In Brief
TICK DEATH
Woman, 61, is second victim of fever-carrying parasite A 61-year-old woman from Rhodope, northern Greece, who died last Tuesday after suffering a high fever, had been bitten by a tick carrying a bacteria that also led to the death of a 49-year-old woman from Alexandroupolis last month, doctors said yesterday. The Rhodope woman had been admitted to the hospital three times this month after suffering from insomnia, a heavy cough and high fever, but had not told doctors about the tick bite. Doctors determined that the woman had been infected by Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever once they had been told about the bite by the victim’s relative. CRIME OF PASSION Aspiring son-in-law lashes out A 39-year-old woman has been killed and her 21-year-old son injured in a village near Thebes, central Greece, by a man who allegedly wanted to marry the woman’s 19-year-old daughter. Police said the 35-year-old suspect burst into the house in the village of Asopia and stabbed the girl’s mother to death because he was angry that the woman had refused to give the couple her blessing. Final goal The president of AEK soccer club, Demis Nikolaidis, said yesterday that he will step down from his post next May – five years after taking over the reins at the Athens team. Nikolaidis headed a consortium in 2004 that rescued AEK from financial ruin brought on by crippling debts. However, AEK has not been able to win any trophies since Nikolaidis took over and was pipped to the title by Olympiakos last season. Nikolaidis said that he had a five-year plan when he took over the club and intends to see it out. The former AEK player said he would have stayed on had he had greater support from fans but poor season ticket sales this summer convinced him that he should quit. Forest fires Strong winds and high temperatures yesterday fueled several forest fires around the country, with the most serious blazes on Evia, Crete and in the Peloponnese. Firefighters were late yesterday struggling to contain a blaze in southern Evia that spread quickly but did not threaten residential areas. Fires in Corinth and Rethymnon, on Crete, caused widespread damage before they were contained. Drugs in jail Authorities in the judicial prison of Hania were yesterday searching the premises for drugs following the discovery of 40 grams of heroin and a small quantity of cannabis, concealed within the metal frame of a bed belonging to a foreign inmate. According to authorities, the situation at jails is difficult to monitor due to overcrowding. Some of the inmates are to be transferred to new jails due that are scheduled to open in the area in March. Daylight robbery Police in Trikala, central Greece, yesterday were seeking a Romanian man believed to have stolen 11,500 euros from a 55-year-old woman who had just visited a bank branch shortly before 11 a.m. A Romanian woman alleged to have helped the suspect mug the victim was arrested by police.
