Athens

The Olympic torch was passed to London — witnessed, appropriately, by hundreds of Greeks huddled under umbrellas. Seeking some relief from the country's economic and political woes, Greeks sat on the stone steps of the ancient stadium in Athens on Thursday to watch the ceremonial handover of the Olympic flame to the organizers of the 2012 London Olympics. They cheered the Greek national anthem. They cheered 88 schoolchildren belting out "God save the Queen. They went nuts when U.K. soccer star David Beckham was announced.

The Olympic torch was passed to London — witnessed, appropriately, by hundreds of Greeks huddled under umbrellas. Seeking some relief from the country's economic and political woes, Greeks sat on the stone steps of the ancient stadium in Athens on Thursday to watch the ceremonial handover of the Olympic flame to the organizers of the 2012 London Olympics. They cheered the Greek national anthem. They cheered 88 schoolchildren belting out "God save the Queen. They went nuts when U.K. soccer star David Beckham was announced.

ATHENS - The remains of the ancient school where philosopher Aristotle taught his pupils nearly 2,500 years ago are to be turned into an outdoor museum thanks to a donation from a betting company, Greece's Culture Ministry said. The project in central Athens is slated for completion next year at a cost of $5.9 million. But it will not use funds from the government, which has promised spending cuts amid the global financial crisis. Aristotle, who lived from 384 to 322 B.C., studied under Plato and tutored Alexander the Great.

ATHENS — With Greece's future in the euro increasingly in doubt, this troubled nation cobbled together an emergency government Wednesday and set a date for new elections amid fears that accelerated withdrawals by spooked depositors could escalate into a run on the banks. Greek banking officials said the pace of withdrawals slowed Wednesday, a day after President Karolos Papoulias, the ceremonial head of state, conceded that almost $1 billion worth of deposits had been withdrawn or converted into safe-haven German bonds in recent days.

How to get there In January, we flew nonstop to Athens from Kennedy Airport in New York on Delta Airlines after a connecting flight from Boston, for $502 round trip. The fare rises with the temperature. In late April, Air France has a midweek departure at $699 round trip. For travel in mid-May, Lufthansa is quoting $681. What to do The Acropolis, even with the Parthenon partially obscured by scaffolding, is Athens's most visible and visited site. Admission is about $7.50, but all archeological sites are free on Sundays much of the year.

ATHENS - Greek customs officials and finance ministry employees walked off the job yesterday to protest government austerity measures designed to pull the country out of a debt crisis that has shaken the entire eurozone. The three-day customs strike will affect imports and exports, with a skeleton staff processing only certain items such as perishable goods and pharmaceuticals, and could affect the supply of fuel. Finance Ministry employees - including those at Greece’s much-maligned statistics service, which was accused by the European Union of helping...

"Timon of Athens,’’ a play by William Shakespeare . . . oh, but with this play nothing, not even the basics, is that simple. So let’s start over. “Timon of Athens,’’ a play probably written by William Shakespeare, but most likely in collaboration with someone else, generally assumed to have been Thomas Middleton, maybe in 1607, is rarely produced because it is (choose one): A. Wildly uneven B. Weakly structured C. Centered on an unknown, unsympathetic misanthrope D. Too depressing E. Unlikely to draw a crowd because of all of the above...

Seven German protesters were detained by police Friday after attending an anti-austerity protest outside their country's embassy in Athens. The seven, detained after eggs were thrown at the building, were later released without charge, police said. Nearby, high school students demonstrated outside parliament and briefly clashed with police. Protests have flared again after last weekend's vote by Greek lawmakers to back a new round of harsh austerity measures in return for massive new bailout deals.

ATHENS -- A clutch of modern pagans honored Zeus at a 1,800-year-old temple in the heart of Athens yesterday -- the first known ceremony of its kind held there since the ancient Greek religion was outlawed by the Roman empire in the late fourth century. Watched by curious onlookers, some 20 worshipers gathered next to the ruins of the temple for a celebration organized by Ellinais, a year-old Athens-based group that is campaigning to revive old religious practices from the era when Greece was a fount of education and philosophy.

ATHENS -- There are not many Michelin stars twinkling in the nighttime sky over Athens. But after a salad of crisped prosciutto, fennel, shaved parmesan, and a citrus vinaigrette with grapefruit pieces one evening, and a moist lamb shank in a thyme sauce resting on a bed of tomato and feta risotto another night, I began to wonder why. Welcome to the new Athenian cuisine. Moussaka? Sure, it's on menus everywhere. Lamb and fish remain staples, and are quite good at many traditional Greek restaurants.

THE CALL: With Spain's borrowing costs rising and stock prices falling at alarming rates, its foreign minister issued an urgent appeal Monday to battling political parties in Athens to form a government quickly. THE ROAD BLOCKS: Investors fear that because Greeks voted heavily in favor of parties that want to cancel or renegotiate Athens' international bailout, the country may be forced into default. THE STAKES: "The best thing Greece can do for its own survival and for the survival of European economic and monetary union" is to say it's going to comply with the terms of its...

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is suggesting the eurozone could deal with an abrupt exit by Greece, even though he says he doesn't want that to happen. Schaeuble was quoted by the Rheinische Post newspaper Friday saying Greece has to fulfill its financial obligations in order to stay in the 17-nation eurozone, but that Athens could not be forced. Should Greece leave, Schaeuble says "we have learned a lot in the last two years and built in protective mechanisms.

Reeling from a vicious financial crisis that has cost them pensions and jobs, Greeks have been turning away in droves from the mainstream politicians they feel have let them down. Another political force is trying to tap the void, with blunt promises to "clean up" the country. It's one that could see Europe's most extreme far right deputies take up seats in Greece's Parliament in crucial May 6 elections. Black-clad Golden Dawn members have been storming across the campaign trail across Greece, stopping to chat at cafes and shops, handing out fliers promising security in...

ATHENS - A Greek retiree shot himself dead Wednesday in the busiest public square in Athens during morning rush hour, leaving a note police said linked his suicide with the country's acute financial woes. Hours later, more than 1,500 antiausterity protesters gathered in the square, responding to social media calls for peaceful demonstrations accusing Greek politicians of driving people to despair with harsh cutbacks implemented to secure vital international bailouts. Limited scuffles broke out between the protesters and riot police, who used a...

Europe's leaders have said they are committed to supporting economic growth, in a concession that their focus on austerity as the key to solving the debt crisis is not working as unemployment hits record highs and recession looms over the region. The heads of the 27 European Union governments meeting at a summit in Brussels on Thursday discussed how to improve economic activity and create jobs. But with public policies hamstrung by the commitment to reduce debts, the leaders were short on concrete proposals.

Seven German protesters were detained by police Friday after attending an anti-austerity protest outside their country's embassy in Athens. The seven, detained after eggs were thrown at the building, were later released without charge, police said. Nearby, high school students demonstrated outside parliament and briefly clashed with police. Protests have flared again after last weekend's vote by Greek lawmakers to back a new round of harsh austerity measures in return for massive new bailout deals.

Striking taxi drivers from across Greece held a peaceful protest rally in Athens Tuesday against austerity measures that have seen an overhaul of their licensing rules. Some 3,000 strikers marched through the city center to parliament. The drivers have been on an open-ended strike for the past 10 days, demanding that the government takes back plans to scrap protective licensing regulations as part of its effort to liberalize the country's crisis-hit economy. Protesting unions argue that their members need time to pay off loans taken to buy taxi licenses sold privately under the...

Strikes and demonstrations over austerity measures hit the Greek capital of Athens on Tuesday, as international debt inspectors returned to resume their scrutiny of the country's reforms. The officials from the European Union and International Monetary Fund, which are lending money to Greece to keep it from bankruptcy, are expected to press the government for faster cost-cutting reforms. Greece's continued access to bailout loans depends not only on delivery on its austerity promises but also on negotiations with private creditors on a bond swap deal aiming to cut its debt by...

BRUSSELS - Two steps forward, one step back. So goes the frenzied effort to bail out Greece. A meeting of the 17 euro countries' finance chiefs to discuss Greece's second multibillion bailout was called off last night after Athens failed to deliver on several demands made by its partners in the currency union. The eurozone wants much tougher guarantees from Athens before giving it an extra $171 billion in rescue loans, on top of $145 billion already granted, raising fears the deal could still fall apart.

ATHENS - Firefighters doused smoldering buildings and cleanup crews swept rubble from the streets of central Athens yesterday following a night of rioting during which lawmakers approved harsh new austerity measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the nation from bankruptcy. Police said rioters destroyed or damaged more than 110 buildings, of which 50 were burned. They included nine listed as national heritage buildings while 30 stores were looted. Smoke still rose from the remains of a landmark 1870 building that had housed one...