Greece

US expected to intervene in easing tension in East Mediterranean

The United States will be assuming an active role in easing tensions created by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean and Aegean, particularly following its maritime borders and defense agreements with…

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12 died, 21 rescued as migrant boat sank off Western Greece island Paxos (Paxi)

At least twelve people drowned when their boat sank off an island in western Greece on Saturday, Greek authorities said, marking the deadliest toll in months in Greece's migrant crisis.…

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Bell-bearing tradition in Greece

Every winter, following the Orthodox Church's celebration of Epiphany, locals of certain villages of the Balkan Peninsula perform animalistic masquerades and ritual dances to ward off evil spirits and awaken…

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EASO to double its operational support personnel in the Malta, Greece, Italy and Cyprus in 2020

In 2020, EASO will see its operational deployments double in size, with up to 550 personnel deployed in Greece, 150 in Italy, 120 in Cyprus and 60 in Malta. In…

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Photo Story: EastMed natural gas pipeline agreement signed

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (C), President of Cyprus Nicos Ananstasiadis (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) join hands during a meeting prior to the signing of the…

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Israel, Greece and Cyprus set to seal €6bn gas pipeline deal

Israel, Greece and Cyprus are set to sign a trilateral agreement that will lay the groundwork for a planned gas pipeline connecting Israel’s offshore fields with Europe but which risks…

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The Year in Photos – The Unknown Faces of 2019

A Syrian refugee mother holds her newborn baby after disembarking from the ferry 'Paros Jet' upon their arrival from Samos Island at the port of Elefsina near Athens, Greece, 22…

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Greece proposes World Court if maritime dialogue with Turkey fails

Greece’s Prime Minister said in remarks published on Sunday that if Athens and Ankara cannot solve their dispute about maritime zones in the Mediterranean they should turn to the International…

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Greece wants to be part of a solution in Libya

Greece wants to be included in UN-sponsored talks in January on the Libya conflict, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Sunday, as tensions escalate with neighbours Turkey over the issue. Libya…

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Israel to sign major gas pipeline deal in Athens on Thursday

Israel will sign a historic deal that will allow for the construction of a subsea pipeline to send Israeli gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…

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Tom Hanks given Greek citizenship

Tom Hanks has been awarded honorary Greek citizenship. The 63-year-old actor and his wife Rita Wilson - who is of Greek and Bulgarian ancestry - frequently spends their summers on…

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Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in surprise visit to Libya

In a surprising move, Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias went to Libya on Sunday, to meet with the leadership of the opposing to the Government of Tripoli forces, including Field…

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Bronze Age royal tombs unearthed in Greece

Handout photos, released by the Greek Culture Ministry of some of the objects found in a 3500-year-old undisturbed shaft grave near the Palace of Nestor at Pylos in southwestern Greece.…

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Greece expects 100,000 more migrants in 2020

Greece is predicting up to 100,000 asylum-seekers to arrive on its islands from Turkey in 2020, placing a further strain on its already bursting migrant camps. "The crisis is happening now,…

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Italian police break up Italy-Greece migrant-trafficking rings

A vast operation took place on Thursday in Salento, Italy and Greece against two criminal rings - one Italian, one Greek - specialised in migrant trafficking. In recent months, the…

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Greece seeks EU protection against Turkish activities

Greece seeks wider European support against Turkey’s activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and hopes EU leaders will condemn Ankara in the two-day summit in Brussels, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said.…

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Earthquake measuring 5.4 shakes Crete

An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale jolted Greece's Crete island on early Wednesday according to the EuroMediterranean Seismic Center (EMCS). The earthquake happened at a depth of 25…

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Greeks set to face heavy fines if they don’t spend 30 per cent of their income electronically

Greeks will be hit with a hefty fine if they do not spend almost a third of their income electronically in an unprecedented bid by the new government to stamp…

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Greece to expel Libyan ambassador over Turkey-Libya accord

Greece said on Friday it was expelling the Libyan ambassador, angered at an accord between Libya and Turkey signed on Nov. 27 that maps out a sea boundary between the…

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Fire in hotel in Athens

Firefighters look for people trapped at the Athenaeum Palace Hotel on Syngrou Avenue 123 due to a fire, in Athens, Greece. A total of five people trapped inside the hotel…

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Greece ‘registers disagreement’ with Libya-Turkey maritime accord

Greece said it opposed an accord reached by Turkey and Libya to define their maritime boundaries but said it and Ankara - both members of NATO - were committed to…

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Photo Story: Aftermath of Storm Gyrionis in Greece

Photos of the damage caused by violent storms in Greece. The storm named 'Gyrionis' triggered heavy rainfall in the region of Attica and other parts of Greece causing damages in…

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Greek Parliament to invest 3 million euros in becoming energy efficient

The Greek Parliament has put up for a bid a two-year plan to improve the energy efficiency of the building. The institution decided to boost its efforts in tackling climate…

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Fatal thunderstorms sweep across western Greece

Two people drowned after their moored sailing boat sank in western Greece as the country was lashed with torrential rain and thunderstorms, coast guard officials said early on Monday. The…

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Greece to ‘shut the door’ to migrants not entitled to asylum

Greece said on Friday it was deploying more border guards to “shut the door” to migrants not entitled to stay, the latest sign of a hardening stance against asylum seekers…

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Greece backs EU ambitions of North Macedonia and Albania

Greece offered words of encouragement for North Macedonia and Albania on Thursday as the two countries' efforts to open accession talks with the European Union continue to be frustrated. Greek Prime…

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Greek police fire teargas at students protesting against university raid

Greek police fired teargas on Monday at students protesting against the shutdown of a prominent Athens university that authorities raided at the weekend to confiscate materials they said were typically…

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Four arrested for migrant smuggling and document forgery in Greece

The Hellenic Police made four arrests in an operation targeting an organised crime group involved in facilitation of irregular migration. The network provided the migrants with fraudulent travel documents to…

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41 migrants found alive inside truck in Greece

Greek police found 41 migrants, mostly Afghans, hiding in a refrigerated truck at a motorway in northern Greece on Monday, officials said. The refrigeration system had not been turned on…

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Greece shifts migrants from overcrowded islands to mainland

The transfer of migrants from overcrowded camps on the islands to the Greek mainland continued over the weekend, with authorities saying 415 arrived at the port of Eleusis west of…

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Migrants in Greece living in ‘horrible’ conditions, says Europe rights watchdog

A European human rights watchdog on Thursday slammed living conditions as “horrible” for thousands of asylum seekers in overcrowded Greek camps, including waits spanning several hours for food and toilets…

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Greece welcomes upgrade by Standard and Poor’s

Greece on Saturday welcomed its foreign debt rating upgrade by Standard and Poor’s as proof of further growth after a nearly decade-long debt crisis. Emerging from its third straight bailout…

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Photo Story: Prime Minister of Luxembourg visits Athens

The Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis (L) welcomes and guides Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel (R) in the Town Hall of Athens during their meeting in Athens, Greece,…

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Conservationists in Greece and Cyprus tackle invasive species of highly venomous lionfish

A voracious, venomous species of fish that has invaded the Mediterranean from the Red Sea may be about to meet its match as conservationists urge people to start eating them.…

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President George Vella attends the Arraiolos Group Meeting of Heads of State in Athens

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos (R) welcomes his counterpart from Malta George Vella (L) at the 15th Arraiolos Group Meeting of Head of State in Zappeion Hall in Athens, Greece, 11…

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Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria expected to highlight to EU that the migration problem isn’t just about Italy and Malta

The EU's migration plans should focus on the Eastern Mediterranean, not just Italy and Malta, three EU countries will say this week. In a document, seen by POLITICO, that will be…

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Migrants arrive from Lesvos island to the Greek port of Piraeus

Women hold their babies after disembarking from the ferry 'Nissos Samos' upon her arrival from Lesvos island to the port of Piraeus, Greece, 07 October 2019. The ferry arrived in…

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Greece accuses Turkey of exploiting Europe’s migrant crisis

Greece’s prime minister accused Turkey on Friday of appearing to “exploit” Europe’s migrant crisis for its own ends and said Ankara can and must control migrant flows to the continent.…

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Photo Story: General strike in Athens

Members of the Communist-affiliated PAME labour union shout slogans during a demonstration marking a 24-hour general strike in Athens, Greece. Greek labour unions called for a 24-hour strike in protest…

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Leadership change for Microsoft Greece, Cyprus and Malta

Following a successful course as CEO of Microsoft for Greece, Cyprus and Malta, Ms. Peggy Antonakou is taking the next step in her career, outside of Microsoft. The company would…

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Fire, death and violent protests at main refugee camp in Lesbos

At least one person has died after a fire broke out at an overcrowded refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, local officials say. They say the charred body…

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66 suspected of arranging illegal adoptions and surrogacies, and human egg trafficking in Greece

Greek law enforcement authorities, supported by Europol, dismantled an organised crime group involved in the trafficking of human beings (selling ova), illegal adoption and money laundering. Active since 2016, the…

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Loan agreement between Greece and the European Investment Bank

Greek Finance Minister Christos Staikouras (2-R) Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Kostas Karamanlis (R), Vice President of EIB Andrew Macdowell (2-L) and Athens regional governor Giorgos Patoulis (L) shake hands…

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Greek police detain 10 Syrians disguised as volleyball team

A handout photo made available by the Greek police shows a group of migrants dressed as a team of volleyball players at the airport in Athens, Greece, 22 September 2019…

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Greek economy shows signs of recovery

Greece's creditors are returning to Athens on for a fourth post-bailout evaluation to review whether Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' planned tax cuts will affect Greece's economic results. A key factor…

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Greek police arrest man wanted for 80s hijack and kidnap

Greek police have arrested a 65-year old man wanted by German authorities for an aircraft hijacking and kidnapping, crimes committed in 1985 and 1987, they said on Saturday. Greek media…

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Forest fires in Greece

Women stand on a road in front of a burning mount during a forest fire near the town of Loutraki, about 80 km west of Athens, Greece. Dozens of firefighters…

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Greek PM criticizes Turkey for its threat to reopen its borders to refugees

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has sent a strong warning to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, telling him not to threaten Greece and Europe in order to secure more money from…

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Greece launches measures to deal with increase in migrant flows

Greece announced it would step up border patrols and move asylum-seekers on its islands to the mainland in an effort to deal with a resurgence in migrant flows from neighbouring…

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Greece: Tourists evacuated from hotels and beaches in zones stricken by wildfires

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from hotels and beaches in Greece as firefighters tackle dozens of wildfires across the country. BBC reports that about 700 firefighters were deployed over the…

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Iranian tanker Adrian Darya switches destination to Turkey, data shows

The Iranian tanker at the centre of a confrontation between the US and Iran has switched destination. According to date from the ship tracking website Marine Traffic, the ship is…

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US warns Greece not to assist Iranian tanker

The US has warned that any assistance given to the Iranian-flagged oil tanker recently released by Gibraltar would be considered as support for terrorism. The tanker is thought to be…

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Crew from German and Greek ships kidnapped by pirates off Cameroon

Pirates have kidnapped eight crew members of a German-owned ship, the MarMalaita, in a raid on the vessel off Douala, off the coast of Cameroon as well from a Greek…

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Fire rages on in Greece, threat to people averted but Athens covered in smoke

Greek authorities warned Athens citizens, especially the elderly and infirm, to protect themselves from the smoke caused by wildfires raging on Evia Island. The thick, grey pall of smoke is…

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Moderate earthquake shakes northern Crete

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the northern coast of Crete on Monday morning, according to a preliminary reading of the Athens Geodynamic Institute. According to the Geodynamics Institute of Athens…

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Major blaze near Athens contained

Greek firefighters on Monday brought under control a major forest fire that was threatening homes on the outskirts of Athens. At least two houses were burned but there were no…

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Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders ready for talks with UN chief on improved relations

Leaders of the Greek and Turkish parts of the divided island of Cyprus have agreed to meet with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in order to “plan the way forward”,…

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