In Brief
Siemens probe
Greek judge in Munich to speak to firm’s ex-manager Investigating magistrate Nikos Zagorianos and prosecutor Panayiotis Athanassiou, who are handling the Siemens bribery probe, are due to travel to Munich today to question former Siemens official Reinhard Siekaczek with regard to claims that the German company’s Greek branch paid bribes to politicians in Athens to secure contracts. In an interview with state German television, Siekaczek claimed that the former managing director of Siemens Hellas, Michalis Christoforakos, «asked us for 2 million euros for a certain company to which he had a commitment in the countdown to the Athens 2004 Olympics.» Travel disruption Tram, trolley stoppages today Services on tram and trolley lines will be disrupted today as employees stage work stoppages to press for pay rises and benefits. Trams will not run between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. nor between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Trolley services will be suspended between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. as workers attend their union’s general assembly. Not so serene A Bahamas-flagged cruise liner struck a pier while sailing into Piraeus early yesterday morning but no injuries were reported. The Crystal Serenity, which had been carrying 620 passengers, was undergoing repairs late yesterday. Stabbing tragedy A 33-year-old man stabbed his 37-year-old former lover to death outside the woman’s home in Trikala, central Greece, on Saturday before using the knife to take his own life. According to police, the man had been waiting outside the woman’s house and started arguing with her when she appeared. Then, in the presence of the woman’s 16-year-old daughter, he pulled out a knife and stabbed his former lover several times before stabbing himself, officers said. Pilots rescued The pilot and co-pilot of a private helicopter that was forced to carry out an emergency landing on the slopes of Mount Olympus yesterday afternoon were both airlifted to safety by a Super Puma helicopter. No harm came to the two pilots, dispatched to the area earlier to rescue a Bulgarian climber who had suffered an injury and called the rescue services. It was unclear whether the Bulgarian climber had been found by late yesterday. Factory fire A large fire that broke out on Friday at the site of a Coca-Cola bottling plant caused serious damage to the building that covers 2,500 square meters. The cause of the fire was still unclear on Saturday.
