Trash is expected to pile up across Greece from today as street cleaners launch a five-day strike, calling for their profession to be categorized as a health risk, a status which carries pension benefits. Meanwhile local authority employees are to begin three days of industrial action. They are protesting the lack of collective contracts and adequate salaries and calling for better benefits. Their protest will conclude with a rally and march to the Interior Ministry in central Athens on Tuesday.

A 43-year-old man was hospitalized yesterday morning after being shot in the neck, according to police, who late last night arrested the victim’s stepson in connection with the attack. The suspect is alleged to have rung the doorbell of his stepfather’s home in Aghios Dimitrios, southern Athens, and then shot him when he came out onto the balcony. The victim, an employee at the local municipality, was said to be in a stable condition last night. The attack is believed to have been prompted by personal differences.

A 31-year-old man accused of attempting to kill an Athens nightclub owner for 30,000 euros has been remanded in custody, police said yesterday, The man, identified as Christos Loukopoulos, confessed to security guards at the Caramela nightspot on Syngrou Avenue that he had been planning to kill their boss after he was spotted loitering near the club on Sunday night. The victim told police that he was forced into making the confession and that he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time. He has also claimed to suffer from psychological problems after having been hospitalized in the past.

A 21-year-old man alleged to have posted erotic photographs of an 18-year-old former girlfriend on the Internet with disparaging comments was yesterday charged with slander and violating personal data. Officers from the Athens electronic crime unit traced the man after the 18-year-old woman, who said she had had a short relationship with the 21-year-old in the past, saw the photos and pressed charges. The man was charged and released pending trial.

Rescue workers late yesterday were dispatched to find a 36-year-old Spanish mountain climber who sustained injuries after slipping on the slopes of Mount Olympus. The 36-year-old’s girlfriend alerted authorities on her mobile phone following the accident. The extent of the man’s injuries were unclear.

A 24-year-old foreign man, accused of raping a 14-year-old boy in his home, was charged yesterday with raping a minor. The man, who was arrested on Wednesday, is also alleged to have sexually molested the boy on two other occasions and given him cash.

Police were yesterday examining a homemade explosive device found undetonated outside the branch of a well-known fast-food chain in Kallithea and close to the local tax office. Officers said the device – comprising three gas canisters – had probably been intended for the store. There were no reports of any suspects being questioned.

Trains will not be running on the Athens-Piraeus electric railway (ISAP) between Thiseion and Piraeus from 10 p.m. today due to work on the rail network. A replacement bus service – the No 500 bus that runs between Piraeus and Kifissia – will be available instead. Passengers can use their existing ISAP ticket on the bus. More buses will also be put on Line 49 between Piraeus and Omonia. The railway service will resume as normal tomorrow morning.