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☆ Greek rowing champion Ntouskos to be first Paris 2024 torchbearer
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Olympics - Athens presents Greek leg of the torch relay for Paris 2024 - Greek Olympic Committee Building, Athens, Greece - November 22, 2023 An image of the Olympic torch is displayed on a screen during the presentation REUTERS/Louiza Vradi Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Greece' Olympic rowing champion Stefanos Ntouskos will be the first torchbearer of the Paris 2024 Olympics relay after next year's lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia, Greece's Olympic Committee (HOC) said on Wednesday. The Olympic flame will be lit in Greece's Olympia, birthplace of the ancient Games, on April 16 in a traditional ceremony with an actress playing a high priestess igniting the torch using a parabolic mirror and the sun. The high priestess will pass the flame to Ntouskos, who won gold in the men's single sculls at the Tokyo Games in 2021, at the edge of the ancient Olympic stadium in Olympia. The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26-Aug. 11. Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Louiza, Stefanos, Ioannis Fountoulis, Karolos Grohmann, Ed Osmond Organizations: Paris, Greek Olympic, Rights, Olympic, Tokyo Games, Paris Games, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Olympia, Belem, Marseille

☆ Greece starts process to sell 20% stake in National Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People walk outside the National Bank of Greece headquarters in Athens, Greece, January 17, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Greece on Monday announced plans to sell a 20% stake in National Bank of Greece (NBG) after concluding the sale of a 9% stake in Alpha Bank to UniCredit as it looks to divest from the country's lenders. It currently holds a 40.4% stake in NBG and a 27% stake in Piraeus Bank (BOPr.AT), Greece's third largest lender. NBG's shares were down about 1% at 5.39 euros at 1012 GMT on Monday, with the 20% stake valued at about one billion euros ($1.07 billion). Earlier on Monday, HFSF said it sold its 9% stake in Alpha Bank (ACBr.AT) to UniCredit for 293.5 million euros after an improved bid from the Italian bank.

Persons: Louiza, HFSF, Lefteris Papadimas, Jason Neely Organizations: National Bank of, REUTERS, Rights, Monday, National Bank of Greece, Alpha Bank, Hellenic, Stability, Piraeus Bank, Reuters, Global, Thomson Locations: National Bank of Greece, Athens, Greece, UniCredit, NBG

☆ Biden's Saudi-Israel normalization plans appear distant as Israel pounds Gaza in offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A "big victim" of the escalating Israel-Hamas war "is efforts at Saudi and Israel normalization," Fred Kempe, CEO of the Atlantic Council, told CNBC. Iran's mission to the United Nations has denied Tehran's involvement in the militant group's attack on Israel on Saturaday. "More timely for Tehran is that it is looking to slow down Israeli Saudi normalization and through the attack, it might have achieved that," Vakil said. With the Hamas attack on Israel, "it's very clear that Saudi Arabia will take a more gradual approach to normalization," she said. And Iran is consistently messaging to its Gulf neighbors that any attack on Iran from Israel will lead to a domino attack on the Gulf.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Louiza Vradi, Biden, –, Joe Biden's, he'd, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jacquelyn Martin, Netanyahu, Fred Kempe, That's, Bashar Taleb, Sanam Vakil, Israel, Vakil, Ilia Yefimovich Organizations: Reuters, Saudi, Palestinian, Hamas, United Nations, Israel's, Israeli Defence Ministry, AFP, Getty Images, Bloomberg, Atlantic Council, CNBC, Afp, Getty, Saudi Foreign Ministry, Iran, Chatham House, . Locations: Saudi, Athens, Greece, Israel, Gaza, Israeli, Tel Aviv, Getty Images Saudi Arabia, Mecca, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Gaza City, Palestinian, Iran, East, North Africa, Tehran, Saturaday ., Be'eri

☆ Greece to tap into undocumented migrants to curb labour squeeze
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A migrant stands in the Mavrovouni camp on the island of Lesbos, Greece, November 25, 2021. The new proposal would look at allowing the 300,000 migrants estimated already to be living illegally in Greece to work in some sectors, Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis told state broadcaster ERT. "We need to see what to do with the population that is already in our country, without creating further magnets for others to come illegally," Kairidis said. Kairidis is expected to formally outline the initiative at a cabinet meeting next month, a migration ministry official told Reuters. Agriculture Minister Lefteris Avgenakis said he was in talks with the migration ministry to tackle this problem.

Persons: Louiza, Dimitris Kairidis, Kairidis, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Lefteris Avgenakis, Avgenakis, Karolina Tagaris, Angeliki, Peter Graff 私 Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Migration, ERT, Reuters, Agriculture Locations: Lesbos, Greece, East, Asia, Eastern Europe, Albania, Bangladesh, India, Egypt

☆ Israel says US to announce it has joined Visa Waiver Program
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israel Foreign Minister Eli Cohen speaks during a press conference with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis at the Foreign Ministry in Athens, Greece, July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Israel's Foreign Ministry said on Monday it expects the United States to announce this week that it will be admitted to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which would allow Israeli citizens visa-free entry to America as of November. "Israel joining the Visa Waiver Program is a diplomatic achievement and good news for all Israeli citizens," said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. In Israel's case, that would mean free passage for Palestinian Americans at its airports and when travelling into and out of the occupied Palestinian territories. Between 45,000 and 60,000 Palestinian Americans live in the West Bank, a U.S. official estimated.

Persons: Eli Cohen, Giorgos Gerapetritis, Louiza, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Israel, Henriette Chacar, Simon Lewis, Caitlin Webber, James Mackenzie, Mark Heinrich, Sonali Paul Organizations: Israel, Greek Foreign, Foreign Ministry, REUTERS, Rights, Visa, Israeli, U.S . State Department, Homeland Security, State, Palestinian, West Bank, U.S, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, United States, America, Israel, U.S, Washington, Palestinian, Croatia

☆ ECB’s Stournaras urges governments to help bring down inflation, Bloomberg reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Central Bank Governor Yannis Stournaras poses for a photo in his office at the bank’s headquarters in Athens, Greece, October 22, 2021. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi Acquire Licensing RightsSept 17 (Reuters) - European Central Bank Governing Council member Yannis Stournaras said governments must do their part in reining in consumer prices after borrowing costs reached a level that may well be their peak, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. “Monetary policy has done its part to fight inflation,” Stournaras told Bloomberg in an interview, adding that now it was up to fiscal policy to "take out some of the heat." “A more restrictive fiscal stance wouldn’t only be a welcome strategic complement to ECB policy but also help improve the credibility of public debt and loosen the nexus with banks,” the Greek central bank chief said. Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Central Bank Governor Yannis Stournaras, Louiza, Yannis Stournaras, ” Stournaras, wouldn’t, Stournaras, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, Kanjyik Ghosh, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Central Bank Governor, REUTERS, Central Bank Governing, Bloomberg, ECB, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, reining, Bengaluru

☆ A Saudi-Israel deal could dramatically reshape the Middle East — but don't expect it anytime soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Saudi Arabia doesn't recognize Israel as a state and has refused to do so since the latter's independence in 1948. A deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia could dramatically reshape the geopolitics of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia wants military promisesAnother big challenge is what Saudi Arabia is demanding of Washington. But even if a security guarantee and more advanced weapons access demands are met, U.S. backing for a Saudi nuclear program is likely more challenging. Any deal on this is also complicated by the fact that Saudi Arabia has its own natural supplies of uranium and intends to mine them itself.

Persons: Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Louiza Vradi, Israel –, Saudi Arabia doesn't, Mahmoud Abbas, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir Cohen, Biden, Sanam Vakil, Netanyahu, Mustafa Hassona, Hussein Ibish, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Vakil, Mohammed bin Salman, Fayez Nureldine, Ryan Bohl, Rane Organizations: Wall Street Journal, Palestinian Authority, Biden, Palmachim Air Force Base, Reuters, Saudi, Chatham House, CNBC, Bloomberg, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Gulf States Institute, United Nations, Saudi Crown, Nurphoto, Republicans, Artillery, Defense, Afp, U.S, government's, United Arab Emirates, Middle East Locations: Saudi, Athens, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, Riyadh, Rishon Lezion, U.S, East, North Africa, Palestine, Mecca, Medina, Gaza City, West Bank, Nablus, Gaza, Washington, Beit Lahia, Yemen

☆ UEFA's Ceferin calls on Europe to end "cancer" of soccer violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Soccer fans detained following violent clashes between AEK Athens and Dinamo Zagreb soccer fans, that lead to the death of a man, are taken to a magistrate, in Athens, Greece, August 11, 2023. "This is the cancer of football and those are not football fans," Ceferin said. "Violence and hooliganism are not only a Greek problem," he said adding European countries, institutions and media had to work together to help end football violence. Greece has made repeated efforts to reform soccer, which has been plagued by violence on and off the pitch. Mitsotakis said that Greece was exploring a further tightening of rules to help end violence at sporting events.

Persons: Louiza, Alexander Ceferin, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Ceferin, Michalis Katsouris, George Gerapetritis, Mitsotakis, Renee Maltezou, Pritha Sarkar Organizations: Soccer, AEK Athens, Dinamo Zagreb soccer, REUTERS, Rights, UEFA, Dinamo Zagreb, Greek, AEK, Croatian, Aris Thessaloniki's, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Europe, Croatia

☆ Wildfires in Greece burn for fifth day as another heatwave hits
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Fedja Grulovic | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A person walks at the yard of a burnt house following a wildfire in Mandra, Greece, July 21. REUTERS/Louiza VradiATHENS, July 21 (Reuters) - Greece struggled to contain a wildfire west of Athens that burnt forestland for a fifth day on Friday as another heatwave hit the country. Two other blazes in forests on the island of Rhodes and in the Lakonia district in southern Greece were tamed on Friday. The risk of wildfires in the coming days will remain high and further heat is forecast following on from a previous heatwave. Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and Fedja Grulovic; Editing by Angeliki Koutantou and Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vassilis Kikilias, Lefteris Papadimas, Angeliki Koutantou, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Firefighters, Reuters, Culture Ministry, Thomson Locations: Mandra, Greece, Louiza, ATHENS, Athens, Cyprus, France, Israel, Italy, Rhodes, Lakonia

[1/4] A firefighter tries to extinguish a wildfire burning near the village of Pournari, Greece, July 18, 2023. The blaze raged in the area of Dervenochoria about 30 km (18.6 miles) north of Athens. Fire fighters managed to contain other blazes southeast and west of the Greek capital but the fronts were still active. A mayor told Greek television that more than 7,000 acres of land was reduced to ashes along a coast, where many Athenians have holiday homes. Greece still has memories of a wildfire disaster in 2018, when a blaze killed 101 people in the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens.

Persons: Ioannis Artopoios, Janez Lenarcic, Kyriakos, Giorgos Nikolaou, Angeliki Koutantou, Stelios Misinas, Lefteris Papadimas, Simon Cameron, Moore, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Union, Greek Fire Service, Fire, Canadair, EU Crisis, Thomson Locations: Pournari, Greece, DERVENOCHORIA, Athens, Dervenochoria, France, Italy, Brussels, America, Kouvaras, Anavyssos, Lagonissi, Loutraki, Mati

☆ Turkey's Erdogan, Greece's Mitsotakis to meet at July NATO summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Newly elected Greek Prime Minister and Leader of New Democracy conservative party Kyriakos Mitsotakis attends the handover ceremony at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, June 26, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza VradiISTANBUL/ATHENS, June 26 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius next month, Mitsotakis' office said on Monday, a day after he won a national election. Mitsotakis was sworn in for a second term as prime minister on Monday following a resounding election win. Ergodan, who was elected to his third term last month, congratulated Mitsotakis in a phone call, the Turkish Presidency said on Monday. Reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Lefteris Papadimas Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Tayyip Erdogan, Mitsotakis, Ergodan, Ali Kucukgocmen, Chris Reese, Sandra Maler Organizations: Greek, New Democracy, REUTERS, Louiza Vradi, NATO, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Louiza, Louiza Vradi ISTANBUL, ATHENS, Vilnius, Turkish, Turkey, Cyprus

[1/24] New Democracy conservative party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks to supporters outside the party's headquarters, after the general election, in Athens, Greece, June 25, 2023. Fringe parties of the political left and right - including an anti-immigrant party calling themselves the Spartans - got a foothold in parliament. The system used in Sunday's poll gave the leading party bonus seats depending on voter support. The Spartans party, which said Greece was threatened by uncontrolled migration, was the surprise of the campaign. It was set to gain 4.7 of the vote and up to 13 seats in parliament, based on the early results.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Kyriakos, Mitsotakis, Tsipras, Zoe Constantopoulou, Plefsi Eleftherias, Giorgos Katzimertzis, Ilias Kasiadiaris, Gina Kalovyrna, Michele Kambas, Renee Maltezou, Lefteris, Frances Kerry, Emelia, Giles Elgood, Mark Porter Organizations: New Democracy, REUTERS, Syriza, Spartans, European Union, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, ATHENS, Kasidiaris

☆ Greek elections: Ruling conservatives take lead but fail to secure majority
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

If he fails to form a coalition, a caretaker government will be sworn in and a second vote will take place in late June or early July. “Neither of the two main parties are new to the scene. The turmoil, which one political party referred to as “Greek Watergate,” forced a number of high-profile departures. The most likely scenario is that a caretaker government will be sworn in and a second vote will take place, most likely, in early July. They are expected to rally behind the main parties in a second election where they will want to see a strong government emerge.

☆ As Greek elections loom, parties vie for votes of 'lost generation'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Karolina Tagaris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"What I imagined at 18 is a long way away from what I'm living at 28," the physics student said. "I don't know how we cannot be called a lost generation. "Pension income is a fiscal problem," said Vlassis Missios, an economist at the Greek Centre of Planning and Economic Research. For many young Greeks, finding suitable work is tough. "Even if they can't win the votes of the young people, they don't want to have them as opponents.

☆ Burundi-born ex-police officer seeks to be Greece's first Black lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Karolina Tagaris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Conservative New Democracy party candidate Spiros Richard Hagabimana arrives for an election campaign event at the neighbourhood of Nikaia, near Athens, Greece, May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza VradiSALAMINA, Greece, May 16 (Reuters) - In working-class neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Athens, Spiros Richard Hagabimana is going door-to-door in an election campaign that could see him become Greece's first Black lawmaker. Dressed in a suit and tie, Hagabimana walks the streets of the constituency he is contesting in Greece's May 21 election, meeting voters in farmers' markets and cafes. 'I WOULD HAVE BEEN FINISHED'Hagabimana first arrived in Greece in 1991 on a scholarship to study at the Naval Academy. Hagabimana, then a National Police officer, refused orders to suppress demonstrators and was jailed and beaten, he said.

☆ Greek president approves PM request for May 21 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis meets with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou to discuss snap elections at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece April 22, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza VradiATHENS, April 22 (Reuters) - Greece's president approved a request by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday to dissolve parliament and hold elections on May 21, as the country gears for a vote that is unlikely to produce an outright winner. Mitsotakis announced the election date during a cabinet meeting in late March, a few months before his term officially ends in July. On Saturday, he told President Katerina Sakellaropoulou that parliament will be dissolved on April 23. "I hope we have a calm and fruitful pre-election period, for the good of the country," Sakellaropoulou told the conservative premier, kicking off a four-week political campaigning period.

☆ Cypriot diplomats face off in cliffhanger presidential vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Supporters of Cyprus presidential candidate Nikos Christodoulides are seen in front of a poster, at the campaign headquarters a day ahead of the presidential elections, in Nicosia, Cyprus, February 11, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza VradiNICOSIA, Feb 12 (Reuters) - A runoff election on Sunday to select the president of Cyprus pits two career diplomats against each other in what could be a cliffhanger vote that has split the political right. His candidacy was given a boost this week when DISY said its members should vote with their conscience. The DISY leadership were angered after Christodoulides, a former party member, broke ranks to run as an independent. read moreLeading DISY party members have since come out in support of each candidate.

☆ Europe's royals, in Athens, bids farewell to Greece's last king
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] A person holds a flag as people queue to pay respects to former King of Greece Constantine II at Saint Eleftherios chapel, where he lies at rest before the funeral service, in Athens, Greece, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Louiza VradiATHENS, Jan 16 (Reuters) - European royalty gathered in Athens on Monday for the funeral of former King Constantine of Greece, born a prince but spurned by his country which abolished the monarchy in 1974. He died at the age of 82 last week in an Athens hospital. Royals from Europe, including Britain's Princess Anne, sister of King Charles, and her husband and Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, were expected to attend the funeral, at the Metropolitan Cathedral in central Athens, under tight security. In a referendum after the fall of the junta in 1974, Greece rejected monarchy again.

☆ Transported through history: Greek mosaic floor graces new subway station
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Deborah Kyvrikosaios | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Household objects of an ancient Greek house are seen at an exhibition inside Piraeus subway station, near Athens, Greece, October 19, 2022. They're not visitors to a museum, however, but passengers on a new subway line that links Piraeus, the sea port that serves the capital, with its airport. Subway builder Attiko Metro worked closely with archaeologists to create it, and the trove represents a highlight of thousands of artefacts found during the line's construction. "We are giving the passenger a small taste of an everyday moment in an (ancient) Piraeus house," said archaeologist Stella Chryssoulaki. "They found a small ancient ring.

☆ Saudi Arabia announces $400 mln humanitarian aid to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not pictured) at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, July 26, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza VradiOct 15 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will provide $400 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Saudi state news agency SPA said, adding that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made a phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday. The crown prince expressed the kingdom's readiness to continue efforts of mediation and support everything that contributes to de-escalation, SPA added. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Yomna Ehab; Writing by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Saudi king names crown prince as prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not pictured) at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, July 26, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza VradiSept 27 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziznamed his son and heir Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the kingdom's prime minister and his second son Prince Khalid as defense minister, a royal decree said on Tuesday. The reshuffle kept another son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, as energy minister, theroyal decree, carried by state news agency SPA, said. Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan and Investment Minister Khalid al-Falih remained unchanged, the decree showed. Prince Khalid bin Salman, MbS's younger brother, previously served as deputy defense minister.

☆ Saudi crown prince meets with Turkish officials- SPA
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks on during a signing ceremony at the Maximos Mansion, in Athens, Greece, July 26, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza VradiSept 24 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Turkey's Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati and Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman and chief foreign policy adviser, in Jeddah on Saturday, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. Turkey is hoping for a currency swap deal with Saudi Arabia, after it established one with the United Arab Emirates earlier this year. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Nayera Abdallah Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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