Hios

Greek authorities say two Turkish brothers were detained on the eastern Aegean island of Chios for illegally crossing from nearby Turkey on a jet ski had allegedly intended to rob banks on the island.

A coast guard statement on Sept. 7 said scrutiny of the two men's mobile phones produced "indications" of the alleged heist plans.

Greek authorities say two Turkish brothers arrested on the eastern Aegean island of Chios for illegally crossing from nearby Turkey on a jet ski had allegedly intended to rob banks on the island.

A coast guard statement on Thursday said scrutiny of the two men's mobile phones produced "indications" of the alleged heist plans.

The number of refugees and illegal migrants that have landed in the Greek islands of the northern Aegean Sea have reached 1,421 since the start of the month of August. 569 entered Samos, 458 Chios and 394 Lesvos, while according to official data from the Turkish coast guard, 1,265 people headed towards the Greek isles were intercepted and returned to Turkey.

The Piraeus Bank Cultural Foundation (PIOP) has organized an exhibition of artworks by Giorgos Zymarakis, titled "Inspiration Chios," at the Mastic Museum in the village of Pyrgi on the eastern Aegean island. Reminscent of the naive style, these paintings take viewers back to the island as it was during the artist's childhood. The museum is open Wednesdays to Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A total of 202 migrants and refugees have landed on Lesvos in the past five days, raising the number of people stranded on the eastern Aegean island to 4,057, authorities said Wednesday.

On the contrary, no arrivals were recorded on the islands of Samos and Chios, authorities said.

Two Turkish fighter jets violated Greek national air space over the Aegean Tuesday afternoon west of Chios.

The two F-16s entered Greek air space between Lemnos and Lesvos shortly before 2 p.m. and were chased out by Greek jets, exiting in air space between Chios and Samos.

As tensions rise on the eastern Aegean island of Chios where thousands of migrants are living in squalid conditions in overcrowded reception centers, local residents are to stage a protest rally on Thursday, calling for the immediate relocation of all the migrants.

113 refugees and illegal migrants landed on Greek islands in the northern Aegean Sea over the past 48 hours, according to authorities. 50 reached the island of Chios while 63 landed on Samos. Flows towards the island of Lesvos were zero over the same period.

The exact site for the creation of a new so-called pre-departure camp for migrants and refugees on the island of Chios will be determined by May 20, authorities said on Monday.

The new camp will come as tensions at overcrowded reception centers on the eastern Aegean island continue to simmer, with almost daily clashes between stranded migrants of different ethnicities.

US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt has met with Chios Mayor Manolis Vournous during a visit to the eastern Aegean island, according to reports Friday.

The two men reportedly discussed the impact of the migration crisis on the local community and the economy of the island, which depends heavily on tourist income.