Otto of Greece

The traditional student parade to mark the anniversary of the outbreak of the Greek Revolution in 1821 has been held in Athens.

Crowds of spectators lined the streets to watch the parade, which passed the reviewing platform in front of Parliament on Syntagma Square.

Officials attending included Education Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis and Athens Mayor Charis Doukas.

Emergency traffic measures will be implemented in downtown Athens, starting at noon on Thursday, due to a rally that to be held by student associations and educational unions against the bill for the establishment of private universities.

Traffic restrictions will be introduced in the Greek capital on Sunday (March 10) for the Athena Half Marathon race and related events.

Police said the restrictions will apply from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and include parking and waiting cars at the affected roads.

A decision to wipe away the names of the 57 victims of the 2023 train crash at Tempe which had been written in red on the pavement of Syntagma Square, central Athens, during a rally on Wednesday to mark the one-year anniversary of the accident triggered angry reactions from the public. 

Police will implement emergency traffic measures as thousands of farmers from different parts of the country descend on the Greek capital in their tractors on Tuesday.

The Athens Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation on Thursday into a server outage at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens on Monday, which prevented students from completing online examinations.

The Commercial Triangle of Athens is defined as the central area of the Municipality of Athens, flanked by Stadiou, Mitropoleos and Athinas streets, with the vertices of the imaginary "triangle" being Syntagma, Monastiraki and Omonia squares. In addition, it includes the squares of Klathmonos and Kolokotronis on Stadiou, as well as Kotzias Square on Athinas.

A student and teacher rally will take place at noon Thursday at the Propylaea, central Athens, against the establishment of private universities.

At the same time, the Greek Federation of Secondary Education State School Teachers (OLME) has announced a three-hour work stoppage from 11 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon in order for teachers to participate in the demonstrations.

Participants in the "Ride of Love" initiative take a photo in front of the Christmas tree on downtown Athens' Syntagma Square on Thursday night.

A couple takes a selfie in front of a Christmas decorated electronic store at Syntagma square in Athens, Tuesday. [Thanassis Stavrakis/AP]