Greek privatisation agency chief resigns -officials

Greek privatisation agency chief resigns -officials Reuters ATHENS, July 19 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Greece's privatisation agency, Costas Mitropoulos, has resigned, two government officials told Reuters on Thursday. The new conservative-led government has made reviving the long-delayed privatisation ... and more »

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Greece migrants report 300 attacks since April

Greece migrants report 300 attacks since April

Associated Press


Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Updated 01:27 p.m., Thursday, July 19, 2012

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Immigrants living in Greece have been targeted in at least 300 violent attacks in the last three months, local anti-racism campaigners said Thursday, calling for better police protection against a surge in hate crimes.

Activists have linked the surge in attacks against immigrants to the political rise of the far-right Golden Dawn party, which uses aggressive rhetoric against immigrants and has been described by political opponents as neo-Nazi.

In a report issued last week, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said it had documented recent gang attacks on dozens of immigrants living in Greece, including children and pregnant women, and also warned of a surge in xenophobic violence.

The votes eventually led to the election of 18 members of parliament from Golden Dawn.

Since early April, and during the time the election campaigns were in full swing, Aslam said his and other groups had received 300 reports of assaults on immigrants.

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Greece to Slash Benefits Paid to Retired Civil Servants:Union Group

Greece to Slash Benefits Paid to Retired Civil Servants:Union Group Wall Street Journal ATHENS--Greece's public sector umbrella union Adedy said Thursday the government plans to slash lump sums paid to retired civil servants by more than 20% in a bid to reduce the state funding needs of pension funds. After meeting with Greek Labor and ... and more »

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Police seek bomber identity, Israel blames Iran

Police seek bomber identity, Israel blames Iran

Associated Press


Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Updated 12:40 p.m., Thursday, July 19, 2012

BURGAS, Bulgaria (AP) — He looked like any other impatient tourist checking the big board at airport arrivals: a lanky, long-haired man in baseball cap with his hands in the pockets of his plaid Bermuda shorts.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast called the accusation "baseless," saying it was aimed at diverting world attention from Israel's role in the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists.

Israel has attributed a series of attacks on its citizens around the world in recent months to Iran and its Shiite proxies, threatening to escalate a shadow war between the two arch-enemies that has escalated over Israeli allegations that the Iranians are trying to build nuclear weapons.

The attack occurred shortly after the Israelis boarded a bus outside the airport in the Black Sea resort town of Burgas, a popular destination for Israeli tourists — particularly for high school graduates before they are drafted into military service.

A Bulgarian government plane was to fly home 100 other Israelis who were not wounded, but who want to cut short their vacation.

Since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, relations with Israel resembled a cold war with both sides warily watching each other and dealing blows through proxies, but with little direct conflict.

In April, computer malware known as Flame infiltrated key government networks in Iran and forced a temporary shutdown of Internet links at the Oil Ministry and a key oil shipment facility.

[...] Israeli leaders have repeatedly said that "all options are on the table" in trying to disrupt Iran's nuclear program — a phrase that is widely interpreted as meaning the possibility of a military strike and other measures that could include cyberwarfare.

Since the fall of communism, Israel has maintained friendly ties with Bulgaria, a European Union nation of 7.3 million that borders Greece and Turkey.

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Amb. Marc Ginsberg: The Secret Battle for Syria

Few observers of the Syrian calamity would have predicted that a final battle of Damascus would have begun so soon with such a lethal display...

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Greece: Migrant group says 300 attacks since April

Greece: Migrant group says 300 attacks since April NECN ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Anti-racism campaigners in Greece say they have received claims of more than 300 attacks against mostly south Asian immigrants in the past three months, and called for better police protection against a surge in hate crimes. and more »

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The Greek bail-out: The troika is coming

Not giving Greece much time

TEMPERS frayed this week, as Greece’s new coalition government tried, and failed, to find €11.5 billion ($14 billion) of spending cuts demanded by the European Union (EU) and IMF in 2013 and 2014 as part of the country’s second international bail-out. “Some ministers didn’t seem to realise their budgets need to be slashed, not trimmed,” fumed a finance ministry official.Yet one culprit, Antonis Roupakiotis, the justice minister, noted that his ministry’s allocation of increasingly scarce funds has already shrunk from €950 million in 2009 to €550 million this year. Mr Roupakiotis claimed that fresh cuts would result in a near-collapse of the judicial process. It is already plagued by inadequate court facilities and long delays in reaching judgments—especially in cases involving alleged corruption and tax evasion.After a week of number crunching, the team led by Yannis Stournaras, the technocratic finance minister, was able to present only about €7.5 billion of cuts for approval by the coalition government’s three political leaders. About €4 billion of the cuts...

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Insight: Exasperated lenders get blunt with Greece

Greek Reporter

Insight: Exasperated lenders get blunt with Greece Reuters ATHENS (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund's mission chief for Greece, Poul Thomsen, walked grim-faced into his first meeting with newly elected Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on July 5 wearing a black tie looking as if he was going to a funeral. Schaeuble: The Future of Greece Lies in Greece's HandsGreek Reporter EU officials seem reluctant on bridge loanKathimerini EU reluctant to give bridge loan to GreeceIFA Magazine all 18 news articles »

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EU lenders get blunt as reforms stutter

The International Monetary Fund's mission chief for Greece, Poul Thomsen, walked grim-faced into his first meeting with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on July 5 wearing a black tie looking as if he was going to a funeral.

Whether he was making a point or not, the first meet-and-greet visit by the country's international lenders with the new government was blunt, both sides told Reuters.

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Israeli PM Blames Hezbollah For Bus Blast

BURGAS, Bulgaria — A lanky, long-haired man wearing a baseball cap and plaid shorts with a fake Michigan driver's license carried out a deadly suicide...

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INSIGHT-Exasperated lenders get blunt with Greece

INSIGHT-Exasperated lenders get blunt with Greece Reuters Grim mood prevails at meetings, niceties shunned. * Troika "angry but mostly fed up", Greek official says. * Troika returns to Athens next week to decide on aid. By Dina Kyriakidou. ATHENS, July 19 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund's mission ...

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Stylianidis speaks on migration issue, escalating crime rate

"A sense of fear and insecurity has justifiably been created among the Greek citizens".

The words belong to Interior Minister Evripidis Stylianidis, who was commenting on the escalating crime rate all over the country, due to the unchecked influx of unregistered migrants.

Stylianidis was talking at a one-day conference titled "Double Challenge: Economic Crisis and Migration" organised by the Constantine Karamanlis Foundation and (...)

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Greece Identifies EUR8.2 Bln Of Cuts In Austerity Plan

Greece Identifies EUR8.2 Bln Of Cuts In Austerity Plan - Source Wall Street Journal ATHENS--Greece's three coalition party leaders have so far identified more than 8 billion euros ($9.8 billion) of cutbacks as part of plans to implement EUR11.5 billion of austerity measures as demanded by international creditors, a government official ...

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Greek Governing Coalition Identifies More Areas to Cut

Greece’s fragile coalition government said that it had identified areas that could be trimmed. but still to be determined is whether salaries and pensions are to be cut further.

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News Summary: Greeks spared more austerity in 2012

THE GOOD NEWS: Greeks will be spared new austerity measures this year, parties backing the coalition government promised on Wednesday.

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Greece's other crisis: xenophobic violence

Greece's other crisis: xenophobic violence CNN (blog) Editor's note: Jan Egeland is the Europe director of Human Rights Watch. Judith Sunderland is senior Western Europe researcher and author of the new Human Rights Watch report, “Hate on the streets: xenophobic violence in Greece.” The views expressed ...

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Greek Governing Coalition Identifies Further Areas to Cut

Globe and Mail

Greek Governing Coalition Identifies Further Areas to Cut New York Times Officials added that there would be no further cuts in the current fiscal year. They also renewed calls for an extension to the country's economic adjustment program, imposed under the terms of Greece's international bailout, because of a deepening ... Greeks promised no more austerity in 2012, but future cuts loomWashington Post Greek leaders push back decision on austerity cutsReuters Greek Coalition Agrees Basics of Austerity PlanWall Street Journal all 402 news articles »

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