NEWS

In Brief

ISAP DISRUPTION

Omonia-Ano Patissia stretch will be closed this weekend Due to a long-term engineering project, there will be no service on the Kifissia-Piraeus electric railway (ISAP) between Omonia and Ano Patissia today and tomorrow. The Victoria, Attiki, Aghios Nikolaos, Kato Patissia and Aghios Eleftherios stations will remain closed. Passengers intending to travel on this section of the line will be able to use the X8 bus instead. For the Omonia-Attiki stretch, passengers can use Line 2 of the metro instead. Commuters are also reminded that the section of the ISAP line between Kallithea and Neo Faliro will be closed until April 1. A replacement bus service (X13) is available. DAMAGING STORIES Vavilis demands compensation Apostolos Vavilis, Greece’s most-wanted man in 2005, has sent a letter to Greek media organizations asking them to issue apologies and pay him compensation for running stories that he alleges damaged his reputation. Vavilis was implicated in a series of church scandals but was released from prison on bail in 2008 after a council of judges decided that there was no evidence he had betrayed state secrets. Vavilis became a confidant of high-ranking figures in the Church of Greece, including the late Archbishop Christodoulos. University unrest A group of about 150 people wearing motorcycle helmets yesterday stormed the Athens University rector’s office for reasons that remained unclear late last night. The rector’s office remained under occupation last night, according to Vice Rector Yiannis Karakostas, who said that no damage had been caused by the protesters. There is concern that planned protests in the area today by extreme leftists and right-wing extremists could lead to trouble. Register fees The public company responsible for setting up Greece’s first comprehensive land register said yesterday that all the 220 million euros in fees it received from applicants has been placed in savings accounts. Ktimatologio SA issued the statement after revealing that it has begun returning money to some 80,000 applicants who overpaid when submitting their paperwork. According to the statement, the money has been placed in long-term savings accounts at a fixed interest rate. Bomb hoax A call claiming that a bomb had been placed yesterday at the headquarters of the ESIEA journalists’ union in central Athens turned out to be a hoax. Police evacuated the building and closed off the surrounding streets for half an hour after an anonymous caller told Eleftherotypia that a bomb had been placed in the building. No suspect device was found. A similar hoax call regarding the ESIEA premises occurred on January 18. Robbers foiled Two robbers who mugged the manager of a small post office in the village of Kremmydia, in the Peloponnesian prefecture of Messenia, abandoned their loot and guns after being chased by police, officers said yesterday. According to police, the would-be robbers threatened the manager at gunpoint on Thursday afternoon, forcing him to hand over a bag containing 45,000 euros. They then fled in a car which was traced by police. After spotting the police on their trail, the thieves stopped, dropped their loot and fled on foot. There had been no sign of them by late yesterday.

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