In Brief
Weather warning
Authorities tell people to watch out for heavy rain, high winds The National Meteorological Service and the Civil Protection Authority warned last night that many parts of Greece were set to experience heavy rainfall today, which is set to continue until tomorrow. The rain is expected to be accompanied by strong winds, which are expected to reach gale force in the Aegean today. Tomorrow, western Greece, the Ionian islands, Crete and the Dodecanese islands are likely to bear the brunt of the bad weather. Athens buses No service 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be no public buses in Athens between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. today as drivers and other members of staff will be attending the employees’ general meeting. Today’s meeting is expected to focus on the impact that the government’s cost-cutting measures will have on public transport. Tempe open The Vale of Tempe section of the Athens-Thessaloniki highway reopened on Sunday after a minor rockfall on Friday. A rock measuring about 40 centimeters in diameter fell onto the road, causing damage to the asphalt and a passing truck. Nobody was injured, unlike last December when a massive rockfall killed one person and led to the road being closed for several weeks as safety work was carried out. Aegean Motorway, the private company in charge of this section of the highway, said on Saturday that it was safe for motorists to pass through Tempe. LAOS on mosque The leader of the right-wing Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS), Giorgos Karatzaferis, said on Saturday that it was «inconceivable» that public money should be spent on constructing a mosque in Athens before the city had a proper cathedral. Karatzaferis claimed that it would cost taxpayers 40 million euros for the mosque to be built and argued that instead of one big mosque, several small ones should be constructed. Family tragedy A 38-year-old man from Fthiotida in central Greece shot his mother and then himself, police said on Saturday. The man, who was not named, is believed to have shot the 70-year-old woman with a hunting rifle because he could no longer bear to see her suffer, as a recent stroke had caused the pensioner a number of health problems. Some of the 38-year-old’s colleagues at the Municipality of Spercheiada said he had often told them that if something happened to his mother, he would have trouble dealing with it. Prostitution ring A 54-year-old Greek man and a 28-year-old woman who is not a Greek national have been arrested in Thessaloniki on suspicion of holding three other foreign women against their will and forcing them into prostitution. The arrests took place on Friday after officers raided an apartment in the Lagadas area of the city. Authorities are looking for four more suspects. Forged notes Two women were arrested in Lamia, central Greece, on Saturday on suspicion of using forged banknotes. The suspects were taken into custody after they used the money to make lots of small purchases in various shops in the city center. Police said that they discovered a large amount of forged notes in the pair’s car but did not give further details.
