In 1919, in a forgotten page in history, Greek troops landed in Ukraine to squelch the bolsheviks and protect local Greeks. Despite their military prowess, the Allied mission was a failure.

One qualification for the Euro 2012 finals and another for the World Cup 2014 finals in four years is no small feat. Fernando Santos took the reins of the legendary Greek national football team from Otto Rehhagel, whose smashing run as manager included leading the team to the 2004 Euro triumph in Portugal and kept the flag flying high.

One of the early paintings by old master Domenikos Theotokopoulos, a religious icon currently held on the Greek island of Syros, is to be loaned to the Santa Cruz Museum in Toledo, Spain for an exhibition starting on 14 March.