• Endangered Greek dialect is 'living bridge' to ancient world, researchers say
• Lost star catalog of ancient times comes to light
• Researchers found what they believe is a 2,000-year-old map of the stars

• Greece: Bringing the knowledge of Maharishi Ayur-Veda to the source of Western medicine
• Groundbreaking new book illuminates unity of ancient Greek and Vedic knowledge
• Distinguished scholar sheds new light on Greece's ancient heritage of wisdom

• Olive oil theft on the rise in Greece
• Greece: Thousands evacuated as wildfires ravage Rhodes
• European Union rushes firefighters to Greece as grueling Mediterranean heat wave takes toll

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Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Endangered Greek dialect is 'living bridge' to ancient world, researchers say
3 April 2024 - An endangered form of Greek that is spoken by only a few thousand people in remote mountain villages of northern Turkey has been described as a 'living bridge' to the ancient world, after researchers identified characteristics that have more in common with the language of Homer than with modern Greek. ...With its remaining speakers ageing, the dialect is now threatened with extinction, leading a University of Cambridge academic to launch a 'last chance' crowdsourcing tool to record its unique linguistic structures... (more)

Lost star catalog of ancient times comes to light
21 October 2022 - Technology may have revealed a piece of the long-lost works of Greek astronomer Hipparchus, one of the greatest astronomers of antiquity. (more)

Researchers found what they believe is a 2,000-year-old map of the stars
21 October 2022 - Like a plot straight out of an Indiana Jones movie, a map of the stars created by Greek astronomer Hipparchus that has been missing for centuries has possibly been recovered. Hipparchus lived from 190 to 120 BCE and is considered to be the father of trigonometry. He also discovered the precession of the equinoxes, or when the Earth wobbles on axis of rotation due to the gravitational influence of the moon and the sun on Earth's equatorial bulge. It is also widely believed that he mapped the entire night sky, and all without a telescope. (more)

Greece says its entire electrical grid ran on 100 percent renewables for the first time
13 October 2022 - The Greek electrical system has hit a new milestone, after running completely on 'clean' renewable energy for the first time. Renewable energy sources covered Greece's electricity demands for about five hours last Friday [7 October], the Independent Power Transmission Operator, or IPTO, said. Renewables also posted a new record that day, reaching a peak of 3,106 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity. (more)

Greece's islands are zero-waste laboratories
14 August 2022 - The tiny Greek island of Tilos has built a reputation as a testing ground for Greece's green ambitions, becoming the first Greek island to ban hunting in 1993 and, in 2018, becoming one of the first islands in the Mediterranean to run mainly on wind and solar power. For its 'Just Go Zero' project, the island teamed up with Polygreen, a Piraeus-based network of companies promoting a circular economy, which aims to design waste and pollution out of supply chains. (more)

Scientists unlock mysteries of world's oldest 'computer'
12 March 2021 - A 2,000-year-old device often referred to as the world's oldest 'computer' has been recreated by scientists trying to understand how it worked. The Antikythera Mechanism has baffled experts since it was found on a Roman-era shipwreck in Greece in 1901. The hand-powered Ancient Greek device is thought to have been used to predict eclipses and other astronomical events. (more)

DIY education: Greek teacher creates TV classes for inmates
18 February 2021 - Setting up a television channel from scratch isn't the most obvious or easiest thing for a math teacher to do -- especially without prior technical knowledge and for use inside a prison. But that is exactly the task Petros Damianos, director of the school at Greece's Avlona Special Youth Detention Center, took on so his students could access the lessons that coronavirus lockdowns cut them off from. (more)

Greece, Germany working on climate investment package: Mitsotakis
29 August 2019 - Greece wants to draw up a major investment program with Germany, especially focused on climate protection, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday [29 August] during a visit to Berlin. (more)

Pakistan's street cricketers bring game to life in Greece
4 July 2019 - In football-loving Greece, cricket is an alien concept. But for its migrants from Pakistan, one of the world's most cricket-crazy nations, it is a way of life. ... With the Cricket World Cup under way, they compete in local tape-ball tournaments, and homes and restaurants are abuzz with fans. ... Mehdi Khan Choudhry, a mechanical engineer and cricket coach, has long campaigned for a ground in Athens and wants to open a cricket academy. Beyond the enjoyment the sport brings, he said, it helps forge camaraderie with migrants from other cricket-playing nations including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and even India, Pakistan's archrival on and off the pitch. (more)

Remote Greek isle switches off power cuts, lights up green energy
25 July 2018 - Residents of Tilos hope a new system to produce electricity from renewables will lower costs and put an end to frequent power outages. An effort is underway to turn the remote Dodecanese island, 78 km (48 miles) from Rhodes, from an importer of dirty diesel power into a largely self-sufficient energy hub capable of exporting clean electricity to neighbouring small islands. Using a grant of 11 million euros ($12.9 million) from the European Commission, as part of the EU's Horizon 2020 research and innovation push, the plan is to transform Tilos into one of the Mediterranean's first green energy islands. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Greece: Bringing the knowledge of Maharishi Ayur-Veda to the source of Western medicine
28 January 2013 - After giving presentations in India and Nepal, Robert Schneider, MD, FACC, went on to Greece, concluding the first stage of his Total Health World Tour. Dr Schneider, who is Director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management in the USA, was invited to return to the University of Athens as a visiting professor in a postgraduate programme on stress management. He spoke on how Maharishi Ayurveda health care and Transcendental Meditation are very effective in reducing stress and improving health. (more)

Groundbreaking new book illuminates unity of ancient Greek and Vedic knowledge
1 October 2012 - In an acclaimed series of public lectures in Greece earlier this year, Dr Ken Chandler, a distinguished scholar of both ancient Greek philosophy and Maharishi Vedic Science, discussed principal themes of his new book, Veda and Greece--that the knowledge the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were offering was fundamental, eternal wisdom of the ages and that it was parallel to the teaching of the Veda and Vedic literature. (more)

Distinguished scholar sheds new light on Greece's ancient heritage of wisdom
28 September 2012 - A speaking tour by Dr Ken Chandler in Greece this year stirred great interest in the subject of his new book, Veda and Greece: Foundations of Knowledge in the Experience of Higher States of Consciousness. Dr Chandler, adjunct professor of philosophy at Maharishi University of Management, gave well-attended public lectures in Athens and Thessaloniki and also appeared on national television. (more)

New perspectives on ancient heritage of Greece
26 September 2012 - During the visit of Dr Bevan Morris to Greece earlier this year, Dr Ken Chandler arrived from the United States to promote his new book, Veda and Greece: Foundations of Knowledge in the Experience of Higher States of Consciousness. Dr Morris is president of Maharishi University of Management, and Dr Chandler is an adjunct professor of philosophy at MUM. Describing the profound significance of Dr Chandler's visit and his research, Dr Morris also gave his reflections on visiting Delphi. (more)

Greece: Dr Bevan Morris visits land planned for Peace Palace
24 September 2012 - Following his 14-country tour of Africa earlier this year, Dr Bevan Morris, president of Maharishi University of Management, went on to visit several countries around the Mediterranean, including Greece. Near Athens he visited land where local architects and developers, together with Maharishi Vastu experts, will design a Maharishi Peace Palace. The Peace Palace will be a great centre of coherence for Greece, he said, offering courses in Transcendental Meditation and many other programmes of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for development of consciousness, good health, success, and invincible peace and progress for the nation. (more)

Greece: Graduate students learn firsthand about Transcendental Meditation and stress management
3 July 2012 - Twenty-three women students at a medical university in Athens, Greece, recently learned the Transcendental Meditation technique. As part of a master's degree programme on 'Stress Management and the Promotion of Health', they also learned about the extensive body of scientific research showing Transcendental Meditation to be a highly effective stress-reducing approach. (more)

Greece: Academic community inspired by potential for reduced stress, improved brain functioning
11 July 2011 - In the last several years university professors and students in Athens have been inspired by lectures given by three eminent professors from Maharishi University of Management in the United States--world-renowned quantum physicist Dr John Hagelin, Dr Robert Schneider, dean of the Maharishi College of Perfect Health, and Dr Fred Travis, director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness, and Cognition. After hearing about research showing reduced stress, better health, and development of total brain functioning through the Transcendental Meditation Programme, many have learned the technique. (more)

Greece: Maharishi Peace Palace planned
11 July 2011 - In Greece, plans are developing to build a Maharishi Peace Palace in the eastern part of the country, which will offer courses in Transcendental Meditation and its advance techniques, and programmes of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to promote good health, reduced stress, and other benefits. Plans also include building a Maharishi Tower of Invincibility in the area, with two adjacent universities offering Consciousness-Based Education, one for women and one for men. (more)

Greece: Transcendental Meditation courses promote reduced stress, improved brain function, better health
11 July 2011 - The Transcendental Meditation Programme in Greece serves the country's 11 million people through offering programmes developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi -- to promote reduced stress and better health; improved brain functioning, academic achievement, and business success; decreased crime and increased social coherence and harmony; among many other benefits. (more)

International expert brings Consciousness-Based Education to Greece
11 July 2011 - Dr Ashley Deans, an international expert in research and application of Consciousness-Based Education, visited Greece in May as part of a ten-country tour of Europe. As Global Ambassador for Consciousness-Based Education, Dr Deans has traveled to many countries around the world, addressing educators, government leaders, and students. He is also executive director of the award-winning Maharishi School in Fairfield, Iowa, USA. (more)

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Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Olive oil theft on the rise in Greece
14 October 2023 - From the Peloponnesian peninsula -- famous for its purple Kalamata olives-- to mountain villages in Crete, thefts of oil have proliferated. (more)

Greece: Thousands evacuated as wildfires ravage Rhodes
22 July 2023 - Thousands of people have been evacuated as wildfires threatened homes and hotels on the Greek island of Rhodes. More than 2,000 were rescued from beaches on Saturday, as flames threatened hotels and tourist areas, officials said. The fires had been burning for most of the past week but were confined to the island's mountainous interior until strong winds, high temperatures and dry conditions swept the flames towards the coast on the island's central-eastern side. (more)

European Union rushes firefighters to Greece as grueling Mediterranean heat wave takes toll
20 July 2023 - Firefighting aircraft and ground crews from other countries headed to Greece on Thursday [20 July] to help battle wildfires that have intensified as a heat wave baked much of southern Europe in temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). New evacuations were ordered Wednesday [19 July] as wildfires raged near Athens. In a round-the-clock battle to preserve forests, industrial facilities, and vacation homes, evacuations continued for a third day Thursday along a highway connecting the capital to the southern city of Corinth. (more)

Greece faces 'disaster of unprecedented proportions' as wildfires ravage the country
9 August 2021 - Greece is facing a 'natural disaster of unprecedented proportions,'' as 586 wildfires burn in 'all corners' of the country, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address on Monday [9 August]. (more)

'Medicane,' a rare, hurricane-like storm, is on track to hit Europe
28 September 2018 - People in Greece and Turkey are bracing themselves for a rare and powerful hurricane-type storm in southern Europe's Mediterranean region, due to hit this weekend. The storm, often called a 'Medicane' (Mediterranean + hurricane) has features similar to hurricanes and typhoons. The current storm, called Zorba, triggered flash flooding across Tunisia and Libya over the past few days before moving north over the Mediterranean towards Europe. (more)

Dozens dead as wildfires near Athens force people to flee into the sea
24 July 2018 - At least 50 people have died in the worst wildfires to hit Greece in more than a decade, with some residents forced to flee into the sea to escape the advancing flames. ... More than 150 people have been injured in the blazes, which are burning in three main fronts in the Attica region, including one that is currently out of control near the seaside resort village of Mati. The area is popular with Greek tourists, in particular pensioners and children who go to holiday camps there. (more)

Greece: Heatwave closes Acropolis, ancient sites
12 July 2017 - Greek authorities closed the ancient Acropolis in Athens to visitors for several hours Wednesday [12 July] along with other popular archaeological sites around the country due to a heatwave. During the heatwave, the Culture Ministry said main archaeological sites will open between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (0600-1100GMT) and again from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (1500-1800GMT). The Acropolis and other ancient sites are major attractions for the country's vital tourism industry. (more)

Greek island overwhelmed by stranded migrants, despair
7 September 2015 - It was supposed to be the first step on their journey to Western Europe. But now thousands of migrants are mired in despair, anger, and frustration on a scenic Greek island. After perilous sea voyages from neighboring Turkey, they have been stranded here for days, some for nearly two weeks, running out of money and desperate to get to mainland Greece and continue their route. The island of some 100,000 residents has been transformed by the sudden new population of some 20,000 refugees and migrants, mostly from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan -- and the strain is pushing everyone to the limit. (more)

Greeks hit by closed banks, warnings from eurozone
29 June 2015 - Anxious pensioners swarmed closed bank branches Monday and long lines snaked outside ATMs as Greeks endured the first day of serious controls on their daily economic lives ahead of a July 5 referendum that could determine whether the country has to ditch the euro currency and return to the drachma. Following a breakdown in talks between Greece and its creditors, the country is in the midst of the one of the most acute financial crises seen anywhere in the world in years. It's running out of time to get the money it needs to stave off bankruptcy. (more)

Greek court ruling on migrant shootings causes outrage
31 July 2014 - A Greek court acquitted two men accused over the shooting of migrant farm workers who were demanding unpaid wages and gave two foremen suspended sentences in a ruling that prompted outrage from unions and rights groups on Thursday. Twenty eight migrants, mostly Bangladeshi, were wounded when foremen at a strawberry farm opened fire on about 200 immigrant workers who were protesting for back pay in the southwestern town of Manolada in April last year. 'This shameful ruling stops people who are in a similar situation from fighting for their rights; stops victims of human trafficking from fighting for dignity, freedom and their lives,' said lawyer Moses Karabeidis, who represented 35 migrant workers, including the wounded. The court in the southern city of Patras on Wednesday acquitted the farm owner and a supervisor and handed down prison terms of seven and 14 years for two foremen on charges of causing grievous bodily harm. The sentences will be suspended pending an appeal hearing, court sources said. The ruling in favour of the owner and supervisor cannot be appealed. Anti-immigrant sentiment has surged in recent years in Greece, where a six-year recession has wiped out a quarter of the economy and left one in four jobless. (more)