Public sphere

A dozen NGOs in Serbia have condemned proposed amendments to Serbia's Law on Social Assistance, saying they will force welfare recipients to undertake "forced labour" in exchange for access to benefits.

President of the Eurogroup Mario Centeno on Thursday tweeted his condolences to the families affected by the deadly wildfires that ravaged eastern Attica earlier this week.

"Deeply saddened by all suffering caused by these tragic forest fires in Greece," Centeno said.

The European flags at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels were flying at half-mast on Wednesday to pay tribute to the victims of the devastating wildfires that hit Greece this week.

"We stand with the Greek people in solidarity at this difficult time," the Commission said in a tweet.

Israeli authorities have offered Greece assistance in battling the wildfires raging near the capital since Monday, claiming at least 50 lives, the country's embassy in Athens said on a statement on Tuesday.

Greece has expressed its condolences and solidarity with the people of Toronto following the late Sunday shooting which left two people dead and 12 injured.

In a tweet Monday, the Foreign Ministry said Greece was "profoundly shocked by [the] abhorrent," shooting in the city's Greektown neighborhood.

Turkey's Foreign Minister on July 8 extended condolences to the families of the victims of the floods and landslides in Japan's west and condemned a deadly attack in Tunisia's west.

Greek pensioners are reflected in a shop window mirror as they take part in an anti-austerity rally in central Athens, Tuesday. An estimated two thousand pensioners took part in a rally to oppose government cuts to their pensions. [Yannis Kolesidis/EPA] 

Greece will launch a tender in November to sell a majority stake in gas company DEPA's commercial operations, the country's privatization agency (TAIPED) said on Monday.

The Russian State Library's Center of Eastern Literature has the largest collection of Ottoman era books and other printed materials in the Turkish language in Europe and Russia, totaling around 35,000, according to a library official.

The sell-off of Public Gas Corporation (DEPA) is stuck in limbo ahead of the completion of the privatization of Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE) and the finalization of the deal for DEPA to buy Shell's stake in the Attica Gas Corporation.