Greek neo-Nazi legislators indicted in crackdown

ATHENS--Four lawmakers from Greece's Golden Dawn neo-Nazi party were charged Wednesday with belonging to a criminal organization as the authorities move to dismantle the group after the murder of an anti-fascist ...

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Sprider Employees Protest Against Closure

On October 2 employees of the Greek clothing company Sprider participated in sit-ins at two company outlets in Patras, following the closure of the company’s stores around Greece the previous day, which has resulted in 800 people being laid off. Local media reported staff members and union representatives said they remained outside both stores in […]

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Man Molests Teen in Amfissa

Amfissa‘s local community is shocked at the news of a 52-year old Albanian man who molested a 13-year-old girl. According to reports, the victim was playing with her friends near the man’s house. The perpetrator, who personally knew the little girl, asked her to buy him cigarettes from the local store. The girl accompanied by […]

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Kasidiaris Assaults and Threatens Journalists

Four Golden Dawn MP’s were set free today. Elias Kasidiaris, Elias Panagiotaros and Nikos Michos were released on bail. Their withdrawal from Evelpidon Court was undoubtedly really provocative. Kasidiaris started yelling and assaulting Greek journalists who were standing outside Evelpidon. After applauding their friend and Golden Dawn MP Yiannis Lagos, who was detained, the three […]

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Released Golden Dawn MP’s Claim Victory

Three senior lawmakers from Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn who released from pre-trial detention while facing an array of charges including murder, extortion and money laundering stormed out in anger, with one of them, party spokesman, punching and kicking photographers while they shouted triumphantly. Some 32 people have been arrested, including party leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos and […]

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Greece's Frigoglass moves parts production to save Greek plant

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek refrigerator equipment maker Frigoglass will move part of its production from Romania and Turkey back home in an effort to keep its domestic plant operating and secure about 100 jobs in the austerity-hit country, it said on Wednesday. Stuck in its sixth year of recession and with record unemployment of nearly 28 percent, Greece has seen its biggest listed company ...

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Why Are 700 Greeks Praying In a Turkish Hotel?

Why Are 700 Greeks Praying In a Turkish Hotel?Al-MonitorThere is a small town on Turkey's western Aegean coast, called Ayvalik. On Sept. 29, a striking photo from this town hit the newspapers. A local hotel was hosting a religious service, attended by 700 clerics who came from various Greek islands.

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Golden Dawn claims political persecution is behind charges of founding a criminal organisation

The leader of Greece’s extreme-right nationalist Golden Dawn party arrived at an Athens courthouse handcuffed and flanked by anti-terrorist policemen donned in black and wearing balaclavas, as hundreds of his party’s supporters chanted, “Blood, Honour, Golden Dawn!”

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Samaras Praises St. Demetrios Staff, Students

ASTORIA, N.Y. - ?We experienced very touching moments, because children are the future of Hellenism, the power of the Diaspora,? the Prime Minister of Greece Antonis Samaras told Ethnikos Kirix as he was leaving St. Demetrios Day School. It was the second time Samaras visited the school and parents and teachers had a pleasant surprise in store for him, an album of his first visit. During both his speech to the students as well as his statements to the EK, Samaras referred to the school?s work, the excellent teachers and the school?s directors. Of the students, he said that, ?They are the tears of joy you shed when you are with them. Because they are Greek children, strong, happy, and soon will become university graduates. It is not merely that these children have an opinion of Greece, but because they have excellent teachers it is that they also have knowledge on Greece and that makes a big difference.?

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Slaying of Greek rapper spurs crackdown on neo-fascist Golden Dawn

But it took the slaying of a white Greek rap musician to spur the government to investigate ... the BBC reported that Golden Dawn's popularity had reached a peak at the time of rapper Pavlos Fyssas' Sept. 17 killing. Fyssas, a left-wing hip ...

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Frigoglass to bring part of foreign production home to Greece

KathimeriniFrigoglass to bring part of foreign production home to GreeceKathimeriniGreek refrigerator equipment maker Frigoglass will move part of its production from Romania and Turkey back home in an effort to keep its domestic plant operating and secure about 100 jobs in the austerity-hit country, it said on Wednesday. Stuck in ...and more »

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Xiao Feng, 2-Year-Old, Gives 'Birth' To Own Twin In China: Report

A 2-year-old in China is reported to have "given birth" to the undeveloped fetus of his twin.Xiao Feng, of Huaxi, was taken to the hospital after his parents noticed he had a bloated stomach and was having trouble breathing, Fox News reported Monday. Doctors found that Feng was carrying an undeveloped fetus inside his stomach, and removed it through emergency surgery, according to Inquisitr's translation of newscast from a China Central Television, a state-run media outlet. The fetus, doctors say, was Feng's twin. Identical twins occur when a fertilized egg splits in two. Conjoined twins occur when a fertilized egg begins to split, but fails to do so completely. In Feng's case, the fetus was his conjoined twin that had been absorbed into his body inside the womb. The dead fetus was about 10 inches wide and had a fully-formed spine and limbs. Doctors told CCTV that Feng would have died if the parasitic twin hadn't been removed. Is this case too bizarre to be believed? Maybe, but the same thing happened last year in Peru, when a three-year-old boy was found to be carrying his parasitic twin brother inside of him, according to CBS News. In 2008, there was a similar case involving 9-year-old in Greece. The girl was diagnosed with a tumor that turned out to be concealing the undeveloped embryo of her parasitic twin, Medical News Today reported.

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Golden Dawn leader appears in Athens court accused of orchestrating violence

Far-right leader Nikos Michaloliakos charged with operating a criminal organisation that targets immigrants and opponents

The head of Greece's far-right Golden Dawn party has appeared in court, in a highly anticipated defence of charges that he used the group to operate a criminal organisation that sowed terror on the streets of the country.

His hands cuffed, Nikos Michaloliakos was brought to Athens's court complex as followers cheered on the man accused of being the pre-eminent face of neo-Nazism in Europe.

"Blood, honour, Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn)," they screamed as the squat, grey-haired politician was led under armed guard into the building.

The first elected party chief to be arrested in Greece since the fall of military rule almost four decades ago, Michaloliakos is expected to adopt the same stance as five other Golden Dawn MPs also arrested on Saturday, arguing he is the victim of political persecution.

The 56-year-old mathematician is believed to have spent days combing through a 4,000-page dossier drawn up by a supreme court prosecutor outlining Golden Dawn's alleged crimes over the past 20 years.

Charges include founding a political force that subscribes to the principles of Nazi ideology and actively indulges in widespread violence, targeting immigrants, minorities and political opponents.

Three of the four MPs arrested alongside Michaloliakos were released on Wednesday pending trial. A fourth deputy, Yannis Lagos, was ordered to be kept in detention following charges that, like Michaloliakos, he was directly connected to the death of Greek hip-hop star Pavlos Fyssas on September 17 in a working class suburb of Athens.

Ilias Kasidiaris, the party's press officer, was freed on condition that he posted €50,000 (£42,000) in bail. All of the men were told they could not leave the country.

Opposition politicians and lawyers voiced fears that while executed with good intent, the charge sheet had been put together "overly hastily".

"This development shows that at least in the eyes of the court authorities the case was not substantiated enough," said Harris Ikonopoulos, the publisher of the left-leaning daily Eleftherotypia and a prominent lawyer. "It creates the perception that Greece is becoming a failed state where none of its institutions or the rule of law work."

Freed from custody, the Golden Dawn politicians showed their contempt for the media, shoving, kicking and spitting at photographers outside the Athens court. "Now you will see you disgusting people," one of the deputies, Ilias Panagiotaros, said. "You will only stop us with bullets."

The extremists have been held responsible for hundreds of assaults in the 16 months since they were elected with 18 MPs and 7% of the vote to the Athens parliament in June last year.

As the alleged mastermind of a criminal gang, Michaloliakos has also been linked to the murder of Fyssas, who rapped about the rise of racism in Greece.

The brutal stabbing, by a self-proclaimed member of Golden Dawn, spurred Antonis Samaras's coalition government to take what officials are now describing as "the huge risk" of launching the crackdown last weekend.

From the US, where he is on an official trip, Samaras vowed to eradicate the evil of neo-Nazism, saying there was "no place" for it in any state.

GreeceEuropeGolden Dawn partyThe far rightHelena Smiththeguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Greek court frees three Golden Dawn leaders on bail

28/09/2013 17:45 CET Three of the senior members of the far-right Golden Dawn party arrested on Saturday for belonging to a criminal organisation have been released on bail pending trial, while MP Yannis Lagos has been remanded in custody. All four denied the charges against them in a marathon 18-hour plea session. The bailed men have been ordered to stay in Greece. Leaving court one of ...

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Michaloliakos: Golden Dawn leader in sights of Greek justice

AFP/AFP - The leader of ultra-right wing Golden Dawn party Nikos Michaloliakos (c) is escorted by masked police to an Athens court on October 2, 2013 Nikos Michaloliakos, the leader of Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, is a disciple of a former Greek ...

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Three Psychiatric Hospitals To Shut Down

Zero hour for the three biggest psychiatric hospitals in Greece has come, as by the end of this year they will have to shut down. Both workers and the patients’ relatives are very upset. Hundreds of patients suffering from mental illnesses and require hospitalization at a psychiatric hospital, are literally going to find themselves on […]

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Greece: head of far-right party appears in court

ATHENS, Greece — ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The head of Greece's extremist right-wing Golden Dawn party was testifying Wednesday on charges of running a criminal organization as part of an investigation into his party triggered by the killing of ...

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Jack Monroe: creative recipes for £1 a head

Jack Monroe rose to fame with her blog about cooking on a tight budget. Here, our new recipe columnist shares her journey from the breadline to the Tory conferenceJack Monroe's beetroot, feta and lentil salad

She has become, as she puts it, "the face of modern poverty" and it is a tag that Jack Monroe doesn't seem completely comfortable with. Of course she is a passionate and effective anti-poverty campaigner – she spoke at both the Labour and Tory party conferences, and is an ambassador for the Child Poverty Action Group and Oxfam – but she could probably do without the people who scour her blog for hints of hypocrisy, or tell her to get a job. She says the attention she has received since starting her blog, A Girl Called Jack, in which she writes about surviving as an unemployed single mother, has felt "very strange".

And anyway, she does have a job. She unsuccessfully applied for hundreds after leaving her previous role as a call handler for the fire service because she couldn't fit the shift work around childcare. So her new role is self-made. After her blog brought her a lot of attention (including Twitter fanmail from the likes of Nigel Slater and a Fortnum & Mason food and drink award), she was asked to write for national newspapers and got a book deal. As G2's new recipe columnist she says it feels good to be taken seriously as a food writer, "rather than my life being plastered all over the internet".

Her recipes won't be the ones that made her blog famous – the supermarket value-range vegetable packs for soup, or casseroles made with the cheapest cooking bacon – when she was forced to spend no more than £10 a week on food for her and her son, "because there's only so far you can go with that, and not everybody has to live on such a tight budget". But it will be cooking on a budget, often on less than £1 a head.

We meet at her flat in Southend, which she shares with her three-year-old son, partner and pet ferrets and guinea pigs. Despite recovering from bronchitis and repeatedly apologising for not being her usual self, she is warm and friendly. She has spent the morning cooking. A pan of sausage and beans in a rich tomato sauce sits on the hob in the neat kitchen: "It's one of my favourite combinations. They're baked beans but I just rinsed the sauce off them." Her basic building blocks – tins of tomatoes and beans, and some stock cubes – sit on the counter.

Food has always been important to her. Her father is Greek Cypriot and her mother Irish, so there was a range of dishes at home – avgolemono soup from her dad, colcannon with sausages from her mum, and "great roast dinners". Her grandfather used to run a restaurant and then he ran "a row of guest houses just tucked off the seafront. He would give my brother and me odd jobs to do. I remember the sense of pride I felt when I was upgraded from making the tea to frying my first egg." She adds: "We would spend afternoons there reading newspapers and chomping stuffed vine leaves, Greek meatballs, squid rings and brawn."

Monroe only really started cooking when she took a food technology GCSE at school. "It was an escape from letters and numbers, a place where I could flex my creative side. Learning to cook at school gave me the confidence to experiment in the kitchen when I left home in my late teens – I wasn't intimidated by it." She says she was "overjoyed" when it was announced that cooking lessons would be a compulsory part of the national curriculum from next year.

When she had to give up work and went from a £27,000-a-year job to living on income support and housing benefit, "everything else was cut back first – heating, lighting, going out, buying things". Things that could be sold, were. "After you've cut back everything else, food is the last to go. I didn't mind putting an extra jumper on if I had food in the fridge. It was the point where I had an extra jumper on and no food in the fridge that I realised things had gone badly wrong."

Eating for just £10 a week and often having to rely on a local food bank was the lowest point. "It's very difficult to eat well. You do end up eating the same things all the time." It isn't just the lack of ingredients that is limiting; it is the relentless psychological toll of having to live on so little. Monroe found herself eating 77p ready meals, "because I had lost the will to cook, because everything else had gone so wrong. It was only when I realised I needed to be eating better and put three meals on the table for myself and my son that I started to cook again."

Until you have lived like that, she says, it is hard to understand the reality of daily life. Although she has taken inspiration from the likes of Nigella Lawson and Gordon Ramsay (her chilli recipe is adapted from Ramsay's), she points out their limitations for those on a budget – there is no point celebrity chefs telling people to buy cheaper cuts of meat if they need to be slow-cooked in the oven for hours, wasting money on gas or electricity. "It might not occur to other people that you don't have two hours to cook something, or fancy equipment to prepare certain dishes. You may only have a two-ring hob, or one pan. I don't cost [fuel prices] into my recipes, but I do try to make sure everything is quite quick."

She knows where to get bargains – Waitrose, she reveals, is great for meat shopping, as it offers a good range of cheaper cuts – and can still rattle off the prices of her local supermarket's basics range by heart: "Chopped tomatoes 35p, kidney beans 21p, stock cubes 20p, rice 40p a kilo. I know when they change the prices. It never seems to be the 'finest' ranges or the branded stuff that goes up in price, it's always the basic ranges." When every single penny had to be accounted for during her most stretched times, this could mean the difference between getting everything she planned or putting something back on the shelf. Life, thankfully, isn't like that for her now, but she points out that it still is for many other people in this country.

Monroe still lives on a careful food budget of about £20 a week for herself, her partner and son – she has only received a portion of her book advance so far, and that went on paying bills and clearing debts. "It's nice to know [the rest is] coming and to have a bit of security," she says, adding: "I'm still sticking to a budget, which is partly out of habit and partly to keep things level." She knows how quickly life can change. "I know that I can cook well on a low budget so I can't really justify spending a fortune on food." She smiles. "I don't feel I'm missing out. I still eat really well." Food is important, marking special moments in her life: "The last time I celebrated a special occasion, I hashed together a paella with some chicken, some frozen veg, long-grain rice, chilli and a shake of turmeric for colour – and it didn't disappoint." The days of the 77p ready meals seem far away.

And the offers keep coming. Monroe has been approached to do her own TV series. "I don't want to do something just for the sake of it, just because it's hot and you can sell it, so we're in talks and trying to marry up our visions." She smiles. "I want to do something that has a purpose and is useful."

Food & drinkPovertySocial exclusionEmine Sanertheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Letter From Athens: Storm Coming For Greece

Among the whackier websites out there (I know, it's hard to separate all the whack jobs from each other) is Stormfront, which as Nazi propaganda goes is even funnier than the illiterates of the Greek version, Golden Dawn, which is still looking for its first member who can complete a sentence without drooling and keep his knuckles from dragging on the ground at the same time. A recent comment on the Stormfront website tells you all you need to know about these types, who the sane world hoped were eradicated when Hitler decided to off himself in a bunker. It described black people thusly: ?You have a borderline retarded person who can somewhat function in society within his own limits. He can hold down a menial job, he has got his little hobbies, maybe his own little appartment (sic: they can't spell) or house, and he does his little thing. Sure he might wish he was smarter, he might wish he could do more, but he can't.?

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Tsunis Nominated U.S. Ambassador to Norway

NEW YORK ? Greek-American businessman, philanthropist and political fundraising powerhouse George J. Tsunis has been nominated by President Barack Obama as his choie for U.S. Ambassador to Norway. Tsunis, who is the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chartwell Hotels and was previously a partner at Rivkin Radler, Long Island?s largest law firm, told The National Herald, ?It is very humbling and truly a great honor to be asked by the President to serve.? There was a vigorous vetting process through last spring and once that was completed the State Department sent the Norwegian Foreign Ministry a letter announcing the President?s intent to nominate Tsunis. Norway then had to reply with an instrument called an Agrement indicating their acceptance of the candidate. It was signed in August by the Head of State, in this case, the King of Norway.

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Winter Storm Names 2013-14: What They Are and What They Mean

Winter Storm Names 2013-14: What They Are and What They MeanThe Weather ChannelAtlas (AT-lus): From Greek mythology; on the losing side in the mythological war between the Titans and the Olympians, he was punished by Zeus by being forced to hold the sky on his shoulders. Boreas (BOR-ee-us): Greek god of the cold north wind.and more »

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Samaras Speech at Peterson Institute

I would like very warmly to thank Peterson Institute for the invitation to be here tonight and I am greatly honored by your presence sir, Mr. Petros Petropoulos, really honored. You have given all of us a lot to talk about. I met you when I was Foreign Minister back in 1990 and I've heard so much about you from different people, both in Greece and in the US and they all love you very much ...

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Greek PM No on how to cut debt

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras met International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde on Tuesday in Washington but said they had not discussed any announcements about extending the maturities of some of Greece's debt or lowering interest ...

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Warning of Political Unrest, Greece’s Samaras Says EU Debt Deal Can’t Be a Mirage

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras says the euro zone shouldn’t delay a decision on cutting Greece’s debt, warning that deferred hope could fuel political unrest. Speaking late Tuesday night at the Peterson Institute for International ...

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Ministry of Finance Proposes New Bill

According to the newly proposed law by the Greek Ministry of Finance, the revenue office will be able to accept payment of debts by the transference of property. Debts to the State have now surpassed the 60 billion euro mark.  Every day an increasing amount of citizens report that they can’t pay their debts, even […]

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BC-AP News Coverage Advisory 1445 GMT

by  Associated Press BC-AP News Coverage Advisory 1445 GMT Associated Press - 2 October 2013 10:49-04:00

Here's a look at how AP's general news coverage is shaping up today. Some plans are subject to change. You can find our contact info at the bottom of this advisory.

HIGHLIGHTING:

Among today's coverage highlights as we see them at 1445 GMT:

-- BUDGET BATTLE (sent; developing)

-- HEALTH OVERHAUL (sent; developing)

-- ITALY-POLITICS (sent; developing)

-- FRANCE-RACIL PROFILING (upcoming)

-- INTERNET-INVESTMENT FEVER (upcoming)

-- GENES-MYSTERY DISEASES (upcoming)

-- JACKSONVILLE AIRPORT EVACUATION (sent; developing)

PHOTOS: Palestinians-Gaza Tunnels-Photo Essay; Cuba-Farmers Market-Photo Gallery; ITALY-POLITICS photos

VIDEO: BUDGET BATTLE coverage on multiple fronts; BRITAIN-POLICE-CYCLIST (upcoming: British Transport Police are trying to locate a cyclist who was nearly killed when she ignored barriers and started to enter a railroad crossing seconds before a train zoomed by.)

Here are details of those stories, plus others we have in the works for today and notable pieces that we sent in the past 10 hours:

SHUTDOWN

BUDGET BATTLE - The U.S. government shutdown forced President Barack Obama to cancel two stops on a long-planned trip to Asia and left federal services in limbo across the country. Lawmakers from both parties suggested the impasse could last for weeks and encompass a potentially more dangerous fight over the country's borrowing limit. SENT: 940 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing with meetings between Republicans, and Obama meeting with business leaders.

BUDGET BATTLE-ABROAD - Top European officials are keeping a worried eye on the U.S. government shutdown, saying it could pose a risk for the continent's fledgling recovery. SENT: 240 words. UPCOMING: tbd.

US RELIABILITY ABROAD — Political chaos from legislative gridlock, the government shutdown and an increasing fear of a default on its debts have deepened global unease that Washington is distracted from world affairs and scrambling to solve its domestic crises. UPCOMING: 1,000 words, photos by 2200 GMT.

BUDGET BATTLE-PRIVATE COMPANIES - As the government's partial shutdown enters a second day, most companies across the country are doing business as usual. Yet concern is rising that a prolonged shutdown will cause some work at private companies to dry up and consumers to lose confidence in the U.S. economy. SENT: 850 words.

HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL

HEALTH OVERHAUL — With frustration mounting among consumers, the Obama administration struggles to fix glitches that turned a promising launch of the president's health care law into a disappointment for many. SENT: 1,120 words, photos, video.

ITALY-POLITICS - Premier Enrico Letta has won a confidence vote in the Italian Senate after Silvio Berlusconi delivered an about-face and announced he would support the government. SENT: 830 words, photos. UPCOMING: Developing.

FRANCE-RACIAL PROFILING - A French court rules on Wednesday on complaints by 13 people claiming they're subjected to police checks, often with humiliating patdowns, because they're black or of Arab descent. The case is billed as the first of its kind in France where long-silent minorities are finding their voice. UPCOMING: 130 words after verdict expected after 1430 GMT; followed by 700 words.

SYRIA - Deadly clashes break out on the edge of the Syrian capital and infighting between rebels rages in the north as international chemical weapons inspectors begin their work on the ground in Syria. SENT: 560 words, photos. UPCOMING: 700 words by 1900 GMT.

BAHRAIN — Rifts are deepening again in Bahrain after hints of making small progress toward reconciliation in the Arab Spring's smallest — but still diplomatically complex — showdown. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 1700 GMT.

EGYPT — The army-backed interim government is sprucing up Tahrir Square ahead of planned celebrations of the Egypt's military this weekend. Supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi also say they plan to march in counter rallies, which is sure to trigger violence. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos by 2000 GMT.

KENYA-MALL ATTACK - A top Kenya government official says four armed assailants can be seen on closed circuit television footage during the terrorist attack on an upscale mall in which at least 67 people were killed, an indication that there may not have been as many attackers as initially believed. SENT: 120 words. UPCOMING: Developing.

KENYA-MALL ATTACK-FACT CHECK — A chunky text piece that will show what was announced and observed as the mall drama unfolded and compare it to what is now known, and what is not. UPCOMING.

US-HAGEL-KOREA- The U.S. and South Korea agree to work together to strengthen the South's ability to deter threats from North Korea. SENT: 660 words, photos.

MYANMAR-SECTARIAN VIOLENCE - Terrified Muslim families hide in forests in western Myanmar a day after fleeing a new round of deadly sectarian violence. SENT: 880 words, photos.

GREECE-GOLDEN DAWN-PROFILES - Thumbnails of the six leading lawmakers from Greece's far-right Golden Dawn Party who were arrested after a probe into the party's alleged illegal activities. SENT: 560 words, photos.

PORTUGAL-MISSING GIRL - The father of missing British girl Madeleine McCann is at a Lisbon court where he hopes to testify in the family's libel case against a former Portuguese detective. SENT: 120 words.

VIETNAM-DISSIDENT TRIAL - A Vietnamese court sentences a U.S-trained lawyer and well-known dissident to 30 months in jail after finding him guilty on tax evasion charges, the latest salvo in a crackdown against dissidents. SENT: 620 words, photos.

CHINA-HORNET ATTACKS - Authorities say the death toll from hornet attacks in central China has reached 41 people. SENT: 160 words.

NIGERIA-BASKETBALL DREAMS - Abiodun Ayetimiyi was meant to follow his father and pursue medicine in Nigeria. But the 16-year-old's natural speed and athleticism now have him pursuing basketball stardom, a dream that is becoming more achievable in a country that has had little space for any sport other than soccer. SENT: 1,100 words, phots.

WASHINGTON AND POLITICS

OBAMA-BIG BUSINESS - Having failed to persuade their traditional Republican allies in Congress to avert a government shutdown, business leaders fear bigger problems ahead, and they're taking sides with a Democratic president whose health care and regulatory agenda they have vigorously opposed. SENT: 870 words. UPCOMING: Will be updated after meeting starts at 1605 GMT, photos.

UNITED STATES-IRAN - A war-weary Congress generally backs Obama's outreach to Iran, but with tougher U.S. economic measures against Tehran on the way, the president's diplomatic task could get harder if he doesn't make quick progress. SENT: 1,090 words, photo.

US

JACKSONVILLE AIRPORT EVACUATION - Authorities have a suspect in custody after finding two suspicious packages — including one they described as destructive — at the Jacksonville International Airport. SENT: 430 words, photos, video. Developing.

TODDLER SLAPPED — When a toddler started crying in the airplane seat next to him, authorities say Joe Rickey Hundley used a racial slur and then slapped the child. His trial is to start Thursday. UPCOMING: 500 words by 2000 GMT.

HEALTH

GENES-MYSTERY DISEASES (HOLD FOR RELEASE, 2100 GMT) - A new study suggests decoding a patient's genes can find the cause of mystery diseases. Scientists found gene flaws for one quarter of such cases, mostly kids with neurological problems that had stumped doctors for years. UPCOMING: HOLD FOR RELEASE AT 2100 GMT, 600 words.

TWIN BIRTHS-CESAREANS (HOLD FOR RELEASE, 5 p.m.) - Expecting twins? You probably don't need to schedule a cesarean section. Most moms can safely give birth without surgery, a big study finds.UPCOMING: HOLD FOR RELEASE AT 2100 GMT; 350 words by 2100 GMT.

DIGITAL LIFE-TECH TEST-AMAZON KINDLE FIRE HDX - Amazon's new Kindle Fire HDX tablet resembles Google's Nexus 7 in many ways. The similarities end when you turn them on. SENT: 1,250 words, photo.

LIFESTYLES

PETS LUCKY DOG - Brandon McMillan has trained as many as 10,000 dogs for television, movies, commercials, videos and people. Then he started saving dogs from animal shelters, training them and finding homes for them. When Litton Entertainment needed a dog trainer who would rescue, train and place 22 dogs in 22 weeks for a show called "Lucky Dog" for CBS, they didn't have to look far. SENT: 600 words, photo.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

TV-EXIT STRATEGIES - Now that the dust (and ricin) have settled from Sunday's "Breaking Bad," one of the best TV finales ever, it's worth considering what makes a series farewell memorable. Or bad, like "Dexter" from the week before. Then, some series have no finale at all: In 2010, "Law & Order" concluded after 450 episodes missing a proper goodbye. By Television Writer Frazier Moore. SENT: 820 words, photo.

FRANCE-LOUIS VUITTON — French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton says Marc Jacobs is stepping down as creative director of its flagship brand Louis Vuitton. SENT: 540 words, photos.

THEATER-ERIC BOGOSIAN — Eric Bogosian has been looking back on his old angry work lately and laughing. The former monologist who used to write about substance abuse and dangerous sex has been sifting through two decades of work for an upcoming book. SENT: 800 words, photos.

CHICAGO-PICASSO MODEL — Christie's puts up for auction Picasso's original 41-inch model for the iconic 50-foot steel sculpture at the Chicago Civic Center. Asking price for just the model: $25 million. UPCOMING: 300 words, photo by 1830 GMT.

PHOTOGRAPHY

PALESTINIANS-GAZA TUNNELS-PHOTO ESSAY - Gaza's tunnel smugglers along the border with Egypt are mostly idle these days. Some rest on cots in the dank underground pathways, stretching out for a smoke. Since the summer, Egypt's military has tried to destroy or seal off most of the tunnels, a consequence of the heightened tensions between Cairo and the Hamas government. SENT: photos, 440 words.

CUBA-FARMERS MARKET-PHOTO GALLERY - Trucks crammed with produce travel hundreds of miles from every corner of Cuba each weekday to form long lines at the 114th Street Market - a teeming open-air bazaar on Havana's outskirts that has become a key hub for getting farm products to people in the capital. SENT: photos, 280 words.

News Topics: General news, National budgets, Government budgets, Legislature, Political and civil unrest, Government and politics, War and unrest, Diplomacy, Access to health care, Health care reform, Government finance, Government business and finance, Business, National governments, International relations, Health issues, Health, Political issues, Health care policy, Government policy

People, Places and Companies: Barack Obama, Silvio Berlusconi, Mohamed Morsi, Madeleine McCann, Louis Vuitton, Eric Bogosian, Egypt, United States, Cuba, France, Italy, Cairo, Syria, Kenya, Middle East, Gaza Strip, North Africa, Africa, North America, Caribbean, Latin America and Caribbean, Western Europe, Europe, East Africa, Palestinian territories

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Bar Louie Opening New Location in Greece, NY with Free Food

"The people of Rochester and Greece need a place like Bar Louie and we're thrilled to be opening with such an amazing offer," says Bar Louie GM, Robert Brockler. "Guests will have the opportunity to see what our scratch kitchen and handcrafted ...

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Golden Dawn Threat: "Burn You Alive"

ATHENS - A fortnight ago, Golden Dawn was feeling smug. Greece's neo-Nazi party was riding high in the opinion polls at about 15%, double what it got in last year's election. Its support was soaring among a nation buckling under its worst financial crisis in living memory. It had opened new offices, lectures it hosted presenting the party's view of Greek history were proving popular, its 18 MPs appeared untouchable. But Pavlos Fyssas changed all that. A left-wing hip hop musician and activist, he had spent the evening watching football on TV in a bar near Athens. As he left, he was set upon by a group. The man arrested for stabbing him to death confessed to being an active supporter of Golden Dawn.

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Greek public TV backing to resume

Local and international executives come together at second Riding The Greek Wave conference organised by Hellenic Film Academy. WIth much political and financial upheaval in the country, Greek cinema has finally received a much needed shot in the arm.

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Governments must not relax credit standards to boost growth, IMF warns

After PM pledges to bring forward Help to Buy scheme, IMF says short-term benefits must be weighed against lending bubble risk

The International Monetary Fund has warned governments to resist the temptation to relax credit standards to boost growth as it highlighted the UK's lack of lending to small businesses.

The global lender of last resort, which helped rescue Ireland, Portugal and Greece from bankruptcy, said policymakers need to weigh the short-term benefits of relaxing credit standards against the potential for a repeat of the 2008 lending bubble.

The warning comes less than a week after Conservative leader David Cameron pledged to bring forward the coalition's Help to Buy mortgage support scheme, that critics say could spark a surge in house prices ahead of a devastating crash.

The IMF said banks remained in a weak state across much of the developed world and a stumbling block to economic growth, which depends on a flourishing and competitive market for commercial and mortgage loans.

In its biannual global financial stability report, the Washington-based lender said it was tempting for governments to allow central banks to support lending and for ministers to relax lending rules to boost growth, but the costs over the longer term could be high.

Echoing a similar warning by Bank of England official Paul Fisher in a speech earlier on Wednesday, the IMF said: "When credit policies work well to support credit growth and an economic recovery, financial stability is enhanced, but policymakers should also be cognisant of longer potential risks to financial stability.

"The main risk centres on increased credit risk, including a relaxation of underwriting standards and the risk of 'evergreening' existing loans," it said.

The IMF, which counts the UK among its chief financial backers, is always wary of criticising member governments directly. In recent reports analysing the UK's economic situation, it has pointed out that the chancellor, George Osborne, could increase spending on infrastructure to boost growth. It has also hinted strongly that the UK's central bank could follow the US Federal Reserve and offer more direct support to the main high-street lenders, primarily by buying some of their mortgages.

Osborne has encouraged the Bank of England to take a more interventionist role to support lending following his £85bn Funding for Lending Scheme and the more recent Help to Buy, which could underwrite £130bn of mortgages. However, the initiative has yet to boost the credit used by small business.

The IMF said: "The UK authorities adopted a number of measures to boost credit, but their effectiveness has yet to be demonstrated. This could be due to the relatively short period during which they have been in place."

Figures from the Bank of England on Monday showed mortgage approvals jumped to their highest since 2008, which is largely credited to the FLS, which provided banks with cheaper funds than available on the international money markets, and Help to Buy.

However, lending to non-financial businesses fell in August and was down 3.6% year on year, supporting figures from the Office for National Statistics, which showed business investment fell 2.7% in the second quarter.

The IMF said its preliminary review of business lending in the UK revealed that business were more concerned about the demand for their goods and the prospect of weak economic growth than the cost of credit.

"If this were to be confirmed through additional, more detailed analysis, then policies that support demand may be more effective in boosting credit."

Keynesian economists have long criticised the IMF for backing moves by member governments to tackle supply-side reforms, including making credit easier, in opposition to calls for boosts to public spending to increase the demand for goods and services.

These critics, including Princeton University's Paul Krugman, have argued that both the supply of credit and policies to increase demand are needed to recover from a deep recession and financial crisis.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)EconomicsHelp to Buy schemePropertyFirst-time buyersMortgagesEconomic policyEconomic growth (GDP)David CameronUnited StatesFederal ReserveUS economic growth and recessionBank of EnglandBankingGeorge OsborneOffice for National StatisticsPhillip Inmantheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Cameron's lie of the land: Greek cliffs scaled, roots of despair buried

Manchester speech of PM took a 'steady-as she-goes' path of aspiration, blinkered to the woes of Poundland Britain

David Cameron delivered a good Tony Blair speech in Manchester on Wednesday, upbeat and aspirational, the difficult bits of life mostly glossed over or ignored. What it lacked was Blair's willingness to take on his own party in order to address some urgent problem needing fixing.

That and any emotional connection with the millions of food bank and Poundland Britons (increasingly middle-class, the Daily Mail tells us) who are having a seriously hard time.

So it was a good enough, steady-as-she-goes speech for Middle Britain, the kind the recession has repeatedly forced the prime minister to make since the bankers' recession of 2010 and the blaming of it all on Labour and the Greeks.

Greeks? Yes, Cameron again trotted out the canard that the British economy was heading over a Greek cliff in mid-2010 and was saved only by Osbornian austerity.

It wasn't true then and isn't true now. In large measure austerity has been self-defeating, forcing up the borrowing that ministers have deplored and, as Osborne had to concede in his more substantial speech on Monday, meaning a squeeze that will have to continue to 2020 at the least.

That is one of the big holes in the Downing Sreet narrative, which the PM set out to the party not-so-faithful in Manchester.

Another is the inability to acknowledge that it was badly regulated markets, labour markets, financial markets, energy markets of the kind "set free" by the conference's patron saint, Margaret Thatcher, which have failed the country so clearly since 2008.

Bankers, their pay and bonus schemes, their dishonest activities and reckless judgment? He did not mention them or their failings once, though he did give welfare scroungers a fresh whacking in the passage following his unexpected praise of social workers, the speech's only surprise. We don't want activists thinking too hard about social work, do we?

The omission was the equivalent of Ed Miliband's much-noted failure to mention Mid-Staffs NHS hospital trust in his Brighton keynote speech eight days ago.

It is safe to say the recession has caused a lot more ill-health than Mid-Staffs (and the story of patients having to quench their thirst with vase water is not true, Dave), but we understand why leaders' inspirational addresses require simplification, omission and amnesia. All story telling requires a good edit.

All the same, the Cameron who hugged hoodies and huskies from 2006 to 2008 has come a long way. No mention of the environment, not much about Europe or the threatened repeal of human rights laws, another painful topic, though there was a generous appeal for Scotland to stay in the union. No mention of low wage, insecure jobs, of rough justice from Atos-style fitness-to-work tests.

No attempt either to explain that Theresa May's one-third reduction in net immigration is probably down to student exclusions and the visa squeeze on high-end IT specialists which so annoys big business.

That might have unsettled Cameron's audience with complexity – and given Nigel Farage a soundbite.

No mention, come to think of it, of Ukip; and only one about the Lib Dems (when Vince Cable's OTT conference attack on the Tories would have justified a fire storm). That implies that Dave is sensibly keeping his coalition options open. No mention of the c-word either.

Instead, most of the jokes and the jibes were directed at Labour, especially that figure of hatred and fun, Ed Balls.

Vladimir Putin's spin machine got a kicking too for that "ignored little island" jibe at the G20 summit. Fair enough. They were good jokes, nicely delivered. But the imperative to blame Labour for our economic problems is less effective with every painful year that passes.

The PM declared that Britain had to become less London-centric, with less of the archetypal capital and home counties complexion. True, but the British hinterland will not feel better loved after this speech.

Miliband's put Labour in a better place when he attacked dysfunctional markets and the need to create more responsive and responsible models of capitalism.

For all his praise of small start-ups (his wife's included), Cameron still sounds like the corporate suit he once briefly was. We all want to push out children to get on in life, he said. At the back of the hall we smiled, remembering the call from Buck House which landed Dave his first job at party HQ.

Unfair, of course. Life is unfair and Tory grandees pretending that all you need to do is work hard and play by the rules is uplifting for many – but insufficiently so for those trapped by forces beyond their control. "Land of opportunity" will not cheer the Neets or the jobless 50-somethings.

My hunch at the end of the conference season is that all three main party leaders did make good-enough speeches: that Clegg differentiated his party from the Tories; that the Miliband speech was the best and funniest; that Cameron's middle-of-the-road, safe, sub-Blairite, speech could work best with those listeners who actually turn out and vote. Provided, that is, they are still in work and feel just a bit better off on 7 May 2015.

David CameronConservative conference 2013ConservativesAusterityWelfareBankingConservative conferenceTony BlairNick CleggEd MilibandMichael Whitetheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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New Greek Village to Impress CNU Community

New Greek Village to Impress CNU CommunityThe Captain's LogEast Campus showcases some of Christopher Newport University's finest upperclassmen apartments and is home to CNU's current Greek Row, housing members of nine fraternities and sororities. Greeks have construction they can actually look forward to: ...

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Released Golden Dawn spokesman lashes out at journalists

After being charged with belonging to criminal organisation, Golden Dawn spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris hits out at journalists outside a Greek court following his release on bail.    

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Greece: Shadow of Weimar Germany

gulfnews.comGreece: Shadow of Weimar Germanygulfnews.comEconomic collapse, mass joblessness, uniformed paramilitaries, street violence, political assassinations and, now, a round-up of opposition MPs. Euro-wracked Greece is beginning to feel eerily like Weimar Germany. The beleaguered Athens government has ...and more »

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Golden Dawn leader appears in court under investigations for being a criminal organisation

The leader of Greece’s extremist right-wing Golden Dawn party is set to appear in court today, after three members of his party were released pending trial and a fourth was jailed.

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Greek neo-Nazi lawmakers indicted in Golden Dawn crackdown

Four lawmakers from Greece's Golden Dawn neo-Nazi party were charged Wednesday with belonging to a criminal organisation as the authorities move to dismantle the group after the murder of an anti-fascist musician. The indictments -- the first ever against ...

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The Prime Minister? s speech at Peterson Institute for International Economics

I would like very warmly to thank Peterson Institute for the invitation to be here tonight and I am greatly honored by your presence sir, Mr. ?Petros Petropoulos?, really honored. You have given all of us a lot to talk about. I met you when I was Foreign Minister back in 1990 and I ?ve heard so much about you from different people, both in Greece and in the US and they all love you very much for what you are. This is a really unique platform for challenging brainstorming and intellectual exchanges but I have to say that I am also honored to address this prestigious audience for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Annual Lecture and let me share with you my deepest respect for the Niarchos Foundation contribution to the Greek society those trying moments and immense hardship. It is a living example of our best tradition of national benefactors. And let me also briefly express my personal feelings of appreciation and friendship to Andreas Drakopoulos for the leadership he provides to the Foundation activities.

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Greece: Extreme-right party leader in court

The leader of Greece's extreme-right Golden Dawn party, Nikos Michaloliakos, is due in court Wednesday to face charges of forming and participating in a criminal gang.

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A look at the main defendants in the case against Greece's extreme right Golden Dawn party

Six leading lawmakers from Greece's far-right Golden Dawn Party were arrest earlier this week following a probe into the party's alleged illegal activities.

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A Glance at Greece's Golden Dawn Defendants

A look at the main defendants in the case against Greece's extreme right Golden Dawn party        

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GREECE: Greek court frees far-right MPs pending trial

Three senior Greek lawmakers, members of the far-right Golden Dawn party, were freed on Wednesday following their court appearance on charges of belonging to a criminal group. A fourth member (pictured) was kept in detention.

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Golden Dawn: Three MPs from Greece's extremist right-wing party freed

Three MPs from Greece's extremist right-wing Golden Dawn party have been freed from custody pending trial in criminal investigation triggered by the murder of a left-wing rapper.

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Greece's Golden Dawn: 'Don't say a word or I'll burn you alive'

The violence and threats at the heart of Greece’s extreme right

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Golden Dawn MP's Released, Boss Due in Court

ATHENS (AP) ? A Greek court on Oct. 2 released three lawmakers from Greece's extremist right-wing Golden Dawn party from custody pending trial, after they provided initial testimony in criminal investigation triggered by the slaying of a left-wing rapper. Party spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris was released on a 50,000 euros ($67,770) bail and a ban on leaving the country. No bail was set for the other two, who were also banned from leaving the country. A fourth lawmaker, Ioannis Lagos, was jailed pending trial. The head of the party, Nikos Michaloliakos, who is also detained, was to testify before an investigative magistrate later in the day, while a sixth lawmaker is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 3.

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Golden Dawn's Michaloliakos scheduled to appear in Athens court

The leader of Greece's far-right Golden Dawn party will appear in court to face charges of belonging to a criminal organization. Authorities have cracked down on the party after the murder of an anti-fascist musician.

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Greece's Golden Dawn lawmakers unexpectedly freed before trial

By Yorgos Karahalis ATHENS (Reuters) - Three senior lawmakers from Greece's far-right Golden Dawn were freed on Wednesday pending trial on criminal charges, an unexpected setback to the government's efforts to clamp down on a party it has labeled a neo-Nazi criminal gang. The decision to free the men after a marathon, 18-hour court session raises questions about how strong the state's case ...

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Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party 'exposed' by Greek press

AFPNeo-Nazi Golden Dawn party 'exposed' by Greek pressBBC NewsAs members of the extreme right wing Golden Dawn party go on trial in Greece, the nation's newspapers have published evidence apparently exposing the defendants as violent neo-Nazis. Searches of the homes of some MPs have found Nazi paraphernalia, ...Greece: 3 Far-Right Lawmakers Released, 1 JailedTIMEGreek neo-Nazi leader to appear in courtAFPSenior Golden Dawn lawmakers freed pending trial in GreeceReutersall 88 news articles »

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Greece frees three members of far-right Golden Dawn party pending criminal trial

The surprise decision to free the lawmakers complicates the government's efforts to clamp down on the party after one of its sympathisers stabbed an anti-fascism rapper to death last month. The party's spokesman, Ilias Kasidiaris, was released on bail of ...

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Greece Wants US Tourists Back

The Greek Ministry of Tourism is making an effort to develop US tourism and positive results have already been noted in 2013. Meanwhile, further efforts are being made by Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni to promote Greek reality in a positive ...

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Greek Golden Dawn Suspects Released

After a marathon all-afternoon, all-night session that began on Oct. 1 and ended on the morning of Oct. 2 – and during which they denied charges of murder, assault, blackmail and money laundering – three of four lawmakers from the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, including spokesman Ilias Kasidiaris, were given conditional release by a Greek […]

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