Kalymnos

In an unexpected turn, Bulgaria and Turkey have been notably absent from the list of the ten cheapest European summer destinations for British tourists, revealed by consumer group "Which?". The ranking, which is typically dominated by traditionally affordable locations, has this year favored surprising choices like the Italian coast of Amalfi and various Greek islands.

The Greek islands are reaping the rewards of the seven-day "visa express" granted to Turkish citizens, with arrivals in the first 10 days of April tripling compared to last year.

The data presented exclusively by Kathimerini show indicatively that arrivals on Lesvos reached 3,800 compared to 390 in the corresponding period (April 1-10) in 2023.

A Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship transporting 6,800 sheep and goats from Georgia to Saudi Arabia that ran aground near a Dodecanese island has been dislodged and towed to Kalymnos for a safety inspection.

Also on board were 15 foreign crew members and one Syrian passenger.

There were no reports of water ingress or injuries on the vessel, which ran aground north of Pserimos.

Lesvos will launch fast-track visas for Turkish tourists from April 1st, the mayor of Mytilini Panagiotis Taktikos announced on Thursday. 

The announcement follows an agreement by Athens and Ankara, approved by the EU, to revive a previous scheme the special Schengen Express Visa program for Turkish citizens wishing to visit certain eastern Aegean islands.

The Dodecanese-bound Blue Star Patmos ferry was forced to return to the port of Piraeus on Tuesday due to a medical emergency concerning a 69-year-old citizen.

The The Blue Star Patmos had embarked from Piraeus and was to make stops at the islands of Patmos, Leipsoi, Leros, Kalymnos, Kos, Symi, and Rhodes.

No details concerning the patient's health have been made available.

The channels of communication with Ankara are working, which is why tension was avoided at the most recent incident to take place near the uninhabited Imia islets in the southeastern Aegean, Greece's minister of maritime affairs and island policy, Christos Stylianides, tells Kathimerini.

January 31, 1996. The peak of the Imia crisis leads to the crash of the Agusta Bell PN21 helicopter and the death of three Greek officers. Twenty-eight years later, Kathimerini attempts to shed light on the unknown background of the crisis and the causes that brought the two countries to the brink of war.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis paid tribute on Wednesday to the three Greek Navy officers who lost their lives during the Imia crisis, which brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war 28 years ago.

Coast guard on Kalymnos have evacuated 37 migrants from a rocky coast on the northwest of the Dodecanese island.

The migrants said that their vessel began to drift while passing the nearby island of Pserimos and sank after it hit a rock.

Port officials have launched an investigation and the migrants have been transported to the port of Kalymnos. [AMNA]

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.