Piraeus

The Greek economy is poised to stage an "explosive recovery" in the second half of the year, with growth at 7% and 5% in the second and third quarter respectively on a quarterly basis, leading up to an annual growth rate of 9.5% in 2022, according to a report by Piraeus Bank, one of Greece's four biggest lenders.

Greek police say they have arrested a Golden Dawn member over an assault against five people at an anarchist hangout in Piraeus almost three years ago.

It is a "matter of time" to identify and arrest the two passengers who viciously attacked a metro station manager on Wednesday after he asked them to put on their mask, police sources said on Thursday.

According to the sources, their faces have been recorded clearly in the metro's CCTV cameras and officers are now focusing their investigation in the area of West Attica.

Greek Olympic sailing champion Leonidas Pelekanakis died of Covid-19 on Thursday, aged 58, after an almost two-month battle with the illness.

The athlete did not have any underlying health issues and had been taking part in open sea sailing events until October 2020.

A station manager of the Athens metro was beaten up by two men who refused to wear their mask on the train, the public company responsible for managing the metro, tram and electric railway, Urban Rail Transport (STASY), said on Wednesday.

Container handling at Piraeus Port Authority recorded a marginal decline in 2020, significantly smaller than that recorded in Northern Europe or in the rest of the Mediterranean.

Sources say last year closed with a drop of just 3.75% in handling activity, which owner Cosco Shipping officials consider to be quite a feat given the recession in global trade due to the pandemic.

Scenic Eclipse will stop at the port of Piraeus and the Cyclades

The initial steps in the creation of Greece's first innovation hub were taken on Wednesday at the former facilities of the Piraeus Dye Works (Chromatopoiia Pireos), in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the first step toward the redevelopment of a disused industrial plant near Piraeus to create the first Greek innovation hub during a visit to the site on Wednesday.

Public transport in Athens will move at a slower pace on Thursday night due to the New Year's Eve holiday.