News in brief

Τraffic alterations in streets between Mitropoleos and Ilioupoleos streets, for the funeral and burial service of actor Kostas Voutsas. Μitropoleos street is currently closed near Syntagma square.

Greece reported a new case of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to four, and said it would suspend all carnival celebrations in the country.

The newest confirmed case is a 36-year old woman in Athens who recently travelled to Italy. She is in isolation at Attiko Hospital.

A young woman from Athens, the third confirmed case of COVID-19 in Greece, was on Thursday admitted to Attiko Hospital. Both women had recently travelled to northern Italy.

Official statements on the coronavirus cases in Greece at 12.30.

Hopes that the coronavirus would be contained to China have vanished as the first case in sub-Saharan Africa was announced and stock markets took a pounding amid fears of a global recession. Stock markets fall in Asia today, after losses in the US and Europe on Thursday.

Coronavirus has killed more than 2,800 people and infected about 83,000 worldwide.

At least 33 Turkish soldiers have been killed in an air strike by Syrian «regime forces» in north-western Syria, a senior Turkish official has said.

NATO’s ruling council will meet today for urgent talks on the Syria crisis.

“The North Atlantic Council will meet on Friday 28 February following a request by Turkey to hold consultations on the situation in Syria,” the alliance said in a statement.

Russia on Friday said it was sending two warships armed with cruise missiles to waters off the Syrian coast and blamed Ankara for the killing.

Turkey will no longer prevent Syrian refugees from entering Europe. The Turkish government has ordered police, coast guard and border security officials to stand down and allow refugees to pass, Reuters quoted a senior Turkish official as saying and refugees are passing the borders this morning.

The immediate decongestion of the North Aegean’s islands- namely Samos, Lesvos and Chios- that have been affected by the migration crisis, is one of the outcomes of a two-hour meeting of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with local authority officials that concluded on Thursday evening.
It was also announced that Kyriakos Mitsotakis would visit all three islands in the coming days, starting at Samos.

And the weather forecast…

Partly cloudy in Attica today with the temperature expected to reach 17 degrees Celsius.

More news in brief Tuesday morning at 9.