Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki Mayor Yiannis Boutaris believes that the government?s behavior is ?completely crazy? but he has nevertheless led the way among peers in transferring his municipality?s cash reserves to the Bank of Greece, where the government can use them for short-term borrowing.

The government called on two Thessaloniki-based newspapers claiming to have evidence of an alternate minister recently transferring 80,000 euros to a bank in Luxembourg to make the information it has public or to publish an admission that it has nothing with which to back up its claim.

The BBC feature on Greece, titled “Graveyard Overcrowding Stokes Cremation Debate in Greece”, focuses on problems concerning burials at cemeteries in Athens and Thessaloniki that are overcrowded. The cost of a permanent grave plot is at 100,000 euros, meaning that cremation – legalized in 2006 – would be a more viable option.

A train hit a large group of about 50 migrants near the Macedonian city of Veles on Thursday, killing at least fourteen of them.

Migrants, who enter Macedonia from Greece on their way to western Europe, often use the railway as orientation through the unknown terrain, the Macedonian Information Agency (MIA) reports.

 At least 14 migrants believed to be from Afghanistan and Somalia were killed by an express train as they walked along the tracks in central Macedonia at night, police said April 24.

A new carrier is expected to connect Greece with North America, with SkyGreece Airlines filling a void in direct connections between the east Mediterranean country with cities hosting large ethnic Greek communities.

The new carrier was founded by Greek expatriate businesspeople and is headed by Father Nikolaos Alexandris.

Mayors insisted on Tuesday that they would not allow their municipalities? cash reserves to be transferred to the Bank of Greece, as the government wants, at least until they have held a meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

By Stathis Kousounis

Santorini has been voted by TripAdvisor users as the best island in Europe and the fourth in the world, according to the results of poll published by the biggest international travel website.

Crete ranked third in Europe, with Zakynthos fourth.

In partnership with the Kingston Writing School and Kingston University, the British Council organizes, for the third consecutive year, the International Creative Writing Summer School in Athens and Thessaloniki.

Greek protesters have thrown Molotov cocktails at police units in front of Turkey's consulate in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, before Turkish staff put out the fire.

Protesting the recent detention of 14 anarchists, the group threw around a dozen Molotov cocktails at the police bus and the police booth located in the Hagios Demetrios district late April 17.