The education ministry on Tuesday announced its decision to close a second private franchise college that had failed to comply with requirements set down by law for its operation, specifically the Hellenic American University. Education Minister Anna Diamantopoulou stressed that HAU had been given ample time to comply with the standards required by law since receiving its first warning from the ministry in March this year. Concerning students already study...   more »

Israel is considering construction of an underwater gas pipeline to export natural gas to Europe and Greece. According to sources quoted by the Globes business news service, the idea was raised during a meeting last week between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreaou. Relations with Greece, a member of the European Union, have grown closer over the past several months. Turkey, a nation that once would have been consid...   more »

Greece's finance minister (George Papaconstantinou)predicts international markets will wait until the end of the year to see whether the country is meeting its financial targets before reacting positively to its efforts to overhaul the economy and pull itself out of financial crisis. He predicts international markets will wait until the end of the year to see whether the country is meeting its financial targets before reacting positively to its efforts to ...   more »

Employment & Social Insurances Minister Andreas Loverdos was quoted on Sunday as precluding any new austerity measures, while adding that the country's emergence from the current economic and fiscal crisis will be achieved via the completion of already announced reforms and, primarily, through economic growth. In an interview published in the Sunday edition of the Athens daily "Eleftherotypia", he stated that most supplementary pension funds in the country...   more »

Greece’s tourism receipts have dropped by nearly a quarter in the past two years, central bank data showed last week, with strikes and violent protests dragging down a key sector already hit by the global crisis. Greece counts on its sun-drenched beaches and historic monuments for nearly a fifth of its economy and a recovery in tourism is crucial as the country struggles with a debt crisis and its worst recession in 36 years. Spending by foreign tourists f...   more »

The municipality of Marathon in Attica on Tuesday announced a programme of events to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary since the historic Battle of Marathon on September 12. On this crucial battlefield, the ancient Athenians managed to thwart invasion by a numerically superior Persian force, inaugurating an era in which Greece flourished and laid the foundations of western culture. With money donated by the Leventis Foundation, the municipality will mark o...   more »

A journey through yesteryear atop motorcycles, three-wheelers, scooters and bicycles will again be revived this year in Hania, on the occasion of the 6th Classical Motorcycle Exhibition that opened at the old customs house in the picturesque Cretan port city this week. Seventy-five motorcycles, with the oldest dating to 1910 and the rarest being a 1914 Triumph and a BSA H28 - replete with acetylene headlights - will be on display. Other two-wheelers on dis...   more »

After three sold-out performances at the "Megaron" Athens Concert Hall last January, the musical theatre performance of Life in Pink and Black on the life of the legendary Edith Piaf returns to Athens, Greece on 15 September to the Lycabettus Theatre. The original style of this dramatised musical biography, overflowing with Piaf's immortal songs, recreates her life in an enjoyable and moving way. Jacques Pessis, journalist, writer and music historian, reca...   more »

According to Simon Price and Peter Thonemann's The Birth of Classical Europe, just as we fashioned ourselves on antiquity so Greece and Rome modelled themselves on an even more ancient past. In a recent election broadcast from Arbroath in Scotland, it was pointed out that, for all its proud nationalistic history, the locals were far more interested in who would save their jobs than in the fortunes of the SNP. In other words, a strong sense of history can b...   more »

Season of Love” is the title of Mario Frangoulis’s new cd which was released in Greece in December. It is an album with 12 songs from Oscar winning composer Manos Hadjidakis, one of Greece’s legendary and loved composers. The CD was recorded in Greece with the Manos Hadjidakis Ensemble and features 11 well-known Greek songs and a previously unreleased song by the composer in English called “The Sleeping Princess”. The CD follows the hard work of the whole ...   more »

A couple has criticised British Airways' handling of pets after their cat was lost for several hours at Athens airport. Kit and Megan Peel had been living in Greece when they decided to return home to Pateley Bridge in North Yorkshire with their cats Spartacus and Tancredi. The couple rescued Spartacus and his brother while living in Greece. The couple claim BA's handling area was unsuitable after Spartacus broke free and bolted through a window. BA said i...   more »

An original and humorous exhibition illustrates how resourceful, imaginative and, of course, dishonest even the dullest students can become at exam time has been organised by the Thessaloniki University's economics department. On display are some of the 200 'crib sheets' confiscated over the last three decades (1984-2010) by invigilators during exams, including some true "masterpieces" of the cheater's art. Thirty-two representative "types" of crib sheet a...   more »

It's dinnertime, and you're craving something with a little flavor. Maybe you'll grab Indian takeout or whip up a taco salad. But, uh-oh, these days it's easy to find yourself biting into the ethnic version of a triple burger and fries. "We've Americanized dishes to the extent that they don't have their original health benefits," says Daphne Miller, M.D., author of "The Jungle Effect: The Healthiest Diets from Around the World -- Why They Work and How to M...   more »

It's late afternoon but the relentless summer sun still beats down from a clear sky above picturesque Crete, Greece's largest island. Just outside Elounda, a tourist town on the island's northeastern coast, sun-dappled water laps onto a pebbly stretch of shore where a few holidaymakers are stretched out on loungers shaded by wide umbrellas. It may be high season, but this beach is half empty. "It's definitely much quieter this year," says Tina Heeres, a Du...   more »

People who keep visiting Greece have made it a custom to relish the cozy company of the sweetest escorts that Escort services in Greece proffer. Escort service in Greece is a thriving business in Greece as of the period when tourists started flocking to this part of Europe with several intentions. During their stay at Greece, not many tourists deliberate passing time without hiring an Escort service in Greece realizing the splendor of being in the enjoyabl...   more »

A gentle, bittersweet comedy-drama of female solidarity and subterfuge set in rural Spain, "Born to Suffer" promises much early on, goes on to become quietly appealing and finally collapses into unlikely melodrama. Centered on an aging woman's fight for her rights, this femme-populated pic has a likably naive air reminiscent of Spanish rural comedies of the '60s and '70s. But while charm is there throughout, the film lacks the all-important bite of the rea...   more »

Nancy (Rooney Mara), Kris (Katie Cassidy), Quentin (Kyle Gallner), Jesse (Thomas Dekker) and Dean (Kellan Lutz) all live on Elm Street. At night, they're all having the same dream - of the same man, wearing a tattered red and green striped sweater, a beaten fedora half-concealing a disfigured face and a gardener's glove with knives for fingers. And they're all hearing the same frightening voice... One by one, he terrorizes them within the curved walls of t...   more »

The Big Sleep (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by Raymond Chandler, the first in his acclaimed series about detective Philip Marlowe. The work has been adapted twice into film, once in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is noted for its complexity, with many characters double-crossing each other and many secrets being exposed throughout the narrative. The title is a euphemism for death; it refers to a rumination in the book about "sleeping the big sleep",...   more »

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the best in the dangerous art of extraction: stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved.   more »

The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. Written and directed by John Huston, the film stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade; Mary Astor as his femme fatale client; Gladys George, who received third billing despite having a relatively minor role; Peter Lorre; and Sydney Greenstreet in his film debut. The film was Huston's directorial debut and was nominated for three Academy Award...   more »

Tindersticks, one of the most authentic and characteristic British indie rock bands, return to Athens on 19 September to the Lycabettus Theatre. The erotic charm and poetry of their lyrics is the trademark of the Tindersticks' songs. Many have described them as the continuation of Leonard Cohen, Ian Curtis and Lee Hazlewood. The characteristic voice of Stuart Ashton Staples brings to life erotic images in the best way possible. Their songs are hymns to unr...   more »

The Indie/Rock band Raining Pleasure will be performing at Paleo Eleourgio at Elefsina beach. Starts at 20:30. Tickets are 12 euro, available from 210 723 4567 or www.ticketservices.gr. Raining Pleasure originated from Patras, Greece, often credited with spearheading the newest wave of Greek bands with English lyrics. The band was formed in September 1990 under the name "Rest in Peace". A year after their formation the band started appearing live locally. ...   more »

Placebo, the beloved band of Greek audiences, returns to Athens for a single concert. The princes of alternative rock will be at Terra Vibe Park on 11 September. Their achievements are notable: six albums, more than 12 million in sales and 16 years of success at the top of the world charts. Renewed, with an MTV award for Best Alternative Act to their name, Placebo return for a dynamic evening at Terra Vibe Park. The band was formed in 1994 in London by Br...   more »

The huge dance event, enTechno, returns for a second year after welcoming Athens' alternative community en masse in September. This time, the venue is more central, at the Six D.O.G.S. Avramiotu str, Monastiraki Athens. The enTechno team will stage this year's festival on 10, 11 and 12 September in all four areas of the Six D.O.G.S. and promises to be more multi-faceted than the first, featuring, in addition to Dj sets and live appearances, a clothes and a...   more »

The animasyros 3.0 International Animation Film Festival & Forum is back this year and will take place from September 30 till October 3, 2010 in Hermoupolis, Syros Island. Animasyros 3.0 includes screenings of films from all over the world, tributes to international animation film festivals, workshops, seminars, the professional forum and above all the competition section of the festival. All interested filmmakers are invited to submit their applications f...   more »

Wherever you are, north or south, an "epicure" restaurant is expecting you! Simple places, where the warmth of the wood and the stone design reign. The ideal ambience and amount of light, will offer you a unique environment. It's not a matter of luck that Epicure has been in business for 25 years and has had continued success. You should taste the unique hamburger with roquefor, filet, steaks and king size delicious omelets. You will be excited with the va...   more »

Here, traditional style gets "dressed up" in a wonderful combination of colours which are the predominant feature in the architecture of the place. You have the opportunity to satisfy your palate with mediterranean tastes, based on the use of fresh herbs, throughout the day from 13:00 p.m. Our cuisine also covers your requirements as far as business meals and receptions are concerned, whenever you wish so...The garden is the best part of the whole place. A...   more »

Since April '99, when the doors were first opened, the owners created a friendly and tasteful environment, showing great respect to their visitors, as well as to the uniqueness of the neighborhood. The menu changes every two months, whereas on a daily basis, you will be given the opportunity to taste special dishes, cooked with care and imagination. So, let the appetizing scents induce you into a banquet of flavors, good wine and selective Greek music. Bot...   more »

Off pedestrian Apostolou Pavlou and tucked away in one of many of Thissio's charming side streets you will find this very good and very popular French bistro with a small but excellent menu. There are no reservations so be prepared to wait and even share a table if need be. It's definitely worth it. French cuisine at its best at reasonable (I would say cheap!) prices and fantastic service & hospitality... Feels like eating in a french, cosy, family bistrot...   more »

The annual beer festival will be returning this September to its home, the Peace & Friendship stadium in N. Faliro. For a mere 8 Euro on weekdays and 9 euro Friday-Sunday, you can taste a large variety of beers and try a few "beer appetizers." Popular Greek music performers will be performing throughout the festival. Popular beer restaurants will be taking part, with the large manufacturer of beers HB Munchen with its 6 unique beers, a fantastic Bavarian-s...   more »

Here we feature all the community notices we receive about comunity events, meet-ups, courses (usually free) that are coming up, mainly around Athens but also around Greece. Join fellow expats, and take part in the rich and varied events happening all around you. Send us your community announcements at info@xpatathens.com. From homeless kittens to charity events to neighborhood festivals, we want to include everything going on in our communities, and a li...   more »

The Athens 2011 Games Organizing Committee is seeking candidates to serve in lead volunteer roles as Delegation Assistant Liaisons (DAL). Serving as a DAL during the Special Olympics World Summer Games is a very rewarding volunteer position, as a DAL plays an important role in a delegation’s experience. DALs will have a unique opportunity to spend approximately two weeks with a specific delegation (20/6- 5/7/2011). The DAL will be the lead volunteer as...   more »

Urgent - Please if you can, go and donate blood for Ismail Aggelos, a 5 year old boy, who is in the Paedon Ag. Sophia hospital, with leukaemia. The blood can be donated in any of the Athens hospitals, but the name and the hospital of the child should be specified.   more »

Greece has become so expensive, even the gods must be bemoaning the passing of the drachma. What with hotel prices rocketing, and the pound losing its battle with the Euro, there’s never been a better time to go to Greece with a tent. With 350 camp sites across the country, there’s plenty of choice; but their location, ambience and hospitality are extremely variable. Which is why we asked Cool Camping to tell us where the best ones are hidden.   more »

Great Parenthood Greece is a free bi-monthly web newsletter, sharing valuable personal experience and information in the hope we embrace great parenthood together. The editorial team consists of 3 mothers and 2 fathers. Our personal understanding of being cross-cultural parents to 2 to 18 years old wonders in Greece and our genuine aspiration to thrive together with our children already inspired numerous professionals and businesses to support our action.   more »