Much-touted research program canceled after mounting criticism

Much-touted research program canceled after mounting criticism

The Education Ministry has halted the “Trust Your Stars” research program after a Finance Ministry decision tied to revisions of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Launched in 2022 with €80 million, the program aimed to boost university research through grants to early-career scientists and collaborations. A call in April 2024 drew 1,241 proposals; 145 …

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PM unveils constitutional revision proposals

PM unveils constitutional revision proposals

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday unveiled a sweeping package of constitutional amendments aimed at overhauling key areas of public administration, justice, the media and political accountability.  “A wave of reforms is being unleashed so that by 2030 we will have uprooted pathologies that we have sometimes dealt with only sporadically and on a case-by-case …

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The last loaf? Neighborhood bakeries struggle to survive

The last loaf? Neighborhood bakeries struggle to survive

Yiannis Zervas, a third-generation baker in Petralona, believes he is the last member of the family who will keep the business alive. [Nikos Kokkalias] Yiannis Zervas gets up in the early hours every day, and by 4 a.m. he is already in his workshop, baking bread and preparing oat bars and sweets. It’s a routine …

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Boy, 12, critically hurt in e-scooter accident

Boy, 12, critically hurt in e-scooter accident

[Shutterstock] A 12-year-old boy was hospitalised in critical condition Thursday after a road accident with an e-scooter west of Athens, just days after the government announced plans to restrict minors’ use of the vehicles. The boy suffered severe head injuries when his e-scooter collided with a car in the town of Aspropyrgos and was being …

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Police defend handling of lead-up to fatal shooting on Crete

Police defend handling of lead-up to fatal shooting on Crete

The police on Thursday defended its response to complaints of repeated threats and attacks against a Cretan youth in the lead-up to his fatal shooting by a man who blamed him for the traffic death of his teenage son. Police spokeswoman Constantia Dimoglidou said that each time officers had responded to the complaint and arrested …

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Greece to roll out ankle monitors nationwide to ease prison overcrowding

Greece to roll out ankle monitors nationwide to ease prison overcrowding

[AP] Greece is set to roll out nationwide use of electronic ankle monitors for prison inmates this month as authorities seek to ease chronic overcrowding in the country’s correctional facilities, where about a quarter of detainees are awaiting trial. The electronic monitoring system will officially take effect on May 18, the Ministry of Citizen Protection …

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Divers to investigate sunken freighter off Andros as questions mount

Divers to investigate sunken freighter off Andros as questions mount

Divers are due later Thursday to try and inspect the wreck of a Turkish-operated freighter that sank off the Aegean Sea island of Andros without loss of life but raising questions over potential environmental damage. Greek authorities, including the National Intelligence Service, are also taking a close interest in Wednesday’s shipwreck. The Vanuatu-flagged Corsage C …

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Animal welfare group appeals for witnesses after abused dog dies

Animal welfare group appeals for witnesses after abused dog dies

Beba was blinded in one eye, had her jaw and ear broken, and suffered a dislocated leg, among other injuries. Despite the best efforts of the Samos Animal Welfare Association and veterinarians in Halkida, she did not make it. The Samos Animal Welfare Association on Wednesday said that a dog found severely abused on the …

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New wave of Saharan dust expected

New wave of Saharan dust expected

A new wave of Saharan dust is expected to sweep across Greece from Friday, bringing reduced air quality and muddy rain, according to the National Observatory of Athens’ AtmoHub service. The phenomenon is forecast to initially affect western parts of the country, including the Ionian Islands, the Peloponnese, Epirus, western mainland areas and Crete. On …

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Cretan father charged with gunning down driver he blamed for son’s death

Cretan father charged with gunning down driver he blamed for son’s death

A Cretan suspected of fatally shooting a young man he blamed for a traffic accident that fatally injured his son was charged Wednesday with murder committed in a calm frame of mind and firearms violations. The suspect is being held under tight security as authorities fear the killing could trigger retaliation from friends or relatives …

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