A controversial injury-time penalty decision rescued Olympiakos from defeat against AEK Athens in the Greek Super League derby on Sunday, as the match at Nea Filadelfia ended 1-1. The late equalizer allowed PAOK to climb into second place in the league standings, with AEK maintaining their position at the top of the table. The dramatic conclusion came in the 106th minute after 14 minutes of stoppage time were added to the contest. According to match reports, AEK took the lead just before the hour mark when Razvan Marin delivered a corner kick from the right side. Substitute Varga rose in…

Greece’s Finance Ministry has abandoned plans to lease two popular beaches on the small Cycladic island of Ano Koufonissi, preserving free public access to the island’s main coastal areas. The decision reverses an earlier proposal to grant commercial development rights for Pori and Italida beaches, which would have introduced paid sun loungers and umbrellas to spaces currently enjoyed freely by visitors and residents alike. The ministry halted the leasing process following vocal opposition from local government officials responsible for Koufonissi and nearby islands including Iraklia, Schinoussa and Donoussa. According to reports, the entire island near Naxos forms part of the…

Train services across central Italy experienced significant disruptions on Saturday after suspected sabotage targeted railway infrastructure during the ongoing Winter Olympics. Delays exceeding one hour affected high-speed rail connections between Naples and Rome, as well as routes heading north toward Florence, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at major stations. The incidents mark the latest in a series of railway sabotage attacks coinciding with the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, which run from February 6-22. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini condemned the acts as criminal attacks targeting both Italian workers and the nation itself. Investigation Reveals Deliberate Criminal Activity Authorities discovered burnt cables…

A significant collection of historical documents related to the discovery of the Venus de Milo has been donated to Athens’ Gennadius Library after being found in a Long Island basement. Susan Vera, a New York psychology teacher, uncovered the archival chest in 2023 among her ancestors’ belongings, leading to the repatriation of 550 documents spanning more than a century of Aegean history. The archive centers on Louis Brest, a French vice-consul who was stationed on the Greek island of Milos during the famous statue’s discovery in 1820. According to reports, Brest played a crucial role in securing the ancient sculpture…

Cyprus will participate as an observer in the upcoming Board of Peace meeting focused on Gaza reconstruction, scheduled to take place in Washington DC on Thursday, February 19, the Republic of Cyprus announced. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed the country’s involvement, emphasizing Cyprus’s ongoing regional role since the crisis began through various initiatives and proposals submitted to international partners. According to Letymbiotis, Cyprus will contribute to the discussions as the European Union member state geographically closest to the region. The spokesman posted on social media that the country will participate in evolving developments and contribute practically to stability and peacebuilding…

Greece is moving forward with new regulations designed to streamline the issuance of auxiliary pensions for retirees with successive insurance periods across multiple funds. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security, working alongside the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA), is finalizing a regulation that will assign responsibility for issuing supplementary pensions to the last institution where the insured person was registered before retirement, regardless of where they accumulated the most insurance time. According to the ministry, the legislative intervention aims to accelerate the pension issuance process rather than change how pension amounts are calculated. Currently, supplementary pensions represent a major…

Jerian Grant delivered a dramatic buzzer-beating basket to secure Panathinaikos an 82-81 Euroleague victory over Real Madrid at the Telekom Center Athens on Tuesday. The last-second heroics came just two seconds before the final buzzer, capping a thrilling comeback for the Greek powerhouse and completing a season double over the Spanish giants. Meanwhile, Olympiakos suffered a disappointing 108-98 overtime defeat to Dubai despite a remarkable second-half rally. The win marks Panathinaikos’ 16th victory in 26 Euroleague games this season and came on the club’s 118th birthday. Grant’s game-winning shot sealed what many consider a potential season-changing result for the seven-time…

The Thessaloniki Film Festival is advancing the international presence of Greek cinema by bringing four Greek producers to the European Film Market during the Berlin Film Festival. The producers, who previously participated in the 66th Thessaloniki Film Festival, will showcase their projects through the Spotlight On program at the Berlin event, connecting films in development or post-production with industry professionals, distributors and festival programmers. According to the festival organizers, the initiative takes place with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. The producers attending include Ioanna Bolomyti, Eleni Kosyfydou, Marinos Charalambous and Dionysis Samiotis, who received tutoring from award-winning producer Katarina…

Emergency tunnel maintenance on Athens’ Attiki Odos ring road is causing severe traffic disruptions and major delays for travelers attempting to reach the city’s airport. The closure affects a critical section of the highway between the Aspropyrgos interchange and the Fyli Avenue junction, with repairs scheduled to continue through Sunday, February 22. The shutdown has forced authorities to implement extensive detours that are creating bottlenecks across multiple arterial routes serving the Greek capital. According to reports, the lanes toward Athens International Airport remain completely closed for the duration of the maintenance work. Additionally, entrances to the toll road from Elefsina…

A Greek technology company based in the northeastern border region of Alexandroupoli has successfully launched the country’s first domestically designed and manufactured nanosatellite into orbit. Prisma Electronics, founded by the Giordamlis brothers in their hometown of Alexandroupoli, launched the MICE 1 nanosatellite on November 28 from Vandenberg base in California aboard a SpaceX rocket, according to company founder Christos Giordamlis. The Greek nanosatellite is intended for maritime applications and use in challenging environments such as natural disaster response zones. The five-kilogram device was fully designed and manufactured at the company’s facility in Thrace, representing a significant milestone for Greece’s emerging…

Greece plans to contribute a specialized battalion to the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, marking a significant expansion of its peacekeeping role in the region. The deployment will include 100-150 personnel equipped with armored vehicles for security operations, along with medical staff and engineers, according to recent reports. This represents an upgraded mission compared to Greece’s previous international engagement in Afghanistan under the International Security Assistance Force from 2002 to 2021. The Greek contingent will operate within the security perimeter established by Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza. Two Greek officers have already been assigned to the US-led Civil-Military Coordination center…

Greece’s national selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 moves forward this week as state broadcaster ERT screens the first semifinal on Wednesday evening. The Eurovision Greece semifinal will feature 14 competing acts vying for a chance to represent the country at the 70th edition of the international music competition in Vienna this May. According to ERT, the broadcast begins at 9 p.m. local time and will showcase performances from Alexandra Sieti, The Astrolabe, Desi G, Akylas, Evangelia, Panagiotis Tsakalakos, Niya, Marseaux, Rossana Mailan, Stefi, Revery, Dinamiss, Stylianos and Spheyaa in their order of appearance. Viewers across Greece will…

Greece is facing a paradoxical situation where labor shortages persist despite stagnant wages, defying basic economic principles. According to data revealed by Kathimerini, the Greek labor market shows high demand for workers in sectors like hospitality, retail, and technical occupations, yet wage increases remain minimal even as employers report difficulty filling positions. This unusual dynamic highlights structural problems in the Greek economy that prevent the typical supply-demand balance from functioning properly. Official statistics from the Hellenic Statistical Authority paint a stark picture of wage stagnation spanning nearly two decades. In 2006, before the financial crisis, service workers and salespeople earned…

Greek kickboxing legend Michalis “Iron Mike” Zambidis announced Tuesday that he will face undefeated boxing icon Floyd Mayweather in an Athens exhibition bout scheduled for June 27. The Mayweather Zambidis fight is set to take place at the OAKA Arena, according to promotional materials shared on Zambidis’ social media channels. The event will be promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Zambidis Club, and Front Row Fight Series, with organizers promising a live global broadcast. The 45-year-old Greek fighter posted a promotional poster on Instagram declaring that “history is about to be made” with the matchup. However, Mayweather himself has not yet publicly…

Greece’s soccer federation has announced a last-minute venue change for the Greek Cup Final, moving the match from Athens to Volos after a dispute with Olympic stadium management. The EPO confirmed that the Cup Final will now take place on April 25 in the central Greek city following what it described as an unacceptable breach of agreement by Athens Olympic stadium officials. According to the EPO statement, stadium management informed the federation that only 20% of the approximately 80,000 seats would be available for fans if the match were held at the Athens venue. The limited capacity was attributed to…

Cyprus emerged as the European Union’s economic growth champion in the final quarter of 2025, according to official data released by Eurostat on Friday. The Mediterranean island nation recorded a GDP growth rate of 1.4% in volume terms during the October-December period compared with the previous quarter, significantly outpacing other EU member states for which data are currently available. The Republic of Cyprus demonstrated even more impressive performance on an annual basis, registering a 4.5% increase when comparing the fourth quarter of 2025 with the same period in 2024. This marked the highest annual GDP growth among all European Union…

The Archaeological Museum of Kavala has become the focus of renewed scholarly attention following the publication of two comprehensive volumes examining the ancient Neapolis sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Parthenos. The sanctuary of the Virgin at ancient Neapolis, a city founded by Thasian settlers in the 7th century BC, continues to yield valuable insights into cult practices and architectural development in the ancient Aegean world. The volumes, edited by Amalia Avramidou, associate professor of classical archaeology at the Democritus University of Thrace, were published in English by Brepols. According to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, the publications examine ritual practices at…

Anna Benaki-Psarouda, Greece’s first female Parliament Speaker and a pioneering figure in Greek politics and academia, has died at the age of 91, her family announced Sunday. The distinguished law professor and longtime parliamentarian broke multiple barriers during her decades-long career in public service and education. Benaki-Psarouda served as an MP with the conservative New Democracy party from 1981 to 2009 and made history when she was elected Parliament Speaker from 2004 to 2007. Her political career also included several Cabinet positions, including Alternate Education Minister, Alternate Minister of Culture, Minister of Culture, and Minister of Justice between 1989 and…

Weather authorities in Greece issued urgent warnings on Tuesday as severe weather conditions bring heavy rain and powerful storms to western regions of the country. The General Secretariat for Civil Protection announced heightened readiness measures for the Peloponnese, Western Greece, the Ionian Islands, and Epirus, where the risk of flooding has increased significantly due to the extreme weather system moving across the Mediterranean nation. According to forecasters, intense downpours and thunderstorms are affecting Epirus and western Central Greece, with conditions expected to spread to western and southern Peloponnese throughout the day. Additionally, parts of Crete, particularly the western and southern…

Greece is poised to solidify its position as a strategic US energy partner with the signing of major hydrocarbon exploration lease contracts on Monday. The Chevron and Helleniq Energy joint venture will formalize agreements for four marine areas off Peloponnese and Crete at the Acropolis Museum, according to reports. The ceremony, scheduled for noon, marks a significant milestone in Greece’s expanding role in regional energy infrastructure. The joint venture was named preferred investor for these blocks in October, following a competitive tender process. The maritime concessions include South Peloponnese, A2, South Crete I, and South Crete II, covering extensive underwater…

Greece is set to sign four major hydrocarbon exploration agreements with US energy giant Chevron on Monday, marking a significant step toward unlocking vast offshore natural gas reserves south of Crete and the Peloponnese. The hydrocarbon exploration agreements cover the maritime concessions “South Peloponnese,” “A2,” “South Crete I” and “South Crete II,” according to official sources. Following the signing ceremony, the deal will be submitted to Parliament for ratification. Geophysical surveys in the designated areas are scheduled to commence in the second half of 2026. This initiative represents Greece’s first major effort to open its waters to gas exploration in…

Rock fans in Brussels will have the opportunity to experience Greece’s influential 1990s rock scene through a special tribute concert organized by Hellenic Circle. The event, scheduled for Saturday, February 28, at the Madame Moustache venue, promises to deliver an authentic retrospective of Greek rock music that defined a generation and transformed the country’s alternative music landscape. This Greek rock tribute concert goes beyond a typical cover performance, offering audiences an immersive journey into an era characterized by poetic lyrics and unfiltered sound. According to organizers, the event celebrates the music that elevated Greek-language rock from underground venues into mainstream…

Greece’s women’s water polo team secured a bronze medal at the European Championships in Portugal, mirroring the achievement of their male counterparts from last month. The world champions defeated Italy 15-8 in the third-place match on Thursday in Funchal, claiming their sixth European medal in the competition’s history. Coach Haris Pavlidis led his squad to the podium finish after a campaign that followed a strikingly similar pattern to the men’s tournament in Belgrade. The Greek women dominated the group stage with a perfect record of five consecutive victories before their medal hopes were altered in the knockout rounds. Greece Women’s…

Greek authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a prisoner at Domokos Prison as a potential contract killing, according to law enforcement sources. Antonis Papadatos, 42, was shot three times in the head on Sunday evening inside the facility, raising serious questions about security protocols and the circumstances surrounding the incident. Papadatos was serving a sentence for the 2021 murder of hotel businessman Dimis Korfiatis in Zakynthos. The alleged shooter, a Bulgarian national identified as S.R. and known as “Razvan,” is currently serving a life sentence for the October 2018 murder of Greek-Australian John Makris outside his home in Voula.…