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Saturday, January 24, 2015

Greek vote: Rise of protest parties?

But speaking at a rival rally Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras appealed to voters not to waste efforts already made to clean up the economy.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.aljazeera.com

Everybody Expects SYRIZA to Win in Greece. And Then?

What to watch for after the anti-austerity party's likely election victory on Jan. 25


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT njbw.businessweek.com

Syriza and the Greek Elections: The Tough Questions That Must Be Asked

Indeed, far from stating an intention to adopt any unilateral moves, Tsipras has stated that his government would repay in full the next set of Greek ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT truth-out.org

Greek election: SYRIZA leader calls for “new patriotic alliance”

In a 45-minute speech bristling with lies, evasions and nationalist appeals, Tsipras began by calling on “all Greek men and women for a new national ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.wsws.org

Five last-minute thoughts about the Greek election

And that – by accident or design – is what Antonis Samaras gave the Greek left when he staged the fall of his own government over a constitutional ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT blogs.channel4.com

Anti-austerity party expected to win Greek election

… mismatch, with small, heavily indebted Greece in poor position to demand … for debtor nations. Concessions to Greece could give even more momentum … the Greek public. Although the party once threatened to take Greece out …


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT world.einnews.com

Syriza Leads Final Polls Before Greece's Election

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's left-wing opposition Syriza party is leading the ruling New Democracy conservatives in the last nine polls published ahead of the country's election Sunday. Syriza's lead varies from 2.8 percentage points to 6.7 points but is trending upward. In four of these polls, which are rolling ones, the lead rose sharply from Thursday to Friday evening, when the last polls were published. Syriza has alarmed markets by urging massive debt forgiveness and wanting bailout deals rewritten. The number of undecided voters remains significant. All but two polls show it near or above 10 percent. The centrist party To Potami is in third place in four polls, while the extreme right-wing Golden Dawn party is third in another four. They are tied in the ninth poll. There is no campaigning Saturday.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.huffingtonpost.com

Greek Tourism Workshop to be held in Tehran

The workshop will take place at the luxurious Azadi Grand Hotel


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.protothema.gr

Celebration of Greek food to take place in Montreal

All proceeds will be donated to the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal schools.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.protothema.gr

Greece on edge ahead of crucial election with continental implications

Tsipras, 40, wants to keep Greece in the euro zone and claims he would keep a balanced budget. But he wants to end the German-inspired austerity ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theglobeandmail.com

Share “Leftists ahead in Greece at last polls...”

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's left-wing opposition Syriza party is leading the ruling New Democracy conservatives in the last nine polls published ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT newsok.com

Why Greece's Alexis Tsipras Might Not Want To Win Big

Greece is about to go to the polls to elect a new government, and virtually everybody expects that the left-wing SYRIZA party will be victorious.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.businessweek.com

Leader of Greece's left-wing Syriza party, Alexis Tsipras (AFP photo)

Greece is heading toward a decisive general election which could bring the anti-austerity Syriza party to power amid financial crisis in the European ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.presstv.ir

The Greek Election and Europe's Economic Crisis

As we enter the eighth year of the long-lingering global economic crisis, it is sobering indeed that it is only in Greece that a political party putting ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.globalresearch.ca

Gloomy outlook among the young in Athens as Greek election approaches

Several Greek people euronews spoke to on Friday expected that the general election would result in little change either, even if the outcome is a ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.euronews.com

Greece’s Alexis Tsipras: The Man Who Could Break Europe

Sunday’s elections in Greece could bring to power a party that’s pitting the debt-ridden south of Europe against the rich north. Can its leader’s charisma carry the day? In 2012, when Alexis Tsipras last ran to be prime minister of Greece, his ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thedailybeast.com

ECB Board Member Explains Why Europe Embarked On Its Massive Quantitative Easing Program

European Central Bank board member Benoît CÅ“uré today explained why the ECB embarked on its latest, massive quantitative easing program: With Europe suffering weak and non-existent growth, and with deflation already a reality in some countries, he said: "We had to do something. That became pretty clear. The only discussion was how to do it." The ECB approved a €60 billion bond purchase program for each month until the end of September 2016. But then he added something that, in some quarters, might be interpreted as a criticism of Germany. "We all have our job to do. Others have to do their part. We have done our part. We can make it cheaper to invest but others have to want to invest. That's the job of government." He didn't name a specific government, of course. But there is one European government that has balked at doing "their part" of the ECB plan: Germany. German leader Angela Merkel has been against further stimulus packages from the ECB because she believes it lets countries like Greece, Italy and Spain off the hook for failing to get their act together and balance their budgets. (Indeed, the Greeks have already stopped paying taxes again in the hopes that a new government will trash the country's existing debt agreements.) The QE package shows that the central bank believes stimulating economic growth is a bigger priority than forcing fiscal discipline in Southern Europe. But the package will only work if banks and countries use the new ECB money to invest in new companies, new infrastructure and other job-creating work that will increase aggregate economic demand. Germany has the strongest economy in Europe right now, and it could comfortably do the rest of the continent (and itself) a favour if it used some of that ECB money on some big new infrastructure projects (roads, bridges, high-speed rail and so on). Those projects would grow the economy in the short term, creating jobs, and increasing demand for supplies and services across Europe. They would also help Germany modernise itself. Half of all autobahn bridges are in need of repair, Der Spiegel reported recently, in an article titled "A nation slowly crumbles." But to do that, Germany would also need to run some deficits. Most people believe those deficits would be well within comfortable margins for Germany's GDP. Generally, deficits aren't a problem if your country is growing its way out of them. The problem is that culturally the Germans are savers not spenders. They hate debt. And that's why they hate the ECB's QE programme. As such, Coeure's statement, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, sounds very much as if he's talking about Merkel and Germany.Join the conversation about this story »


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT uk.businessinsider.com

More Private Greek Islands to be Sold in Coming Months

More sales of private islands in Greece are expected in the coming months, since there is increased movement observed between owners and prospective buyers. With prices starting at 1,000,000 euros, Greeks and foreigners of means can acquire their own island, according to a feature article in Eleftheros Typos daily. Most preferred are the private islands in the Ionian Sea, because of the beautiful landscapes and neighboring mainland. According to the report, most prospective buyers reside outside the European Union, with the majority coming from Arab states, while those who acquire the islands look forward to future collaborations with foreign companies in the tourism sector, or resale. However, legislation regarding the purchase and sale of private islands in Greece is both an encouraging and inhibiting factor. A new legislation automatically gives those who buy real estate property exceeding 250,000 euros in Greece, a 5-year residence permit. Renewal of residency is instant and includes the owner of the property and their family. However, the completion of the purchase process involves labyrinthine bureaucratic procedures and up to 32 signed licenses before the buyer takes full ownership of the property, including, for example, permits from the Forest Service or the Archaeological Service. Yet, the price of these islands has become more enticing, since the political instability over the past few months allows foreign buyers to bargain with owners and get lower prices. In fact, from the beginning of the financial crisis until today, Greek island prices have dropped by 40 percent, making them the cheapest worldwide. At the moment, buyers can choose between 40-50 beautiful Greek islands, including, Isle Modi near Kefalonia, Isle Sophia in Echinades, Isle Vouvalos in Amvrakikos Gulf, the peninsula Katakali near Corinth, the Tragonisi in the Saronic Gulf, Isle Strogkylo near the island of Marathos and many more in the Ionian and Aegean Seas.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

French Fin Min: Monday’s Eurogroup Decides Amount of Time Given to Greece

French Minister of Finance Michel Sapin said from Davos that the amount of time given to Greece until negotiation of the bailout program will be decided on Monday’s Eurogroup. During the meeting of the euro zone’s finance ministers, the French official said that the only thing the Eurogroup can give Greece at the moment is time. “Discussions are to dwell on how long can Greece be self-contained as far as liquidity is concerned.” “Will Greece be able by the end of March to pay its civil servants?” the French Minister wondered. Euro zone’s finance ministers will have to decide how much time the new Greek government will need in order to be able to sit down with its creditors and negotiate the financial aid program. During the December 8 Eurogroup, it was decided to extend the support program — which was formally ending in December — until the end of February. The extension was given so that Greece had sufficient time to complete the process of electing President of the Republic.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Party Leaders Wrap up Campaigns Ahead of Greek Elections Sunday

Greece ‘s political party leaders wrapped up their election campaigns on Saturday and prepared themselves for the voters’ verdict, either by visiting their party’s central campaign offices or meeting with journalists. Prime Minister and New Democracy President Antonis Samaras visited the ND campaign office in Syntagma on Saturday and appeared confident that the election result will favor his party, suggesting that the 14 percent of the electorate that has not revealed its intentions in opinion polls would finally back ND. Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alexis Tsipras met with Greek and foreign journalists for a relaxed, informal discussion in a central Athens restaurant on Saturday afternoon. Tsipras said that he had carried out 11 tours in towns and rural areas throughout Greece over the last 15 days and had come across an upbeat climate everywhere, noting that this was the big difference with the elections in 2012 — that people were going to the polls feeling happy. He reported talking on the telephone with European Parliament President Martin Schulz earlier the same morning and again declined to open his cards regarding SYRIZA’s candidate for the Greek presidency, replying with a quip from Greek leftist politician Harilaos Florakis that “the best decisions are taken lying on your pillow”. Asked if he will ever wear a tie, he joked that he would wear one “when a debt haircut is achieved.” The head of To Potami, business owner and TV journalist Stavros Theodorakis, started off his day by visiting Potami’s campaign offices in Athens and Piraeus, accompanied by aides and party candidates, taking in the suburbs of Holargos, Maroussi, Nea Ionia and Kifissia and then heading south to Nikea, Korydallos and Ilioupolis before catching a flight to Chania, Greece, where he will cast his vote. PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos was already in his native Thessaloniki on Saturday, where he also had an informal talk with PASOK candidates, party officials and the journalists covering his campaign in a restaurant in the city’s Ladadika district. Communist Party of Greece (KKE) General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas visited the party’s campaign office in the Athens district of Kaisariani, where he was received by the local mayor, party supporters and party candidates. Among those present was the Greek popular music singer Giorgos Margaritis, who spoke with him briefly. Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos, who is a candidate in both Athens and the Dodecanese islands, spent the day on the islands of Kalymnos and Kos, where he spoke with local residents in the central markets. On Sunday morning Kammenos is due to arrive at the 138th election constituency on the island of Nisyros, where he is registered to vote, at 9:30 a.m. in order to cast his ballot. Democratic Left (DIM.AR) President Fotis Kouvelis, who is joint head of the Greens-Democratic Left alliance ballot, also chose to spend the day with the journalists covering his campaign tour, for whom he hosted a meal at a taverna in the Metaxourgio district in Athens. (source: ana-mpa)


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greece Elections: Syriza Gears Up For Win, But 'Grexit' Expectations Are Low

European leaders are nervously awaiting Sunday's snap parliamentary elections in Greece, where predictions of a groundbreaking win for the leftist ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ibtimes.com

Greek PM Convenes Meeting to Discuss Monday’s Eurogroup

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, on Saturday chaired a meeting with Finance Minister Gikas Hardouvelis to discuss an upcoming Eurogroup meeting on Monday, the day after Greek elections. Leaving the meeting at the government headquarters at the Maximos Mansion, Hardouvelis commented that the ECB’s decision for quantitative easing was positive but added that “the troika must come to Athens immediately and conclude the negotiation.” Earlier, the prime minister appeared confident about the election results during his visit to the ND campaign office in Syntagma Square, Athens, Greece, just hours before polling stations were due to open. Samaras spoke with voters and members of the party, stressing that ND was doing well and that ‘undecided’ 14 percent of the electorate “are with us.” There was also keen interest on the part of the foreign media and Samaras had many questions from foreign journalists. On Sunday, the prime minister will travel to Messinia in order to vote in his home town of Pylos. (source: ana-mpa)


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greeks to vote in new parliament amid EU withdrawal concerns

Greeks are going to polling stations on Sunday to elect a new parliament. The populist radical-leftist party Syriza has won the hearts of many austerity-ridden people with its message of reverting wages cuts and renegotiating debt obligations.Read Full Article at RT.com


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT rt.com

Greece Exit (GREXIT)

According to a report (2015) by Gallup (Phoebe Dong and Chris Rieser), 18% of the Greek population approved of their country's leadership in 2014. With snap elections in January 2015, Greece is again put on a spot. There is a lot of speculation as to how ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.economywatch.com

Can Syriza actually govern Greece?

… two previews of Sunday’s Greek parliamentary election and its potential … Sussex in Britain. ***** Sunday sees Greece go to the polls.  And … examples there. In terms of Greece’s immediate future, a Syrzia-dominated …


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT world.einnews.com

Greece election: Campaigning ends ahead of vote

Campaigning in Greece's general election has officially come to an end - voting will take place on Sunday. The leader of the Radical Left Coalition Syriza, Alexis Tsipras, spoke to a crowd of supporters on Friday evening on the island of Crete, from where ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bbc.co.uk

Greek Elections Could Be Trouble For European Debt Holders

BY J.G. COLLINS - While the Greek economy is growing moderately, and Greece is likely able to continue its debt service under existing austerity measures, a Syriza-dominated populist government would likely bring about an economic crisis worse than the one Greece and the Eurozone saw in 2010.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.forbes.com

Nobel Prize winning economists call for a reduction of the Greek debt

The authors of the letter propose three forms of financial restructuring


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.protothema.gr

2,607 ancient Greek coins repatriated from Germany (Photos)

Most of them are made of copper and date back to the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and post-Roman eras


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.protothema.gr

Greek Campaign Wraps Up With Clashes Between Two Main Rivals

Greece’s two main election rivals clashed over the country’s future economic direction as they wound up their respective campaigns for a vote Sunday that promises to reverberate across Europe. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, struggling to pull his New ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.businessweek.com

Greek election: Samaras makes final plea to voters, as polls show Syriza lead

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has addressed party supporters for the final time ahead of tomorrow's elections. Thousands attended the New ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.euronews.com

Leftists Ahead in Greece at Last Polls Before National Vote

Leftist party Syriza widens lead slightly in last Greek polls ahead of Sunday's election


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT abcnews.go.com

Greece on the verge of rejecting austerity

Greece stands on the brink of a make-or-break general election that could sweep the anti-austerity Syriza party to power and set the country on a collision course with its international creditors.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT nz.news.yahoo.com

Zappion Press Centre ready for journalists covering Greek elections

More than 876 accredited journalists from 45 countries, of whom 497 have come from abroad, will be covering the Greek parliamentary elections on Sunday, the General Secretariat for Communications and Promotion said at the opening of the 2015 Elections ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.enikos.gr

Tsipras offered a traditional Cretan scarf

Twenty-four hours before the Greek general elections, leader of the opposition Alexis Tsipras completed his campaigning in Crete with a stroll in the municipal market of Chania. In the reception area of the hotel where he was staying the president of ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.enikos.gr

Greece's 26-year-old chief rabbi optimistic on eve of elections

Unlike the ongoing economical crisis shaking Europe, the winter in Greece is relatively mild. The brighter than usual January sun casts a warm ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.timesofisrael.com

Benoît Cœuré On QE In Europe: 'We Had To Do Something'

European Central Bank board member Benoît CÅ“uré today explained why the ECB embarked on its latest, massive quantitative easing program: With Europe suffering weak and non-existent growth, and with deflation already a reality in some countries, he said: "We had to do something. That became pretty clear. The only discussion was how to do it." The ECB approved a €60 billion bond purchase program for each month until the end of September 2016. But then he added something that, in some quarters, might be interpreted as a criticism of Germany. "We all have our job to do. Others have to do their part. We have done our part. We can make it cheaper to invest but others have to want to invest. That's the job of government." He didn't name a specific government, of course. But there is one European government that has balked at doing "their part" of the ECB plan: Germany. German leader Angela Merkel has been against further stimulus packages from the ECB because she believes it lets countries like Greece, Italy and Spain off the hook for failing to get their act together and balance their budgets. (Indeed, the Greeks have already stopped paying taxes again in the hopes that a new government will trash the country's existing debt agreements.) The QE package shows that the central bank believes stimulating economic growth is a bigger priority than forcing fiscal discipline in Southern Europe. But the package will only work if banks and countries use the new ECB money to invest in new companies, new infrastructure and other job-creating work that will increase aggregate economic demand. Germany has the strongest economy in Europe right now, and it could comfortably do the rest of the continent (and itself) a favour if it used some of that ECB money on some big new infrastructure projects (roads, bridges, high-speed rail and so on). Those projects would grow the economy in the short term, creating jobs, and increasing demand for supplies and services across Europe. They would also help Germany modernise itself. Half of all autobahn bridges are in need of repair, Der Spiegel reported recently, in an article titled "A nation slowly crumbles." But to do that, Germany would also need to run some deficits. Most people believe those deficits would be well within comfortable margins for Germany's GDP. Generally, deficits aren't a problem if your country is growing its way out of them. The problem is that culturally the Germans are savers not spenders. They hate debt. And that's why they hate the ECB's QE programme. As such, Coeure's statement, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, sounds very much as if he's talking about Merkel and Germany.Join the conversation about this story »


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT uk.businessinsider.com

One Week in Europe: Discussions on Passenger Record System, arbitration courts and new rules on waste

The week started with EU foreign ministers talking about anti-terrorism strategies. Pressure on European Parliament rose to agree to an European passenger record system, while the European Commission struggled to save arbitration tribunals within the EU-US trade agreement and stood by its plan to withdraw a major environmental law package. Ahead of the Greek elections, […]


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT euranetplus-inside.eu

A leftist roar in Greece foreshadows a showdown with Europe

… mismatch, with small, heavily indebted Greece in poor position to demand … for debtor nations. Concessions to Greece could give even more momentum … the Greek public. Although the party once threatened to take Greece out …


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT world.einnews.com

Greece's Syriza would need 40 percent of vote for overall majority

As Greece's election draws closer, the New Democracy party of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras remained behind in most opinion polls. With an ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.euronews.com

Turkish mountain climbers missing in Greece

Twelve Turkish mountain climbers have been reported missing in the Pierian Mountains of Greece. A Turkish diplomat said the group might include Bulgarians and could be in Bulgaria


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.hurriyetdailynews.com

Greece elections: Has austerity paid off?

… shape, but life for many Greeks is much worse. Unemployment has … : Slideshow: Faces of Greece austerity 2. Healthier banks: Greece's banking … "debt trap". "Greece cannot possibly generate the level …


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT world.einnews.com

Syriza party win in Greek election unlikely to hurt Chinese investment

Greek anti-austerity party Syriza is likely to win the nation's election tomorrow, but analysts say the odds of Greece exiting the euro zone and causing significant financial disruption to global investors, such as China, are slim.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.scmp.com

Financially wounded Greece votes in an election that might not heal

The journey to the wound of Greece does not take long. It is everywhere: in the scavenging through the rubbish bins, the broken pavements and shuttered shops, the abandoned cars and derelict houses.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.scmp.com

Syriza Party, Foe Of 'Fiscal Waterboarding' Leads As Greek Election Nears

Syriza Party, Foe Of 'Fiscal Waterboarding' Leads As Greek Election Nears. January 24, 2015 8:42 AM ET. Joanna Kakissis. Audio for this story from ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.npr.org

ECB official urges Brussels to respect the Stability Pact

According to Yves Mersch “is the responsibility of the Greek voters to choose the government that they believe will provide a better future for their country”


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.protothema.gr

An unprecedented interest in Greek elections

876 journalists and correspondents from 45 countries ready for tomorrows elections


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.protothema.gr

Greek elections: Last polls SYRIZA 33.5% – ND 26.5%

Left-wing SYRIZA leads with 7% difference ahead of Nea Dimokratia. In one of the last polls published Friday evening, that is two days before the elections, SYRIZA  receives 33.5%, while Nea Dimokratia remains around 26.5%, in another poll SYRIZA is at 33.4% and ND at 26.7%. While the win of […]


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.keeptalkinggreece.com

A guide to Sunday's Greek elections

Greek voters go to the polls on Jan. 25 in a general election that will decide whether Europe’s most-indebted country sticks to the economic-overhaul program set out by its troika of official creditors or tries to chart its ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.enikos.gr

Tsipras offered a traditional Cretan scarf

Twenty-four hours before the Greek general elections, leader of the opposition Alexis Tsipras completed his campaigning in Crete with a stroll in the municipal market of Chania. In the reception area of the hotel where he was staying the president of ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.enikos.gr