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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Greek minister to meet Obama, IMF officials in Washington

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis attends a parliament session in Athens, Greece, on March 30, 2015


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ECB Lifts Ceiling on Greek Loans

The European Central Bank increased the amount of money Greek banks can borrow under an emergency-lending program, extending a lifeline for the country’s banks.


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Greece's Varoufakis to meet Obama, ECB's Draghi amid debt talks

While EU officials have said that April 24 is not a formal deadline for a deal, Greece is fast running out of cash and its financial needs are pressing as it ...


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Greek FinMin Varoufakis to meet US President Obama in the White House

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis will have important contacts this week in Washington with the most striking of all, his meeting with US President Barack Obama in the White House. No, Obama did not invite Varoufakis for a face to face meeting in the Oval Office. The two men will meet […]


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.keeptalkinggreece.com

ECB raises emergency funding cap for Greek banks by 800 mln euros-source

"Greek banks have used up about 70 billion euros of ELA funding so there is a margin of 4 billion left," the source said, declining to be named.


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Greece to not end if April 24 talks fail: Greek minister

ATHENS (AA) - Greece has alternative solutions if negotiations with international creditors fail, Greek energy minister said in Athens on Tuesday.


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ECB extends Greek banks' lending facility by €800m

The European Central Bank raised the cap on emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) that Greek banks can draw from the country's central bank by 800 million euros, taking the ELA ceiling to 74 billion euros, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing an anonymous ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.enikos.gr

Greek Talks Resume Amid Concern Reform Deadline Won't Be Met

Talks on resolving Greece’s financial deadlock resume Wednesday amid growing creditor concern that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s government won’t come up with the reforms necessary to unfreeze aid by its self-imposed deadline of April 24. The Greek government’s refusal to proceed with any privatizations, and its pledges to reverse labor-market reform, pension reform and budget savings can’t be ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT finance.yahoo.com

European Central Bank Lifts Ceiling on Greek Loans

ATHENS—The European Central Bank on Tuesday increased the amount of money Greek banks can borrow under an emergency-lending program, extending a lifeline for the country’s banks as its government continues tense negotiations with its creditors over its ...


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EU commissioner Avramopoulos: Let's prepare for a heavy migratory season

We have to prepare for a heavy migratory season, Greece's EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, DimitrisAvramopoulos told the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) in the European Parliament. Reffering to the situation in the Mediterranean, Avramopoulos said "the arrival of more than 7000 ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.enikos.gr

Moody’s issues warning about EU’s deferred tax asset probe

Moody’s said on Monday that a Brussels probe into deferred tax assets would constitute a credit negative event for Greek banks, as they may be deemed to have received state subsidies through a system that allowed them to defer tax payments from loss-making years to profit-making ones.


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Athens bourse posts significant losses after holiday break

The Greek bourse reopened on Tuesday after the four-day Orthodox Easter break and posted significant losses at the end of the session as the uncertainty over the negotiations between Athens and its creditors and the storm of scenarios regarding a Greek default created concern among investors regarding the future of the economy.


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Greek Finance Minister to Meet With Obama

ATHENS—Greece’s finance minister Yanis Varoufakis is due to meet President Barack Obama in Washington Thursday, according to a senior finance minister. “Mr. Varoufakis is going to attend celebrations for the Greek Independence Day at the White House ...


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Greece confident of reaching agreement in make-or-break 24 April deadline

Eurozone finance ministers to pass judgement next week on reform-for-cash deal that would unlock €7.2bn (£5.2bn) in financial assistanceGreece has vigorously rebutted speculation that it will declare a debt default and plunge out of the eurozone if it fails to strike a deal with lenders to keep its bankrupt economy afloat.Acknowledging that the Syriza-led anti-austerity government had faced the “teething problems” of any administration new to power, the minister tasked with overseeing the country’s international economic relations expressed confidence that a deal with creditors would be reached even if negotiations went to the wire. Continue reading...


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Greek gold mine spawns 'civil war'

A picturesque Greek community in one of the nation's most popular tourist areas, is being torn apart over a controversial gold mining project in its midst.


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IMF spring meetings: time to realise world is on borrowed time

While the IMF skates over China’s slowdown and the Greek crisis, it should focus on deeper worries in the world economyThere is a smokescreen around the IMF’s thinking on the world economy at its spring meetings in Washington this week.Discussion of the UK’s slowing recovery is largely absent, presumably because of obvious political sensitivities as the country gears up for polling day. Related: IMF forecasts faster global growth but warns of risks ahead Continue reading...


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OU Sports: Ty Darlington, Eric Striker meet with members of OU's Greek council

University of Oklahoma Sooner (OU) football players march arm in arm to the Everest Center dressed in black and cancel their scheduled practice on ...


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World Press View: Greece Edging Toward Default

Dragging its feet for months while failing to produce a reforms list for international lenders could be very costly for Greece. The post World Press View: Greece Edging Toward Default appeared first on The National Herald.


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Mideast Terror Could Reach Greece

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the crisis in the Middle East with respect to terrorism is spreading and will reach Greece. The post Mideast Terror Could Reach Greece appeared first on The National Herald.


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Greece’s urgent measures to tackle migration; Syrian refugees will receive documents

Greece proceeds with radical measures and without much talking and negotiations with its EU/Schengen partners in order to tackle the influx of illegal migrants and refugees arriving in the country from Turkey. In an urgent cabinet meeting under the leadership of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday,  it has been […]


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European Banking Notes: Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Credit Suisse

Concerns about Greece’s ability to pay its debt installment and a notable appreciation in the value of the U.S. dollar played a role in holding back bank shares for the period. While Deutsche Bank shares lost 1.5% over the week, shares of the British banks Barclays and RBS were also in the red. Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse saw no sizable movement in share price.


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Varoufakis, Nikoloudis to meet Swiss authorities on April 28

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and State Minister, in charge of anti-corruption policies, Panagiotis Nikoloudis on April 28 will meet Swiss ambassador to Athens and a delegation of the Swiss Finance ministry, Finance Ministry officials said. According to the same ...


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22-year-old Red Sox player who beat out their $72 million free agent is becoming the most exciting player in MLB

The MLB season is barely a week old, but Mookie Betts is already being called a future superstar by his teammates. Betts, a 22-year-old who was made his MLB debut last year, won the battle for starting center fielder and lead-off batter this spring, beating out Cuban rookie Rusney Castillo, who signed a giant seven-year, $72 million deal last August. Castillo is now out with a shoulder injury, making the Red Sox's decision easier, but according to Steve Silva of Boston.com, Betts was winning the competition when Castillo was healthy, too. Amazingly, Betts had hardly ever played center field until last season when the Red Sox called him up and moved him from second base to the outfield. Nonetheless, he has given the Red Sox a jolt of energy on defense and offense. On Monday afternoon at the Red Sox's home-opener, Betts put on a show. In the first inning, Betts robbed the Washington Nationals' Bryce Harper of a home run with an insane snag over the fence: After being walked on his first at-bat, Betts stole two consecutive bases, showing off his speed once again: In the bottom of the second, Betts crushed a three-run home run over the Green Monster: After the game, Betts was drawing rave reviews from coaches, teammates, and opponents. Red Sox manager John Farrell said, "He basically took the game over." David Ortiz was amazed by Betts' catch saying, "That was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in baseball. I was like, ‘Bro, not even in a few practices you can do that." He later added: "He's a kid, an unbelievable athlete. It's how hard he works and the way he tries to do something different every day. At that age, as smart as he is, his athleticism and the way he approaches the game, it's a no-doubter that he's going to be a superstar." Harper said after the game, "Mookie is a great player. Being able to go from second base to center field is pretty impressive. He's got ups. It's pretty impressive to see him jump over the wall like that and rob a homer. Great players make great plays." Betts' uncle Terry Shumpert, a former MLB player, told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick that when Betts was called up in 2014, he told another writer that Betts would be as good as the Dodger's Yasiel Puig: "I told the guy, 'Mookie Betts is going to do what Yasiel Puig did for the Dodgers two years ago.' You know how L.A. was on fire and everything was 'Puig, Puig, Puig'? I told him, 'Mookie could have the same kind of impact.' I know his competitiveness and what kind of person he is, so nothing he does surprises me.'' Betts' basic stats are not terribly impressive, but he has only played 58 MLB games to date. He's essentially a rookie, but is playing like a veteran, making plays that are impressing people across the league.Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Gripping video of a motocross rider jumping across the 280-foot-long Corinth Canal in Greece


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100 years after her birth, Edith Piaf is still France's soundtrack

Paris (AFP) - Her soaring, emotion-wracked voice remains the defining soundtrack of old, romantic France and her colourful life the stuff of legend.Edith Piaf may have passed away in 1963 but this year -- the year she would have turned 100 -- the memory of "the Little Sparrow" is just as strong as ever and enshrined as one of France's most enduring icons.A new Paris exhibition dedicated to Piaf opened on Tuesday, offering tourists and the French alike an in-depth look at the woman who became a figurehead of a nation, and a postwar international star.The show at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, a modern library complex on the Seine river, features movie clips, concert posters, trinkets, letters and music by Piaf. Lots of music, as you can imagine; visitors don headphones that pipe in "La Vie en Rose", "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" and her other standards, as well as interviews and narrations."She remains a personality who incarnated a past Paris," said Julie Mirasola, a French 40-year-old lifelong Piaf fan who made a point to see the exhibition on the first day."She marked a whole generation. But she's also still relevant today," she said.Proof of that was the age of some of the visitors. A 13-year-old Scottish school student who declined to give his name told AFP he came to the exhibition because his father had often played Piaf's records."I thought she was probably the only French singer who was famous everywhere," he said. Now, "I guess you could say I'm becoming a bit of a fan -- and I'm not only saying that because of my dad liking her." - Piaf's black dress - The centrepiece of the exhibition is a black dress that Piaf often wore on stage. It is relatively modest, with long sleeves and falls to the knee -- and it's noticeably small, for the singer was just 1.47 metres (four foot 10 inches) tall. "I don't want my appearance to distract from the performance," Piaf had said.The curator of the show, Joel Huthwohl, told AFP it was the singer's "lucky dress" and served as a sombre anchor for her pale hands and face, and her soaring voice.Recently, interest in Piaf was stirred anew by the 2007 French movie "La Vie en Rose" which earned its star, Marion Cotillard, an Oscar.But Piaf's celebrity was so big that it has never really faded. Images of her face -- not especially beautiful, but luminously expressive with heavy lidded eyes topped by overly thinned eyebrows -- are immediately recognisable. - Born poor - Born in Paris in December 1915 into a poor circus family, to a singing mother and acrobat father, Piaf had it hard as a child, living in a bordello and being partly raised by prostitutes. She started out singing in the street and cafes during her father's performances before striking out alone as a teen. A Paris nightclub owner discovered her at age 19 and put her on stage, and on the path to stardom.During World War II and Germany's occupation of France, Piaf left a more ambivalent reputation. She helped some Jewish friends, but showed no hostility to Gestapo officers she passed in the building where she stayed, and in 1943 she visited French prisoners of war in Germany. Although initially seen by some as a traitor, testimonies -- some probably embellished -- eventually cleared her after the war of being a collaborator.After the war, a love affair -- and musical partnership -- with singer Yves Montand ensued and her circle of friends -- both of high and low station -- grew along with her fame. She helped several singers, including Charles Aznavour, and in 1947 made the first of several visits to the United States.She starred in several movies and the advent of television fuelled her career. After a tumultuous love life -- her lovers provided the inspiration and sometimes co-penmanship of several of her songs -- Piaf married a singer, Jacques Pills, in 1952 and divorced him five years later. Her second marriage, when she was 46, was to a 26-year-old Greek hairdresser-turned-actor, Theo Sarapo. Piaf died of liver cancer the following year, on October 10, 1963, aged 47.The Paris exhibition on Piaf runs to August 23.Join the conversation about this story »


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Greek rumour mill in overdrive

Greece returns from its Easter break with only a few days to improve on a package of reforms that the euro zone is insisting on in return for fresh bailout money. The Greeks want nothing that smacks of austerity. The euro zone wants specifics about what ...


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Spray parks on tap for Greece and Chili

A flat expanse of gravel surrounded by excavated dirt on the Greece Town Hall campus may not look like much right now, but by the height of summer ...


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Germany and Greece Locked in a Mutual Obsession

Years of crisis over Greece's finances have often pitted Europe's most cash-strapped economy against Europe's economic powerhouse. German ...


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Gov't to give refugees travel documents

  The Greek government will provide the "vast majority" of the latest wave of incoming migrants with refugee documents so that they can move to the European countries of their choice, spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis announced Tuesday. A revised announcment did not contain ...


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Greece says to pay anti-poverty benefits from June

Benefits promised by Greece's new radical leftist government to support those who have fallen into poverty as the country carries out EU-IMF imposed reforms will be paid beginning in June, an official said Tuesday. Some 30,000 households will receive between 70 and 220 euros ($75 to $235) a month to support their housing costs, while 300,000 will receive a similar amount to subsidise food ...


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As Rutgers bans Greek life house parties, Rowan tracks parties at fraternities and sororities that ...

"They don't need a house with Greek letters affixed to the outside." "They'll go underground." That argument would immediately ring true for anyone ...


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Greek custard pie with strawberries

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and lightly grease a 22x30cm baking dish. 2. In a large saucepan heat the milk with butter until it boils, stir frequently. 3. Add sugar, beaten eggs, semolina and lemon juice and whisk continuously until the mixture thickens a ...


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Greek community morns loss of Park Ex Orthodox church

Several members of the Greek community gathered at the corner of De L'Épée and Saint-Roch Tuesday morning to morn the loss of the Koimisis Tis ...


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Greek govt making plan to tackle migrant, refugee arrivals

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece says it is setting up a plan to create shelters and housing on the mainland for thousands of migrants and refugees who are currently on Greek islands after entering the country illegally from the nearby Turkish coast.


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Greek crisis can’t be ruled out, says IMF chief economist

As negotiations for Greek economic reforms drag on, a further “crisis” can’t be ruled out, according to International Monetary Fund chief economist Olivier Blanchard.


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Greek securities tumble as negotiations raise specter of crisis

Greece’s bonds dropped, with yields on the country’s 2017 notes rising the most in two months, as negotiations over the future of its financing stoked concerns of renewed turmoil in the nation.


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Greece intends to default or intended to default all along?

The key US data today is retail sales. In Feb, sales fell 0.8%, more than forecast, for the third month of negatives. Today the forecast is for a rebound by ...


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EU on a collision course with Greece

That's when EU ministers meet in Riga, Latvia to decide Greece's fate. Looks like Tsipras is going to have to go on a charm offensive to mend fences ...


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FTSE heads towards new peak thanks to miners, despite Greek concerns

Investors push leading index back towards all time high as UK avoids deflationA revival in the mining sector helped push the FTSE 100 close to its record high again but with investors still facing a number of uncertainties, it ended up falling short.On the positive side, the UK avoided falling into deflation with the latest CPI figures showing zero for the second month in a row. But with the election campaign now well underway, the impact was limited.Recent legislative changes that introduce a free-of-tie option for licensees change the commercial basis of the tenanted and leased pub market. Our analysis suggests that Enterprise should be able to offset any negative profit pressures, and that [its] evolving strategic responses will lead to eventual profit upgrades. We think that the potential changes should convert Enterprise into a more proactive, commercially minded property manager that could also encompass a partially owned REIT and a managed pub division alongside the traditional tenanted estate. We have tweaked up our price target by 5% to 215p, and remain confident that the share price should double from here.The British supermarkets fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the wall at great speed, resulting in considerable collateral damage for shareholders. Earnings and returns collapsed, assets written down and debt mushroomed. Management and strategies have had to change.There are still challenges facing the major British supermarkets; the discounters, deflation, rebalancing to mention just three. However, we feel that heavy lifting has been undertaken and that better strategies are being applied by superior management. With favourable comparatives in tow, a rising population and economic growth could drive sustained improvement in sales densities and cash generation, progress that could have a ‘Bookeresque’ feel in time. Indeed, returns may even rise with asset values bolstered. Continue reading...


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Greeks must address divide over issue of sexual assault

As a CalGreeks member, I've seen many articles being shared that defend the Greek system in response to increased dialogue about sexual assault ...


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Business and claims as usual: “Greece is defaulting” each and every day

Over the Easter days, Greece was exposed to a barrage of negative media reports claiming that a “Greek default” was “imminent” if the bailout talks between the Greek government and the creditors fail. The claims continued also today with the aim to increase pressure ahead of the Euro Group meeting […]


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IMF's Blanchard: A Greek crisis can't be ruled out

The International Monetary Fund warned that Greece' s fight with official EU creditors over lending terms could still go bad and impact the global economy this year. "A Greek crisis cannot be ruled out, an event that could unsettle ...


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Greek state's debt to private sector grew by about €150 mn in February

The state's overdue debt to the private sector grew to €3.245 billion in February, from €3.099 billion in January, official figures showed on Tuesday. The State's General Accounting Office, in a monthly report, said that pending tax returns fell to ...


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Four Forces Facing the Global Economy

In our April 2015 World Economic Outlook, we forecast global growth to be roughly the same this year as it was last year, 3.5 percent vs. 3.4 percent.   This global number reflects an increase in growth in advanced economies, 2.4 percent vs. 1.8 percent, offset by a decrease in growth in emerging market and developing economies, 4.3 percent vs. 4.6 percent last year.   In short, to repeat the words used by the IMF managing director last week, we see growth as "moderate and uneven." Behind these numbers lies an unusually complex set of forces shaping the world economy.  Some, such as the decline in the price of oil and the evolution of exchange rates, are highly visible.  Some, from crisis legacies to lower potential growth, play more of behind-the-scenes role but are important nevertheless.  Let me briefly review them. Legacies from both the financial and the euro crises are still visible in many advanced economies. To varying degrees, weak banks and high levels of debt -- public, corporate, or household -- still weigh on spending and growth. Low growth, in turn, makes deleveraging a slow process.  There is a clear lesson here:  Deleveraging will take time. Potential  growth has declined.  Potential growth in advanced economies was already declining before the crisis. Aging, together with a slowdown in total productivity, were at work. The crisis made it worse, with the large decrease in investment leading to even lower capital growth.  Capital growth will recover, but aging and weak productivity growth will continue to limit growth.  The decrease is more pronounced in emerging markets, where aging, lower capital accumulation and lower productivity growth are combining to significantly lower potential growth in the future.  It would be wrong to speak, as some have done, of stagnation, but prospects are more subdued.  And more subdued prospects lead, in turn, to lower spending and lower growth today. The decline in the price of oil has led to a large reallocation of real income from oil exporters to oil importers. The early evidence suggests that in oil importers, from the United States to the euro area to China and to India, the increase in real income is increasing spending. Oil exporters have cut spending, but to a smaller extent; many have substantial financial reserves and are in a position to reduce spending slowly. Exchange rate movements have been unusually large. Among major currencies, the dollar has seen a major appreciation, and the euro and the yen a major depreciation. These movements clearly reflect differences in monetary policy, with the United States expecting to exit the zero lower bound this year, but with no such prospects for the euro area or Japan. To the extent that both the euro area and Japan were at risk of another relapse, the euro and yen depreciations will help. To some extent, the United States has the policy room to offset the adverse effects of the dollar appreciation. Thus, this adjustment of exchange rates must be seen, on net, as good news for the world economy. Now, put all these forces together. Some countries suffer from adverse legacies; others do not. Some countries suffer from lower potential growth; others do not. Some countries gain from the decrease in the price of oil; others lose. Some countries' currencies move with the dollar; others move with the euro and the yen.  Add to this a couple of idiosyncratic developments, such as the economic trouble in Russia or the weakness of Brazil.  On net, as I have indicated, our baseline forecasts are for an increase in growth in advanced economies, and for a decrease in growth in emerging markets and developing economies.  But these overall numbers do not do full justice to the diversity of underlying evolutions. As always, there are risks to the forecasts.  We see macroeconomic risks as having slightly decreased. The major risk last year -- namely a recession in the euro area -- has decreased, and so has the risk of deflation. But financial and geopolitical risks have increased. Large movements in relative prices, whether exchange rates or the price of oil, creates losers and winners. Energy companies and oil-producing countries face both tougher conditions and higher risks.  If large exchange rate movements were to continue, they could both create further financial risks and ignite international tensions. A Greek crisis, an event that could unsettle financial markets, cannot be ruled out. Turmoil continues in Ukraine and in the Middle East, although so far without systemic economic implications. Let's turn, finally, to policy recommendations.  Given the diversity of situations, it is obvious that policy advice must be country-specific. Even so, some general principles continue to hold. Measures to sustain growth in both the short term and the longer term continue to be of the essence. With the introduction of quantitative easing in the euro area, monetary policy in advanced economies has largely accomplished what it can. On the fiscal side, the decrease in the price of oil has created an opportunity to decrease energy subsidies and replace them with better-targeted programs.  The case for more infrastructure investment we made in the previous World Economic Outlook remains.  And while structural reforms cannot do miracles, they can increase the level of output and increase growth for some time. The proper menu differs by country. Given the short-term political costs associated with many of these reforms, the challenge remains to choose carefully, and to implement them. -- 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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Mogherini says Europe must show flexibility on Greece

... Mogherini said the rest of the EU should understand this was not just Greece's business but their own too and the community should "show flexibility ...


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Populist Rhetoric Spreading in Greece

A few years ago, debtor-country governments like Greece might have gone along with austerity programs in the real belief that they would pay off in ...


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EU Task Force in Greece to be all but dismantled

A group of European Union experts helping Greece to improve administration and draw more European funding is set to be all but dismantled after the new leftist government refused to cooperate with them, officials have told Reuters. Such a concession to Prime Minister ...


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The heart of Brisbane's Greek community will be demolished for units

The heart and soul of Brisbane's original Greek community – Hellenic House at South Brisbane – is going to be demolished for a $40 million block of ...


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Russia negotiates with European nations the onshore segment of Turkish Stream pipeline

The onshore segment of Turkish Stream will pass over Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, and Hungary to Austria


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EFSF Chief Regling: Greece Has Yet to Submit a Comprehensive Reform List

The Chief Executive Officer of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) Klaus Regling said the Greek government has not yet submitted a comprehensive list of economic reforms as requested by the country’s international lenders. In an interview with the Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias, the EFSF Chief stated that Athens has so far implemented everything it has committed to, such as making payments towards the EFSF and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Furthermore, Mr. Regling expressed the opinion that further financial assistance should be made available to Greece, explaining that fresh aid towards addressing its debt problems in the short term may be necessary since the country has not been granted access to the markets yet. Although, the EFSF official underlined that Athens’ European partners want a detailed and comprehensive list of reforms which would allow its return to a sustainable situation before proceeding with any additional financial assistance. Answering the question of how much additional liquidity will be made available to Greece, Mr. Regling explained that European institutions are currently evaluating the situation and have yet to determine the funding gap needed to be covered. Finally, the EFSF Chief appeared optimistic that a deal between Greece and its European partners will soon be concluded.


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Greek House Speaker Threatens Gas Station Attendant for Not Reparing Tire

Greek House Speaker Zoe Konstantopoulou allegedly threatened a gas station attendant that she will ask his employer to fire him because he said he could not replace her flat tire. The incident took place at a gas station in Edipsos on Easter Sunday. Mrs. Konstantopoulou allegedly asked the attendant to change her tire and he claimed that he doesn’t change tires because the gas station does not have the necessary tools. The house speaker then asked for his identification and told him to call his employer. She threatened that she will ask his boss to fire him for refusing to change her tire. According to Nikos Alatsatianos, the gas station attendant, Mrs. Konstantopoulou returned on Monday and demanded again that her tire be replaced. Mr. Alatsatianos repeated that he doesn’t have the appropriate tools. Two women who had stopped at the gas station took pictures and filmed the incident with their cell phones. Mrs. Konstantopoulou allegedly asked them to erase the material and allegedly opened the door to their car and took the two cell phones from their hands to verify that they indeed erased the pictures and video. Allegedly she threatened them saying that it is illegal to take pictures of someone without their approval. Valia Panagiotidou, the woman who was a witness to the incident, posted a comment on facebook. Mr. Alatsatianos also posted on the social network. Mrs. Panagiotidou also gave an interview to Efimerida daily where she described the incident minute by minute. She also said that Mrs. Konstantopoulou was furious during the incident and she kept repeating to everyone “Do you know who I am?” The witness also said that she is afraid because Mrs. Konstantopoulou is a high government official and she received many negative comments after her post on facebook. The facebook post regarding the incident has been removed from Mrs. Panagiotidou’s wall.


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