Tragedy

Today is World Refugee Day. It is also the day of humanitarian posturing for political leaders, religious groups, international organizations and sundry philanthropists sending their customary "messages" of support and sympathy.

Alexis Papahelas penned a powerful opinion piece in the wake of the tragic train crash - "The Sisyphean task of transforming Greece" - in which he argues that Greece is changing, but important areas are being left behind.

Every major tragedy in Greece is met with a lot of dust and noise. Briefly. Then the matter vanishes. The course of justice is desperately slow. Catharsis takes so long in coming, the matter is forgotten or loses its urgency. 

Iliana Magra, a journalist with Kathimerini who covered the accident, joins Thanos Davelis from Athens with the latest on what we know about the deadly rail crash in Greece this week, the current situation at the site of the accident, the reaction among Greeks, and the steps the government is taking in response to this tragedy.

Wednesday's tragedy at Tempe in central Greece should serve as a wake-up call for the entire political system. Answers will be demanded over the lives that were lost and those that were irreparably damaged by injury or trauma, as will decisions that will ensure such a tragedy never happens again.

A tribute 20 years after the tragedy

International Greek Language Day is celebrated annually on February 9, the date when Dionysios Solomos, the national poet of modern Greece, has been commemorated since his death in 1857. Unmatched in its content and expression, the Greek language substantiates anthropocentric meanings.

Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Monday that he will check whether the action plan after the fire tragedy at the Piatra Neamt county hospital has been implemented. "I am more interested in seeing what has been done after the tragedy in Piatra Neamt.

Described as an "ensemble piece for three creatures and a machine," Euripides Laskaridis' "Elenit" continues to explore the artist's key theme of the perseverance of humankind in the face of the unknown.

It is difficult to offer a sober and pragmatic perspective on the devastating fires that ravaged the seaside resort of Mati, east of Athens, on July 23, as the memories of the unspeakable tragedy are still fresh. And it goes without saying that any attempt to exploit the tragedy for political advantage is unacceptable.