Greece

Greek PM apologises to opposition party leader over surveillance – paper

ATHENS (Reuters) -Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologised to the leader of the country's opposition Socialist party for not knowing that he had been wiretapped by Greece's intelligence service in…

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Greece says tourism rebound will help ease cost of energy crisis

Greece is having a better-than-expected summer tourism season and this year's revenues will help alleviate the impact of soaring energy prices on society, government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said this week.…

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Greek intelligence service admits spying on journalist

The head of Greek intelligence told a parliamentary committee his agency had spied on a journalist, two sources present said, in a disclosure that coincides with growing pressure on the…

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Greek unemployment eases to 12.5% in May

ATHENS, July 28 (Reuters) - Greece's jobless dropped to 12.5% in May from an upwardly revised 12.6% in the previous month, data from statistics service ELSTAT showed on Thursday. Seasonally adjusted data…

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Wildfire burns coastal homes in Greek island Lesbos, beach resort evacuated

ATHENS (Reuters) -A wildfire that started in mountainous forests on the Greek island of Lesbos near Turkey on Saturday burned properties at the beach resort of Vatera as more aircraft…

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Southern Europe continues roasting as forest fires blaze

Much of Southern Europe remained in the grasp of sweltering heat on Friday, as forest fires continued to blaze in a number of spots. For large parts of Greece, for…

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Greece opposes EU plan to cut gas use, plans power cuts in emergency

ATHENS, July 21 (Reuters) - Greece opposes an EU plan for countries to cut their gas use by 15% by March, a government spokesman said on Thursday, after the country unveiled a…

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Wildfire rages near Athens; homes damaged, hospital evacuated

ATHENS, July 20 (Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters on Wednesday battled a wildfirethat raged for a second day in mountains near Athens, burning homes and cars and forcing the evacuation of at…

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UPDATE – Crew killed in cargo plane crash in Greece, airline Meridian says

KYIV (Reuters) - All the crew were killed when an Antonov An-12 cargo plane crashed in northern Greece late on Saturday, an official at Ukraine's Meridian cargo airline said on…

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TUI forecasts record tourist demand for Greece this year

ATHENS, July 10 (Reuters) - Holiday group TUI expects the highest level of demand for Greece on record this year, its director of Communications Aage Duenhaupt told Athens news agency on Sunday.…

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Greek PM rules out snap election

ATHENS, July 7 (Reuters) - Greece's prime minister ruled out an early election on Thursday, quashing speculation at home that a snap poll could be held this fall before his popularity takes…

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Greece reports first toddler death of severe acute hepatitis

ATHENS, (Reuters) - Greece reported its first baby death from severe acute hepatitis on Wednesday, the country's national health agency EODY said. The 13-month-old baby had been hospitalised with a…

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Greece says gas link with Bulgaria completed, can start operation this month

ATHENS, July 6 (Reuters) - A long-delayed gas pipeline between Greece and Bulgaria aimed at helping Sofia cut its reliance on Russian gas has been completed and can start commercial operations this…

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Wildfire rages north of Athens, one town evacuated

ATHENS, July 4 (Reuters) - A large wildfire raged out of control north of Athens on Monday, prompting authorities to order the evacuation of a nearby coastal town as a…

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Certain jellyfish in relative decline in Greek waters

The number of dangerous purple jellyfish are now in relative decline as there have not been any recent reports of dense congregations, researchers at the Hellenic Center for Marine Research…

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Iranian-flagged tanker in Greece tugged to Piraeus port

ATHENS, July 2 (Reuters) - An Iranian-flagged tanker seized by Greece in April, part of whose cargo was confiscated by the United States, was being towed to the port of Piraeus on…

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Greece to submit request for purchase of 20 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets soon

ATHENS, June 30 (Reuters) - Greece is expected to send an official request in the coming days to the United States for the purchase of 20 Lockheed Martin made F-35 fighter jets,…

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Greece to subsidise new fridges, air conditioners to cut energy bill

ATHENS, June 20 (Reuters) - Greece will offer households subsidies to help them replace their old fridges and air conditioners and cut down on soaring power bills, the government said on Monday.…

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Greek coastguard rescues 108 migrants off Mykonos, four missing

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's coastguard continued to search for four missing migrants off the island of Mykonos on Sunday after rescuing another 108 migrants on a sailboat that sent a…

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Greek unemployment eases to 12.5% in April

ATHENS, June 15 (Reuters) - Greece's jobless rate fell to 12.5% in April from an upwardly revised 12.6% in the previous month, data from statistics service ELSTAT showed on Wednesday. Seasonally adjusted…

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Greek PM says EU must integrate Western Balkans by 2033 -Politico

ATHENS, (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the European Union should offer the integration of all six nations of the Western Balkans into the EU by 2033 in…

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Greece, Saudi Arabia eye fibre optic data cable to link Europe with Asia

Greece and Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday on the main terms to set up a joint venture to lay a fibre optic data cable that will link Europe with Asia,…

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Greece plans to reduce state energy consumption by 30% by 2030

ATHENS, June 9 (Reuters) - Greece on Thursday urged state entities to reduce use of air conditioning, install window shields and shut computers after working hours, to help cut electricity consumption and…

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Wildfire rages near Athens, threatens homes

ATHENS (Reuters) - A wildfire raged on the outskirts of Athens on Saturday, threatening homes and power lines, a fire brigade official said. Fanned by strong winds, the fire quickly…

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EU to send more than 200 firefighters to Greece for the summer season

More than 200 firefighters and equipment from Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Romania and Norway will be stationed in Greece to provide immediate support in the event of major wildfires during…

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UPDATED: Germany to send IRIS-T air defence system to Ukraine -Scholz

BERLIN, June 1 (Reuters) - Germany will supply Ukraine with the IRIS-T medium-range surface-to-air defence system, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, following pleas from Kyiv as well as German opposition parties to step…

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Greece lifts COVID curbs for travellers ahead of key summer season

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece lifted COVID-19 restrictions on Sunday for foreign and domestic flights, its civil aviation authority said, ahead of the summer tourism season that officials hope will see…

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Greece, Turkey trade barbs over Aegean airspace incursions

ATHENS/ANKARA, (Reuters) - Greece accused its neighbour Turkey of undermining NATO unity by violating its airspace with fighter jets, prompting an angry Turkish response that blamed Athens for "provocative" violations…

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Greece to raise minimum wage from May 1 to boost low incomes

Greece will raise the minimum wage from May 1 for a second time this year, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced as rising inflation takes a toll on household incomes. "The…

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UPDATED: Russian tanker impounded by Greece will be released

ATHENS, April 21 (Reuters) - A Russian tanker impounded by Greek authorities off the island of Evia this week will be released, the coast guard said on Thursday. Greek authorities had said…

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Greece lifts COVID restrictions for summer tourism season

ATHENS, April 13 (Reuters) - Greece said on Wednesday that pandemic restrictions such as mask-wearing indoors and COVID certificates will be lifted throughout the summer tourism period and authorities will…

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Greece seeks war crimes probe in besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol

ATHENS, April 7 (Reuters) - Greece will ask the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged war crimes in the Russian-besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, home to a large Greek community, its foreign minister…

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Greek workers strike over soaring prices, low wages

ATHENS, April 6 (Reuters) - Greek workers began a day-long nationwide strike on Wednesday over what they call a "deepening crisis" of rising prices and squeezed incomes, disrupting transport, ferries,…

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Greek supermarkets limit flour, sunflower oil purchases as customers hoard

Supermarket chains in Greece said they are restricting how much flour and sunflower oil customers can buy, saying the step was precautionary after seeing demand rise on worries supplies will…

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UPDATED: HSBC sells Greek bank branch business

LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - HSBC HSBA.L announced on Monday it has agreed to sell its branch operations in Greece to local bank Pancreta Bank, as the lender further sharpens its focus on its…

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Turkey, Greece agree to improve ties amid Ukraine conflict

ISTANBUL, March 13 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed in talks in Istanbul on Sunday to keep communication channels open and improve ties despite disagreements,…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Nafplio, Greece

A picture taken with a drone shows an aerial view of fog surrounding the city of Nafplio, Greece. Photo - EPA-EFE/EVANGELOS BOUGIOTIS

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Greece moves to curb profiteering as fuel, consumer goods prices rise

ATHENS, March 4 (Reuters) - Greece will fix a cap on gross profit margins on fuel, food and other consumer goods to help curb profiteering, its development ministry said, as Western sanctions…

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Greece to send defence supplies to Ukraine

ATHENS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Greece is sending defence supplies to Ukraine in response to a request from the Ukrainian government, the prime minister's office said on Sunday. Two C-130 military transport…

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Greek December current account deficit widens, tourism revenues up

ATHENS, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Greece's current account balance showed a wider deficit in December last year compared to the same month in 2020 while tourism revenues rose, the Bank of Greece…

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First fatality reported in Greece after blaze on ferry

Firefighters battling a blaze on a ferry sailing from Greece to Italy recovered on Sunday the body of a passenger listed as missing, Greek authorities said. It is the first…

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UPDATED: Passenger found alive after blaze on Greece-Italy ferry – Greek official

CORFU, Greece, Feb 20 (Reuters) - A passenger who was missing after a blaze swept through a ferry sailing from Greece to Italy has been found alive, a Greek shipping…

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‘We saw death in front of us’: Passengers recount Greece-Italy Grimaldi’s ferry fire ordeal

CORFU, Greece, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Shocked and sleep-deprived, passengers rescued from a Greece-Italy ferry that caught fire off the island of Corfu said on Saturday they felt relieved to…

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Greece kicks off tourist season early to meet ‘great demand’

ATHENS, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Greece's tourism minister on Thursday said the visitor season would officially start in March, earlier than previous years, and there were "positive signs" of a…

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Greek December unemployment eases to 12.8%, lowest since July 2010

ATHENS, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Greece's jobless rate dropped to 12.8% in December from an upwardly revised 13.4% in the previous month, the lowest rate since July 2010, data from statistics service…

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Greece achieves small budget surplus in January, to repay IMF loan by March

Greece's central government achieved a primary budget surplus of 17 million euros in January versus a targeted deficit, thanks to higher revenues and lower spending, finance ministry data showed on Tuesday.…

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Greece to repay last IMF loans by March, achieve primary surplus in 2023-FinMin

ATHENS, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Greece will repay the final tranches of bailout loans owed to the International Monetary Fund by the end of March, two years ahead of schedule,…

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Greece steps up measures to fight hooliganism after killing of soccer fan

Greece will tighten rules to combat violence at sports events following the killing of a 19-year-old soccer fan in what was believed to be an attack by rival supporters. Prime…

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Greece cuts property tax to help households hit by surging inflation

ATHENS, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Greece will cut property tax rates by a further 13% to help households struggling with rising inflation and higher energy costs, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis…

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Greek PM survives censure motion tabled over snowstorm

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Sunday won a confidence vote called by the main opposition over his government's handling of a snowstorm last week that stranded…

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Elusive whale stranded near beach in coastal Athens

Rescuers are trying to free a beaked whale which has surfaced in Greek waters, trapped near a beach on the Athens riviera, officials said. The coast guard, veterinarians, volunteers and…

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Greece lifts some of the restrictions as COVID cases ease

Greece will allow music in restaurants and bars again and extend their operating hours as it lifts some of the restrictions imposed last month now that coronavirus infections and the…

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UPDATED: Greek PM apologises for snowstorm ordeal

ATHENS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologised on Wednesday for the state's unpreparedness to deal with the impact of a severe snowstorm that brought transport in…

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Blast in Greek capital Athens damages buildings

ATHENS, Jan 26 (Reuters) - One person was injured and several buildings were damaged by an explosion in central Athens that led to a fire early on Wednesday, officials and…

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Photo Story: Bad weather front Elpis triggers cold wave in Greece

A view of the snowy village on Naxos island, Cyclades, Greece. Frozen temperatures, stormy winds and heavy snowfall have been recorded in Greece since 22 January as a result of…

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Greece receives first Rafale fighter jets from France

ATHENS, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Six new Rafale fighter jets flew low over the Acropolis in central Athens on Wednesday, the first planes purchased under a defence deal with France…

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Quake rattles northern Greece

ATHENS (Reuters) - An earthquake rattled northern Greece on Sunday with no reports of any damage or fatalities. The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the quake, of magnitude 5.4, was at…

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