A group calling itself "Anarchist Attack Consortium" has come forward to claim responsibility for the bombing attack against a bank in the early hours of December 10 in the northern Athenian suburb of Halandri, that fortunately failed .

Greece hopes to become a hub for a pipeline network transporting natural gas to Europe from Israel and Cyprus, said ambassador to the US, Christos Panagopoulos.

In the second round of voting on Tuesday, the government's candidate Stavros Dimas got within 12 votes of the 180 he will need to be elected next Monday, an improvement on his disappointing first round score.

Vandals desecrated the Jewish cemetery in the central Greek city of Larisa, spraying swastikas and threats on the cemetery wall.