Greece - ekathimerini.com (English)

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1. Turkey says Russia gave it $9 billion in new financing for Akkuyu nuclear plant

   Turkey’s energy minister said Russia had provided new financing worth $9 billion for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant being built by Moscow’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom, adding Ankara expected the power plant to be operational in 2026.

2. Turkish authorities say they have arrested suspected IS member planning New Year’s attacks

   Turkish authorities said Friday that they have apprehended a suspected member of the extremist Islamic State group who was planning attacks on New Year’s celebrations.

3. Search underway for three missing hikers in Vardousia mountains

   A search and rescue operation is underway in the Vardousia mountains of Fokida, central Greece, for three hikers who went missing on Thursday, authorities said.

4. Saxophonist, composer makes album debut with ‘Reflections’

   Young thoughts and dreams, seemingly disparate types of music, a love of jazz, trips between Greece and London, and a band that carries the tunes of the Balkans and the East: These are the elements that comprise “Reflections,” Sofia Roubati’s first full album, released just a few weeks ago.

5. BoG reports rise in arrivals and spending per trip

   Greece received 35.261 million visitors from abroad, against 33.788 million in the same period last year.

6. A quiet transformation

   One of the defining features of Athens’ evolving cityscape is the renovation of post-war multi-story buildings, especially along streets in the broader city center.

7. 7-year-old boy killed, two family members injured in northern Greece house fire

   A 7-year-old boy was killed and two family members injured in a house fire early on Friday in Rizoma, a village in the Rhodope region of northern Greece, local authorities said.

8. Tempe disaster victims’ father criticizes Hellenic Train over Christmas card

   Nikos Plakias, who lost his twin daughters and a niece in Greece’s deadliest rail disaster, has criticized railway operator Hellenic Train over a Christmas greetings card he said showed a lack of sensitivity toward victims’ families.

9. Farmers maintain roadblocks as they weigh escalating protests

   Farmers protesting delays in European Union subsidies and other grievances maintained roadblocks across Greece on Friday, lining up thousands of tractors on major highways as they weighed whether to escalate their actions.

10. Turkey detains dozens of IS suspects planning attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations

    Istanbul police launched scores of simultaneous raids on Thursday, detaining over a hundred suspected members of the militant Islamic State group who were allegedly planning attacks against Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, authorities said.