Larissa

The rail link between Athens and Thessaloniki has reopened after a three-month stoppage caused by Storm Daniel, with 131 boarding the first service from the capital on Saturday morning.

"The Greek railway is back on the tracks," said Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Staikouras, who was among the passengers as far as Larissa.

The train service between Larissa and Rapsani in central Greece is due to resume on Monday, the railroad's manager has said. 

Hellenic Train said that damage caused on that stretch of the rail network by a devastating storm in September has been repaired, allowing the connection between Thessaly's regional capital and wine country to go back into operation. 

Vehicular traffic between Athens and Thessaloniki has been disrupted after flooding lead to the closure of roads in a number of sections on the motorway between the two cities.

Larissa, the capital and largest city of the Thessaly region, is on high alert as the level of the Pinios River rose 10 meters in places overnight.

Severe flooding has been reported in some of the city's suburbs while the city center remains unaffected.

Ten people have died so far because of the storm 'Daniel' in central Greece, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Friday, while another four are still missing in Volos and Mt. Pilio.

Two more people have died after being infected with West Nile virus, bringing the number of deaths to 13, as 11 new cases were recorded in the last week, according to the weekly epidemiological surveillance report by the National Public Health Organization (EODY).

Two more people have died in the past week after being infected by the West Nile virus, bringing to 13 the total number of deaths from the virus this year.

In its weekly epidemiological report, the National Public Health Organization said 100 infections have been already registered. Of these cases, 82 impacted the central nervous system and 12 resulted in mild manifestations.

A total of 89 cases of West Nile virus infection have been recorded in Greece since the beginning of 2023 until the present.

Of these cases, 74 had impacted the central nervous system and 15 had resulted in mild manifestations. In the last week, 31 new cases were diagnosed. Eleven deaths have been recorded. All were over 64 with the median age of death at 82.

Hundreds of people have been flocking to police stations around the country in order to renew their identification cards before new ones are "imposed."

Demand is intense, at least so far, at police stations in Athens and in provincial cities such as Larissa, Patra and Kozani (photo).

Old brands are trying to make their way back into Greece's €250 million ice cream market, while new players are expanding their activity.

Traditional market leaders Delta and Evga have long sold their activities to multinationals: Delta in 2006 to Nestle and Evga in 2010 to Unilever.