End of August, end of summer vacations. Greece gets back to normal with mass-protests on the making, important political and economic meetings, and the package of 11.5 billion euro apparently to have been sealed by the coalition government partners. Yesterday, Thursday, leakages to the press informed – even though unofficially- the Greeks about …

They say,  the seventh wave is the highest. We sit at the beach and start counting. The highest wave had just crashed at the beach. Foam and splashes. Millions of water drops. The wave is powerful. It wets our feet up to the calves. It soaks the beach towel. Even though …

It’s always the easy and vulnerable target that pays the price. It’s always the weak and defenseless who gets to feel the rigid face of the law. Whether it’s called “austerity”, “state revenues”, “fill the state pockets”, “pay back lenders” or generalized “structural reforms”.  In Iraklio, Crete, the easy target was a father …

Greek Police set up an emergency phone line in an effort to find evidence from the citizens – and tourists – on the assault case of a 15-year-old teenager on the island of Paros, Cyclades.  The girl was found unconscious, half-naked and brutally beaten all over the body and a big …

Hundreds of tourists were surprised, disappointed and angry to find the gates of Acropolis shut down on Monday noon. The workers had deliberately decided to shut down the Acropolis at 02:00 pm on July 16th 2012, “due to the heat wave” invoking the protection of visitors and working staff. The decision made by …

Asphalt melts. Concrete boils. Sun is violently burning our heads. Greece in general and Athens in particular are in the grip of an unbearable heat wave with temperatures 38-40/41 degrees Celsius in the shadow. Humans turn the air-conditioner or the fan on. But animals cannot. They walk around in their …

The Greek authorities are failing to tackle a rising wave of xenophobic violence that has left migrants afraid to walk the streets. In the 99-page report, “Hate on the Streets: Xenophobic Violence in Greece,” the Human Rights Watch documents the failure of the police and the judiciary to prevent and punish …

This was never seen before in the Greek parliament. Hardly had speaker Vaggelis Meimarakis invited Nikos Michaloliakos, leader of extreme-right Golden Dawn (Chrysi Avgi) to take the floor, immediately more than 100 MPs stood up. However for very different reasons.    Various Greek MPs abandon Parliament to protest Golden Dawn Party leaders and 71 MPs from main opposition …

Doctors have forbidden Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to travel after a serious surgery to repair retinal detachment. “His condition is improving, but he cannot travel either by plane, not by car nor train in order to avoid exposure to high pressure” said the doctor at a press conference on …

I truly believe the appointment of Olga Kefalogianni, 37, for the post of the Tourism Ministry is a good choice. For several reasons: First and most important – she knows the issues she is going to deal with as she was responsible for Tourism within Nea Dimocratia for several years. Second: As an …

A lonely Greek flag is waving in a busy street of Amsterdam – since a couple of days. Anton is a fan of Greece. He spent six years living and working as photographer in Greece but recently returned to The Netherlands. Anton hoisted the Greek Flag on his balcony to hail and support …

It was short before 7 o’ clock in the morning when the 75-year-old retired military man took his hunting rifle and left his home in the noble Kifissia suburb of north Athens. He walked some one hundred meters, set the rifle on the asphalt of the peaceful and picturesque street …

The elections spot of conservative Nea Dimocratia featuring school kids asking their teacher “Why isn’t Greece in the Euro, Sir?” triggered a lot of especially ironic reactions, not only because children were used for political purposes. And if this wasn’t enough,  some really mean Greeks checked out the internet to find out the …

Every Greek and every Greek-speaking foreigner living in this country, experiencing the economic crisis and the bombardment of threats, blackmails and catastrophy scenarios by national and international politicians, officials and several other -icians struggles to escape all this mechanisms targeting to crack down the society. I am not talking so much …

Another “historical” day broke up in Greece, another “crucial crossroad”, another “last” attempt to form a government, nine days after the May-6 elections. Karolos Papoulias will meet political leaders at the presidential mansion at 2 pm. During talks on Monday, Papoulias sent Samaras (ND), Venizelos (PASOK) and Kouvelis (Democratic Left) home with …

One of the many Greek miracles! A man has been receiving  a 700-euro allowance on a monthly basis for being 100% blind. “What’s wrong with that?” one may ask. Nothing would be the answer  if the man wasn’t a local champion in pool billiard! The man, who also happens to …

What do party leaders do after a short but intensive election campaign, before the ballot boxes open? No, they don’t party. Not yet. They meet journalists, party officials and devoted supporters instead, and chat over drinks and food. In a rather relaxed mood, the leaders of  the small and big political parties organized  pre-ballot meetings …

 Guido Westerwelle, German Foreign Minister, from neo-liberal Free Democrats Party (FDP) came to his senses. He apparently realized that the populists policies of FDP cannot save his party from the free fall*.  After two years of sharp criticism towards Greece and while FDP chief Philipp Roesler  finally found another playground …

 Do you remember the case of journalist Manolis Kypraios who got seriously injured by a riot police stun-grenade and lost his hearing on both ears during protests in summer 2011? Eleven months later, the case will be investigated by a judge who is expected to personalize the charges and identify the …

I am tired. In fact, I’m exhausted. And fed up. To hear the same things again and again. EU and IMF urged for one more time Greece for “Reforms” and “Austerity”. Reforms I do not see; Austerity is what I feel on my skin. Day in and day out. And the …