Greece - ekathimerini.com (English)

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1. PM: Hellenic Navy’s first FDI frigate a ‘historic milestone’

   Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in his weekly Sunday morning post, described the official integration this week of the first FDI Belharra frigate into the Hellenic Navy as a “historic milestone” for the country’s defense, emphasizing that it ensures Greece’s deterrent power “is not questioned by anyone.”

2. Thousands rally in Serbia as students vow to continue fight against corruption  

   Thousands of people rallied Saturday in Serbia as university students announced a new stage in their struggle against President Aleksandar Vucic’s tenure. They have led more than a year of mass demonstrations that shook his autocratic government in the Balkan country.

3. Man arrested after fatal shooting in western Greece

   A 44-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after surrendering to police and admitting to the fatal shooting of a 50-year-old fellow villager in the Etoloakarnania region of western Greece. He reportedly cited personal reasons related to a romantic dispute.

4. Clouds, local rain, frost expected Sunday across much of the country

   Increased cloudiness with local rain or sleet is forecast on Sunday across western and central Macedonia, Thessaly, the northern Aegean islands, Evia, eastern central Greece, and the eastern Peloponnese. Light snowfall is expected in mountainous areas, as well as in semi-mountainous regions of western and central Macedonia and Thessaly.

5. Retail stores open on Sunday as winter sales begin

   Shops will be open on Sunday, marking the first Sunday of the winter sales period. Recommended operating hours are from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., while department stores are typically expected to remain open for longer, approximately from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

6. Cyprus-Israel deal on Aphrodite-Ishai gas field in final stage

   Formulating a bilateral agreement between Cyprus and Israel on the management of the Aphrodite-Ishai natural gas field appears to be at the final stages, sources told Cyprus News Agency last week.

7. Piraeus Bank and EIB reach defense SME deal

   Piraeus Bank and the European Investment Bank, the European Union’s lending arm, have signed an agreement to provide up to €100 million of funding to small- and medium-sized defense companies.

8. Cartoon (17/01/2026)

9. The rights and wrongs of Fidan

   Speaking to Kathimerini about the issues of territorial waters and the continental shelf, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, among other things: “The domestic political balances in Greece do not allow many possibilities to any political leader to solve this problem and put his signature.”

10. What to do with our independent authorities?

    In any majoritarian democracy, the clashes between the government and the opposition can often be acute. In Greece, they have a tendency to become quite extreme at times, begging the question.