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Int'l Business Times
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Int'l Business Times
Acropolis Shuts, Outdoor Work Halted As Heatwave Scorches Greece
Greece's top archaeological monument, the Acropolis, was partially shut Tuesday as part of emergency measures to protect visitors and workers around the country during a four-day heatwave. The Greek culture ministry said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) "for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures." The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday is the second to grip Greece since late June. Temperatures are expected to reach 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, with a maximum of 38 Celsius in Athens. Similar temperatures are expected on Wednesday. To protect outdoor workers, the labour ministry has decreed a work stoppage from 12:00 to 5:00 pm in various parts of the country, including several islands. The stoppage mainly affects construction work and delivery riders. "Days with a heatwave make my job more difficult," cycle-riding courier Michalis Keskinidis told AFP. "We drink a lot of water to protect ourselves from the heat, combined with electrolytes, and take breaks whenever possible," the 43-year-old said. The 2,500-year-old Acropolis, built on a rock overlooking the capital that offers little shade, draws tens of thousands of visitors daily. Last year it recorded some 4.5 million visitors, an increase of over 15 percent compared to 2023. Officials had been forced to order similar shutdowns in the past two years in heatwave conditions. The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula. Greece's fire department has been dealing with up to 50 fires daily, the head of the Greek fire service officers' union Constantinos Tsigkas told state TV ERT. Elsewhere, Serbia's hydrometeorological service RMHZ warned that weather conditions could fuel more fires, after 620 fires were recorded Monday. But there are also thunderstorms expected in Serbia's northern Vojvodina region, as well as in western and central areas. RHMZ has also warned of the possibility of hail and hurricane-force gusts of wind. Croatia has already felt the impact of storms since Monday, with several of the country's regions affected. Two people were injured and hospitalised in Vinkovci after a storm knocked down a power line on a family house near the eastern town, police said. The authorities said they had taken dozens of calls over wind-related emergencies including trees blocking roads, damaged roofs and power failures. On Tuesday, heavy rain and gale-force winds flooded roads, knocked down trees and caused power outages at the Croatian port town of Split, the state-run HRT broadcaster reported. At the town's port, a ferry broke its moorings and hit a catamaran and a tourist excursion boat, sinking the latter. There was similar trouble further north, with storms raging in Hungary and Slovakia. In Budapest, strong winds damaged roofs, felled trees onto roads and downed power lines on Monday, with the national meteorological service HungaroMet measuring winds up to 137 kilometres (85 miles) per hour locally. Rail traffic was severely disrupted across Hungary with full restoration of services potentially requiring weeks, according to Construction and Transport Minister Janos Lazar. In Slovakia, gale-force winds caused power outages and blew off the roof of a block of flats in the eastern town of Gelnica and fallen trees disrupted road and railway transport across the region. The country's weather service SHMU has issued a storm warning with heavy rain, wind and hail for Tuesday, mainly for central and eastern Slovakia. Tourists protect themselves from the sun with umbrellas while waiting to get access to the Acropolis hill AFP A local resident sprays water to extinguish a fire in a house during a wildfire near Athens AFP
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece
Athens: Greece's top archaeological monument, the Acropolis, was partially shut Tuesday as part of emergency measures to protect visitors and workers around the country during a four-day heatwave. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Greek culture ministry said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) "for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures." The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday is the second to grip Greece since late June. Temperatures are expected to reach 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, with a maximum of 38 Celsius in Athens. Similar temperatures are expected on Wednesday. To protect outdoor workers, the labour ministry has decreed a work stoppage from 12:00 to 5:00 pm in various parts of the country, including several islands. The stoppage mainly affects construction work and delivery riders. "Days with a heatwave make my job more difficult," cycle-riding courier Michalis Keskinidis told AFP. "We drink a lot of water to protect ourselves from the heat, combined with electrolytes, and take breaks whenever possible," the 43-year-old said. The 2,500-year-old Acropolis, built on a rock overlooking the capital that offers little shade, draws tens of thousands of visitors daily. Last year it recorded some 4.5 million visitors, an increase of over 15 percent compared to 2023. Officials had been forced to order similar shutdowns in the past two years in heatwave conditions. - Risk of fire, storms - The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Greece's fire department has been dealing with up to 50 fires daily, the head of the Greek fire service officers' union Constantinos Tsigkas told state TV ERT. Elsewhere, Serbia's hydrometeorological service RMHZ warned that weather conditions could fuel more fires, after 620 fires were recorded Monday. But there are also thunderstorms expected in Serbia's northern Vojvodina region, as well as in western and central areas. RHMZ has also warned of the possibility of hail and hurricane-force gusts of wind. Croatia has already felt the impact of storms since Monday, with several of the country's regions affected. Two people were injured and hospitalised in Vinkovci after a storm knocked down a power line on a family house near the eastern town, police said. The authorities said they had taken dozens of calls over wind-related emergencies including trees blocking roads, damaged roofs and power failures. On Tuesday, heavy rain and gale-force winds flooded roads, knocked down trees and caused power outages at the Croatian port town of Split, the state-run HRT broadcaster reported. At the town's port, a ferry broke its moorings and hit a catamaran and a tourist excursion boat, sinking the latter. There was similar trouble further north, with storms raging in Hungary and Slovakia. In Budapest, strong winds damaged roofs, felled trees onto roads and downed power lines on Monday, with the national meteorological service HungaroMet measuring winds up to 137 kilometres (85 miles) per hour locally. Rail traffic was severely disrupted across Hungary with full restoration of services potentially requiring weeks, according to Construction and Transport Minister Janos Lazar. In Slovakia, gale-force winds caused power outages and blew off the roof of a block of flats in the eastern town of Gelnica and fallen trees disrupted road and railway transport across the region. The country's weather service SHMU has issued a storm warning with heavy rain, wind and hail for Tuesday, mainly for central and eastern Slovakia.
Daily Mirror
28-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Hiker falls 2,600ft to death after bear shoves him off ravine in holiday hotspot
Experienced hiker Christos Stavrianidis was venturing into the forest in central Macedonia, Greece with another veteran rambler to chart a path that would allow people to visit a downed warplane that crashed there 70 years ago A hiker plummeted to his death after a brown bear knocked him down a 2,600ft ravine in Greece this week. Veteran rambler Christos Stavrianidis was found at the bottom of the bottom of the ravine and rushed to Kavala hospital in Kavala, Central Macedonia, where he was pronounced dead. He and another experienced hiker Dimitris Kioroglou, were heading in to the forest to see the 70-year-old remains of a downed Greek warplane on Monday. Speaking to NewsIT, Dimitris said: "I suddenly saw a bear which attacked me. My dog delayed it for a few seconds. I used pepper spray, and it headed to where my friend was and knocked him into the ravine." He also told Greece's national broadcaster, TV ERT that Christos had run out of bear spray when he was approached by the "very big bear". "I've never seen such speed and such strength before," he added. A spokesman for Greek wildlife organisation Arcturos said the bear was displaying "defensive behaviour" rather than that of "attack". "The bear is trying to push back what it sees as a threat," he told TV ERT. The pair were heading out to visit a warplane that Christos had discovered last year. They were trying to find an accessible route so more people could see it. Speaking to a journalist last year, he said: "It's a beautiful discovery that deserves to be viewed on location ... the fuselage is nearly intact. It's a treasure of nature and should be left [in the forest]." Under Greek law, brown bears are protected and can be found in western Rhodopes and Northern and Central Pindos. There are thought to be around 450 of the creatures in Greece. In January, a father and son died after a terrifying bear attack in a forest in India. The duo had ventured into the area to gather wood when they were viciously attacked by an enraged sloth bear in the Kanker area of Chhattisgarh. The victims, Suklal Darro, 45, and Ajju Kureti, 22, tragically died as a result of the attack. Despite efforts to save them, Darro succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital, while Kureti passed away on the spot. Reports indicate that a forest officer also sustained injuries while attempting to rescue Darro and Kureti from the bear's clutches. The bear, in a fit of rage, held the officer in its arms and tried to crush him. "Don't run away," a man in the background can be heard saying to the guard moments before bear mauled him. The bear was captured on camera charging into the woods to attack three people.
