Kathimerini English
A chorus of grief behind bars
Behind the bars of the Women's Prison of Eleonas in Thiva, 12 incarcerated women stepped onto a stage and into a public light that many had never known. Their performance, `GYNAI,' emerged from the National Theater's personal development workshop, a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Global beats lift the vibe at central Athens park
As summer settles into Athens, dozens of DJs are working the decks at the capital's Pedion tou Areos Park through June 28, in a free-admission festival presented through a partnership between the Attica Regional Authority and the Onassis Foundation's...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New military drone factory marks Greece's defense push
Greece's armed forces have drawn key conclusions about the state of the country's domestic unmanned-systems sector following the national joint exercise “Doureios Ippos (Trojan Horse) 2026,” which concluded Thursday after testing unmanned aerial...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The Garden of Heroes and the weight of remembrance
As Messolonghi marks the 200th anniversary of the Exodus of Messolonghi – a defining tragedy and act of defiance during the Greek War of Independence – a new bilingual volume published by the Messolonghi Byron Society turns fresh attention to the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New strategy to shield infrastructure
Greece is advancing a national plan to strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure against a growing range of hybrid and cybersecurity threats, with a particular focus on energy facilities that officials regard as increasingly vulnerable amid...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Plato’s Academy, lost in neglect
Plato’s Academy, the birthplace of ideas that helped shape Western civilization, stands today as a monument to neglect rather than learning. A visit to the archaeological site reveals graffiti scrawled even on ancient stones, makeshift shelters for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Fourteen years to fix a sidewalk
Fourteen years after a fire gutted Athens' beloved Attikon cinema complex on Stadiou Street, the only visible progress is a repaved sidewalk. The building, torched during anti-austerity riots on February 12, 2012, has stood charred and scaffolded ever...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Women step forward in khaki
Seventy-two women reported for duty Thursday at the Army's Training Center for War Material in Lamia, marking the first cohort to serve voluntary military service in Greece. The recruits, ages 20 to 26, were welcomed by center officials and the Army...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Kafka after midnight: A basement, a flashlight, a shared silence
Just before midnight on May 30, readers descended into the basement of the Monocle bookshop for an unusual encounter with Franz Kafka. Announced on social media as `Kafka Underground,' the event replaced the conventions of a book launch with a hybrid...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Apollo's island slipping beneath the tide
Delos, the sacred island of Apollo and a UNESCO World Heritage site, is losing ground to the sea, according to findings presented at the Academy of Athens. Researchers from the academy, the National Observatory of Athens and the Ephorate of Antiquities...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Introducing children to the toys of ancient Greece
Across European classrooms, ancient Greek toys are finding new life through Greektoys, a program created by Sofia Pavlaki (photo), her husband Luis Santos and her sister Fotini. Using 3D replicas, animation and a digital museum, the project introduces...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
What the Herod Atticus Theater hears
Researchers studying the acoustic behavior of the ancient Herod Atticus Theater in Athens will soon measure the vibrations caused by sound frequencies imperceptible to humans, as part of a broader restoration program commissioned by the Culture...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Athens rejects Ankara sovereignty threats
Turkey escalated tensions with Greece over the eastern Aegean islands through remarks on Wednesday by Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler, who referred to the issue of their demilitarization and warned that Ankara would not remain indifferent to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Olive oil's health halo fuels global expansion
Six hundred sixty-two bottles of extra virgin olive oil from Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa arrived in Athens this spring for the 11th ATHENA International Olive Oil Competition, underscoring how rapidly olive cultivation is spreading beyond the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A season of landmark performances
The Greek National Opera's 202627 season turns toward landmark works, tracing a path from Monteverdi's `L`Orfeo' to Stravinsky's `The Rake's Progress' and Beethoven's `Missa solemnis.' Announced this week, the program balances the origins of opera with...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Spring showers to linger
Two young women walk in front of Parliament in central Athens during a brief downpour on Saturday. After a weekend of showers and storms across many parts of Greece, the springtime weather is expected to continue into the new week, with forecasters...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Olympiakos storms into Euroleague final
Olympiakos Olympiakos advanced to Sunday's Euroleague basketball final in Athens after defeating Fenerbahce, 79-61, in a tense Final Four semifinal defined by momentum swings and defensive pressure. The Greek side started strong at the Telekom Center...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
What a Bronze Age warrior packed for eternity
A celebrated Bronze Age warrior is coming to Athens. The National Archaeological Museum opens `The Pylos of Nestor: A Mycenaean Kingdom Revealed' on Monday, presenting the `Griffin Warrior' to Athenian audiences for the first time. Discovered in 2015...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Honoring compassion at the edge of exile
For decades, Swiss dentist Julien Grivel traveled to Greece to voluntarily treat Hansen's disease patients at Athens' `Agia Varvara' hospital, many transferred there from Spinalonga. Last week, at 83, he received honorary Greek citizenship, calling it...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
EU prosecutor protests rushed amendment
European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi has sent a letter of protest to Greek Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis over a government amendment that would accelerate the handling of criminal cases involving lawmakers while excluding delegated European...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Jellyfish return with a bloom
As summer begins in Greece, two jellyfish populations are surging in coastal waters: the purple jellyfish, Pelagia noctiluca, and the compass jellyfish, Chrysaora hysoscella. Most sightings have been concentrated in the North Evian Gulf, where...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Athens wants Kyiv drones off its shores
Greece is about to send a stern message to Ukraine that it should withdraw all its drones from the country's coasts. This warning does not signify a change in policy, Greek officials say; as it has since the start of the Russian invasion in February...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
University violence and a lot of hot air
The government has failed to clamp down on violence and vandalism at the country's public universities. After the fiasco with the campus police force, it passed a new law last summer for campus security. That law has obviously not been put into force,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Long lines at Athens courthouse after security tightening
New security measures introduced after last month's shooting inside an appeals court chamber have changed the morning routine for citizens. At the entrance of the Athens Court of First Instance, visitors now queue from 8.30 a.m. as guards enforce...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Turkish moves may signal new tension
A Turkish government-leaked consultation paper referring to a so-called “Blue Homeland Law” that will presumably be voted on in Parliament in early June and a minor naval incident – the fourth of its kind this year – have left officials in Athens...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Revamped 40-year-old trains will boost Athens metro schedule
Fourteen revamped trains first used in 1985 will gradually join the Athens metro fleet starting this summer and ending in 2027. They will be exclusively used on Line 1 (Piraeus-Kifissia), the system's oldest, that is widely plagued by delays,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Onassis' legendary yacht struggles to sell
Once a floating palace for Aristotle Onassis and his celebrated guests, the yacht Christina O is struggling to find a buyer, even after its asking price fell from €90 million to €52 million. The vessel hosted figures including Maria Callas, Jacqueline...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New museum maps Thessaloniki's buried past
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday inaugurated a new museum in Thessaloniki, dedicated to archaeological remains found during excavations for the city's metro. Housed inside the Pavlos Melas Metropolitan Park, the `Thessalonikeon...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PM opens debate over Constitution
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday presented the governing New Democracy party's proposed framework for constitutional revision, outlining amendments to 30 articles that would reshape judicial appointments, electoral procedures, public...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A filmmaker's gaze, unmoving
Yorgos Lanthimos, the Greek filmmaker whose unsettling visions have won him Academy Awards and global acclaim, is now turning gallery walls into cinematic frames. Since March 7, thousands of visitors have filed through the Onassis Stegi cultural center...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Ecumenical Patriarch: Peace is never a given
Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I addresses lawmakers after receiving the Gold Medal of the Greek Parliament. Speaking in a special session honoring his 35 years as patriarch and 65 years of priestly service, the spiritual leader of Orthodox...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
War-driven costs weigh on Greek economy
Rising costs and weakening demand are tightening pressure on Greece’s economy as the impact of the war in the Middle East deepens, with manufacturing and tourism showing increasing signs of strain and policymakers warning of broader risks. In the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Along the sacred hill, artisans fight for space
Every day, Pavlos Antoniadis, 69, carries his amplifier, chair and guitar to Dionysiou Areopagitou, where he has played for 19 years beside the Acropolis. He is among dozens of street musicians and artisans competing for space along Athens’ tourist...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Universities rattled by harassment, vandals
Two serious incidents targeting university academics were reported in Greece in recent days, including the harassment of a senior administrator at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and vandalism at the residence of an Athens professor who has...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Greece-Ukraine drone talks hit obstacles
Complications have emerged at the last minute in negotiations over a Greece-Ukraine agreement on cooperation in maritime drones, with differences persisting on several key points, according to information from the discussions. Because Kyiv possesses...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Time to clean up beaches, but the right way
With the summer season inching closer, cleaning up beaches is becoming increasingly urgent. Environmental experts warn that, despite greater public awareness, pollution has not declined significantly. Sometimes awareness can take a wrong turn, such as...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Traffic strain grows amid Ilissos construction delays
Work on the Ilissos River project in Athens has resumed after delays that disrupted traffic between Kallithea and Moschato, residents say. A bridge on Poseidonos Avenue was demolished months ago for reconstruction, forcing local traffic onto a small...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
France, Greece affirm close security ties
Greece and France renewed their defense pact Saturday as European nations seek to bolster their deterrence strategy. Visiting French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis signed an overarching agreement titled «Enhanced...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Macron: France will stand by Greece if its sovereignty is threatened
French President Emmanuel Macron said his country would stand by Greece if its sovereignty were threatened, underscoring a deepening defense partnership as tensions simmer in the Middle East. In a discussion titled `Challenges for Europe: The Way...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The school where math, biology – and Homer – are all Greek to them
Founded 25 years ago by the Greek diaspora, Odyssey Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware, has grown into a distinctive public institution serving 2,500 students, 98 percent of whom are not of Greek origin. Yet more than 700 study in its...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A humanoid joins the Greek factory floor
Greece is entering the race to build humanoid factory workers, unveiling its first domestically developed industrial robot, MARK One, ahead of its public debut this week (April 25-27) at the Automation & Robotics Expo 2026 in Athens. Kathimerini was...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Athena and Hermes make their way home from Chicago
Five antiquities dating from the 6th century BC to the 2nd century AD are being repatriated from the US to Greece, the Culture Ministry announced. The objects include two Attic black-figure vessels from the 6th century BC: an amphora depicting Athena...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Gov't warns farmers support payment contingent on compliance
A livestock breeders' blockade in Mesotopos, Lesvos. The island faces a deepening foot-and-mouth disease emergency, with confirmed cases reaching 43 and new outbreaks appearing 50 kilometers from the original sites – a sign, officials say, of failing...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Vaccines save millions over decades
More than 150 million lives worldwide have been saved over the past 50 years thanks to vaccines, according to public health authorities, underscoring their central role in preventing disease and death. Vaccines today provide protection against more...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Childhood online: Greece’s growing digital dilemma
Three out of four primary schoolchildren in Greece already maintain social media profiles, raising alarms among experts about early exposure to harmful content. The country also records the highest rate in Europe of excessive internet use among...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lesvos in the grip of foot-and-mouth disease
Anxious farmers wait at the port of Mytilini. Critical decisions are expected within hours as authorities move to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease on Lesvos island, with a joint ministerial decree set to unlock emergency aid for farmers...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A path through antiquity, paved with magnetic light
Athens is reimagining its National Archaeological Museum with a sweeping redesign that will transform how visitors experience ancient civilization. The newly approved museological study, developed by the Atelier Bruckner firm alongside architects David...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NTUA reclaims historic buildings after decades of occupation
The Michanourgeio, a five-story, 996 sq.m. building on Athens’ Patission Avenue, was fully evacuated in May 2025 following the end of its occupation in July 2024. After years of squatting – some for as many as 29 years – several historic buildings...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
On Good Friday, grief becomes ritual
From a strictly rational perspective, it is a funeral. Yet every Good Friday, this lived ritual of grief gathers kin and community, reenacting a tradition spanning centuries. In one small village in the Pindos mountains, parishioners once carried the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The missionary who captured the heart of Africa
Defying danger and convention, Chrysostomos Papasarantopoulos, canonized in 2025, emerged as a pioneering Orthodox missionary in Africa, reshaping lives across a volatile continent. In the 1960s, he reached communities in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A road reborn in Athens after years of standstill
Athens is set to reopen Vasilissis Olgas Street in the coming days after long-delayed construction works were completed, city officials said Tuesday. Mayor Haris Doukas made the announcement on social media, saying, `Works on Vasilissis Olgas have...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
`Exodus into the light': Messolonghi marks 200 years of defiance
The city of Messolonghi marked the 200th anniversary of its historic Exodus with ceremonies defined by solemnity, symbolism and a powerful sense of collective memory. Over three days of events culminating on Palm Sunday, state, religious and political...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Lawmakers and their `clients'
shocked by the dialogues included in the case file of the OPEKEPE agricultural subsidy scandal because they exude clientelism, corruption and endless cynicism. In reality, however, they reflect the desperate effort of lawmakers and party supporters to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A generation on guard: Greece reckons with youth violence
`When we go out, we stay alert,’ a student said, capturing the quiet vigilance shaping teenage life, as youths and experts gathered at an event organized by Kathimerini on Thursday at the 3rd High School of Kifissia. The discussion focused on youth...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mapping Kifissia's threatened architectural heritage
Kifissia's villas face mounting pressure from overdevelopment, as demolitions rise and preservation efforts intensify, according to a recent documentation initiative by Monumenta. The organization has recorded more than 1,100 buildings constructed...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ND lawmakers face new subsidy probe
A total of 18 sitting and former lawmakers from the ruling New Democracy party are at the center of a second major investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office into the OPEKEPE farm subsidy scandal, according to case documents transmitted...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Bound for eternity: The Gennadius library marks a century
The Gennadius Library in Athens is marking its centennial with an exhibition of rare treasures drawn from its founding collection and a century of remarkable acquisitions. The library – housed at the American School of Classical Studies –was the vision...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Greece raises alarm over Christians
Athens moved swiftly and forcefully to ensure that the protection of Christian populations in the Middle East remains on the international agenda, following an outbreak of violence on March 28 in the central Syrian town of Suqaylabiyah, in Hama...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Post-election alliances will test PASOK unity after congress
PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis (right) speaks with Athens Mayor Haris Doukas during the second day of the socialist party's congress, in Athens, on Saturday. Doukas, once and potentially again a rival for the leadership, wants the party to commit...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
PM orders shadow-free lists for ballot
The ruling New Democracy party has begun quietly preparing electoral candidate lists for the next parliamentary elections, with a focus on excluding members under judicial investigation or with ethical red flags, according to party officials familiar...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Cavafy takes his place on storied Areopagitou Street
On April 29, marking the birth and death anniversary of the poet CP Cavafy, a redesigned gateway to Dionysiou Areopagitou Street will be unveiled, the result of a project led by the Onassis Foundation. At the junction with Amalias Avenue, near the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Wreaths, marches and memory on Independence Day
Evzones of the Presidential Guard march in front of Parliament and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a parade in Athens on Greece's Independence Day on Wednesday. The parade began at 11 am and featured the armed forces, security corps, high school...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Overcrowding delays start of Tempe train disaster trial
Chaos and anger erupted inside a courtroom in Larissa, Central Greece, where the long-awaited trial over the 2023 Tempe train disaster was halted before proceedings began, amid protests over suffocating conditions. About 200 lawyers, more than 250...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
The unbearable lightness of politicians
Since the end of 2008, we have been living through successive and violent crises, sometimes local and sometimes global in scope. With one difference: A generation of people who had experienced wars, civil wars, and brutal economic crises has died or is...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Greece, Cyprus push EU defense debate
Greece and Cyprus have brought renewed attention within the European Union to the bloc's mutual assistance clause, as recent military and diplomatic developments revive debate over collective defense priorities, officials said. The visibility Greece...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
A century of thought: Athens honors its Academy at 100
The Academy of Athens marked its centennial Wednesday evening with a ceremonial gathering attended by President Konstantinos Tassoulas, capping a century of scholarship with reflection on the institution's past and its obligations to the future....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Greek `FBI' joins vulture poisoning investigation
Greece's organized crime unit, known as the “Greek FBI,” has joined the investigation into a mass poisoning of black vultures and other wildlife at Dadia National Park, authorities said. The unit's involvement was triggered by the use of banned...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Athens bets on `made in Greece' military drones
Greece has moved to advance domestically developed military drone systems, awarding initial research and development contracts for three unmanned combat aerial vehicles and two related defense technologies, the Ministry of National Defense and the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Prime Minister
Kyriakos Mitsotakis addresses the IAEA Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris, Tuesday. Mitsotakis highlighted Europe's strategic misstep in turning away from nuclear power. `We cannot accomplish all the things we care about in Europe – strategic autonomy,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Europe signals unity as Cyprus tested
Cyprus is emerging as a test of European resolve to defend the territory of a European Union member-state, following the concentration of forces from several EU countries after drones were launched in recent days against British bases on the island. A...
Read Full Story (Page 1)