Greece

Citizens in areas around Volos and Lamia have been told to move to safety as the country remains in the grip of a severe heatwave.

Meanwhile, fires continue to rage on the islands of Rhodes, Corfu and Evia.

Greece is one of a number of countries currently grappling with wildfires, in which more than 40 people have died.

Kostas Agorastos, mayor of Greece's Thessaly region, which includes Volos, has accused "brainless workers" of starting the fire, according to the Ellada 24 news channel.

He added that it had broken out on four simultaneous fronts.

As temperatures hit a high of 46.3C in Sicily, fire crews battled blazes in Greece and the Swiss Alps.

Scientists say climate change is making heatwaves longer, more intense and more frequent.

Across the world, millions of people are being impacted by extreme weather; from soaring temperatures in the US and China, to heavy rainfall in East Asia.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says heatwaves will become more severe in the years ahead, and that extreme weather patterns highlight the need for more climate action.

More than 2,000 people have already been evacuated from the island, many of those by ferry.

A number of wildfires have struck the country in recent days. One blaze in the northern suburb of Athens is said to have subsided.

Greece is experiencing its most severe heatwave in 30 years in which temperatures have spiked to 45C (113F).

Heatwaves such as this are becoming more likely and more extreme because of human-induced climate change. The subsequent hot, dry weather is likely to fuel wildfires.

Hundreds of people were trapped in flooded buildings as Cyclone Ianos, known as a "medicane" (Mediterranean hurricane), battered areas north of Athens.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has sent three senior officials to the worst-hit central region.

Train services linking the north and south of the country have been cut.

Footage on social media showed huge waves lashing the beaches on the Ionian islands of Kefalonia and Zakynthos on Friday as the storm headed in. Flights and ferry services were cancelled and tourists were advised to stay indoors.

The industrial towns of Mandra, Nea Peramos and Megara, west of the capital Athens, were the most affected.

Many of the dead were elderly people whose bodies were found inside their homes, reports say. Fast-flowing torrents of red mud flooded roads.

"Everything is lost. The disaster is biblical," Mandra Mayor Yianna Krikouki told state broadcaster ERT.

At least 13 people have been taken to hospital, and some are still missing.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has expressed his condolences.

Heavy rain has hit parts of Greece for about a week.

The PISR has announced it is expanding its head office - currently based in Houston, Texas, USA - to Piraeus in Greece.

It said Greece was in the heart of the world shipping community and that the move was necessary to serve the needs of Greek maritime stakeholders in a competitive market.

After launching in late 2012, the PISR has registered hundreds of ships and opened offices in Singapore, Taiwan, Shanghai and other Chinese ports.

The 45-year-old man, who was carrying transit documents issued to migrants in Turkey, was hit early Friday near the village of Petrades. The train driver told police he was unable to brake in time.

While most migrants entering Greece from Turkey arrive by boat, some still cross the land border in Thrace, which mostly follows the Evros River. Greece has built a 12-kilometer (7.5-mile) fence along the remaining stretch where there is no natural obstacle.

Supreme Court head Vassiliki Thanou, 65, was appointed after radical left Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras resigned, seeking a stronger mandate to implement tough austerity measures demanded by Greece's creditors in return for a third bailout worth 86 billion euro ($97 billion).

Her main task will be to hold the reins until a new government emerges from the vote expected on Sept. 20.

They are trying to prevent Greece from holding its third national vote this year, although chances of averting the election are virtually nil.

Former Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis, who heads the newly formed Popular Unity, received the maximum three-day mandate from the country's president after the head of the main opposition conservative New Democracy failed to form a government.

The tumult started when police decided to allow a small group of migrants with young children to cross the frontier and crowds in the back squeezed them toward the shielded police wall. Many women, at least one pregnant, and children fell to the ground apparently fainting after squeezing past the cordon.

Then, thousands of others used the moment to run across a field not protected by barbed wire to enter Macedonia. Police fired stun grenades, but didn't manage to stop the rush.