Kathimerini English
A final slips away, but a medal remains within reach
Greece's goalkeeper Panagiotis Tzortzatos, right, tries to block a shot from Hungary’s Szilard Jansik during the semifinal match between Greece and Hungary at the men’s European Water Polo Championship in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday. Greece lost 15-12,...
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When crisis warnings stay in the drawers
Images and videos laid bare the scale of destruction caused by flooding across the Athens basin, from Agios Dimitrios and Ano Glyfada to Vari, Keratsini, Perama, Salamina, Alimos and western Attica. Despite preparations ahead of the expected weather...
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Heavy rain
flooded Athens’ streets Wednesday as authorities moved to curb travel during severe weather. Schools were closed, public services scaled back and many workers shifted to remote work as intense rainfall overwhelmed urban infrastructure. Scientists...
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Athens navigates US-EU tensions
Greece is navigating a precarious diplomatic path as tensions escalate between the US and the European Union over Greenland, with concerns mounting about initiatives from Washington that could fundamentally reshape the international system. The focus...
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A state-of-the-art warship anchors new era
The frigate Kimon, the first of the Navy’s FDI-class ships, arrived at the Salamis Naval Base on Thursday, welcomed by Greece’s political and military leadership. Two more ships of the class, Nearchos and Formion, are scheduled for delivery in 2026,...
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48-hour ultimatum issued to farmers
The government and protesting farmers moved closer to confrontation on Tuesday after some farm groups refused to attend talks with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and insisted on escalating road blockades. Mitsotakis met representatives from 14...
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The gods departed; the crowds arrived
Mount Olympus is no longer the mountain of the gods but of visitors. Since the pandemic, crowding has spread from roadside tavernas to high elevations, with tents filling the Plateau of the Muses and bot‑ tlenecks forming on the trail to the summit,...
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Energy deals anchor US-Greece ties
Athens views the energy agreements signed last November as the most significant achievement in bilateral relations during the first year of Donald Trump's second term in the White House, according to Greek officials. At the same time, concern persists...
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Farmers signal possible dialogue shift
Forty days after the start of nationwide protests, farmers decided to move toward dialogue with the government, concluding weeks of road blockades and internal debate that disrupted daily life across the country. The shift followed multiple meetings,...
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Breaking stereotypes: Blind climber shines in 2025 highlights
Ten-year-old Theodoros Vasilakis from Ioannina, who was born blind, poses on a climbing wall in a portrait by photographer Dimitris Tosidis. ‘Through his example, he breaks stereotypes about disability, showing that nothing is impossible with...
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Farmers set to escalate their protests
After a month of protests, farmers appear unwilling to budge and could be ready to escalate their action. On Sunday, protesting farmers from across the country will hold their third meeting at Malgara, a highway interchange near the northern city of...
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PM tours new Panathinaikos stadium construction site
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (left) on Tuesday toured the construction site of Panathinaikos’ new soccer stadium in the Votanikos area of western Athens, calling the project a long-awaited milestone for the historic club. Mitsotakis was...
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Spinning on borrowed hopes
A merry-go-round in Omonia Square at Christmastime at the start of the new millennium. Spending on Athens’ festive decorations reflected the big hopes that were built up but would end up derailing in the first, rough quarter of the 21st century....
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Silver finds its shine again in Ioannina
Professor Dimosthenis Papadopoulos designs jewelry with his students at the Museum of Silversmithing in Ioannina. For the past two months, the cen‑ turies‑old tradition of silverworking has been taught at the University of Ioannina School of Fine Arts,...
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Farmer blockades snarl highways
Traffic across the country's national road network is testing drivers' nerves as agricultural blockades and police-ordered detours slowed travel on Tuesday, creating kilometer-long queues and hours of delays, authorities and participants said. At...
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Something finally changing in country's defense
appears to be waking up from an extended and dangerous slumber in connection with the country’s defense. The truth is that we are running badly behind, especially compared to the progress Turkey has made in recent years. A tremendous effort is now...
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Catacombs link Roman, Byzantine Athens
Beneath one of central Athens’ busiest areas, just steps from Syntagma Square and the National Garden, an underground complex reveals layers of the city’s ancient, Roman and Christian past. Below Filellinon Street and the Church of the Holy Trinity,...
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Greece raises its flag on a new era at sea
In the gray, rain-soaked weather of southern Brittany, emotion and pride cut through the wind as the Greek flag was raised on the Kimon, a new FDI frigate formally commissioned into the Hellenic Navy. It is the first of four such vessels and, officials...
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How Theodorakis briefly broke the silence
In October 1973, amid Greece’s dictatorship, newspapers carried an improbable headline: ‘Mikis Theodorakis’ songs permitted.’ For years, the composer’s music had been banned, surviving only in tavernas, homes and clandestine clubs. Exiled in Paris,...
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National Archaeological Museum expands into the future
The National Archaeological Museum is poised for a sweeping transformation, following unanimous approval of the architectural pre-study by the Central Council of Modern Monuments and the Central Archaeological Council. Designed by British architect...
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The price of education: Students on the move
For many Greek students, attending regional universities now means long commutes instead of dorm life. Twentyyear-old Dimitris Vogiatzoglou leaves his Piraeus home at 7.30 a.m., to attend classes at the University of Peloponnese in Corinth. ‘I go to...
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Two pupils
in the Arcadian village of Karytaina play soccer outside their small primary school, as 2025 closes with stark warnings about Greece’s worsening demographic outlook.
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Mounting pressure on farm policy
The government is facing mounting pressure on the agricultural front as farmer mobilizations intensify, dialogue remains stalled, and criticism grows within the ruling New Democracy party over how the crisis has been handled so far. Tensions were...
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Policing push cuts road fatalities
Every day, Greece's roads claim lives. Yet against this grim backdrop, transport experts say they are seeing a recent shift toward safer driving behavior, driven largely by intensified traffic enforcement and stricter penalties. According to initial...
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Solutions sought as farmer unrest grows
The government is racing to unlock delayed agricultural payments as farmers intensify nationwide protests, erecting roadblocks and staging confrontations that have raised concerns over public order and the economy. At least 40 agricultural blockades...
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City Hall to remove defunct structures from streets
The Municipality of Athens is in the process of completing a list of abandoned or vandalized structures and objects strewn throughout the Greek capital’s sidewalks and squares that no longer serve their purpose, aiming to eventually remove them. These...
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The poet who collected fragments of a city
In 1994, poet Dinos Christianopoulos noted of a handful of ancient sherds a friend had given him: ‘Except for one, they are all black-glazed and must belong to the Classical period.’ Those fragments, along with dozens of humble objects he gathered over...
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Storm Byron wreaks havoc across country
Severe weather from a system named Byron swept across Greece on Thursday, flooding roads, prompting school closures and triggering multiple emergency alerts as authorities warned of worsening conditions overnight. The storm hit large parts of the...
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Deadly outbreak silences Tyrnavos barns
In the farm belt around the municipality of Tyrnavos, central Greece, the barns stand silent. Over just three months, from June to August, sheep and goat pox swept through herds that once produced milk for prized feta cheese. Entire flocks were culled,...
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Blocked roads, empty pockets: Farmers push back in Thessaly
Farmers across central Greece are escalating protests as anger over unpaid subsidies, alleged mismanagement and mounting disasters fuels some of the largest blockades in years. At the main site outside Karditsa on the E-65 highway, roughly 1,500...
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Farmers blockade highways over payments
Greek farmers are blocking major highways with thousands of tractors in an escalating protest over delayed subsidy payments, raising government concerns about prolonged demonstrations that could extend into January. More than 2,500 tractors have...
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Pope makes historic first visit to Patriarchate
Pope Leo XIV (left) and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed a joint declaration on Saturday committing to strengthening unity between their churches, culminating the pontiff’s first apostolic journey in Istanbul since his election in a moment of...
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Pope and patriarch rekindle unity where the Creed was born
Ecumenical Partiarch Bartholomew will welcome Pope Leo XIV on Saturday at the Ecumenical Partiarchate in Phanar, Istanbul. The two church leaders made a joint appearance (photo) on Friday, near the archaeological excavations of the ancient Basilica of...
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The presidents
of ESEE (Hellenic Confederation of Commerce & Entrepreneurship), Stavros Kafounis, GSEVEE, (Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants), Giorgos Kavvathas, and SEV (Hellenic Federation of Enterprises), Spyros Theodoropoulos, Labor...
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Agamemnon’s journey to China
At the Sanxingdui Museum in China, visitors wait patiently to pose behind a life-size replica of the famed ‘Mask of Agamemnon,’ created from a new three-dimensional digital model. The replica is showcased in the exhibition ‘A Journey to Ancient Greece’...
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Turkish authorities seek to calm Hagia Sophia concerns
Turkish authorities sought to calm concerns over images showing trucks and heavy machinery inside Hagia Sophia, asserting the activity was part of careful restoration efforts. The General Directorate of Foundations said a special access path was...
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Storm floods cause havoc in northwestern Greece
The River Kalamas in Thesprotia, northwestern Greece, burst its banks after heavy rainfall in the wider region submerged roads and flooded villages over the past two days. The storms have caused destruction, prompting authorities to declare a state of...
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A path too far? Roadwork resumes on protected Mt Grammos
Despite local protests, road construction has resumed in the alpine zone of Mount Grammos, a protected area in northwestern Greece. The project, launched by the Epirus Regional Authority and the Army, halted last year after it was found to lack...
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Faith over fear: A metropolitan’s stand in troubled Nigeria
As reports of massacres in Nigeria alarmed Athens and drew sharp words from US President Donald Trump, Metropolitan Nikodimos of Nigeria sought to calm fears from his post in Lagos. ‘People think we live in a battlefield,’ he told Kathimerini. ‘That’s...
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How a surgeon’s promise helped his patient walk – and run – again
A year after a car accident nearly claimed his life, 36-year-old British electrician Adam Shaw (second from left) crossed the finish line of the Athens Marathon alongside the surgeon who saved him. The collision had shattered his tibia and fibula,...
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Villages across country are deserted
Giorgos Papaoikonomou is one of the few permanent residents, about 20, left in the village of Valtetsi, in the regional unit of Arcadia, in southern Greece. In 2024, there were zero births and 20 deaths in the once-thriving village, but negative growth...
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Crackdown on Cretan gun culture
Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis unveiled a sweeping plan to curb crime in Crete on Friday, following last week's deadly clash in the village of Vorizia, Iraklio. The plan focuses on reducing gun ownership and use, and tackling crimes seen...
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The two-day
Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) meeting in Athens opened with the signing of an agreement between ExxonMobil, Energean, and Hellenic Energy, granting Exxon a 60 percent stake in Greece’s offshore ‘Ionio 2’ block.
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US-Greece strategic cooperation deepening
The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is preparing to expand its investment footprint in Greece, signaling a deepening of bilateral cooperation in energy, infrastructure and maritime sectors. The American state development bank,...
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Djokovic lights up Greek tennis stage
Novak Djokovic received a hero’s welcome in his first-ever appearance before a Greek crowd, defeating Alejandro Tabilo 7-6 (3), 6-1 at the Telekom Center in Athens to reach the quarterfinals of the Hellenic Championship. Before a crowd of about 8,000,...
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The new face of rural violence on Crete
Relatives, friends and residents formed a somber procession behind the hearse carrying the body of a 39-year-old man killed in Saturday’s shootout in Vorizia, in the municipality of Phaistos on Crete. His funeral was held Monday at the Church of the...
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Thinker challenges AI on divine questions
Stelios Ramphos, a Greek philosopher, spent two hours interrogating ChatGPT about the nature of God and consciousness in an unusual philosophical experiment. The conversation revealed stark limitations. When asked if AI could become God, ChatGPT...
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Greek defense industry stuck in turbulence
Greece's state defense industries are still struggling to stay afloat despite renewed European demand for arms and mounting public and private investment. The three main groups – Hellenic Defense Systems SA (EAS), Hellenic Vehicle Industry (ELVO) and...
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Hope, etched in black and white
The Albanian-born Magnum photographer Enri Canaj, himself a former migrant, turns his lens on a decade of displacement in his new exhibition, ‘Say Goodbye Before You Leave,’ opening at the Beehive cultural space in central Athens (10 Metsovou)....
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New city landmark unveiled at Greek Pentagon
Illuminated against the Athenian night, sculptor Costas Varotsos’ new work stood before the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday, marking the unveiling of the building’s new bioclimatic façade. The installation, inaugurated in March, now...
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Military parade marks Greek WWII defiance
Greece marked Ochi Day on Tuesday with a major military parade in Thessaloniki attended by President Konstantinos Tasoulas and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, while school parades took place nationwide. The October 28 holiday commemorates Greece’s...
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Hundreds pay respects at Dionysis Savvopoulos’ funeral
Hundreds of mourners followed the funerary procession of singer-songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos on Saturday, bidding an emotional farewell to the music legend who died on October 7, aged 80. The crowd followed his coffin toward the First Cemetery of...
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Blue banner flies over sacred heights
Greece marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations on Friday with a flag-raising ceremony on the ancient rock of the Acropolis, where the UN flag was hoisted alongside the Greek one. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
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Tribute in limbo: City Hall postpones Hadjidakis unveiling
A quiet mystery surrounds a bronze likeness of the composer Manos Hadjidakis that was to be unveiled Thursday in the Pangrati Grove. The City of Athens abruptly postponed the ceremony, offering no explanation. The bust by sculptor Nikos Georgiou...
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BEYOND: A global view from an Athens office
In an unassuming office off Panormou Street in Athens, scientists are watching the planet breathe. On their screens, floods ripple across Burundi’s Lake Tanganyika, the ground sinks near Doha, and a volcano shifts in Portugal’s Azores. This is BEYOND,...
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Exhaustion meets redemption in wetlands
A young flamingo was released back into the wild on Tuesday after receiving care at a wildlife rehabilitation center, officials said, marking a rare and celebratory moment for local conservationists. The bird, visibly exhausted, had been found injured...
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Country’s first fully digitized ‘smart’ hospital
Greece's first ‘smart hospital,’ the new Onassis complex, opens Tuesday, marking a milestone in the country’s public health system. The fully digital facility features two hybrid operating rooms equipped with advanced imaging systems that allow...
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Echoes of elegance: Restoring Athens’ 19th-century landmarks
The historic heart of Athens, from Syntagma to Omonia, is buzzing with construction activity as long-neglected landmarks undergo renewal. The Byron Hotel, the Athenee Palace and the mansions of Serpieri, Schliemann-Melas, Prokesch von Osten and...
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Once-sacred balconies now deserted
The once-vibrant ritual of summer evenings on Athenian balconies – a defining feature of postwar urban life – is quietly fading. Once filled with chatter, clinking glasses, and the hum of televisions, balconies now sit largely empty, their absence...
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Troubled history and uncertain future of historic nursing home
A long-simmering dispute between Athens Mayor Haris Doukas and Social Cohesion Minister Domna Michailidou over control of the Athens Nursing Home has revived questions about the troubled institution’s management and future. Founded in 1864 to shelter...
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From defense to offense: The body’s ‘special forces’ fight cancer
At the Alexander Fleming Biomedical Sciences Research Center in Vari, near Athens, molecular biologist Dr Mihalis Verykokakis is uncovering how rare immune cells may help fight liver cancer. After earning his PhD at the University of Crete and...
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Rediscovering a forgotten fortress of medieval Thrace
The Ministry of Culture has initiated the restoration of the pericentral church in the archaeological site of Maximianoupolis, a prominent Byzantine city in Thrace’s Rodopi plain. The €1.5 million project, funded by the Recovery and Resilience...
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How Prometheus lit a fire in Athens
The unveiling of Prometheus, a new sculpture placed at the entrance of Athens’ Pedion tou Areos park to mark the 100th anniversary of the Athens Chamber of Tradesmen, has ignited debate over the use and stewardship of public space in the Greek capital....
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Ancient Greek column capital repatriated from Germany
A German museum returned a fragment of an ancient column capital to Greece during a ceremony on October 10, the Ministry of Culture said Saturday. The Ionic column capital is made of limestone with some plaster in places. It shows stylistic...
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‘First slab poured’ at Panathinaikos’ Votanikos stadium
Construction crews are seen working on a new soccer stadium being built for Athens club Panathinaikos in the downtown district of Votanikos, on Friday. Environment Minister Stavros Papastavrou and Athens Mayor Haris Doukas visited the construction site...
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Greece seeks to acquire 30 US helicopters
The government continues its efforts to strengthen the operational capabilities and firepower of the armed forces, this time by acquiring a significant number of Apache AH64D Longbow Apache attack helicopters from surplus US stock. According to the...
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Alexis Tsipras: What will be his new narrative and who will join him?
Just as in the United States of the 1980s, Democrats – politicians and voters – recognized the charisma and appeal of President Ronald Reagan, and then, in the 1990s, there was no Republican who did not recognize similar charisma and intelligence in...
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Autumn rains to ease, head east
A rainbow brightens up the leaden sky over a small ancient theater near the city of Agrinio, in the western Greek region of Aetolia-Acarnania, on Tuesday. Many parts of Greece saw showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday, including Athens, where the strong...
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Tsipras quits as MP; new party ahead?
Former prime minister Alexis Tsipras resigned from Parliament Monday, further fueling speculation about his founding a new political party. Pundits now believe it's only a matter of time before Tsipras announces the new party. In a video clip he...
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Social media abuzz with AI-generated urban nostalgia
A screen grab from an AI-generated video purports to show Athens’ central Omonoia Square in the late 1960s. While it features recognizable landmarks, such as the Bageion Hotel and the yellow kiosk topped with a Paris Match advertisement, the footage...
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Dockside art festival drops anchor in Piraeus
In its first voyage to Greece, the Art Explora Festival docked at the port of Piraeus on Friday. Offering 10 days of free art and culture, the festival is built around a floating museum, designed to travel the seas and bring contemporary art to local...
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Abused animals heal, and help heal humans, at farm
A donkey with a crushed spine after being forced to carry heavy items such as refrigerators on its back; a goose that had its beak snipped for pecking at people; a goat that nearly perished, as a newborn, in a wildfire. These are three of 70 severely...
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Italian artist finds his Greece in song
In a quiet townhouse beside the train tracks in Thiseio, the Bernier/Eliades gallery is hosting the third solo exhibition in Athens of Paolo Colombo, the 76-yearold Italian artist, curator and poet. Titled ‘Music and Mosaics,’ the show runs from...
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