With eye on British Museum, Greece welcomes back ancient art
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Greece on Friday welcomed the return of ancient artifacts from the Acropolis, furthering a campaign to press the British Museum to hand back a collection of sculptures taken from the ancient site in Athens more than 200 years ago. The Vatican called the return an ecumenical “donation” to Greece’s Orthodox Church, but the gesture added pressure on the London museum to reach a settlement with Greece following a campaign launched by Athens 40 years ago. Greece argues that the Parthenon sculptures are at the core of its ancient heritage, while supporters of the British Museum maintain that their return could undermine museum collections and cultural diversity globally. Carved in the 5th century BC, the sculptures from the Parthenon were taken in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin before Greece won independence from the Ottoman Empire. Culture Ministry officials in Greece have played down remarks made last month by British Museum chair George Osborne that the U.K. and Greece were working on an arrangement to display the Parthenon Marbles in both London and Athens.
wftv.comWith eye on British Museum, Greece welcomes back ancient art
Greece has welcomed the return of ancient artifacts from the Acropolis, furthering a campaign to press the British Museum to hand back a collection of sculptures taken from the ancient site in Athens more than 200 years ago
washingtonpost.comAfter Greek rail disaster, trains gradually restart
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Train services in Greece resumed Wednesday for the first time since a deadly rail disaster three weeks ago, and just a day after the embattled conservative prime minister announced an early election for May. The Feb. 28 head-on collision, the deadliest in the country’s history, killed 57 people and left dozens injured, with nine still hospitalized. The first train of the day was the 4:45 a.m. service from Athens to Inoi, 60 kilometers (37 miles) to the north. The suburban rail service from Athens to its international airport was also restored. Carrying a heavy backpack, 20-year-old Dax Edgar from Edmonton in Canada said the train restart would help him complete his trip around Europe.
wftv.comAfter Greek rail disaster, trains gradually restart
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Train services resumed Wednesday in Greece for the first time since a deadly rail disaster three weeks ago, as the country’s center-right government struggles to regain its footing ahead of a general election. The Feb. 28 head-on collision, the deadliest in the country’s history, killed 57 people and left dozens injured, with nine still hospitalized. National and suburban train services restarted only along limited sections of the rail network, with additional train and station staff and compulsory speed reduction points at areas where the potential for a collision is considered higher. The first train of the day was the 04:45 a.m. service from Athens to Inoi, 60 kilometers (37 miles) to the north. The suburban rail service from Athens to its international airport was also restored.
wftv.comGreek city marks 80th anniversary of Auschwitz train convoy
THESSALONIKI, Greece — (AP) — Greece’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki, commemorated on Sunday the 80th anniversary of the departure of the first train convoy for the Auschwitz camp. Some marchers held a banner reading “Thessalonki Auschwitz 80 years: Never again” and white balloons carrying the same slogan were released. The first train carrying Jewish people departed from the station, which is now a freight terminal, on March 15, 1943; the last one, on Aug. 7 that year. Most Jews, more than 48,000 of them, were sent to the Auschwitz II-Birkenau sub-camp, where almost all were immediately gassed. “Thessaloniki has acknowledged its part of the responsibility” in the fate of the Jewish community, Sakellaropoulou said.
wftv.comGreece raises minimum wage to pre-bailout levels
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Greece announced on Friday an increase in the minimum wage that will restore pay to levels existing before sweeping cuts were imposed more than a decade ago during an international bailout. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the gross minimum monthly salary will go up on April 1 to 780 euros ($830) from 713 euros. Under pressure from lenders, Greece imposed severe pay cuts in 2012 during bailout programs funded by a European Union rescue fund and the International Monetary Fund. As the country was on the brink of bankruptcy, the government took control of wage policy ‒ previously set through labor negotiations ‒ and slashed the minimum monthly pay from 751 euros to 586 euros. Averaged over 12 payments, the new gross minimum monthly pay will rise to 910 euros.
wftv.comStrikes, protests and clashes over deadly Greek rail crash
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Clashes broke out in Athens Thursday during a general strike in Greece that was called in response to a rail disaster last month. Riot police responded with tear gas and sound grenades, during the brief flare-up of violence that disrupted large, peaceful demonstrations. The strike grounded flights and extensively disrupted services, while large protests were also held in other cities across the country. The main protests were held in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, and in the capital Athens, where thousands chanted “this crime will not be forgotten” as they reached a police cordon outside a private rail operator. His political opponents argue that the poorly managed dismantling of agencies under state control has ultimately compromised rail safety.
wftv.comGreek unions stage general strike over rail deaths
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — A general strike in Greece called in response to a rail disaster last month grounded flights and extensively disrupted services, as large protests were held in cities across the country on Thursday. The strike also kept ferries to the Greek islands at port, left public hospitals running with emergency staff, halted public transport services and led to class cancellations at state-run schools. Stores and banks lowered their shutters when the protesters filed past as the capital was brought to a standstill. A wide variety of labor associations — from those representing lawyers to delivery drivers — joined the strike. His political opponents argue that the poorly managed dismantling of agencies under state control has ultimately compromised rail safety.
wftv.comLong ignored, Greek Holocaust survivors are finally heard
The pain wells up inside Naki Bega as she remembers being herded onto a train to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi's most notorious extermination camp.The Nazis sent Bega to another concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen in Germany shortly before Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by the advancing Red Army in January 1945.
news.yahoo.comAssault on archaeologist triggers protests in Greece
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — State-employed archaeologists in Greece launched strike action Tuesday to protest an assault on an archaeologist responsible for the resort island of Mykonos, an attack they say may have been linked to commercial pressure to extend tourism development. Archaeologist Manolis Psarros was beaten by an unidentified man with a possible accomplice in Athens last week and was left unconscious and bleeding in the street. Planning permission in Greece is often subject to a veto by the local archaeological service, which is tasked with protecting the country’s ancient heritage. One of Greece’s best known holiday destinations, Mykonos was settled in ancient times and hosts an archaeological museum. It is located next to the tiny and uninhabited island of Delos, an ancient commercial, religious and political center that is considered one of Greece’s most important archaeological sites.
wftv.comGreek archaeologists protest holiday island assault
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — State-employed archaeologists in Greece launched strike action Tuesday to protest an assault on an archaeologist on the island of Mykonos, an attack they say may have been linked to commercial pressure to extend tourism development. Archaeologist Manolis Psarros was beaten by two unidentified men on the island last week and was left unconscious and bleeding in the street. Planning permission in Greece is often subject to a veto by the local archaeological service, which is tasked with protecting the country’s ancient heritage. One of Greece’s best known holiday destinations, Mykonos was settled in ancient times and hosts an archaeological museum. The Culture Ministry condemned the assault, while Mykonos Mayor Constantinos Koukas described the beating as a “criminal and brazen attack that has shocked us all.”Copyright 2023 The Associated Press.
wftv.comThousands take part in new Greece protest over train crash
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Thousands of people protested on Sunday against safety deficiencies in Greece’s railway network nearly two weeks after dozens were killed in the country's deadliest train crash. The demonstrators also demanded punishment for those responsible for the head-on collision between a passenger train and a freight train that killed 57 people Feb. 28. The protesters later marched to the offices of privatized train operator Hellenic Train. A memorial service was conducted for 12 students of Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University, Greece’s largest, who were killed in the train crash. Revelations of serious safety gaps on Greece’s busiest rail line have put the center-right government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the defensive.
wftv.comGreece: 3 more rail officials charged over deadly collision
THESSALONIKI, Greece — (AP) — Three more Greek rail officials were charged on Thursday in connection with a train crash that killed 57 people, as protests continued and the government promised to overhaul rail safety. Two station managers and a supervisor were charged with endangering rail safety leading to the loss of life, a senior official involved in the investigation told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, citing judicial policy. The charges are similar to those filed against a 59-year-old station manager who was arrested in the wake of the Feb. 28 crash in northern Greece and is currently in pre-trial detention. He vowed Thursday to press ahead with immediate and longer-term safety improvements that include higher staffing levels and stricter staff supervision along the rail network. He repeated a public apology for the crash but added that previous governments also shared responsibility for long-term failings regarding rail safety.
wftv.comTens of thousands march in Greece to protest train disaster
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Tens of thousands marched Wednesday in Athens and cities across Greece to protest the deaths of 57 people in the country's worst train disaster, which exposed significant rail safety deficiencies. More than 20,000 joined rallies in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, where clashes broke out when several dozen youths challenged a police cordon. But revelations of serious safety gaps on Greece's busiest rail line have put the center-right government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the defensive. Senior officials from a European Union railway agency were expected in Athens as part of promised assistance to help Greece improve railway safety. Safety experts from Germany also were expected to travel to Greece to help advise the government, Greece's new Transport Minister George Gerapetritis said.
wftv.comMajor protest rallies underway in Greece after rail disaster
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Demonstrations took place Wednesday in Athens and cities across Greece to protest the deaths of 57 people in the country's worst train disaster, which exposed significant safety deficiencies. Labor unions and student associations organized the demonstrations, while strikes halted ferries to the islands and halted public transportation services in Athens, where some 30,000 people gathered to join the protest. But revelations of serious safety gaps on Greece's busiest rail line have put the center-right government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the defensive. Senior officials from a European Union railway agency were expected in Athens as part of promised assistance to help Greece improve railway safety. Safety experts from Germany also were expected to travel to Greece to help advise the government, Greek Transport Minister George Gerapetritis said.
wftv.comDeadly train crash in Greece prompts safety worries, strikes
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Striking labor unions disrupted mass transit in Greece on Wednesday to protest the deaths of 57 people in the country's worst train disaster, which exposed major safety deficiencies. The strikes halted ferries to the islands and shut down bus and trolley car service in Athens, where thousands were expected to attend union-organized protests against the government. But revelations of serious safety gaps on Greece’s busiest rail line have put the center-right government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the defensive. Senior officials from a European Union railway agency were expected in Athens as part of promised assistance to help Greece improve railway safety. Safety experts from Germany also were expected to travel to Greece to help advise the government, Greek Transport Minister George Gerapetritis said.
wftv.comGreek unions stage strikes after deadly rail disaster
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Striking labor unions have brought transport services to a standstill to protest the deaths of 57 people in Greece’s worst ever train disaster that has exposed major safety deficiencies. The strikes Wednesday halted ferries to the islands and disrupted public transport in Athens, where thousands were expected to attend union-organized protests against the government. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who faces elections before the summer, has pledged full cooperation with a judicial inquiry into the deadly Feb. 28 collision. But revelations of serious security gaps on Greece’s busiest rail line have thrown his center-right government onto the defensive. At funerals held around Greece, the victims were buried in closed white caskets following a harrowing identification process.
wftv.comWreckage cleared, days after deadly Greek rail disaster
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Recovery crews in northern Greece cleared the final sections of wreckage from a deadly train collision from the tracks on Monday, as protests and political fallout from the country’s worst ever rail disaster continued. Heavy construction machinery was used to move remaining parts of shattered rail cars at Tempe, 375 kilometers (235 miles) north of Athens, where 57 people were killed in the Feb. 28 crash. A 59-year-old station manager in central Greece has been charged with negligent homicide and was jailed late Sunday pending trial. National rail services remain halted by strikes while protests were set to continue in several towns in Greece, mostly led by student groups, following days of often-violent demonstrations. In a letter sent Monday to a senior prosecutor heading the disaster investigation, Mitsotakis requested that the apparent lack of safety infrastructure be given priority in the probe.
wftv.comStationmaster in Greece charged after train crash killed at least 57
The stationmaster has been accused of causing the train crash in Greece that killed at least 57 people. The stationmaster testified for about seven and a half hours Sunday about what led up to the crash. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis blamed the train crash on human error. “Justice will very fast investigate the tragedy and determine liabilities.”Mitsotakis on Facebook, according to the BBC, asked for forgiveness following the train crash from the families of the 57 people who died. Following the crash, protests have sparked in Greece’s capital, Athens.
wftv.comStationmaster charged in Greece train crash that killed 57
At least 57 people, many of them in their teens and 20s, were killed when a northbound passenger train and a southbound freight train collided late Tuesday north of the city of Larissa, in central Greece. He spent 7 1/2 hours Sunday testifying about the events leading up to the crash before he was charged and ordered held. "For 20 minutes, he was in charge of (train) safety in all central Greece,” the lawyer said of his client. With state railway company Hellenic Railways billions of euros in debt, maintenance work was put off, according to news reports. The 59-year-old was transferred back to the railway company in mid-2022 and started a 5-month course to train as a stationmaster.
wftv.comGreek PM Mitsotakis apologizes for deadly train disaster
At least 57 people were killed when a passenger train and a freight train collided late Tuesday north of Athens. Greece's railways long suffered from chronic mismanagement, including lavish spending on projects that were eventually abandoned or significantly delayed, Greek media have reported in several exposes. With state railway company Hellenic Railways billions of euros in debt, maintenance work was put off, according to the news reports. The 59-year-old was transferred back to the railway company in mid-2022 and started a 5-month course to train as a stationmaster. However, he spent the next month month rotating among other stations before returning to Larissa in late February, days before the Feb. 28 collision, Greek media reported.
wftv.comStation master in Greece train crash delays court appearance
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — The station master involved in Greece’s deadliest train crash is set to appear before a prosecutor and an examining magistrate Sunday after his deposition was postponed Saturday. The government has blamed human error, and the station master faces multiple charges of negligent homicide and bodily harm, as well as disrupting transportation. Days of protests against the perceived lack of safety measures in Greece’s rail network have taken place in the wake of the disaster. Per Greek law, authorities have not released the accused station master’s name. He transferred back to the company in June 2022 and was appointed station master in Larissa, an important railway hub, in January, after five months’ training.
wftv.comThousands march in Greece as anger builds over train deaths
ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — Protests have intensified in Greece days after the country's deadliest rail disaster, as thousands of students took to the streets in several cities and some protesters clashed with police in Athens. At least 57 people — including several university students — died when a passenger train slammed into a freight carrier just before midnight Tuesday. The protests called by left-wing and student groups were fueled by anger at the perceived lack of safety measures in Greece’s rail network. Stelios Sourlas, a lawyer representing a 23-year-old victim of the collision, said responsibility for the deaths went beyond the station manager. Vassilis Kommatas and Giannis Papanikos in Larissa, Greece, Costas Kantouris in Thessaloniki, Greece, and Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, contributed to this report.
wftv.comGreek train crash: Funerals begin after harrowing ID process
Athina Katsara, a 34-year-old mother of an infant boy, was being buried in her home town of Katerini, in northern Greece. Checks of all the human remains recovered so far confirmed the death toll at 57, authorities said Friday. The bodies were being returned to families in closed caskets following their identification through next-of-kin DNA samples — a process followed for all the remains. Relatives of passengers still listed as unaccounted-for waited outside a hospital in the central city of Larissa for test results. The passenger train involved in the crash was traveling along Greece's busiest route, from the capital to the country's second-largest city, Thessaloniki.
wftv.comGreek crash: Funerals begin after harrowing ID process
Athina Katsara, a 34-year-old mother of an infant boy, was being buried in her home town of Katerini, in northern Greece. Checks of all the human remains recovered so far confirmed the death toll at 57, authorities said Friday. The bodies were being returned to families in closed caskets following their identification through next-of-kin DNA samples — a process followed for all the remains. Relatives of passengers still listed as unaccounted-for waited outside a hospital in the central city of Larissa for test results. The passenger train involved in the crash was traveling along Greece's busiest route, from the capital to the country's second-largest city, Thessaloniki.
wftv.comGreece: Crash victims returned to families in closed caskets
LARISSA, Greece — (AP) — Authorities in Greece said Friday that all remains recovered so far from scene of this week's rail disaster have been accounted for, with the death toll from the crash remaining at 57. The bodies of victims from Tuesday's head-on train collision were being returned to families in closed caskets after DNA matches were confirmed. Relatives of passengers still listed as unaccounted-for waited outside a hospital for news, among them Mirella Ruci, whose 22-year-old son Denis remains missing. Flags, meanwhile, at the ancient Acropolis, parliament and other public buildings remained at half staff on the third day of national mourning, while national rail services were halted by a strike for a second day. The passenger train involved in the crash was traveling along Greece's busiest route, from the capital Athens to the country's second-largest city, Thessaloniki.
wftv.comDeadly Greek train crash prompts strike; relatives give DNA
THESSALONIKI, Greece — (AP) — Family members lined up to give DNA samples in hopes of identifying victims of a train crash that killed nearly 60 people in Greece, as workers went on strike Thursday saying the rail system is outdated, underfunded and dangerous. The collision of a passenger train and a freight train was the country's deadliest ever, and more than 48 people remained hospitalized — with six in intensive care — most in the central Greek city of Larissa. Among them was Dimitris Bournazis, who said the crash should lead to a full safety overhaul of the country's rail system. CRASH SURVIVOR DESCRIBES FIERY ESCAPEAbout 350 people were on the passenger train, many of them students returning from a holiday weekend and annual Carnival celebrations around Greece. We wish a speedy recovery to all the injured.”___Paphitis reported from Athens, Greece.
wftv.comGreece train crash search moves 'centimeter by centimeter'
THESSALONIKI, Greece — (AP) — Emergency crews cut through the mangled remains of a passenger train on Thursday, progressing “centimeter by centimeter” in their search for the dead from a head-on collision in northern Greece that killed at least 46 people. Rail workers went on strike to protest years of underfunding they say has left the country’s train system in a dangerous state. The passenger train and a freight train slammed into each other late Tuesday, crumpling carriages into twisted steel knots and forcing people to smash windows to escape. WORKERS SAY TRAIN SYSTEM IS UNSAFEThe cause of the crash is still not clear. CRASH SURVIVOR DESCRIBES FIERY ESCAPEMore than 300 people were on board the passenger train, many of them were students returning from a holiday weekend and annual Carnival celebrations around Greece.
wftv.comGreece: Grim train search moves 'centimeter by centimeter'
THESSALONIKI, Greece — (AP) — Emergency crews cut trough the mangled metal paneling of a passenger train on Thursday, progressing “centimeter by centimeter” in their efforts to pull more bodies from the burned wreckage of a head-on collision in northern Greece that left at least 43 people dead. Rail workers went on strike to protest years of underfunding they say has left the country’s rail system in a dangerous state. The passenger train and a freight train slammed into each other late Tuesday, crumpling carriages into twisted steel knots and forcing people to smash windows to escape. WORKERS SAY TRAIN SYSTEM IS UNSAFERailway workers’ associations called strikes, halting national rail services and the subway in Athens. We wish a speedy recovery to all the injured.”___Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece.
wftv.comGreek rail workers strike over conditions after deadly crash
THESSALONIKI, Greece — (AP) — Rescuers using cranes and heavy machinery on Thursday searched the wreckage of trains involved in a deadly collision that sent Greece into national mourning and prompted strikes and protests over rail safety. More than 50 people remained hospitalized, most in the central Greek city of Larissa, some in serious condition. Railway workers' associations called strikes, halting national rail services and the subway in Athens, to protest working conditions and what they described as a lack of modernization of the Greek rail system. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent a message in Greek, writing "The people of Ukraine share the pain of the families of the victims. That I promise you.”___Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece.
wftv.comRescuers comb wreckage of Greece's deadliest train crash
The train from Athens to Thessaloniki was carrying 350 passengers, many of them students returning from raucous Carnival celebrations. Hellenic Train, which operates all of Greece's passenger and cargo trains, including those that collided, offered its "heartfelt condolences" to the victims' families. PASSENGERS SAY TRAIN CRASH WAS LIKE AN EXPLOSIONA teenage survivor who did not give his name to reporters said that just before the crash he felt sudden braking and saw sparks — and then there was a sudden stop. It was the country’s deadliest rail crash on record. Minor clashes broke out as some protesters threw stones at the offices of Greece's rail operator and riot police and set dumpsters on fire.
wftv.comDeath toll keeps rising in Greece's deadliest train crash
“Most (of the bodies) are young people,” she told ERT. Rescuer Lazaros Sarianidis told ERT that crews were “very carefully” trying to disentangle steel, sheet metal and other material that was twisted together by the crash. ... My hair is burning,’” he told ERT, without giving his name. Tuesday's was Greece's worst rail crash since 1968, when 34 people were killed in a crash in the southern Peloponnese region. Minor clashes broke out as some protesters threw stones at the offices of Greece's rail operator and riot police, and set dumpsters on fire.
wftv.comGreece's worst-ever rail crash kills dozens, crushes cars
TEMPE, Greece — (AP) — Rescuers searched for survivors Wednesday in the mangled, burned-out cars of two trains that slammed into each other in northern Greece, killing at least 38 people and crumpling carriages into twisted steel knots in the country's worst-ever rail crash. “The glass in the windows shattered and fell on top of us,” Stefanos Gogakos, who was riding in a rear carriage, told ERT. The train from Athens to Thessaloniki was carrying 350 passengers, many of them students returning from raucous Carnival celebrations. ... My hair is burning,’” he told ERT, without giving his name. Tuesday's was Greece's worst rail crash since 1968, when 34 people were killed in a crash in the southern Peloponnese region.
wftv.comMajor renovation planned for Athens' archaeological museum
Plans for a major renovation of the National Archaeological Museum in Greece have been announced by the country's Culture Ministry, expanding exhibition space at the Athens site that houses the most important collection of Greek antiquities in the world.
As wiretap claims rattle government, Greece bans spyware
Lawmakers in Greece have approved legislation banning commercial spyware and reforming rules for legally-sanctioned wiretaps following allegations that senior government officials and journalists had been targeted by shadowy surveillance software.
British Museum reportedly in talks on Parthenon Sculptures
The British Museum has pledged not to dismantle its collection following a report that the institution’s chairman has held secret talks with Greece’s prime minister over the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles.