Latest news with #cultureministry
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
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. - 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. 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. burs-yap/jph/ach
Khaleej Times
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Khaleej 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. - 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. 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.
Arab News
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Arab News
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. The Greek culture ministry said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 p.m. (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 labor ministry has decreed a work stoppage from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. 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 hospitalized 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 kilometers (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 Mail
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Athens closes the Acropolis and Cyprus face 'Titanic battle' with wildfires while search for Brit missing on holiday island enters 12th day as brutal 42C heatwave scorches Greece
Cyprus is facing a 'titanic' battle with wildfires and Athens has been forced to close the Acropolis as Greece is scorched by a 42C heatwave that has all but brought the nation to its knees. Temperatures in the country are expected to reach 42C (107.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. With a maximum of 38C in Athens, Greece's culture ministry on Tuesday ordered a partial closure of the Acropolis, the country's top monument, to protect visitors amid heatwave conditions. The ministry in a statement said the site would be closed from 1:00 to 5:00 pm local time 'for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures.' The four-day heatwave that began Sunday is the second to grip Greece since late June. A combination of high temperatures and winds has started a series of wildfires across the country, including on the island of Cyprus. Dozens of fire engines and firefighting planes and helicopters were sent to battle ever-growing flames that are lashing across the Paphos region of the island. Terrifying footage showed plumes of grey smoke billowing into the sky as firefighting planes and helicopters dropped water on flames. One image taken in the region showed a swathe of scorched earth with large flames as its edge reaching further into dry grassland, that caught fire on Monday afternoon. Another series of photos taken by emergency services showed brave firefighters getting within just a few feet of growing flames and showering them with water to slow their spread. Other images showed firefighters digging ditches to cut off non-affected land from the flames. At least one firefighter was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. Local media reported that 11 fire engines, three earth movers and four aircraft were initially called to the area. Two more earth movers and four more fire engines, along with dozens of volunteer and military personnel, were brought in to support them. It was reported that centuries-old olive trees and young olive trees were burned, while the fire also burned down vineyards. As Cyprus deals with wildfires, police on the island of Karpathos have begun the 12th day of their search for a missing British tourist. The 55-year-old, who has not yet been publicly identified, went missing on June 27. Investigative officers are employing volunteers, drones and dogs to search a wide area. The man was last seen in Tristomo, where a witness saw him take pictures of the area with his mobile phone. He reportedly asked for directions on how to drive south to the Vroukounda area via the Lahamitis area, which have both been searched by police. He was reported missing by the owner of the residence he was staying in alone, after she went to clean it the day after he was meant to have checked out. His ex-wife, son and son-in-law have reportedly landed on the island. The chaotic scenes in Greece come as the whole of Europe faces blazing hot weather. In France, five people including a child were injured after a wildfire burned down 2,000 hectares of forest. Over in Switzerland, an unusually wintry scene was spotted in the mountains where snow fell on the Stevio Pass Several houses were damaged, while a workshop and stable completely burned down in Aude, in the south of France. Around 150 people were evacuated and kept in nearby exhibition centres and gyms. One local man, Frédéric Bou, told French media he had spent the entire night watering the pine trees near his house to prevent flames from hitting his home. The fire was the third one this week in Aude. The latest fire broke out in a vineyard. In total, more than 1,000 firefighters and several firefighting aircraft were deployed. Blazes also cropped up in Turkey, with its interior minister Ali Yerlikaya revealing on Friday that Turkish authorities arrested 10 suspects in relation to wildfires that broke out across the country. But over in Switzerland, an unusually wintry scene was spotted in the mountains where snow fell on the Stevio Pass. Temperatures on the Alps dropped unusually low following a heatwave in the country. As a result the snowline, the level at which snow falls, fell from 5,000m to just 2,100m, leaving many mountain roads covered in the white powder.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Greece heatwave closes the Acropolis temporarily
The Acropolis closed temporarily on Tuesday as soaring temperatures continue to grip popular site in the capital city of Athens was shutting from 13:00-17:00 local time (10:00-14:00 GMT), the country's culture ministry of 42C (107F) are forecast for parts of the European country on Tuesday and a category four wildfire warning, signalling a very high risk, is in place in several comes as wildfires were reported in other parts of the continent, including France and Spain's Catalonia region, weeks after they were hit by a deadly early summer heatwave. Changes to the Acropolis' opening hours were announced on Monday after extreme heat returned to Greece on closure on Tuesday - with highs of 38C expected in the city - is not the first time extreme heat has shut the popular attraction - having done so in June and last said the closure was for the "the safety of workers and visitors" at the site, which is visited by tens of thousands of people every day, totalling 4.5m in country's labour ministry has also imposed a mandatory five-hour work stoppage for manual, outdoor workers between 12:00-17:00 on Tuesday in the areas set to see the worst current heatwave is due to continue into Wednesday, with forecasts of 40-42C for southern parts of the country, before starting to break on 41 wildfires broke out across Greece on Monday, according to the country's fire service. Of those, 34 were contained early while seven remained active into Monday evening.A Category 4 wildfire warning was issued late on Monday for five regions: Attica, the Peloponnese, central Greece, Thessaly and western public was urged to remain vigilant and emergency services were on high alert, the country's civil protection more than 1,000 fire fighters were tackling a wildfire in southwestern France early on Tuesday. Residents near the town of Narbonne evacuated their homes, and a motorway linking France and Spain was Catalonia, more than 2,000 people were under lockdown early on Tuesday as a wildfire that broke out on Sunday continued to rage in the eastern province of Tarragona, according to local of western and southern Europe was hit by a scorching early summer heatwave, which saw thousands evacuated, and homes and business are becoming more common due to human-caused climate change, according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate has said hot weather will happen more often - and become even more intense - as the planet continues to warm.
