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Saturday, November 9, 2013

Crisis forces women's teams to play twice in two hours

Money problems have convinced two teams in women’s volleyball to play each other twice within two hours, as besides their league meeting they have been drawn together for the cup, too. The financial crisis has taken its toll on Greek sports, both on profe... ...

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Courts closed from 10 a.m. Monday as judges hold stoppage

Courts across the country will remain closed between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday as judges and staff are protesting poor security at Greece’s courts after a judicial secretary was stabbed by a convict in Athens on Friday. The action was called after a ma... ...

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Child falls from balcony

A 4-year-old boy was being treated over the weekend for serious injuries sustained after falling from the balcony of his apartment on Friday in Larissa, central Greece. Reports said the boy was playing on the third-story balcony before going over the rail... ...

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Huge weapons cache found on Sierra Leone-flagged mystery vessel

Greek Coast Guard authorities were trying to establish on Saturday the exact destination of a cargo ship that was intercepted in the southeastern Aegean Sea on the previous day and found to be carrying a large shipment of weapons. The Sierra Leone-flagged... ...

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Protest rally held in Thessaloniki against Skouries gold mine

Thousands of people gathered in the center of Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, on Saturday to hold a peaceful protest against gold mining in nearby Skouries, which is on the Halkidiki peninsula. Rallies against the project were also held across several E... ...

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Fears of homeless surge due to foreclosures

Social workers are warning that the problem of homelessness in Greece, which has been aggravated by the repercussions of the economic crisis, will worsen further if the government lifts a ban on home foreclosures at the end of the year in line with demand... ...

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Cosmonauts Take Olympic Torch On Its First Spacewalk

(Also see " Olympic Torch in Need of a Light .") The Olympic Flame travels from Greece to the host country for the opening ceremonies at every Olympics.

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Pantelides Wins Nail-Biter Annapolis Mayor's Race

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Greek-American Mike Pantelides has been elected Mayor of Annapolis, the Baltimore Sun confirmed. After careful counts and reviews of absentee and provisional ballots, Pantelides has been declared the winner. 'It feels fantastic,' Pantelides said, according to the Sun. Of the nearly 8000 votes cast, the Sun reported, 3934 were for Pantelides and 3875 went to his opponent, incumbent Democratic Mayor Josh Cohen, rendering the challenger the winner by eight-tenths of one percent. 'Going up against Josh Cohen was a huge challenge,' Pantelides said, the Sun reported, congratulating Cohen on running a clean race. 'It feels fantastic,' Pantelides said, according to the Sun. Of the nearly 8000 votes cast, the Sun reported, 3934 were for Pantelides and 3875 went to his opponent, incumbent Democratic Mayor Josh Cohen, rendering the challenger the winner by eight-tenths of one percent.

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Bureaucracy Drives Away Greek Island Buyers

Despite several high-profile sales of Greek islands this year at bargain-basement prices, don?t whip out your checkbook just yet. It turns out that buying an island from a country languishing in its sixth year of recession may not, in fact, be the most practical idea. Three years ago, German lawmakers infuriated Greeks with the suggestion that Greece sell off its famously idyllic islands as a condition of its European Union bailout. Since then, some private island-owners have taken the Germans? advice. The Emir of Qatar bought six islands in the Ionian Sea for the rock bottom price of ?8.5 million ($11.5 million). And the sole heir of Aristotle Onassis sold Skorpios - the legendary private isle where the shipping tycoon married Jacqueline Kennedy - to a Russian billionaire.

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Univ. of Alabama builds nation's largest Greek system with $202 million construction boom

New fraternity and sorority houses with white columns, wide balconies and grand foyers line streets around the University of Alabama, and still more of the multimillion-dollar mansions are under construction. Alabama's Greek-letter social groups ...

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Greek government insists against new horizontal measures

So their removal would cause serious problems. Troika is also pushing for reduction of the employers' contributions which, although a memorandum obligation, would create a gap in pension funds that would lead to more benefit cuts. - fiscal gap: Troika asks ...

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'Bama Greeks in $202 Million Building Boom

'Bama Greeks in 2 Million Building BoomABC NewsNew multimillion-dollar mansions with white columns, wide balconies and grand foyers line the streets at the University of Alabama, and more are under construction to accommodate the school's booming enrollment and record membership in Greek-letter ...and more »

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You could buy a Greek island for a song—and a massive headache

You could buy a Greek island for a song—and a massive headacheQuartzDespite several high-profile sales of Greek islands this year at bargain-basement prices, don't whip out your checkbook just yet. It turns out that buying an island from a country languishing in its sixth year of recession may not, in fact, be the most ...

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Greek Language Seminar a Success

For further information on the Federation of Hellenic American Educators, contact President Stella Kokolis at 718 491-2558 or email stkokolis@aol.com. Ms. Vasiliki Filiotis, a Federation member and President of the Hellenic Paideia ...

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Liverpool Plan January Bid for Greek Forward as Rodgers looks to Strengthen ...

IBTimes.co.ukLiverpool Plan January Bid for Greek Forward as Rodgers looks to Strengthen ...IBTimes.co.ukThe Greek striker is expected to be available for a fee in the range of £6m, a bargain given the form he is in for Olympiacos. The manager is looking for players with the same potential as Philippe Countinho and Daniel Sturridge who have been major ...and more »

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ODYE: Three-hour Stoppage on Monday

On Monday the courts of Greece will stop all operations from noon to the end of the 3pm shift. Judicial employees will protest for the lack of security in Greek courts following the stabbing of a magistrate’s secretary in Athens. ODYE, the union which represents the judicial employees, announced the three-hour stoppage after the man […]

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OTE Downsizing 13% in Fixed-Line Telecommunications

In an attempt to reduce its legacy costs OTE, the largest telecommunication company in Greece announced its intent to downsize its workforce in the fixed-line business. Chief Executive Michael Tsamaz said that 1,100 people, that is 13% of the fixed-line personnel will leave through voluntary redundancy. OTE provides telecommunication services in all of Greece, Romania […]

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Strike at Greek Universities Illegal

The court’s ruled that the strike of the administrative staff at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) and the University of Athens (UOA) is illegal. “The two Greek universities will open on Monday. We all have to contribute in order to win back the lost days,” said the Ministry of Education. Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos, the […]

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Greek MPs Squabble Over Censure Motion

A motion brought by the major opposition party Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) to reprimand the government for authorizing a police raid on former workers occupying the headquarters of the now-defunct state broadcaster ERT set off fierce debate in the Parliament that became a contest of arguments on austerity being imposed on the orders […]

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Greece halts ship carrying 20000 rifles

Greek ReporterGreece halts ship carrying 20000 riflesSky News AustraliaGreece halts ship carrying 20,000 rifles. Updated: 19:21, Saturday November 9, 2013. The Greek coastguard has intercepted a cargo ship flying a Sierra Leone flag with about 20,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles on board. Officials say the vessel has been ...Greece intercepts cargo ship carrying 20000 AK-47sRaw StoryShip carrying arms to Libya stopped in Greece, crew members arrestedMontreal GazetteGreek Coastguard Halts Ship Carrying 20000 KalashnikovGreek Reporterall 10 news articles »

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Ron Burgundy on wild eagles, hair myths and jazz flute

In these exclusive extracts from his classy memoir, the Anchorman opens his head and shares his biggest memories

Ron on hair

1. My hair is called Andros Papanakas. It is not. I have no name for my hair.

2. My hair was bestowed upon me by the gods. This one is hard to dispel. It would have been just like Zeus to make such a gift, or Hermes, but even though I have called on these two gods many times I have never been told specifically by either one that I was given my hair, so I have to say no to the gift-from-the-gods theory.

3. My hair is insured by Lloyd's of London for $1,000. Nope! It's fifteen hundred, thank you.

4. My hair won't talk to my moustache. This is basically true but I would hardly call that a myth.

5. My hair starred in the movie Logan's Run. It was definitely up for the part of Logan but that eventually went to Michael York. He did an excellent job in the film and to this day it's still considered the best film of all time.

6. My hair on my head is the exact same as the hair on my crotch. Don't I wish!

7. My hair was the principal cause of the overthrow of the Chilean government in '73. This one is true. Look it up.

8. Each strand of my hair carries the DNA for not only a complete Ron Burgundy clone but also a duck-billed platypus. This is incorrect.

9. Scientists at Georgetown University studying my hair strands have detected the DNA from eight different semi-aquatic mammals. The platypus is nowhere in sight.

10. I wear a toupee. Sure, I wear a toupee, and women don't have vaginas and cats don't have dongs! Seriously, this is not a myth, just an insult. Stop it. This is my hair. You can't have it. You can't buy it. You can't burgle it, but you can enjoy it on top of my leathery oversized head.

Ron on jazz flute

For us, growing up in Hagglesworth wasn't all fistfights and terror. There were many days and nights of pure unabashed fun. For instance, for some unknown reason that really makes no sense at all, Haggleworth had the finest jazz supper club west of Chicago. It was called Pinky's Inferno. It made very little sense – it's almost unbelievable really – but there it was, a jazz club in a town of 300 in the middle of nowhere. At age 11 I got a job as a busboy in Pinky's and a passion was born in me, a passion so strong I feel it to this day whenever I make love to a woman or see a sunrise or smell thick-cut Canadian bacon cooking, or whenever I report the news. It's a passion for jazz flute. It all started for me in 1951 at Pinky's Inferno. Diz, Bird, Miles: they all came through Haggleworth, unbelievable as that sounds, to play at Pinky's. Even typing it now seems stupid. I was there at the time and I still want to fact-check this. I made my first flute out of a length of steel pipe my brother Winston tried to beat me with. Winston was my least-favorite brother, and that's saying a lot. He would beat you while you slept, clearly against the rules, but he didn't care. He was a union strike buster for many years before he was brained by a rock. Now he sells pencils in a little wooden stall in downtown Omaha. I buy 20 every Christmas. They say hatred and love are two sides of the same golden coin.

I loved that homemade pipe flute. Dizzy Gillespie used to make me get up onstage with him and play that thing until my mouth would bleed. Maybe I'm misremembering this part. I'll fact-check it one more time before I finally commit it to paper, though. Dexter Gordon, Art Blakey, even the older guys, Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet, came by. Hey, I get it, if you don't want to believe any of this I can't blame you. Anyway, I picked up a little something from each one of these jazz masters. You know what? I think the whole "jazz flute" stuff should stay out of the novel, come to think of it. It's too ridiculous even if it did really happen. I will simply say this: Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan taught me, an 11-year-old boy, the rudiments of jazz improvisation in the alley behind Pinky's Inferno one night in Haggleworth, Iowa. That's solid enough information that is very believable. (I have no idea if this is going to hurt or help my credibility here, but just down the alley from us Jack Kerouac was getting a blow job from Allen Ginsberg. More than likely this can be corroborated in their own writings. Those guys wrote an awful lot.) With all these hep cats coming through Haggleworth in the 50s I became the source for their drug habits. I had an in with some of the dealers in the area and I would score smack for the musicians in exchange for music lessons. I quickly learned to cook it so they could fix up before their sets. Forget it. This sounds impossible to me. I know what happened but none of this reads real. I'm just going to go with this: I have a passion for jazz flute. I got it from somewhere. It's part of who I am. There.

Ron on eagles

Over time I have come to understand the Animal Kingdom as one great hierarchy. The noble eagle sits at the top. He is God's greatest creation, soaring through the skies with magnificent splendor and grace! His watchful eye looks over us all. I am in awe of the eagle and I believe one day when the skies fall and great chasms of doom open up to swallow mankind, it will be the eagle that rescues and guides those of us worthy (that would be me and my news team for sure) into the next land. I have several wood carvings of eagles in my home for this reason. One of them has a removable head and a hollowed-out body where you can hide some keys or half pencils like the kind you get at a golf course. If the noble eagle is at the top of the Animal Kingdom, then surely the lowly sea otter is at the bottom. They are the dumbest, most stupid animals out there. I can't even imagine what kind of hell we would be in for if the sea otter ever took control of the world. Simply put, they would ruin it. I don't hate them but I sure wouldn't trust them with maintaining order. Baxter confided in me once that talking to sea otters was like talking to aerobics instructors. I don't doubt it. They are self-centered and boring and all they want to talk about is fish. Meanwhile Baxter tells me that most eagles think like ancient Greeks with minds sharper than Socrates's. Baxter has also told me on several occasions that eagles intimidate him. His small dog brain is no match for the cerebral majesty of the eagle.

As a kind of sidebar I would like to say wild eagles do not make great pets. I was offered a wild eagle by a Russian I had come to know through the world of high-stakes archery. We both had an interest in falconry. (I have owned several world-class falcons over the years.) This man – I will call him "Glavtec" because he would definitely not want me to reveal his true identity – had six bald eagles in the trunk of his car that he was trying to unload. He was in to me for a lot of archery money. I really wanted one of those eagles but I knew it was illegal to own a bald eagle in this country. I decided if I kept the eagle inside my house no one would be the wiser and I could have my cake and eat it too. I threw the eagle in a pillowcase and took him home. Well, day one the eagle tore up everything in my house. Day two he scratched up Baxter and me pretty badly. Day three he got caught in a fan and while trying to rescue him I got scratched up worse than before. Day four he sat on the couch almost lifeless, watching TV and possibly contemplating suicide. Day five he began working on a strategy for escape. Day six he was polite and even ate dinner with us at the table. Day seven he allowed me to place a small Uncle Sam hat on his head and posed for a picture with me and Baxter in our red, white and blue swimsuits. Day eight I taught him to drive a miniature fire truck in a comical way and he looked like he was enjoying himself. On the ninth day Baxter and I decided to take our new best friend for a walk on the beach. The minute I opened the door he flew away. He had been planning it all along! He was just playing with me to get free. Ingenious! He still, to this day, attacks me when he sees me. I'm forever watching the skies. He is a magnificent bird.

Extracted from Let Me Off At The Top!: My Classy Life And Other Musings by Ron Burgundy, published in the UK by Century, 19 Nov, £16.99

More on Anchorman: The Legend Continues

• Why Anchorman 2 is a newsflash for sequels• Anchorman 2 to get its own ice cream from Ben and Jerry's

Will FerrellComedytheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


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Minimal decline for ATHEX on gains consolidation

There were no major surprises in the composition of the MSCI index concerning Greek stocks, so Friday’s bourse session served mostly for investors cashing in short-term gains. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,169.04 points, shedding 0... ...

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Athens said to support EU law on removing CO2 permits

European Union diplomats on Friday agreed to begin talks on a legal text to slash permit supply and prop up carbon prices in the bloc’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), marking a big step forward for the divisive proposal. Greece had previously said it was... ...

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ECB's Yves Mersch urges Greece to push on with reforms

European Central Bank Executive Board member Yves Mersch urged Greece on Friday to push on with reforms to bring the country back to growth without relying on more debt relief. Greece’s debt problems marked the beginning of the eurozone’s debt crisis in 2... ...

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Coast guard seize boat carrying arms off Rhodes

Greek coast guard officials on Friday seized a cargo ship off the island of Rhodes in the Dodecanese after a stash of weapons and ammunition was found on board. The captain said the vessel was sailing to Libya, but authorities said that it might in fact h... ...

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Corfu man, 41, arrested for drug possession

Police on the Ionian island of Corfu on Friday arrested a 41-year-old Greek national on charges of drug possession. According to reports, police discovered more than 6 kilograms of cannabis at his home. During the search, they also found a hunting rifle w... ...

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Farsala priests found guilty of embezzlement

Two priests from Farsala, central Greece, on Friday received jail sentences of 18 and 6 years respectively after being found guilty of embezzlement. The two clerics, who were responsible for handing out the paychecks to priests in the area, were using fak... ...

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Biggest deflation in half a century

The Greek consumer price index (CPI) posted its biggest decline, by 2 percent, last month on a yearly basis since February 1962, when deflation amounted to 2.1 percent, according to official data released on Friday by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (E... ...

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Court staff call walkout after Athens stabbing

Greek judges and court staff are to walk off the job on Monday demanding improved security at the country’s courts after a judicial secretary was violently stabbed by a convict at the capital’s main court complex Friday. The union of judges called a five-... ...

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Half of brokerage firms have gone out of business

Half of the brokerage companies operating in the boom period of the Greek stock market, 1999-2000, have shut down. Of the 89 firms in 2001 just 45 are still running 12 years on. At the start of the recession in 2008, there were 61 firms in business. Howev... ...

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Greece intercepts cargo ship carrying 20000 AK-47s

Greek ReporterGreece intercepts cargo ship carrying 20000 AK-47sRaw StoryThe Greek coastguard on Friday intercepted a Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship in the southeastern Aegean Sea with around 20,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles on board, officials said. The cargo ship, Nour M, was taken to the island of Rhodes where its ...Ship carrying arms to Libya stopped in Greece, crew members arrestedMontreal GazetteGreek Coastguard Halts Ship Carrying 20000 KalashnikovGreek Reporterall 7 news articles »

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Chef of Trattoria Athena crafts culinary art with Greek and Italian flavors

The Bowdoin OrientChef of Trattoria Athena crafts culinary art with Greek and Italian flavorsThe Bowdoin OrientChef Tim O'Brien of Brunswick's Trattoria Athena Restaurant washed the crab off his hands before shaking mine. He had been cracking shells and scooping out the meat to prepare the filling for handmade crab ravioli. It sounds delicious, yes, but you won ...

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EU-backed Greek officials illegally reject, ill-treat 2000 migrants, report says

KathimeriniEU-backed Greek officials illegally reject, ill-treat 2000 migrants, report saysKathimeriniGreek authorities have systematically rejected more than 2,000 refugees fleeing conflict, among them many women and children, and ill-treated some of them in the process, according to a new report by a German group supporting refugees and asylum ...NGO claims Greek authorities are 'pushing back' Syrian refugeesEnetEnglishall 2 news articles »

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Letters: Let Kristallnacht be a reminder of the threat of racism and fascism

On 9-10 November 1938, Nazi stormtroopers led a wave of violent attacks on Jewish people and property throughout Germany and Austria, which the Nazis had annexed. During these pogroms, 91 Jews were killed, thousands were taken from their homes and incarcerated in concentration camps, 267 synagogues were destroyed, and some 7,500 Jewish-owned shops were smashed and looted. The Kristallnacht pogroms presaged attempts to remove Jews from German life completely.

Many Jews left hurriedly to seek refuge in friendly countries, including Britain, but Britain was already in the grip of an "aliens scare". Newspaper headlines declared: "Alien Jews pouring in", and claimed that "Refugees get jobs, Britons get dole". The media accused Jewish asylum seekers of "overrunning the country". Despite wide public revulsion at the violence of Kristallnacht, powerful elements in British politics and business continued to admire Hitler and the Nazi regime.

Seventy-five years after Kristallnacht, racists and fascists inspired by the Nazis continue to attack minorities in Europe. In Hungary neo-fascists target Gypsies and Jews. In Greece Golden Dawn members and supporters brutally attack migrants and political opponents. Here in Britain, minority communities, especially Muslims, have been targeted in an atmosphere that is increasingly hostile towards migrants and refugees.

Mindful of this history, we are equally alarmed at continuing fascist violence and the toxic sentiments expressed by many politicians and much of the media against migrants, asylum seekers, Gypsies and Travellers. We stand shoulder to shoulder with migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in their efforts to live here in freedom and safety, to contribute to society and be treated as equals. As Jews we stand together with all communities seeking to combat racism and fascism here and elsewhere.David Rosenberg Jewish Socialist magazineEmeritus professor Frank Land 1939 refugee and Kristallnacht witnessRalph Land Kristallnacht witnessLord (Alf) DubsMargaret Hodge MPDavid Winnick MPEdie Friedman Executive director, Jewish Council for Racial EqualityGerry Gable Editor, Searchlight magazineRabbi Barbara BortsRabbi Elizabeth Tikvah SarahRabbi Howard CooperDr Ros Merkin Writer & director, Suitcase 1938Sheila Melzak Clinical director, Baobab Centre for Young Survivors in ExileDr Jennifer Langer Director, Exiled Writers InkJudge Laurence Brass Treasurer, Board of Deputies of British JewsMoris Farhi Miriam Margolyes Bernard Kops Playwright and poetMichael Rosen Broadcaster and poet

KristallnachtJudaismReligionRace issuesGermanyAustriaRefugeesImmigration and asylumHungaryGreeceGolden Dawn partyRoma, Gypsies and Travellerstheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


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Greek gov't faces no-confidence vote

Press TVGreek gov't faces no-confidence votePress TVGreek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras announced the closure of the ERT in an effort to keep Greece's foreign creditors satisfied that the country had been fulfilling its debt restructuring and bailout commitments. This is while inspectors from the ...Main opposition tables censure motion against coalition governmentCapital.gr (press release)SYRIZA Tries Censure Over ERT RaidGreek Reporterall 11 news articles »

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Greek coastguard holds suspect ship carrying arms

The vessel was lacking proper U.N. documents for arms shipments in conflict zones ... The Sierra-Leone flagged vessel was intercepted in Greek waters earlier on Friday and was now held on the island of Rhodes. Its eight-man crew of three Turks ...

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'The Voice of Greek Radio Falls Silent'

The Nation. (blog)'The Voice of Greek Radio Falls Silent'The Nation. (blog)Early this morning riot police broke into the Athens headquarters of ERT, Greek Radio and Television, which was officially closed by ministerial decree on June 11 but whose journalists and technicians have continued to broadcast over the Internet.Greek Police Raid Occupied Broadcasting BuildingNew York TimesEvicted Greek TV channel goes on air from street (VIDEO)RTGreek riot police storm former TV building, break up sit-inReuterseuronews -Aljazeera.comall 89 news articles »

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