hand over the money.

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