Greeks celebrate Clean Monday, start of Lent with kite-flying, picnics, music
SOCIETY

Greeks throughout the country celebrated the Clean Monday holiday in the time-honoured fashion on Monday, with outdoor activities such as kite-flying and picnics, the traditional lenten delicacies, music and dancing.While many quit the cities to enjoy the long weekend in the countryside, municipalities in Attica were also throwing parties for those left behind, offering free […]


First Zen monastery in Greece in the works
SOCIETY

Konstantinos Sgoumpopoulos, a Zen abbot as well as shipping and real estate businessman, talks to Kathimerini about the first Zen monastery to be built in Greece and the wider region.

Extremism rears its ugly head again in Thessaloniki
ANALYSIS

Brutality and extremism re-emerged in full force in the northern city of Thessaloniki in recent days, reminding us that far-right and ultra-conservative radicalization remains a serious challenge in Greece.


Teens agree less cell use, better grades
NEWS

Two out of three teenagers think that if they used their mobile phones less they would perform better at school, according to the finds of a survey of 2,291 high school students and graduates by the Poukamisas Educational Center, seeking to assess their relationship with their devices and the impact in and out of school.


Non-traditional dwellings proliferate on Sifnos
IN DEPTH

Nestled amidst holiday homes and tourist accommodations stands an architectural gem – a traditional “themonia,” as the locals affectionately call it. This quaint farmhouse, crafted from whitewashed stone, stands in accordance with the materials available in the region.

Mitsotakis: Marriage equality is ‘step in right direction’ in tackling discrimination
SOCIETY

Equality in civil marriage does not automatically lead us to a much better world where all discrimination and all prejudices have been eliminated, but “it is a very important step in the right direction,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday during a discussion at the 3rd annual conference of The Upfront Initiative, at the Athens Conservatory.

Athenian reflections of a Harvard dean
SOCIETY

It was Sarah Whiting’s last morning in Athens. For the final day of this dense, week-long tour of Greece, the weather improved and the winter sun shone over Syntagma Square. From her hotel balcony she enjoyed a typical sunny Athenian panorama, with the silhouette of the Parthenon in the background. Until […]



Greece at rock bottom in social housing
SOCIETY

When a law abolishing the Workers’ Housing Organization was passed in 2012 as part of a package of stringent austerity measures, Greece gave up the last tool of state intervention in the real estate market. So long as the rate of homeownership remained high, the recession continued to suppress property prices […]

Obama’s foreign policy and the Greek debt crisis
SOCIETY

President Barack Obama’s critical role in helping Greece stay in the eurozone follows in the post-WWII tradition of American engagement in the European project for geopolitical reasons, even though it was initially driven by financial concerns, argues Katerina Sokou, ELIAMEP and Atlantic Council non-resident research fellow in a research paper just published.


Democrats Abroad Greece opens voting center Sunday
SOCIETY

Democrats Abroad Greece will be running a voting center this Sunday to help Americans living in Athens cast their votes in the Global Presidential Primary, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at The Athens Center, 48 Archimidous St.


‘Love wins’ say Greek lesbian couple as they wed at last
SOCIETY

Α calendar reminder shone up on Danai Deligeorges’ phone on Thursday evening: “Wedding,” the message said. She turned, smiling, to her partner Alexia Beziki. “Are you ready?” Beziki asked, before the couple kissed and started to prepare.


The forgotten, invisible safe spaces under Athens
INTERVIEWS

A network of thousands of underground spaces are scattered beneath Athens. Pedestrians hurry past them, not suspecting that the metal lid of a manhole they have just stepped on is one of the gates to a vast web of spaces, which for decades has been sealed in silence and oblivion.

Obesity a hefty time bomb hovering above Greece
SOCIETY

The Health Ministry is reportedly preparing a special program for obesity, as citizens and many doctors still do not consider it a disease and do not take targeted measures to deal with it. The program will focus on prevention, early diagnosis and treatment with free follow-up by a nutritionist and other professionals.