Greek wildfires under control

ATHENS: Wildfires that tore through suburbs of Athens and forced thousands of people to flee their homes were contained yesterday as the government's handling of the disaster became an election issue.

Likely to face voters early next year, the conservative government said very strong winds had made it difficult to fight fires in east Attica where swathes of forest and more than 150 homes were destroyed.

"If what we experienced in Attica is the best this government can do, then it is obvious we must urgently replace it," the liberal daily Ethnos said in its main editorial.