Athens

One of America's greatest soccer players is spending the week in Greece working with kids and reminding everyone that the most important moments in sports don't always end with a group of champagne-soaked winners holding up a trophy.

I want to start with two revealing, and I would say disturbing - in their combination - set of numbers. The only income that the Municipality of Athens had from tourist activity in 2023 - by all accounts one of the best years for tourism - was just 2,714,664 euros.

British-American pop band Still Corners will grace the stage of the Gagarin (205 Liosion) on May 31, their sole performance in Greece this year. Renowned for hits like "The Trip," they've captivated Greek audiences and radio producers, often returning to the Athenian stage after their sold-out 2018 show.

Athens Mayor Haris Doukas said on Friday that the new Panathinaikos stadium in the Votanikos district of Athens is on track and that the goal is to have it delivered by 2026.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Panathinaikos Athletic Club President Panagiotis Malakates, Doukas said the project is gaining momentum.

The flame that will burn at the Olympics is spending the night at the ancient Acropolis in Athens, a week before its handover to Paris 2024 organizers.

The new Panathinaikos stadium in Votanikos and the redevelopment project at the team's old stadium on Alexandras Avenue will be ready by 2026, Athens Mayor Haris Doukas has said.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the mayor said that the timetable for the completion of both stadiums is binding since funding will be lost otherwise.

A beautiful island, very close to Athens, stands out for its spring atmosphere and its special customs

The collapse of a building floor in Piraeus on Tuesday where work was being carried out has highlighted the plight of hundreds of thousands of aging buildings in Athens, Piraeus, Thessaloniki and other urban centers without a plan for the future. One of the main parameters of the problem is linked to public education and the legality of carrying out work, particularly in apartment blocks.

Athens will enforce traffic regulations this Sunday for the 41st Peace Marathon.

Between 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., there will be phased disruptions to vehicle traffic, along with no-parking and no-stopping zones on designated avenues and streets in Marathon - Nea Makri, Rafina - Pikermi, Pallini - Gerakas - Anthousa, Agia Paraskevi, Chalandri, and Psychiko - Filothei municipalities.

Athens Mayor Haris Doukas has issued an open letter to Minister of Environment and Energy Theodore Skylakakis, urging the suspension of a ministerial decision "envisaging the implementation of increased building heights."