Car bomb explodes outside Bank of Greece

A bomb exploded early Thursday outside the Bank of Greece in central Athens, causing damage to nearby buildings but no injuries. Phone calls warning of the explosion outside the central bank building were made to a Greek newspaper and a news website, according to the (dpa) news agency. The callers warned that the bomb contained 75 kilograms of explosives and would explode in 45 minutes. The bomb was apparently placed inside a car, which was destroyed in the explosion, according to footage shown on television news reports. The extent of the damage to nearby buildings was unclear. Police cordoned off the area to traffic and were investigating the scene. The explosion took place hours before Athens plans to return to bond markets for the first time since 2010. From: QNA