In Brief
MARKET BLUES
Athens bourse sheds 24 bln euros in January amid global turmoil More than 24 billion euros have been wiped off the Athens bourse since the start of the year with blue chips showing the largest losses. Foreign institutional investors have been reducing their positions in Greek stocks as the US subprime crisis harms global equity sentiment. The sharp losses were expected by some analysts after the local bourse ranked recently among Europe’s highest-performing markets. PEDESTRIAN TAKEOVER Maroussi to bar cars from its main shopping streets during peak hours Pedestrians will be able to walk freely on the streets in the center of Maroussi from Monday, it was revealed yesterday. The municipality has decided to block cars from entering the cobblestone roads in the center of the northern Athens suburb during shopping hours. Barriers will prevent vehicles from driving into the pedestrianized area between from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. as well as from 5.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays. ON THE SLOPES Fresh snowfall perfect for skiers Greece’s ski resorts are likely to benefit this weekend from the recent cold snap around the country. Kathimerini English Edition takes a look at what facilities are on offer for skiers, snowboarders or those just want a closer glimpse of the white stuff. Soccer squad Greece soccer coach Otto Rehhagel sprang a surprise yesterday by recalling Olympiakos midfielder Ieroklis Stoltidis to the national squad, some eight years after his last appearance, for friendly matches against the Czech Republic on Tuesday and Finland on Wednesday. Stoltidis, who turns 33 today, has forced his way back into the squad with robust performances for his club in domestic and European competition. But Rehhagel named six total newcomers on his 30-man squad as well. They include five players who have represented Greece at Under-21 level. Greece will play the two games in Cyprus as part of a warmup tournament ahead of this summer’s European Championships in Austria and Switzerland. Fishing for cash A man has been arrested in Thessaloniki accused of stealing money from a church in the Pylaia area, police said yesterday. The suspect is believed to have tied fishing wire to self-adhesive paper that was placed in the church’s cashbox. After keeping an eye on who placed money in the box, the man would then use the fishing line to pull out the sticky material with money stuck to it, police added. Camera man A 29-year-old student was released on bail in Thessaloniki yesterday after being arrested earlier in the week on suspicion of destroying a police CCTV camera in the city. The unnamed man is expected to stand trial for causing damage, resisting arrest, disturbing the peace and carrying a weapon. The student has been barred from leaving the country until his trial. Cadet drowns A 21-year-old police cadet drowned yesterday when the car in which he was traveling fell into the Farsalitis River, in central Greece’s Thessaly area. The cadet was traveling in the car with three peers when it ran into the river for an unknown reason. The other three passengers managed to swim to safety, police added. Bank heist Two armed men held up a branch of Eurobank in Thessaloniki yesterday and made away with an unknown amount of cash, police said. The holdup took place at around 9 a.m. and the assailants escaped the scene by motorcycle. Cannabis find Police found a ton of cannabis hidden in a truck passing through the Greek-Albanian border town of Kakkavias, authorities said. The driver was arrested.
