In Brief
BLAZES OUT
Firefighters douse flames in Varkiza and Keratea A fire that broke out yesterday in an inaccessible area close to a cemetery in Varkiza, southern Athens, was brought under control fairly quickly after three water-bombing helicopters, 39 firefighters and 13 fire engines took part in the operation to extinguish it. No homes were damaged. A blaze that started in the Mougriza area of Keratea, southeast of Athens, was also put out quickly before any properties were threatened. The fire service also said that a wildfire that started in the Karytaina area of Arcadia in the Peloponnese on Friday was under partial control yesterday. Two airplanes and two helicopters were helping in the effort to put it out. TEENAGER CRITICAL Girl suffering from swine flu A 16-year-old Greek girl was admitted to an intensive care unit in an unspecified hospital on Saturday after being diagnosed with swine flu. The teenager has several chronic medical problems and the H1N1 virus contributed to a deterioration of her health, which included serious breathing problems. The girl has not been named. Vouliagmenis works Traffic will be restricted to one lane each way on Vouliagmenis Avenue outside the building site for the Ilioupoli metro station in southern Athens from today and for the next two weeks. The restrictions will be in place so that a pedestrian subway can be constructed. F-16s arriving The USA is scheduled to deliver 3 F-16 fighter jets to the Greek Air Force today, according to the US Embassy in Athens. American pilots will fly the aircraft from the Lockheed Martin production plant in Fort Worth, Texas. One of the pilots is Lieutenant Colonel Steven Speckhard, cousin of the US Ambassador to Greece, Daniel Speckhard. Greece already received delivery of 10 of these planes earlier this year and 17 more are due to be delivered by the end of this year. Forger nabbed A man who had been convicted of forgery 10 times and for whom there were five outstanding arrest warrants was arrested in Athens on Saturday, police said. Cannabis couple A couple has been arrested in the Acharnes area of northern Athens after police found two 3-meter cannabis plants in their backyard. Officers said that the man, 55, and his partner, 51, were also in illegal possession of several weapons. Tyrnavos dealers Three people have been arrested in Tyrnavos, near Larissa, central Greece, on suspicion of selling drugs. Police said on Saturday they arrested the three men, aged 21, 23 and 41, after finding them in possession of almost a kilo of heroin. Stolen artifacts Police in northern Greece said on Saturday that they have recovered a number of stolen antiquities, including two valuable Roman gravestones. The gravestones, along with a number of bronze coins and small artifacts, were found in an abandoned house in the village of Tholos, northeast of Thessaloniki. Police are looking for a 35-year-old farmer and a shopkeeper who are on the run. (AP)
