Greece

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a working breakfast at his residence in Hania, on the island of Crete, with a group of Republican US senators, including Jerry Moran, Susan Collins, John Boozman, John Cornyn and John Hoeven.

Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and US Ambassador George Tsunis also attended, a press release from the Prime Minister's Office said. 

Defense Minister Nikos Dendias praised the local Muslim minority of Thrace on Friday, stating they are "an integral part of the Hellenic identity of Thrace."

He made his comments during a visit to Xanthi to commemorate the 105th anniversary of the city's liberation.

Demand for short-term rental accommodation recorded a large annual increase in Greece during the summer months, specifically between June and August. In August in particular, the increase compared to a year earlier was of the order of 18%, according to data from AirDNA.

The new emergency weather bulletin predicts a worsening of weather conditions starting this afternoon and lasting for almost 24 hours due to the Cassandra storm, which will pass north of Greece but not significantly affect the country, according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS).

The C-130 aircraft of the Hellenic Air Force, which was in Lebanon to evacuate Greek and Cypriot nationals, has entered the Nicosia FIR.

A stormy weather system dubbed Cassandra is expected to make an appearance in Greece on Friday, after hitting northern Italy and parts of the Western Balkans.

The weather pattern is set to change again as the storm system Cassandra, forming in the central Mediterranean, is expected to impact Greece from Friday afternoon. This was reported by Thodoris Kolydas, director of the National Meteorological Service (EMY), on social media.

Speaking at the Piraeus Shipping Club, Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras addressed the challenges facing Greek shipping.

He emphasized that despite the significant contribution of Greek shipping to the economy, accounting for 7.9% of GDP, policy measures are needed to attract more ships to sail under the Greek flag and increase their commercial management from Greece.

The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, received the "City of Athens Democracy Award" on Wednesday from the Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, during the Athens Democracy Forum.

Greece, which saw its lowest number of births in 2022, plans to spend 20 billion euros ($22 billion) through 2035 on incentives to halt the decline, including cash benefits and tax breaks, its family ministry said.

Greece currently spends around 1 billion euros a year on pro-child measures but, like other European countries, to little effect.