http://www.kosisland.info/news/kosislandinfo.rss This RSS feed was generated out of the newsdatabase of Kos Island Info website. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=178 Greek officials announced on Tuesday that seven investors submitted non-binding bids for Greece's ailing flag carrier Olympic Airlines and were all cleared to continue to the next stage of the privatisation. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=177 The violence in Greece by youths angry over the killing of a teenager by the police raged for a third day on Monday as thousands of police officers failed to contain some of the worst rioting in recent years. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=176 Greece's health ministry is pushing to implement a ban outlawing smoking in all public places, including restaurants, bars and offices by the summer half a year earlier than required by law. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=175 The climate is quite negative in the tourism sector from messages being received from abroad and it looks like tourist arrivals for the 2009 season are in rapid decline. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=174 The home to Europe's largest population of smokers has just over a year to go before a ban outlaws the habit in all public places, including restaurants, bars and offices, the Greek Health Ministry said Friday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=173 Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Yannis Valinakis concluded his visit to Canada (from 17 to 20 October). Mr. Valinakis represented Greece at the proceedings of the 12th Francophone Summit in Quebec, which discussed current international developments and member state cooperation in a series of important areas. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=172 The number of foreign tourists arriving at Greek airports declined 1.2 percent in the first nine months of 2008 and next year is likely to be considerably worse as a worldwide downturn bites, an industry body said on Monday. Tourist Research Institute (ITEP) said the number of tourists fell by 4.8 percent in September which is normally a strong month for arrivals, indicating that figures for the rest of the year would remain negative. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=171 Greece launched a tender to sell off ailing state carrier Olympic Airlines on Tuesday, but unions and pilots vowed to step up protests to block any possible sale. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=170 A new subway line in Greece continues to be a ripe source for archaeological discoveries. Archaeologists have unearthed more than 1,400 ancient graves while excavating the site for a subway in the northern city of Salonika. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=169 Profiteering in fuel on islands has forced the government to introduce a ceiling price for unleaded oil there. As per the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE), the price will be a few cents over the average price of unleaded petrol in Athens due to transport costs. The ceiling price will go into force by the end of August. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=168 The government insisted yesterday that it had no prior knowledge of the dispute between former Aegean Minister Aristotle Pavlidis and a ship owner, as pressure grew on Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to take action over the blackmail allegations. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=167 Dozens of drought stricken Greek islands in the Aegean are being forced to import greater amounts of water every year, reports said Monday. Faced with a water shortage crisis on its hands, the Greek government is currently trying to tackle the problem by importing millions of cubic metres of water to the islands of Milos, Nisyros, Amorgos, Koufonisia, Shinoussa, Folegandros, Tinos, Sikinos, Thirasis, Donoussa, Patmos, Symi, Halki and Palionissos. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=166 As thousands of visitors flock to the Dodecanese or Cycladic islands for their vacations, the cost of bringing water to these resorts has increased almost 10 times over the last 10 years and an internal Merchant Marine Ministry document suggests that some tanker owners are "blackmailing" the state and local communities. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=165 An Australian tourist who was beaten into a coma during a holiday on a Greek island died Friday after doctors disconnected him from life support, hospital officials said. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=164 A young British student charged with smothering her newborn son after giving birth in her hotel room on Crete has been placed in pre-trial detention, a judicial source said Friday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=163 A forest fire on the Greek Island of Rhodes is still raging. It is not threatening the island's tourist areas yet but concerns are growing as firemen have failed to bring the blaze under control in three days. France and Italy are sending their specialist fire-fighting planes. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=162 A British woman was detained at a Greek holiday resort Monday after her child died following an unassisted birth, authorities said. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=161 A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 struck the Greek island of Rhodes early Tuesday, and one woman died after she slipped and fell while trying to flee her home, local authorities said. No major damage was reported to any of the island's buildings or historical sites. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=160 Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis yesterday called for the creation of a common European Union policy to tackle illegal immigration, claiming that Greece is shouldering a large part of the burden due to its geographic location at the "gateway" to Western Europe. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=159 Irish people who bought holiday homes in Turkey have been faced with a EUR21,000 bill after the developers blundered in striking a local land deal. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=158 Authorities evacuated three villages in southwestern Greece on Monday after seismologists warned that a strong aftershock was expected in areas where a powerful earthquake killed two people and injured more than 200. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=157 As German and British tourists head to the beach, the battle for sun beds is on! http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=156 A heated debate on gay rights opened in Greece on Tuesday hours after the country's first same-sex civil marriages were held on the small Aegean island of Tilos, sparking an immediate judicial reaction. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=155 Greece's top public prosecutor on Friday moved to block a gay marriage ceremony after a mayor on a tiny Greek island said he was willing to perform one. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=154 Queen Sophia of Spain, accompanied by Spanish ambassador to Greece Juan Ramon Martinez Salazar, arrived on the popular Dodecanese island of Rhodes on Friday, where she was greeted by local and prefectural officials, as well as the consul of Spain on Rhodes, Christina Kaili. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=153 Strikes by union groups upset by Greek government privatisation plans and pension reforms disrupted air transport and state services on Thursday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=152 Olympic Airlines says it's cancelling more flights and rescheduling others because of a work-to-rule slowdown by a pilots' union. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=151 Greece is to enforce a smoking ban in public places, the health ministry announced on Wednesday, after previous partial-bans were ignored in what is one of Europe's heaviest smoking nations. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=150 The island of Rhodes in the southeastern Aegean has been voted the top tourist destination in Europe and the fifth-best in the world, according to a survey carried out by the Internet-based travel service TripAdvisor. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=149 Prefecture authorities in the Dodecanese yesterday appealed to the government to declare a state of emergency on the island of Leros, which has been besieged by more than 300 would-be migrants over the last few days. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=148 The increased numbers of illegal migrants who attempt to cross the Greek sea borders from the coast of Turkey has led to an increase in the number of Coast Guard patrols following instructions issued by Merchant Marine, Aegean and Island Policy Minister George Voulgarakis. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=147 Greece on Tuesday signed a deal to join Gazprom's South Stream gas pipeline in a move that Russian and Greek leaders said would strengthen energy security in Europe. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=146 Water transport from Greece can begin as soon as next month, the Chairman and CEO of Ocean Tankers Company, Michalis Ioannides, said yesterday at the ceremony for the signing of the contract between the company and the Water Development Department. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=145 Greece has reclaimed an ancient funerary vase found in the possession of a Swiss art dealer after it had been illegally exported, the Greek culture ministry said. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=144 Greece has agreed to join the Kremlin-backed South Stream natural gas pipeline project, further intensifying energy ties with Russia, the development minister of Greece, Christos Folias, said on Tuesday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=143 Greece expects a large drop in the number of British tourists this year which are its most frequent visitors, because of the strong euro, Tourist Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos warned on Tuesday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=142 Archeologists, architects and dignitaries in Greece have formed a lobby group calling for urgent government action to rescue the country's ancient open-air theatres. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=141 Greek air carrier Aegean Airlines announced that from the 15th of April it will raise the fuel surcharge on tickets by 2 euros for domestic routes and 4 euros for international routes to recover expenses from record high oil prices. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=140 Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis's popularity has received a boost after Greece stopped the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) from joining NATO last week, but most Greeks agree that ties between the two countries need to improve, according to a survey. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=139 Greece is ready to impose a veto on FYROM's (Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia) EU membership negotiations as it already did on its NATO membership invitation if the name dispute between the two states is not resolved. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=138 Greece invited the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) last night to return to the negotiating table and settle the long-standing name dispute between the two countries, less than 24 hours after Athens used its veto at a NATO summit in Romania to block Skopje's attempt to join the alliance. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=137 Greek diplomats attending a crucial NATO summit in Bucharest yesterday stood by their threat to veto the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's bid to join the alliance, as Washington appeared to tone down its insistence that the Balkan state be invited immediately. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=136 The palace of the Grand Maitre in the medieval quarter of the city of Rhodes, the capital of the eponymous Dodecanese island, will close on April 4 for extensive restoration and maintenance works, according to the local archaeological bureau. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=135 Greece is expected to grind to a halt as public sector workers across the country hold a general strike against government-proposed pension reforms. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=134 Greece renewed its demand for the Parthenon Marbles on Monday at a gathering of world culture experts held at the foot of the Acropolis. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=133 A new round of UN-sponsored talks between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on the latter's "name issue" begins in Vienna on Monday. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has reiterated Greece's position regarding the issue saying that a composite name for the land-locked republic containing a geographic qualifier could put an end to a nagging problem that has had a negative impact on regional stability and cooperation. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=132 Greek workers staged a nationwide job walkout Wednesday, grounding flights, crippling transport and leaving heaps of refuse uncollected in the latest show of swelling labour unrest over a controversial bill that overhauls the country's deficit-plagued pension system. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=131 Greek electricity utility unions vowed to extend their strike in protest against a pension reform bill on Tuesday with more power cuts while council workers joined a strike over the bill that unions say cuts benefits. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=130 A long delayed new museum in Athens where Greece hopes to reunite its ancient Acropolis masterpieces with Britain's Elgin Marbles will open in September, officials said. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=129 Greece and Spain have agreed to co-operate with the aim of bringing about mutual benefits to their tourism industries, according to reports. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=128 A winter storm left Greece blanketed in snow on Sunday but at the same time cut access to villages and disrupted travel across the country. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=127 Two strong earthquakes hit southern Greece on Thursday - one of them was felt as far away as Italy and Egypt. No injuries were reported. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=126 Flights will be grounded, ferries docked at ports and public services will lock their doors on Wednesday after Greece's two largest unions called a nationwide strike in opposition to the government's planned pension reforms. From the northern port city of Thessaloniki, to the western port of Patras and the Greek capital Athens, workers have pledged to bring the country to a standstill. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=125 Eastern and southern Greece started witnessing a spell of bad weather. On Friday, showers and storms hit the eastern and southern regions of the Peloponnese, the Cyclades and Crete. Winds blew at a speed of 9 Beaufort. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=124 Aegean Airlines has announced plans to expand its flight network this summer in three ways. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=123 Senior clergy elected Bishop Ieronymos of Thebes to succeed the late Archbishop Christodoulos as the new leader of Greece's Orthodox Church, the church announced Thursday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=122 Senior clergymen of Greece's Orthodox Church are gathering in Athens to elect the new leader following the death of Archbishop Christodoulos last month . http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=121 Aegean Airlines announced that as of May 3 2008 it will operate a direct flight from Thessaloniki to Kos. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=120 Greece wants a foreign airline to invest in Olympic Airlines as part of its attempt to privatise the ailing carrier according to Transport Minister Kostis Hatzidakis. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=119 The funeral of the head of the Greek Orthodox Church, Archbishop Christodoulos, is due to be held in the capital, Athens. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=118 Sudden heavy snowfall across much of Greece on Tuesday and gale-force winds in the Aegean Sea grounded dozens of flights, forced ships to remain docked in ports and cut power in many areas. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=117 Hundreds of mourners, many sobbing, gathered Monday at Athens' cathedral to file past the remains of Archbishop Christodoulos, the first leader of Greece's powerful Orthodox Church to welcome a Catholic pope to Athens in 1,300 years. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=116 A significant problem has arisen over the past few months with the pine trees on the eastern Aegean island of Karpathos where they have begun to dry out for no apparent reason. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=115 The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Constantinople (Istanbul) serves as a bridge between Greece and Turkey, bringing the people of the two countries closer together, according to the leader of Orthodox Christians, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=114 Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis used the occasion of the first visit by a Greek premier to Turkey in almost 50 years to push for closer ties and warn of the "immense" cost if tensions persist. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=113 The Mayor of Turkey's western resort town of Bodrum was presented with a statue for his contributions to improve friendly relations between Turkey and Greece. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=112 Greece is making a dynamic appearance at the International Tourism Fair in Vienna. The Greek delegation is planning a series of events, starting with a press conference with the head of the Greek National Tourism Organization bureau in Vienna, Panagiotis Skordas. Some of the events scheduled at the Greek pavilion include Greek music performances, wine tasting and Greek cuisine. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=111 At the fish farms in Bodrum in Turkey, at the site of the ancient Greek city of Iasos, thousands of sea breams died in the last week causing major cancellations in bookings. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=110 Greece announced on Thursday that Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will make an official visit to Turkey later this month, the first such trip in almost 50 years. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=109 Monday consisted of mainly unsettled weather with severe rainfalls and local storms throughout Greece. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=108 Maltese Foreign Minister Michael Frendo and Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Valinakis, signed an agreement between Malta and Greece on cooperation in the field of search and rescue, aiming at the improvement in the safety of navigation. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=107 A total of eleven illegal immigrants were arrested in Patras, Lesvos and Kos on Friday and Saturday. Two traffickers were also arrested. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=106 A British couple was shocked to learn that the villa they purchased two years ago with their life savings in the Aegean town of Didim was built on Treasury land and have been holding vigil in front of the house for the past three days since they were evicted according to the 'Turkish Daily News'. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=105 easyCruise's latest addition to its fleet - easyCruise Life - will be sailing a new seven-day cruise to six different Greek islands, from the laid back Syros and Samos to the lively Kalymnos, Kos, Paros and Mykonos - and will also visit Bodrum, Turkey, for a full day and night. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=104 An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale struck Greece on Sunday, shaking people out of bed and sending panic-stricken villagers into the streets but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=103 The modern sport of freediving has its roots in the ancient Greek sponge trade.(Originally published in the TIMES by Richard Fleury.) http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=102 Government aides yesterday discussed the details of a planned visit to Turkey later this month by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis as a fishing dispute in the Aegean threatened to heighten tensions between Athens and Ankara. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=100 Six in 10 parents feel that they do not spend enough time reading stories to their children, even though more than 90 percent of them believe that it has a positive effect on youngsters and is a most important part of their upbringing. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=99 (Originally published in The Economist print edition 19 December 2007 - Turkey and its Christians, The cross and the crescent)This has been a bad year for Orhan Ant. As a Protestant missionary in Samsun, on the Black Sea, he has had death threats and his church has been repeatedly stoned. Local newspapers called him a foreign agent. A group of youths tried to kidnap him as he was driving home. His pleas for police protection have gone unheeded. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=98 All flights from Athens airport were obstructed and public services were shut as Greek workers went on strike on Wednesday in dissent against government plans to reform the pension system. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=97 The body of a Greek Air Force pilot whose plane crashed during a training exercise in the Aegean Sea has been found by a Turkish frigate, the Air Force announced on Thursday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=96 Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have agreed to hold a fresh round of direct talks next month over the official name of the latter country and related issues following consultations by a United Nations envoy in the two capitals this week. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=95 An article published in the Vancouver Sun on Saturday, December 01, 2007 by Ruth Kozak, a travel journalist and historical fiction novelist from Vancouver. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=94 A new wave of immigrants flooded Greece over the weekend. Only on Saturday 121 foreigners who illegally entered into Greece's territorial waters were detained. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=93 Police announced yesterday that immigrants presently living in Greece who are planning to visit their homelands for Christmas will be able to do so between December 10 and January 31 without fear of being refused re-entry, even if they lack a valid residence permit. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=92 Greece looks like becoming the Colombia of Europe, as plantations of Indian cannabis are being found from one end of the country to another, according to Greek police data. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=91 The heavy rains of the past 24 hours caused problems throughout the country and several areas were flooded, the Greek fire brigade reported on Sunday. It said that fire brigade stations had received hundreds of calls, mainly to pump water from flooded homes and businesses. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=90 The exploitation of Greece's undersea oil deposits in the northeast Aegean should be included in Turkey's EU accession talks, a former environment minister said yesterday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=89 A third of Greeks live close to the poverty line or under, a new survey has found. The poverty limit is drawn at an income of 470 euros a month per adult. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=88 Emergency food and medical supplies were transported by rescue helicopters to a tiny Greek island cut off from the mainland for 10 days because of a ferry workers' dispute, authorities said Tuesday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=87 Scientists have revealed the contents of an ancient shipwreck dating back to the era of the Roman Republic and Athenian empire using genetic analysis. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=86 Socialist leader George Papandreou capped a remarkable political comeback by handily winning re-election as party leader despite leading his party to its second successive electoral defeat just two months ago. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=85 Three moderate earthquakes struck Greece's eastern Aegean Sea area early Friday, rattling residents of nearby islands, monitoring agencies said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=84 Student groups decided yesterday to continue with sit-ins across the country until the end of the week in protest action aimed at convincing the government to up spending in the sector. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=83 Seven illegal immigrants were arrested after attempting to sneak onto the Aegean island of Kos, authorities said on Saturday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=82 Greece, overwhelmed by the influx of illegal immigrants, reiterated on Tuesday its call for a "coordinated and comprehensive" effort by the European Union (EU) on the issue. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=81 Ninety-four neolithic-era artifacts stolen from a central Greek city 22 years ago have been returned to Greece from Germany, the Greek culture ministry announced on Tuesday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=80 Greece will host the XVII Mediterranean Games of 2013, with the joint bid by Volos and Ioannina amassing 37 votes against 34 votes for the Croatian city of Rijeka in a run-off vote on Saturday in the Italian city of Pescara, which will host the XVI Games in 2009. The third candidate city, Mersin in Turkey, was disqualified in the first round of voting with 13 votes, against 24 for Rijeka and 31 for Volos - Larisa. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=79 Greece said Friday it would send 30 firefighters to southern California to help battle wildfires there that have killed at least nine people and forced more than 500,000 more from their homes. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=78 Archbishop Christodoulos, leader of Greece's Orthodox Church, made an emotional return to his homeland Friday after spending more than two months in a Florida hospital facility being treated for cancer. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=77 A new presidential decree in Greece will see the creation of new agencies in the Aegean Sea to combat illegal human migration. The New Democracy government, recently re-elected, promises to plug holes in enforcement. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=76 Greek authorities found two men stabbed to death on a sinking Saudi-flagged yacht in the Aegean Sea early Friday, and were seeking a third man believed to have been on the vessel. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=75 Greece expressed "displeasure" on Thursday with Canada's decision to adopt the name Macedonia in its dealings with the tiny Balkan nation which has quarreled with Athens over its official appellation for 15 years, the Greek foreign ministry said. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=74 A victory by Greece's ruling New Democracy government in elections over the weekend sets the stage for further efforts to overhaul the country's economy, including efforts to make the country's deficit-ridden pension system more efficient. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=73 The no-frills, budget cruise line has just announced new Greece and Turkey itineraries for 2008 and the launch of a new easyCruise vessel. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=72 More then a dozen clients of a bankrupt travel agency, Bella Tours, gathered at its Szalay utca offices in Budapest Monday evening, because they were not informed about the firm's bankruptcy until they had showed up at the airport to leave for a vacation on Kos Island, Greece, that afternoon. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=71 As Greeks head to the polls on Sunday, residents from the island of Leipsoi and members of a single fathers group are expected to boycott the elections in a bid to push forward their respective demands. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=70 The coast guard has arrested six people in Rhodes and Athens believed to have been smuggling narcotics from Athens to the Aegean Islands after finding them in possession of more than 4 kilos of heroin, the Merchant Marine Ministry said yesterday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=69 Greece hosts the International Thessaloniki Fair, which opened doors on Saturday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=68 Forest fires that have ravaged Greece for more than ten days have finally been extinguished. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=67 The catastrophic fires in Greece were replaced with pouring rain. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=66 Fires raged across Greece on Sunday, bearing down on hamlets near ancient Olympia in the south a day after the government declared a nationwide state of emergency. At least 57 people have died in the past three days, according to the national fire brigade. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=65 The first opinion polls published after Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis called an early general election showed the governing conservative party with a small lead over the socialist opposition. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=64 Thieves broke into a jewellery store in the old town on the island of Kos early yesterday and stole 1 million euros worth of merchandise, police said. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=63 Today after 11:00 pm we will be given the opportunity to watch an impressive natural phenomenon in the Greek skies as falling stars light up and dance in the heavens. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=62 Separate forest fires in the suburbs of Greece's capital Athens have been put under control on Friday. The wildfires destroyed many homes and a large part of the forest while sending at least 10 people to hospitals for inhaling smoke. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=61 A large forest fire broke out yesterday on the northern outskirts of Athens sending a cloud of smoke over the capital, fire officials said. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=60 Greek authorities arrested 141 alleged illegal immigrants and three presumed smugglers on a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, the Greek merchant marine ministry said Thursday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=59 All over Greece, rooms are hard to find, tickets on ferries and hydrofoils almost impossible to get, buses and trains are on modified schedules, and fasting Greeks are spending two weeks in reverential deprivation to prepare for the Feast of the Dormition (also called Assumption) on August 15th. This date in the Greek Orthodox calendar marks the moment when the devout believe that Mary, the Theotokos, ascended into Heaven. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=58 Travelers at the port of Piraeus line up to board one of the many ferries leaving the capital yesterday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=57 Police on Rhodes have arrested a 22-year-old Romanian con man and are looking for three of his countrymen. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=56 A British tourist has been convicted of biting a police officer during a brawl on the holiday island of Rhodes and sentenced to more than a year in prison, authorities said Wednesday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=55 Mass will be celebrated at the Roman Catholic Church in Kos throughout August. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=54 A startling discovery of two massive prehistoric tusks - possibly the largest ever found in the world - could prove to be a "gold mine" for scientists seeking clues into Europe's past, say Greek and Dutch researchers excavating the site in northern Greece. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=53 Greece was bracing for some of its hottest weather of the year on Wednesday as a week-long Balkans heat wave - the second major one of the summer - was set to peak, along with fears of more power disruptions and wildfires. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=52 Smoke engulfed much of the Greek capital Monday as a forest fire that started at the foot of Mount Hymettus on the outskirts of the city forced the closure of a major highway and prompted the evacuation of a local children's home. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=51 Greece's Orthodox church leader Archbishop Christodoulos will undergo a liver transplant in the United States after being diagnosed with cancer, doctors said Thursday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=50 Greek coastguard units assisted their Turkish counterparts Thursday in locating an unspecified number of people believed missing in the sea near the Greek Aegean island of Kos, the merchant marine ministry said. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=49 Hundreds of firefighters and troops on Friday battled forest fires on a mountain overlooking Athens as Greece's longest heatwave on record claimed three new victims. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=48 A heat wave has claimed two lives in Greece. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=47 The leader of Greece's influential Orthodox Church, Archbishop Christodoulos, has cancer in his large intestine and liver, doctors said Thursday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=46 A Danish family has returned to Greece a fragment of a Greek marble relief the family has owned for more than a century, Greek officials said Thursday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=45 Greek authorities have announced a series of measures to prevent the effects of a heat wave expected to hit the country the coming weekend, when temperatures are predicted to be over 43 degrees Celsius. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=44 The owners, operator and captain of a cruise ship that hit the rocks off the island Santorini and sank were fined a total of 1.57 million USD Monday for polluting the Aegean Sea. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=43 Greece is mounting a nationwide effort to remove "eye candy" billboards from roadsides, amid growing evidence that images of women wearing not very much contribute to Europe's worst road accident figures. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=42 Unless the advance of global warming is halted, the average temperature for July in Athens will be 8 degrees Celsius warmer by the end of the century and some 56,000 hectares of coastal land around Greece will be flooded, according to a report presented yesterday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=41 Greece's civil service union is preparing a complaint to the US Securities and Exchange Commission over JP Morgan's handling of a controversial 280 million Euros structured bond, union officials said last night. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=40 The cleanest beaches in Europe are in Cyprus and Greece, according to a report released May 31 by the European Union. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=39 The government is lifting all restrictions to petrol stations' opening hours on the islands of Crete, Kos, Rhodes, Corfu, Lesvos, Samos and Chios for the summer period with an amendment the Development Ministry tabled yesterday in Parliament. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=38 Britons wanting a low-fat holiday should head to Greece, it was revealed today. Greece came out top of the healthier food destinations in a holiday food index compiled by supermarket chain Somerfield. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=37 Australia's most wanted criminal, arrested in Greece yesterday, is expected to be extradited to face murder and drug trafficking charges, the Greek Public Order Ministry said. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=36 Former US president George Bush senior arrived in Athens on Monday for a cruise around the Greek islands. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=35 Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a stinging attack yesterday on US "imperialism" moments after holding a meeting in Moscow with Greek President Karolos Papoulias during which the two men confirmed stronger ties between Greece and Russia. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=34 The Acropolis sculptures survived on the ancient hill in Athens for 2,500 years despite war, weather and looting. But their remaining days there are numbered. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=33 The New Zealand Parliament's call for Britain to return the Elgin marbles to Greece has been welcomed by the NZ Parthenon marbles committee. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=32 A spokesman for the Greek foreign ministry said the Turkish foreign ministry must learn that "history can neither be falsified (nor) rewritten." http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=31 Greece on Friday marked International Missing Children's Day by adopting a US-devised emergency coordination system to hasten mobilisation among police, media and the public to find missing minors. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=30 The population of Greece has the largest percentage of smokers in the EU, according to survey results released yesterday as the country's anti-smoking measures prove to be less effective than those adopted in other member states. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=29 Liverpool and AC Milan arrived in the Greek capital on Monday ready to play out the sequel to the most unbelievable European Cup final ever staged. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=28 There is a growing possibility that general elections will be called in September because the government fears that the United Nations may end the mediation process between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), according to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=27 A meeting between New Zealand and Greece's Prime Ministers today fell on an auspicious date - it was the name day for both the leaders. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=26 Greek Australians who return to their homeland to retire will find it easier to claim an Australian pension under an agreement to be signed this week between the two countries. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=25 Greek police have joined the search for a four-year-old British girl (Madeleine affectionately called Maddie) who disappeared in Portugal two weeks ago, after a reported sighting on the island of Crete, a police spokesman said yesterday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=24 Greece is going to claim up to 1 billion euros in damages from the company that owns the Sea Diamond cruise ship which sank off Santorini in April, the government revealed yesterday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=23 Representatives of Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) have held a fresh round of United Nations-mediated talks over the question of the official name of the latter country. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=22 A spokesman for the Greek government confirms there are no plans to change the nation's current electoral system and its related laws. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=21 Flights and rail transportation throughout Greece will be disrupted today by a 24-hour general strike called by the country's leading labour unions, officials said. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=20 Greece yesterday denounced Jordan's decision to withdraw its support for Theophilos III as Greek Orthodox patriarch for Jerusalem, saying the move was hasty and ill-advised. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=19 Residents of the tiny island of Lipsi in the Dodecanese yesterday vowed to press their demands for more frequent ferry connections, despite the government's commitment earlier this week to resume the island's connection to Piraeus. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=18 US Ambassador to Greece Charles Ries will leave his post to take up a position at the US Embassy in Baghdad, it was announced yesterday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=17 As of the first moments when the results announced the first reactions in various Athens parties where people gathered to watch the contest live in video walls were a bit hostile against the results. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=16 Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a rare 2,700-year-old piece of fabric inside a copper urn from a burial they speculated imitated the elaborate cremation of soldiers described in Homer's "Iliad." http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=15 Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis sent a message to French President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday, expressing hope that the "traditionally strong ties" between the two countries would be strengthened further. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=14 PM says getting antiquities back is still a priority for Greece. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=13 A Norfolk woman died of heart failure an hour after leaving a Turkish hospital after a breast reduction operation, an inquest heard yesterday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=12 Greece will slash all landing, take-off and parking fees by 50 percent in five provincial airports from Oct. 1 until March 31 each year, a move aimed at boosting air traffic during the off-season months, Transport Minister Mihalis Liapis said on Thursday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=11 Prime minister Costas Karamanlis on Tuesday called the country's islands a "precious national capital", and pledged that his government will place even greater weight on solving the problems they face, addressing a meeting of local officials and government members on the island of Kasos, which he visited on May Day, and was declared an honourary resident of the island. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=10 The residents of Lipsi island, in the Dodecanese, blocked their island's port on Monday, demanding better coastal services linking them with the rest of Greece. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=9 Almost 1,000 pornographic DVDs were seized on the island of Rhodes on Monday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=8 A teenage girl was found dead and two others are missing after human traffickers threw a group of illegal immigrants into the sea off a Greek island, port authorities said Friday. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=7 Some eight non-stray dogs have been slaughtered by unidentified people in the Golturkbuku province of Bodrum in Turkey. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=6 A four-day rooftop protest by inmates at a Greek maximun security prison against the alleged beating of an inmate by guards has ended. http://www.kosisland.info/new_news.php?action=fullnews&id=5 Two residents of the eastern Aegean island of Kos have been arrested after being caught transporting illegal immigrants, police said yesterday.