Panagiotis Kouroumblis

Greek authorities say they have finished cleaning up a section of Athens coastline polluted by a large oil slick more than a month ago, and the full cleanup operation should be finished within days.

Merchant Marine Minister Panagiotis Kouroumblis on Tuesday declared the Paleo Faliro area oil-free.

Major opposition party New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday Greek PM Alexis Tsipras must accept Shipping Minister Panagiotis Kouroumblis’ resignation while touring areas affected by the oil spill in the Saronic Gulf.

The Greek government wants to persuade shipowners and shipping-insurance companies based in London to move their European Union headquarters to Greece as the U.K. prepares to exit the bloc.

The Panhellenic Maritime Association, the seamen’s workers’ union, decided to suspend its strike on Saturday morning. This means that all ship routes start to operate normally in all ports of mainland and island Greece.

Minister of Interior Panagiotis Kouroumblis reiterated the hackneyed argument that government uses to answer about its austerity measures, claiming that Greek people voted for the Memorandum last September and therefore no one has the right to complain about the measures.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is chairing a special meeting on the refugee issue at noon on Friday at the government’s headquarters at Maximos Mansion, Athens. The meeting comes following the Greek PM’s visit to the border island of Lesbos with European Parliament President Martin Schulz.

Former Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) prime minister Alexis Tsipras has been in Thessaloniki since early Sunday morning ahead of a speech he is due to give at the 80th Thessaloniki International Trade Fair (TIF) in the evening. He was greeted at the Macedonian airport with limousines that transferred him and his associates to the TIF’s facilities.

Health Minister Panagiotis Kouroumblis is planning to make health check-ups mandatory for all Greek citizens according to a report in daily newspaper Eleftheros Typos. Those who neglect getting checks for the four different types of cancer will face heavy penalties.

Hundreds of pilgrims gathered at Saint Savvas hospital from early on Friday to worship the relics of Saint Barbara being taken to the cancer clinic on Friday. The holy relic arrived in a silver casket shortly after 10 a.m.

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