Trikala

Greece is feeling the full force of the cold weather front called "Rafael" descending from northern Europe with freezing temperatures, local storms, cold winds and heavy rains expected to cover the entire country, Protothemareported.

On average, hotels in mainland Greece are already 80 percent booked for the Christmas period, the Hellenic Hoteliers Federation reports, with units in Athens and Thessaloniki seeing their occupancy rates rising rapidly by the day.

Dozens of sheep in a farm building in the region of Trikala in central Greece were killed early Wednesday morning in a fire that was started by lightning.

Lightning reportedly struck the building during a rainstorm shortly after 5 a.m.

The building was reportedly destroyed. 

The winter's first snow fell on the mountains of Kalambaka in the central Greek region of Trikala on Friday.

The overnight snowfall was light and continued into Friday morning, according to Dimitris Vourlitsis, deputy mayor of Meteora, the municipality that is home to Greece's historic monastic community.

Fashion City Outlet, Thessaly's first discount and entertainment mall, will formally opening its doors in Larissa on November 15, it announced on Friday.

The new outlet will offer fashion items at competitive prices along with combined with entertainment options.

It will host 75 stores selling clothes, shoes, fashion accessories, sports equipment and electronic goods.

A 5.0-magnitude tremor struck 31 kilometers southwest of the city of Trikala in central Greece on Friday morning, causing landslides on rural roads, according to state-run news agency ANA-MPA. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The earthquake hit shortly after 10 a.m. at a depth of 1.8 kilometers, according to a preliminary reading of the Athens Institute of Geodynamics.

A 17-month-old baby girl died at a university hospital in Larissa, central Greece on Thursday with severe burns to her body.

The child had been rushed to Larissa from a hospital in the nearby town of Trikala and was put in intensive care but died shortly after.

According to reports, the burns were caused by hot water and an investigation has been launched.

A prosecutor in Lamia, central Greece, has brought charges of running a criminal gang against 15 suspected members of a local racket that had been trading in forged driving licenses.

The 15 suspects are to defend themselves before a prosecutor this week after being given an extension to prepare their defense on Friday night.

The Holy Synod, the governing body of the Greek Orthodox Church, has expressed its dismay over an upcoming campaign by the Hellenic Ministries missionary organization, saying that its flock is in no need of newly emerged "heretic" movements or "self-declared preachers" from home or abroad.

A municipal worker in the town of Trikala, northern Greece, sticks a "warning" ticket on a motorcycle that is illegally parked in a pedestrianized zone. The next step is a parking ticket and a fine. The initiative is part of a softer approach by local authorities to appeal to drivers' law-abiding instincts. [Thanasis Kalliaras/Eurokinissi]