Greece

Sparta vs. Athens
Sparta vs Athens helps us assimilate the stark differences between the two city states of ancient Greece. Here is a look at Athens vs Sparta and a rundown on how the two major cultures influenced modern civilization in their different ways.

Democracy in Ancient Greece
Democracy is said to be the child, of the innovative thinking of the ancient Greeks. Till then, the society was lead by a few rich people called the tyrants. Let's get to know the idea and the stages that gave birth to the modern democracy.

Ancient Greek Coins
The Greeks are everywhere in the history; but they have created even bigger art. A testament to the Greek perfectionism, the ancient Greek coins, have been a rage among the numismatists world over.

Ancient Greece Geography
The geography of ancient Greece actually relates to the lands traversed by the nomadic Stone Age man. It was only later, when the hunters and farmers settled down to establish civilizations that the terrain was further defined by the Minoan and Mycenaean kings...

Unrest and Rioting in Greece Reaches a Crescendo
Unrest in Greece seems to be settling, but Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis is under increasing pressure from outside protestors and from within Parliament.

U.S. Embassy Attacked in Greece
A 2.36 inch missile hit the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, today. The attack is being called a terrorist attack supposedly by the group, Revolutionary Struggle. There were no injuries and the missile damaged the outside of the building, a third floor bathroom, and shattered glass in nearby buildings.

Sailing Acts: Backing Acts in Greece
The travelogue of religious scholar, Linford Stutzman, who sailed the routes taken by the Apostle Paul in the new testament book of Acts.

'Neglect and Disrepair' Leads Corfu Dissidents to Seek Split From Greece
Disgruntlement mirrors mounting disillusionment with mainstream parties in Greece

Olympic Staff Vow to Fight Sell-off
Greek opposition groups and unions promise to battle restructuring of country's national carrier

The Property Market in Greece
Can now be a good time to explore if Greece is the place for you with a glut of properties on the market and cheap rentals.

Greece: Pagans Call on Athena to Protect the Acropolis
Anger over plans to move sculptures from the temples to new museum situated beneath citadel

Taverna Invasion Threatens Athenian Idyll
Repeal of zoning laws in Plaka district could endanger one of few Greek environmental successes

Greece Cracks Down on Dangerous Cocktails
Bar raids planned on island holiday resorts after tourists served industrial spirits in drinks

Man Shot By Greek Police After 'decapitating Girlfriend'
A 31-year-old Greek man accused of beheading his girlfriend with a cleaver is in critical condition after being shot by police, the country's health ministry said today

I Bought a Little Castle in Crete
What happens when the perfect property presents itself at an estate agent's window in Crete.

Greece Tops Fat League As Diet of the Med Decays
Nation that gave rise to Adonis now has highest prevalence of obesity in the EU

Curse of the Boozy Britons Returns to Greek Resorts
Foreign Office is launching an anti-rape campaign as resorts are invaded by young holidaymakers

Greek Property Tax
Information on Greek Property taxation.

Fires Stoke Anger at Greek Government
Water-dumping planes used in fight against forest fires raging near Athens as fears for repeat tragedy grow

Run-down Heritage Sites Embarrass the Greeks
Extra staff dispatched to guard great cultural gems as government tries to deflect growing criticism

The Cuisine of Greece
The sun reflecting off of crystal clear waters, the beauty of the islands, Greek music and food.

Two Die As Quake Shakes Greece
Most powerful earthquake in modern Greek history reached a magnitude of 6.5

Harsh Treatment Awaits Children Fleeing War and Persecution
Officials in Greece struggle to cope as thousands of young refugees seek a better life

Learning of other Cultures
Taking a look into a Gypsy Greek Orthodox Wedding....

In Praise of ... Lesbians
Leader: Campaign to claim the word solely for islanders of Lesbos brings ridicule upon Greece

Greek Heritage Chief on Artefact Charges
Founder of conservation society could face jail but supporters claim he is victim of smear campaign

Macedonia Walks Out of Nato Talks
Officials decide to leave conference after Greece blocks bid for membership of military alliance

Rubbish Poses Health Threat As Greeks Strike Over Pensions
Strikes by millions of workers throw Greece into chaos, with rolling blackouts and piles of rotting rubbish posing health risks nationwide

Greece and its Investments in the Balkans: Trojan Horse or Reliable Partner?
The Greek stratagem is evident. Greece, as a state, gets involved in transportation and energy related projects.

Greek Cruise Ship Runs Aground With 280 on Board
Rescuers were today preparing to evacuate 280 tourists from a cruise ship after it ran aground off the island of Poros, near Athens, the Greek authorities said

Father Who Killed Son, Six, May Return to Uk Soon
Ex-wife has no objection to return from Greece providing he remains in psychiatric hospital

Greek Doctor Guilty Over Death of Briton Left on Trolley
A Greek junior doctor was convicted yesterday of the manslaughter of a British man who died after being left unattended on a hospital trolley following a 40ft fall

50 Migrants Feared Dead As Boat Capsizes
Greece and Turkey search Aegean for survivors · Up to 100 believed to be aboard overladen vessel

An Idyllic Greek Island Becomes the New Frontier for African Migrants
Hazardous journeys end in small but perilous voyage from Turkey to Samos

Buying Property in Messinia: Why Investors Interest is growing
Property investors and developers have recently become interested in large parcels of property development land in Messinia, Greece. Now is the perfect time for business people to consider Greece as a property investment location. Large investment properties are readily available in Messinia. They are to be found in the most superb locations with outstanding and unobstructed views that must be seen to be believed.

So You Want To Renovate A Greek Property?
Before buying an old property in Greece that is in need of renovation there are various aspects that you should consider. Some of the first questions you should be asking yourself include: Are you going to do the building work yourself? Will you be dealing with the work from another country? Or will you need to find somebody local to help you?

Greeks Aim to Bring Callas Collection Home
Italians will also be vying for opera singer's paraphernalia at auction in Milan.

No-show By Onassis Heiress Upsets Greeks
Making her second visit to Athens in five years, the last surviving member of the shipping dynasty has been criticized for being herself: low-key and media-shy.

WWF in Despair Over Greek Fire Damage
Rare species of animals and plants lost in flames· Anger rises as developers move in on stricken areas

Greek Government Withdraws Controversial History Textbook
A history textbook for 11-year-olds that ignited the wrath of clergymen, nationalists and officials on Cyprus was at the center of further controversy yesterday when Greece's newly re-elected government announced it would be withdrawn.

Greek Centre-right Wins Majority in Parliament
· Early poll gamble pays off for PM as Pasok routed · Anti-semitic group wins first seats since 1974

Exit Polls Show Greek Centre-right in Lead
· Two main parties suffer drop in votes· Far-right group surpasses 3% and enters parliament

Far-right Movement Gathers Strength As Greek Election Nears
· Extreme nationalist party likely to enter parliament· Protest votes over forest fires threaten status quo

Coalition 'out of the Question', Greek Pm Says
The countdown to one of the closest elections in modern Greek history was marked yesterday with the prime minister Costas Karamanlis vowing to call a fresh ballot rather than enter a coalition with a smaller party.

Government Accused As Fires in Greece Rage for Fifth Day
Prime minister, Costas Karamanlis, yesterday appealed to Greeks to remain united amid growing accusations that his conservative government has failed to properly tackle blazes that have left 64 dead.

Fighting Mediterranean Flames
Leader: In Greece, the obsession with the possibility of arson and the readiness to blame politicians suggests that people are still shying away from that fact that the way they collectively want to live, what they want to buy, what they want to build, and how they treat their countryside has a great deal to do with the problem.

Death Toll Mounts As Greek Wildfires Rage on
· Chaos as rescue teams rush to save villagers · More than sixty now dead despite mass evacuation

Fires Sweep Greece Turning Villages to Ash and Killing 46
With 46 dead yesterday afternoon and the toll expected to climb, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis declared a state of emergency, saying the forest fires 'can't be a coincidence'. He vowed that the arsonists would be found. Within hours police had arrested a suspect.

Russia Sends in Firefighters As Greek Minister Says Sorry for Losing the Battle Against 3,000 Forest Fires
Two giant water bombing aircraft from Russia yesterday weighed into the fight against scores of fires raging across Greece as Athens' conservative government, fending off claims of ineptitude, apologized for its handling of the disaster.

Greece Bans Pin-up Billboards to Stop Distracted Drivers Crashing
Greece is mounting a nationwide effort to remove "eye candy" billboards from roadsides, amid growing evidence that images of women wearing not very much contribute to Europe's worst road accident figures.

The Essential Basics For Buying Property In Greece
Many foreigners, who wish to buy a property in Greece, find that the Greek real estate market can be a mind-boggling experience. At first the property purchasing process seems to be a very complex one. Approaching the problem of buying a property step by step shows that it is not that impossible.

The Anti-Macedonian Hysteria of the Neo-Nazi Greeks
The recently published article on the historical differences between Macedonia and Greece generated great debates; their utility in revealing the Neo-Nazi Greeks and their approach to history falsification that can generate wars and wars is exemplary.

Greek Captain Faces Charges Over Sinking of Cruise Liner
The captain of a cruise liner that sank last Thursday off Santorini was charged yesterday with dereliction of duty, as evidence mounted that crew members were to blame for the accident and the clumsy evacuation of 1,154 passengers that ensued.

Greeks Plan to Buy Turkish Island
Lesbos residents raising £11m for nearby land - Ankara would retain sovereignty over territory

Greece Talks Tough on Parthenon Marbles
The Greek prime minister, deploying the strongest language yet for the return of the Parthenon marbles, yesterday said that Britain had run out of 'feeble excuses' to retain the treasures.

The Macedonians, the Greeks, and the Communists
Published by Ireneusz Adam Œlupkov, in London and Szczecin (2006), the research concerns "The Communist Party of Greece and the Macedonian National Problem 1918 – 1940"; one should suggest this book to EU decision makers a key to the formation of a rightful decision.

The Pecs That Saved Greece
A new film salutes Sparta for defending democracy but Hollywood's history lessons are always flawed. By Hywel Williams

Nuns on the Run After Their Greek Knitting Business Fails
A group of nuns were last night holed up behind the protective walls of the Xenia monastery in the central Greek town of Volos after fleeing their convent when their knitting business failed, leaving nearly half a millon pounds of debt.

Rocket Attack on Us Embassy in Greece
A suspected far-left group, riding a wave of local anti-Americanism, yesterday fired a rocket-propelled grenade into the US embassy compound in the centre of Athens.

Mystery Over Murder of Five Greek Hunters
Police were last night trying to solve the apparently motiveless murders of five hunters shot dead at the weekend while pursuing their hobby in the plains of south-western Greece.

Property Prices Soar As New Championship Golf Course Development In Messinia Gets Under Way
The first phase of the long awaited for championship golf courses in Messinia, Greece is now under way. Construction work on the 18 hole state of the art luxury golf course at Romanos was started .....

Buying Property In Greece: Frequently Asked Questions
Buying property in any foreign country can be a nightmare and there are many frequently asked questions about buying property in Greece. This list of questions and answers has been compiled to give you a starting pointing and aims to help you with the necessary research that is involved when buying a property in Greece.

Family Holiday Ends in Tragedy As Two British Children Found Dead in Corfu
Two young British children were found fatally poisoned in a hotel suite in Greece yesterday as their father and his partner lay unconscious in a neighbouring room.

Greek Children Occupy Schools As Teachers' Pay Row Worsens
Some 30,000 teachers rallied in the Greek capital and northern Salonika yesterday while civil servants staged a nationwide strike in support, amid mounting anger at unpopular economic reforms.

Greek Economy Up 25% - With a Little Help From Prostitutes
· Athens adds black market output to its GDP figures · Move staves off EU fines for breaking deficit rules

Icon Found After Five-week Hunt
The quest to find a missing icon, famed for its healing powers and ability to fend off enemy attacks, ended over the weekend when a man admitted he had stolen the work from a hanging-cliff monastery in southern Greece.

British Tourists Flee Greek Forest Fires
Up to 1,000 British holidaymakers spent the night camped out on beaches last night after forest fires tore through a holiday resort in northern Greece.

Property: Greece - Your Dream Holiday Home In The Peloponnese
The favourite area for foreigners to purchase holiday homes, on the Greek mainland is the Peloponnese because there are plenty of properties for sale at bargain prices to choose from. Find out more by reading the article.

The Peloponnese a Property Hotspot
The Peloponnese has recently become a popular hotspot for purchasing property abroad. Even through property prices are rising steadily, the Kalamata area is proving to be a favourite with foreigner’s who are snapping up property for sales at bargain prices.

10 Top Tips For Buying Property In Greece
For foreigners the Greek property market can be a mind-boggling experience and at first seems to have a very complicated property purchasing process. Approaching the problem step by step shows that it is not that hopeless. Here are 10 top tips to help you through the property purchasing minefield.

Country Diary: Peloponnese, Greece
Bug-eyed, its squat, half-egg abdomen like a rattlesnake's tail, and its long wings with tea-coloured veins like a diaphanous tent over the body, the cicada looks straight out of a Gothic horror.

New Golf Tourism Developments in Messinia
New Championship golf courses and housing complex planned for the Messinia regions of Greece. These luxury resorts are due to open in spring 2008.......

Frustration As Summit Fails to End Conflict
For an immediate ceasefire: UN, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Jordan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Canada and Cyprus - Against: US and Britain. - Result: no immediate ceasefire

It's Art Squad v Tomb Raiders As Greece Reclaims Its Pillaged Past
As Athens and Rome clamp down, smugglers venture further afield.

Buying Property In Messinia, Greece
If you are planning to purchase a property in Greece or even just thinking about it this article is for you. Whether you dream of a beach villa, village house or an apartment in the town this article will provide you with the basic information you will need to make your dreams come true. Most important of all this article will help you avoid the pitfalls of buying a property in Greece.

Greece Demands Return of Stolen Heritage
· Getty museum success inspires antiquities hunt · We'll scour world to get them back, says minister

Property – Kalamata: Foreigners Buy Second Homes In Messinia, Greece
Property remains one of the best long-term investments and it is certainly one of the most pleasurable. Buying a home in Kalamata and the surrounding area of Messinia is a fabulous way to broaden your horizons and revitalize your life. It provides a welcome bolt-hold to recuperate for the stresses and strains of modern life. Find out more about property in kalamata by reading the article.

UK Forced to Return 'brutus Coin' to Greece
A thimble-sized coin marking antiquity's most notorious murder, the assassination of Julius Caesar, has been returned to Athens - thanks to the beady eye of a British customs official, a little-known EU directive and the determination of the Greek government.

Property: Messinia; Investment and Development Property in Greece
Property investors and developers have recently become interested in large parcels of property development land in Messinia, Greece. Now is the perfect time for business people to consider Greece as a property investment location. Large investment properties are readily available in Messinia. They are to be found in the most superb locations with outstanding and unobstructed views that must be seen to be believed.

Mid-air Fighter Plane Collision Risks New Greek-turkish Crisis
· Pilot missing after joust over disputed airspace · Ministers try to play down dangers in old rivalries

Persians, Yet Again, At The Periphery
In 404 BC Athens surrendered and the Athenian sea power, the Athenian empire, was at an end....As time went on dissention and discord increased among all factions. -Ron Price, Ancient History Notes: Greece 478 to 404 BC., Thornlie Tafe, 1992.

Greek Police Arrive in London on Trail of Smuggled Antiquities
· Talks with Scotland Yard to counter trafficking · Treasures found in villa owned by British collector

Greek Island Dig Offers Chance to Solve Riddle of Ancient Art
A dig into the rich past of a tiny isle in the Aegean archipelago could soon answer one of the riddles of prehistoric archaeology: why the remote outcrop produced so many of the flat-faced marble figurines that went on to inspire Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore.

Priceless Relics Found at Greek Villa Linked to Smuggling Ring
A luxury villa on a remote Aegean isle beloved by jetsetters is believed to be at the centre of an antiquities smuggling web stretching from the Mediterranean to California, Greek authorities said yesterday.

Holiday in Greece - Rent Private Vacation Rentals at a Bargain Price
If you have an interest in beauty, art, architecture and the classic culture that gave us our civilization, then a visit to Greece is just the ticket. And a vacation rental of a villa, a beach house or another type of private home will give you a chance to experience this wonderful country that is impossible when going from hotel to hotel.

Food Running Out As Ferry Strike Maroons Greek Islanders
· Week-long stoppage cuts fuel and medical supplies · Airport chaos as up to 50,000 tourists stranded

Greeks Protest As Poverty Deepens
· Attempts to cut spending unleash wave of strikes · Unions warn wealth gap already at crisis level

Greece Urged to Investigate Mi6 Torture Link
The Greek government faced mounting pressure last night to investigate claims that a senior MI6 officer masterminded the arrest and torture of Pakistani immigrants in Athens by local intelligence agents after the July 7 London bombings.

Greece's Seas: the Looters' Next Destination
New law opens access for traffickers to a hoard of underwater antiquities.

Greece Becomes First Eu Country to Confirm Bird Flu
· No direct threat to people in Britain, says minister · Romania fears quarantine may have been too late

Diary Find Could Solve Greek Air Crash Mystery
A diary found at the scene of a Cypriot airliner crash outside Athens could provide clues to one of the most perplexing disasters in aviation history, it has emerged.

Greece to Act Over British Tourists' Antics
Greek officials will hold emergency talks next week after outrage about "sex-crazed" British tourists running amok on the Ionian island of Zakynthos.

Extradite Britons Who Have Sex in Bars and on Beaches, Says Greek Mp
A Greek MP last night called for the extradition of British tourists caught on camera having sex in the bars and beaches of the Greek island of Zakynthos, Europe's latest party haven.

Some of Crashed Airliner's Passengers Alive on Impact
At least six of the 121 people killed on Sunday in Greece's worst air disaster were alive when the jetliner plunged into a mountain outside Athens, autopsies revealed last night. After conducting the first toxicological tests, on six of the victims, Athens' chief coroner, Philippos...

Greek Crash Airline Denies Grounding Fleet
The Cypriot airline that owned the plane that crashed into a Greek mountain yesterday, killing all 121 people on board, today denied grounding its fleet.

Greek Crash Airline Grounds Fleet
The Cypriot airline that owned the plane that crashed into a Greek mountain yesterday, killing all 121 people on board, grounded all of its aircraft today.

Pilot Slumped in Cockpit As 121 Fly to Their Deaths in Greece
A plane which crashed into a Greek mountain yesterday, killing its 121 passengers and crew, including dozens of children, may have been brought down by decompression or lack of oxygen in the cabin, incapacitating the pilots.

Bjorn Blows It at European Opent Festival
Ultra-right parties from across Europe have caused uproar in Greece after announcing plans to stage a 'hate festival' in a Peloponnesian town in the autumn.

Greeks Fight to Stop Ultra-right Festival
Ultra-right parties from across Europe have caused uproar in Greece after announcing plans to stage a 'hate festival' in a Peloponnesian town in the autumn.

Search on for Secret of Greek Sea Battle
A team of experts are to trawl the Aegean for triremes, the ships that were crucial to the victory over Xerxes of Persia.

Return of Statue Raises Hopes in Greece
He's got a broken nose, has been called ugly, and is barely 12cm tall. But that is not stopping Greeks welcomed the return from London of a 6th century BC bronze kouros, seized from the Aegean island of Samos by Nazi looters 60 years ago.

Greeks on the Front Line in Europe's Textile Wars
Zhang Qing is laughing all the way to the bank. As he works the till in the clothes store he has run in Athens for the past six years, the Chinese merchant can barely suppress his joy.

Greek Mps Approve Eu Treaty
Athens last night overwhelmingly approved the EU's new constitution, making Greece the fifth member of the bloc to have ratified the historic document.

Greek Jail Guards Strike Over Antiquated Firearms
Prison guards in Greece went on strike yesterday to force the government to update their antiquated firearms.

Greek Orthodox Church Mired in Jerusalem Land Row
The Greek Orthodox church in the holy land, already mired in financial and political scandal, has been accused of secretly selling off a prime Arab area of Jerusalem's old city to Jewish settlers.

Greece in Revolt As Scandals Sweep the Orthodox Church
Archbishop Christodoulos, head of the Greek Orthodox Church, is facing trying times.

National Strike Grounds Flights and Halts Government Services
A national strike brought much of Greece to a standstill, with thousands of workers protesting against high unemployment and the conservative government's plans to privatise public utilities.

Press Review: The View From ... Athens
The tale has it all: drama, conspiracy and intrigue. No surprise, then, that for the past month every newspaper across Greece has spoken of little else but the scandals besetting the country's Orthodox church.

Sex and Fraud Woe for Greek Church
Embattled Orthodox archbishop calls emergency meeting and asks for forgiveness over lurid claims.

Lonely Greek Farmers Take Love Bus Abroad
Authorities in Greece are laying on bus trips to countries that might solve the plight of lovelorn farmers desperate for wives. The startling shortage of available females in the country's remote rural areas has spurred the "love tours" by men who once mocked the likes of Shirley...

Greece's Funding Under Threat
The European commission threatened yesterday to suspend development funds to Greece in response to Athens's admission that it had disguised the extent of the country's debts in order to join the euro. The warning came hours before the Greek finance minister, George Alogoskoufis, sought to...

Greece Tackles Road Safety After Crash
Greece announced stringent measures to improve safety on its roads yesterday as the country mourned seven schoolchildren killed in a traffic accident on their way to the Paralympics. As flags at games venues flew at half mast to mark the tragedy, the prime minister, Costas Karamanlis,...

Second Bomb Threat on Greek Plane
A Greek passenger jet bound for New York made an emergency landing in Ireland yesterday after a warning that a bomb was about to explode on board. The Olympic Airways Airbus A340 landed at Shannon airport in western Ireland just before 5pm after a call to an Athens newspaper almost two...

Greeks Ponder Future of £4.7bn Olympic Facilities
With the expected costs of hosting the Olympics likely to exceed €7bn (£4.7bn) - nearly twice the original budget - some Greeks fear that they might be paying for the venues for years to come. Despite Athens winning worldwide praise for hosting a successful games, the return...

Greek Olympian Tests Positive
Weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis has failed a drugs test, his coach Christos Iakovou said today.

Greek Sprinters Beat Expulsion By Walking Out on Games
Thanou and Kederis end Olympic careers under a cloud.

Greek Duo Quit Olympics
The two Greek sprinters who missed drug tests prior to the start of the Athens Olympics today withdrew from the games. Reigning 200m Olympic champion Kostas Kederis and 100m silver medallist Ekaterini Thanou who, it is alleged, missed four drugs tests announced this morning that they were...

Greeks Expel Drugs Scandal Pair
Two Greek sporting legends were last night suspended from the Athens Olympics amid suspicion they faked a motorcycle accident to cover up a missed drugs test. Sprinters Kostas Kederis and Ekaterini Thanou were removed temporarily by the Greek Olympic Committee amid growing anger their...

Don't Blame Sophocles
Most visitors to Greece looking for continuity with the classical past are struck by its absence. Greece has more in common with Slavic culture than it does with the Latin west.

Drug Scandal Engulfs Greek Olympic Heroes
The Greek athlete expected to light the Olympic flame today was at the centre of a doping scandal last night.

Greeks Fear Olympic Rip-offs
The Greek authorities are offering tourists price lists in a bid to stop unscrupulous local traders ripping them off.

Greece's Bandit Ban Pulls Plug on Games
Conceived in the spirit of egality, conducted on a whim and enforced with rare zeal, an innocuous attempt to stem Greeks' greatest love - gambling - has become a major headache for embarrassed Athenian officials ahead of next month's Olympics. The clampdown on electronic amusements, which...

Millions Hit By Greek Blackout
All of Athens and much of Greece was struck by a power failure yesterday, throwing the country and the government into chaos a month before the Olympic Games. Officials scrambled to restore the network as the blackout, described as the worst in 10 years, left millions sweltering in...

Greek Hotel Workers Throw Down Gauntlet
Greek workers yesterday threatened to throw more than 800 hotels across Athens into chaos at next month's Olympics, vowing to stage surprise stoppages throughout the games if their long-standing demands are not met. The threat of strike action could affect tens of thousands of visitors to...

Celebrations As Underdogs Triumph
Greece erupted in an unprecedented paroxysm of euphoria last night as a nation with a thin history of footballing glory celebrated its triumph at Euro 2004. Fireworks lit up the night sky over Athens almost as soon as the final whistle sounded half a continent away in Lisbon, as...

Greece Launches Security Sweep
With six weeks to go, the first 10,000 of a 70,000-strong force to guard the Olympics began work yesterday.

Marbles Expert: Greeks Are Like Abusive Parents
It is Europe's longest-running cultural heritage dispute, yet the row over the rightful home of the Elgin Marbles is still so hotly contested it will almost qualify as an Olympic sport in Athens this summer. Undiplomatic comments made by a British archaeologist in a new BBC documentary on...

Greece Facing Decade of Debt As Olympics Bill Soars
It could take Greece over a decade to pay back a €36bn deficit created in part by the ballooning costs of hosting the Olympic games in August, a top government official said.

Greece and Italy 'failing in Security'
Greece and Italy were yesterday singled out for lagging behind in intensifying efforts to improve Europe-wide coordination in the fight against terrorism. Ireland, holder of the EU presidency, said Rome and Athens had failed to meet almost every target set since the September 11 attacks...

Greece Admits Defeat Over Armed Guards at Olympics
We can't stop foreign guards carrying arms, says official.

Greece Admits Defeat on Gun Ban
We can't stop foreign guards carrying arms, says official.

Greek Minister Questions Worth of Olympic Games
A senior Greek government official yesterday questioned whether it was right for Athens to be hosting the 2004 Olympics, given the amount of work involved.

Greek Pm Admits Olympic Security Problems
The Greek prime minister has acknowledged room for improvement in security preparations ahead of the August Olympics, despite Athens spending £660m on safeguarding the world's most significant sporting event since the September 11 attacks. In his first interview with a British paper,...

Greece to Back Turkey's Eu Bid
Greece pledged to support Turkey's quest to join the European Union after groundbreaking talks in Athens yesterday between the Greek prime minister and his Turkish counterpart.

Greeks Vote Down Cyprus Unity Plan
An historic attempt to reunify Cyprus after three decades of division was torpedoed last night when the island's majority Greek Cypriot population overwhelmingly defied international pressure and rejected a United Nations peace plan. Despite appeals from President Bush, Tony Blair, Kofi...

Greek Cypriot Voters Set to Derail Un Plan for Island's Reunification
President and church accused of whipping up bitterness ahead of today's referendum.

Greek Cypriot Leaders Reject Annan Plan
Kofi Annan's plan for the reunification of Cyprus, which is to be voted on by both sides of the island in separate referendums this Saturday, appeared doomed to failure today after the largest Greek-Cypriot political party announced its opposition to the settlement.

Greek Unions Pose New Threat to Olympics
Greece's preparations for the Olympic games were threatened yesterday with yet more turmoil after the country's biggest labour union said it would press ahead with strike action, starting with a nationwide walkout today. The spectre of labour unrest disrupting already delayed Olympic...

New Era for Greek Politics
Heralding a new era in Greek politics, a determinedly youthful conservative government assumed office in Athens yesterday, five months ahead of the Olympic games. The 47-member cabinet was sworn in, in a ceremony that saw the New Democracy party replace the socialist movement, Pasok, for...

Karamanlis Triumphant As Greece Swings to Right
Greece's conservative prime minister-elect, Costas Karamanlis, celebrated a resounding general election victory last night by promising to invest in culture and education, and stage "some of the best and safest Olympics ever". With nearly 98% of the votes in yesterday's poll counted, his...

Greek Right Ends Era of Socialist Power
Greek conservatives swept aside a generation of Socialist governance last night with a resounding victory in a general election viewed as one of the most significant since the collapse of military rule 30 years ago. The surprise result includes Greece in the swing to the right across...

Greek Socialists Concede Election Defeat
Exit polls put Karamanlis's conservatives back in power.

'Le Pen' of Athens Alters the Greek Political Landscape
Today a far-right politician with zero tolerance for immigrants and a penchant for rhyming couplets could well be among the winners of parliamentary elections in Greece.

Duel of the Dynasties As Greece Goes to the Polls
Greece goes to the polls tomorrow in a parliamentary election which has turned into a cliffhanger between the scions of two political dynasties which have shaped the country's modern history. Amid accusations of dirty tricks, the former foreign minister George Papandreou ended an...

Worst Falls Since 1960 Paralyse Country
Greece was brought to a halt yesterday by the worst snow storms to hit the country since the 1960s. Blizzards blanketed Athens in up to 50cm (20in) of snow, closing the airport and harbour and trapping thousands of motorists. The Acropolis was also shut. Guards said temperatures...

A Difficult Legacy
George Papandreou has the right pedigree to be Greece's prime minister, but he faces an uphill struggle to restore faith in his party, reports David Hearst

Little George Takes on Greece's Barons of Sleaze
The US-educated heir to a political dynasty vows to fight corruption and cynicism as he tries to lead his party and country into a new era.

Greek Isle Casino Was Big Gamble
Winning approval for scheme in Sharon bribes row 'would have needed heavy political backing'.

Greek Pm Calls Early Election
Simitis bows out as ruling party chief, making way for Papandreou to lift Socialists' poll hopes and become dynasty's third prime minister.

Leaders of Greek Terrorist Group Jailed for Life
The curtain came down yesterday on one of Greece's bloodiest dramas when the ringleaders of the notorious November 17 terrorist group were jailed for life.

'Obscene' Art Offends Orthodox Greek Taste
For 45 days the phallus had gone unnoticed. But then Giorgos Karatzaferis visited Outlook, Greece's biggest ever contemporary art exhibition.

Greek Trial Ends November 17's Reign of Terror
Killers of British diplomat among 15 convicted.

Greece Tackles Its Racist Image
Poll underlines urgency of anti-discrimination bill.

Greek Officials Accused Of Mass Dog Killings
Officials in the city of Athens have been accused by Greek dog lovers of poisoning and burning more than 3000 stray dogs in an effort to clean up the city before the Olympics next year.

Turkey and Greece Talk Peace
The Turkish foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, said yesterday that Turkey and Greece were resolved to solve their problems "peacefully and with understanding". The comments, made during Mr Gul's first official trip to Greece, were made despite the sudden increase in violations of Greek...

Bittersweet Return for Greek Civil War's Lost Victims
Greece is allowing ethnic Macedonians exiled in the 1940s to revisit their homes for the first time. Georgi Donevski has fought the memory of being forcibly marched out of Greece for longer than he cares to remember.

Strikes over public pay hit Greece
A wave of strikes saw thousands of public sector workers take to the streets yesterday as Greece's beleaguered government faced demands for pay increases.

Tour Firms Seek Greek Truce
Holiday tour operators were setting up a meeting with local officials in Greece yesterday in an attempt to resolve the escalating row over the lewd and rowdy behaviour of British tourists. The move was announced after a string of recent incidents which included a holidaymaker being...

Tourist Admits Fatal Stabbing, Greek Police Claim
Police at a Greek resort said yesterday that a 21-year-old British holidaymaker had admitted fatally stabbing a teenager with a broken bottle. A group of 10 British men, including five from Merseyside, have been arrested in Faliraki, Rhodes, after the death of 17-year-old Paddy Doran,...

Greeks Accuse Blair of War Crimes in Iraq
Athens lawyers' Hague case names PM, Straw and Hoon.

Greek police to patrol island clubs
The Greek authorities are calling it the "invisible solution". As the first British tourists begin to flock to their favourite spots with the start of the holiday season, local police forces are taking precautionary measures - although this year out of sight of the crowds.

Undercover Police to Patrol Greek Bars
Drive to curb rising number of sex attacks on tourists.

Greeks' war reparation claim fails
Germany's highest criminal court yesterday dismissed an action for reparations brought by relatives of the residents of a Greek village massacred by Nazis in the second world war.

Greece 'too Hasty' in Seizing Ship
The Greek seizure of an explosive-laden ship bound for Sudan prompted heated exchanges between the two countries yesterday. Khartoum insisted that the cargo of 680 tonnes of high explosives and an estimated 140,000 detonators, loaded in Tunisia, had purely civilian use. Its foreign...

Greeks seize dynamite ship
A mystery ship apparently bound for Africa with 680 tonnes of explosives was seized last night in the eastern Mediterranean by Greek special forces acting on a tip from western intelligence agencies.

Freezing frenzy as roadshow enjoys last hurrah
In a hangar the size of Paddington station, 3,000 Euro-nerds gathered to ogle the new-look union. The unofficial slogan of yesterday's EU summit meeting, held in northern Greece, was "unity in diversity", suggested by the chairman...

EU Rejects Asylum Camps Plan
A British proposal for refugee camps near global conflict zones has been immediately rejected by EU leaders at their summit in Greece. The proposal, floated by the UK immigration minister, Beverly Hughes, ahead of this week's meeting, was dismissed at a pre-summit dinner after opposition...

Huge Security Cordon Guards Summit
Determined to prevent tens of thousands of anti-globalisation protesters wrecking the biggest ever gathering of European leaders, Greece launched draconian security measures yesterday at the luxury seaside resort 75 miles from Salonika.

Rival tried to kill me, says Jerusalem patriarch
The Christian community in Jerusalem is renowned for its regular spats over seemingly mundane matters. But despite anger aroused by the battles over tiny patches of floorspace in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ's crucifixion, the priests have restrained themselves to fisticuffs - until now.

Greek Cypriots End Economic Blockade of Turkish North
Greek Cypriot authorities yesterday effectively abolished the economic blockade of northern Cyprus, announcing an easing of trade restrictions across the UN-monitored "green line" which has divided the island since 1974. The dramatic gesture was a demonstration of goodwill in response to...

PM's Visit Enrages Anti-war Greeks
Tony Blair flew into Athens for the historic EU enlargement ceremony last night, against a backdrop of criticism from one of the most anti-war populaces on the continent. "Blair the Butcher!" said the posters that greeted the prime minister's motorcade. "Blair: the divider of Europe and...

Protests As Greece Sentences Lorry Driver
Protests were growing yesterday over an 11-year jail sentence handed down by a Greek court to a British lorry driver less than 24 hours after 19 Iraqi refugees were found in his truck. David Wilson from Bradford was also fined £47,000 at the hearing last week in Patras, which used...

Protesters Continue March Against War
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators across the world have today once again taken to the streets to protest against the war in Iraq. In Greece thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Athens chanting "we'll stop the war" and splashing red paint on the front windows of a...

Divided Eu May Hold Emergency Summit
EU leaders may hold an emergency summit to discuss the Iraq crisis after this week's public call by eight European countries to back the US in the escalating confrontation with Saddam Hussein. Costas Simitis, prime minister of Greece, the current holder of the union's rotating presidency,...

Holiday Rapes Increase on Greek Islands
Women considering Greece for their summer break will be alarmed to discover that, as far as tourists are concerned, it is becoming the rape capital of Europe.

Greek Elite 'paid to Stay Off November 17 List'
Some of Greece's richest men are believed to have paid large sums to be kept off the hit-list of the terrorist group November 17. They are said to include the family of Gianna Angelopoulos, organiser of the 2004 Athens Olympics, and Yiannis Latsis, the shipowner friend of Prince Charles...

Greece Anxious to Prove Itself in Eu Hot Seat
Greece takes over the EU presidency today, hoping its six-month stint will bear fruit on the issues of illegal migration, Cyprus and the smooth accession of 10 new members. The reform-minded government is keen to promote its "new outlook" - a radically changed attitude from when Greece...

Greece Aims to Energise Eu's Foreign and Defence Policies
Greece is to lead an effort to invigorate the EU's foreign and defence policies and coordinate national positions on Iraq when it takes over the union's presidency in January. Unveiling plans for his country's six months in the rotating hot seat, George Papandreou, the foreign minister,...

Lucky Dip Saves Greek Politician
Athens' mayor-elect escapes gun attack after timely look in handbag.

Court Deals Decisive Blow to Deposed Greek Royals
Constantine receives fraction of claim for royal estates and faces permanent exile.

Shake-up of checks on vessels urged
The appalling condition of many vessels plying the oceans is revealed in confidential documents prepared by Greece ahead of the ruling council meeting next week of the International Maritime Organisation, the United Nations body with ultimate responsibility for safety.

Greeks offer deal to get marbles back
Greece's campaign to shame Britain into handing back the Elgin Marbles comes to London this week when the Greek culture minister presents officials with elaborate plans of the new Acropolis museum where exhibition space will be left empty for the treasures.

Torment Ends for Plane Spotters As Greek Court Clears Them
Twelve British plane spotters were declared innocent yesterday when an appeal court in Greece overturned their convictions for spying. Judge George Efstathiou advised the court that the aviation enthusiasts had been pursuing their hobby as members of clubs previously unheard of in Greece...

Greek Appeal Court Clears Plane Spotters of Spying
The 12 British plane spotters found guilty of spying in Greece were last night declared innocent by a three-member appeals court that unanimously threw out their convictions. Judge George Efstathiou told the crowded court that it was his view that the aviation enthusiasts had been...

Greek fugitive leaves his bare hideout
Few could have predicted how the object of Greece's biggest ever manhunt would manage to hide himself: stark naked on a beach in a crowd of similarly unclad British tourists.

Greek Law Banning Game Boy Quashed
Greek legislators were scratching their heads yesterday as to how they might redraft a law banning all electronic games, after a court deemed the legislation unconstitutional.

Greece's Most Wanted Surrenders
Huge manhunt ends as suspected November 17 'executioner' takes taxi to police headquarters.

Greeks Desert Shops in Price Rise Protest
Millions of Greeks yesterday vented their growing anger with rising prices in the wake of the euro by boycotting shops and services nationwide. From the resort island of Crete to the northern shores of Salonika, shops remained empty as buyers protested against increases of more than 200%...

Greek Terrorists Issue New Threats
Greece's urban guerrilla group, November 17, stunned the country yesterday by announcing in a five-page proclamation that it was "still alive". The unexpected declaration said that while "many fighters" had been lost - 14 suspected members were arrested over the past month - the battle...

Greece Promises Guerrillas a Fair Trial
The Greek prime minister, Costas Simitis, promised yesterday that members of the notorious November 17 guerrilla group "will have a fair trial". Addressing the nation after the capture of some of the organisation's operatives ended 27 years of failed efforts to uncover them, the socialist...

Drills and axes ravage ancient Greek site
In Greece's haste to build a museum so magnificent that Britain will finally bow to its demand to return the Parthenon (Elgin) marbles in time for the 2004 Olympic games, authorities have begun destroying a unique archaeological site at the foot of the Acropolis.

Raids Have Wiped Out Terror Group, Greece Says
The Greek authorities say that the notorious November 17 terrorist group has in effect been disarmed.

Greeks reveal double life of shy terrorist
Police swoop on gang's second hide-out. Few would have guessed that it would be Savvas Xeros, a 'saintly' iconographer, who would ultimately lead police to November 17, Europe's most mysterious terrorist group.

Greek police find terror group's hideout
Breakthrough in hunt for British attache's murderers. After 27 years of failure and frustration, the Greek police have finally uncovered the lair of western Europe's most elusive and resilient leftwing terrorist group, November 17, in a basement flat in central Athens.

Greek Row Stalls Launch of Eu Force
Hopes for a breakthrough in the launch of the EU's rapid reaction force were poised on a knife edge last night as governments fought against the clock to defuse a bitter row blocking the project.

A little light relief to lift the gloom
A friend came back from holiday in Greece this week and said, rather smugly I thought, "You'll notice how we carefully timed it to miss the jubilee!" I'm afraid something snapped in me, so I felt obliged to tell him briskly that he'd missed one of the nicest couple of weeks in our recent national history.

Greece to Take in Palestinian Militants
The Greek government said yesterday that Athens was prepared to take in some of the 13 Palestinian militants from Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, who flew into exile on Friday.

Greece to Crack Down on Sex Traffickers
Greece is poised to pass draconian legislation to fight Europe's burgeoning trade in people-trafficking, after revelations that one in two Greek men has used a sex slave. Outrage at Greece's reluctance to combat the trade has been compounded by growing evidence that the country is the...

Greek Threat to Eu Rapid Reaction Force
Plans to set up a rapid reaction force for Europe were in fresh trouble last night after Greece vetoed a deal to consult its historic regional rival Turkey on the deployment of the fledgling force. Greece's uncompromising position was stated on the eve of talks in Athens today with the...

Plane Spotters Set for Trial in Greece
Twelve British plane spotters, accused of espionage after attending a military air show, are preparing to fly back to Greece this month to convince the courts that none of the information they obtained was secret. The 11 men and one woman each now face a single charge, classified as a...

Greece Unites in Condemnation of Israel
The ability of Greeks to empathise with the underdog has been highlighted by nationwide condemnation of Israel's incursions into the West Bank, but there is also a whiff of anti-Semitism about some people's support for the Palestinians, writes Helena Smith.

Cypriots Lend a Hand to Greek Games
Greece is bolstering its disorganised preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games with a huge volunteer force, says Helena Smith.

It's All Greek to Him
Athanasios Anagnostopoulos is compiling the biggest-ever compendium of the Greek language, with the aim of producing a work to match the Oxford English Dictionary, writes Helena Smith.

Greeks and Turks Need to Bury the Hatchet
Nearly 200 years of antagonism between Greece and Turkey have reached a crucial point, and the future of EU integration is at stake, writes Helena Smith.

Planespotter 'spies' fly home after bail hitch
The 12 British planespotters who spent 35 days behind bars on suspicion of spying in Greece are due to arrive home today, "elated and exhausted". Most of the group who were released yesterday will fly into Luton airport with Easyjet, which provided free air passage after a judicial...

EU reaction force comes slowly to life
European Union leaders were last night struggling to find a formula to end the union's military impotence and declare that their long-delayed rapid reaction force is finally operational - at least in theory. Petty wrangling between Greece and its non-EU Nato rival, Turkey, over...

Plane spotters highlight European divide
All's well that ends well as the 14 plane spotters accused of spying in Greece have now discovered, especially for the two Dutchmen and two of the 12 Britons, who were released from prison earlier today. The other enthusiasts are expected to walk free of the heavy iron gates, behind...

Warm welcome at euro's birthplace
Heralding the biggest currency switch in history, Greece last night became the first of euroland's 12-member states to make the monetary change, simultaneously ditching the drachma - at nearly 3,000 years old, the oldest coinage on the continent. At the stroke of one minute past midnight (9pm...