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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou
@aheleni.bsky.social
360 followers 190 following 360 posts
(Data)Journalist | Greece Correspondent at Balkan Insight| Lede Programme alumni | Main Interests: Balkans, Cultural Heritage, Organised Crime, Human Rights, Corruption, Environment, Health, Media + Music | Posts in English & Greek | Posts are my own |
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 5h
The Greek parliament on Thursday passed a controversial labour bill allowing the working day to be extended up to 13 hours, despite opposition from unions, who went on a 24-hour strike this week, arguing that the legislation legalises "overexploitation".

balkaninsight.com/2025/10/14/g...
Greeks Strike Over Bill Allowing 13-Hour Working Day
Unions say new bill allowing more flexible working hours will, in effect, abolish the traditional eight-hour working day – and worsen the exploitation of workers.
balkaninsight.com
1
aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 2d
Public and private-sector workers, labour federations and unions in #Greece went on a 24-hour #strike demanding the withdrawal of a new bill that allows for a 13-hour working day. Protests were also organised in #Athens and #Thessaloniki, in northern Greece.

balkaninsight.com/2025/10/14/g...
Greeks Strike Over Bill Allowing 13-Hour Working Day
Unions say new bill allowing more flexible working hours will, in effect, abolish the traditional eight-hour working day – and worsen the exploitation of workers.
balkaninsight.com
4 7
aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 6d
For 23 days, #PanosRuci went on #hungerstrike outside the Greek Parliament, demanding truth for his son lost in the 2023 #Tempi #traincrash.

On Oct 7, he won — the case will reopen.
“We won a battle… but we have a long way to go.”

#Greece

balkaninsight.com/2025/10/10/u...
‘Until the End’: Bereaved Greek Father Forces State U-Turn on Tempi Tragedy
A 23-day hunger strike by a Greek man who lost his son to the 2023 Tempi train crash in Greece has forced an apparent U-turn by authorities on the issue of toxicology tests on the 57 people who died.
balkaninsight.com
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Reposted by Eleni Stamatoukou
vaspanagiotopoulos.com
Vas Panagiotopoulos @vaspanagiotopoulos.com · 6d
🚨Hollywood producer Robert Simonds of STX Entertainment, together with a group of 🇺🇸US private investors, has taken over #spyware vendor NSO Group to “save it from debt and help rescue it from the US Dept. of Commerce’s blacklisting,” 🇮🇱 business outlet Globes reports.
www.globes.co.il/news/article...
חוב של מאות מיליונים נמחק: הניסיון החדש להציל את NSO | בלעדי
 
www.globes.co.il
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 7d
Police said on Thursday that they have dismantled a criminal gang which specialised in trafficking Nepalese men to be exploited for agricultural labour in #Greece.

#Greekpolice #humantrafficking

Read more:
balkaninsight.com/2025/10/09/g...
Greece Busts Human Traffickers for Exploiting Nepalese Migrant Workers
Greek police busted a Pakistani human trafficking group exploiting Nepalese agricultural migrant workers who were allegedly forced into debt, given exhausting tasks, threatened and sometimes physicall...
balkaninsight.com
1 1
aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 8d
#AlexisTsipras’s resignation coincides with the imminent appearance of his new book. Greek commentators are more interested in what he will do next. But they are in no doubt that his departure is a major blow for the Greek left-wing party of #SYRIZA.

balkaninsight.com/2025/10/08/g...
Greece’s Leftist Ex-PM Alexis Tsipras Leaps into Political Unknown
The resignation of former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras as an MP with the SYRIZA party delivered a heavy blow to the left-wing force he once led - and opened the way for him to set up his own pa...
balkaninsight.com
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 10d
2/2 Greek, Turkish, Serbian and Bulgarian activists were detained in the Israeli raid on vessels participating in the flotilla transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza. Over 170 have now been deported, including environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg.

balkaninsight.com/2025/10/02/b...
Balkan Activists Detained as Israel Intercepts Gaza Aid Flotilla
Activists from several Balkan countries have been detained as Israeli forces raided the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of vessels which was trying to deliver humanitarian aid to war-ravaged Gaza.
balkaninsight.com
1
aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 10d
1/2 27 Greek citizens who participated in the #GlobalSumudFlotilla aid mission to #Gaza that was intercepted by the Israeli navy last week "safely arrived in Athens” after being deported on a flight on Monday, said the Greek Foreign Ministry.
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 10d
2/2 In the letter, #AlexisTsipras assured his former #SYRIZA colleagues that “we will not be rivals” and that “perhaps soon we will sail together again on more beautiful seas”. Tsipras's new book is planned to be published in December.

balkaninsight.com/2024/09/06/e...
Endless Turmoil Threatens Greece’s SYRIZA Party With Extinction
The left-wing party remains the main opposition force in the Greek parliament – but serial battles over policy and leadership and an ongoing identity crisis are pushing it towards oblivion, experts wa...
balkaninsight.com
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 10d
1/2 #AlexisTsipras, Greek MP, former prime minister and ex-leader of the left-wing #SYRIZA party, submitted his resignation as a SYRIZA MP on Monday in a letter to the parliament speaker – although he is not quitting politics or leaving the party itself.

#Greece #GreekParliament
Endless Turmoil Threatens Greece’s SYRIZA Party With Extinction
The left-wing party remains the main opposition force in the Greek parliament – but serial battles over policy and leadership and an ongoing identity crisis are pushing it towards oblivion, experts wa...
balkaninsight.com
1 5 5
aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 14d
Greek, Turkish, Serbian and Bulgarian citizens are among the activists who have been detained by the Israeli Navy following its raid on vessels participating in the #globalsumudflotilla, which was transporting #humanitarianaid to #Gaza. After being detained, they are expected to be deported.
Balkan Activists Detained as Israel Intercepts Gaza Aid Flotilla
Activists from several Balkan countries have been detained as Israeli forces raided the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of vessels which was trying to deliver humanitarian aid to war-ravaged Gaza.
balkaninsight.com
aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 16d
"Ούτε αυτή τη φορά προηγήθηκε ένας αυστηρός και ανεξάρτητος έλεγχος για το αν τα εισοδήματα και τα περιουσιακά στοιχεία των πολιτικών είναι πράγματι αυτά που δηλώνουν, όπως δεν έχει γίνει ουσιαστικός έλεγχος για τον τρόπο κτήσης τους."

www.lifo.gr/stiles/optik...
Της Βασιλικής Σιούτη | LiFO
Το πόθεν έσχες των πολιτικών ως λαϊκό ανάγνωσμα αντί για εργαλείο διαφάνειας και λογοδοσίας.
www.lifo.gr
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 20d
3/3
⚡️Another serious cause: faulty overhead power lines operated by the national grid manager HEDNO.

⚖️ From 2012–2024, 30 legal cases were filed against HEDNO; 3 employees were convicted.
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 20d
2/3 ⛔️Authorities avoid publishing fire cause data, crucial for building an effective strategy.

🔥 From 2000–2023, only 16.8% of wildfires were investigated, and only 12,1% have a cause.

📉 Human causes (negligence or arson) are responsible for 91% of fires.
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · 20d
1/3 🇬🇷⚡️Greeks demand transparency on wildfire causes!

🔍 At Balkan Insight - BIRN, we investigated why Greece faces devastating fires every year.

👉 Experts say it’s not just climate change — but lack of prevention and abandonment of rural areas, once guarded by locals.
Finding the Spark: Greeks Demand Probe Into Causes of Wildfires
After another destructive fire season, experts and activists say that unless Greece starts investigating what’s starting these blazes, it will never be able to prevent them.
balkaninsight.com
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · Sep 16
📍November 16, 1916: HMHS Britannic, the “sister ship” of the Titanic, sank off the coast of Kea after striking a German mine.

🔎 May 6–13, 2025: For the first time, artifacts were recovered from the historic wreck, at a depth of over 120 meters.

#Britannic #Shipwreck #History #Kea
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · Sep 15
A court in #Greece on Monday found two former protected witnesses – who claimed ten politicians were bribed by the Swiss global healthcare company #Novartis, including two former prime ministers – guilty of false accusation and repeated false testimony.

balkaninsight.com/2025/09/15/g...
Greek Court Convicts Novartis ‘Whistleblowers’ of False Testimony
After court finds two former protected witnesses in the Novartis case guilty of false accusation and false testimony against several politicians, former prime minister demands to know who 'orchestrate...
balkaninsight.com
3 2
aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · Sep 15
The Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority ordered the freezing of the assets of former New Democracy member Kalliopi Sermetzidou, who, along with her partner and two relatives, allegedly misused EU agricultural subsidies of around 2.6 million euros.

balkaninsight.com/2025/07/17/f...
Fake Farmers: Greek EU Aid Scam Highlights Scourge of ‘Clientelism’
Millions of euros in EU subsidies were paid out to Greeks who fraudulently declared pastureland, but while state complicity is clear, the government looks unlikely to fall.
balkaninsight.com
1
Reposted by Eleni Stamatoukou
skaigr.bsky.social
ΣΚΑΪ.gr @skaigr.bsky.social · Sep 9
ΠΑΓΝΗ: Κατέρρευσε ψευδοροφή στην καρδιολογική κλινική - Τραυματίστηκε ασθενής στο κεφάλι
ΠΑΓΝΗ: Κατέρρευσε ψευδοροφή στην καρδιολογική κλινική - Τραυματίστηκε ασθενής στο κεφάλι
Σύμφωνα με το νοσοκομείο, ο ασθενής βρίσκεται σε καλή κλινική κατάσταση, αλλά για προληπτικούς λόγους υποβλήθηκε σε αξονική τομογραφία εγκεφάλου
www.skai.gr
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · Sep 9
Η πολύκροτη δίκη για την τραγωδία των Τεμπών αναμένεται, εκτός απροόπτου να ξεκινήσει την άνοιξη του 2026, ενώ 10 γενικοί γραμματείς του υπουργείου Μεταφορών μαζί με τον Κ. Καραμανλή, θα κριθούν από το Δικαστικό Συμβούλιο ίσως νωρίτερα από τη δίκη.

www.tovima.gr/2025/09/09/d...
Πότε ξεκινάει η δίκη για τα Τέμπη, ο φάκελος των 60.000 σελίδων, ποιοι θα λογοδοτήσουν | ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ
Εστάλη ο φάκελος στον Άρειο Πάγο - Δισέλιδο το έγγραφο του ανακριτή, δεν αναφέρει αδικήματα - 10 γενικοί γραμματείς του υπουργείου Μεταφορών θα κριθούν από το Δικαστικό Συμβούλιο
www.tovima.gr
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · Sep 8
Fugitive oligarch #VladimirPlahotniuc will be extradited from Greece to Moldova, but timing is everything. His lawyer accuses Chisinau of delaying until just before the Sept 28 elections to score points.

#greece #moldova #russia

balkaninsight.com/2025/09/08/f...
Fugitive Moldovan Oligarch’s Extradition From Greece Faces Delays
Greece has confirmed it intends to extradite Vladimir Plahotniuc back to Moldova – but no date for the transfer has been set, amid claims that Moldova's authorities are playing politics with the timin...
balkaninsight.com
aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · Sep 3
#Greece’s parliament approved a bill toughening the measures for rejected #asylumseekers. The bill has been however criticised by opposition and #humanrights organisations as abusive and #racist.

#migration

balkaninsight.com/2025/09/03/g...
Greece Passes Law Potentially Jailing Rejected Asylum Seekers
Tough new bill introducing fines and prison terms for illegal migrants draws condemnation from opposition parties and human rights organisations.
balkaninsight.com
1
aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · Sep 2
#Greekpolice investigated 6,354 tax identification numbers, of which 1,036 were identified as having illegally received EU agricultural subsidies amounting to 22.7 million euros over the period 2019 to 2024.

#farming #Greece #eusubsidies

balkaninsight.com/2025/09/02/g...
Greek Police Say Millions of Euros Taken in EU Farming Funds Fraud
Minister says Greek police investigation shows 1,036 claimants falsely obtained EU agricultural subsidies worth 22.7 million euros from 2019 to 2024.
balkaninsight.com
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aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · Aug 29
Despite opposition from students and academics, 4 branches of foreign universities have received operating licenses in #Greece, marking the first wave of establishment of #nonstateuniversities in the country, Greek education officials announced today.

balkaninsight.com/2024/02/13/m...
‘McDonald’s vs. KFC’: Greek Bill to Allow Private Universities Stirs Anger
A government bill in Greece to allow the creation of private universities faces stiff resistance among university students and staff.
balkaninsight.com
2 2
aheleni.bsky.social
Eleni Stamatoukou @aheleni.bsky.social · Aug 28
The mayor of #Athens, Haris Doukas, expressed his support for detained Istanbul mayor #EkremImamoglu during a solidarity visit to the Turkish city with other EU mayors. "This is not only a sign of support for him, but also a stand for democracy, against authoritarianism," the Greek mayor stated.
Turkey Bars Balkan, European Mayors From Visiting Jailed Opposition Leader
A delegation of mayors from Europe and the Balkans has been blocked from making a solidarity visit to the jailed opposition mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu.
balkaninsight.com
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