George Gilson

IN WHAT appeared as the opening salvo of a protracted electoral period, the ruling socialists picked up the gauntlet after main opposition New Democracy unveiled education reform proposals clearly intended to woo the electorate. Education Minister Petros Efthymiou - originally brought in to salvage hugely

John Psaropoulos

This year Greece will produce about 4.4 million tonnes of rubbish. The figure grows annually to the tune of 1 percent. Athens, which produces a third of the total, is running out of landfill space. The residents of Ano Liossia are reluctant to receive more garbage, and the government is submitting a

Stella Sevastopoulou

THE AEGEAN is a sea that unites rather than separates places - and its islands are like stepping stones," claims Nicholas Stampolidis, professor of classical archaeology at the University of Crete and Director of the Museum of Cycladic Art (NP Goulandris Foundation). Due to be inaugurated by President

Kathy Tzilivakis

CONNECTING consumers across the European Union: Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne launched Greece's first European Consumer Centre in Athens earlier this month, calling on citizens to learn about their rights when buying goods or services across borders within the EU's internal

JOHN HADOULIS

THE CALM waters of Schinias' new rowing canal offer no indication that this location, 30km outside Athens, was once the government's biggest nightmare in the preparation process for the 2004 Olympic Games. Two years after environmentalists and archaeologists in Greece and abroad took up arms to prevent

EFTHYMIOS TSILIOPOULOS

FOR the Greek public, news about Turkish violations of Greek territorial airspace is commonplace. Violations by the Turkish airforce began after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and have followed a pattern, increasing and decreasing according to whether or not Turkey's military felt it needed

CORDELIA MADDEN

AN ELDERLY woman's fatal encounter with a brown bear on May 17 has raised the risk of the indigenous mammals being persecuted by fearful villagers in remote areas. The claw-marked body of Efthalia Otsiou, 85, was discovered by her husband in a wooded area some 8km outside the village of Anilio, near

CONNIE PHILLIPSON

A TRIP to the local bakery can be a bewildering experience. Your taste buds are activated by all those aromas, but how do you decide - faced by loaves of so many different shapes and sizes and colours - which one to choose? Do you know what it's called? Is it good for you? The Greek bread market is certainly

Elaine Green

RUMOURS have it that the Latsis group is again courting Hellenic Petroleum (HELPE), the country's largest oil player, for a strategic share, or even a merger. HELPE wants to scotch the gossip but is careful not to actually deny it. "We have not had any direct liaison with Latsis group," Angelos Stranis,

KATHRYN LUKEY-COUTSOCOSTAS

IN THESSALONIKI THE AUDIENCE sees the image of my face on the massive screen. Next to it is the computer-processed image of Katerina Tsiopos-Wills, from Purdue University at Indianapolis (Columbus). "Spring-summer-autumn-winter", I say roundly, making free associations. Katerina moves her body to my