It's Time To Admit The GREEK'S Open Venue Model Might Work

Ok, I'll be the first to admit it. I was probably wrong about the GREEK Theatre's open venue model. During the epic fight for the GREEK Theatre, I came out ...

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Ballet director debuts at GREEK National Opera

Composed and self-assured, Andonis Foniadakis is currently presenting his most recent dance project at the GREEK National Opera, his first in his ...

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GREEK minister will blame federation if teams banned

Deputy Sports Minister Stavros Kontonis said Wednesday the GREEK football federation will be to blame if the country's teams are suspended from ...

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Mailbag: Parties at Italian eateries; celebrating GREEK Easter

Finding the right location for a celebration can be as important as the celebration itself. A reader recently asked for suggestions for baby shower ...

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Sorority and fraternity recruitment deferred to spring semester by 2018

Beginning in fall 2017, freshman will no longer be able to join GREEK life in their first semester at GW, according to a University release on Wednesday.

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EU to 'scale up' deportation of refugees to Turkey

As EU plans to intensify deportations, refugees still making desperate attempt to cross the Aegean Sea to Greece.

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Increase of over 300% of unaccompanied and separated children in Greece

The United Nations children's agency UNICEF says there has been a 300% increase in the number of unaccompanied and separated children registered in Greece. It has welcomed a new Greek law, which came into force on April 4th, exempting certain vulnerable ...

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Greek Life Recaps and Reminders

• Alpha Omnicom Pi’s new members were initiated on Wednesday, March 30. Several of their members attended AOII’s leadership training on Sunday, April 2 at the University of Maryland. • Zeta Tau Alpha’s new members were initiated on ...

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Afghan migrant flown to Lithuania after social media plea

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — An Afghan man who worked for Lithuanian troops in Afghanistan has been transferred to the Baltic country from a migrant camp in Greece after pleading for help on social media.

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Greek Girl Achieves Highest Title in Chess

Sixteen-year-old Stavroula Tsolakidou from Kavala is the youngest female Grand Master. Stavroula took part in the International Chess Championship in Moscow. The championship ran from January 30 until the February 7. Her excellent performance earned her ...

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GW GREEK Life Adopts Deferred Recruitment Policy

Currently, GREEK life organizations begin recruiting students during their first semester on campus. The new policy requires students to complete 12 ...

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Suburban Greek Orthodox Church To Hold Special Blessing For Motorcycle Riders

(CBS) — Many churches bless animals, but this Sunday, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in southwest suburban Homer Glen will host a blessing for a different type of “hog.” The Greek Orthodox Bishop Demetrios will personally bless each of more than ...

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GREECE braces for nationwide strike over pension reforms

Mass walkouts have been called in GREECE against plans to overhaul the pension system as the government is planning to hold crucial talks with ...

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UNICEF urges full hearings for refugee and migrant children stranded in GREECE

Currently more than 22,000 refugee and migrant children are stranded in GREECE, facing an uncertain future and even forms of detention since the ...

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The pope plans to visit migrants on GREEK island

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the trip could thrust the Catholic Church leader more deeply into Europe's heated debate over migration.

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Tensions flare in GREEK refugee camps after readmissions to Turkey

LESBOS, April 5, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Refugees and migrants protest against EU-Turkey migration deal inside the entrance of Moria camp in the GREEK ...

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EU Law Requires Greece to Protect, Provide Hearings for Child Refugees

… .2016Get short URL WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Greece and fellow EU member states … children are currently stranded in Greece. Moreover, many of those children … the return of refugees from Greece to Turkey under a recently …

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Pope Could Visit Syrian Refugees on Greek Island

… . The Associated Press, citing a Greek ecclesiastic website called Dogma, reported … April 5, 2016 in Lesbos, Greece. Milos Bicanski / Getty Images, file … raft trip from Turkey to Greece was set to start on …

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'Go back to your country'

A Greek Cypriot says he has been attacked, name called and has had a nine-year-old girl tell him to wash the dirt off his skin while living in Lincolnshire. The man - who has asked not to be identified in the Echo - has come forward after another victim ...

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Number Of Migrants Reaching Greece Lower After Returns To Turkey

Under the deal, Ankara will take back migrants and refugees, including Syrians, who entered Greece illegally. Two boats left the Greek island of Lesbos at dawn, and another from the island of Chios, carrying mostly economic migrants from Pakistan and ...

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EU migrant crisis: Is Greece-Turkey deal working?

About 200 migrants have arrived in Turkey after being deported from Greece, the first to be returned under an EU deal to stem the flow of migrants. But is the deal proving effective? The BBC's Sarah Rainsford on the Greek island of Lesbos and Mark Lowen in ...

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Geopolitical experts detail the challenges the next US president will face on day one

[Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) Dear candidates of the 2016 US presidential race, Five of you remain with less than 31 weeks until Election Day. Three of you won't even make it out of the primaries. And yet, American voters and foreign observers all search for substance in your stump speeches, trying to imagine their lives and the world at large under your leaderships. Those of us who view the world through the prism of geopolitics remind ourselves that campaign rhetoric tends to diverge from post-election policy. The constraints built into the presidency as well as those shaping the international system will inevitably blur personal distinctions and mold policy decisions, whether the winning candidate carries anti-establishment credentials to Washington or is working to create or uphold a political dynasty. We understand that perspective is hard to come by at this stage of the race, and you are obsessively watching the polls and attempting to shape your image to a media ready to pounce on every slip. But the world is watching at a time of great uncertainty. Candidates will require dispassionate analysis and a deep understanding of history to navigate the challenges that lie beyond our borders. Whoever enters the White House come January, this briefing attempts to frame the geopolitical state of the world awaiting you. BACK TO GROWTH FUNDAMENTALS [Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid ]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) While it is easy to blame presidents for breaking the economy or credit them for fixing it, they will ultimately be judged by how well they manage the phase of the country's economic cycle that overlaps their time in office. It just so happens that the current phase of the cycle — the great global deleveraging — is comparable to that of the 1930s. Eight years ago, central banks reluctantly became the first responders to a world that had seized up after overindulging in credit-fueled growth enabled in large part by China's record rise. As debt repayments soared and global depression loomed, governments and central banks had no choice but to intervene. The painkillers came in the form of liquidity injections, large-scale purchases of market securities and a discomforting world of zero and negative interest rates, all in the hope of stimulating consumer spending to drive sustainable growth. As governments became more wary of their debt burdens and voters, they backed off, and the central banks were largely left to manage the crisis. And while central banks have lulled markets back into complacency and have bought political leaders time, growth engines are still sputtering, and income inequality has reached a point of political severity. The United States, less exposed to trade fluctuations than its peers, has been the first to recover and begin the process of normalizing its economy through a gradual rise in interest rates. But that strategy is sensitive to economic headwinds from abroad. [Janet Yellen]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) The US economy cannot operate in a vacuum, and the global dominance of the dollar stretches US influence into nearly every corner of the world. And so while the US president does not influence the Federal Reserve's monetary policy, the consequences of that policy reach around the globe. For example, a dovish Fed policy in raising rates will limit the damage inflicted on the Chinese yuan by a strong dollar, but that move simultaneously creates more problems for the euro and yen by pushing them higher in relative terms at a time when both the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan are running out of ammunition. The more unorthodox measures that central banks must undertake to stimulate growth, the more political scrutiny they will face as their efforts decline in utility with time. If central banks cannot carry sick economies through the deleveraging process, then the more burden politicians will have to shoulder to find the right blend of spending cuts, wealth transfers and debt restructuring to pave the path toward rising incomes, productivity growth and inclusive employment. Those politicians, however, whether at home or abroad, face the tyranny of election timetables and are now caught in the middle of a revolt by voters fed up with years of economic stagnation and bereft of faith in government institutions. As the anti-establishment movement grows louder, political consensus becomes harder to find, and the probability of achieving a timely and balanced policy mix to manage this phase of the crisis decreases. The United States can take some solace in the fact that it is on the most stable economic footing relative to the rest, but there is more economic volatility to come in the rest of the world. The growing limits of foreign monetary policy in this great global deleveraging will be one of several factors driving future geopolitical conflict. LEARNING TO DEAL WITH MANY EUROPES [merk juncker]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) The political consequences of economic stagnation will be highly pronounced in Europe, a continent fragmenting from north to south as well as east to west. Euroskepticism is not a passing phase; it is Europe being honest with itself and its past. It is much easier to paper over wide divergences in wealth and make compromises to national sovereignty in times of economic prosperity. But in times of prolonged economic stagnation, the interests of the nation come well before those of the union. The eurozone has avoided financial calamity so far with the help of the European Central Bank's quantitative easing program and low commodity prices, but slow growth, heavy debt burdens and high youth unemployment will estrange the debtor nations of the south from the more fiscally responsible bloc in the north led by Germany. And the more experimental the European Central Bank gets in trying to fight deflation, the more German resistance will grow out of fear of inflation. A refugee crisis fueled by conflict in the Middle East only accelerates European fragmentation as border controls are resurrected and the already economically troubled and politically vulnerable southern countries are stuck with the migrant burden. If European states are losing common ground over which to make the sacrifices needed to maintain a political and monetary union, then we cannot expect European countries under economic and political strain to make the sacrifices necessary to absorb large migrant flows. This is especially true as the persistent threat of jihadist attacks amplifies Islamophobia across the Continent. [Migrants walk along a road as they look for a way to cross the Greek-Macedonian border, near the village of Idomeni, Greece, March 14, 2016. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) Euroskepticism can exist in many forms. Referendums, whether or not they pass, will be a popular tool for countries to use to vent their frustration with the European project and renegotiate the terms of the union. Mainstream parties in unwieldy coalitions will fight for political survival by adopting a more nationalistic stance to reflect the moods of voters. The United States must see Europe as a collection of nations with widely divergent interests and pay careful attention to the political and economic stresses on the relationship between France and Germany as they, the two pillars of the European Union, head into 2017 general elections with nationalism framing their political campaigns. MAKING UP FOR NATO’S SHORTCOMINGS [military spending]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) It is no secret that the United States spends far more on its military than its European NATO allies do, creating the expectation that Washington will fill the gaps whenever the need arises. Of NATO's 26 European members, only five — Lithuania, Greece, France, Turkey and the United Kingdom — spend more than the NATO-recommended 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense (Poland and Estonia are at 1.9 percent), according to 2014 data. The economic crisis in Europe is partly to blame for defense spending cuts, but there is also wide disparity within the bloc over where the alliance should focus its attention. The United States and United Kingdom are more closely aligned on broadening NATO's scope to meet the challenges of the day, whether on counterterrorism campaigns in the Middle East or on cyber threats. France and Germany will be more careful in managing frictions with Russia but have also come to realize they cannot avoid their counterterrorism responsibilities abroad, even if they differ on which front to tackle. Turkey is being drawn into surrounding conflicts and, with or without NATO, will increasingly rely on its military to respond to threats in northern Syria and Iraq. The Baltic states and Poland will be the most responsive to the Russian threat and will try to focus the alliance on permanent deployments to Eastern Europe. [nato training]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) NATO is not obsolete, but it does need to evolve; Russia still poses a prominent potential threat to Europe's eastern flank, and every terrorist attack that hits the Continent shows the need for better security and intelligence coordination. Still, the United States will continue to carry a heavier burden than the rest, and Eastern European allies will have to look beyond NATO for bilateral security guarantees from Washington to fortify their shield against Russia. The announcement of a third US brigade rotating through Eastern Europe does not fundamentally alter the military balance between NATO and Russia unless European member states can match those levels. But quieter US deployments in Iceland, as Russian submarine activity in the Atlantic Ocean rises, to reinforce the "GIUK gap" (between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom) point to a more comprehensive buildup by the United States, even if it is incremental. A DISSECTION OF RUSSIAN STRATEGY [putin military russia]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) The gradual US buildup in Europe ensures that the US-Russian standoff will be a major theme of the next US presidency. Russia's fundamental distrust of the United States is fueled by what it perceives as a deliberate Western encroachment on its doorstep. Moscow will try to mitigate the threat with a conventional military buildup as well as a distancing and possible break from previous nuclear arms-control treaties. Russia will also do its best to widen fissures in Europe to undermine both financial sanctions and overall US efforts to build a strong and coherent counterbalance to potential Russian aggression. The third prong in Russia's strategy entails finding and building levers in conflict zones that have the potential not only to bog the United States down but also to make the United States dependent on Moscow for an exit strategy. The Middle East is full of such opportunities, with Syria being the most prominent example. Russia is so entrenched in that conflict that it can either dial up or down the violence to shape its broader negotiation with the West. The stick comes in the form of intensifying the conflict through its military support for the Bashar al Assad government, which in turn exacerbates the migrant crisis dividing Europe and stymies US efforts on the battlefield. [Bashar al-Assad]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) The carrot comes in the form of implementing a cease-fire, coordinating on the fight against the Islamic State and working toward a credible peace deal and political transition with the expectation that the Europeans and the United States will be willing to bargain on sanctions relief, put pressure on Ukraine to recognize autonomy in its east and limit the NATO buildup. Tactical and incremental compromises are possible as both sides try to avoid a bigger conflagration, but Russia's standoff with the West is still deeply ingrained and, with the credibility of US security guarantees at stake, the United States is unlikely to make compromises that leave its allies hanging. As the conflict endures, the US president must stay alert to the layers of Russian strategy designed to draw Washington into strategic concessions at the expense of those allies. Navigating growing competition between Russia and Turkey will be tricky for Washington. From the Middle East to the Black Sea region to Nagorno-Karabakh in the Caucasus, there are multiple opportunities for Moscow and Ankara to bump heads. The United States can leverage this competition to draw Turkey deeper into the NATO fold, but it must also be wary of being drawn into a fray between these old geopolitical rivals that could undermine the alliance and escalate into much bigger confrontations. GET USED TO REGIONAL POWERS STEPPING UP IN THE MIDEAST [Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd in the holy city of Qom, 120 km (75 miles) south of Tehran, October 19, 2010. REUTERS/Khamenei.ir ]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) Power vacuums in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen overlaid by deep sectarian tensions will provide space for jihadists to operate and a base from which grassroots operatives can draw inspiration, training and expertise. Whether those jihadist pockets will thrive depends on the ability of the United States to attract more regional help with counterterrorism efforts. This dynamic is already in play, as a US strategy to reconcile with Iran has had the strategic effect of prodding the main Sunni players — Turkey and Saudi Arabia — into action to counterbalance Iran. The cost to this balance-of-power strategy is that all players and their proxies will pull in multiple and often opposing directions in pursuing their immediate interests. But after more than a decade of fighting in the Middle East, US policymakers should be used to working with a dizzying array of competing factions. The United States will have to bend with the strategies of its allies — and in some cases, allies will have to bend with the strategy of the United States. For example, the United States will continue to work with Kurdish militant proxies against the Islamic State but will also set boundaries as it prioritizes cooperation with Turkey. Israel will see its influence on the US policy in the region weaken as Washington is forced to rely on other regional heavyweights to manage these conflicts, but Israel will be quick to adapt by quietly building its own ties to Sunni partners and by keeping on top of Russian activities in the region. [Barack Obama Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) Saudi Arabia will remain close to the United States out of necessity, but it knows it cannot always count on the United States to be in sync with the Gulf Cooperation Council's agenda. Riyadh will attempt to consolidate a Sunni regional alliance to address regional threats, and the United States will not always be able to police such actions. Riyadh will also coordinate with its Gulf partners on its longer-term economic security. With low commodity prices delivering the latest reality check to Gulf monarchs on the importance of diversification, questions over the stability of Saudi succession will rise as Saudi economic and potentially political policy becomes more experimental. A close eye will need to be kept on Iran as well. The Iranian presidential election is tentatively set for June 2017, less than six months after the inauguration of the US president. Even as recent parliamentary elections in Iran favored the moderate camp led by President Hassan Rouhani, a slow economic recovery and growing resistance from political hard-liners threatened by Rouhani's political and economic opening have the potential to upset Iran's political path and raise more complications in the fledgling US-Iran relationship. A CREDIBLE US PIVOT TO ASIA [US Navy uss lassen]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) China is still massive and growing, but a slower rate of growth for a country as large as China puts the world in a whole new paradigm. As that painful adjustment continues to play out, we must bear in mind that Beijing understands the existential need to build up a large consumer class and move its economy up the value chain to rebalance. China intends for its tech industry to be a major driver for growth but also wants to move beyond just the assembly and production of electronic products into designing and fabricating components that it currently has to import. Government subsidization, corporate espionage and the direct purchasing of foreign tech companies will all be geared toward gaining the know-how needed for China to develop a more indigenous tech industry. This will be a key driver of Chinese espionage in the cyber realm, where the best options for defense by the United States are political rather than technical, given the rapidly shifting threat environment. Nonetheless, though cybersecurity may be a high-profile campaign issue, any future White House will have limited success in persuading China to take action against hackers except those outside its command. [A hacker, who requests not to have his name revealed, works on his laptop in his office in Taipei July 10, 2013. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang ]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) While it is tempting to manipulate currency values in a prolonged period of economic stagnation to boost growth, the cost to the Chinese consumer will weigh heavily on Beijing's mind and shape a more cautious approach to managing the yuan. The daunting amount of structural reform needed to tackle industrial overcapacity and rebalance the Chinese economy will occur at a highly uneven and volatile pace as authorities face growing resistance on the central and local levels. Foreign and domestic calls for Beijing to allow freedom of communication and expression will fall on deaf ears as President Xi Jinping will work in overdrive to nip emerging factions in the bud as party competition escalates. As China's economic and political challenges grow, the country can be expected to be even more assertive abroad. Both Beijing and Washington will court countries in Southeast Asia with the potential for robust economic growth as they take advantage of the Chinese slowdown over time. But the states in Southeast Asia will refuse to be drawn in a zero-sum game. On the security front, China is not looking to pick a fight with the world's military superpower, but it is serious about defining a naval sphere of influence and protecting and creating redundancy in its supply lines. Chinese efforts to project power into the wider Indian and Pacific oceans will rub against a US imperative to maintain naval dominance in these theaters. [north korea]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) North Korea's nuclear advances will only further complicate the security climate in the Asia-Pacific theater. A replication of the Iran or the Libya strategy will not work in trying to contain North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Pyongyang is aiming for a viable nuclear deterrent, and sanctions and military threats will only reinforce this goal. The United States will deepen its security ties with Japan and South Korea to mitigate the developing North Korean threat, an alliance that will also heighten frictions with China. Even as Beijing tries to leverage cooperation on dealing with North Korea to place boundaries on US security enhancements in the region, China's influence on Pyongyang's actions are visibly limited, and Beijing will avoid rocking the boat too hard for fear of creating a bigger conflict on its border. Debates in South Korea and Japan over whether they should take the relatively short leap into activating their own nuclear weapons programs predate by at least a couple of decades Donald Trump's remarks that Japan and South Korea will pursue nuclear weapons. The US focus on its allies in the Asia-Pacific theater and the strength and credibility of its nuclear umbrella will be the main deterrents to Seoul and Tokyo pursuing an independent nuclear path. At the same time, the United States will develop a stronger watch on the nuclear ambitions of its own allies and will wield sticks when needed to dissuade strategic partners from unilaterally making a nuclear jump. A SILVER LINING IN THE COMMOTION OVER COMMODITY PRICES [India oil]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) While political volatility is a given for countries overly reliant on extractive industries and foreign credit for growth, the global commodity bust and credit crunch can be a boon to US foreign policy. From Latin America to Africa to Asia, economic cycles have reached a point where political leaders can no longer binge on credit-fueled growth to sustain populist measures. As credit gets squeezed, it becomes much harder to keep the public content through subsidies and to reward political allies through kickbacks from mega projects. Economic belts are tightened, corruption allegations have the potential to mobilize the public, and social unrest ensues. Once the storm passes, some (but not all) countries will come out stronger as populist measures are reined in and stronger regulatory environments develop. The United States can also continue a policy of quietly supporting the creation of credible anti-corruption bodies to stabilize governments over the long term as it works to create a more dependable network of allies. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A GLOBAL HEGEMON [us aircraft carrier]REUTERS/Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R) This brief is by no means comprehensive but is meant as an honest attempt to build a framework around the foreign policy debate this election season. Per the usual, there is much talk this season about restoring American strength. The strength underpinning the notion of American exceptionalism is deeply rooted in the country's geopolitical identity. The United States has two vast oceans for buffer and is built on a resource-rich and naturally integrated land that not only fosters a strong national identity but also enables deep economic linkages with neighbors on the North American continent. The United States needs a stronger alliance architecture abroad if it hopes to preserve its strengths at home. Whether you advocate a more narrow "America first" policy, or a more isolationist strategy, or simply want to apply more scrutiny to US foreign activity abroad, the responsibilities of the US leadership will run deep. NOW WATCH: China is full of weirdly empty 'ghost cities' — here are the biggest ones

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Man 'threatens to throw baby at police' amid heated scenes at GREEK port

A man has appeared to threaten to throw a baby at police amid protests at the proposed removal of migrants and refugees from a GREEK port. The man ...

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European stocks manage to carve out a gain thanks to a rally in the US

European stock market close 6 April 2016FTSE +1.1%Cac +0.8%Dax +0.7%Ibex +0.2%FTSE Mib +0.8%European bonds Italy 1.28% +1bpSpain 1.51% +2bpPortugal 3.18% +3bpGermany 0.117% +2bpGreece 9.09% +5bpUS stocks floating around the highs with the FOMC minutes looming. The S&P up

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Marinella and Takis Zacharatos Charm Greek-Australian Audience

The Greek-Australians of Melbourne and Sydney had the opportunity to enjoy the grand star of the Greek music scene, Marinella, along with the unique performer Takis Zacharatos. Marinella charmed the audience with her voice by singing all of her greatest ...

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Long time not heard! Goldman Sachs analysis: “Come back of Grexit”

Spring is here, summer is close. Time for Grexit. The websites of all Greek media report of a Goldman Sachs analysis that bears the title “Come Back of Grexit”. A scenario that we have missed in the last 10 months. The Goldman Sachs analysis warns “that the Grexit scenario has […]

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Berlin Insists on Privatization Revenues

In an interview with Berlin newspaper “Tagesspiegel,” Finance Minister George Stathakis said that if the agreement between the Greek government and the creditors is achieved, Greece could return back to a growth development in the second half of 2016. Stathakis also added that the initial 50 billion euro privatization revenue will be reduced to 15 billion

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Whistleblowers and leak activists face powerful elites in struggle to control information

They want you to keep it zipped. Lightspring/shutterstock.com The Panama Papers have brought the powerful role of whistleblowers back into the public consciousness. Several years after WikiLeaks’ Cablegate and the Snowden revelations, the next big leak has not only caused the downfall of Iceland’s prime minister (with others possibly to follow), but has demonstrated that the practice of exposing hidden information is very much alive. The struggle over controlling this kind of information is one of the great conflicts of our times. It might seem that such leaks are rare. WikiLeaks’ publication in 2010 of the Iraq and Afghanistan war diaries and of US diplomatic cables brought major political repercussions, but public interest in WikiLeaks has fallen since. Whistleblower Edward Snowden’s revelations in 2013 about mass surveillance programmes by US and British intelligence services returned the power of the leak to the spotlight, triggering new legislation in the UK in the form of the Investigatory Powers Bill. But no mass movement of whistleblowers appears to have emerged in their wake. Nevertheless, plenty has been going on. WikiLeaks has continued to expose hidden information, including files on Guantanamo Bay operations, secret drafts of the controversial TPP trade negotiations, and more recently a recording of an IMF meeting that provides significant insights into current conflicts between the IMF, the EU and the Greek government in their handling of the eurozone crisis. Other leaks include those that revealed HSBC bank helped clients conceal their wealth. Old-world and new-world media organisations have developed processes to deal with anonymous data leaks and protect the safety of the whistleblowers. Organisations such as the New York Times, The Guardian and Al-Jazeera use secure digital dropboxes for depositing files anonymously. Major publishers established collaborations to share resources and expertise in order to analyse and make sense of the huge amount of data quickly and to maximise international exposure. LEAK ACTIVISM AND HACKTIVISM And beyond the major news organisations, a culture of “leaks activism” has emerged. Hacktivist groups such as Globaleaks have developed technology for secure and anonymous leaking. Local or thematically-oriented initiatives provide new opportunities for whistleblowers to expose secret information. Citizen Leaks in Spain, for example, acts as an intermediary that accepts leaks, reviews them, and sends them on to partner newspapers. Run by Xnet, an anti-corruption group, Citizen Leaks has helped uncover major cases of corruption in Spain that brought to court leading Spanish politicians such as former minister of the economy and chairman of Spain’s largest bank, Rodrigo Rato. Who will blow the whistle? PlusONE/shutterstock.com As intermediaries rather than publishers, organisations such as Citizen Leaks remain largely invisible to the public. But their role is crucial to expose corruption and other wrongdoings and so they are an important feature of the changing media landscape. Following the WikiLeaks revelations in 2010-11, US scholar Yochai Benkler conceptualised this emerging news environment as a “networked fourth estate”, in which classic news organisations interact with citizen journalists, alternative and community media, online news platforms, and new organisations such as WikiLeaks and Citizen Leaks. In Snowden’s case, he (the whistleblower) worked with documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, independent journalist and former lawyer Glenn Greenwald, and The Guardian, a traditional media organisation. Leaks activist groups and platforms are increasingly relevant because digitisation makes it easy to collect and transmit vast troves of data. The 7,000 pages of the Pentagon Papers that Daniel Ellsberg had to photocopy in 1971 would be a small PDF file today, while the huge amounts of documents that comprise the Panama Papers would have been impossible to leak in pre-digital times. NO LOVE LOST FOR WHISTLEBLOWERS Consequently, as organisations become more vulnerable to leaks they try to protect themselves through other means. The Insider Threat Program adopted for US public administrative agencies requires employees to report to their superiors any “suspicious” behaviour by colleagues. Under the Obama administration more whistleblowers have been prosecuted than under all previous Presidents combined. Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison, Julian Assange is holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, and Snowden lives in exile in Russia. So as leaks become more common, the response by states and corporations becomes harsher. Whistleblowers are exposing the secrets of the powerful and the foundations on which contemporary political and economic power relations are built. Activism based around hacking, leaks and the release of data has put tools to affect world politics into the hands of those outside the classic structures of power and influence. Yet as previous high-profile leaks have shown, the degree and direction of change is far from clear, and there’s no doubt that the consequences for whistleblowers can be life-changing. With the stakes rarely higher, the struggle to control information is likely to stay at the top of the political agenda. [The Conversation] _Arne Hintz receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council for the project 'Digital Citizenship and Surveillance Society: UK State-Media-Citizen relations after the Snowden leaks'._

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Turkey to readmit 200 irregular migrants from Greek islands

The deal is meant to be a one-to-one trade: For every Syrian migrant sent to Turkey, a Syrian asylum seeker is meant to be resettled from Turkey to the EU.It is also unclear whether the more than 50,000 migrants stuck on the Greek mainland will wait calmly ...

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Estonian police team, flown to Greece, sends migrants back to Turkey

TALLINN - The ESTPOL3 police team of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board flown to Greece on Saturday started escorting migrants to be sen......

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Libor case banker joked about owning bar in GREEK islands

Libor case banker joked about owning bar in GREEK islands ... an open invitation to his bar in the GREEK islands in return for his help, a court heard.

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Bulgarian, Greek Defence Ministers to Discuss Migration Pressure at EU Borders

The refugee crisis in Europe and migration pressure on EU borders will be on the agenda of talks between the defence ministers of Greece and Bulgaria on Thursday. Bulgaria’s Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev will pay a one-day official visit to Athens for talks with his Greek counterpart Panos Kammenos, the Defence Ministry in Sofia said in a statement on Wednesday. Nenchev reaffirmed last month Bulgaria's readiness to build a wire fence along its border with Greece in preparation for a possible increase in migration pressure following the closure for migrants of the so-called Western Balkan route to Western Europe via Macedonia and Serbia. Two weeks ago Bulgarian  troops held a joint training exercise with border police  at Ilinden crossing on the country’s border with Greece as part of Bulgaria’s efforts to adequately respond to a potential increase in migration flow after the closure of the Western Balkans route. The talks will also focus on various aspects of the cooperation between the two countries’ military as well as matters of the current agenda of NATO and the EU. The chiefs of defence of Bulgaria and Greece, Constantin Popov and Evangelos Apostolakis will also take part in the talks.

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Yanis Varoufakis: IMF-EU quarrel over Greece's Debt

… head next July by dangling Greece once more over the abyss …

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Turkish Prime Minister Notes Marked Drop in Migrant Flow to Greece

… the flow of migrants to Greece had reduced substantially since the … of illegal migrants coming to Greece from Turkey has fallen significantly …  Europe was working. On Monday, Greece started deporting migrants to Turkey …

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EU doesn’t need IMF on Greece: ECB

… IMF officials expressing frustration at Greece’s slow pace enacting reforms … IMF bore “criminal responsibility” for Greece’s painful austerity cuts, wrote … relief is unlikely,” Nowotny said. “Greece has already made massive progress.”

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#Winelover adventures in Athens, Greece

… are newbie to Greek wines, or already a seasoned Greek #winelover, Athens … that special #winelover magic in Greece. Sure, while you are in … check out my travels in Greece at Spaswinefood, or visit my …

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Greece’s Intralot Acquires 49% of Bulgaria’s Eurobet

… 2016 pending regulatory approvals, the Greek lottery and gambling technology provider …

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Merkel Defies IMF, Denies Greece 'Haircut' Enjoyed by Post-War Germany

… ; The bailout negotiations continue, with Greece being given tranches of money … allowing Greece to take a haircut. Tsipras is arguing that Greece should …  a Greek haircut will increase accusations that she is bullying the Greeks …

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Ex-Barclays Trader Used Greek Bar as Libor-Fixing Lure, SFO Says

(Bloomberg) -- One of five former Barclays Plc traders accused of rigging benchmark interest rates extended an open invitation to his bar on a Greek island and offered a glowing mention in his memoirs in exchange for help keeping Libor where he wanted it ...

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Greece sees two-week lag in migrant returns to Turkey: official

[Refugees and migrants on a rubber boat arrive at the Greek island of Lesbos early on March 20, 2016]A last-minute flurry of asylum applications by migrants desperate to avoid expulsion from Greece to Turkey will likely cause a two-week "lag" in an EU deportation plan slammed by rights groups, a Greek official said Wednesday.

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Cameron Vows More Help to GREECE in Processing Migrants

Britain plans to send additional personnel to GREECE to help it process immigrants, two days after EU's migrant deal with Turkey went into effect, the UK ...

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Concern grows for Socceroos-GREECE double bill

MAJOR question marks have been raised over Australia's two games with GREECE in June, after FIFA threatened to ban all Greek teams over alleged ...

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Turkey delays next migrant transfer at Greece's request

Brussels sought to tackle the problem by signing an agreement with Ankara last month to send new arrivals back to Turkey, in exchange for resettling some of the millions of Syrians living in refugee camps on its soil. The Netherlands on Tuesday took in 31 ...

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GREEK weddings are all about the food

A GREEK wedding is cause for celebration with foods traditionally served with Mediterranean flair. They include dishes meant to symbolize love and ...

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As the dream of Europe fades, Syrians try to figure out life in Turkey

As the EU closes its doors to migrants, Syrian refugees are having second thoughts about risking the trip to Greece. But they are finding it hard to start new lives in Turkey. Anna Lekas Miller reports from Izmir.

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Deputy Foreign Minister Mardas visits Berlin (4-6 April 2016)

Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Mardas carried out a visit to Berlin from 4 to 6 April 2016, to participate as a speaker in a Greek-German Business Forum organized by the Economist Greece and entitled “Restoring confidence and navigating for new trade, investment and start-ups.”In his speech, Mr. Mardas highlighted that Greece needs a “development shock” with investments of over €22 billion by 2022. He also referred to Greece’s comparative advantages that should attract investors, emphasizing human capital, the reduction in bureaucracy on matters pertaining to investment approval, the great potential for developing investment activities in the logistics sector, etc.Within the...

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Greece native Matt Lane coming home to play for Amerks

Greece native Matt Lane coming home to play for Amerks A senior at Boston University, Matt Lane has signed an AHL contract for next season Check out this story on DemocratandChronicle.com: http://on.rocne.ws/1RXTiVQ

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How To Find Meaning At Work

By Paolo Gallo Sisyphus is a character in Greek mythology who dared to challenge the gods of Olympus, lost the battle, and was punished as a result. And what was his punishment? Torture? Death? Imprisonment? In fact, it was none of these. Zeus, king of the gods, showed a little more [...]

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GREECE/ PANATHINAIKOS, A Bundesliga suitor for Thelander

According to Sport24.gr, Danish centre-back Rasmus Thelander (24), playing for Panathinaikos since last summer, has been targeted by Stuttgart. Former Aalborg player is currently on a deal with Greek club until June 2018.

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EU unveils plans to reform asylum rules to help frontline members

European commission vice-president sets out two options as he says migration crisis shows present system is not working EU authorities in Brussels have called for a reform of European asylum rules to ease the strain on countries such as Greece and Italy that are struggling to cope with a large influx of people. About 1.1 million migrants and refugees arrived in the EU last year, bringing the bloc’s common asylum system to the brink of collapse. Amid the biggest movement of refugees since the end of the second world war, several countries have abandoned common EU rules or announced the unilateral closure of their borders. Continue reading...

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