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The Star
22-07-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Tourists and labourers seek respite as Greece and Balkans gripped by heatwave
A woman plays in a fountain during a hot day in Thessaloniki, Greece, July 21, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis ATHENS (Reuters) -Labourers were pausing outdoor work and tourists seeking out shade on Tuesday as Greece sweltered under its third heatwave of the summer and soaring temperatures gripped the wider Balkan region, fuellingwildfires in Albania. Situated at Europe's southernmost tip, Greece, which attracts dozens of millions of tourists every year, has always had hot and dry summers. But in recent years climate changehas led to longer and more severe heatwaves, as well as destructive floods andwildfires. Couriers, food delivery riders and builders in the wider area of the Greek capital Athens and other regions were among those ordered to pause work from midday until 5 p.m., as the mercury was expected to climb as high as 43 degrees Celsius, the labour ministry said. Workers with underlying health issues were advised to work remotely to avoid heat stress. Outside the parliament building in central Athens, a soldier used a towel to wipe the sweat from the face of a presidential guard. Tourists in Athens, one of the most densely populated capitals in Europe sittingon a plain flanked by mountains, sought out air-conditioned restaurants and stores, and some said they were staying inside in the middle of the day. ACROPOLIS SHUT Authorities announced that the Acropolis, which sits on a rocky hill offering barely any shade and is Greece's most visited ancient site, would be closed for five hours from midday on Tuesday and Wednesday, a common step when temperatures soar. The heatwave will continue until Sunday, the Greek meteorological service said. Scorching heat also gripped neighboring Bulgaria on Tuesday, with authorities urging businesses to give away water and cut physicallabour during high-riskhours. In Montenegro, major roads were congested as many rushed to the beaches to find relief from the heat. In Albania, firefightersassisted by four aircraft from Italy and Greece battled two wildfires at a national park in the north and near the southwestern village of Dukat. Last month, large parts of Western Europe sweltered in another severe heatwave that left many dead and triggered forest fires and health alerts across the region. Across the globe, 2024 was thewarmest year on record,with temperatures exceeding 1.5 Celsius above the pre-industrial era for the first time. Research published last week showed that the soil surface temperature around Athensrose in some places by as much as 10 degrees Celsius since July 2024 after fires destroyed vegetation. (Reporting by Stamos Prousalis, Angeliki Koutantou and Fatos Bytyci; Writing by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
The Star
05-07-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Greece battles wildfire in Evia, reports progress on Crete
ATHENS (Reuters) -Firefighters were battling a wildfire on the Greek island of Evia on Saturday which was burning forests and forced the evacuation of two villages, the fire brigade and authorities said. More than 160 firefighters along with 46 trucks and five aircraft were deployed in southern Evia, east of Athens, to put out the blaze, which broke out late on Friday, a fire brigade official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Evia was on a list of several Greek regions that were on high alert for wildfires due to gale force winds due on Saturday. The authorities ordered the evacuation of the villages of Tsakeoi and the seaside seasonal settlement of Limnionas in the early hours. Southern Evia is a sparsely populated area of rugged mountains, agricultural land and popular seaside spots. The fire there is the latest in a series of bushfires stoked by strong winds and dry conditions this week as much of Europe sweltered in an early summer heatwave, which officials have linked to at least eight deaths on the continent. Another wildfire on the southern island of Crete, which has razed forest and olive groves since Wednesday and forced thousands of residents and tourists to temporarily evacuate, was largely contained, the fire brigade official said. Tourism is a key earner in Greece and the fires have hit at the start of the peak summer holiday season. Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday, the Greek weather service said. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed"a wildfire hotspot"by scientists - with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Alison Williams)
The Star
24-06-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Hundreds of firefighters battle wildfires on Greece's Chios island for third day
Firefighters try to tackle a wildfire burning on Chios island, Greece, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Konstantinos Anagnostou ATHENS (Reuters) -Hundreds of firefighters were battling to contain wildfires at different locations on the Greek island of Chios for a third day on Tuesday after the island declared a state of emergency. Some 444 firefighters assisted by eight aircraft have been deployed to the island in the northeastern Aegean Sea to tackle the fires that have torn through swathes of forest and agricultural land and forced hundreds of villagers to evacuate in recent days. Chios is in the midst of the tourist season and authorities also want to prevent the fires reaching areas famous for producing mastiha, a natural resin harvested from mastic trees. Authorities issued a new alert on Tuesday, advising residents of a seaside village southwest of Chios town, the island's capital, to leave as white smoke rose over a nearby beach. Livestream from Greece's public broadcaster showed a helicopter spraying water over the area. "A lot of work is still needed to bring the wildfires under control," a Greek fire brigade official who requested anonymity told winds were complicating firefighting efforts, they added. Greece, Europe's southernmost tip, is often hit by wildfires during its hot and dry summers but authorities have blamed a fast-changing climate for fuelling more destructive blazes in recent years. Athens has paid out hundreds of millions of euros in damages related to extreme weather to households and farmers and to update firefighting equipment. It has hired a record 18,000 firefighters this year in anticipation of a challenging fire season. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
The Star
23-06-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Firefighters battle wildfires on Greece's Chios island for second day
Firemen work to extinguish a wildfire, fanned by strong winds, which led to evacuation messages near the village of Karyes on Chios island, Greece, June 22, 2025. REUTERS/Kostas Anagnostou ATHENS (Reuters) -Dozens of firefighters battled to tame wildfires fanned by strong winds on the Greek island of Chios in the northeastern Aegean Sea for a second day on Monday as authorities evacuated more villages. Some 190 firefighters assisted by six aircraft were trying to contain the blazes and keep them away from homes and areas known for their production of mastiha, a natural resin harvested from mastic trees. Gusts of wind on Monday complicated efforts to extinguish the wildfires which have burnt forest and pasture land, forced dozens of villagers to flee their homes for safety and caused power cuts, a Greek fire brigade official told Reuters on condition of anonymity on Monday. Sitting at Europe's hot southernmost tip, Greece has felt the economic and environmental impact of frequent wildfires in recent years that scientists say have been exacerbated by afast-changing climate. The country has spent hundreds of millions of euros to compensate households and farmers for damage related to extreme weather and acquire new and modern firefighting equipment to deal with wildfires. It hashireda record number of firefighters this year in anticipation of a difficult fire season. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou)
The Star
17-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
EU hits Greece with record fine over farmers subsidy fraud
FILE PHOTO: A European Union and the Greek flags flutter, with the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill seen in the background in Athens, Greece, April 9, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/ File Photo (Reuters) -The European Union has imposed a 392.2 million-euro ($451.9 million) fine on Greece over a major scandal involving the mismanagement of agricultural subsidies by a government agency between 2016 and 2022. The bloc's Executive Commission decided to reduce the subsidies Greece will receive in the next years by 5%, it said on Friday, reflecting the view that there has been no proper supervision and operation of the subsidy management model for years. Greece expected to receive about 1.9 billion euros in direct EU subsidies next year. The fine comes months after European prosecutors charged dozens of Greek livestock farmers who received EU financial aid through the Greek government paying agency OPEKEPE with making false declarations of ownership or leasing of pastureland. The European Public Prosecutor's Office has said that the majority of the 100 suspects did not live where they had declared in their applications for funds from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Greece last month promised to overhaul OPEKEPE, in charge of paying out annual subsidies to farmers worth about 2.4 billion euros, by merging it into the country tax authorities, with international consultants assisting in the transition. ($1 = 0.8678 euro) (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou in Athens; Writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
