Greece

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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Greece expected to be hit by new heatwave

Temperatures in Greece are expected to rise gradually over the weekend with meteorologists expecting a new heatwave by the weekend which could possibly last through August 15th. The Hellenic National…

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Suspect arrested in Greece for large-scale document forgery

With the support of Europol, a 50-year old individual was arrested in Greece for large-scale forgery of documents and facilitating illegal immigration. During the action day on 11 July, the…

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Greek police find corpse of female British scientist

Police searching for Natalie Christopher, a 35-year-old British woman who disappeared on the Greek island of Ikaria say they have found her dead in a ravine. Christopher, an astrophysicist from…

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Turkey says another drill ship en route to eastern Mediterranean

Two Turkish drill ships are continuing operations in the eastern Mediterranean and another ship will join them this month, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said, as a dispute over natural resources…

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Second British scientist reported missing in Greece

A female British scientist has been reported missing in Greece after she did not return from a morning run on Monday. Greek authorities have launched a major search operation on the…

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Greece accuses Turkey of undermining security in the eastern Mediterranean

Greece accused Turkey of undermining security in the eastern Mediterranean by drilling for oil and gas around Cyprus. These were some of the strongest comments on the issue from Athens’…

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Greek Prime Minister in Cyprus for official visit

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday begins a two-day official visit to Cyprus, his first after assuming office following the elections on July 7. He will be accompanied by…

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Photo Story: Wildfires in Greece

Vehicles drive near wildfire raging at Koutsouria area, near Nafplio, Peloponnese, Greece. Reports state 26 firefighters, 12 land vehicles, two aircrafts, and 2 water wagons battled the fire. Photo:…

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Maltese-registered cruise ship rescues over a hundred migrants near Greece

A Maltese-registered cruise ship sailing close to the Greek mainland has rescued more than a hundred migrants, the country's coast guard said on Sunday. The migrants were picked up by the…

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Austria, Greece and Slovenia ignore Von Der Leyen request for two Commissioner nominations

Ursula von der Leyen pledged to form a gender-balanced European Commission — but it's looking like an uphill battle. And some EU officials are bracing for the possibility that a…

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Photo Story: Memorial in Cyprus for soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion

Military personnel attend a memorial service at the Tymvos Makedonitissa military cemetery during a memorial day for the soldiers who lost their lives fighting the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus,…

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People smuggling network busted in Greece

The Greek Police, supported by Europol, dismantled an organised criminal group (OCG) smuggling migrants from Turkey to Greece and facilitating their secondary movements to other EU Member States. The network…

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Photo Story: The aftermath of the Athens earthquake

The marble cross of the church of the Pantanassa sits half-broken on the temple's dome in Monastiraki Square at the foot of the Acropolis hill in central Athens, Greece,…

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Powerful earthquake shakes Athens

The Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens and the American USGS, reported that an earthquake of an initial intensity of 5.3 shook the Greek capital, Athens. The epicentre…

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Cyprus marks 45th anniversary of 1974 coup

Cyprus on Monday marked the 45th anniversary of an Athens-backed military coup with a memorial service for those killed at a church in Nicosia. The July 15, 1974, coup was…

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Dozens evacuated from flooded homes in western Greece

Authorities evacuated dozens of citizens from flooded homes in western Greece on Sunday, a few days after seven people were killed by a violent storm in the north of the…

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Strong tremor in central Greece

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 has struck in central Greece Initial reports give the epicentre at 5 km NW of Aianí, in Greece and at a…

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New skull discovery shows mankind may have arrived in Europe 150,000 years earlier than previously

Mankind may have arrived in Europe 150,000 years earlier than previously thought, researchers say, after reassessing an ancient skull found inside a cave in Greece in research led by the Universities…

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UPDATED: Two children among tourists killed in storms in Greece

Six foreign nationals, including two children, and one person who so far has not been identified, were killed and more than 100 other people injured after gale-force winds, rain and…

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Greece’s new Prime Minister names cabinet

Greece's new Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis named his cabinet on Monday. Mitsotakis' conservative New Democracy party won an outright majority with 158 seats in the 300-seat legislature. The newly-formed cabinet…

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Mitsotakis sworn in as new Greek PM

Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Greece shortly after winning the Greek general election held on Sunday. The center-right New Democracy party won…

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Kyriakos Mitsotakis New Democracy wins Greek election with a ‘strong mandate’ (UPDATED)

The newly-elected Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday that he will work hard to ensure every Greek, particularly the young, is given the opportunity to "fulfil their potential."…

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Turkey to hold military manoeuvres in the Aegean on Greek Election Day

. Turkey has issued a navigational warning reserving a large area south of the island of Kastellorizo, within Greece’s continental shelf, for military exercises on Sunday, July 7th. The same…

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Wildfires cause evacuation of villages on Greek island

Four villages were evacuated on the Greek island of Evia after two new brush fires have broken out. The new wildfires came several hours after a major blaze led…

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First drop in five years in tourist arrivals in Greece

Tourist arrivals this summer in Greece are slightly slower than last year, according to surveys, air arrival data and hoteliers. The drop observed in May appears to have continued into…

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Greece prepares to head to the polls

Greek Opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis appeared confident of victory in Sunday's snap election during a rally in central Athens on Thursday evening, saying his New Democracy party is “more…

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Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals Reach 27,834 in 2019

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that 27,834 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea through 1 May, roughly a 35 per cent decrease from the 42,274 arriving…

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EU threatens Turkey with sanctions over drilling off Cyprus

The EU has threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey if it continues "illegal drilling" in waters near Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean. The warning came at an EU summit…

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Corporate Midday Dispatch – Financial and Corporate News Roundup

Less than 15 per cent of Malta's debt is held by non-residents, in stark contrast with the situation in other member states. Eurostat on Friday reported that there were significant differences…

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EU-wide operation against counterfeit products, Law enforcement agencies in Malta involved in the operation

More than 4.7 million counterfeit products seized, over 16 400 social media accounts suspended and 3 300 websites closed in the EU-wide operation Aphrodite II against trafficking of counterfeit goods.…

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Four women, one man and two girls die as boat sinks near Greek island of Lesbos

At least seven people died on Tuesday when a boat carrying migrants sank near the Greek island of Lesbos, the coastguard said. Assisted by an EU border patrol boat, the…

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Greece: New legislation that would have made it harder to secure rape convictions scrapped

Women’s rights campaigners in Greece are claiming victory after the Greek parliament got rid of new legislation that would have made it harder to secure rape convictions. MPs rejected a…

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Tsipras calls for snap election after European Parliament vote loss

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said he will call for early elections after the second round of local and regional elections. Speaking outside SYRIZA party headquarters in Athens in…

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Europe Votes: Greece, the Exit Polls, the projections (Updated)

In Greece, the conservative opposition New Democracy party is the projected winner, according to exit polls. New Democracy is projected to win 32% to 36% of the vote, compared to 25%…

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Frontex border agency deployed for the first time outside the EU

Frontex officers for the first time were deployed out the borders of the European Union. The European Union's border agency on Tuesday, for the first time stationed officers along…

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Greece expects more than five million cruise passengers this summer

Greece’s Union of Cruise Shipowners and Associated Members estimated that Greek ports are expected to welcome more than five million cruise passengers this summer, breaking last year’s record. The experts…

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Light tremor registered in Greece

An earthquake measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale hit southern Greece 2 km north of Kavásilas, the Geodynamic Institute of the National Observatory of Athens announced. No injuries or major…

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Greek Government wins vote of confidence

Greece's left-wing government late Friday won a confidence vote called by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras nearly two weeks before European Parliament elections. The vote of confidence followed a motion by…

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Original initiative in Athens to battle graffiti

The Greek capital Athens has put forth an original initiative called “This is Athens – Polis”. It aims to clean up the city’s historic center by eliminating graffiti and other…

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Photostory: Greek port workers on 24-hour strike

Commuters sit in front of a docked ship as port workers and seamen participate in a 24-hour general strike, marking Labor Day, in the port city of Piraeus, Greece, 01…

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EPP leader Weber insists no EU membership for Turkey

Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People's Party (EPP), insisted that Turkey cannot become a member of the European Union, in an interview with Euronews. Weber, tipped to replace…

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Chinese, Turkish and Russians dominate Greek Golden Visa program

In Greece, the residence permits issued last year to citizens of countries outside the European Union who bought properties for at least 250,000 euros each grew 46 percent from 2017,…

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Fake news triggers migrant protests in Greece

Refugees and migrants protest in front of riot policemen near a refugee camp in the village of Diavata, west of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, 06 April 2019. The refugees gathered…

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As recovery looms in Greece, Vogue magazine makes comeback

Fashion magazine Vogue hit the news-stands in Greece on Sunday after seven years of absence. Greece’s economic recovery slowly gathers pace following the debt crisis, publishers are hoping that…

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Moderate 5.3 earthquake shakes SW Greece

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 has struck 15 kilometres from Itea in south-west Greece and around 130 km to the west of the capital Athens. Strong tremors were…

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Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to become a mosque

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul will be controversially turned into a mosque. The Hagia Sophia, known as Ayasofya in Turkey, in the…

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Explosive thrown at Russian consulate in Athens

Security has been stepped up in the Greek capital Athens after attackers on a motorcycle threw an explosive device, possibly a hand grenade, at the Russian consulate in the capital.…

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Greek government strengthens fight against corrupt politicians

Greek lawmakers held a second vote on changes to the country's constitution with the aim of facilitating the prosecution of corrupt politicians. The first phase of a key parliamentary…

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Greek Orthodox church bracing for battle over opening of first crematorium

Greece is closer to opening its first crematorium after passing a decree that paves the way for a facility to be built in Athens. Though widely seen as long overdue,…

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Corporate Dispatch Europe Explained – The Week Ahead

A quick glance at the main forthcoming events in the European Union including EU Council, Commission and Parliament meetings and other EU-related conferences and events. Events for the week…

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Two children die as migrant boat sinks off Greek island

Two children were among three people who died early Thursday when a migrant boat, carrying at least 12 people, sank near the Greek island of Samos. The two young boys…

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Greece tries to confront banking crisis

Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) takes an in-depth at the banking crisis afflicting Greece after eight exhausting years of financial crisis and the scandals that accompany it. Greek banks…

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Greek Golden VISA Programme leading to mass evictions of rented property to make way for AirBnB properties

Greek government scheme that grants visas to non-EU citizens in exchange for €250,000 (£219,000) property investments is leading to mass evictions, with renters removed from their homes to make way…

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Greek Parliament ratifies North Macedonia’s NATO membership

The Greek Parliament has approved a measure for North Macedonia to join NATO, ending a decades-old dispute. Lawmakers late February 8 voted 153-140 to ratify the NATO accession protocol for…

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Corporate Dispatch End of Day Roundup – Wednesday

Good evening, These are the main news as reported by Malta's news portals. The Customs Department announced a huge haul of cocaine at the Malta Freeport. Newsbook says officers found…

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