Giorgos Kaminis

Athens is marking Christmas with an illuminated ship in central Syntagma Square.

The tradition of the Christmas ship is an old Greek custom which began on the islands, although many Greeks have decorated Christmas trees in their homes instead nowadays.

Athens is one of four world capitals that has committed to banning diesel vehicles from city roads by 2025 in a bid to reduce urban air pollution.

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis attended the C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City last week along with the host, Miguel Ange Mancera, and the mayors of Paris and Madrid, Anne Hidalgo and Manuel Carmena respectively.

Their efforts to humanely address the refugee crisis have put Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis (photo) and Lesvos Mayor Spyros Galinos on a short list of 15 local authority leaders from around the world contending for the title of World Mayor 2016.

Riot police units on Friday ended the occupation by nationalists of a site at Votanikos, which has been slated for the construction of the capital's first mosque, and detained 15 people.

Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis on Thursday called on the government to intervene and end an occupation by nationalists of a site at Votanikos which has been slated for the construction of the capital's first mosque.

"The central administration must do its duty," the mayor said.

A Greek flag is raised by members of the Presidential Guard next to the Parthenon on the hill of the Acropolis, during a ceremony on Wednesday marking the 72nd anniversary of the liberation of Athens from the Nazi occupation, which lasted from April 1941 through to October 1944.

Villa Amalia, a former squat, yesterday reopened, following extensive renovation, as an Athens state school school.

The building, which is on the corner of Heyden and Acharnon Streets, was inaugurated on Thursday in the presence of Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis, who was given a tour around the new school.

A municipal policeman fits a wheel clamp to the tire of an illegally parked car in the center of Athens Tuesday, the first day that the municipality began placing the devices on vehicles blocking access for the disabled and walkways. "Parking in the middle of a square, on a ramp for disabled people is not a necessity, it is the result of a poor attitude," said Mayor Giorgos Kaminis.

Seventy-one percent of the Greek capital's homeless population has ended up on the streets in the last five years and 21.7 percent in the last year alone, a study by the City of Athens's Homeless Shelter (KYADA), funded by the Norwegian government and other European countries, has found.

Over 15,000 bikers will take part in the 23rd Athens Bike Race which will be held on Sunday 17 April with starting point the Syntagma square.

Athens mayor Giorgos Kaminis will give the start signal at 09:30 for the 11.5km run and at 9.50am for the 3km race.

Athens Bike Race is organised by the Culture, Sports and Youth organsation of the Athens’ municipality.