Greece

IAF to join 12-day multinational wargame in Greece starting Monday

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in a 12-day mega wargame in Greece beginning Monday that is aimed at simulating modern-day air warfare challenges. The assets deployed by the IAF for the biennial INIOCHOS-25 exercise at the Andravida air base include Su-30 MKI fighter jets along with combat enabler IL-78 and C-17 Globemaster aircraft. "The exercise will further reinforce India's strategic partnerships-and bolster its capabilities in joint operations with friendly nations," the IAF said on Sunday. The exercise, being hosted by the Hellenic air force, will take place from March 31 to April 11. It serves as a platform for air forces to hone their skills, exchange tactical knowledge, and strengthen military ties. "The exercise will integrate multiple air and surface assets from fifteen countries under realistic combat scenarios, designed to simulate modern-day air warfare challenges," the IAF said in a statement on Sunday. "The IAF looks forward to participating in Exercis

Surge in earthquake activity prompts emergency on Greek island of Santorini

Greece's government declared a state of emergency on Santorini on Thursday after hundreds of undersea earthquakes shook the resort island for nearly a week. The ministry of civil protection's announcement will provide authorities faster access to state resources. It follows a magnitude 5.2 tremor - the most powerful recorded since activity started on Jan. 31 - that struck late Wednesday. Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis confirmed that multiple emergency services were already mobilized to support the island. Fire departments, police, coast guard, armed forces, and emergency medical services have immediately reinforced Santorini and surrounding islands with additional personnel and specialized equipment, he told reporters. Despite causing minimal damage, the earthquake activity has prompted an exodus of thousands of residents and seasonal workers, mostly evacuating to the Greek mainland by ferry. Experts say the seismic activity is unrelated to volcanic activity in the Aegean S

Costas Simitis, former Greek prime minister and socialist, dies at 88

Costas Simitis, former prime minister of Greece and the architect of the country's joining the common European currency, the euro, has died at age 88, state TV ERT reported. Simitis was taken to a hospital in the city of Corinth early Sunday morning from his holiday home west of Athens, unconscious and without a pulse, the hospital's director was quoted as saying by Greek media. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. Simitis, a co-founder of the Socialist PASOK party in 1974, eventually became the successor to the party's founding leader, Andreas Papandreou, with whom he had an often contentious relationship that shaped the party's nature. Simitis was a low-key pragmatist where Papandreou was a charismatic, fiery populist. He was also a committed pro-European, while Papandreou banked on strong opposition to Greece's joining what was then the European Economic Community in the 1970s, before changing tack once he became prime minister. When the profligate first

Greece's ex-royals seek citizenship 50 years after monarchy was abolished

Members of Greece's former royal family have applied for Greek citizenship and formally acknowledged the country's republican system of government, in a landmark move 50 years after the monarchy was abolished, officials confirmed Friday. The late King Constantine II and his family members were stripped of Greek citizenship in 1994 in a dispute with the government over formerly royal property and over claims that he refused to renounce any right to the Greek throne for his descendants. Interior Ministry official Athanasios Balerpas said that relatives of the late king, who died last year at the age of 82, signed a declaration Thursday acknowledging the republican government and adopting a new surname, De Grece French for of Greece. A historically pending matter is being resolved, Balerpas told state-run radio. Let's look to the future now. I think it's a good moment because it closes an account from the past and we can now look forward as a people. Officials have not officially nam

IMF's handling of large loans to troubled nations under scrutiny

The fund's Independent Evaluation Office studied roughly 20 years of lending under the so-called Exceptional Access Policy and prepared a set of recommendations

Greece Golden Visa: Investors now need Rs 8 cr for property in major cities

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recognised the housing shortages, especially in Athens, but said the government remains focused on attracting investors

Why are Indians rushing to buy property in Greece?

Greece records 37% surge in property purchases by Indians in July-Aug

The rush in purchases is driven by a change in the minimum investment limit under Greece's Golden Visa Programme from Rs 2.3 crore to Rs 7 crore

Greek Golden Visa: Invest Rs 2.3 cr in startups for coveted EU residency

The Greek Golden Visa programme offers a pathway for non-EU nationals to gain permanent residency through investment

Your Greek holiday just got costlier, especially a trip to Santorini

The government plans to limit the number of cruise ships visiting the most popular islands, starting in 2025.

Europe reported 50,000 heat-related deaths in 2023 amid record temperatures

As climate change continues to raise temperatures, Europeans are exposed to increasingly significant health risks as they reside on the fastest-warming continent

1 person dead in Athens wildfires; firefighter continue as winds drop

A major wildfire has raged across the northern suburbs of Athens, leaving at least one person dead and triggering multiple evacuations as swirling winds hampered the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and dozens of water-dropping planes. The fire department said shortly after midnight that firefighters found a body in a burnt building in the suburb of Vrilissia, but was unable to immediately provide further details. The blaze started Sunday near Lake Marathon, about 35 kilometres (22 miles) northeast of Athens, coursed across Mount Pendeli and reached the capital's northern suburbs. It burnt several homes and businesses in the city suburbs and in communities near the lake. Greece went on high alert but by late night Monday, a drop in winds offered hope and officials reported progress against the massive, fast-moving blaze that spawned flames over 25 metres (80 feet) high. Fire Department spokesperson Col Vassileios Vathrakogiannis said firefighters were longer battling a single fr

Schengen visa mandatory for all Greece visits: Here's what you need to know

Recent media reports claimed that Greece has waived Schengen visa requirements for visitors from 188 countries

Cruise ship saves 77 migrants on sailing boat near southwest of Greece

A cruise ship rescued 77 migrants found overnight in a sailboat in distress far off the southwestern coast of Greece and was transporting them to the nearest major port, Greek authorities said Tuesday. A passing Maltese-flagged cargo ship found the boat 112 nautical miles (129 miles, 207 kilometres) southwest of the town of Pylos in the early hours of Tuesday, the coast guard said. In an operation coordinated by Greece's search and rescue authority, all those on board were picked up by a cruise ship sailing in the area and were being transported to the southern Greek port town of Kalamata, authorities said. There were no reports of any people missing. No information was immediately available on the nationalities of those on the sailboat or where they had set out from. Greece lies on one of the most popular migration routes for people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and seeking to enter the European Union. Many attempt to make the short crossing fro

US aircraft carrier counters false Houthi claims with 'Taco Tuesdays'

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower may be one of the oldest aircraft carriers in the US Navy, but it's still fighting despite repeated false claims by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The Houthis and online accounts supporting them repeatedly have alleged they hit or even sank the carrier in the Red Sea as it leads the US response to the rebels' ongoing attacks targeting both commercial vessels and warships in the crucial waterway. That's put its leader, Capt. Christopher Chowdah Hill, and his social media profile directly in what has become an increasingly bizarre internet front line as the campaign goes on. And while he shrugs off his posts, they represent the new level of information warfare the Navy is having to fight as it faces its most intense combat since World War II and tries to keep the morale of the nearly 5,000 personnel aboard the Eisenhower high and munitions ready as their deployment stretches on. I think it's been about two or three times in the past six months we've allegedly bee

European Parliament elections begin today; check out the issues at stake

Nearly 400 million European Union citizens can go to the polls over the coming days to elect members of the European Parliament, or MEPs, in one of the biggest global democratic events. Far-right parties are seeking to gain more power amid a rise in the cost of living and farmers' discontent, while the wars in Gaza and Ukraine stay on the minds of voters. One of the biggest questions is whether European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will remain in charge as the public face of the EU. Here is a look at the election, which runs Thursday to Sunday, and the biggest issues at stake: WHEN IS THE VOTE? EU elections are held every five years across the 27-member bloc. This year marks the 10th parliamentary election since the first polls in 1979, and the first after Brexit. The vote takes place from June 6-9. Initial results can only be revealed on the evening of June 9, once polling stations have closed in all member states. HOW DOES VOTING WORK? The elections started on Th

Wary of Ukraine and Gaza war, Turkey and Greece test friendship initiative

Old foes Turkiye and Greece will test a five-month-old friendship initiative on Monday when Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits Ankara. The two NATO members, which share decades of mutual animosity, a tense border and disputed waters, agreed to sideline disputes last December. Instead, they're focusing on trade and energy, repairing cultural ties and a long list of other items placed on the so-called positive agenda. Here's a look at what the two sides hope to achieve and the disputes that have plagued ties in the past: FOCUSING ON A POSITIVE AGENDA Mitsotakis is to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday as part of efforts to improve ties following the solidarity Athens showed Ankara after a devastating earthquake hit southern Turkiye last year. The two leaders have sharp differences over the Israeli-Hamas war, but are keen to hold back further instability in the eastern Mediterranean as conflict also continues to rage in Ukraine. We alwa

Paris 2024: Things to know about the flame-lighting ceremony in Greece

A priestess prays to a dead sun god in front of a fallen Greek temple. If the sky is clear, a flame spurts that will burn in Paris throughout the world's top sporting event. Speeches ensue. On Tuesday, the flame for this summer's Paris Olympics will be lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in southern Greece in a meticulously choreographed ceremony. It will then be carried through Greece for more than 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) before being handed over to French organizers at the Athens venue used for the first modern Olympics in 1896. Here's a look at the workings and meaning of the elaborate ceremony held among the ruins of Ancient Olympia ahead of each modern Olympiad. COULDN'T THE FRENCH JUST LIGHT IT IN PARIS? Couldn't the Academy Awards just be announced in a conference call? The pageantry at Olympia has been an essential part of every Olympics for nearly 90 years since the Games in Berlin. It's meant to provide an ineluctable link between the modern event a

Greek golden visa: New rules on property use, investment from March 31

From now on, investors aiming for residency rights will face heightened investment requirements, especially in high-demand areas such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini, and other islands

Greece entry point for Indian firms to tap European market: PM Mitsotakis

Greece and India have a "lot of complementarities" in shipping, pharma and other sectors, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday as he emphasised that his country is the natural entry point for Indian companies to tap the European market. Addressing the 'India-Greece Business Forum', organised by FICCI and Enterprise Greece here, he said Greece and India have a "lot of complementarities" in shipping, pharma, such as defence, drones, agriculture, information and communication technology, tourism. He said "we expect to make concrete announcements very soon regarding the signing of the mobility migration agreement, enabling more Indian labour to come to Greece in an organised manner". On a sector-to-sector approach, the prime minister said, "You will realise that there's a lot of complementarities between sectors where Greece has a comparative advantage and where India is also quite strong." "I can see interesting natural synergies emerging in the technology space,"