Greece faces tense presidential vote

Greek politics is on a knife-edge as MPs prepare to vote for a new president - the first of three voting rounds.

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Ding! ding! Round one – Greek parliament heads to the polls

At 19.00 Greek time (17.00 gmt) Greek lawmakers head to the polls in the first round of presidential elections. The ruling coalition of Pasok and New ...

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Greek Markets Suggest Government May Fall

Greek lawmakers will vote today on whether to back Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's choice for a new head of state. The collective wisdom of financial markets suggests his gambit may fail, leading to elections early next year that could result in the ...

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10 Things You Need To Know Before The Opening Bell (DIA, SPY, SPX, QQQ, SEAS)

Good morning! Here's what you need to know ahead of the opening bell. Russia Is Throwing The Kitchen Sink At The Ruble. After a surprise rate hike failed to stem the collapse of the Russian currency, the country's finance ministry has taken extraordinary steps. "Russia struggled for a second straight day to reverse a rout in the ruble with emergency measures, narrowing President Vladimir Putin’s options in confronting the country’s deepest financial crisis since 1998," Bloomberg's  Ksenia Galouchko, Vladimir Kuznetsov and Olga Tanas reported. "The ruble erased a rally of as much as 8.4%, leaving it little changed, after the Finance Ministry announced that it bought the currency." Russians Are Scrambling For Dollars As The Ruble Crumbles. With Russia's central bank seemingly unable to stop the enormous decline in its currency, many ordinary Russians are attempting to get as much of their money exchanged out of rubles as possible. Carlsberg Is Trying To Hedge Against Russia's Crisis. The company is the largest producer of beer in Russia, and the fall of the ruble has reduced its share price by around 15% this month so far. The company said it was "evaluating its efforts on a running basis" when asked by Bloomberg if it was trying to hedge against the ruble. Japan's Export Growth Is Still Disappointing. Japan's exports grew for a third straight month in November from a year earlier, but much more slowly than expected and despite a sharp fall in the yen as slowing demand in Asia and Europe dampened trade. The 4.9% rise in exports was much weaker than a 7.0% gain analysts expected. Inflation In Europe Is Still Low. Inflation in the Eurozone was 0.3% in November, according to the second estimate. Core inflation, which strips out volatile elements like energy and fresh food, was at 0.7% for the month. "Overall, the current inflation picture, and the likely further deterioration this month, raises the likelihood of sovereign QE as early as next month, but it is still far from certain that the ECB will move this early," Pantheon Macroeconomics' Claus Vistesen. Markets Are Mixed. US futures are rallying with Dow futures up 91 points and S&P futures up 12 points. Europe is in the red with Britain's FTSE 100 is down 0.7%, France's CAC 40 is down 0.4% and Germany's DAX is down 0.6%. Japan's Nikkei closed up 0.38%, but Hong Kong's Hang Seng  closed down 0.37%. The Fed's Latest Decisions Are Coming. At 2 p.m. ET, we'll get the latest decisions on monetary policy from the US Federal Reserve. Investors are watching most closely to see whether the phrase suggesting there will be "considerable time" before an interest hike is removed from the central bank's guidance. Greece's Legislators Will Vote On A New President Today. The Greek parliament needs to vote with a two-thirds majority to approve a new president, which is extremely unlikely to happen. Investors will be keeping an eye on how many MPs the government manages to get support from, and whether it's likely to muster the three-fifths support needed later this month. If not, snap nationwide elections loom. SeaWorld Is Releasing Some Mammals. "SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. plans to cut about 300 jobs as the theme-park operator continues to deal with the backlash from animal-rights activists and consumers about its treatment of animals, especially killer whales," the WSJ's Maria Armental reported. "SeaWorld, which operates its theme parks under its own name and under the Busch Gardens brand, wasn’t specific about which positions would be eliminated except to say the cuts would be across its 11 theme parks and at its headquarters." American Apparel Releases A Mammal. American Apparel CEO Dov Charney has been fired. From the company's statement: "Mr. Charney was suspended as president and CEO by the Board on June 18 for alleged misconduct and violations of company policy. Under terms of an agreement signed by Mr. Charney on July 9, a special committee of the Board oversaw an internal investigation conducted by FTI Consulting into the allegations against Mr. Charney. Based on this investigation, the special committee determined that it would not be appropriate for Mr. Charney to be reinstated as CEO or an officer or employee of the Company."Join the conversation about this story »

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One in Three Athenians Travel Daily by Bus

Buses are the most preferred means of transport for Athens residents, according to a new survey that shows that one in three Athenians takes the bus on a daily basis. The survey was conducted by Public Issue on behalf of the Greek branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). It was ahead of the Greek mass transport organizations collaboration with WWF in launching an awareness campaign to promote public transportation for a cleaner environment. The promotion will feature a giant panda. According to the poll, 33 percent of Athens residents prefer to take the bus on a daily basis, 31 percent ride the metro, 10 percent take the electric railway between Kifissia and Piraeus, 9 percent ride the yellow trolley bus and only 2 percent use the tram daily. The “blue” buses and trolley buses transport 1.4 million Athenians on a daily basis, according to mass transport authorities of Greece. In Piraeus, 46 percent of residents take the bus daily. The survey showed that there is the potential for more urban residents to use public transport. In Athens, 34 percent of residents use their cars to move around on a daily basis. Another 8 percent move around by motorcycle and 4 percent take taxis every day. The reasons claimed by those not using public transportation are the short distances they have to cover daily (39 percent), lack of convenient public transport routes (34 percent), bus delays (10 percent), infrequent service (7 percent), cost (6 percent), lack of stops or stations (6 percent), lack of integration between different modes of public transport (4 percent), overcrowding (3 percent) and lack of access for disabled passengers (3 percent).

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Amphipolis Included in Top Ten Discoveries of 2014

The tomb of Amphipolis was included in the “Top 10 Discoveries of 2014” list that was published in archaeology.org, a leading website in the field of archaeology. The discovery of the largest Greek tomb at Casta Hill was a major issue not just for Greeks but for the global community. The editorial team of archaeology.org singled out the top ten discoveries of the year and chose to start their article with a tribute to Amphipolis: “Ever since the discovery of the largest known Greek tomb was announced in August, archaeology buffs around the world have been eagerly awaiting each successive bit of news from the site. The Amphipolis tomb, which dates to the time of Alexander the Great, is a prime example of how archaeology can captivate the public imagination and easily earned a spot on our list of the Top 10 Discoveries of 2014,” noted the editorial team. The Tomb of Amphipolis was discovered in northern Greece in August 2014. Since then, a team of Greek archaeologists lead by Katerina Peristeri were able to excavate the tomb’s four chambers making various significant discoveries. Over the last four months they found a beautiful mosaic floor, two Sphinxes guarding the tomb’s entrance, two Caryatid statues and of course the skeleton of the person that was buried in the tomb during Alexander the Great’s era. The website’s list also included the following discoveries: Stonehenge’s underground secrets, in the UK; Seaton Down Hoard, one of the largest Roman coin hoards ever found, in the UK; discoveries regarding the beginning of Buddhism, in Nepal; Neanderthal genetic discoveries, in Israel; the Erebus shipwreck, in Canada; the Sunken Byzantine Basilica, in Turkey; the discovery about mummification before the Pharaohs in the UK; Bluetooth’s Fortress, in Denmark; and finally Naia, the 13,000-year-old skeleton of a Native American girl, in Mexico.

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Panathinaikos Edges Aris, 76-69

Panathinaikos stayed perfect and held off an upset bid from Aris, 76-69, a day after Olympiakos throttled Panionios in the Greek basketball league. The post Panathinaikos Edges Aris, 76-69 appeared first on The National Herald.

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