How the world sees Greece
The President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos spoke on the telephone with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during the Greek president's visit to a border checkpoint in Kipi, Evros and the bridge crossing the ...
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They reiterate arguments we Greeks often use -- how our organizations "teach timeless values, expect high standards for conduct, and hold students ...
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The move came as the ECB hiked its cap on emergency funding (ELA) for Greek banks by €1.2bn. This is the largest reported single increase in ELA ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.telegraph.co.uk |
If the EU doesn't relent, Tsipras wanted to show, Greece can one day find other benefactors. And, by the way, as an EU member, it can veto the ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bloombergview.com |
Just before Greek Orthodox Easter Piraeus and the island of Chios were mourning Elias Tsakos, head of Entrust Maritime, who has died after several ...
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Greece could be forced to leave the eurozone soon if it fails to meet the conditions laid down by the Eurogroup to receive further funding, the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat said on Thursday, quoting a secret memorandum by the Finnish Finance Ministry.
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The most dangerous comment regarding the future of Greece’s economy was uttered by legendary American investor Warren Buffett 10 days ago.
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Russia is not trying to drive a wedge between countries of the European Union, as well as between the EU and the United States
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The Greek bourse began the four-day recess having secured daily gains of 1.06 percent and a weekly rise of 0.61 percent, as the government asked its eurozone peers for cash while making it clear that Russia is not a solution to Greece’s financial problems. Thursday’s trading volume was the second lowest of the year.
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The governing council of the European Central Bank on Thursday stuck to the pattern established in previous weeks as it marginally expanded – by 1.2 billion euros – the cash available to Greek lenders in emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) via the Bank of Greece, as they struggle to cope with the continued deposits outflow.
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Greek consumer prices fell 2.1 percent year-on-year in March, with the annual pace of deflation slowing from a 2.2 percent decline in February, data from the country’s statistics service showed on Thursday.
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Greece’s political and economic uncertainty has had a negative impact on sales of computers and information technology equipment in the country, according to a study by the IBHS research company, which forecasts a decline for the 2015-16 period.
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Greece’s high unemployment rate posted a minor decline in January compared with the previous month, slipping to 25.7 percent from 25.9 percent in December 2014, according to data released on Thursday by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
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European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said on Thursday the Commission sees steps of progress in the ongoing talks between the creditors’ institutions and Greek authorities, following the Euro Working Group (EWG) on Wednesday. “We are continuing to work and make progress step by step,” the spokesman said. Asked if there was a deadline for reaching an agreement on the list of reforms presented by Greece, Schinas said that the February 20 agreement called for a complete list of specific reforms that must be approved by the institutions by the end of April. He said the next step in the process is a Eurogroup meeting in Latvia on April 24, adding that achieving an agreement before this date would be “welcomed.” Community sources told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that no kind of ultimatum was presented to the Greek side during Wednesday’s EWG. The same sources said that much remained to be done on a technical level and that groundwork must be done to prepare for a decision when Eurozone Finance Ministers meet in Riga, Latvia, on April 24. (Source: ANA-MPA)
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Greece has repaid the amount it owed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for April in the framework of its support program, the Fund’s chief Christine Lagarde confirmed on Thursday. “I received my money,” Lagarde was quoted as saying by AFP during a speech in Washington. Earlier, Athens had announced that it had given the order to the Bank of Greece (BoG) to transfer 459 million euros to the IMF. (Source: ANA-MPA)
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The Greek government said it met Thursday's deadline to repay 460 million euros to the International Monetary Fund. “The payment has been made,” ...
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Managing director of International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde confirmed that Greece paid the €450-million euro tranche on Thursday. “Greece paid the installment for April,” she said after a speech she held somewhere in Washington. “I collected my money,” Lagarde said characteristically. It’s not YOUR money, babydoll!
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There are also benefits to joining a greek organization such as their philanthropies, social reasons, a good support system and overall becoming more ...
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Rather than concede any Greek missteps, Mr. Varoufakis wanted to assess the flaws of the eurozone that he said had been revealed by the 2008 ...
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Greece's top banks, including National Bank of Greece (ADR) (NYSE:NBG) brace themselves for the battle against default as the $484 million ...
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The row between Germany and Greece over war reparations has intensified as Athens hit back at Berlin's description of its demand for a staggering €278.7 billion (HK$2.32 trillion) in compensation as "stupid".
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Greece will repay a €450m loan tranche to the IMF today, seeking to quell fears of default after a flurry of contradictory statements on the issue in recent weeks. Greece is fast running out of cash and its euro zone and International Monetary Fund ...
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met Kirill Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' in the monastery of St. Daniel of Moscow during his three – day visit to Russia. Tsipras and Kirill exchanged gifts
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Greece has made a debt repayment of $495 million to the International Monetary Fund, easing days of uncertainty and bringing relief to investors.
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Greece's government announced on Thursday that it had given the order to repay a loan installment from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) worth ...
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The number of illegal migrants entering Greece by sea has dramatically increased, with the figure for the first quarter of this year standing at over ...
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Aegean Airlines will provide an additional three aircraft to distribute the Holy Fire to different parts of the country once it arrives in Athens from Jerusalem on Easter Saturday, the company said on Thursday.
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A Swiss-French banker alleged to be a key figure in the Siemens cash-for-contracts scandal and implicated in corrupt arms deals is to spend Easter in Greek custody after testifying before an investigating magistrate.
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Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said on Thursday (9 April) that the government was restarting its privatisation programme and was committed ...
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Greek life on college campuses is nearly as old as American universities themselves. And so is the controversy surrounding it. Typically, when ...
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Debt crises have distracted from the structural flaws and political challenges that imperil the euro
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“Russia sees Greece as a very important partner with potential,” said Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as he welcomed his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras at the government’s Reception Hall in Moscow on Thursday. Speaking to Tsipras, Medvedev expressed optimism that “apart from the political parameter of your visit, I hope there will be other [practical] results” and called on him to present the open bilateral issues of economic cooperation between the two countries, which were discussed between the delegations. On his part, Tsipras called his meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as “very significant,” saying that the base has been set for restarting the relations between the two countries. He also noted those relations “have very deep roots of course” as the feelings of friendship and brotherhood between the two peoples are a given. “However, it was necessary to give a new push to those relations by discussing a number of sectors, like energy, trade, tourism and culture,” the Greek Premier said, noting that “we are certain and happy because this effort will be successful and that on 2016 we will organize an excellent Greek-Russian year that will benefit both countries and people, especially in deepening our relations.” Tsipras also added that improved relations between Greece and Russia will also create the conditions for deeper and more stable relations in the region. (Source: ANA-MPA)
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In Good Friday, millions of Orthodox Christians commemorate the events leading up to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. For the Greek Orthodox Church, Good Friday is a day of mourning. The drama of Jesus Christ’s death is followed with great devoutness. The icon of Jesus is taken off the cross, wrapped in linen and put it in the Epitaph, symbolizing his tomb. Late at night, the Epitaph is carried across every Greek town, village or neighborhood, followed by a procession of faithful. In some occasions, a band or choir follows the procession and plays or sings solemn music to express people’s sorrow. The Epitaph is followed by cantors, clergy members, women bearing myrrh and altar boys carrying the liturgical fans. Throughout the procession, people scatter flowers and perfume on the Epitaph, while holding lit candles in their hands. In Athens, women used to clean the streets just before the Epitaph procession passed by and as soon as the procession arrived, they would stand at their doors holding a roof tile containing a small piece of charcoal and incense. Meanwhile, on the evening of Good Friday, in Nafpaktos, western Greece, the crowd, both locals and visitors, follows the Epitaph procession, passing through the port where locals light torches and place them across the castle wall. Torches are also placed in the middle of the port, forming a large cross and offering a unique and spectacular spectacle to the people following the procession. Meanwhile, several people in Greece drink vinegar on Good Friday, while in Crete locals boil snails and drink their juice, which is very bitter. In Koroni, Peloponnese, people do not eat anything during the whole day. Also, in many Greek villages, the men refrain from doing any manual work and especially using nails because it resembles the way Jesus died. In Naxos, people do not kiss on Good Friday, because Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. The women gather to clean the churches and decorate the Epitaph before following the procession. In Syros, Easter is celebrated with great amity. Both religious communities, the Orthodox and the Catholic, commemorate the death of Christ together. The Cyclades is perhaps the only region across the world where Catholics celebrate Easter together with the Orthodox. Two religious worlds meet at the island’s main square to celebrate Good Friday with devoutness and mutual respect.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan talked to Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on the phone.
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When Samantha Jones came out as a lesbian, she found comfort in her close friends but a letdown in a Greek system that was less than welcoming.
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There was some mild relief on Thursday when Greece made its latest payment to the International Monetary Fund, with bond yields sliding. (Yield measures risk, so when they decline it suggests there's less risk of a default.) That sort of reaction is a bit like having a celebratory drink because you've paid your electricity bill — it's probably not a good signal about your financial health. Greece is currently negotiating a short-term bailout extension that it doesn't really want, offered by European institutions which don't trust the Greek government and approved by other governments that are running out of patience. That's the bottom line. Athens currently has until about April 15 to present a completed reform list to its creditors. But even if Greece gets the bailout deal when European finance ministers meet on April 24 (which isn't assured), we'll be back in the same place in about two months. Then, the government isn't going to want another extension. It's going to want the major debt deal it promised to deliver when it won the election. If it does go back to the cycle of renewing bailouts, it's going to have problems with its own supporters and politicians. Here's Dr. James Nixon, chief European economist at Oxford Economics, talking about one of Greek PM Alexis Tsipras' most recent speeches: In remarks that must clearly put Greece on a collision course with its international lenders, he said that Greece had no interest in a third bailout or receiving more loans. What Greece wants he said, is a new contract for growth not another memorandum laden with austerity and argued that Greece’s official creditors had committed to start debt relief talks in June... We see a small probability that a deal could be struck with the Europeans that might involve the ECB agreeing to rollover some of the bonds it currently holds. But in order to be time consistent, that surely implies that Greece give up all talk of debt relief – otherwise there is very little incentive for anyone to lend Greece more money. In short, unless a compromise can be found, the risks of a Greek exit become more likely, as more time slips away. One reason that a compromise is less likely than it was in the past is that politicians and financiers in Europe are far less scared of Greek contagion than they were three or four years ago. Back in the worst days of the euro crisis, it was feared that banking and sovereign default in Greece would spread to other southern European countries, causing a domino effect. But these days, bonds in Portugal, Spain and Italy barely seem to react at all to bad news in Greece, so there seems to be much less of an existential threat to the bloc. And without that contagion, the rest of Europe might be able to shrug off a Greek exit. The chart to the right, also from Oxford Economics, suggests that it would barely dent growth for the eurozone. As far as we can tell, these are the three potential "good" scenarios. Greece extends its current bailout again later this year. This would be the solution preferred the the Eurogroup, would almost certainly cause an internal Syriza revolt and potentially trigger new Greek elections, or even referendums on the bailout. Europe gives Greece a debt haircut. This would be a deal favouring Syriza, but it's not clear why most European finance ministries would agree to it — there's no indication that they'd put up with this. Some sort of halfway deal. This seems to be what many people are hoping will happen, but it could really be the worst of both worlds, prompting revolts among centre-right governing parties in the rest of Europe and Syriza's left. The chance of any of these scenarios coming to pass seems unlikely, but you can make your own judgement. The alternatives left are some version of government and bank default, capital controls and potentially a messy Grexit (Greek exit from the eurozone). Investment bank UBS now reckons that a Greek default is more likely than not. A big deal on debt is actually a good idea, even if Germany doesn't want it. Greece's far-left government is correct about the country's debt burden — it's completely unsustainable under the current plans. But taxpayers in the rest of the continent don't agree and aren't likely to put up with further attempts to restructure the debt. This is an immovable object meeting an irresistible force. In the absolute best case scenario, Greece is about to get some relief for a few months. After that, Athens, Frankfurt and Brussels go back to the brutal negotiations currently underway, but with more tension and even less to agree on. So don't get your hopes up.Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: What the Chinese saying 'The ugly wife is a treasure at home' actually means
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by Associated Press Deportivo names former player Victor Sanchez del Amo coach Associated Press - 9 April 2015 12:34-04:00 A CORUNA, Spain (AP) — Struggling Spanish club Deportivo La Coruna has hired former player Victor Sanchez del Amo as its new coach. Sanchez del Amo was named manager on Thursday, a day after predecessor Victor Fernandez was fired following a 1-1 draw at home with bottom-side Cordoba. As a player, Sanchez del Amo helped the club win the Spanish league title in 2000 and the Copa del Rey in 2002. This is his first head coaching job. He served as assistant to Michel Gonzalez at Getafe, Sevilla and Greek club Olympiakos. Deportivo is winless in eight rounds and in 17th place, one spot above the relegation zone. Deportivo's next match is at Real Sociedad on Sunday. News Topics: Sports, Soccer, Men's soccer, Men's sports, Professional soccer People, Places and Companies: Spain, Cordoba, Western Europe, Europe Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis expressed his confidence about reaching an agreement with European partners this month. “I am very confident,” Varoufakis said in an interview with Bloomberg TV , when asked about the talks. “The negotiations are ...
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has met his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday during his three - day visit in Russia. Photos source: ANA - MPA
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"Some Europeans have forgotten Greece is an independent state, which may seek good relations with other countries", said Greece's Minister for Administrative Reforms George Katrougalos to Russian Today, commenting on criticism within the EU of PM ...
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IT HAS been five years since a Greek prime minister last visited Moscow in search of a handout. On that occasion, Dmitry Medvedev, then Russia’s president, bluntly told George Papandreou to go to the International Monetary Fund for help (which he did). Before setting out from Athens on April 8th, Alexis Tsipras swore that he would not be asking Vladimir Putin, the current president, for cash, even though his country’s finances are in a more parlous state now than they were in 2010. In the end, the two leaders’ meeting produced little beyond a warm atmosphere and pledges to “restart and revive” relations. Mr Tsipras welcomed a proposed Russian gas pipeline across Greece’s territory and criticised European Union sanctions, as he has before. Mr Putin pledged (not entirely credibly) to refrain from using relations with Greece to divide the EU. To observers in Athens, Mr Tsipras’s trip to Moscow was the most striking example to date of the gesture politics that the Greek government, led by the far-left Syriza party, has used to keep its approval ratings high as unemployment edges back up, banks freeze lending and Greece...
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LONDON, April 9 (Reuters) - World stocks marched higher on Thursday, lifted by Greece's confirming it will pay a 450 million-euro loan tranche to the ...
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Sirtaki is actually a Turkish dance, a top Greek dance expert told Anadolu Agency on April 9
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In 2014, Turkey ranked third after Spain and Greece in number of beaches boasting prestigious eco-label.
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Huge economic, geopolitical and growth benefits for Greece can bring the construction of the pipeline for the transport of Russian natural gas from the Greek-Turkish borders to Central Europe on which focused the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin with visiting Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday in Kremlin. The outcome of the meeting was firstly to secure the 2 billion euro financing of the project, while the crucial wager afterwards will be the observance of the European legislation for the energy, mostly in terms of competitiveness in order for the Greek pipeline not to face obstacles that last year led to the cancellation of the Russian project for the construction of South Stream pipeline which provided for the distribution of natural gas to Europe via Bulgaria. South Stream was selected due to the problems created with the deliveries of Russian natural gas via the pipelines that pass through Ukraine which had started in 2009. The main idea was the deviation of Ukraine with the construction of a pipeline from Russian coasts of the Black Sea to Bulgaria and Europe. However, after the cancellation of South Stream, the Russian President announced in 2014 the construction of the so-called Turkish Stream which instead of the Bulgarian coast it would go the Greek-Turkish borders aiming at continuing via Greece to Europe. The pipeline from the Greek-Turkish borders will cross Macedonia and will pass through Fyrom, Serbia and will end in Austria. The construction of the pipeline opens a substantial “window of opportunity” for Greece to become a regional natural gas transit hub. Greece already imports natural gas from Russia via the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline, from Turkey via the Greek-Turkish pipeline and liquified gas from Revythoussa plant. Meanwhile, the construction of TAP (Trans Adriatic pipeline) that will carry natural gas from Azerbaijan via Turkey, Greece and Albania to Italy is propelled while the preparation for the construction of the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline as well as the upgrading works of Revythoussa are at an advanced stage. Apart from the direct benefits that entails the pipeline investment (GDP increase, new job positions), the Greek economy is expected to have significant benefit from the taxation and other revenues that will accrue from the operation of the works while a number of conditions for the extension of the natural gas networks and the consumers supply to new regions of Greece will be created. The new pipeline, according to all indications, will have a substantial transport capacity and creates another important supply source to the Greek market that translates into higher supply security and intensification of the competitions which results to lower rates for the natural gas consumers and for the production of electricity. (source: ana-mpa)
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Our government’s goal is to remain in the euro zone, since Greece’s problem is a European problem and should be resolved within Europe, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in a speech at the State University of International Relations in Moscow. The Greek Prime Minister spoke about Greek-Russian relations at the Moscow university on the second day of his visit to the Russian capital and in the aftermath of his meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Tsipras said that the issue of the currency has come up often, before and after the elections, but he believes that Greece should remain in the European common currency bloc. The Greek Prime Minister said that Greece and Cyprus should be a pole of stability inside a triangle of instability. With the war in Ukraine in the north, the war in Libya in the southwest and the advancing of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq in the southeast, Greece and Cyprus will seek the restoration of peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans. On the issue of the Balkans, the Greek PM said that Greece supports an active Balkan policy away from nationalistic plans that break the area apart. He said he believes in the solidarity of the Balkan states and the potential of becoming members of the European Union while at the same time maintaining the right to form bilateral relations with other countries in the region. Mr. Tsipras stressed the importance of peace and stability in Ukraine, adding that tens of thousands of Ukrainians of Greek origin live in Mariupol which is at the epicenter of fighting. He said that the vicious cycle of sanctions and the militarization of the area will bring the opposite results. Finally, the Greek premier said that relations between Russia and the European Union should be restored because it is impossible to have security in Europe without Russian participation. Dialogue between Russia and the EU should be restored and conflicts should be resolved with diplomatic means.
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Greece could be forced to leave the euro zone soon if it fails to meet the conditions laid down by the Euro Group to receive further funding, the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat said, quoting a secret memorandum by the Finnish finance ministry. According to ...
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Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said he is confident an agreement on financial support for Greece will be reached by the time euro-area finance ministers meet on April 24. “Talks continue. Progress is being made. I am confident that an ...
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The European Central Bank has raised the cap on emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) that Greek banks can draw from the country's central bank by €1.2 billion. The decision was taken on Wednesday during an ECB teleconference. The increase takes ...
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By LAURA SECORUN PALET, OZY “I haven’t seen so much graffiti in my life,” says Emily Tsai, a tourist from Taiwan. “It’s like a punk Disneyland.” We are in Exarcheia, a neighborhood of Athens that few tourists dare venture into. Its half-dilapidated buildings and spray-painted walls clash with the postcard version of classical Athens. But what it lacks in photo ops, Exarcheia makes up for in dynamism. This bubble of counterculture around Athens Polytechnic and the National Archaeological Museum is home to a tight-knit community of left-wing intellectuals, activists and artists. And Exarcheia’s inhabitants don’t just talk about socialism, they live it. A “reappropriated” parking lot serves as a communal vegetable patch. There are pay-what-you-can canteens, time banks where neighbors exchange French lessons for hair cuts and a free health clinic for those who have fallen through the cracks of the country’s broken welfare system. Squats and cooperatives thrive among the youth-filled bars. The neighborhood has been a hotbed of ideological resistance for decades. "People here are genuinely open-minded,” says Ihab (no surname — he doesn’t trust the mainstream media), who works at a local bookstore. “Everybody is welcome here. Well, except the police.” The neighborhood has been a hotbed of ideological resistance for decades. Here began the student protest that, in the ’60s and ’70s, would lead to the toppling of the dictatorship. More recently, Exarcheia has been at the heart of the anti-austerity protests prompted by the country’s debt crisis. Athenians pass in front of a sign reading 'Park' on the site of a former parking lot that was reclaimed by residents of the bohemian Athens district of Exarcheia in Greece on March 17, 2009.(ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images) This spirit of defiance is written all over Exarcheia’s walls — in subtle graffiti like “F*ck the Capital,” or “We Hate the Police” — but the neighborhood has plenty to offer to non-anarchist visitors, and for very little. Historically inclined types can visit the impressive National Archaeological Museum, and adventurous travelers can explore the popular cafes, especially on weekends when youths from all over the city flock in for fun. Meanwhile, bookworms will enjoy the dozens of independent publishers who reprint the works of Russian revolutionary anarchist Mikhail Bakunin and alternative bookstores selling essays on “LSD, Marijuana, Yoga & Hypnosis.” In 2008, a 15-year-old boy was shot and killed by police, triggering a wave of riots that made headlines worldwide. To be sure, Exarcheia has its dark side. While it’s not dangerous for tourists, drug use is on the rise and the violent clashes between anarchists and the police often involve Molotov cocktails. “It’s hard to live in peace when teenagers come here just to get high or you need to run to your car because protesters are setting them on fire,” says Dioni Vougioukli, a journalist who has lived in the neighborhood for 10 years. Since the radical left-wing party Syriza was elected into power in January, fights with the police have decreased. But peace is attracting a tide of trendy entrepreneurs wanting to cash in on Exarcheia’s edginess by opening barbershops and specialty ice cream parlors. They are pushing rents up and threatening to change the face of this countercultural oasis. But it may not be a bad thing. As a Che Guevara quote reads on an abandoned building, “Let the world change you and you can change the world.” -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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