Greece

Greece to resume direct flights with Britain from July 15

Greece is allowing direct flights from Britain on July 15, the Greek government said on Monday, as Athens tries to salvage its all-important summer tourist season. Greece lifted restrictions on…

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Greece bans Serbian visitors in bid to contain coronavirus spread during peak tourism season

Greece will not allow Serbian visitors in from July 6 until July 15, the government said on Sunday, as it moved to contain the spread of coronavirus during its peak…

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Greece PM says won’t accept strict EU conditions on COVID-19 aid – FT

Greece will not accept strict European Union conditions on the use of the coronavirus emergency aid, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the Financial Times newspaper in an interview published on…

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Greece reveals more measures to shield jobs from COVID-19 impact

Greece's economy performed better than others in the euro zone in the first quarter but the hit from coronavirus restrictions in the second and third quarters will be "dramatic", Prime…

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Ryanair resumes flights from Greece after four-month grounding

Low cost carrier Ryanair resumed flights from Athens after a near four-month grounding due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, it announced. A flight from Athens to Rome's Ciampino airport marked the…

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Greece warned to prepare for a “very difficult” tourist season

Greece should prepare for a “very difficult” tourist season, the country’s prime minister has said. Tourism officials say the country – which usually makes around 18.1 billion a year from…

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Greece says it will not allow direct flights from UK, Sweden until July 15

Direct flights from Britain and Sweden to Greece will not be allowed until July 15, Greek authorities said, adding that they would use EU guidelines to determine which countries were…

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Earth tremors rock Rhodes

A second, moderate earthquake hit in the sea area off the Greek island of Rhodes on Monday morning, without causing injuries or damages. According to the Athens’ Geodynamic Institute, the…

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Leaders of Greece, Turkey discuss COVID-19 in rare call

The leaders of Greece and Turkey held a rare phone conversation, after months of increasing tension between the two neighbouring countries. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep…

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Photo Story: Passenger arrivals in Athens in times of COVID-19

A passenger from an international flight coming from Rome, is tested for coronavirus, during her arrival at the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Athens, Greece. Greece reopened its main airports…

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Greek PM wins tourism pledge from Israel

Greece and Israel pledged on Tuesday to work toward a resumption of bilateral tourism in August if coronavirus precautions permit and discussed shared concerns over Turkey's energy exploration in the…

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Greece welcomes foreign visitors, restarts summer tourism

Greece reopened its main airports to more international flights on Monday, hoping to kick-start its vital tourism sector after three months in lockdown. Tourism employs about 700,000 people and accounts…

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Photo Story: Coronavirus testing in Greece

A staff member of the Greek National Public Health Organiztion (EODY), Katerina Trikalioti (L), in protective gear, performs a COVID-19 test on Christoforos Kavassilas on Koufonissi island, Greece. According to…

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Safety is top priority as Greece ready to open to tourists

The safety of tourists is a top priority for Greece as it opens its airports to foreign visitors, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday on a visit to the…

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Thermal cameras installed at Athens and Thessaloniki railway stations

A thermal camera used to detect abnormally high body temperature among passengers arriving at Larissis railway station, in Athens, Greece, 12 June 2020. Greek railway company TRAINOSE began operating the…

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Greece and Italy sign ‘maritime boundaries agreement establishing exclusive economic zone

Greece and Italy signed an agreement on maritime boundaries on Tuesday, establishing an exclusive economic zone between the two countries and resolving longstanding issues over fishing rights in the Ionian Sea. The deal,…

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Greek Orthodox Church says yoga is ‘incompatible’ with Christianity

The powerful Greek Orthodox Church has said that yoga is"absolutely incompatible" with the Christian faith, Yoga has no place "in the life of Christians," the governing body of the Church…

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Greek hotels reopen to an uncertain future

Greece allowed year-round hotels to open on Monday, restarting its vital tourism sector hobbled by weeks of lockdown, although business remained quiet with international flights from its main airports only set…

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Greece suspends Qatar Airways flights due to CoVid-19 contagion among passengers

Greece on Tuesday announced they were suspending flights to and from Qatar until mid-June, after 12 out of 91 passengers in a Qatar Airways flight that landed in Athens on…

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Greece to test arrivals from airports on EU high-risk list

Greece said it will conduct coronavirus tests on visitors arriving from airports deemed high-risk by the European Union's aviation safety agency EASA when it opens its airports to tourism traffic on…

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Greece announces package of measures to support air transport sector

Greece announced a package of measures amounting to 115 million euros to support the country's air transport sector, hit hard by the lockdown to contain the spread of the new coronavirus…

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Greece to welcome Germans, Cypriots, Israelis in first wave of visitors

Greece will allow travellers from around two dozen countries including Germany, Cyprus and Israel to visit from mid-June without having to be quarantined, government officials said, part of a gradual…

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Photo Story: Chains of salps along Greek coastline

Salp chains, small transparent gelatinous blobs, cover the coastline of Corinth, Peloponnese, Greece Salps look like swarms of baby jellyfish are groups of zooplankton. Salps serve as food for whales…

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Greece to reopen tourism season in June

The Greek tourist season will kick off next month, with international charter flights to popular locations resuming in July, the prime minster says. "The tourism period begins on 15 June,…

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Greek economy to shrink up to 13% due to coronavirus

Greece's economy may shrink 10 to 13% this year following a lockdown imposed to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, but the government will take steps to mitigate the…

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Greece is considering VAT tax cut for restaurants and cafes to reboot tourism

Greece is considering a sales tax cut for restaurants and cafes as part of a broader plan to reboot the tourism-dependent economy hammered by the coronavirus lockdown. The tax on…

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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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Portugal to take 60 unaccompanied children from Greek refugee camps

Portugal is to take up to 60 unaccompanied children from Greek refugee camps, according to Socialist Party lawmaker Isabel Santos, as concern mounts over the impact of the coronavirus outbreak…

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Microsoft Reinforces Greece, Cyprus, and Malta Senior Management Team

Microsoft Greece, Cyprus and Malta announces organizational changes in its senior management team, aiming at further strategic development of its partner network and more effective customer support, at a very…

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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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Malta amongst European countries wanting EU to suspend refunds for cancelled flights law

France, Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Poland and Portugal are calling on Brussels to temporarily suspend a European law granting refunds for cancelled flights. France and…

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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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Turkey allegedly has a plan to push migrants infected with the coronavirus to cross into Greece and other parts of Europe

Greek authorities were reported to have found out that numerous migrants in Turkey have been concentrating in the country's western seaside towns, as if ready to cross into neighboring Greece's…

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