A segment of NATO’s Allied Reaction Force (ARF) exercise “Steadfast Dart 25” took place at the beach of Nea Anchialos in Volos Special operations units from Greece and Spain supported by fighter aircraft and helicopters landed on the shore and “secured” the neighboring airport of the 111 Combat Wing including the flagship of the Spanish Navy Steadfast Dart 25 is NATO’s largest exercise for 2025 Bulgaria and Romania from February 10 to 21 The exercise involves more than 10,000 troops from the three host countries 20 fighter jets and 17 naval units have been mobilized The creation of the Allied Reaction Force was decided in the summer of 2022 and was ratified at the NATO Summit in Vilnius in 2023 as well as for the forces and personnel it provided,” said Lieutenant General Lorenzo D’Addario serving as the location for the amphibious landing operation in Volos as well as a transit hub for troops deployed to Romania which serves as the main entry point through which all personnel heading to Bulgaria and Romania have passed highlight the value of our country as a hub for NATO troop movements,” said Lieutenant General Georgios Manouras commander of the Greek army’s Special Warfare Command Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox NO GROWTH AT ZAVENTEM DUE HIGH AIRPORT CHARGES CALLS ON EU COMMISSION TO PRIORITISE COMPETITIVENESS 29 Jan) unveiled its Brussels Summer 2025 schedule with 132 routes including 4 new Charleroi routes to Katowice as well as extra frequencies on 40 other Charleroi routes like Dubrovnik Ryanair confirmed it will not grow again at Brussels Zaventem in 2025 due to the airport’s high charges which have increased 20% since Covid and are due to rise again in 2025 making Brussels Zaventem hopelessly uncompetitive against airports across Europe who are lowering fees and charges to promote traffic growth but this growth must be facilitated by competitive reform from the EU Commission and national Govts for the benefit of EU citizens the EU has damaged the competitiveness of Airlines with penal aviation taxes idiotic and expensive regulation and environmental measures which make air travel more expensive for customers even as airlines invest $billions in new technology which dramatically reduces fuel consumption Ryanair called on the new Commission under Ursula von der Leyen to urgently address these issues as follows: “We are pleased to announce 4 new Ryanair routes from Charleroi this Summer Charleroi continues to grow thanks to its competitive fees and efficient facilities Zaventem continues to stagnate and has failed to recover its pre-Covid traffic due to its expensive and rising fees and its failure to compete for traffic recovery or growth We also call on the new Commission under Ursula von der Leyen to take urgent action to reform the competitiveness of EU aviation Airlines and passengers repeatedly suffer delays and cancellations because of routine short staffing by ATC providers and the gross inefficiency of these protected govt monopolies 90% of all flight delays would be eliminated if these ATC providers were obliged by law to fully staff the first wave of daily flights and to protect over flights during national ATC strikes Europe should also respond to the new challenges of the Trump Administration by abolishing aviation taxes making air travel across Europe more competitive and affordable for citizens tourism and economic growth in the peripheral states and regions of the European Union The Draghi Report highlighted the urgent need for ATC reform yet the Commission has spent 20 years failing to deliver this reform Aviation and tourism can lead the revival of growth on the Continent of Europe but only when these damaging aviation taxes and our outdated ownership and control rules are modernised and reformed Ryanair looks forward to leading this growth recovery in Europe and we will continue to work with those countries and airports across Europe who are incentivising growth where aviation taxes and fees are rising and traffic is stagnating.” today (1st August) celebrated the first flight from Prague to Paphos while on Monday (3rd August) it will launch a twice weekly service to Kosice both as part of its extended Summer 2020 schedule Ryanair has launched a seat sale with fares from 729 Kc for travel to Kosice and from 759 Kc to Paphos which must be booked by Wednesday (5th August) Disturbing images have emerged from the harbour of Volos where thousands of dead fish have been washing ashore for days flooding both the port and the greater Pagasitikos Gulf Experts attribute the phenomenon to the thousands of tons of water flowing daily from Lake Karla and the surrounding areas into the Pagasitikos Gulf through the Xirias stream As the fresh water mixes with the sea, freshwater fish are swept along, dying upon contact with the salty water [video] authorities have launched a preliminary investigation to determine the exact cause of the mass fish deaths Under the supervision of the Public Prosecutor samples will be collected from the dead fish and the mouth of Lake Karla The investigation will explore the possibility that a substance may have infiltrated the fish’s systems It will extend along the entire coastline of the Pagasitikos Gulf the investigation will consider the actions of the Thessaly Regional Authority regarding the management of Lake Karla’s sluice gate it was discovered that dead fish were present within the sluice gate and along the entire length of the tunnel While Greek media have noted that this phenomenon is not new and does not pose a public health risk they also point out that it has never reached such a large scale in the past The situation in Volos Harbour is particularly dire for local businesses Restaurant owners are struggling as both residents and tourists avoid the area due to the overwhelming stench and the repulsive sight of dead fish Many are choosing not to dine or even enjoy a coffee at the harbour In a meeting held at the offices of the Volos Port Authority attended by President Sokratis Anagnostou and Deputy Regional Governor of Magnesia NATO is testing its ability to rapidly deploy across eastern Europe — without direct US assistance — as Washington shifts its approach toward European defense and the war in Ukraine The six-week Steadfast Dart 2025 exercises across Bulgaria Romania and Greece are taking place as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches the three-year mark They involve about 10,000 troops from nine nations and represent the largest NATO operation planned this year The US absence from the exercises comes as European nations scramble to build greater military self-sufficiency over their concerns about the commitment of US President Donald Trump’s administration to common defense and demands for increased European military spending Trump on Wednesday announced his intention to negotiate with Russia directly and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said at his first meeting with NATO colleagues in Brussels that day that European nations should dramatically increase their defense spending and shoulder the “overwhelming share” of funding for Ukraine Greek and Spanish marines led Thursday’s military demonstration an amphibious assault near the central Greek city of Volos in the first full-scale operational deployment of NATO’s new Allied Reaction Force (ARF) the force represents NATO’s latest strategic evolution designed to deploy at scale within 10 days and combining conventional forces with cyber and space-based technologies “This is what we’ve been training for,” the ARF’s commander Italian Lieutenant General Lorenzo D’Addario “The thinking is that NATO wanted to have a force that is ready that can operate across the five domains — air but indeed cyber and space — in a way that ensures it answers the [needs] of defending the alliance Western military officials — anticipating lasting tension with Russia and President Vladimir Putin possibly beyond the Ukraine conflict — argue that NATO’s new capability is becoming increasingly important to reinforce its eastern flank “As we soon approach the anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine we see today a revitalized and refocused NATO,” said Canadian Lieutenant General Peter Scott the deputy commander of NATO’s Joint Force Command in Naples He described the exercise as “a significant milestone an accomplishment in the modernization and expansion of NATO’s readiness to defend every inch of allied territory.” Scott said preparations for the exercise started two years ago and followed cooperation with planners from non-participating countries there’ll be a different make up of countries that are going to participate that’s just the way it rolls out,” he said The current exercise involves forces from nine NATO members including regional rivals Greece and Turkey more than 20 aircraft and over 1,500 military vehicles Britain leads the operation with 2,600 military personnel and 730 vehicles assuming command of all land forces during the drills focus on rapid deployment scenarios and multidomain operations across air underscoring NATO’s shifting military posture along its eastern boundaries communist-backed groups staged small protests near the training area in central Greece opposing the country’s involvement in overseas deployments Residents and visitors are evacuated as a wildfire rages in Nea Anchialos town Wildfires raging across parts of Greece has forced the evacuation of an air force base at the seaside town of Nea Anchialos Greek national news agency AMNA reported on Thursday July 27 (Xinhua) -- Wildfires raging across parts of Greece has forced the evacuation of an air force base at the seaside town of Nea Anchialos The relocation of Hellenic Air Force aircraft became necessary after wildfire triggered a series of massive explosions overnight at an ammunition depot breaking windows and damaging buildings in the vicinity The wildfires in the greater Volos area have posed the toughest challenge for firefighters for the past two days Firefighters are currently battling a total of 124 wildfires nationwide in extremely difficult conditions The situation has improved on Rhodes Island where nearly 20,000 people were evacuated during the weekend as the fires threatened residential zones after scorching forests and farmland The Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry allowed some tourists and the residents of a dozen towns and villages in eastern Rhodes to return to their homes and accommodations Five people have died in the wildfires this week The charred bodies of two civilians were found on Wednesday near Volos The plane operated by the two pilots crashed during a fire extinguishing operation More than 600 wildfires have broken out nationwide in the past two weeks we can see it throughout the Mediterranean that the climate crisis is here and affects us all perhaps even more severely than scientists had warned," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during a meeting with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Thursday A human hand is responsible for most wildfires," whether it is due to negligence or foul play "the sword of justice will be merciless" with the perpetrators A firefighting helicopter douses a wildfire in Nea Anchialos town Firefighters and a volunteer battle a wildfire in Nea Anchialos town 2023 shows wildfires burning in Nea Anchialos town A firefighter tries to put out a fire that threatens a building in Nea Anchialos town A firefighter battles a wildfire in Nea Anchialos town JUST IN – Massive explosion in an ammunition warehouse in Central Greece amid wildfires https://t.co/3YfZ72IKOX A wildfire whipped on by strong winds triggered a series of massive explosions overnight at an air force ammunition depot in central Greece and F-16 fighter jets were being moved from a nearby air base as a precaution while firefighters worked to tame multiple blazes in the country.The Greek air force said on Thursday the military base was not under an immediate threat The depot was evacuated before the explosions although continued blasts prevented firefighting teams from approaching the site The fire in the Volos area of central Greece’s Magnissia region reached the ammunition storage facility about 6 kilometres north of the major military air base in Nea Anchialos Local media reported that bombs and ammunition for Greek F-16 fighters were stored at the site.The large explosions shattered windows on houses in a surrounding area but the Greek fire service said no injuries were reported in nearby villages The Hellenic Air Force has begun to gradually move its F-16s stationed at the Nea Anchialos Air Base as wildfires have begun to threaten the base itself The flames have already engulfed parts of the town of Nea Anchialos and earlier they triggered a series of major explosions at the air 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