Greece

Terrorism is an endemic phenomenon in Greece.

Conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has written a letter to the European Union's Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on the issue of the government's nomination of former Supreme Court chief Vassiliki Thanou for the director's chair of the Hellenic Competition Commission.

Turkish fighter jets embarked on a barrage of airspace violations in the Aegean on Monday, in what was seen by Athens as a response to remarks on Friday by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell, who hailed Greece as a "fantastic ally" in the region and backed Cyprus's gas exploration rights.

In the years since the financial crisis began in Greece, exports have been considered one of the few lifelines for Greek enterprises and the economy in general. However, rival countries have progressed much more as Greek exports have lost market share.

The brain drain that has pushed more than 18,000 doctors to leave Greece in the hope of a better future abroad appears not to have affected psychiatrists, recent data from Eurostat indicate.

If the customary holiday meal and TV countdown is not your cup of tea, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) will be ringing in the New Year with its annual Fun Run, starting at 4 minutes past midnight on the morning of Tuesday, January 1. The 4K run takes place on the grounds of the SNFCC, which have been dolled up for the holidays with fairy lights and other decorations.

Kevin Featherstone, Eleftherios Venizelos professor of Contemporary Greek Studies at the London School of Economics, expressed sharp criticism about the uncontrollable populism in Greece and the UK in an interview with Kathimerini.

Monday's bomb attack on the offices of Skai and Kathimerini are a "abhorrent act of violence and attempt to muzzle journalism," former conservative prime minister Antonis Samaras said.

He added that those who have been targeting Greek media and journalists should finally consider their responsibilities.

The European Union's commissioner for migration, Greece's Dimitris Avramopoulos, on Monday called for measures to protect the country's democratic institutions, following a bomb attack against a major media outlet on Athens's southern coast.

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Monday expressed his "undivided support" for the owners, management and staff of Skai TV and Kathimerini newspaper, whose offices were attacked earlier in the day.