Phenomenology

Tomas Bjorkman will be among the speakers at next month's Singularity Summit in Athens.

Istanbul cloaked in heavy shawl of fog

A sandstorm hit the northwest areas of China. The storm caused transport chaos.

Authorities urged people to avoid going out.

In some places the wind speed exceeds 25 meters per second. This is the first sandstorm in the area this season.

It will be mostly sunny and almost quiet today. More clouds are expected from west, but there will be no rains.

Lasting fog is expected in some areas in the lowlands and valleys and temperatures there will be lower, with maximum ones of between 6°C and 9°C.

The weather will be mostly sunny today. In the morning, fog is possible for some time in certain areas in the lowlands.

In the afternoon, there will be light, in the eastern regions to moderate southwestern wind.

Heavy rain and hail has hit Athens, turning the roads into rivers, causing chaotic traffic jams at the city center.

The phenomena are expected to make the situation at the flooded Mandra even worse.

There will be substantial cloudiness today, sometimes scattering and decreasing. Rains are expected in some areas.

In the morning, there will be fog in the Upper Thracian Plain. The wind will be moderate, stronger north of the mountains. In the evening, the wind will weaken, while in Western Bulgaria it will even stop.

Greek authorities have urged local residents and tourists to avoid visiting some of the most popular beaches around the capital Athens because of an oil spill from a sunken tanker approaching the coast, Macedonian electronic edition "Standard" said, quoted by FOCUS News agency.

Greece's shipping minister on Thursday said he would willingly step down if asked to by the prime minister as the government came under fire over an oil spill last weekend that has spread from the island of Salamina to the southern coast of Athens.

The oil spill created by a small tanker that sank in the Saronic Gulf on Sunday reached the shores of the capital's southern suburbs on Wednesday, prompting criticism that relevant authorities did not do enough to contain its spread.