Greece

As an Iranian oil tanker which Washington wants seized heads toward Greece, officials Wednesday indicated that Athens would not help the ship reach Syria while seeking to play down the prospects of such a development.

The number of undocumented migrants arriving on the islands of the Aegean from Turkey last month reached 5,608, the highest monthly figure yet this year, according to official figures released on Tuesday.
The 5,608 migrants reached Greece from neighboring Turkey aboard 208 boats, while 19 suspected traffickers were arrested.

US Ambassador in Athens Geoffrey Pyatt and Deputy Foreign Minister Antonis Diamataris on Tuesday highlighted the strategic importance of Greek-US relations, the ties between the two nations and the issues concerning the Greek diaspora in the US.
After the meeting, Pyatt said in a tweet that they had a "great discussion."

A group of Chinese students were introduced to the world of ancient Greek drama this summer, as between July 27 and August 4 the Peloponnesian town of Nafplio hosted the first Greek Educational Drama Summer School.

The previous government of Alexis Tsipras systematically delayed implementation of economic reform provisions in the third bailout programme which it signed simply because it did not believe in them.

It rejected them as neo-liberal and constantly blocked their implementation.

Its opposition to all manner of liberalisatioin of the labour market was characteristic.

Greece's new center-right government has scrapped legislation that required employers to provide a "well-founded" reason for dismissals.

Greek defense services were on alert over the weekend after a series of violations of Greek national airspace by Turkish aircraft.

The bicentennial of the start of the Greek War of Independence, which Greece will mark in 2021, is indeed important and we ought to celebrate it. It could also serve as a catalyst to bring Greeks of the diaspora closer to the homeland and an opportunity to rebuild the Greek brand, which has suffered tremendously as a result of the financial crisis.

The coastal town of Posidi, on the Kassandra peninsula of Halkidiki in northern Greece, is seen in an aerial photo taken on Saturday. The tourism season peaked last week with thousands of Greeks taking advantage of the August 15 national holiday.

Greek defense officials were on standby over the weekend after a series of violations of Greece's national airspace by Turkish aircraft.