0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
A Bedbug Hoax Is Targeting Foreign Visitors in Athens. Now the Greek Police Have Been Called inGreece’s health ministry is seeking police help against hoaxers who tried to scare foreign tourists out of some Athens short-term rental apartments by inventing a bedbug crisis.A ministry statement Tuesday said the posters stuck up outside apartment buildings in the city center, festooned with fake ministry and Athens municipality logos, were “absolutely false.”The posters, addressed to “dear visitors” in misspelled English, claimed health authorities had ordered local “private guesthouses” evacuated “to protect the public health of permanent Greek tenants.”Citing a nonexistent bedbug infestation, they threatened visitors with a 500-euro fine ($540) for failure to leave their accomodation, and politely wished them a pleasant stay in Greece.In addition to a cost-of-living crisis, Athens and other parts of Greece face housing problems largely caused by the proliferation of short-term rental apartments — mainly for foreign visitors.
The Oddly Greek Origin of Oxford’s Word of the Year 2023“Rizz” has been crowned the word of the year for 2023 by the Oxford English Dictionary. “Rizz” is a casual term that means style, charm, or attractiveness, especially in the context of being able to attract a romantic or sexual partner, according to the Oxford University Press.Its roots trace back to the Greek word “charisma” (χάρισμα).
10 arrested for abusing Venezuelan victims in GreeceAn investigation led by the Hellenic police (Ellinikí Astynomía), supported by Europol, has led to the dismantling of a criminal network involved in the trafficking of human beings for sexual exploitation. The operation involved Spain (Policía Nacional) and the USA (Homeland Security Investigations) and managed to tear down the criminal group, which had been active since 2014.During the action day, officers arrested 10 suspects. Six are accused of trafficking in human beings, of which five are Greek nationals and one is a Venezuelan national. These six suspects allegedly belonged to an organised criminal group involved in the sexual and economic exploitation of female victims. The remaining four arrested suspects worked at the onsite locations in which the victims were exploited. The kingpin of the criminal group is accused of trafficking in human beings and money laundering.Three other members of the criminal organisation (2 Greek nationals and 1 Albanian national) are on the run and wanted by the police, as they are also accused of trafficking in human beings. They are believed to still be in Greece.
Survey: 7 out of 10 Greeks believe that the country benefited from joining the EUMore than seven out of ten Greeks and Europeans believe that their country has benefited from EU membership and that EU actions impact their daily lives, according to the European Parliament’s Eurobarometer survey, released today, six months before the European elections (June 6-9).According to the Eurobarometer survey, 72% of EU citizens and 73% of Greek citizens believe that their country has benefited from joining the EU. The main reason for 50% of Greek respondents is the EU’s contribution to maintaining peace and strengthening security (34% in the EU).
AADE expects fine revenuesThe collection of fines, penalties and charges that have already been imposed or will be imposed on businesses and individuals in 2024 is estimated at 1 billion euros. The largest part will come from tax violations, expected to make up 74% of the fines.
Probe ordered into death of four dolphins in AegeanThe Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation filed a criminal complaint that has prompted an investigation into the death of four dolphins whose bodies washed up on the shores of Samos in the eastern Aegean Sea. The complaint was lodged in May and the official probe was ordered on Wednesday by the Athens Prosecutor’s Office.The incidents took place in an area of significant activity for large Greek and Turkish fishing vessels, while injuries on the dolphins’ bodies indicated that they may have been deliberately mutilated.The director of the Archipelagos Institute, Thodoris Tsimpidis, told state broadcaster ERT that the actual number of dolphins possibly killed by collisions with these vessels is likely “much higher,” as there are documented instances of fishing crews poking holes into the bodies of dead marine mammals to make them sink.