Greece

Date: March 30th, 2004 |

Drawing incentives from the coming Olympic games, the city of Athens is launching a four-year effort to clean up its streets and image through a campaign to address chronic garbage problems. Officials feel garbage and pollution prevent the city from taking full advantage of its historical and cultural heritage and are asking the populace to [read more]

Greece

Date: February 11th, 2004 |

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Driving has become safer in Greece in the past four years, according to the government�’s Public Order Ministry. The number of deaths in traffic accidents in 2003 dropped about 3 percent from 2002, but was down almost 24 percent from 2000. Likewise, the number of fatal accidents was down almost 4 percent from 2002, and [read more]

Greece

Date: October 14th, 2003 |

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A month-long series of labor strikes has created havoc in Athens. The city center was paralyzed Oct. 9 during mass demonstrations that followed violent clashes the night before between riot police and protesting police officers. The Acropolis and other tourist sites were closed Oct. 13. Protesters have ranged from taxi drivers to coast guard officers, [read more]

Greece

Date: April 29th, 2003 |

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Greece’s worst road accident ever occurred April 13, when a truck hit a bus of high school students on the national highway linking Athens and Thessaloniki, killing 21 of them. It was the third serious bus accident this year, and has been blamed on driver error, improper safety checks and poor training of traffic police. [read more]

Greece

Date: November 12th, 2002 |

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A group of British and Dutch aviation buffs who were convicted of spying when “planespotting” last year were acquitted on appeal. Greece may now be safe for aircraft gazing, but consider that the group spent five weeks in jail before being released pending appeal. Avoid any behavior that is even remotely suspicious around Greek military [read more]

Greece

Date: February 17th, 2004 |

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The president dissolved parliament and called new elections for March 7, whereupon the country’s largest trade union umbrella group announced it would greet the new government with a nationwide strike March 31. Such strikes are common occurrences in Greece, but they can wreak havoc with transportation and other key public services. The U.S. Consulate General [read more]

Greece

Date: December 17th, 2003 |

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Arson bombs that caused minor material damage but no injuries exploded at four locations within ten minutes of each other in Thessaloniki Dec. 9. Similar incidents occurred Dec. 11 at two locations in Kalamaria, Thessaloniki. Police believe anarchists protesting the guilty verdicts in the “November 17″ terrorists trial are to blame. The incidents appear to [read more]

Greece

Date: July 24th, 2003 |

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Several homemade bombs were planted or detonated recently in Athens, at or near the offices of European and U.S. banks or companies. Some incidents caused significant property damage, but none caused any injuries. Attacks against U.S. businesses here are not new (five have occurred this year) and show no sign of abating, but they pose [read more]

Greece

Date: January 21st, 2003 |

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Violent crime in Greek cities is typically less common than in comparably-sized U.S. cities, but petty crime against tourists continues to be a nuisance. A far greater danger is traffic. Greeks generally pay little heed to traffic rules or safe driving practices, and poor road design adds to congestion and risks for pedestrians and drivers. [read more]

Greece

Date: October 25th, 2002 |

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The always congested capital city of Athens is even more chaotic now as construction gets rolling for the city’s hosting of the 2004 Olympics. Five major hotels are shut down for renovations and work on some of the major sports complexes is just getting underway. Construction has intensified traffic congestion and can mean long delays. [read more]