Politics

ATHENS, Greece — Seven fans of Greek soccer club PAOK died in a minibus crash in Romania while traveling to a Europa League game at Lyon, Greece's government confirmed Tuesday.“Deeply shaken, I was informed of the tragic accident in Romania that cost the lives of seven young compatriots,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. “The Greek government and our embassy are in close coordination with the local authorities, providing every possible form of support.“In these difficult moments, together with all Greeks, I extend my sincerest condolences to the families of the victims and to the PAOK community,” Mitsotakis added. “We all share the hope that the injured will recover quickly. Our thoughts are with them.”PAOK was in direct communication with the government, coordinating support...

Speaking to Kathimerini about the issues of territorial waters and the continental shelf, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, among other things: “The domestic political balances in Greece do not allow many possibilities to any political leader to solve this problem and put his signature… In the domestic politics of Greece, the issue of the perception of Turkey as a threat always plays a decisive role in politics. That is, when someone tries to do something regarding Turkey, they must definitely and necessarily pay a political price.” No sane citizen will disagree with the remarks of the Turkish foreign minister. Indeed, Greek-Turkish relations have been integrated into the political life of the country, but this is nothing new. Not to go too far, for as long as I can remember, Gree...

The Greek government has sent a clear message to protesting farmers, signaling that the set of agricultural support measures announced on Wednesday will be final, with no further concessions expected. As nationwide farmer demonstrations intensify, producers have planned a 48-hour blockade of roads, secondary routes, and border crossings on Thursday and Friday, escalating pressure on authorities to meet their demands. The farmers’ nationwide assembly confirmed the planned action, which aims to highlight grievances over production costs and rural subsidies. Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis emphasized that the announced measures are comprehensive and intended for all farmers, not just those participating in the roadblocks. “These are the measures, and there will be no additiona...

Apparently, Greece has found its most pressing national scandal. Not the unresolved murders linked to organised crime. Not the devastation of public infrastructure. Not the dismantling of rehabilitation services or the selling-off of land, water and public goods. No. The urgent priority of the Greek media and police, it seems, is that Yanis Varoufakis once took an ecstasy pill in 1989. Yes, 1989. Before smartphones. Before social media. Before half the political class currently posturing about “law and order” had even entered public life. Following remarks made by Yanis Varoufakis on a podcast, where he spoke openly about a personal experience from more than three decades ago, the Greek Police referred him to the State Prosecutor, reportedly requesting that he be investigated as a “drug tr...

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Seven fans of Greek soccer club PAOK died in a minibus crash in Romania while traveling to a Europa League game at Lyon, Greece’s government confirmed Tuesday.“Deeply shaken, I was informed of the tragic accident in Romania that cost the lives of seven young compatriots,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. “The Greek government and our embassy are in close coordination with the local authorities, providing every possible form of support.“In these difficult moments, together with all Greeks, I extend my sincerest condolences to the families of the victims and to the PAOK community,” Mitsotakis added. “We all share the hope that the injured will recover quickly. Our thoughts are with them.”PAOK was in direct communication with the government, coordinating su...

Tensions are mounting in Greece as planned talks between farmers and the government face uncertainty over the composition of the meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday at the Maximos Mansion, could be canceled due to disputes over participant numbers.The government has proposed holding two separate sessions with representatives from the agricultural sector to ensure broader participation, rejecting farmers’ ultimatums. Spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis emphasized the need for timely submission of attendees’ names for security reasons, while calling for a constructive dialogue rather than political posturing.Farmers are demanding that 25 regional representatives, plus 10 from fisheries, be included, while the government has capped each session at 20 ...

Even now, after stints in and out of hospital and a hunger strike that has left him visibly frail, Panos Ruci still wants to be in Syntagma Square. It is the plaza, he says, that calls every night because it is there that he feels “closest” to his son.“That’s where I want to be,” he tells The Observer. “There, in front of the Greek parliament, beside the memorial, where the names of those who so needlessly lost their lives are read out every night at 18 minutes past 11.”It was at that hour on 28 February 2023 that Intercity 62, a northbound passenger train crammed with students returning from a holiday weekend in Athens, crashed into a freight carrier heading south. For 12 minutes the two locomotives had been barrelling towards one another on the same track. The head-on collision in the va...

Once Greece’s strongest radical left party, Syriza is now engulfed in internal disputes that have spread from Athens to Brussels, revealing deep divisions within the party. Members of Syriza won four seats in the 2024 European Parliament elections, securing their position among Greece’s 21 MEPs. However, the party’s delegation has effectively been reduced to two, following expulsions and disciplinary battles. Syriza’s turmoil in Brussels mirrors its fragile position at home, as the once-powerful left-wing party that governed Greece between 2015 and 2019 now struggles to regain its footing. The downfall began after former Prime Minister and party leader Alexis Tsipras resigned from Syriza in December. He is widely rumoured to be planning to establish a new party. The latest episode centres ...

The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, chaired a high-level meeting at the Maximos Mansion on Tuesday to address the ongoing outbreak of goatpox, a viral disease affecting goats and sheep across parts of the country.The meeting brought together officials from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, regional governors from affected areas, and scientific experts, including Professor Charalampos Billinis, virologist and head of the National Scientific Committee for Goatpox Management.Authorities emphasized that strict biosecurity measures, not vaccination alone, are the key to controlling the disease. The committee warned that the “vaccine versus biosecurity” debate is misleading, stressing that without rigorous implementation of containment strategies, no method can stop the viru...

US President Donald Trump’s newly announced Board of Peace has unsettled Athens, as the Greek government seeks to strike a delicate balance: aligning with the EU to safeguard its interests in the eastern Mediterranean against Turkey, while cultivating closer ties with Washington. Trump’s announcement has fuelled concerns in Athens that the United Nations and international law – the cornerstones of Greek foreign policy – could be sidelined or weakened. Greece, along with 24 other EU member states, will stay out of the Peace Board, while neighbouring Turkey will take part. Initially conceived as a mechanism to address the Middle East crisis, the Board took on broader significance when Trump unveiled it at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, signalling it could become a permanent bod...