Greece

A Greek parliamentary committee set up by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's government to demand reparations for the Nazi occupation of Greece began work on Wednesday, in a move likely to heighten tensions between Athens and Berlin.

Cash-strapped Greece has garnered a little over 147 million euros ($158 million) via a debt forgiveness scheme designed to bolster the states near-empty coffers, officials said on Wednesday.

The finance ministry said over 150,000 private individuals and companies had hastened to settle or partially repay debts to the state dating to the 1970s.

Authorities on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos this week issued ? dire warning that the border isle turning into a new "Lampedusa" as some 3,000 illegal migrants ? all from Third World countries ? have arrived just this year!

European Commission spokesperson Mina Andreeva refused to comment on Wednesday on Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ decision to visit Moscow on April 8.

“I have no comment on any visit by Greek officials to Russia,” Andreeva said, underlining that there is freedom of expression in the EU.

The EuroWorking Group’s teleconference on the Greek issue started at approximately 4 p.m. (Athens time) on Wednesday and ended two hours later.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis participated in the crucial discussion.

Socialist party PASOK on Wednesday suggested that former conservative Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis (photo) should be the first witness called to face a parliamentary committee expected to be set up to probe the circumstances in which Greece's two international bailouts were signed.

Yanis Varoufakis on Wednesday issued his own little prank on the occasion of April Fool's Day to his followers on Twitter, with a message that included a link to an article describing the Greek FinMin's new "ambitious plan" for the salvation of Greek economy: That Greece starts running on bitcoin!

Turkey has called on Greece to avoid unilateral action in the Aegean Sea if Athens does not want to harm the ?positive atmosphere? between the two countries.

Greece's air traffic controllers' union is calling for an urgent upgrade of the country's air traffic radar system and for more staff to be hired to handle the increasing number of tourists coming in.

Africa's envoy to the European Union warned Wednesday that EU plans to process migrants in the countries they leave or transit on their way to Europe are "a dangerous approach."

The EU is trying to persuade Niger, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey to pre-screen migrants and has launched a pilot project to send immigration officers abroad to help assess asylum demands.