The Ionian highway is a stategic project for all Greece and Epirus and upgrades the country's role in the wider region, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Tuesday during the inauguration of the new road.

The alleged attempted rape of a 19-year-old Syrian refugee man by three Iraqi refugees in the Samos reception and identification centre has provoked a series of reprisals and sparked violent clashes between Syrians and Iraqis on the island.

The Economic and Financial Committee (EFC) gave on Monday the "green light" for Greece's exit from the excessive deficit procedure during a meeting in Brussels, after a positive recommendation by the European Commission, according to a Eurozone source.