NEWS

In Brief

Holargos metro

Station opening tomorrow in northeastern Athens A new metro station in the northeastern Athens suburb of Holargos, expected to be used by an estimated 20,000 people daily, is due to open today. The journey time between Holargos station, on Line 2, and Syntagma station in central Athens is estimated at nine minutes. The much-awaited underground car park at the adjacent station of Nomismatokopeio on Line 2 of the metro will also open today. The car park will comprise 630 spaces spread across three levels. Siemens probe Ex-minister to testify Aug. 30 An investigating magistrate yesterday gave Former Transport Minister Tasos Mantelis until August 30 to prepare his defense against charges of money laundering as part of a judicial probe into the Siemens cash-for-contracts scandal. The former minister insists that cash deposited by Siemens Hellas into a Swiss bank account that had been opened by Giorgos Tsougranis, the godfather of his child, had been a campaign donation and not a bribe. Karystos fire Homes near the town of Karystos, in southern Evia, had to be evacuated yesterday as a wildfire threatened the communities of Lala, Nikasi and Kalyvia. There were no reports of any houses being burned or people being injured but the blaze continued into the night after being fanned by strong winds during the day. The wildfire burned on two major fronts and water-dropping airplanes were called in to help extinguish the flames. However, by dusk, when the planes had to stop flying, the fire had not been put out. Suicide averted Officers of the police’s electronic crimes squad said yesterday that they had averted the planned suicide of a man who had expressed his desire to take his own life in a posting on the social-networking site Facebook. The man, about whom no details were revealed, wrote in his posting that he was suffering from psychological problems due to his unemployment and a failed romantic relationship. The police traced the man’s identity and dispatched psychologists from a nongovernment organization to offer him guidance. The man had recently been discharged from the hospital after a failed suicide attempt, police said. Violent intruders Police in Areopoli, in the Peloponnese, were yesterday seeking the perpetrators behind a violent attack on a group of four Afghan nationals in the nearby village of Sotiras. The Afghans told police that a group of around 10 assailants broke into the apartment they share at around 2 a.m. and started beating them with sticks. One of the group then fired a gun above his head and they fled. The migrants were taken to a local hospital for treatment to their injuries which were not believed to be serious. Explosives stolen Unidentified thieves have removed at least 335 kilograms of plastic explosive from a military camp in Limassol, southern Cyprus, police said yesterday. Authorities were seeking to determine how the intruders managed to raid the high-security unit without detection.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.