George Kaminis

Athens Mayor George Kaminis has invited pop singer/Eurovision star Sakis Rouvas to bring Christmas to the center of Athens. The signal for the official illumination of Syntagma Square at the city center will be given at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 19.

The city of Athens is to get a facelift by late 2016 and 2.6 million euros have been budgeted to revamp the capital of Greece.

Athens Mayor George Kaminis said the goal was to bring back the residents and small offices back to the city center.

The scheme includes:

European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told Greek government’s top finance ministers that Greece “has no time to lose” in carrying out reforms that international creditors have demanded in exchange for bailout funds. Visiting Athens, he said that action needs to be taken immediately so that reforms can bring growth.

By Marcus Bensasson & Nikos Chrysoloras

The marble paving stones have been relaid in Athens’s Syntagma Square, the site of pitched battles between police and protesters during the worst of Greece’s economic crisis.