A 62-year-old woman was in critical condition in hospital yesterday after a tornado struck the popular Ionian island of Zakynthos on Thursday. It was unclear late yesterday if anyone else had been injured. The tornado’s passage wrecked dozens of homes, cars and large tracts of agricultural land. Public Power Corporation (PPC) teams were yesterday working to repair damaged electricity pylons and fully restore the island’s supply.

Authorities on Rhodes yesterday closed off the island’s landmark Palace of the Grand Masters so that a collapsed battlement could be repaired. The structural damage, caused by recent heavy rain, was deemed to pose a potential risk to visitors. Officials said that the 14th-century fortress would probably remain closed for months for the necessary works to be completed, despite the onset of the tourist season. “The palace will re-open as soon as it can operate as a worksite that can be safely accessed by visitors,” a Culture Ministry statement said.

Residents in Santorini will gather today to demand the removal of the sunken Sea Diamond ferry that still contains hundreds of tons of fuel, exactly one year after the cruise ship sunk off the popular island. Boat owners and local fisherman will hold a protest at sea to demand the removal of the ship, that poses a serious ecological threat to the area. Louis Hellenic Cruises, the owner of the Sea Diamond, has said its insurance will not cover the cost of a salvage operation, as the ferry operator was not responsible for the accident. The operator has blamed inaccurate maps for the ship running aground on a reef.

Authorities have warned fishermen in the Messenian Gulf, southern Greece, of the poisonous Lagocephalus, a member of the puffer fish family, that have been found in the area. Experts said the fish produces a large amount of toxins and can even result in death if consumed. Symptom include swelling of the lips and tongue, hallucinations, paralysis and lung failure.

The military said yesterday it recorded eight instances of Turkish airforce jets entering Greece’s national airspace, without submitting flight plans. About half of the Turkish jets that committed the airspace violations were armed, Greek authorities added.

Police in Thessaloniki said yesterday that they have seized more than 50 forged bank cards from two Romanian nationals, aged 23 and 28, believed to have swindled thousands of euros from local banks. The 23-year-old was caught red-handed trying to use a forged card to withdraw cash from an ATM, police said. A subsequent search of his hotel room revealed another 53 forged cards.

A golden cross, stolen from a church in the Cretan port of Hania last Friday, was returned to the church authorities by post yesterday. The cross had been placed in an envelope and mailed without any explanatory note, police said.

Ilias Mantas, the deputy police chief in Rethymnon, Crete, was dismissed yesterday. The police’s disciplinary panel decided that Mantas should be removed from his position after being accused of providing information to drug dealers in the mountainous village of Zoniana, which was the subject of a recent police operation aimed at clamping down on illegal activity.

The City of Athens launched a public awareness campaign yesterday to tackle the sale of counterfeit goods in the streets. Pamphlets in English and Greek will be handed out to pedestrians and street traders, warning that anyone caught selling such goods could face a fine of up to 1,000 euros. The municipality said that regular inspections would also begin today to stamp out illegal street trading.