Greek government sent out spin guidelines after lethal wildfires, report says

Greece's leftist government faced controversy Sunday following reports that Maximos Mansion sent out guidelines to senior administration officials on how to spin bad press in the aftermath of the lethal wildfires that ravaged eastern Attica on July 23.

According to a report published in Eleftheros Typos on Sunday, the memo was received by several ministers, MPs and party officials ten days after the inferno on August 1. The death toll from the blaze climed to 94 on Saturday.

Officials were allegedly instructed to claim that, contrary to the situation described by the news media, conditions at Mati, the area that was worst hit by the blaze, are improving.

Officials were also instructed to make the case that illegal construction was the main reason behind the high death toll at the seaside settlement. "This is why 'operation bulldozer' must have everyone's...