Ten-man Greece held Japan to a 0-0 draw that ended with boos ringing around the arena. Greece is the happier after playing for 52 minutes without Kostas Katsouranis, who was sent off for two yellow card offenses

Giorgos Samaras' stoppage-time PK in the 93rd minute gave Greece a dramatic 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast in their final Group C match and advanced the Greeks through to the Knockout Stage of the World Cup for the first time

The outcome of the recently concluded European Parliament elections is described as a shock or crisis, but the actual reaction is better named hysteria, as if the rise of the right in these elections resembles the rise of fascism in the 1930s

While Tea Party candidates underperformed against establishment Republican incumbents in recent U.S. primary elections, in Europe their conservative cousins have just scored some spectacular victories

Just a week before the World Cup begins, the Greek soccer team continued their preparation, as part of the Road to Brazil series. They took to the field at the Red Bull Arena, just a day before their friendly match against Bolivia

I keep getting asked if Greece is safe for travelers -- a question that feels absurd the instant you arrive there. Safety concerns have been played up by the international media outlets. Frankly, it's a great time to travel to Greece

The euro crisis is now threatening to turn the European Union into something fundamentally different. The member countries are divided into two classes -- creditors and debtors -- with the creditors in charge

They gather on benches, and some even kick a ball around, but they are not here for recreation - this is where they sleep, hoping their numbers will provide some protection

I am not writing this to pile on two Harvard economists who put the Western world into economic mess. I am concerned about the policy professionals who accept such economic propositions even when they seem self-evidently too good to be true and defy common sense

With unemployment in Greece at 27 percent, it is not surprising to see both radical right- and left-wing groups gaining support from those who have become disaffected by the crises. The disenchanted are joining radical parties espousing a wide variety of ideologies

Emerging extremist organisations in the Balkans are operating alongside existing extremist groups and may try to change the political and legal framework to fit their agendas

When Vahid Pejman, a former journalist from Afghanistan, arrived in Greece with his wife and 11-year-old daughter, he anticipated a brief stay before heading somewhere more welcoming

The Nobel Committee recently awarded its prestigious top prize to 500 million people who have, for the last 65 years, made a conscious decision to live together in peace and harmony: the European Union

With Germany enjoying historic lows in unemployment, why is she resisting calls to open her purse strings to help the eurozone's floundering members? It is worth examining why Germans see things differently

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told Greece's parliament he will adhere to harsh austerity measures demanded by international lenders, in the hope that will lead to renegotiations

Greek officials and businesses are trying to lure back reluctant visitors, amid worries the 2012 tourist season is lost

The recent indecisive Greek elections could be summed up by two general themes: Greeks want to stay in, and expect help from, the eurozone

It's no accident that Greece is the most economically troubled country in the EU. The fact that it is located at Europe's southeastern back door also has something to do with it. For Greece's economic and political development bear marks of a legacy not wholly in the modern West

Energy exploration is adding a new wrinkle to the Turkish-Greek rivalry over the island of Cyprus

A spike in suicides is blamed on the economic crisis that could also bring down the country

With an 18 billion-euro bailout, Greek banks are now staying afloat. But losses and political instability could easily sink the ship

The Balkans are historically apart from Europe for two reasons. This has everything to do with the present crisis of Greece and the future of Greece's membership in -- or perhaps its departure from -- the European Union and its euro zone

All over Europe, the gospel is that tight-fisted Germans are at the root of the European Union meltdown: They worked too hard, saved too much, bought too little and borrowed not at all

The elections in France and Greece seem widely to have been taken, at least on the European and American left, as a solution to the great European economic crisis

Corruption is a way of life in Greece, and even the raging economic crisis cannot stop it

Two renowned figures suggest that Greek Cyprus' presidency of the EU is an opportunity to correct nearly 40 years of history -- the reunification of Cyprus for the first time since the Turkish invasion of 1974

Elections in Greece and France may be further dividing the Continent

Economists continue inveighing against austerity strategies. But none of them seem capable of explaining in plain, simple language why imposing austerity now is utterly foolhardy -- in fact, just plain stupid

Voters in France and Greece proved that they're willing to cycle through governments over and over until someone fixes their predicament. They want Santa Claus, as if they were 5 years old again

Enraged Greek voters delivered a stinging rebuke to the two ruling parties that have dominated politics for four decades

Political leaders stick to their scripts amid anger over austerity, uncertainty and the rising right-wing groups

Over the past two years, the eurozone members have done a remarkable job managing the short-term symptoms of the crisis, although the costs have been great. Yet the long-term challenge remains

Bribery as a way of life in Greece has undermined the country, but attitudes may be changing

Mykonos is the classic Greek-island stop and, along with Santorini, it's the most touristy. But being on Mykonos recently reminded me how enduringly charming the Greek islands are

Even before the financial sector and sovereign debt crisis began to destabilise Europe's banking system, European leaders were voicing fears that the Old World might be slipping towards global irrelevance

Increasingly, the European debt crisis is ceasing to be a Greek or Italian crisis. It is a crisis in the future role Germany will play in Europe

At the heart of this particular crisis is the unpleasant fact that the common European currency project is, in its present form, simply not working

This time exactly 10 years ago, in December 2001, Argentina was sinking under the weight of its debts and hardly anyone was watching. In Argentina, you could feel the relentless slide towards catastrophe

The stage is set for the 2012 Euro Cup following Friday's draw that saw host Poland and Ukraine getting the top draws while Spain placed in a tougher group. Poland was drawn in Group A along with Greece, Russia, and Czech Republic

The small right-wing LAOS party, often accused of extremism, joined Greece's ruling coalition

What made Europe a compelling political, economic, and social alternative wedged between Anglo-American free marketeers and Soviet nomenklatura is rapidly becoming a thing of the past

Comparing past sovereign restructurings, William R. Cline, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, says that Uruguay's orderly default in 2003 offers a constructive example for Greece. The tentative Greek plan is similar to the path Uruguay

Only the United States seems to have an affinity for protecting tiny, vulnerable countries. Israelis, anti-communist Chinese, Kurds, Greeks and Armenians have a few things in common. They have relatively small populations, aggressive neighbors, few strong allies, many expatriates and refugees in the United States, and a tragic history of persecution and genocide

Senior banker Lucas Papademos was named to be the new prime minister of an interim Greek unity government that seeks to agree upon a new European debt deal and thwart national bankruptcy for the financially ailing country

EU leaders announced a new plan to contain the debt crisis in the euro area, after private banks and investors agreed to write off 50% of Greek debt from their books

The crisis won't be over until the underlying flaw of the euro is fixed -- namely the separation of monetary and fiscal policy. German public opinion has to realise that the euro was built on imperfect foundations and that these imperfections must be corrected. Meanwhile, the Italian president of the ECB will need all his technical and political expertise to keep the Eurozone together

It was short-term good news in that it defused 'the bomb' -- the possible catastrophe vortex of failing banks and defaulting sovereigns. The bad news is that it will induce a recession. Banks will create a credit crunch in trying to meet capital adequacy ratios, and the new austerity will create a fiscal contraction

While Greece is at the epicenter of the troubles right now, the economic effects of the European Union crisis could be profound and global

In Greek mythology, the prophetess Cassandra was doomed both to tell the truth and to be ignored. Our modern version is a bankrupt Greece that we seem to discount

The dominant view has been that the Greek debt is the creation of a clientelistic political system that has historically resulted in a bloated public sector, unable to collect taxes. This is not a serious view

The lack of paid maintenance and heating fees in urban apartment communities is leaving some tenants out in the cold

A country roiling in an economic crisis, strikes, protests and riots is fertile territory for blogs, but a move is afoot to undermine them, critics say

Soccer in Greece is quickly losing its fan base amid scandals and stadium violence

We may be looking at the possibility of a worldwide financial meltdown

Conventional wisdom has it that the eurozone cannot have a monetary union without also having a fiscal union. Euro-enthusiasts see the single currency as the first steppingstone toward a broader economic union, which is their dream. Euroskeptics do, too, but they see that endgame as hell -- and would prefer the single currency to be dismantled

As Greeks marched to protest more austerity, the government said is critical to save the country from going under

By showing us the possibility of democracy in revolution, the Mediterranean has ignited a revolution in democracy, one that is redefining the meaning of both terms

France, like all of Europe, is caught in an economic tsunami, and France is teetering at the edge of the precipice. Every week, it seems, presidents and prime ministers hold urgent meetings searching for a solution, culminating with the G-20 convocation recently. Still, the problem grows only worse