
Greece and Turkey wildfires: Is it safe to travel to popular holiday hotspots?
Temperatures reached 42.4C in central Greece at the weekend, with emergency services battling fires in the Peloponnese area of Athens and on the popular tourist islands of Kytheria and Crete.
Turkey has also recorded its highest temperatures as fires continue to rage in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa. Thousands of residents have been evacuated.
The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, is also closed as surrounding forests burn.
The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder explains the latest advice if you are due to travel this summer.

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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Greek cops clash with Palestine supporters as Israeli ship docks
Pro-Palestine protesters have clashed with riot police in Rhodes while an Israeli cruise ship docked on the Greek Island. Scuffles broke out as protesters chanted 'Freedom for Palestine ' while police squads, armed with riot shields and helmets, pushed them back. The demonstration took place while the Israeli cruise ship, the Crown Iris, docked on the island. A number of protesters were arrested during the rally, while police were seen restraining others. The same ship, which was forced away from Syros last Tuesday after a furious pro-Palestine protest, had been carrying around 650 Israeli tourists and arrived in Rhodes without delay. 'We owe an apology to those friends of Greece who chose to spend their holidays here and were forcibly denied that right by some. 'This incident must neither harm our relations with [Israel] nor the love of Israeli tourists for Greece,' he said. While Greek police and port authorities had prepared for further protests on Monday, local businesses were opposed to the demonstration. Greece has become an increasingly popular destination for Israeli travellers and tourist bodies, as well as the mayor of Rhodes Alexandros Koliadis, welcomed them with traditional sweets from Rhodes. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had contacted his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, over the Syros protests after more than 150 furiously demonstrated as the cruise ship attempted to disembark for a six-hour visit. Protesters carried Palestinian flags, chanted and held banners reading 'Stop the Genocide' and 'No a/c in hell' as they formed a line to prevent the Israeli passengers from arriving in Greece. Some passengers responded by waving Israeli flags and singing patriotic songs. 'Inside the ship, we feel safe, but the children are a little stressed,' one passenger told Israeli broadcaster Kan. 'The ship arrived at Syros, encountered a demonstration by pro-Palestinian supporters, and passengers were stuck on board without permission to disembark,' Mano Maritime later said. They later added: 'The management of Mano Maritime has decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination.' A group called We Stay Active organised the protest. In a social media post they wrote 'residents and visitors to the island state that soldiers, settlers, and supporters of the war and the occupation of Palestine are unwanted on their island.' Following the protest, they added: 'We note that there have been numerous complaints from all over Greece about the provocative behaviour of Israeli tourists, who support genocide and who behave as if our places belong to them.


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Tui flight lands on burst tyre at East Midlands airport causing delays and diversions
A Tui flight has landed on a burst tyre at East Midlands airport causing a series of delays and diversions as the aircraft was unable to be immediately moved. Flight BY7113 departed from Birmingham airport on Monday but was diverted mid-air after the punctured tyre was identified. The plane landed at the Leicestershire terminal. All passengers were evacuated, but the aircraft continued to block the runway. Flights at East Midlands were temporarily prevented from taking off as a consequence of the incident, with some being diverted to nearby Birmingham airport. A spokesperson for East Midlands airport told The Independent: 'We accepted a diverted TUI aircraft this afternoon that was due to land at Birmingham Airport, after it declared an emergency with a punctured tyre. 'It landed safely and several procedures were carried out to ensure the safety of all passengers on board before they were disembarked and taken to Birmingham Airport by coach. 'Our runway is now fully operational but the incident prevented other aircraft from taking off or landing on our runway for around two hours. This led to seven inbound flight diversions and five outbound delays. 'We apologise for any inconvenience caused and continue to advise passengers to contact their airline for the latest updates.' A statement published to social media by East Midlands airport at 2.28pm noted that it had accepted the diverted Tui aircraft from Birmingham Airport. Unhappy East Midlands passengers wrote of their frustration at the delay and lack of communication on X. 'Currently sat on a plane in your airport waiting to take off,' wrote one. 'This issue was identified before I boarded. Why have I been sat here for an hour?!' 'Any chance you could announce this in the airport?' wrote another. 'Bizarre I have to find this out hunting on Twitter when my flight is affected.' In a second social media post shared at 3.58pm, East Midlands said: 'Following an earlier aircraft incident, our runway is now fully operational. 'We advise checking with your airline for up-to-date information concerning your flight.' However, one social media user commented at 4.57pm: 'My gf [girlfriend] had landed at East Midlands and is just waiting on the tarmac waiting to be let in to arrivals. Apparently no security staff there. What's going on?'


Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Greek riot cops clash with pro-Palestine supporters as Israeli cruise ship docks in Rhodes - days after protesters blocked its passengers from disembarking on another island
Pro-Palestine protesters have clashed with riot police in Rhodes while an Israeli cruise ship docked on the Greek Island. Scuffles broke out as protesters chanted 'Freedom for Palestine ' while police squads, armed with riot shields and helmets, pushed them back. The demonstration took place while the Israeli cruise ship, the Crown Iris, docked on the island. A number of protesters were arrested during the rally, while police were seen restraining others. The same ship, which was forced away from Syros last Tuesday after a furious pro-Palestine protest, had been carrying around 650 Israeli tourists and arrived in Rhodes without delay. Strong security measures had been put in place on the island as Greek authorities bid to prevent a repeat of Syros, where 1,700 Israeli tourists, including 300 to 400 children, were forced away last week. They were instead diverted to the Port of Limassol in Cyprus, where it arrived on Wednesday. Greece's Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis described that protest as 'shameful for Greece'. 'We owe an apology to those friends of Greece who chose to spend their holidays here and were forcibly denied that right by some. 'This incident must neither harm our relations with [Israel] nor the love of Israeli tourists for Greece,' he said. While Greek police and port authorities had prepared for further protests on Monday, local businesses were opposed to the demonstration. Greece has become an increasingly popular destination for Israeli travellers and tourist bodies, as well as the mayor of Rhodes Alexandros Koliadis, welcomed them with traditional sweets from Rhodes. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had contacted his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, over the Syros protests after more than 150 furiously demonstrated as the cruise ship attempted to disembark for a six-hour visist. Protesters carried Palestinian flags, chanted and held banners reading 'Stop the Genocide' and 'No a/c in hell' as they formed a line to prevent the Israeli passengers from arriving in Greece. Some passengers responded by waving Israeli flags and singing patriotic songs. 'Inside the ship, we feel safe, but the children are a little stressed,' one passenger told Israeli broadcaster Kan. Initially Mano Maritime, who own the boat, said there would be a 'slight delay' in docking the ship, as they estimated the protest would disperse within half an hour. But as it continued the shipping company skipped Syros and rerouted to Limassol. The Greek coast guard confirmed the ship set sail at around 3pm on Tuesday, earlier than its original schedule. 'The ship arrived at Syros, encountered a demonstration by pro-Palestinian supporters, and passengers were stuck on board without permission to disembark,' Mano Maritime later said. They later added: 'The management of Mano Maritime has decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination.' A group called We Stay Active organised the protest. In a social media post they wrote 'residents and visitors to the island state that soldiers, settlers, and supporters of the war and the occupation of Palestine are unwanted on their island.' Following the protest, they added: 'We note that there have been numerous complaints from all over Greece about the provocative behaviour of Israeli tourists, who support genocide and who behave as if our places belong to them. The cruise ship had been met with an anti-Israel demonstration of more than 150 protesters in Syros as it attempted to disembark for a six-hour visit on Tuesday 'We do not want their money! We do not tolerate their presence! Bravo to the residents of Syros!' A further post, once the ship departed, said that 'residents remain on alert in case it tries to return'. 'Of course, those who oppose the war, the occupation, and the genocide are welcome,' it added. The same ship, the Crown Iris, was last month used to transport Israeli nationals to and from Cyprus after Israel closed its airspace during its 12-day conflict with Iran. It has also been used as part of the country's Operation Safe Return mission to repatriate citizens during conflict.