Service frequency to increase Squat releases.
In a bid to avoid overcrowding on public transport amid the coronavirus pandemic, the frequency of services on the Athens metro will be increased as of Monday, the Athens Urban Rail Transport Company (STASY) said yesterday. More specifically, STASY has informed commuters that during peak hours, from Monday, August 31, to Friday, September 4, services will run on Lines 2 and 3 every five minutes (from six currently). From Monday, September 7 onward, services on Line 1 will be every six minutes, and on Line 2 every 4.5 minutes (as last year), while on Line 3 transit times will be further boosted and set at four minutes (from 4.5 last year). Meanwhile, a legislative act published yesterday stipulates measures to bolster bus services in Athens and Thessaloniki. The act paves the way for the Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) to proceed with 655 recruitments via fast-track procedures. What’s more, it will also be able to procure 300 modern buses, up to 10 years old, by leasing, as well as to strengthen the fleet of city buses with 203 vehicles and 550 drivers through a collaboration with the intercity bus service company, KTEL.
Thirteen people who had been detained on Sunday morning during a police raid at a squat in Thessaloniki were released pending trial yesterday. They face charges of violating legislation governing construction as well as for civil disobedience and drug-related offenses. The police raid took place after a complaint was filed for illegal construction work in the grounds of the squat, known as Libertatia. The listed two-story building was completely destroyed by a fire set by suspected far-right participants in a nationalist rally in Thessaloniki in January 2018, who had been protesting negotiations about the official name of what is now North Macedonia. Since then, various people belonging to anarchist groups have tried to carry out repairs to the building. Located on Stratou Avenue, in the city center, the building was initially occupied in 2008 and was used by various groups over the years before being reclaimed by anarchists.
Girl saved. A 5-year-old girl who was swept out to sea while swimming with a rubber ring near the Rio-Antirio bridge in western Greece was rescued by ferry workers yesterday before she could come to any harm. According to local reports, the girl found herself unable to return to the Antirio beach after strong winds in the area pulled her out to sea. The girl’s parents alerted the coast guard, which dispatched a ferry whose crew members lifted her out of the sea and returned her to her family.