Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-07-27

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Rhodes fire raging for 6th day

[02] Actor's killer arrested, confesses

[01] Rhodes fire raging for 6th day

Firefighters, who were continuing the battle with the blazes undiminished, told ANA-MPA that for the first time they were optimistic of bringing the blaze under control, as the two major fire fronts -- in the area of the Gadoura dam and in the area of Profylia - have already been partically contained, and it was hoped that the fire would be brought under full control by evening.

The massive firefighting force was being assisted by hundreds of volunteers from all over the island.

Authorities said that careful monitoring was necessary throughout the entire region to look out for rekindling, due to strong winds in the area.

The blaze, which broke out last Tuesday, has burned an estimated 40,000 stremma fo forest and brush, and fears have been voiced of immense damage to the island's ecosystem.

The Laermon forest, which has been almost completely destroyed by the fire, is the main habitat of one of the last surviving populations of the famed Rhodian deer -- a smaller species of the European fallow deer -- whose population had marked an increase in recent years.

Tourists have been evacuated from several hotels in southern Rhodes on Saturday for precautionary reasons, and were relocated to other hotels on the island on Saturday, while many returned to their hotels on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a forest fire broke out in Psachna, Evia, shortly before noon on Sunday.

A strong fire-fighting force rushed to the area, assisted by four water scooping planes and a helicopter.

Caption: Firefighting efforts on the island of Rhodes. (ANA-MPA)

[02] Actor's killer arrested, confesses

The man confessed the crime at dawn on Saturday.

The culprit told police that he met the victim for the first time at an Athens central square, on the night of the murder, where the actor proposed to him to go to his house to consume alcohol and take drugs. The two men went with the victimâs car to his home in the Athens suburb of Pangrati, where they drank beers and took drugs.

The Georgian told police that the actor made sexual advances on him and that when he refused, he was threatened with a knife by Sergianopoulos.

The culprit said he managed to take the knife away from the actor and stabbed him many times, killing him.

The Georgian, who is living illegally in Greece, will appear before the public prosecutor on Monday.

Sergianopoulos, 56, was found murdered in his apartment in Pangrati, Athens on the morning of June 4.

His body was discovered by his maid, lying on the floor with multiple stab wounds in the chest and neck.

The apartment had apparently been ransacked and, according to evidence, the victim had had visitors as it was surmised from empty beer bottles and cups strewn around the apartment. It is noted that Sergianopoulos had been arrested a few months ago on cocaine possession charges in the Athens district of Kolonos.

Caption: File photo of actor Nikos Sergianopoulos. (ANA-MPA/Studio Panoulis)

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