Greece - ekathimerini.com (English)

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1. Officials report major cuts in court decision times

   Justice Minister Giorgos Floridis said the new judicial map has sharply reduced the time needed to issue decisions, dropping the national average from 705 days before its implementation in September 2024 to 364 days.

2. Prosecutor files homicide charges against assailant in fatal Neos Kosmos beating

   The Athens Prosecutor’s Office has filed criminal charges of intentional homicide in a calm state of mind against a 29-year-old man accused of fatally beating a 58-year-old driver in Neos Kosmos, Athens on Monday afternoon.

3. How a former critic became one of Tsipras’ closest advisers

   “Now that everyone else is leaving, you’re coming?” former prime minister Alexis Tsipras asked Nikos Marantzidis when he walked into his office on Koumoundourou Square, two days after SYRIZA’s crushing defeat in the May 2023 national elections. “Right after this, I’m meeting my psychiatrist,” he replied.

4. Pierrakakis key contender for Eurogroup presidency after Donohoe’s resignation

   Economy and Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis has emerged as a key contender for the Eurogroup presidency, according to the Financial Times, after Irish Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe unexpectedly stepped down just three months into his renewed term.

5. Family’s death in Istanbul linked to hotel chemical poisoning

   A four-member Turkish-German family who died in Istanbul last week were killed by chemical poisoning, not food poisoning, according to a forensic report cited by Turkish media.

6. Sheep pox nears endemic status

   Greece faces near-endemic status for sheep and goat pox as the disease spreads despite containment efforts, with major outbreaks in Achaia and Ilia and slight declines in Serres, Imathia and Thessaly.

7. Body found in Corinth Canal

   A man’s body was discovered in the Corinth Canal, which separates mainland Greece from the Peloponnese, on Wednesday morning by coast guard officers.

8. Political deadlock leaves oversight bodies in limbo

   Greece’s three independent authorities remain leaderless despite resumes submitted since early November, creating what Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Tuesday an “institutional gap.”

9. New digital tools aim to curb alcohol and tobacco sales to minors

   Greece on Wednesday unveiled three new digital platforms aimed at preventing minors from accessing alcohol, tobacco, and vaping products.

10. Zelenskyy set for talks in Turkey in new peace drive

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will hold talks in Turkey on Wednesday and meet US Army officials in Kyiv on Thursday in a new drive to revive peace negotiations with Russia.