Mitsotakis in India for AI summit - Meetings with Modi and AI gurus
Kyriakos Mitsotakis will participate in the AI Impact Summit in India (18-19/2), where he will also meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
American Hellenic Institute leadership attends 2026 leadership 100 conference
The leadership of the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) attended the 35th Annual Leadership 100 Conference, held February 5–8, 2026, in Scottsdale/Phoenix, Arizona, reaffirming the Institute’s active engagement with key leaders of the Hellenic American community.
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Greek authorities help cruise ship to port following 'loss of control'
Greek authorities helped a Celebrity Cruises ship into port following a technical issue on board, according to the local coast guard and cruise company.
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Byzantine scholar and historian Helene Glykatzi-Arveler has passed away
The great Byzantine scholar and historian Helene Glykatzi-Arveler has passed away at the age of 99.
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Greek kiwis are off to Vietnam
In a milestone development for the Greek kiwi - one of the most important exportable agri-food products - the Ministry of Rural Development and Food announced on Sunday, February 15, that the Vietnamese market has been opened for the Greek product and thus, from March 1, 2026, exports and the issuance of an official Phytosanitary Certificate will be allowed.
In November 2025, there was an on-site inspection by Vietnamese Phytosanitary Inspectors in our country, who had proposed a package of measures, which was accepted by the Greek side. The opening of the emerging Vietnamese market will cover all cultivated varieties of kiwi in Greece, green-fleshed and yellow-fleshed.n a statement to newmoney, the President of the National Interprofessional Kiwi Organization (EDOA), Christos Kolios, notes that “the signing of the phytosanitary protocol and the opening of the Vietnamese market for Greek kiwi, constitutes a particularly important development for the sector and the Greek agricultural economy as a whole. After many years of technical negotiations between the competent authorities of the two countries, a new, dynamic export outlet is now being created in a rapidly growing Southeast Asian market,” he explains.
A market with a rising middle class and demand for quality fruit
As he added, explaining what the new opportunities are that are opening up for Greek kiwi, “Vietnam is a country with a growing population, a strong rise in the middle class and high demand for quality imported fruit. Thus, the Greek kiwi, with its recognized quality, safety and nutritional value, has all the conditions to claim a significant share in this market.
This development is not only a commercial success, but also a strategic opportunity to diversify our export destinations and reduce dependence on traditional markets. At the same time, it is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of the product and give added value to Greek production.
New Zealanders, Chinese, French and Italians against Greek kiwi
Of course, in the emerging Vietnamese market, there are several important players, who occupy the lion's share of the market. New Zealand clearly dominates, since it is the No. 1 supplier by a large margin and a percentage of close to 80%. At number 2, we find China, which is rapidly rising and a main supplier with the low price of kiwis as a weapon. France and Italy follow, with a significant, but smaller presence.
Mr. Kolios hopes that “the opening of this new market will constitute a dynamic and steadily upward path for Greek kiwi, with successful collaborations, increasing exports and even greater international recognition of the quality of our product.”
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Man jailed for wiretapping PM Papandreou in 1989, arrested again over disturbance
Christos Mavrikis is expected to appear before the prosecutor today, following his arrest at midnight on Monday in Spata, after he had previously shot in the air and set himself on fire in his home. The 71-year-old was eventually located in a nearby field after a three-hour operation by the Hellenic Police and was taken to Attica Police HQ - GADA, where he is being held under arrest.
According to initial information, it all started at 18:40, when the 71-year-old allegedly got into an argument with a man of Albanian origin and fired twice in the air, causing a disturbance in the neighborhood. He then entered his home and locked himself in. A neighbor notified the Hellenic Police, while strong forces of the Hellenic Police cordoned off the area.
The police tried to convince him to surrender, but Mavrikis was not inside the house. After investigations, he was located in a nearby field, approximately 100 meters from his house, where he hid for more than three hours.
He resisted arrest, but was eventually stopped and taken to the General Police Directorate of Attica. He is being held under arrest and is expected to be brought before the prosecutor today. After a search of the house, five stun guns, a flare gun and two air rifles for which he did not have a license were found.
The past of the "master wiretapper"
Christos Mavrikis' name became known in 1989, in the case of telephone wiretapping. As an employee of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization, he had confessed to having tapped the landline phone of then-Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, on the orders of General Nikos Gryllakis. The interceptions were carried out by placing “bugs” on outdoor telephone switchboards.
In 1998, the Five-Member Athens Court of Appeal found him guilty of attempted extortion to the level of a felony, violation of the confidentiality of telephone conversations and unlawful violence. He was sentenced to five years in prison and taken to Korydallos Prison.
He had also been sentenced in 1997 to 12 months in prison for attempting to bribe the then investigating officer and current president of the Supreme Court, Ioanna Klapa, in a case involving oil smuggling.
The 2025 case and house arrest
In May 2025, Mavrikis was arrested again in Spata, following criminal prosecution for the felony of bribing an Areopagite judge. He had previously been accused of sending a letter to a judicial officer requesting intervention in his professional case in exchange for financial compensation. After an urgent preliminary examination, he was arrested by the autoforo procedure.
For this specific case, he had been placed under house arrest, a request that he had submitted himself and was accepted. The 71-year-old had denied that he had attempted to bribe a judge, citing a misunderstanding.
His new arrest comes in addition to a heavy criminal past, which has made him one of the most well-known – and controversial – figures in corruption and surveillance cases of recent decades.
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
American Hellenic Institute Foundation launches 2026 College Student Foreign Policy Trip
The American Hellenic Institute Foundation (AHIF) has announced the next session of its College Student Foreign Policy Trip, scheduled to take place from June 21 to July 9, 2026. The three-week program is designed to give American college students an in-depth understanding of key foreign policy issues affecting U.S. interests in Greece, the Republic of Cyprus, Southern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Greece Signs landmark hydrocarbon deal with Chevron-Helleniq Consortium
Greece will sign four major concession agreements Monday with a consortium led by U.S. energy giant Chevron and local partner HELLENiQ Energy, granting exclusive rights to explore for hydrocarbons in deepwater blocks south of the Peloponnese and Crete.
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
Asylum revoked for the president of the Pakistani Community in Greece, Javed Aslam
The president of the Pakistani Community in Greece, Javed Aslam, is among those whose asylum has been revoked following instructions from the Minister of Migration and Asylum, Thanos Plevris, to re-examine cases of international protection.
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
The creator of the series "Tehran" Dana Eden is the Israeli who was found dead in an Athens hotel
The creator of the well-known series "Tehran" Dana Eden is the Israeli who was found dead in an Athens hotel yesterday (15/2), while the authorities are trying to shed light on all the dark corners of the case of her death.
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
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- Written by Yanna Darilis
Rubio signals about face of US gvt on Europe
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a message of unity in his speech at the Munich Security Conference.
In his speech, the American minister emphasized the historic importance of the alliance between Europe and America. In fact, he spoke of an alliance that “saved the world” from past threats.
We are members of a historic alliance
“We gather today as members of a historic alliance, an alliance that saved and changed the world,” he emphasized, recalling that when the Conference began, Europe was divided and “the line between communism and freedom ran through the heart of Germany.”
According to him, at that time “Soviet communism was on the rise” and “thousands of years of Western civilization were hanging by a thread.” Victory was not a given, he stressed, but the West was united both against what it was fighting and in favor of the values it was defending.
However, as he noted, “the euphoria of this victory led us to a dangerous delusion: that we had entered the ‘end of history,’ that every nation would become a liberal democracy, that the bonds of trade would replace the nation-state, and that a rules-based global order would trump national interest.”
Criticism of the assignment of national sovereignty to international institutions
The US Secretary of State also criticized the assignment of national sovereignty to international institutions and the strengthening of extensive welfare states “at the expense of defense capacity.”
He made particular reference to environmental policies, which he described as an attempt to “appease a climate cult,” saying that they “have impoverished our people while our competitors exploit oil, coal, and natural gas.”
Regarding mass immigration, he warned that it is “transforming and destabilizing societies across the West,” emphasizing the need to “regain control of national borders.” As he said, this is “not an expression of xenophobia, but a fundamental act of national sovereignty.”
The West is not in inevitable decline
In one of his sharpest rebuttals, Rubio rejected the idea that the West is in inevitable decline.
“Decline is a choice,” he said, drawing a parallel between the current situation and the period after World War II. “We don’t want weak allies. We want allies who can defend themselves,” he stressed.
And he added: “In America, we have no interest in being polite and orderly stewards of the controlled decline of the West.”
The end of the transatlantic era is neither our goal nor our desire
At the same time, he attempted to assuage European concerns about a rupture in transatlantic relations. “The end of the transatlantic era is neither our goal nor our desire,” he declared, emphasizing the historical and cultural ties between the United States and Europe and even referring to his personal experiences.
“We care deeply about the future of Europe and our own”
Marco Rubio, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, conveyed the message that President Donald Trump “demands seriousness and reciprocity from our friends in Europe.”
“The reason, my friends, is because we care deeply. We care deeply about your future and ours,” he stressed.
And he added: “If we disagree at times, our disagreements stem from our deep concern for a Europe to which we are connected — not just economically, not just militarily.”
According to him, the US-Europe ties are both spiritual and cultural. “We are connected spiritually and culturally. We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive… our destiny is and will always be intertwined with yours,” he said.
As he emphasized, “the fate of Europe will never be unrelated to our own national security,” recalling that this is also the central axis of the Conference.
“The United States will always be a child of Europe”
Elsewhere in his speech, Rubio said the United States seeks “to revive an old friendship and renew the greatest civilization in human history.”
He stressed the importance of strengthening the transatlantic alliance, noting: “Although our homeland is in the Western Hemisphere… we will always be a child of Europe.”
A convoy of farmers on tractors left Syntagma honking horns
In an orderly manner and with honking horns, the farmers left with their tractors from Syntagma, where they spent the night.
Valentine's day: Roses are red, but how many should I send
Today is February 14, Valentine's Day, the most romantic day of the year, and flowers and chocolates have their place in the spotlight.
Magna Graecia: The Forgotten Think Tank of Classical Greek Civilization
When people think of ancient Greece, they often picture Athens, Sparta, or Olympia. Yet some of the most influential ideas of classical civilization did not fully mature on the Greek mainland. They flourished instead across the sea, in what the ancients called Magna Graecia, the great Greek colonies of southern Italy and Sicily.