World
Greece confronts disastrously low birth rate in Aegean Islands
At 1.3 babies per woman, Greece’s fertility rate is among Europe’s lowest — and well below the threshold for population growth.
Authorities in the Aegean Islands have warned that low birth rates spell disaster for their region.
Mayors from the islands expressed serious concerns during the 15th Congress of Small Islands in Milos, where they lamented the continuous downward trend of Greece’s births-to-deaths ratio and said the consequences were already visible in their communities.
A case in point is Agios Efstratios, a small island in the north Aegean with no more than 250 inhabitants.
‘’There are no girls on the island. Or at least there are no more than 2 women under 30 years old,” said Kostas Sinanis, the local mayor.
“The same goes for the boys. We need to search for the incentives that will bring the young boys and girls back to the island, the place where they were born and raised, to create their families. Unfortunately, we had one birth last year and another one three years ago.”
In 2022, Greece recorded its lowest number of births in 92 years — and this year, the country posted the second-largest population decrease in the EU.
Greece’s fertility rate is among the continent’s lowest at 1.3 babies per woman, well below the 2.5 needed for population growth. Economic forecasts indicate its workforce will fall by 50% by 2100, with its output shrinking by 31% over the same period.
Michalis Vlastarakis of the Eurobank Group warned that if nothing is done, disaster will follow.
‘’If we don’t do something, in about 25 years from now, in two decades, one-third of the population will be over 65 years old, and in 2050 we will be 2.5 million less”, said Vlastakaris.
“You don’t need to have studied finance to understand the consequences of these projections on economic indicators, GDP, the workforce, the insurance system, pensions, health, and education, even since there’re going to be fewer schools.’’
Greece’s family ministry said a few days ago that it plans to spend €20 billion through 2035 on incentives to halt the decline, including cash benefits and tax breaks.
The government already spends around €1 billion a year on pro-child measures — but like other European countries doing the same, it has seen little impact.
new video loaded: Athletes and Protesters Criticize U.S. Policies at Winter Games in Milan
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transcript
Athletes and Protesters Criticize U.S. Policies at Winter Games in Milan
Displays of anti-U.S. sentiment have turned up at the Milan Winter Games. Vice President JD Vance was booed at the Olympics opening ceremony, and anti-ICE protesters took to the streets to demonstrate.
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I think that as a country, we need to focus on respecting everybody’s rights and making sure that we’re treating our citizens, as well as anybody, with love and respect. And I hope that when people look at athletes compete in the Olympics, they realize that that’s the America that we’re trying to represent. If it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I’m representing it. Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S. So yeah, I just want to do it for my friends and my family and the people that support me.
By McKinnon de Kuyper
February 7, 2026
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U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff along with Jared Kushner and Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), visited the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on a scheduled deployment Saturday.
The visit comes amid tensions with Iran as Witkoff said the service members were “keeping us safe and upholding President Trump’s message of peace through strength,” and a day after the U.S. and Iran held talks in Oman to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.
“We thanked the sailors and Marines, observed live flight operations, and spoke with the pilot who downed an Iranian drone that approached the carrier without clear intent,” Witkoff wrote on X. “Proud to stand with the men and women who defend our interests, deter our adversaries, and show the world what American readiness and resolve look like, on watch every day.”
The aircraft carrier left San Diego in November for the Indo-Pacific region and moved to the Middle East in January.
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Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner flew to the USS Lincoln on Saturday in the Arabian Sea. (CENTCOM/X)
“I join the American people in expressing our incredible pride in the Sailors and Marines of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group,” Cooper told the service members. “Their dedication to the mission and professionalism are on full display here in the Middle East as they demonstrate U.S. military readiness and strength.”
This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he would meet with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to discuss Iran.
IRANIAN OFFICIAL SAYS NUCLEAR TALKS WILL CONTINUE AFTER US, TEHRAN NEGOTIATIONS HAD ‘A GOOD START’ IN OMAN
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner flew out to the USS Lincoln with Adam Cooper on Saturday, according to officials. (CENTCOM/X)
“The prime minister believes that all negotiations must include limiting ballistic missiles, and ending support for the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu’s office said, referring to Tehran’s support for groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
The two leaders last met in September.
Trump described Friday’s Oman talks, which included Witkoff and Kushner, as “very good.”
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner greeting Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Hamad Al Busaidi ahead of U.S.-Iran talks, in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on Friday. (Oman Foreign Ministry/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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