News archive of October 2019

Greece's industrial output fell 0.6 percent in August compared to the same month last year, after a revised 1.7 percent drop in July, statistics service ELSTAT said on Thursday.
The index components show that manufacturing production rose 0.1 percent from the same month in 2018, while mining output decreased 23.1 percent.

NATO expects Turkey to show restraint in its military operations in northern Syria, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

Fifteen years after cremations were legalized in Greece, the country's first such facility has opened in Ritsona on the island of Evia, and has already carried out 15 cremations.

Licensed in the summer of 2018 and inaugurated on September 30, the private venture is 70 percent owned by Crem Services SA. The nongovernmental Greek Cremation Society (GCS) holds a 30 percent stake.

Bulgaria does not comply with EU law in 7 areas, according to a statement released by the European Commission today.

The leaders of Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia agreed to allow passport-free travel for their citizens by 2021 and a speedier cross-border flow of goods to boost regional economic development. This was announced earlier today by Reuters News Agency.

This move is not related to the ongoing EU membership negotiations.

 Six honorary doctoral degrees will be awarded to personalities from Austria, the United Kingdom, Poland, Turkey, Canada and the United States during the 7th edition on Thursday and Friday of the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMF) scientific congress held at Parliament Palace in Bucharest, UMF rector Ioanel Sinescu told AGERPRES.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens on Thursday. During a meeting with President Prokopis Pavlopoulos at the Presidential Mansion, Stoltenberg applauded Greece for spending 2 percent of its GDP on defense, while hailing the country's contribution to NATO's land and sea operations.

Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos on Thursday expressed Greece's willingness to launch talks for the acquisition of two new navy frigates in talks with his French counterpart Florence Parly in Paris. 

A series of test runs on the Athens tram line extension from Neo Faliro to Piraeus on Friday and from next Monday through Friday are expected to cause traffic disruption and motorists are advised to use caution.

Friday's test will be carried out between noon and 4 p.m. while next week's will be daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Kurds living in Greece march outside the Parliament building during a demonstration against Turkey's military action in northeastern Syria, in Athens, Wednesday. [Costas Baltas/Reuters]