KREMLINOLOGY OR GREEK TRAGEDY?

Amid increasing speculation that Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou is mortally ill, Interior Minister Akis Tsochadzopoulos convened an unscheduled meeting of senior cabinet members today. Tsochadzopoulos denied the purpose of the meeting was to discuss Papandreou's failing health, but to little avail. "If Papandreou dies, it will likely throw Greek politics into turmoil," says TIME's Emily Mitchell. "He has really done some damage to his party by appointing of his wife as chief of staff. She has alienated many in the party and is resented for her influence on her husband. It may turn out for the best for Greeks, however, because he's been viewed as a tremendous disappointment since he came back to public office." Papandreou, who is under heavy sedation and has to breathe with a respirator, was elected Prime Minister in 1993, after governing from 1981 to 1988.