Deception

Rooted in the communist era, the politicisation of education remains widespread in Romania, fostering a culture of cheating and deception that's proving tough to root out.

In the wake of regional and global political uncertainties, fake news in Kosovo has gone to another level, a BIRN-organised conference on the eve of International Fact-Checking Day, April 2, concluded on Thursday.

The term "alternative facts" was coined by Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House aide in Donald Trump's administration, when she tried to justify a lie by then press secretary Sean Spicer, who claimed that the crowd assembled in Washington, DC for Trump's inauguration in 2017 "was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration" in person in the world (January 22, 2017).

MP Giannis Ragousis speaks in a debate on a proposal by opposition party PASOK-KINAL to set up a parliamentary probe into the phone tapping scandal in Greece, August 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE/Yannis Kolesidis

Lawyers for Prince Harry asked a judge on March 17 to rule that a tabloid newspaper libeled the British royal with an article about his quest for police protection when he and his family visit the U.K.

A 17-year-old student from Thessaloniki, northern Greece, was temporarily arrested last Tuesday for falsely reporting to the police that an explosive device had been placed in his high school.

The school, located in the district of Kalamaria, was evacuated and a bomb disposal unit arrived  to inspect the building.

Despite mounting complaints to judicial authorities, plagiarism rackets that have been organized around Greek universities are reportedly continuing their activities unabated, writing students' PhD theses, postgraduate dissertations and papers, for a fee.

Recent reports regarding corruption in the Hellenic Police (ELAS) naturally raise concern among the public. 

It is not yet possible to separate fact from fiction and whether allegations are genuine or driven by clashes between rival groups inside the force. 

A prominent writer and outspoken critic of the Church of Greece was arrested on Monday after a candidate with the Christian nationalist Greek Solution party sued him for defamation and accused him of violating his religious freedom.

Officers from the police's cybercrime division have raided the home of a female suspect connected to the Predator spyware scandal.

The suspect, who was not named, was reportedly an employee and shareholder of Intellexa, the Athens-based company that sells the tracking software.