Israel and Greece have signed their biggest ever defence procurement deal, which Israel said on Sunday would strengthen political and economic ties between the countries and the two countries` air forces launched a joint exercise.

The agreement includes a $1.65 billion contract for the establishment and operation of a training centre for the Hellenic Air Force by Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems over a 22-year period, Israel`s defence ministry said.

The training centre will be modeled on Israel`s own flight academy and will be equipped with 10 M-346 training aircraft produced by Italian company Leonardo, the ministry said.

Elbit will supply kits to upgrade and operate Greece`s T-6 aircraft and also provide training, simulators and logistical support.

"I am certain that (this programme) will upgrade the capabilities and strengthen the economies of Israel and Greece and thus the partnership between our two countries will deepen on the defence, economic and political levels," said Israeli defence minister Benny Gantz.

The announcement follows a meeting in Cyprus on Friday between the UAE, Greek, Cypriot and Israeli foreign ministers, who agreed to deepen cooperation between their countries.

The Israeli and Greek air forces launched a joint exercise in Greece, the Israeli military said.

In at least one past exercise over Greece, Israeli fighter planes practiced against an S-300 posted on Crete.&nbsp; 
The Russian-made air defence system is also deployed in Syria and Iran, Israel’s foes. An Israeli military spokesman did not immediately respond to a Reuters query on whether the air force had again trained against the Greek S-300 in the latest exercise.

Israel and Greece have signed their biggest ever defence procurement deal, which Israel said on Sunday would strengthen political and economic ties between the countries and the two countries` air forces launched a joint exercise.

Israel and Greece have signed their biggest ever defence procurement deal, which Israel said on Sunday would strengthen political and economic ties between the countries and the two countries` air forces launched a joint exercise. The agreement includes a $1.65 billion contract for the establishment and operation of a training centre for the Hellenic Air Force by Israeli defence contractor Elbit Systems over a 22-year period, Israel`s defence ministry said. The training centre will be modeled on Israel`s own flight academy and will be equipped with 10 M-346 training aircraft produced by Italian company Leonardo, the ministry said. Elbit will supply kits to upgrade and operate Greece`s T-6 aircraft and also provide training, simulators and logistical support. "I am certain that (this programme) will upgrade the capabilities and strengthen the economies of Israel and Greece and thus the partnership between our two countries will deepen on the defence, economic and political levels," said Israeli defence minister Benny Gantz. The announcement follows a meeting in Cyprus on Friday between the UAE, Greek, Cypriot and Israeli foreign ministers, who agreed to deepen cooperation between their countries. The Israeli and Greek air forces launched a joint exercise in Greece, the Israeli military said. In at least one past exercise over Greece, Israeli fighter planes practiced against an S-300 posted on Crete. The Russian-made air defence system is also deployed in Syria and Iran, Israel’s foes. An Israeli military spokesman did not immediately respond to a Reuters query on whether the air force had again trained against the Greek S-300 in the latest exercise.

Israel and Greece sign record defence deal

The foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey traded barbs openly during a joint press conference in Ankara. Both clashed on a wide range of issues that underscored the trouble the two historic rivals will have at mending their broken ties.

Greece, Turkey Foreign Ministers clash during a joint press conference

Greece in Friday accused Turkey of trying to "provoke an escalation" in the Aegean. It alleged that Turkey was trying "dangerous" manoeuvres and assistance to migrants that was illegal.

"This morning the Hellenic Coastguard reported multiple incidents of the Turkish Coastguard and Navy accompanying flimsy migrant boats to the border of Europe in an effort to provoke an escalation with Greece," the migration ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, Greek coastguard announced that its patrol boat near Lesbos island had been "harassed" by a Turkish vessels with "dangerous manoeuvres".

It released a video allegedly showing a Turkish coastguard vessel speeding closely past the Greek vessel and rocking it with waves.

The Greek coastguard added that in two incidents, Turkish patrol boats had allegedly tried to assist migrant dinghies in entering Greek waters.

In one of the alleged incidents, two Turkish patrol boats "tried to push" a migrant dinghy into Greek waters, the Greek coastguard said.&nbsp;

Athens wants Ankara to better police migration routes and take back hundreds of asylum seekers found ineligible for refugee protection.

It has repeatedly asked Turkey to take back nearly 1,500 migrants whose asylum requests have been rejected.

(With agency inputs)

Greece in Friday accused Turkey of trying to "provoke an escalation" in the Aegean. It alleged that Turkey was trying "dangerous" manoeuvres and assistance to migrants that was illegal.

Greece in Friday accused Turkey of trying to "provoke an escalation" in the Aegean. It alleged that Turkey was trying "dangerous" manoeuvres and assistance to migrants that was illegal. "This morning the Hellenic Coastguard reported multiple incidents of the Turkish Coastguard and Navy accompanying flimsy migrant boats to the border of Europe in an effort to provoke an escalation with Greece," the migration ministry said in a statement. Earlier, Greek coastguard announced that its patrol boat near Lesbos island had been "harassed" by a Turkish vessels with "dangerous manoeuvres". It released a video allegedly showing a Turkish coastguard vessel speeding closely past the Greek vessel and rocking it with waves. The Greek coastguard added that in two incidents, Turkish patrol boats had allegedly tried to assist migrant dinghies in entering Greek waters. In one of the alleged incidents, two Turkish patrol boats "tried to push" a migrant dinghy into Greek waters, the Greek coastguard said. Athens wants Ankara to better police migration routes and take back hundreds of asylum seekers found ineligible for refugee protection. It has repeatedly asked Turkey to take back nearly 1,500 migrants whose asylum requests have been rejected. (With agency inputs)

Greece accuses Turkey of 'provocations' in the Aegean

Hadija Haruna-Oelker, a Black journalist, has just produced the German translation of Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb,” the poem about a “skinny Black girl” that for many people was the highlight of President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

So has Kübra Gümüsay, a German writer of Turkish descent.

As has Uda Strätling, a translator, who is white.

Literary translation is usually a solitary pursuit, but German publisher Hoffmann und Campe went for a team of writers to ensure the translation of Gorman’s poem — just 710 words — wasn’t just true to Gorman’s voice. The trio was also asked to make its political and social significance clear and to avoid anything that might exclude people of color, people with disabilities, women or other marginalized groups.

“It was a gamble,” Strätling said of the collaborative approach.

For nearly two weeks, the team debated word choices, occasionally emailing Gorman for clarifications. But as they worked, an argument was brewing elsewhere in Europe about who has the right to translate the poet’s work.

“This whole debate started,” Gümüsay said, with a sigh.

It began in February when Meulenhoff, a publisher in the Netherlands, said it had asked Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, a writer whose debut novel won last year’s Booker International Prize, to translate Gorman’s poem into Dutch.

Rijneveld was the “ideal candidate,” Meulenhoff said in a statement. But many social media users disagreed, asking why a white writer had been chosen when Gorman’s reading at the inauguration had been a significant cultural moment for Black people.

Three days later, Rijneveld quit. (Rijneveld declined an interview request for this article.)

In March, the debate reignited after Victor Obiols, another white translator, was dropped by the Catalan publisher Univers. Obiols said he was told his profile “was not suitable for the project.” (A Univers spokeswoman declined to comment.)

Literary figures and newspaper columnists across Europe have been arguing for weeks about what these decisions mean, turning Gorman’s poem into the latest flash point in debates about identity politics across the continent. The discussion has shone a light on the often unexamined world of literary translation and its lack of racial diversity.

“I can’t recall a translation controversy ever taking the world by storm like this,” Aaron Robertson, a Black Italian-to-English translator, said in a phone interview.

“This feels something of a watershed moment,” he added.

On Monday, the American Literary Translators Association waded into the furor. “The question of whether identity should be the deciding factor in who is allowed to translate whom is a false framing of the issues at play,” it said in a statement published on its website.

The real problem underlying the controversy was “the scarcity of Black translators,” it added. Last year, the association carried out a diversity survey. Only 2% of the 362 translators who responded were Black, a spokeswoman for the association said in an email.

In a video interview, the members of the German team said they, too, felt the debate had missed the point. “People are asking questions like, ‘Does color give you the right to translate?’” Haruna-Oelker said. “This is not about color.”

She added: “It’s about quality, it’s about the skills you have, and about perspectives.” Each member of the German team brought different things to the group, she said.

The team spent a long time discussing how to translate the word “skinny,” without conjuring images of an overly thin woman, Gümüsay said, and they debated how to bring a sense of the poem’s gender-inclusive language into German, in which many objects — and all people — are either masculine or feminine. “You’re constantly moving back and forth between the politics and the composition,” Strätling said.

“To me it felt like dancing,” Gümüsay said of the process. Haruna-Oelker added that the team tried hard to find words “which don’t hurt anyone.”

But whereas the German translators were happy to engage with the identity politics, others expressed frustration at the translator departures and their implications. Nuria Barrios, the translator of the poem’s Spanish edition, who is white, wrote in the newspaper El País that Rijneveld's stepping down from the project was “a catastrophe.”

“It is the victory of identity politics over creative freedom,” she wrote, adding: “To remove imagination from translation is to subject the craft to a lobotomy.”

Some Black academics and translators have also expressed concern. “There is a tacit idea that we are supposed to be especially concerned about the ‘appropriateness’ of a translator’s identity in the particular case of blackness,” John McWhorter, a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, said in an email.

Other differences between writers and their translators — such as wealth levels, or political views — were not sparking concern, McWhorter added. “Instead, our sense of ‘diversity’ is narrower than that word implies: It’s only about skin color,” he said.

Couching the discussion in terms of appropriateness was “really ridiculous,” said Janice Deul, a Black Dutch journalist and activist who on Feb. 25 wrote an opinion piece for De Volkskrant, a Dutch newspaper, calling Rijneveld’s appointment “incomprehensible.” The following day, Rijneveld resigned.

“This is not about who can translate, it’s about who gets opportunities to translate,” Deul said. She listed 10 Black Dutch spoken-word artists who could have done the job in her article but said all of them had been overlooked.

The one opinion missing in all of this is, of course, Gorman’s. Viking is releasing “The Hill We Climb” in the United States on Tuesday. Apple TV Plus on Friday began streaming her interview with Oprah Winfrey, but she has not commented on the debate her work has spurred. Her spokeswoman didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Gorman, or her agent, Writers House, which represents the translation rights, appeared to have influence on who was selected. Aylin LaMorey-Salzmann, the editor of the German edition of “The Hill We Climb,” said that the rights owner had to agree to the choice, which had to be someone of similar profile to Gorman.

Irene Christopoulou, an editor at Psichogios, the poem’s Greek publisher, was still waiting for approval for its choice of translator. The translator was a white “emerging female poet,” Christopoulou said in an email. “Due to the racial profile of the Greek population, there are no translators/poets of color to choose from,” she added.

A spokeswoman for Tammi, the poem’s Finnish publisher, said in an email that “The negotiations are still going on with the agent and Amanda Gorman herself.”

Several European publishers named Black musicians as their translators. Timbuktu, a rapper, has completed a Swedish version, and Marie-Pierra Kakoma, a singer better known as Lous and the Yakuza, has translated the French edition, which will be published by Editions Fayard in May.

“I thought Lous’ writing skills, her sense of rhythm, her connection with spoken poetry would be tremendous assets,” Sophie de Closets, a publisher at Fayard, said in an email explaining why she chose a pop star.

Issues of identity “should definitely be considered” when hiring translators, de Closets added, but that went beyond race. “It is the publisher’s responsibility to look for the ideal combination between one given work and the person who will translate it,” she said.

Haruna-Oelker, one of the German translators, said one disappointing outcome of the debate in Europe was it had diverted attention from the message of Gorman’s poem. “The Hill We Climb” spoke about bringing people together, Haruna-Oelker said, just as the German publisher had done by assembling a team.

“We’ve tried a beautiful experiment here, and this is where the future lies,” Gümüsay said. “The future lies in trying to find new forms of collaboration, trying to bring together more voices, more sets of eyes, more perspectives to create something new.”

Hadija Haruna-Oelker, a Black journalist, has just produced the German translation of Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb,” the poem about a “skinny Black girl” that for many people was the highlight of President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Hadija Haruna-Oelker, a Black journalist, has just produced the German translation of Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb,” the poem about a “skinny Black girl” that for many people was the highlight of President Joe Biden’s inauguration. So has Kübra Gümüsay, a German writer of Turkish descent. As has Uda Strätling, a translator, who is white. Literary translation is usually a solitary pursuit, but German publisher Hoffmann und Campe went for a team of writers to ensure the translation of Gorman’s poem — just 710 words — wasn’t just true to Gorman’s voice. The trio was also asked to make its political and social significance clear and to avoid anything that might exclude people of color, people with disabilities, women or other marginalized groups. “It was a gamble,” Strätling said of the collaborative approach. For nearly two weeks, the team debated word choices, occasionally emailing Gorman for clarifications. But as they worked, an argument was brewing elsewhere in Europe about who has the right to translate the poet’s work. “This whole debate started,” Gümüsay said, with a sigh. It began in February when Meulenhoff, a publisher in the Netherlands, said it had asked Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, a writer whose debut novel won last year’s Booker International Prize, to translate Gorman’s poem into Dutch. Rijneveld was the “ideal candidate,” Meulenhoff said in a statement. But many social media users disagreed, asking why a white writer had been chosen when Gorman’s reading at the inauguration had been a significant cultural moment for Black people. Three days later, Rijneveld quit. (Rijneveld declined an interview request for this article.) In March, the debate reignited after Victor Obiols, another white translator, was dropped by the Catalan publisher Univers. Obiols said he was told his profile “was not suitable for the project.” (A Univers spokeswoman declined to comment.) Literary figures and newspaper columnists across Europe have been arguing for weeks about what these decisions mean, turning Gorman’s poem into the latest flash point in debates about identity politics across the continent. The discussion has shone a light on the often unexamined world of literary translation and its lack of racial diversity. “I can’t recall a translation controversy ever taking the world by storm like this,” Aaron Robertson, a Black Italian-to-English translator, said in a phone interview. “This feels something of a watershed moment,” he added. On Monday, the American Literary Translators Association waded into the furor. “The question of whether identity should be the deciding factor in who is allowed to translate whom is a false framing of the issues at play,” it said in a statement published on its website. The real problem underlying the controversy was “the scarcity of Black translators,” it added. Last year, the association carried out a diversity survey. Only 2% of the 362 translators who responded were Black, a spokeswoman for the association said in an email. In a video interview, the members of the German team said they, too, felt the debate had missed the point. “People are asking questions like, ‘Does color give you the right to translate?’” Haruna-Oelker said. “This is not about color.” She added: “It’s about quality, it’s about the skills you have, and about perspectives.” Each member of the German team brought different things to the group, she said. The team spent a long time discussing how to translate the word “skinny,” without conjuring images of an overly thin woman, Gümüsay said, and they debated how to bring a sense of the poem’s gender-inclusive language into German, in which many objects — and all people — are either masculine or feminine. “You’re constantly moving back and forth between the politics and the composition,” Strätling said. “To me it felt like dancing,” Gümüsay said of the process. Haruna-Oelker added that the team tried hard to find words “which don’t hurt anyone.” But whereas the German translators were happy to engage with the identity politics, others expressed frustration at the translator departures and their implications. Nuria Barrios, the translator of the poem’s Spanish edition, who is white, wrote in the newspaper El País that Rijneveld's stepping down from the project was “a catastrophe.” “It is the victory of identity politics over creative freedom,” she wrote, adding: “To remove imagination from translation is to subject the craft to a lobotomy.” Some Black academics and translators have also expressed concern. “There is a tacit idea that we are supposed to be especially concerned about the ‘appropriateness’ of a translator’s identity in the particular case of blackness,” John McWhorter, a professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, said in an email. Other differences between writers and their translators — such as wealth levels, or political views — were not sparking concern, McWhorter added. “Instead, our sense of ‘diversity’ is narrower than that word implies: It’s only about skin color,” he said. Couching the discussion in terms of appropriateness was “really ridiculous,” said Janice Deul, a Black Dutch journalist and activist who on Feb. 25 wrote an opinion piece for De Volkskrant, a Dutch newspaper, calling Rijneveld’s appointment “incomprehensible.” The following day, Rijneveld resigned. “This is not about who can translate, it’s about who gets opportunities to translate,” Deul said. She listed 10 Black Dutch spoken-word artists who could have done the job in her article but said all of them had been overlooked. The one opinion missing in all of this is, of course, Gorman’s. Viking is releasing “The Hill We Climb” in the United States on Tuesday. Apple TV Plus on Friday began streaming her interview with Oprah Winfrey, but she has not commented on the debate her work has spurred. Her spokeswoman didn’t respond to requests for comment. Gorman, or her agent, Writers House, which represents the translation rights, appeared to have influence on who was selected. Aylin LaMorey-Salzmann, the editor of the German edition of “The Hill We Climb,” said that the rights owner had to agree to the choice, which had to be someone of similar profile to Gorman. Irene Christopoulou, an editor at Psichogios, the poem’s Greek publisher, was still waiting for approval for its choice of translator. The translator was a white “emerging female poet,” Christopoulou said in an email. “Due to the racial profile of the Greek population, there are no translators/poets of color to choose from,” she added. A spokeswoman for Tammi, the poem’s Finnish publisher, said in an email that “The negotiations are still going on with the agent and Amanda Gorman herself.” Several European publishers named Black musicians as their translators. Timbuktu, a rapper, has completed a Swedish version, and Marie-Pierra Kakoma, a singer better known as Lous and the Yakuza, has translated the French edition, which will be published by Editions Fayard in May. “I thought Lous’ writing skills, her sense of rhythm, her connection with spoken poetry would be tremendous assets,” Sophie de Closets, a publisher at Fayard, said in an email explaining why she chose a pop star. Issues of identity “should definitely be considered” when hiring translators, de Closets added, but that went beyond race. “It is the publisher’s responsibility to look for the ideal combination between one given work and the person who will translate it,” she said. Haruna-Oelker, one of the German translators, said one disappointing outcome of the debate in Europe was it had diverted attention from the message of Gorman’s poem. “The Hill We Climb” spoke about bringing people together, Haruna-Oelker said, just as the German publisher had done by assembling a team. “We’ve tried a beautiful experiment here, and this is where the future lies,” Gümüsay said. “The future lies in trying to find new forms of collaboration, trying to bring together more voices, more sets of eyes, more perspectives to create something new.”

Amanda Gorman’s poetry united critics; it’s dividing translators

Greece has kicked off a two-day celebration to mark 200 years of its independence. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the celebrations have been limited.

Greece marks 200 years of independence

The peristyle of Greece's parliament was adorned with a symbolic tapestry donated by France on Monday (March 22) in honour of the country's bicentennial Independence Day celebrations.

France lends tapestry to Greece in honour of bicentenary Independence Day anniversary

Two Afghan youths have been sentenced to five-years-jail for setting Europe's largest camp on fire on the island of Lesbos in Greece, lawyers said on Wednesday.

About 13,000 people including pregnant women, the elderly, and young children were left without any shelter in two successive fires in September that destroyed the Moria camp.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/qatar-inhumane-conditions-of-migrant-workers-6500-migrant-workers-have-died-365912/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The camp was poorly kept for years, but its destruction caused the migrants to sleep on the streets for days until another tent camp could be installed.&nbsp;

Legal Centre Lesvos, a civil organisation that gives legal services to migrants and represented the two Afghans said there had been a "lack of credible evidence" put forward and they would appeal against the verdict.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/refugee-who-set-herself-on-fire-in-greece-is-charged-with-arson-366422">Refugee who set herself on fire in Greece is charged with arson</a>

"While we are disappointed with today’s result, things could have been much worse for the two young men," the organisation in a statement said, as quoted by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

"The arson conviction alone could have carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison."

Meanwhile, four other youths who have also been detained for involvement in the case, are awaiting their trial.&nbsp;

Migrant camps often catch fire, accidentally often, but sometimes by refugees to protest the wretched conditions of the camp and refusal of granting asylum.&nbsp;

Two Afghan youths have been sentenced to five-years-jail for setting Europe's largest camp on fire on the island of Lesbos in Greece, lawyers said on Wednesday. About 13,000 people including pregnant women, the elderly, and young children were left without any shelter in two successive fires in September that destroyed the Moria camp.

Two Afghan youths have been sentenced to five-years-jail for setting Europe's largest camp on fire on the island of Lesbos in Greece, lawyers said on Wednesday. About 13,000 people including pregnant women, the elderly, and young children were left without any shelter in two successive fires in September that destroyed the Moria camp. Watch | The camp was poorly kept for years, but its destruction caused the migrants to sleep on the streets for days until another tent camp could be installed. Legal Centre Lesvos, a civil organisation that gives legal services to migrants and represented the two Afghans said there had been a "lack of credible evidence" put forward and they would appeal against the verdict. Also read | Refugee who set herself on fire in Greece is charged with arson "While we are disappointed with today’s result, things could have been much worse for the two young men," the organisation in a statement said, as quoted by news agency AFP. "The arson conviction alone could have carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison." Meanwhile, four other youths who have also been detained for involvement in the case, are awaiting their trial. Migrant camps often catch fire, accidentally often, but sometimes by refugees to protest the wretched conditions of the camp and refusal of granting asylum.

Two Afghan youths jailed for fire in Greek migrant camp

Dangerous illegal lead pellets used by hunters in northern Greece have poisoned and killed close to 50 Flamingos who migrate to the area each year to breed.

Dozens of Flamingo poisoned in Greece

Authorities in Israel have cleared a Greek tanker of suspicion in relation to an oil spill that caused massive tar pollution on the Mediterranean coastline.

It was seen as Israel's worst maritime pollution incident in decades.

Powerful winds and unusually high waves pummelled Israel's entire Mediterranean coastline on February 17, with tonnes of tar staining 160 kilometres (96 miles) of beach from its borders with the Gaza Strip to Lebanon.

After an Israeli media report had named the Greek oil tanker Minerva Helen as a possible culprit, the ship's owner, Minerva Marine Inc., firmly denied any involvement.

On Sunday, the ministry said that "following an inspection conducted in Greece on the Minerva Helen tanker, it has been cleared of suspicion of involvement in the severe tar event on Israel's beaches". The ship's owner said the Israeli media report was an "unfounded an inaccurate allegation".

It stated that the ship had been in the Mediterranean in the days before the storm, "without any cargo on board" and therefore could not be linked to a spill.

The company also pledged to "cooperate with any relevant authority" interested in the Minerva Helen's movements.

On Saturday in the Greek port city of Piraeus, Israeli inspectors conducted "an extensive examination" of the Minerva Helen that "positively ruled out the vessel as the source of the pollution," the environmental protection ministry said in a statement.

The investigation was conducted in coordination with Greek authorities, with assistance from the Hellenic Coast Guard, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, there were currently "dozens" of vessels under suspicion, with Israeli inspectors, aided in some cases by international bodies, already ruling out around 10 of them.

Meanwhile, volunteers have teamed up with authorities to clean the beaches, while officials from the environmental protection ministry launched an investigation into the source of the spill.

&nbsp;

Authorities in Israel have cleared a Greek tanker of suspicion in relation to an oil spill that caused massive tar pollution on the Mediterranean coastline. It was seen as Israel's worst maritime pollution incident in decades.

Authorities in Israel have cleared a Greek tanker of suspicion in relation to an oil spill that caused massive tar pollution on the Mediterranean coastline. It was seen as Israel's worst maritime pollution incident in decades. Powerful winds and unusually high waves pummelled Israel's entire Mediterranean coastline on February 17, with tonnes of tar staining 160 kilometres (96 miles) of beach from its borders with the Gaza Strip to Lebanon. After an Israeli media report had named the Greek oil tanker Minerva Helen as a possible culprit, the ship's owner, Minerva Marine Inc., firmly denied any involvement. On Sunday, the ministry said that "following an inspection conducted in Greece on the Minerva Helen tanker, it has been cleared of suspicion of involvement in the severe tar event on Israel's beaches". The ship's owner said the Israeli media report was an "unfounded an inaccurate allegation". It stated that the ship had been in the Mediterranean in the days before the storm, "without any cargo on board" and therefore could not be linked to a spill. The company also pledged to "cooperate with any relevant authority" interested in the Minerva Helen's movements. On Saturday in the Greek port city of Piraeus, Israeli inspectors conducted "an extensive examination" of the Minerva Helen that "positively ruled out the vessel as the source of the pollution," the environmental protection ministry said in a statement. The investigation was conducted in coordination with Greek authorities, with assistance from the Hellenic Coast Guard, the ministry said. According to the ministry, there were currently "dozens" of vessels under suspicion, with Israeli inspectors, aided in some cases by international bodies, already ruling out around 10 of them. Meanwhile, volunteers have teamed up with authorities to clean the beaches, while officials from the environmental protection ministry launched an investigation into the source of the spill.

Israel clears Greek tanker of suspicion over Mediterranean oil spill

An Afghan woman is facing arson charges after trying to burn herself to death at a migrants camp on the Greek island of Lesbos this week, officials said Thursday.

The charges are the latest in a series of punishments directed at refugees and asylum-seekers on the island, rights groups say, and reflect the Greek government’s hard line on migrants. The episode is also a stark example of the effect that the dire conditions at Greek reception centers have on refugees’ mental health.

The woman, a 27-year-old who is eight months pregnant, lives at a temporary camp with her husband and three children. She set her tent alight Sunday after being told that her family’s planned relocation to Germany was being postponed, a Greek migration ministry official said, noting that her journey had been delayed because of the advanced state of her pregnancy.

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/qatar-inhumane-conditions-of-migrant-workers-6500-migrant-workers-have-died-365912/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

“She tried to commit suicide by setting fire to her tent and sitting inside it,” a Lesbos fire service official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

The woman was hospitalized with non-life-threatening burns after neighbors dragged her from the burning tent, the officer said, adding that no one else was injured.

Thousands of people are living in desperate conditions at Greece’s camps for refugees and migrants dotted along its islands, a situation that human rights groups consistently denounce as inhumane. Groups have long warned of a growing mental health crisis there as the thousands who fled war and economic hardship remain in limbo.

Although the number of migrants crossing the Aegean by boat from Turkey to the Greek islands has dropped sharply this year — by more than 90% in January, according to authorities — the camps remain crowded. Dozens of facilities on the mainland have been closed as part of a government policy to discourage further arrivals.

And although the processing of asylum claims has been accelerated since last year, a significant backlog remains.

In the case of the woman on Lesbos, her asylum application had been approved and refugee status granted, and her desperate act appeared to have been prompted by the delay in her relocation to Germany. The makeshift camp, like other facilities nationwide, remains locked down because of the pandemic.

The woman, whose name was not released by authorities, arrived in Greece in 2019 and had been living in a camp on the island for more than a year, according to the migration ministry. She was due to give a statement to a court official and the prosecutor from her hospital bed Thursday, officials said.

A spokesman for Greek police said that although her treatment may appear harsh, her actions could not go unpunished, because instances of arson are frequent and put other camp residents at risk.

“The law has to be enforced. A message has to be sent,” said the spokesman, Theodoros Chronopoulos. “This could have created a larger fire.”

The incident occurred inside a temporary camp that was set up after a series of fires destroyed the sprawling Moria camp in September. Six Afghan migrants were charged with arson in connection with that fire and are awaiting trial.

Eva Cossé, a Western Europe researcher for Human Rights Watch, said it was hard to overstate the toll that such conditions take on people in the camps.

“The psychological impact of years of conflict, exacerbated by harsh conditions on the Greek islands and the uncertainty of inhumane policies, may not be as visible as physical wounds,” she said. “But as this case shows, it is no less life-threatening.

“The impulse to prosecute her rather than help her,” Cossé added, “is not only emblematic of what is wrong with Europe’s approach to migration, but it also shows Greece’s lack of compassion and humanity.”

In recent months, rights groups have denounced Greek authorities’ increasingly tough actions regarding migrants. In November, an Afghan man was charged with endangering the life of his son after the 6-year-old drowned off the coast of another Aegean island when their boat traveling from Turkey capsized. The man has since been granted asylum but is still awaiting trial, according to his lawyer.

Last week, Notis Mitarachi, Greece’s migration minister, said authorities were pressing forward with efforts to accelerate asylum applications and the return of migrants to Turkey in a bid to ease overcrowding in camps and discourage further arrivals.

He noted that the number of asylum-seekers at facilities nationwide had dropped to just over 60,000 from nearly 100,000 early last year, while 57 facilities on the mainland have been closed entirely.

“We are continuing with the implementation of a tough but fair migration policy so that our country is no longer a gateway to Europe for illegal smuggling rackets,” he said.

 
&nbsp;

An Afghan woman is facing arson charges after trying to burn herself to death at a migrants camp on the Greek island of Lesbos this week, officials said Thursday.

An Afghan woman is facing arson charges after trying to burn herself to death at a migrants camp on the Greek island of Lesbos this week, officials said Thursday. The charges are the latest in a series of punishments directed at refugees and asylum-seekers on the island, rights groups say, and reflect the Greek government’s hard line on migrants. The episode is also a stark example of the effect that the dire conditions at Greek reception centers have on refugees’ mental health. The woman, a 27-year-old who is eight months pregnant, lives at a temporary camp with her husband and three children. She set her tent alight Sunday after being told that her family’s planned relocation to Germany was being postponed, a Greek migration ministry official said, noting that her journey had been delayed because of the advanced state of her pregnancy. Watch | “She tried to commit suicide by setting fire to her tent and sitting inside it,” a Lesbos fire service official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The woman was hospitalized with non-life-threatening burns after neighbors dragged her from the burning tent, the officer said, adding that no one else was injured. Thousands of people are living in desperate conditions at Greece’s camps for refugees and migrants dotted along its islands, a situation that human rights groups consistently denounce as inhumane. Groups have long warned of a growing mental health crisis there as the thousands who fled war and economic hardship remain in limbo. Although the number of migrants crossing the Aegean by boat from Turkey to the Greek islands has dropped sharply this year — by more than 90% in January, according to authorities — the camps remain crowded. Dozens of facilities on the mainland have been closed as part of a government policy to discourage further arrivals. And although the processing of asylum claims has been accelerated since last year, a significant backlog remains. In the case of the woman on Lesbos, her asylum application had been approved and refugee status granted, and her desperate act appeared to have been prompted by the delay in her relocation to Germany. The makeshift camp, like other facilities nationwide, remains locked down because of the pandemic. The woman, whose name was not released by authorities, arrived in Greece in 2019 and had been living in a camp on the island for more than a year, according to the migration ministry. She was due to give a statement to a court official and the prosecutor from her hospital bed Thursday, officials said. A spokesman for Greek police said that although her treatment may appear harsh, her actions could not go unpunished, because instances of arson are frequent and put other camp residents at risk. “The law has to be enforced. A message has to be sent,” said the spokesman, Theodoros Chronopoulos. “This could have created a larger fire.” The incident occurred inside a temporary camp that was set up after a series of fires destroyed the sprawling Moria camp in September. Six Afghan migrants were charged with arson in connection with that fire and are awaiting trial. Eva Cossé, a Western Europe researcher for Human Rights Watch, said it was hard to overstate the toll that such conditions take on people in the camps. “The psychological impact of years of conflict, exacerbated by harsh conditions on the Greek islands and the uncertainty of inhumane policies, may not be as visible as physical wounds,” she said. “But as this case shows, it is no less life-threatening. “The impulse to prosecute her rather than help her,” Cossé added, “is not only emblematic of what is wrong with Europe’s approach to migration, but it also shows Greece’s lack of compassion and humanity.” In recent months, rights groups have denounced Greek authorities’ increasingly tough actions regarding migrants. In November, an Afghan man was charged with endangering the life of his son after the 6-year-old drowned off the coast of another Aegean island when their boat traveling from Turkey capsized. The man has since been granted asylum but is still awaiting trial, according to his lawyer. Last week, Notis Mitarachi, Greece’s migration minister, said authorities were pressing forward with efforts to accelerate asylum applications and the return of migrants to Turkey in a bid to ease overcrowding in camps and discourage further arrivals. He noted that the number of asylum-seekers at facilities nationwide had dropped to just over 60,000 from nearly 100,000 early last year, while 57 facilities on the mainland have been closed entirely. “We are continuing with the implementation of a tough but fair migration policy so that our country is no longer a gateway to Europe for illegal smuggling rackets,” he said.

Refugee who set herself on fire in Greece is charged with arson

France will put in proposals to supply new frigates to Greece, which is building up its armed forces during a period of tension with its neighbour and NATO partner, the French defence minister said on Monday (January 25) after Greece signed a deal to purchase fighter jets from France.

Greece and France sign $3 billion fighter jet deal

An Olympic sailing champion has accused a top sporting official in Greece of sexual abuse, the country’s first high-profile accusation of sexual assault and abuse of power since the #MeToo movement swept the world in recent years, bringing down powerful figures in the media, politics and sports.

Claims by Sofia Bekatorou, a Greek Olympic sailing champion, that she was sexually assaulted by the official 23 years ago, when she was 21, have prompted a wave of support and an unusually open debate in a country where studies suggest sexual harassment is prevalent.

And it has catapulted one of Greece’s most popular international athletes back into the public eye, this time as a champion for women’s rights.

Several other women from the field of sports and beyond have now also spoken out about alleged harassment, and the Greek Supreme Court has urged prosecutors to make responding to such claims a priority.

“It’s an extremely important moment,” said Vasiliki Petousi, a sociologist who is head of gender research at the University of Crete. “A popular, accomplished woman telling a story that can happen to any girl at any time — it’s hugely symbolic and can drive change,” she said, adding that the broader political and social climate was finally right for such a breakthrough.

Bekatorou, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and bronze four years later in Beijing, said a senior official of the country’s sailing federation sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in 1998.

“I told him no, I repeated that I didn’t want to proceed and he, with fake sweet talk, said it was nothing, making light of it,” she told an online seminar organized by the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports on Jan. 14. After the incident, Bekatorou said, she felt “dirty, exhausted, humiliated and unable to defend my rights.”

Bekatorou, who is now 43, on Wednesday sent a letter to World Sailing, the global governing body, signed by several Olympic sailing athletes and coaches, calling out a “wretched situation” in the Greek federation and asking for global officials to appoint temporary management to schedule elections for a new board.

In the letter, she also named her alleged abuser for the first time as Aristeidis Adamopoulos, a senior federation official.

Adamopoulos had already resigned from his position at the federation and stepped down from the Greek Olympic Committee this past week, saying it was to shield it from bad publicity after his name was circulated in the news media as the alleged perpetrator. The accusations were “false, defamatory and deceitful,” he said in a letter to the committee released last Saturday.

Efforts to reach Adamopoulous for comment were unsuccessful.

Bekatorou said fears of jeopardizing her Olympic dream had prevented her from speaking out about her abuse at the time. Now, as a mother of two and concerned about young athletes facing similar challenges, she said, she felt compelled to come forward, even though the alleged offense has expired under Greece’s statute of limitations.

“I hope other women and people will come out and talk so our society becomes healthier and we are not afraid,” she said after testifying before a prosecutor Wednesday.

Bekatorou first spoke publicly about her abuse in an interview for the Greek edition of the magazine Marie Claire in December, though it made relatively little impact at the time.

But Bekatorou’s account at the online forum last week prompted an outpouring of solidarity on social media under the hashtags #WithSofia and #MeToo, and her cause was embraced by several Greek politicians.

“Sofia bravely broke the chain of fear and silence,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter last Saturday. “Let’s all take that first step taken by Sofia: We talk, we condemn, we reveal.”

President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the first woman to hold that position in Greece, said Bekatorou had “dissolved a conspiracy of silence.”

Many victims do not speak out, Sakellaropoulou said Monday after meeting Bekatorou, “because they know that in the best-case scenario they will face pity or mistrust and in the worst case contempt, derision, even social stigma.”

While incidents are rarely reported, studies suggest that sexual harassment in Greek workplaces is common. A poll of 1,001 women last July by the charity ActionAid found that 9 in 10 had suffered unwanted advances at their workplace, with 1 in 10 saying that they had been victims of sexual assault. Accounts of such abuses have long swirled in Greek sports, politics and the media but are only now being documented.

Greece has made some strides in legislation for women’s rights over the years. In 2010, it adopted a law against gender-based discrimination in employment that makes sexual harassment a felony carrying a maximum three-year prison term. However, the country lags its European Union counterparts in promoting gender equality, and the harassment of women in male-dominated sectors is often brushed under the carpet.

“For decades, sexual harassment was seen as taboo, society refused to acknowledge a social reality,” Maria Syrengela, Greek deputy labor minister in charge of gender equality, said in an emailed response to questions. “But in recent years, society has matured, it has taken steps forward.”

Several women have already followed Bekatorou’s example.

Among them are Mania Bikof, a retired water polo player who said she had been forced to strip to the waist so a doctor could examine a shoulder injury, and former swimming champion Rabea Iatridou, who said she had been groped by a medic. Male athletes have spoken out too, including Nikos Kaklamanakis, another sailing champion, who said that sailing federation officials threatened young athletes to stay quiet about alleged abuses.

An Olympic athlete in Cyprus has also spoken out about abuse by one of that country’s sports officials. The athlete, Andri Eleftheriou, a member of the national shooting team, said she was sexually assaulted by the official at the Commonwealth Games in 2006, where she won a gold medal, and then again at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. Eleftheriou said in a Facebook Messenger message that she reported the alleged abuse to the police in Cyprus on Wednesday after meeting with Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis.

In Greece, there have also been claims from the world of politics, where women remain underrepresented, holding only 1 in 5 seats in Parliament and two of 20 ministerial posts in the conservative government.

Zefi Dimadama, of the opposition party Movement for Change, said Thursday that she had considered leaving politics after a party official harassed her in an elevator 20 years ago.

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, was also investigating claims of sexual harassment by professors, after more than 100 complaints were lodged against a single academic over the past 30 years, according to Apostolina Tsaltampasi, a former student who is now the head of the Greek Association of Women Entrepreneurs.

Some women say they feel that the outraged response to Bekatorou’s allegations indicates that the tide is turning in Greece.

“Women were scared to seek help and felt ashamed because society would point the finger at them,” said Syrengela, the deputy minister. “Now, finally, it is embracing women and encouraging them to speak out.”

An Olympic sailing champion has accused a top sporting official in Greece of sexual abuse, the country’s first high-profile accusation of sexual assault and abuse of power since the #MeToo movement swept the world in recent years, bringing down powerful figures in the media, politics and sports.

An Olympic sailing champion has accused a top sporting official in Greece of sexual abuse, the country’s first high-profile accusation of sexual assault and abuse of power since the #MeToo movement swept the world in recent years, bringing down powerful figures in the media, politics and sports. Claims by Sofia Bekatorou, a Greek Olympic sailing champion, that she was sexually assaulted by the official 23 years ago, when she was 21, have prompted a wave of support and an unusually open debate in a country where studies suggest sexual harassment is prevalent. And it has catapulted one of Greece’s most popular international athletes back into the public eye, this time as a champion for women’s rights. Several other women from the field of sports and beyond have now also spoken out about alleged harassment, and the Greek Supreme Court has urged prosecutors to make responding to such claims a priority. “It’s an extremely important moment,” said Vasiliki Petousi, a sociologist who is head of gender research at the University of Crete. “A popular, accomplished woman telling a story that can happen to any girl at any time — it’s hugely symbolic and can drive change,” she said, adding that the broader political and social climate was finally right for such a breakthrough. Bekatorou, who won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics and bronze four years later in Beijing, said a senior official of the country’s sailing federation sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in 1998. “I told him no, I repeated that I didn’t want to proceed and he, with fake sweet talk, said it was nothing, making light of it,” she told an online seminar organized by the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports on Jan. 14. After the incident, Bekatorou said, she felt “dirty, exhausted, humiliated and unable to defend my rights.” Bekatorou, who is now 43, on Wednesday sent a letter to World Sailing, the global governing body, signed by several Olympic sailing athletes and coaches, calling out a “wretched situation” in the Greek federation and asking for global officials to appoint temporary management to schedule elections for a new board. In the letter, she also named her alleged abuser for the first time as Aristeidis Adamopoulos, a senior federation official. Adamopoulos had already resigned from his position at the federation and stepped down from the Greek Olympic Committee this past week, saying it was to shield it from bad publicity after his name was circulated in the news media as the alleged perpetrator. The accusations were “false, defamatory and deceitful,” he said in a letter to the committee released last Saturday. Efforts to reach Adamopoulous for comment were unsuccessful. Bekatorou said fears of jeopardizing her Olympic dream had prevented her from speaking out about her abuse at the time. Now, as a mother of two and concerned about young athletes facing similar challenges, she said, she felt compelled to come forward, even though the alleged offense has expired under Greece’s statute of limitations. “I hope other women and people will come out and talk so our society becomes healthier and we are not afraid,” she said after testifying before a prosecutor Wednesday. Bekatorou first spoke publicly about her abuse in an interview for the Greek edition of the magazine Marie Claire in December, though it made relatively little impact at the time. But Bekatorou’s account at the online forum last week prompted an outpouring of solidarity on social media under the hashtags #WithSofia and #MeToo, and her cause was embraced by several Greek politicians. “Sofia bravely broke the chain of fear and silence,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter last Saturday. “Let’s all take that first step taken by Sofia: We talk, we condemn, we reveal.” President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the first woman to hold that position in Greece, said Bekatorou had “dissolved a conspiracy of silence.” Many victims do not speak out, Sakellaropoulou said Monday after meeting Bekatorou, “because they know that in the best-case scenario they will face pity or mistrust and in the worst case contempt, derision, even social stigma.” While incidents are rarely reported, studies suggest that sexual harassment in Greek workplaces is common. A poll of 1,001 women last July by the charity ActionAid found that 9 in 10 had suffered unwanted advances at their workplace, with 1 in 10 saying that they had been victims of sexual assault. Accounts of such abuses have long swirled in Greek sports, politics and the media but are only now being documented. Greece has made some strides in legislation for women’s rights over the years. In 2010, it adopted a law against gender-based discrimination in employment that makes sexual harassment a felony carrying a maximum three-year prison term. However, the country lags its European Union counterparts in promoting gender equality, and the harassment of women in male-dominated sectors is often brushed under the carpet. “For decades, sexual harassment was seen as taboo, society refused to acknowledge a social reality,” Maria Syrengela, Greek deputy labor minister in charge of gender equality, said in an emailed response to questions. “But in recent years, society has matured, it has taken steps forward.” Several women have already followed Bekatorou’s example. Among them are Mania Bikof, a retired water polo player who said she had been forced to strip to the waist so a doctor could examine a shoulder injury, and former swimming champion Rabea Iatridou, who said she had been groped by a medic. Male athletes have spoken out too, including Nikos Kaklamanakis, another sailing champion, who said that sailing federation officials threatened young athletes to stay quiet about alleged abuses. An Olympic athlete in Cyprus has also spoken out about abuse by one of that country’s sports officials. The athlete, Andri Eleftheriou, a member of the national shooting team, said she was sexually assaulted by the official at the Commonwealth Games in 2006, where she won a gold medal, and then again at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. Eleftheriou said in a Facebook Messenger message that she reported the alleged abuse to the police in Cyprus on Wednesday after meeting with Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis. In Greece, there have also been claims from the world of politics, where women remain underrepresented, holding only 1 in 5 seats in Parliament and two of 20 ministerial posts in the conservative government. Zefi Dimadama, of the opposition party Movement for Change, said Thursday that she had considered leaving politics after a party official harassed her in an elevator 20 years ago. Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, was also investigating claims of sexual harassment by professors, after more than 100 complaints were lodged against a single academic over the past 30 years, according to Apostolina Tsaltampasi, a former student who is now the head of the Greek Association of Women Entrepreneurs. Some women say they feel that the outraged response to Bekatorou’s allegations indicates that the tide is turning in Greece. “Women were scared to seek help and felt ashamed because society would point the finger at them,” said Syrengela, the deputy minister. “Now, finally, it is embracing women and encouraging them to speak out.”

Abuse accusation by Greek Olympian ends nation’s silence

This is the season of being merry and Athens has finally received its Christmas gift as the&nbsp;first official mosque got permission to reopen for the holiday season.&nbsp;

The Greek capital's first official mosque was forced to close down within days of its&nbsp;inauguration in November.&nbsp; However, as Greece relaxed its nationwide lockdown — which was imposed to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus — the Muslim community was allowed to return to the mosque.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/locked-down-athens-is-lit-up-for-the-holidays-without-fanfare-349982">WATCH|</a>

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As the holiday season came closer, the government decided to let the faithful return to their religious place, but with a cap on maximum attendees allowed. "We’ve decided, without discrimination, that every place of worship can conduct services and prayers as long as congregations are limited to 25 people," Giorgos Kalantzis, the secretary-general at the ministry of education and religious affairs told a media house.

The decision has been welcomed by the community and the&nbsp;mosque’s government-appointed imam&nbsp;Mohammed Sissi Zaki, who had been negatively affected by the sudden closure. "When we finally opened in early November it was for five days and just one Friday prayers," said Zaki. "After the lockdown this is a big, big blessing."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/orchestra-brings-festive-cheer-to-athens-352377">WATCH|</a>

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"It is with great happiness, satisfaction and relief that we can say we are here at all," the 55-year-old imam said upon reopening of the mosque.

The first official mosque has opened in Athens after years of repeated requests from the community — some of whom claim the mosques were wiped off from the country almost&nbsp;200 years following the withdrawal of Ottoman forces from the city.

This is the season of being merry and Athens has finally received its Christmas gift as the first official mosque got permission to reopen for the holiday season.

This is the season of being merry and Athens has finally received its Christmas gift as the first official mosque got permission to reopen for the holiday season. The Greek capital's first official mosque was forced to close down within days of its inauguration in November. However, as Greece relaxed its nationwide lockdown — which was imposed to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus — the Muslim community was allowed to return to the mosque. WATCH| × As the holiday season came closer, the government decided to let the faithful return to their religious place, but with a cap on maximum attendees allowed. "We’ve decided, without discrimination, that every place of worship can conduct services and prayers as long as congregations are limited to 25 people," Giorgos Kalantzis, the secretary-general at the ministry of education and religious affairs told a media house. The decision has been welcomed by the community and the mosque’s government-appointed imam Mohammed Sissi Zaki, who had been negatively affected by the sudden closure. "When we finally opened in early November it was for five days and just one Friday prayers," said Zaki. "After the lockdown this is a big, big blessing." WATCH| × "It is with great happiness, satisfaction and relief that we can say we are here at all," the 55-year-old imam said upon reopening of the mosque. The first official mosque has opened in Athens after years of repeated requests from the community — some of whom claim the mosques were wiped off from the country almost 200 years following the withdrawal of Ottoman forces from the city.

Athens' first official mosque allowed to reopen for holiday season

Scientist around the world are trying to understand the coronavirus and the way its spread in community. Chemists in Greece checking sewage to understand coronavirus outbreak.

Chemists predict COVID-19 surge in Greece

Athens annual Christmas tree lighting took place in the main square on Monday (December 14), but unlike other years, it was without ceremony - there were no marching bands, no crowds, nor famous celebrities singing carols for the event.

Locked down Athens is lit up for the holidays without fanfare

Two Greek citizens have been arrested and will be facing charges for espionage for working against Turkey on the southeastern island of Rhodes.

Out of the two suspects, one of them had been operating from a ferry from the&nbsp;Rhodes to the Greek island of Kastellorizo, just off the Turkish coast, and the second was reportedly employed at the Turkish consulate in Rhodes.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-greece-turkey-are-fighting-over-hydrocarbons-in-mediterranean-sea-320304">Why Greece, Turkey are fighting over hydrocarbons in Mediterranean Sea</a>

The two were arrested after a secret investigation that was "conducted in close cooperation with the Greek National Intelligence Service, EYP," the Greek police said in a statement.

As of now, it has been alleged that the first suspect, who was working on a ferry, was responsible for reporting the position of the Greek Navy ships and providing all other relevant and secret information about the Greek forces to the other suspect who was stationed on the islands.

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While the charges have not been proven yet, the two are being believed to have spied on Turkey consciously. Further involvements of international groups or governments has not been established yet.

The matter has also gained attention as the island of&nbsp;Kastellorizo, which is 1.2 miles off the Turkish coast, is situated in disputed waters which has been a reason of escalation of tensions between Greece and Turkey for the past few years.

Two Greek citizens have been arrested and will be facing charges for espionage for working against Turkey on the southeastern island of Rhodes. Out of the two suspects, one of them had been operating from a ferry from the Rhodes to the Greek island of Kastellorizo, just off the Turkish coast, and the second was reportedly employed at the Turkish consulate in Rhodes.

Two Greek citizens have been arrested and will be facing charges for espionage for working against Turkey on the southeastern island of Rhodes. Out of the two suspects, one of them had been operating from a ferry from the Rhodes to the Greek island of Kastellorizo, just off the Turkish coast, and the second was reportedly employed at the Turkish consulate in Rhodes. Also read| Why Greece, Turkey are fighting over hydrocarbons in Mediterranean Sea The two were arrested after a secret investigation that was "conducted in close cooperation with the Greek National Intelligence Service, EYP," the Greek police said in a statement. As of now, it has been alleged that the first suspect, who was working on a ferry, was responsible for reporting the position of the Greek Navy ships and providing all other relevant and secret information about the Greek forces to the other suspect who was stationed on the islands. × While the charges have not been proven yet, the two are being believed to have spied on Turkey consciously. Further involvements of international groups or governments has not been established yet. The matter has also gained attention as the island of Kastellorizo, which is 1.2 miles off the Turkish coast, is situated in disputed waters which has been a reason of escalation of tensions between Greece and Turkey for the past few years.

Greek citizens charged for spying on Turkey

Greece will slash quarantine time for incoming travellers and reopen churches for Christmas, a government spokesman said Friday, although coronavirus infection rates remain high.

"Up to nine people will be allowed in churches and up to 25 people in cathedrals" on Christmas Day and Epiphany, government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters.

And there was good news for some small businesses as hair salons and bookstores can also resume operation from Monday.

An ongoing coronavirus lockdown to January 7 remains in force, but the quarantine period for incoming travellers will be reduced from 10 to three days for those arriving from December 18, Petsas said.

The government added that because of major delays in parcel delivery, retail stores can&nbsp;distribute online orders through &nbsp;click-and-collect side exits until January 7, wherever possible.

"Just one person will be allowed to collect their order... we must avoid major social mobility and crowding outside stores," Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis said.

Greece has struggled to alleviate pressure on its health system amid hundreds of daily infections and scores of deaths.

Over 120,000 cases have been recorded since February -- with infections spiking after the summer -- and over 3,300 people have died of the virus.

Over 80 percent of intensive care beds nationwide are currently occupied, Petsas said Friday.

Greece will slash quarantine time for incoming travellers and reopen churches for Christmas, a government spokesman said Friday, although coronavirus infection rates remain high.

Greece will slash quarantine time for incoming travellers and reopen churches for Christmas, a government spokesman said Friday, although coronavirus infection rates remain high. "Up to nine people will be allowed in churches and up to 25 people in cathedrals" on Christmas Day and Epiphany, government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters. And there was good news for some small businesses as hair salons and bookstores can also resume operation from Monday. An ongoing coronavirus lockdown to January 7 remains in force, but the quarantine period for incoming travellers will be reduced from 10 to three days for those arriving from December 18, Petsas said. The government added that because of major delays in parcel delivery, retail stores can distribute online orders through click-and-collect side exits until January 7, wherever possible. "Just one person will be allowed to collect their order... we must avoid major social mobility and crowding outside stores," Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis said. Greece has struggled to alleviate pressure on its health system amid hundreds of daily infections and scores of deaths. Over 120,000 cases have been recorded since February -- with infections spiking after the summer -- and over 3,300 people have died of the virus. Over 80 percent of intensive care beds nationwide are currently occupied, Petsas said Friday.

Greece to shorten quarantine, open churches for Christmas

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country would not “bow down to threats and blackmail" in his disputes with Greece. This comes as European Union foreign ministers meet in Brussels to discuss the issue of sanctions over the dispute.

Prez Erdogan says, Turkey will not bow to threats

ATHENS — The coronavirus has dealt a double blow to the powerful Greek Orthodox Church, with the disease spreading through its ranks while the clergy fends off criticism that it has been stoking the pandemic.

The church’s leader, Archbishop Ieronymos, declared from the outset of the pandemic in the spring that he was committed to supporting the conservative government’s public health campaign to halt the spread of the virus. On Nov. 30, the 82-year-old archbishop left an Athens hospital after 12 days of treatment for the virus, urging Greeks to “restrict yourselves, discipline yourselves, follow the rules.”

Watch |&nbsp;

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But defiance by Orthodox hard-liners and the church’s unflinching commitment to the tradition of Holy Communion, where worshippers consume sacramental bread soaked in wine from a common spoon, appears to have undercut those good intentions. Several clergy members have even gone as far as insisting that faith in the communion sacrament can shield people from the virus.

As Greek authorities struggle to contain a second wave of the virus, some of the fiercest criticism of the church is coming from within its own ranks. One bishop, Anthimos of Alexandroupolis, condemned those who, with “criminal sermons,” have urged Greeks to ignore public health restrictions.

“We believed we were supermen. We hid the fact that we’d been infected by the virus and were led to the grave,” he wrote in an article posted online last month. “Pious Egotism Kills!” he added.

Nasos Iliopoulos, spokesman for the leftist opposition party Syriza, said, “The fact that these are the words of a bishop make it clear that the church’s response to the pandemic has been questionable.”

“Let’s not forget the existence of a conservative/religious public that often appears to deny not only the measures but the very existence of the pandemic,” Iliopoulos added, saying the state must make clear that observing the coronavirus restrictions is an obligation for all.

It is not clear to what extent places of worship have contributed to the spread of the virus in a country where 8 in 10 people say religion is an important part of their lives.

Conservative government officials have chiefly blamed overcrowding in bars and restaurants and seem loath to point the finger at the church, even though the disease has clearly spread through the ranks of the clergy in recent weeks — particularly afflicting older members who are most vulnerable to the virus.

At least six of the church’s 82 bishops in Greece have caught the virus, including 62-year-old Bishop Ioannis of Lagadas in northern Greece, who died from it Nov. 15. But the actual number of infected clerics is not known, as some have not made their illnesses public, calling it “a personal issue,” church officials said.

“Some clergy, hierarchs included, seem to act as if they believe themselves to be immune to the disease,” said George Demacopoulos, a co-director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University. “We are seeing the tragic results of this sort of thinking.”

Although Greece initially fared relatively well in coping with the pandemic, the second wave has proved tougher to curb. As of Friday, the country had 113,185 confirmed cases and 2,804 deaths, with most of the deaths recorded over the past month.

Ieronymos tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 16, two days after meeting Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis amid the country’s latest lockdown to discuss the opening of churches for Christmas. (Mitsotakis subsequently tested negative).

Other Orthodox churches in Europe have also been struck by the virus.

The Orthodox patriarch of Serbia, Irinej, 90, and the patriarch of Montenegro, Amfilohije, 82, both died from it in recent weeks. The Archbishop of Albania, Anastasios, a 91-year-old ethnic Greek, was flown in for treatment at the same Athens hospital that treated Archbishop Ieronymos last month.

Irinej had officiated at Amfilohije’s funeral in Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica, on Nov. 1. The funeral drew thousands of mourners, many of them kissing the body of the deceased cleric. Several clerics contracted the virus after that gathering.

Similar “superspreader” events appear to have fueled the transmission of the virus through the ranks of the Greek clergy, notably a dinner for the Holy Synod, the church’s governing body, in Athens and a ceremony for the patron saint of Thessaloniki in northern Greece.

Bishop Ioannis of Lagadas had been in a throng of clerics and worshippers at the saint day celebrations in late October, several weeks before his death. He was among those who claimed that the virus does not spread through Holy Communion.

A vigil for the eradication of the coronavirus at Mount Athos, a monastic community in northern Greece, also drew scores of people in a crowd last month. It followed an outbreak there in September, although monastery officials said all participants had been tested for COVID-19.

A Greek court recently cleared a bishop, Nektarios of Corfu, of violating COVID-19 health restrictions even though he urged worshippers to defy the spring lockdown and attend church.

The Holy Synod said that it was complying with health measures, including the enforcement of social distancing and the mandatory use of face masks in churches. But at the same time, it condemned a “neurotic” focus by critics on Holy Communion.

“If you don’t believe and see it as wine and bread, you are not protected,” said Giorgos Vasileiou, head of the synod’s press office. “I see it as the body of Christ, so I am.”

Several conservative lawmakers say they continue to participate in the sacrament of communion, and a government minister was recently photographed doing so.

Opinion polls, however, indicate that 7 in 10 Greeks believe that communion spreads the virus, and a new survey found that 7 in 10 described the church’s response to the pandemic as irresponsible.

Greece’s National Public Health Organization, Eody, breaks down infections by region, gender and age and conducts targeted inspections in harder-hit regions but does not systematically track the sources of outbreaks. As such, it does not release figures linking cases to church attendance, public transportation or bars among other sources.

Epidemiologists in Greece have differing opinions on the question of Holy Communion.

Eleni Yiamarellou, a government health adviser, has publicly declared that the practice poses no health risk to believers.

Another prominent epidemiologist, Athina Linou, has called on the Greek Orthodox Church to reconsider the tradition of using a single spoon, as has been done in Romania, Russia, Ukraine and the United States.

Although the messages are mixed, religious experts say the church cannot speak out against a crucial tenet of Orthodox religious practice.

“It could not show flexibility on the issue of Holy Communion,” said Apostolos Nikolaidis, professor of the sociology of religion at the University of Athens. “It would nullify itself, its nature, its very existence.”

ATHENS — The coronavirus has dealt a double blow to the powerful Greek Orthodox Church, with the disease spreading through its ranks while the clergy fends off criticism that it has been stoking the pandemic.

ATHENS — The coronavirus has dealt a double blow to the powerful Greek Orthodox Church, with the disease spreading through its ranks while the clergy fends off criticism that it has been stoking the pandemic. The church’s leader, Archbishop Ieronymos, declared from the outset of the pandemic in the spring that he was committed to supporting the conservative government’s public health campaign to halt the spread of the virus. On Nov. 30, the 82-year-old archbishop left an Athens hospital after 12 days of treatment for the virus, urging Greeks to “restrict yourselves, discipline yourselves, follow the rules.” Watch | But defiance by Orthodox hard-liners and the church’s unflinching commitment to the tradition of Holy Communion, where worshippers consume sacramental bread soaked in wine from a common spoon, appears to have undercut those good intentions. Several clergy members have even gone as far as insisting that faith in the communion sacrament can shield people from the virus. As Greek authorities struggle to contain a second wave of the virus, some of the fiercest criticism of the church is coming from within its own ranks. One bishop, Anthimos of Alexandroupolis, condemned those who, with “criminal sermons,” have urged Greeks to ignore public health restrictions. “We believed we were supermen. We hid the fact that we’d been infected by the virus and were led to the grave,” he wrote in an article posted online last month. “Pious Egotism Kills!” he added. Nasos Iliopoulos, spokesman for the leftist opposition party Syriza, said, “The fact that these are the words of a bishop make it clear that the church’s response to the pandemic has been questionable.” “Let’s not forget the existence of a conservative/religious public that often appears to deny not only the measures but the very existence of the pandemic,” Iliopoulos added, saying the state must make clear that observing the coronavirus restrictions is an obligation for all. It is not clear to what extent places of worship have contributed to the spread of the virus in a country where 8 in 10 people say religion is an important part of their lives. Conservative government officials have chiefly blamed overcrowding in bars and restaurants and seem loath to point the finger at the church, even though the disease has clearly spread through the ranks of the clergy in recent weeks — particularly afflicting older members who are most vulnerable to the virus. At least six of the church’s 82 bishops in Greece have caught the virus, including 62-year-old Bishop Ioannis of Lagadas in northern Greece, who died from it Nov. 15. But the actual number of infected clerics is not known, as some have not made their illnesses public, calling it “a personal issue,” church officials said. “Some clergy, hierarchs included, seem to act as if they believe themselves to be immune to the disease,” said George Demacopoulos, a co-director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University. “We are seeing the tragic results of this sort of thinking.” Although Greece initially fared relatively well in coping with the pandemic, the second wave has proved tougher to curb. As of Friday, the country had 113,185 confirmed cases and 2,804 deaths, with most of the deaths recorded over the past month. Ieronymos tested positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 16, two days after meeting Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis amid the country’s latest lockdown to discuss the opening of churches for Christmas. (Mitsotakis subsequently tested negative). Other Orthodox churches in Europe have also been struck by the virus. The Orthodox patriarch of Serbia, Irinej, 90, and the patriarch of Montenegro, Amfilohije, 82, both died from it in recent weeks. The Archbishop of Albania, Anastasios, a 91-year-old ethnic Greek, was flown in for treatment at the same Athens hospital that treated Archbishop Ieronymos last month. Irinej had officiated at Amfilohije’s funeral in Montenegro’s capital, Podgorica, on Nov. 1. The funeral drew thousands of mourners, many of them kissing the body of the deceased cleric. Several clerics contracted the virus after that gathering. Similar “superspreader” events appear to have fueled the transmission of the virus through the ranks of the Greek clergy, notably a dinner for the Holy Synod, the church’s governing body, in Athens and a ceremony for the patron saint of Thessaloniki in northern Greece. Bishop Ioannis of Lagadas had been in a throng of clerics and worshippers at the saint day celebrations in late October, several weeks before his death. He was among those who claimed that the virus does not spread through Holy Communion. A vigil for the eradication of the coronavirus at Mount Athos, a monastic community in northern Greece, also drew scores of people in a crowd last month. It followed an outbreak there in September, although monastery officials said all participants had been tested for COVID-19. A Greek court recently cleared a bishop, Nektarios of Corfu, of violating COVID-19 health restrictions even though he urged worshippers to defy the spring lockdown and attend church. The Holy Synod said that it was complying with health measures, including the enforcement of social distancing and the mandatory use of face masks in churches. But at the same time, it condemned a “neurotic” focus by critics on Holy Communion. “If you don’t believe and see it as wine and bread, you are not protected,” said Giorgos Vasileiou, head of the synod’s press office. “I see it as the body of Christ, so I am.” Several conservative lawmakers say they continue to participate in the sacrament of communion, and a government minister was recently photographed doing so. Opinion polls, however, indicate that 7 in 10 Greeks believe that communion spreads the virus, and a new survey found that 7 in 10 described the church’s response to the pandemic as irresponsible. Greece’s National Public Health Organization, Eody, breaks down infections by region, gender and age and conducts targeted inspections in harder-hit regions but does not systematically track the sources of outbreaks. As such, it does not release figures linking cases to church attendance, public transportation or bars among other sources. Epidemiologists in Greece have differing opinions on the question of Holy Communion. Eleni Yiamarellou, a government health adviser, has publicly declared that the practice poses no health risk to believers. Another prominent epidemiologist, Athina Linou, has called on the Greek Orthodox Church to reconsider the tradition of using a single spoon, as has been done in Romania, Russia, Ukraine and the United States. Although the messages are mixed, religious experts say the church cannot speak out against a crucial tenet of Orthodox religious practice. “It could not show flexibility on the issue of Holy Communion,” said Apostolos Nikolaidis, professor of the sociology of religion at the University of Athens. “It would nullify itself, its nature, its very existence.”

Greek Orthodox Church faces criticism as virus hits its ranks

Around 100 people were arrested Sunday in Athens at banned marches to mark the 12th anniversary of the police killing of a teenager, Greek police said.

Scores of students, trades unionists and leading politicians on the left defied a ban on gatherings of more than four people that had been imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

They were paying tribute to 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos on the 12th anniversary of his shooting death at the hands of police in the Exarchia district of the Greek capital.

The annual march has frequently been marred by violence in the past.

On Sunday, city centre metro stations were shut and police deployed heavily in the Exarchia district as surveillance drones flew overhead.

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Police broke up a similar demonstration in front of the Greek parliament on Friday.

The officer who killed Grigoropoulos was convicted of homicide and given a life sentence, but then released in 2019, a decision that the dead teenager's family are appealing in the courts.

The country erupted at the time of his killing with students, left-wing activists and others taking part in increasingly large protests that were also marked by vandalism and looting.

The conservative government has extended anti-Covid lockdown rules to December 14, a decision the leftwing opposition has criticised as a cover for imposing increasingly heavy-handed security measures.

A November 17 demonstration commemorating the 1973 uprising against the colonels' junta was violently broken up.

On November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, five activists were arrested for unfurling a banner in outside parliament.

Around 100 people were arrested Sunday in Athens at banned marches to mark the 12th anniversary of the police killing of a teenager, Greek police said. Scores of students, trades unionists and leading politicians on the left defied a ban on gatherings of more than four people that had been imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Around 100 people were arrested Sunday in Athens at banned marches to mark the 12th anniversary of the police killing of a teenager, Greek police said. Scores of students, trades unionists and leading politicians on the left defied a ban on gatherings of more than four people that had been imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. They were paying tribute to 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos on the 12th anniversary of his shooting death at the hands of police in the Exarchia district of the Greek capital. The annual march has frequently been marred by violence in the past. On Sunday, city centre metro stations were shut and police deployed heavily in the Exarchia district as surveillance drones flew overhead. × Police broke up a similar demonstration in front of the Greek parliament on Friday. The officer who killed Grigoropoulos was convicted of homicide and given a life sentence, but then released in 2019, a decision that the dead teenager's family are appealing in the courts. The country erupted at the time of his killing with students, left-wing activists and others taking part in increasingly large protests that were also marked by vandalism and looting. The conservative government has extended anti-Covid lockdown rules to December 14, a decision the leftwing opposition has criticised as a cover for imposing increasingly heavy-handed security measures. A November 17 demonstration commemorating the 1973 uprising against the colonels' junta was violently broken up. On November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, five activists were arrested for unfurling a banner in outside parliament.

Greek police arrest dozens at march in memory of slain teen

This strategic partnership, according to UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, aims to “enhance political, economic and cultural cooperation” between the two countries.

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Authorities in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki have dug dozens of graves for the victims of COVID-19 after a sharp increase in the number of deaths.

Greece has extended national lockdown till December 14

Days after a top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed reactions from country continue to pour in. Most of the countries have called for calm after President Hassan Rouhani accused Israel of being the assassination. No one has claimed the responsibility in killing the nuclear scientist so far.

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An explosion occurred on a Greek tanker ship on Wednesday. At the time of the blast, the tanker was at Saudi Arabian port of Al Shauqaiq. The cause of the blast is not yet known. No one has been injured. Investigation into the explosion is underway.

"The explosion happened around 0300 local time (0000 GMT), but the causes have not yet been identified," an official of Greek ministry of the merchant marine.

The Agrari MT tanker was flying a Maltese flag and there were 25 crew members onboard. Seven of them were Greeks.

"The crew's health is good," a senior ministry official said.

Owned by the Economou group of companies, the tanker was carrying no cargo when the explosion happened, the ministry added.

All damage to the ship was above the waterline, one ministry source who asked not to be named said. 
The source added that Saudi Arabian police were investigating the cause of the blast.

(With AFP inputs)

An explosion occurred on a Greek tanker ship on Wednesday. At the time of the blast, the tanker was at Saudi Arabian port of Al Shauqaiq. The cause of the blast is not yet known.

An explosion occurred on a Greek tanker ship on Wednesday. At the time of the blast, the tanker was at Saudi Arabian port of Al Shauqaiq. The cause of the blast is not yet known. No one has been injured. Investigation into the explosion is underway. "The explosion happened around 0300 local time (0000 GMT), but the causes have not yet been identified," an official of Greek ministry of the merchant marine. The Agrari MT tanker was flying a Maltese flag and there were 25 crew members onboard. Seven of them were Greeks. "The crew's health is good," a senior ministry official said. Owned by the Economou group of companies, the tanker was carrying no cargo when the explosion happened, the ministry added. All damage to the ship was above the waterline, one ministry source who asked not to be named said. The source added that Saudi Arabian police were investigating the cause of the blast. (With AFP inputs)

Explosion on Greek tanker at Saudi Arabian port

In the midst of a pandemic, decorative Christmas candles in Greece look a little different this year. Santa has adorned a blue surgical face mask, as one candlemaker said he wanted to do his part to raise awareness about wearing a mask.

Christmas candles with a twist: In Greece, Santa masked due to coronavirus

Greek police on Sunday announced a ban on public gatherings of four or more people as hospitals were overwhelmed with coronavirus cases,&nbsp;ahead of the annual anniversary of a 1973 anti-junta uprising.

Greece on Saturday said it would shut primary schools, kindergartens and daycare centres as coronavirus deaths crossed a thousand.

The anti-junta demonstration is a treasured anniversary for many Greeks, and more than 30,000 people demonstrated in Athens and other major cities last year under a heavy police presence.

At least 24 people were killed in the 1973 crackdown, an event generally considered to have broken the junta's grip on power and helped the restoration of democracy.

This year, however, all public gatherings of four or more people would be banned from 6 am on Sunday to 9 pm on Wednesday to stem the spread of coronavirus, police said in a statement.&nbsp;

Fines of 5,000 euros will be issued to legal entities like political parties and 3,000 euros for individuals who organise gatherings, while those participating will be fined 300 euros. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Citizens' Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said on Friday that the events and marches commemorating the November 17 Athens Polytechnic student uprising will not take place this year.

"We did not celebrate March 25th or October 28th, we did not celebrate Easter, we did not celebrate any of the things that unite us in 2020. The same will be the case with the Polytechnic anniversary," the minister said, referring to three national holidays that were not celebrated because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The virus is the enemy and large gatherings are its main weapon," he added, prompting opposition parties to pledge they would proceed with demonstrations.

Communist KKE party leader Dimitris Koutsoumpas in an interview on Saturday stressed that "the Polytechnic march was never organised by the government". &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

"All the measures will be strictly observed with the use of face masks and antiseptics, keeping the necessary distances and of course we urge people belonging to vulnerable groups or those who are ill to stay at home," Koutsoumpas said. &nbsp;

Greece's former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, leader of the Diem25 party on Saturday accused the government of announcing in advance the arrest of his party's members.

On Friday, Greek police evacuated the premises of the historic Polytechnic building that now houses the National Technical University of Athens and another university campus and arrested 92 people for trespassing, disturbance and disorder.

Authorities on Saturday reported 2,835 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 72,510, and 38 new deaths, raising the toll to 1,035.

Greek police on Sunday announced a ban on public gatherings of four or more people as hospitals were overwhelmed with coronavirus cases, ahead of the annual anniversary of a 1973 anti-junta uprising.

Greek police on Sunday announced a ban on public gatherings of four or more people as hospitals were overwhelmed with coronavirus cases, ahead of the annual anniversary of a 1973 anti-junta uprising. Greece on Saturday said it would shut primary schools, kindergartens and daycare centres as coronavirus deaths crossed a thousand. The anti-junta demonstration is a treasured anniversary for many Greeks, and more than 30,000 people demonstrated in Athens and other major cities last year under a heavy police presence. At least 24 people were killed in the 1973 crackdown, an event generally considered to have broken the junta's grip on power and helped the restoration of democracy. This year, however, all public gatherings of four or more people would be banned from 6 am on Sunday to 9 pm on Wednesday to stem the spread of coronavirus, police said in a statement. Fines of 5,000 euros will be issued to legal entities like political parties and 3,000 euros for individuals who organise gatherings, while those participating will be fined 300 euros. Citizens' Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis said on Friday that the events and marches commemorating the November 17 Athens Polytechnic student uprising will not take place this year. "We did not celebrate March 25th or October 28th, we did not celebrate Easter, we did not celebrate any of the things that unite us in 2020. The same will be the case with the Polytechnic anniversary," the minister said, referring to three national holidays that were not celebrated because of the coronavirus pandemic. "The virus is the enemy and large gatherings are its main weapon," he added, prompting opposition parties to pledge they would proceed with demonstrations. Communist KKE party leader Dimitris Koutsoumpas in an interview on Saturday stressed that "the Polytechnic march was never organised by the government". "All the measures will be strictly observed with the use of face masks and antiseptics, keeping the necessary distances and of course we urge people belonging to vulnerable groups or those who are ill to stay at home," Koutsoumpas said. Greece's former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, leader of the Diem25 party on Saturday accused the government of announcing in advance the arrest of his party's members. On Friday, Greek police evacuated the premises of the historic Polytechnic building that now houses the National Technical University of Athens and another university campus and arrested 92 people for trespassing, disturbance and disorder. Authorities on Saturday reported 2,835 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 72,510, and 38 new deaths, raising the toll to 1,035.

Greece bans gatherings ahead of uprising anniversary

Homes, shops, beaches and streets flooded on Crete in Greece on Tuesday (November 10) after heavy storms wreaked havoc on the northern part of the island.

Chaos on Greece's Crete island from heavy floods

Greece announced a second lockdown due to the large spread of covid-19 cases in the country, the government also gave an extension for hair saloons for the next 3 days.

Greece announced Second lockdown for next 3 weeks due to covid panedemic.

The lockdown takes effect at 6:00 a.m. Saturday and runs until November 30. Like a similar lockdown in March, all non-essential retail businesses will be closed and residents will need a permit to go outdoors.

Greece enforces three-week national COVID-19 lockdown

After years of delays caused by red tape, cutbacks and opposition from religious and political factions, the first government-funded mosque in Athens since 1833 opened its doors to worshippers on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims from countries including Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan and Bangladesh live in Athens but the city has not had a formal mosque since it forced occupying Ottomans to leave nearly 200 years ago.

Plans to build a mosque in Athens began in 1890 but it took decades for them to materialise due to opposition from a predominantly Christian Orthodox population and nationalists, sluggish bureaucracy but most recently a decade-long financial crisis.

Amid a coronavirus outbreak, only a limited number of worshippers, wearing masks and sitting at a distance from each other due to COVID-19 restrictions, attended prayers.

"It is a historic moment for the Muslim community living in Athens, we have been waiting for this mosque for so long," said Heider Ashir, a member of the mosque's governing council. "Thanks to God, finally, we have a mosque which is open and we can pray here freely."

But other Muslims were unhappy with the mosque's appearance. A grey, rectangular structure with no dome or minaret, has no resemblance to other graceful, ornate mosques in Europe.

"It does not at all look like a place of worship, it is a small, square, miserable building," said Naim El Ghandour, head of the Muslim Association of Greece. "We thank them very much for the offer, but we will fight to reach it to the level that we deserve."

Under a lockdown to curb a surge in COVID infections, gatherings for formal worshipping will be banned from Saturday until Nov. 30.

"We will pray at home, and as soon as the lockdown is over the mosque will again be open for the worshippers," Ashir said.

After years of delays caused by red tape, cutbacks and opposition from religious and political factions, the first government-funded mosque in Athens since 1833 opened its doors to worshippers on Friday.

After years of delays caused by red tape, cutbacks and opposition from religious and political factions, the first government-funded mosque in Athens since 1833 opened its doors to worshippers on Friday. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims from countries including Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan and Bangladesh live in Athens but the city has not had a formal mosque since it forced occupying Ottomans to leave nearly 200 years ago. Plans to build a mosque in Athens began in 1890 but it took decades for them to materialise due to opposition from a predominantly Christian Orthodox population and nationalists, sluggish bureaucracy but most recently a decade-long financial crisis. Amid a coronavirus outbreak, only a limited number of worshippers, wearing masks and sitting at a distance from each other due to COVID-19 restrictions, attended prayers. "It is a historic moment for the Muslim community living in Athens, we have been waiting for this mosque for so long," said Heider Ashir, a member of the mosque's governing council. "Thanks to God, finally, we have a mosque which is open and we can pray here freely." But other Muslims were unhappy with the mosque's appearance. A grey, rectangular structure with no dome or minaret, has no resemblance to other graceful, ornate mosques in Europe. "It does not at all look like a place of worship, it is a small, square, miserable building," said Naim El Ghandour, head of the Muslim Association of Greece. "We thank them very much for the offer, but we will fight to reach it to the level that we deserve." Under a lockdown to curb a surge in COVID infections, gatherings for formal worshipping will be banned from Saturday until Nov. 30. "We will pray at home, and as soon as the lockdown is over the mosque will again be open for the worshippers," Ashir said.

Athens' first mosque in nearly 200 years opens for Friday prayers

Rescuers are racing against time to find survivors after the earthquake in Turkey. A lucky few were pulled from the rubble, including a 3-year-old who was trapped for 65 hours under the debris. Palki Sharma Upadhyay gets you the story of Turkey's miraculous survivors.

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