Seas

The Turkish State Meteorological Services has shared the latest forecast reports, predicting nationwide precipitation in the last week of March and a noticeable drop in temperatures.

The improvement of relations between Greece and Turkey and the sharp decrease in tensions is not only at the diplomatic level but also, and almost in tandem, with the operational situation on the ground.

In addition to the opening of channels of communication, both sides have also reached an informal agreement to limit military exercises in the Aegean to the absolute minimum.

The prospect of rising tensions in the Black Sea after Washington's claim that a Russian fighter jet downed a US surveillance drone near Crimea is naturally a cause of major concern. Most observers have so far focused on eastern Ukraine. However, not far from there, dark clouds are gathering from the Carpathians to the Caucasus and from the Sea of Azov to the Bosporus Strait.

The US military announced on Tuesday, March 14 that a Russian fighter jet hit the propeller of a spy drone that then crashed into the Black Sea. Russia claimed that this was not true and that the aircraft went down due to "sharp maneuvering".

Royal Caribbean confirmed this week it has selected Greece for homeporting, with its 11-deck Enchantment of the Seas cruise liner departing from Piraeus from May to September this year for seven-night cruises to Greek ports such as Mykonos, Santorini, Hania, Corfu etc, and Adriatic ports such as Kotor in Montenegro and Split in Croatia, before disembarking at Ravenna in Italy.

Illustration. BIRN/Igor Vujcic

Major players in global shipping, the Laskaridis brothers are known in Greece for their initiatives to clean the seas of rubbish and scrap single-use plastics.

Last January was confirmed as one of the warmest on record for the greater part of Greece, according to data collected by the 53 weather stations of the National Observatory of Athens weather service meteo.gr on Thursday.

As parts of northern and central Greece were taking stock of the damage caused by heavy downpours on Monday, the National Meteorological Service (EMY) warned of more stormy weather sweeping across the country until the end of the week.

The Goethe Institute in Athens presents the local installment of the "Atlas of Mediterranean Liquidity," an ambitious project by the institution to create interactive maps of urban water points across the region, including drawings, photographs and details of their history and biodiversity.

Ferries to the islands of Cyclades, Crete, the northern Aegean islands and the Dodecanese remain docked at the main ports of Attica - Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio - due to the strong winds of up to 9 on the Beaufort scale recorded on Wednesday in the Aegean.