In Brief
Railway extension
Work on link from Kifissia to Aghios Stefanos set for 2010 The management of the Kifissia-Piraeus urban electric railway (ISAP) yesterday gave the green light for the extension of the line from Kifissia to the northern Athens suburb of Aghios Stefanos. Construction of the 11-kilometer underground link, budgeted at 730 million euros, is expected to begin in 2010 and be completed by 2014. Stations will be built at Tatoi, Nea Erythraia, Kastri and on the national road. When fully operational, an estimated 100,000 commuters will use the extension daily. Zachopoulos probe Ex-crime squad chief to testify A prosecutor probing the alleged blackmail of former Culture Ministry general secretary Christos Zachopoulos yesterday summoned the former director of Greece’s financial crimes squad, Spyros Kladas, to give additional testimony in connection with the investigation. Journalist Makis Triantafyllopoulos has alleged that he was approached by a New Democracy MP on behalf of Kladas to ask for the latter’s name not to be linked to the scandal. Kladas is likely to face questioning on Monday. Canadian consul It is with much sadness that the Embassy of Canada in Athens advises that Kostas Yakoumis, Canada’s Honorary Consul in Thessaloniki, passed away suddenly on July 10, 2008. Kostas Yakoumis had been a long-time friend of Canada and was Canada’s Honorary Consul since 1996. He served Canada with exceptional dedication and his loss is deeply felt by everyone at the Canadian Embassy. Sea Diamond Local authority officials and academics meeting on Santorini yesterday agreed that the Sea Diamond shipwreck should be removed from the sea bed just off the island as soon as possible to avert further pollution in the area. Swift measures are imperative, according to Athens University geologist Efthimios Lekkas, who said the sunken wreck was teetering on the edge of a precipice and could cause dangerous underwater rockfalls, and a major fuel leak, if it slipped. The Sea Diamond sunk in April last year. PPC damages A court in Crete yesterday ordered the Public Power Corporation (PPC) to pay 1 million euros in damages for the death in 2004 of a young couple who died of electrocution after touching a fallen power cable next to a gorge in Rethymnon. The court ruled that PPC should bear full responsibility for the incident as it had arisen due to poor maintenance of the local power network. Rotten food Prefectural authorities in Piraeus confiscated 1.2 tons of food deemed to be unfit for consumption from two local supermarkets. The food removed from storerooms and shelves included cold cuts, cheese and seafood. On bail Businessman Tryfon Apostolopoulos, who had been in custody since November on charges of fraud and money laundering, has been released from jail after posting bail of 1.3 million euros. The criminal charges relate to a wide probe into alleged stock market manipulation several years ago.
