Greece

Archaeological sites re-open in Greece

The archaeological sites in Greece opened on Monday to visitors, following the easing of measures against the spread of the coronavirus disease. More than 200 archaeological sites in the country…

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Greeks return to church after weeks of lockdown

Thousands of Greeks returned to church on Sunday after weeks of staying away as a ban on mass gatherings to curb the spread of the coronavirus was eased. It…

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Greeks go to the beach after re-opening as temperatures soar

Greeks flocked to the seaside on Saturday when more than 500 beaches reopened, as the country sought to walk the fine line between protecting people from COVID-19 while reviving the…

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Migrants stranded in Greece by Covid-19 fly to UK

A group of 50 refugees and asylum seekers flew from Greece to Britain on Monday to reunite with relatives in a transfer that had been held up by the coronavirus…

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Coronavirus takes toll on Greeks’ mental health

Four in 10 Greeks say that their mental health has deteriorated amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the findings of a study carried out by Sentio Solutions, a Greek…

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Photo Story: Migrants and refugees transferred to Greece mainland

A migrant child wearing a protective face mask sits next to plastic sacks, during her arrival at the port of Piraeus near Athens, Greece, 04 May 2020. Ferry boat Nisos…

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Strong Magnitude 6 Earthquake strikes the island of Crete

An earthquake of magnitude 6 struck the Greek island of Crete on Saturday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The strong earthquake struck south of the Greek island of…

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One body recovered from sea after Canadian military helicopter crashes off Greece

A Canadian helicopter with six people that was engaged in North Atlantic Treaty Organization exercises off the coast of Greece disappeared and search-and-rescue efforts were under way, the Canadian Armed…

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Photo Story: The Greeks on the frontline

A series of photos of Greek citizens portraits from different professions, who stayed outside during the lockdown of the country risking their health so that all the rest people can…

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Greece preparing to lift restrictions on movement

Greece is preparing to lift restrictions on movement to islands and other parts of the country in June, media reports suggested on Monday. In an address to the nation on…

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Greece to re-write tourism playbook for post Covid-19 reality

Packed pools, beaches and tour buses, as well as middle seats, hotel minibars and scrums at airport check-ins, may all be a thing of the past as Greece’s tourism industry…

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Greece extends coronavirus lockdown measures by a week to May 4

Greece on Thursday extended its general coronavirus lockdown by a week to May 4, saying any relaxation would be staggered out over May and June. Greek authorities imposed a blanket…

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Greek authorities to ease restrictions as from next week

Authorities in Greece has given early indications of preparations for the reversal of the country’s lockdown. Stelios Petsas, a spokesperson for the Government, announced that as of next Monday, the…

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Greece boosts controls as Orthodox Easter holiday approaches

Police officers patrol the central intercity bus station of Athens, Greece, 16 April 2020. Starting 16 April, the Greek police adopted a special operational plan to enforce special curbs on…

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UN agencies welcome first relocation of unaccompanied children from Greece

IOM, the International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund today welcomed the relocation of 12 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children from Greece to Luxembourg. The…

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Greeks fear migrant arrivals from Turkey

Over the weekend various Greek media outlets have reported that a high number of migrants are being allowed to gather on the western coasts of Turkey in preparation to sail…

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Greece to issue 7-year bond to shield economy from COVID-19 impact

Greece plans to issue a seven-year bond in the coming hours to help boost state coffers and shield its economy from a protracted impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Finance Minister…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Athens, Greece

A photograph taken with a drone shows the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and the empty streets of the capital city of Athens, Greece. Cafes, restaurants, museums and archeological…

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Greek government press for charges against priests who provided communion despite ban

The Greek government has asked for a prosecutor to press charges against two priests after they provided holy communion on Sunday despite a ban in place to try to curb…

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Thessaloniki installs feeders for stray animals due to Covid 19

A volunteer fills a feeder for stray cats and dogs in Thessaloniki, Greece. The municipality of Thessaloniki placed feeders in central parts of the city to feed the stray animals,…

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The Cruise Lines International Association and Greek government announce agreement for short-term berthing

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced on Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with the Greek government for the creation of a framework so that cruise ships can…

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Public hospital doctors in Greece stage protests demanding additional staff, more ICU beds

Public hospital doctors around Greece staged protests today to demand additional staff, more ICU beds, better protective equipment and mobilization of private clinics. POLITICO reports that doctors’ union members, wearing…

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Greece turns stricken ship into floating hospital

Greek authorities began to evacuate a ship off the coast of Piraeus on which almost a third of passengers have coronavirus. The plan is to transfer the non-infected passengers off the…

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Greece quarantines second migrant camp after COVID-19 case confirmed

Greece has quarantined a second migrant facility on its mainland after a 53-year-old man tested positive for the new coronavirus, the migration ministry said on Sunday. The Afghan man lives…

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Greece quarantines camp after migrants test coronavirus positive

Greece has quarantined a migrant camp after 20 asylum seekers tested positive for coronavirus, the migration ministry said on Thursday, its first such facility to be hit since the…

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Greece considering more restrictions

As Greece enters its third week since restrictive measures were first imposed to combat the spread of coronavirus, there is mounting concern that fatigue is setting in amid signs of…

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Greece registers increase in victims, as it is preparing for rise in the spread in the migrant camps

On the Greek islands at the forefront of Europe’s unresolved migration crisis, social distancing and self-isolation are luxuries many can’t afford. In Moria, Europe’s largest informal migrant camp, some 20,000…

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Greece imposes lockdown

Greece announced a lockdown on Sunday, restricting movement from Monday morning with only a few exceptions, to combat the spread of coronavirus. “It is maybe the last step, one that…

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5.7 earthquake strikes Thesprotia region, Greece

A magnitude-5.7 earthquake struck the Thesprotia region of Greece on Saturday at 3.49 a.m. (0149GMT) at a depth of 7.4 kilometers (4.6 miles), according to Turkey's National Disaster and Emergency…

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Greece announces new measures to prop up economy

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday announced an additional 3 billion euros in measures to prop up the economy and help workers whose jobs are at risk as a…

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Greece shuts all shops, orders anyone coming into country to go into quarantine

Greece’s total number of confirmed Covid-19 infections stands at 352, as 21 new cases were added since Sunday, according to Health Ministry spokesman and infectious diseases Professor Sotiris Tsiodras who…

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MSF urges immediate evacuation of migrant camps in Greece to contain coronavirus

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has called for the immediate evacuation of migrant camps on Greece's islands, arguing that the conditions there provide "the perfect storm" for a COVID-19 outbreak. One…

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First female President for Greece

Greece’s first female president was formally sworn in to office Friday, nearly two months after the country’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to elect her. Katerina Sakellaropoulou, 63, is a former high…

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Frontex launches rapid border intervention on Greek land border

Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, deployed an additional 100 border guards at the Greek land border as part of a rapid border intervention requested by Greece. “We…

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EU to give migrants in Greece €2,000 to go home

The EU says it will pay €2,000 (£1,770; $2,225) each to migrants in overcrowded camps on the Greek islands willing to go back to their home countries. EU Home…

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Greece reports first coronavirus death

Greece reported its first fatality from a coronavirus infection on Thursday, a 66 year old man who had returned from a religious pilgrimage to Israel and Egypt at the end…

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Refugee situation in Turkish-Greek border under focus in Brussels

EU leaders warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday to respect the terms of a previous deal to keep migrants away from Europe's borders, after the Turkish leader came to…

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Violent incidents in Greek refugee centre as tensions rise

A fire has ripped through a refugee shelter on the Greek island of Lesbos as tensions over a surge in migration from Turkey continue to rise. Flames engulfed the One…

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Greece records 21 new Coronavirus cases

Greece said on Saturday it had recorded 21 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total in the country to 66. The 54 travelers, on a religious pilgrimage, are all from three…

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Migration agreement between Turkey and EU is dead – Greek PM

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the Turkish coastguard to prevent migrants from crossing the Aegean sea because of the risks, state media reported. A Turkish jurists group has slammed…

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EU foreign affairs chief calls on countries involved in Greek-Turkey standoff to stop this game

Migrants attempting to get into Europe need to know the border between Turkey and Greece is closed, the EU's foreign affairs chief has said, as he called on countries involved…

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EU warns ‘won’t be pressured’ over Greece-Turkey border crisis as tension flares

Ministers from across the EU met in Zagreb on Friday for a second day of talks on the conflict in Syria's Idlib province, as well as the build-up of refugees…

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Greece on alert as concerns mount of Turkish provocations

The Aegean has been placed in a state of alert as Athens fears that Turkey may, under the guise of migrant search and rescue operations, instigate provocations on Greek islets.…

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Turkey deploys police at Greek border to stem pushback of migrants

Turkey is deploying 1,000 special police forces along its border with Greece on Thursday to halt the pushback of migrants towards its territory, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said, adding that…

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EU ministers hold emergency talks in the wake of tensions at the Greek-Turkish borders

European Union countries offered more money on Wednesday for border policing in Greece and humanitarian aid in Syria's Idlib, but they were in a bind over Turkey as they sought…

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Turkey claims migrant killed by Greek gunfire, Greek government denies

A migrant was killed by gunfire while trying to illegally cross the border from Turkey to Greece, local Turkish authorities said on Wednesday — but Greek officials denied the claim.…

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More than 24,000 attempts to cross the Greek border

Greek security forces have launched a manhunt for migrants who illegally crossed over from the Turkish border since Friday when thousands massed on the Turkish side of the Evros River.…

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Photo Story: New clashes along Turkish-Greek land border

Migrants clash with Greek police officers as they attempt to cross the closed-off Turkish-Greek border in a bid to reach European soil, in Edirne, Turkey, 04 March 2020. Thousands of…

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Greece is Europe’s Shield – Von Der Leyen extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs council

The head of the European Commission has sent a strong message of support to Greece in its attempts to stop migrants crossing its border from Turkey. "Our first priority is to…

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Greece continues efforts to fortify borders

As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Monday that soon the number of refugees crossing into Europe “will reach millions” unless the European Union takes responsibility for the crisis, Greece continued efforts…

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Protests in Greek refugee camps

Riot policemen detain a young boy while asylum seekers demonstrate outside the Moria refugees camp on Lesvos island, Greece, on 02 March 2020. The protesters ask to let them go…

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Greece and Czech Republic each confirm three new cases of coronavirus, Portugal confirms first case

Greece has confirmed three new cases of coronavirus, the Health Ministry said over the weekend, bringing the total number of coronavirus infections in the country to seven. The latest cases…

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Child dies as migrant boat capsizes off Lesvos, Greece

A child died and 47 migrants were rescued after their boat capsized off the Greek island of Lesvos, the Greek coastguard said on Monday. At least 1,000 migrants have reached…

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Greece stops accepting asylum applications following Turkish decision to let migrants pass through border

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted that his country will not be accepting asylum applications for one month, after Turkey's decision to let migrants pass in their attempts to travel…

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Tense situation along Greece-Turkish border

Upda Greek police fired tear gas to repel hundreds of stone-throwing migrants who tried to force their way across the border from Turkey on Sunday, with thousands more behind…

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Greek – Turkish border – EU border agency Frontex is on ‘high alert’

Greece blocked nearly 10,000 "illegal" entries into the European Union from Turkey on Saturday and Sunday morning, a government official has said. The Greek government announced on Sunday that it…

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4000 migrants try crossing Turkish – Greek border

Riot police and the Greek army on Saturday deployed tear gas along the country’s land border with Turkey to try to stop migrants from entering the country. A government spokesman said thousands of…

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