Greece

Greece: Authorities to Clean Up Tourist Behavior at Coastal Resorts

Date: August 7th, 2008 |

Authorities vowed to clean up the tourist scene in its seaside resorts after a 20-year-old Australian was beaten to death by bouncers at a Mykonos bar. Many coastal resorts have become notorious for drunken revelry by young foreigners, and Greece’s tourism minister said that much of the violence and indecency that results comes from profit-hungry [read more]

Greece: Drought Emergency in Cyclades, Troubles in Crete

Date: August 2nd, 2007 |

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In the midst of a searing heat wave, Greece declared a drought emergency for the Cyclades chain of islands, which includes Mykonos and Santorini. The announcement means the islands will get more help from the government including additional water-tanker shipments and funding for desalination plants. In other news, two Polish tourists lagged behind their tour [read more]

Greece: Heat Wave Knocks Out Power in Athens

Date: June 27th, 2007 |

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An intense heat wave has put pressure on the power grid nationwide and knocked out power in 13 areas of Athens June 27. Fire warnings were issued for much of the country after 95 fires broke out. Temperatures soared to 114 degrees in some places with Athens hitting 111, and government offices were closed at [read more]

Greece: Bad Driver Crackdown Goes Too Far

Date: June 6th, 2007 |

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Greek officials are trying to improve the country’s reputation for dangerous driving, but an off-duty policeman in Salonica may have taken the enforcement of traffic laws a little too far June 3 when he shot a man for double parking. The incident occurred when two men stopped outside a café to buy breakfast. The officer [read more]

Greece: Two Scottish Men Languish in Prison

Date: October 10th, 2006 |

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The case of two Scottish men who got drunk and rowdy on a plane flying to Greece and were arrested on arrival should be enough to make anyone behave. The incident took place in August a few days after British authorities thwarted the plot to blow up several planes flying to the U.S., and because [read more]

Greece: Country Tries to Recover as Wildfires Come Under Control

Date: August 29th, 2007 |

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Six days of wildfires burned wide swaths of Greece’s forests, primarily in the Peloponnese region, with firefighters from some 20 countries finally getting the blazes under control Aug. 29. Continuing dry, hot weather, however, could rekindle the flames. The conservative government has been roundly criticized for its slow and ineffectual response to the disaster and [read more]

Greece: Mount Parnitha Forest Fire Stuns Athenians

Date: July 19th, 2007 |

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Athenians are enraged by the government’s inability to prevent or control a five-day forest fire that destroyed 11,000 acres of dense forest on Mount Parnitha 12 miles northwest of the city. The Parnitha forest is a nature preserve with E.U. protection, the largest forest near Athens and a magnet for thousands of tourists every year. [read more]

Europe: Cyprus and Greece Have the Cleanest Beaches

Date: June 6th, 2007 |

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The cleanest beaches in Europe are in Cyprus and Greece, according to a report released by the EU May 31. Cyprus had a score of 99 percent compliance with the EU’s strictest standards and Greece scored 96 percent. Spain’s ocean beaches scored 92.7 percent while at the bottom of the list were Luxembourg and Poland. [read more]

Greece: Parking Regulations in Athens

Date: November 20th, 2006 |

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The center of Athens has been transformed, at least temporarily, by a new pay-to-park system that requires all vehicles in key downtown areas pay for the right to park through scratch cards or debit cards activated by cell phone. Prior to Nov. 20, parking was free and chaotic in Athens, but now some 5,500 spaces [read more]

Greece: Crime Up in Attica, Athens

Date: July 25th, 2006 |

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Crime has increased in Athens and police are testing a new plan to combat it, asking officers to analyze crimes in their precincts on a daily basis, then adapt their tactics accordingly. Statistics for the first half of the year show crime up nationwide, with Attica state being the most crime ridden. Forty-three percent of [read more]