In Brief
NO-GO ZONE
Odd/even traffic restrictions return to central Athens The zone in central Athens, in which only cars with license plates ending in an odd number are allowed to enter on odd days, and vice versa on even numbered days, comes into effect again from 7 a.m. today. The restrictions will be in place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday. Anyone caught entering the designated zone at the wrong time will be fined 200 euros, the traffic police said. The restrictions will be in place until July 15 next year, when they will be lifted again for the summer. ISRAEL VISIT Minister aims to boost tourism Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos is due to hold a series of meetings in Israel today as the government looks to capitalize on a recent improvement in relations between the two countries. Greece has recently seen a rise in Israeli visitors, at a time when Israeli tourists going to Turkey have dropped on the back of worsening relations between Tel Aviv and Ankara. Geroulanos will meet with his Israeli counterpart Stas Misezhnikov as well as local tour operators. Procurers A Bulgarian couple, aged 42 and 44, have been arrested in Thessaloniki on suspicion of holding a 23-year-old woman against her will and forcing her to work for them as a prostitute. Police said that the victim, also Bulgarian, was forced to live in a camper van and have sex with men in a forested area in Hortiatis. Croatia changes Greece soccer coach Fernando Santos is expected to make changes to the team’s starting lineup for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Croatia tomorrow. Greece travels to Zagreb after a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Georgia on Friday in its opening game in the group. Defender Nikos Spiropoulos scored for Greece in the second half after the visitors took an early lead. It its first match, Croatia beat Latvia 3-0 away. Financial scams Police in Thessaloniki said on Saturday that they have arrested a 41-year-old man who was wanted for a range of financial crimes, including the issuing of forged tax documents. Authorities said that there were already nine court rulings against the suspect, which amounted to 18 years and six months in jail. Immigrants stopped Five people were arrested on the Athens-Patra national road on Saturday. Police forced the car in which the men were traveling to the side of the highway after discovering the license plates matched those of a vehicle stolen in Athens on August 25. Officers discovered that the five men were undocumented immigrants who were on their way to the port of Patra in a bid to board a ferry bound for Italy. Runway fire The 170 passengers on board a flight operated by Slovakian airline Air Explore that landed on Kos on Saturday morning were forced to evacuate the plane after one of the engines caught fire. The incident happened as the aircraft was taxiing after landing without any problems. The plane had been carrying passengers from Verona in Italy. Nobody was injured in the evacuation. The cause of the fire was not clear.
