Greek

Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis to visit India next week for two days

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will pay a two-day state visit to India from February 21 with an aim to further deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries. It would be the first visit to India by a head of state of Greece to India after a gap of 15 years. India-Greece relations were elevated to 'strategic partnership' during Modi's visit to Greece in August last year. Mitsotakis will be the chief guest and keynote speaker at the Raisina Dialogue in the national capital, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday, announcing his visit. The Greek prime minister will be accompanied by senior officials and a high-powered business delegation. "Prime Minister Mitsotakis's visit is expected to further strengthen and deepen the strategic partnership between India and Greece," the MEA said. Mitsotakis will also visit Mumbai before returning to Athens. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PM Mitsotakis will hold bilateral discussions and Prime Minister M

Greek parliament set to vote on legalising same-sex marriage today

Greece's parliament is set to vote on Thursday to legalise same-sex civil marriage, in a first for an Orthodox Christian country and despite opposition from the influential Greek Church. Opinion polls suggest that most Greeks support the proposed reform, and the issue has failed to trigger deep divisions in a country more worried about the high cost of living. The landmark bill drafted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis ' centre-right government is backed by four left-wing parties, including the main opposition Syriza. That would secure it 243 votes in the 300-seat parliament. Several majority and left-wing lawmakers are expected to abstain or vote against the reform but not enough to kill the bill. Three small far-right parties and the Stalinist-rooted Communist Party have rejected the draft law. State Minister Akis Skertsos stressed at the opening of the two-day debate Wednesday that most Greeks already accept the idea of same-sex marriages. We are not deciding on change in

Greek PM Mitsotakis claims Sunak cancelled meeting over Elgin Marbles row

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has reportedly cancelled a planned meeting on Tuesday with his Greek counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, during a visit to the UK amid a deepening row over the return of the 'Elgin Marbles'. The ancient Greek sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens are among the controversial historic items which were brought to the UK by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century giving them their English name. The Parthenon Sculptures now form part of the British Museum's collection and have long been demanded by the Greeks to complete their series at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. The latest standoff is reminiscent of India's demands for the Koh-i-Noor diamond and other historic artefacts taken from India during colonial times. Most recently, the Maharashtra government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Victoria and Albert Museum for a three-year loan of a set of 17th century Tiger Claws', or wagh nakh, believed to have belonged to ..

Cooked for India: Why Greek cuisine should find place on your dinner table

The Mediterranean nation's food is healthy, simple and has several vegetarian options

Drone hits Israeli-linked tanker; Iran frees 2 Greek tankers

An oil tanker associated with an Israeli billionaire has been struck by a bomb-carrying drone off the coast of Oman amid heightened tensions with Iran, officials said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Greece said Iran freed two Greek oil tankers held by Tehran since May. The drone attack on the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Pacific Zircon happened on Tuesday night off the coast of Oman, one Mideast-based defence official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorised to discuss the attack publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Pacific Zircon is operated by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is a company ultimately owned by Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer. In a statement, Eastern Pacific Shipping said the Pacific Zircon, carrying gas oil, had been hit by a projectile some 150 miles (240 kilometres) off the coast of Oman. We are in communication with the vessel and there is no reports of injuries or pollution. All crew are safe and accounted for, the company

NASA Artemis I: Fuel seals repaired, likely to launch moon rocket on Sep 23

NASA had to scrub two launch attempts as the rocket experienced technical glitches, including a fuel leak

US speaker Nancy Pelosi invites Greek PM to address Congress on May 17

Pelosi in the letter noted the influence of Ancient Greek ideas of liberty and democracy on the US Founding Fathers when drafting the country's Constitution

The exotic and banal

Book review of Pha(bu)llus: A Cultural History

End stigma, aid science: WHO hopes Greek names for Covid strains will do so

A country may be more willing to report it has found a new variant if it knows nomenclature won't cause trouble, say experts.

Global Economy Weekahead: How do you say deja vu in Greek?

EU officials have been urging speed in finding agreement and calmly warning of instability ahead

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras unveils constitutional reform proposals

Revision process would start with a wide consultation in all municipalities, a process not envisaged by the Constitution itself