Maria Katsounaki

“Which kid from high school knows that you're dealing drugs?” The way things are going, soon some kid in a classroom will raise their hand to answer positively. The conversations between the two criminal groups that sold drugs to school students in the northern suburbs of Athens were made public on Friday, but they are no different from similar ones that have appeared in the news in the past.

Shakespeare's “The Comedy of Errors” is a great source of inspiration for commenting on a lot of the things we are hearing from Alexis Tsipras and his shadow cabinet at the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS) about the “new” political space they want to create with a “new paradigm of political participation and action.”

The situation appears to have gotten completely out of hand. “Hooliganism,” a term used to describe acts of violence committed by fans of a sports team because of some game or another, has evolved, in certain cases, into something even more terrible.

The questions roll in unaided after Athens ranked 88th among 173 cities on the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Index for 2026. No one was surprised that Copenhagen, Vienna and Melbourne clinched the top spots, respectively, for offering the best quality of life in the world, based on factors like education, stability, healthcare, infrastructure, culture and the natural environment.

Just a few days ago, a two-man crew from the electricity network operator DEDDIE came under attack in the village of Zoniana in Rethymno, Crete, by a group of men in pickup trucks. The crew was there to carry out upgrades on the electricity meters. The assailants smashed the windows of their truck and stole a laptop.

July 24 marked the 52nd anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Greece, and, as is customary, a special event was held at the Presidential Mansion to mark the end of military rule. So, we ask: Is the Greek political system in a position to honor such a historic anniversary by coming together for a few hours in the same space or at least posing together just long enough for a group photo?

The person who came up with the title “Trust Your Stars” for the ill-fated program for young researchers and scientists must have been infected by a heavy dose of sarcasm. The aim of the call, which had been published in late 2023 by the Education Ministry, was, supposedly, intended to “support research projects with a high impact on the economy and society through the production of high-quality research.” The all-too-familiar buzzwords about hubs of excellence and innovation were obviously scattered in there as well.

The island of Paros declared a state of emergency a few days ago “for reasons of safety and hygiene.” The wildfire that started at the landfill left thousands of hectares burned and a feeling of great insecurity among residents and visitors. It was not the only island to suffer from blazes. Skyros and Salamina – where two people died – have been added to the August toll.

We live in a world where every day there is at least one thing to lose sleep over: “Biblical” natural disasters, fires or floods, femicides, and threats to public health (like the West Nile virus). The Greek government's financial resources allocated after disaster has struck will necessarily multiply. No statistics are needed to understand this.

If one were to leaf through the National Action Plan for the Protection of Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (2022-27), you would find that it is presenting a slew of shortcomings and problems. The “strategic objectives,” the 11 new policies, the dozens of measures, should have borne fruit a year before the expiration of the five-year deadline.