English

Wednesday, 09 January 2019

High court OKs extended Sunday store opening

A majority of Council of State (CoS) justices this week approved extended opening hours for stores on Sunday is constitutional, specifically ruling on a 2017 law that expanded the areas…

DM withdraws surprise F16-related off-sets amendment from Parliament debate

Controversial Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos on Wednesday hastily withdrew an amendment regarding off-set benefits included in a lucrative contract with US contractor Lockheed-Martin for the upgrading of Greece’s fleet…

Handelsblatt: Merkel now views Tsipras as ‘pragmatist’, replacing pariah status

Handelsblatt this week refers to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s now “lenient” stance, as it said, towards Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, a day before the powerful German leader returns to…

Tesla initiative to boost use of renewable energy sources, security on Greek isles off nat’l grid

By K. Deligiannis [email protected] US giant Tesla has reportedly submitted a detailed plan to the Greek government to boost the use of renewable energy sources and “energy security” on the…

Urban terrorists claim responsibility for attack on Greek media group last Dec.

An urban terror gang on Wednesday assumed responsibility for the bombing outside the building housing the Skai broadcaster and Kathimerini media group on Dec. 17, with a relevant statement posted…

Tuesday, 08 January 2019

Greek FinMin: Goal in 2019 is 7 bln€ in market borrowing for 2019

Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos on Tuesday cited a seven-billion-euro figure that the Greek state will attempt to drain from the markets in 2019, while exploiting the fact that it…

Man dies on Rhodes from makeshift heater, 2 hospitalized; another fatality at Moria site

One fatality was reported on the well-known holiday island of Rhodes early Tuesday morning, reportedly due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a makeshift portable heater (brazier). Another two people were…

First snow of the season falls on greater Athens, causing traffic problems, closing schools

Traffic problems and interruptions in mass transit routes were the main problems on Tuesday in the greater Athens area, as the season’s first snowfall – widely expected for at least…

Monday, 07 January 2019

Gov’t confident it has votes to pass Prespa agreement; another junior coalition party MP appears positive

Sources close to ruling SYRIZA party on Monday again maintained that the current Tsipras coalition government has a majority of votes – 151 deputies οut of 300 – in Parliament…

Most schools to close on Tues. in greater Athens area due to cold front

Fears of a harsher than usual cold front blowing through the greater Athens area on Tuesday caused the regional authority for the area to order schools in nearly 30 municipalities…

Two arrests in latest ‘intervention’ by anarchist group; US envoy refers to ‘silly’ action

Two arrests were made on Monday morning in relation to the latest instance of vandalism by members of a notorious local “anarchist collective”, with the side entrance of the US…

Continued absence by Greek state from sovereign borrowing markets to affect ‘real economy’

By Vassilis Kostoulas [email protected] The Greek state’s continued absence from international money markets is having negative effects on liquidity in the thrice bailed-out Eurozone member-state and on economic confidence, with…

Sunday, 06 January 2019

Greece’s celebrates Epiphany religious holiday; Tsipras reax to latest Erdogan quip

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spent Sunday’s Epiphany (Theophany) religious holiday on the northeast island of Samothrace, where he also attended a traditional outdoors “Blessing of the Waters” Orthodox Church…

Thursday, 03 January 2019

Private sector deposits continue to slide in Greece in Nov. 2018

Private sector deposits in Greece decreased by 79 million euros in November 2018, a figure that, nevertheless, was still better than a decrease of 346 million euros from the previous…

OPAP formalizes purchase of majority stake in rival Stoiximan

OPAP’s purchase of a majority stake in rival Stoiximan was made official on Thursday, following the completion of due diligence procedures. According to the ATHEX-listed lottery and sports betting operator,…

Mitsotakis, union of jurists lambast Cabinet minister’s FB comments over independent judicial probes

The latest inflammatory statements by Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis, one of the more controversial members of the struggling Tsipras coalition government, regarding the Novartis case and judicial investigations in…

Bloomberg: 3 major risks for Greece in 2019

Bloomberg this week sees thrice bailed-out Greece facing a difficult year in 2019, saying the recession-battered country must struggle for a viable return to markets for its borrowing, all amid…

One of 3 ‘protected’ witnesses in Novartis case comes forth, claims he was pressured by judicial officials to name politicians

A up-until-recently “protected” witness in an ongoing investigation into past practices by Novartis’ Greek subsidiary this week charged that he was pressured to name politicians as recipients of bribes, the…

Father, 52, charged in death of daughter, 29, on Corfu

Police on the Ionian island of Corfu have arrested the father of a 29-year-old woman whose body was discovered buried in a garden outside the former’s semi-rural residence this week.…

Greece’s general counsul to Venezuela found dead in Caracas hotel room

Greece’s general counsul to Venezuela was found dead in a Caracas hotel room this week, according to the local daily “El Nacional”. The first reports said the death of 55-year-old…

Wednesday, 02 January 2019

Snowfall, freezing temperatures on forecast for first week of 2019 in Greece

Another cold front, accompanied by freezing rain and snowfall in much of Greece’s mountainous and semi-mountainous regions, is forecast for this week, beginning on Thursday. Snowfall is expected in parts…

Turk FM Cavusoglu warns of risk of ‘accident’ in Aegean due to Kammenos’ comments

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu continued official Ankara’s saber-rattling into the new year this week, warning that an “accident” could have in the Aegean due to inflammatory statements by the…

Discovery of ancient Tenea among the top archaeological developments in 2018: Artsy

The discovery of the remains of ancient Tenea, near the present-day village of Chiliomodi, in southern Corinth prefecture, is one of 2018’s top 15 archaeological finds, according to the Internet…

Two inmates escape from Korydallos prison

Two inmates escaped from the greater Athens area’s Korydallos penitentiary overnight on Wednesday. The two fugitives, identified as Albanian nationals and brothers, were serving multiple theft and robbery convictions. The…

WSI study: Minimum hourly rate in Greece at a paltry 3.94€

By S. Emmanuil  [email protected] Australia and Luxembourg offer the highest minimum hourly wages, worldwide, according to the German think tank Wirtschafts-und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut (WSI), with Greece, however, dropping behind the…

Monday, 31 December 2018

Reports: One of 3 anonymous witnesses in Novartis investigation prevented from travelling abroad; charged in case

A former Greek health ministry adviser was prevented from leaving the country on Sunday evening after anti-corruption prosecutors cited evidence of his involvement in possible bribe-taking, the latest twist in…

Tsipras adamant he’ll stay in office until very last day; confident over passage of Prespa accord

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday again dismissed any possibility of holding snap elections next year, reiterating that he intends to stay in office to the very last day,…

Acropolis under a full moon among National Geographic’s most popular Instragram images

A photograph of the iconic Acropolis in central Athens posted by National Geographic on its Instragram account has already received more than 1.2 million “likes”. The image shows the eponymous…

Trio arrested on migrant smuggling charges after truck stopped

Migrant traffickers attempting to take advantage of the New Year’s holidays were thwarted by police in the northern city of Thesslaoniki in the early morning hours of Monday, with three…

Deadline for payment of road fees moved to Jan. 11

The finance ministry on Monday, the last day of 2018, announced an extension of the deadline for vehicle owners in Greece to pay annual road fees. The deadline was moved…