Komotini

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has asked Greece to investigate the vandalism of two mosques in Komotini following incidents on Friday.

?Turkey requests Greek authorities to clarify as soon as possible the reason for these atrocious events, which occurred in sacred places? for the Muslim minority in Thrace, a statement said on Saturday, according to the Anadolu Agency.

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. 

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Konstantinos Koutras made the following statement in response to journalists' questions on today's Turkish Foreign Ministry announcement no. 121, regarding the fire that broke out early on the morning of Friday, 17 April, in the courtyard of the Mahmud Aga Mosque in Komotini:

Representatives of the Muslim community in Komotini, northeastern Greece, asked authorities on Friday to investigate the causes of a pre-dawn fire at the city?s largest mosque amid suspicions it was caused by arsonists.

Syriza?s Western Thracian deputies Ayhan Karayusuf and Hüseyin Zeybek are both hopeful of solving Greece?s minority problems, pledging to tear down the ?wall of shame?

Muftis in Thrace, in northern Greece, have condemned the recent killing of 17 people by Islamist militants in Paris. In a statement Friday, the muftis of Komotini, Xanthi and Didimoticho condemned the ?dissemination of fear and blind violence, whatever their origin, and, in particular, when it comes from fanatics who invoke Islam, vulgarly insulting the holy name of God.?

Train services between Komotini and Alexandroupoli and Alexandroupoli and Dikaia have been temporarily suspended due to problems on the tracks caused by heavy rainfall in northern Greece, rail operator Trainose said on Thursday.

Last year, 850,000 Turkish tourists visited Greece; this number is expected to rise to 1 million by the end of this year.

Building permits will as of January 2 be issued electronically, the government has said.

According to the new scheme, which is based on legislation passed in 2011, engineers will be able to submit all the necessary documents and make applications online.

By Costas Iordanidis

The case of Sabiha Suleiman, the Roma activist whose candidacy for the European Parliament was announced by SYRIZA only to be withdrawn shortly afterward, is an illustration of the leftist opposition party's inexperience and immaturity.