11.00 News in brief
The Athens Acropolis is to be lit blue – the official colour of UNICEF – tonight to mark the 30th anniversary since the signature of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Acropolis will be joining other major world monuments and buildings this year, including the European Parliament in Brussels, Shanghai Tower in China, the Pantheon in Paris and Petra in Jordan.
Tourist arrivals in Athens have more than doubled in the past 6 years. The capital is emerging as a major travel destination in its own right, with an excellent record in visitor satisfaction, according to the 15th survey on Attica hotel guests.
In the period from 2012 to 2018, Athens International Airport recorded an increase in annual visitors from abroad from 2.5 million to 5.7 million, while data for this year up until September showed a further annual increase of 12 percent.
The Greek economy has gained a positive dynamism with economic activity growing combined with the implementation of «prudent» fiscal policies, Hellenic Fiscal Council said in its autumn report released on Tuesday.
The report said that achiving a primary surplus of 3.5 pct of GDP this year was feasible, while the Council did not exclude a slight overachievement of the goal. It stressed that this goal was also feasible in 2020.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is heading to Croatia’s capital Zagreb to attend the European People’s Party (EPP) Congress.
The congress is expected to discuss developments in the western Balkans, support policies for European youth as well as climate change.
A new EPP leadership will also be elected during the Zagreb congress.
An explosion shook the city center at 3.20 this morning. The explosion, that took place at a shop on Iera Odos 21, in the area of Gazi caused material damage and a temporary disruption of traffic.
Earlier another explosion was reported at an ATM in the area of Varnavas.
And the weather forecast…
Cloudy in Attica this morning with rain and occasional thunderstorms expected later in the day. The temperature today will not exceed 22 degrees Celsius.
