Geography of Greece

In a targeted mafia-style attack during the early hours of Sunday, a 44-year-old man, purportedly a prominent figure in the nightlife scene, was ambushed and fatally shot outside a fuel station in the Athenian neighborhood of Neos Kosmos.

Iraklis Mamoudelos stands in front of the Aphrodite cafe-restaurant, with its blue polyester director's chairs. He has a black tray under his left arm, ready to welcome customers. No one is swimming at the beach of Pserimos, a tiny island between Kalymnos and Kos in the eastern Aegean - now, at least - but the setting is ready.

An attempt is under way on Crete to get the bulldozers back to work as the two-year suspension of demolitions on the island has led to an increase in illegal structures erected on its beaches.

Indicatively, 154 demolition protocols are pending in Iraklio, 130 in Lasithi, 80 in Hania and six in Rethymno.

Police made four more arrests on Thursday afternoon regarding the pimping of a 12-year-old girl in the Athens district of Kolonos.

Among them is a 63-year-old man who was beaten up in the central Athens area of Omonia days ago after sending messages and photos to the 14-year-old daughter of a nightclub owner.

The talented Greek singer, songwriter and lute player Giannis Haroulis will be performing in various locations on Crete this summer. The musician who fuses rock with Greek folk music, including traditional Cretan sounds, will kick off his tour at the Municipal Stadium in his hometown, Hania on July 31.

There has been an unprecedented explosion in construction on the Cyclades in the Aegean over the last five years, according to data from the National Statistical Service on new constructions from 2018 to 2022 on the region's 23 inhabited islands. 

Regional authorities in Iraklio on the island of Crete will be launching an operation on Monday to demolish structures on beaches that violate coastal and environmental zoning and protection laws.

Authorities on the Dodecanese island of Kos have arrested a man on suspicion of the abduction of 27-year-old Anastazja Rubinska, a Polish citizen who has been missing since Monday.

The 32-year-old suspect is from Bangladesh.

The case of the Nammos beach restaurant on the island of Mykonos is heading toward closure after the Syros Town Planning Authority certified the company's compliance with the Environment Ministry's request that the illegal structures it had erected be demolished.

This has paved the way for the reopening of the sealed-off site. 

Two horses caused traffic disruptions on Thursday after they began galloping on the highway connecting Moudania and Thessaloniki in northern Greece near the Thermi bridge.

The Thessaloniki Traffic Police responded immediately and arrived on the scene to regulate traffic while also ensuring the safety of drivers and that the horses were collected by their owner.