NEWS

In Brief

Heat wave

Temperatures to hit 40 Celsius with high humidity Meteorologists yesterday warned of a heat wave this weekend, noting that temperatures on Saturday were set to rise to 39 Celsius (102.2 Fahrenheit) in Attica and 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in central Greece. Northerly winds are set to intensify on Sunday, reaching 7 on the Beaufort scale, but high humidity levels are expected to counteract their cooling effect. Temperatures are expected to ease off early next week but then to rise again, probably bringing another heat wave. Heroin trade Trio used cross-border bus Police in northern Greece yesterday detained three foreign nationals – a Bulgarian, a Romanian and an Estonian – after seizing large quantities of heroin from their luggage following inspections on buses serving the route connecting Istanbul and Thessaloniki. In the fourth such incident in the past month, border guards at Kipoi seized 14 kilos of heroin after checking the bags of a 20-year-old Bulgarian and a 24-year-old Romanian. A separate search of a 25-year-old Estonian man, on a different bus on the same route, turned up 4 kilos of the drug. Missing boy The police yesterday mobilized its so-called Amber Alert system to seek information from the public regarding an 8-year-old Austrian boy of Afghan origin who went missing in the Athens district of Kato Patissia on Tuesday night. Sameem Fazli, visiting Greece on vacation with his father, suffers from health problems, according to police who did not elaborate on his condition but noted that he does not speak Greek. The Amber Alert is a US-devised system that uses a variety of techniques to brief police, media and the public early when a child disappears. Anyone with information about the boy is asked to telephone 116000. Robbery ring A gang of thieves believed to be behind a series of armed supermarkets robberies and muggings in the northern suburbs of Athens has been broken, police said yesterday after arresting two suspected members. The suspects, aged 30 and 33, were caught after snatching a bag from a female pedestrian in Pefki, police said. They are believed to be behind at least eight armed raids on local supermarkets, a robbery of a gas station and 18 muggings. Flock reassured Churchgoers are not at risk of contracting swine flu if they attend Holy Communion, Thessaloniki’s Bishop Anthimos said yesterday. «According to a scientific theory any bacteria disappear on the silver,» Anthimos said, referring to the goblet from which worshippers drink wine. According to the bishop, cutting out church attendance out of fear of contracting the H1N1 virus would be akin to «not using spoons at home and in restaurants.» ND targeted Unidentified arsonists threw a petrol bomb at the entrance to a local office of ruling New Democracy in Thessaloniki early yesterday. The ensuing fire caused limited damage and no injuries.

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