Patras

Public transport in Greece on Thursday ground to a halt, ministries and schools were closed and hundreds of thousands took the streets in the largest strike in years.

There were no reports of injury or damage but footage from central Athens showed some protesters throwing Molotov-cocktails at the police and security forces fighting back with tear gas.

A police raid on illegal street vendors took place at the center of the port city of Patras in the Peloponnese. Over 14,000 goods were confiscated during the operation where eight men were arrested.

The start of the largest carnival of Greece was declared by Patras Mayor Costas Peletidis on Saturday. He addressed the people of Greece that flocked to the Georgiou Street despite the low temperatures.

Conservative New Democracy leader Vangelis Meimarakis on Wednesday evening aimed his message at a demographic group where he’s lagging behind rival leftist Alexis Tsipras: the younger generation.

Speaking in an auditorium in Athens’ “Soho-esque” Gazi district, Meimarakis warned against abstention in Sunday’s election, a prospect that worries both front-running parties.

New Democracy leader Evangelos Meimarakis on Monday kicked off the center-right party’s pre-election campaign from the city of Patras, saying the mainstream political formation is the one that supports unity among the Greek people.

“Others want to divide us with their rhetoric,” he told supporters at an indoor sports arena.

A major wildfire erupted near the western port city of Patras on Monday afternoon, burning forestland, scrubs and crops.

Two fire-fighters were injured during efforts to extinguish the blaze. The wildfire was reportedly brought under control in the evening.

A 4.3 on the Richter scale earthquake  has hit the western port city of Patras,, northwest Peloponnese, at 7.10 p.m. (17.10 GMT) on Sunday.

Patras is the 3rd largest city of Greece after the capital, Athens, and Thessaloniki. The epicenter was located approximately 48 kilometers south of the city. So far no damages have been reported.

Eight out of the 16 cities in a Daily Telegraph travel piece entitled “Europe’s oldest cities” are in Greece, including Athens, Argos, Hania, Halkida, Mytilene, Patras, Thebes and Trikala. One entry was Larnaca, on Cyprus.

Each of the entries are accompanied by a photo of the city.

Anti-establishment protesters occupied several public buildings in Greece and briefly entered the grounds of parliament in Athens on Wednesday, calling for the release of jailed members of a Marxist group.

Around 20 people entered the courtyard of the parliament building in central Syntagma square.

A group of self-styled anarchists briefly took over a TV station in the western port city of Patras on Thursday evening and aired a video in support of several inmates on a hunger strike.