Provinces of Greece

Thessaly in central Greece and the Sporades Islands off Evia were the regions affected by the heavy rainfall and thunderstorms that swept in on Friday, the National Observatory of Athens' weather service Meteo said on Saturday.

There are not enough doctors to treat patients at National Health System (ESY) units on the Greek islands and the situation is set to deteriorate further during the summer with the arrival of tourists. The relatively few medical staff that remain are struggling to keep up and are overworked.

An operation was launched on Monday to rescue approximately 90 passengers who were stranded on a train along the Diakopto-Kalavryta rack railway (known in Greek as the "Odontotos"), situated in the Peloponnese region. The train had come to a halt due to landslides near the Niamata area.

Two Turkish nationals, aged 22 and 27, have been arrested in Hania, on the southern island of Crete, sparking speculation in the media about their activities.

The Catholic community in Mytilene on the island of Lesvos commemorated Saint Valentine in the "Frankoklisia" - the Catholic Church of the Dormition of the Virgin in the central market of the city.

What are believed to be the relics of St Valentine, patron saint of lovers around the world, have been kept in the Catholic church in Mytilene since 1908.

The airport at Iraklio in Crete will be closed between February 19 and 24 as maintenance and repair work is carried out on the runway.

Responding to the announcement, Greek carriers Aegean and Sky Express on Tuesday said that passengers will be rerouted to Hania or Sitia or offered the option of a ferry boat.

Progress in construction work for the Central Greece Motorway (E65), connecting Macedonia with southern Greece through western Thessaly and Fthiotida in Central Greece, is "excellent," Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Staikouras said on Monday, during an on-site inspection. 

Waves batter the port of Rafina in Attica. Ferries remained tied up at the ports of Piraeus, Rafina, and Lavrio on Sunday and Monday due to gale-force winds reaching up to 9 Beaufort in some places. Hydrofoils that service the Argo-Saronic Gulf islands (Salamina, Aegina, Hydra, Poros and Spetses) were also prohibited from sailing.

In today's world, with the coronavirus pandemic having boosted the use of bicycles and the climate crisis making it imperative to cut emissions from energy-intensive motorized transport, countries across the globe are redesigning their cities with cycling and walking at the forefront.

But not Greece - and certainly not Athens.

Border police in northeastern Greece blocked four separate attempts by illegal migrants to cross into the country on Friday and Saturday and arrested a total of four traffickers, all foreign nationals.