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A traveling Greek exhibit on the Olympics included two ancient statues of nude young men. That didn't go over so well in the conservative Muslim emirate.
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Greek lawmakers approved emergency plans to cut 15,000 government jobs by the end of next year. They have to do it in order to receive more European Union bailout funds.
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Throughout the region that was once the Ottoman empire, people make coffee pretty much the same way: using coffee beans ground into a fine powder, then boiled in a little brass pot. But ordering "Turkish" coffee today doesn't go over well in some Balkan or eastern Mediterranean countries that have some lingering anti-Turkish feelings.
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Instead of stepping out into the world, many young adults are moving back in with family. "How can someone who makes 300 euros a month ever be independent?" one unemployed 24-year-old asks.
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In a time of economic hardship and social upheaval, some anxious Greeks fear their national identity is under threat. It's difficult for immigrants to get citizenship, and a recent court ruling could make it even tougher.
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A system of favors among Greek media outlets, politicians and banks helped produce one of the most inflated media sectors in Europe. But the media have been hit hard by the country's massive austerity drive, and have taken a huge loss in terms of credibility.
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The sweeping fire sale is a requirement for multibillion-euro bailouts. And the Chinese, Russian and Arab companies lining up to take advantage of the steep discounts are making Greeks and other Europeans nervous.
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Three years of austerity measures are hitting ordinary Greeks hard. Unemployment is nearly 27 percent and rising, and the once dependable safety net of welfare benefits is being pulled in. Further cutbacks and tax hikes are about to kick in.
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Debt-burdened Greece's fragile political stability is under attack. On the left, anti-government groups have bombed a series of Greek government offices, banks and other symbols of the establishment. Meanwhile, violent attacks by supporters of a neo-Nazi and anti-immigrant party are also on the rise.
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This winter, especially when night falls and the cold worsens, a visible cloud of woodsmoke has hovered over Athens and other Greek cities. That's because many Greeks are now burning wood — in wood-burning stoves or fireplaces — to stay warm instead of paying for increasingly expensive heating oil.