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How the world sees Greece
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Group claims attack on German ambassador's home
KathimeriniGroup claims attack on German ambassador's homeSunHerald.comdealsaver. ATHENS, Greece — An organization calling itself Popular Fighters Group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a December shooting attack on the German ambassador's residence in Athens. The group sent a 20-page manifesto to the weekly satirical ...Greek militants claim "anti-austerity" attack on German envoy's homeChicago Tribuneall 49 news articles »
Greek Police: 4 Turks Charged With Terror Offenses
KathimeriniGreek Police: 4 Turks Charged With Terror OffensesABC NewsA Greek police statement said the 49-year-old suspect, who was not named, was wanted in Turkey for membership in the terror group and efforts were being made to better identify the other three suspects. Police also said the same suspect's DNA matched ...Greek police: 4 Turks arrested in anti-terror raidWashington TimesGreek anti-terrorist police raid nets weaponsWashington Postall 88 news articles »
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Greece charges 4 Turks with terror offenses; says 1 of them is also wanted by Turkish police
by
Associated Press
Greek police: 4 Turks charged with terror offenses
Associated Press - 11 February 2014 14:33-05:00
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Four Turkish men arrested in Athens were charged Tuesday with terrorism-related offenses. Greek police said one of them is also wanted by Turkish authorities for allegedly participating in a terrorist organization.
The four, aged from 25 to 49, were arrested Monday after a raid on an Athens apartment uncovered weapons, explosives, detonators and berets bearing the emblem of the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front, or DHKP-C.
Originally founded in the late 1970s as Dev Sol, the Marxist-Leninist DHKP-C has been deemed a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. It is believed responsible for a string of assassinations and bombings in Turkey, including a suicide bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara last year.
A Greek police statement said the 49-year-old suspect, who was not named, was wanted in Turkey for membership in the terror group and efforts were being made to better identify the other three suspects. Police also said the same suspect's DNA matched traces on weapons intercepted by Greek authorities in the Aegean Sea last summer on a speedboat allegedly headed for Turkey.
Five Turks — three of whom are wanted by Turkey for alleged DHKP-C participation — and three Greeks were arrested over that arms shipment.
News Topics: General news, Terrorism, Arrests, War and unrest, Law and order, CrimePeople, Places and Companies: Turkey, Greece, Athens, Aegean Sea, Middle East, Western Europe, Europe
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Clooney wins Greece invite after backing return of Elgin Marbles
"I hope you will accept this invitation to visit Greece for a couple of days; to see many Greek antiquities kept under the Mediterranean sun, and of course to visit the new Acropolis museum, facing the sacred rock, where a space is reserved for the return ...
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Greece Raises 1.3 Billion Euros from T-bill Auction
Greece on Tuesday successfully auctioned a three-month Treasury bills issue raising 1.3 billion euros from the market at a lower interest cost. The country’s Pubic Debt Management Organization said that the interest rate of the issue was set ...
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Greek minister slammed over thank-you letter to Clooney
AFPGreek minister slammed over thank-you letter to ClooneyKathimeriniPASOK criticized Culture Minister Panos Panayiotopoulos on Tuesday for finding the time to write to George Clooney after he spoke in favor of the Parthenon Marbles being returned to Greece by the British Museum in London. PASOK said that its cultural ...Greek Minister of Culture Responds to George ClooneyGreek ReporterGeorge Clooney urges Britain to return Greek treasureExpress.co.ukClooney wins Greece invite after backing return of Elgin MarblesAFPall 289 news articles »
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Talks between leaders of Greek and Turkish territories on Cyprus
The leaders of the Greek and Turkish territories on the disputed Mediterranean island of Cyprus met yesterday for the first time in almost two years, in a bid to find a solution to the island’s decades-long conflict. “The leaders expressed their ...
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Greek police arrest 4 Turks in anti-terror operation
ATHENS - Greek police say one of four Turkish men arrested in the capital this week is a member of the outlawed Turkish leftist group DHKP/C and wanted by Turkish police.
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Cyprus to significantly ease capital controls
Washington PostCyprus to significantly ease capital controlsMiamiHerald.comNICOSIA, Cyprus -- Cyprus' finance minister said Tuesday that money transfer restrictions imposed on banks after the country's financial rescue agreement last year will be "significantly eased" from next week. Harris Georgiades didn't specify which ...Talks between leaders of Greek and Turkish territories on CyprusIrish TimesLeaders of divided Cyprus resolve new try at power-sharing dealeuronewsCyprus reunification talks resume after 18-month freezeLos Angeles TimesDeutsche Welle -Houston Chronicle -Businessweekall 185 news articles »
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'Priceless' Apollo Statue Found By Fisherman Mysteriously Vanishes
Where in the world is the Apollo of Gaza statue?
In a baffling case of archaeological hide-and-seek, an ancient and extremely rare statue was reportedly dragged from the ocean by a Palestinian fisherman, only to vanish in Gaza before its authenticity could be independently verified.
The bronze statue depicts the Greek deity Apollo and appears to date back to sometime between the fifth and the first century B.C., according to a very preliminary photographic examination, reports Reuters.
Almost 6 feet tall, the bronze statue is mostly green from age, with curly hair and one hand reaching outward. In the few photographs of the statue that were released, the rather exquisite artwork appears in excellent shape, resting bizarrely on a Smurfs blanket.
"It's unique," Jean-Michel de Tarragon of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem told Reuters. "In some ways I would say it is priceless. It's like people asking what is the [value] of the painting La Gioconda [the Mona Lisa] in the Louvre museum. ... It's very, very rare to find a statue which is not in marble or in stone, but in metal."
Local fisherman Jouda Ghurab, 26, claims he pulled the 2,000-year-old statue from a section of Gaza Strip beach last August and brought it home, unaware of its worth, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. The statue was soon confiscated by relatives associated with Hamas, and it briefly appeared on Ebay with a $500,000 price tag before it was obtained by government officials from Gaza's tourism ministry, per Businessweek.
The statue has not been seen since.
Its odd discovery and disappearance have baffled and frustrated experts who would give almost anything to get their hands on what could be an incredibly rare artifact. While the cultural worth of the statue is hard to pin down, some experts believe it could be sold for tens of millions of dollars at auction, reports The Times of London. It's also possible the statue may never be able to leave Gaza because of the complicated political situation in the region.
However, the fisherman's story has changed somewhat in its various retellings, which is cause for some skepticism, according to Businessweek.
Others are more convinced of the statue's authenticity. Fabio Scuto, a reporter for Italian newspaper La Repubblica who covered the story in October, thinks this work is a genuine article.
"The circumstances surrounding the discovery are only one detail: what is important is the discovery of the statue, the fact that it was seized by Hamas and that someone has tried to sell it on the black-market," Scuto wrote recently.
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Murray backs Clooney on Elgin Marbles
The Monuments Men actor Bill Murray backs his co-star and director George Clooney's view the UK should return the Elgin Marbles to Greece.
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The land of the palinode
There are not many words in the Greek language, throughout all of its different phases, that we know the exact provenance of. We know which ones we owe to our great dramatists (Aeschylus in particular), since no one used them before or after, and which – ... ...
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The political challenges of institutional reform in Greece
He doesn’t defend the ‘political class’ or even his own family. Both major parties have been guilty of the politics of clientelism for the last thirty years or more. Both indulged in pre-election sprees to buy votes with public sector jobs.
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Police concerned over bail-breaking anarchist
A senior officer of the Greek Police on Tuesday expressed concern that Costas Sakkas, a 30-year-old self-proclaimed anarchist charged with participation in an urban guerrilla group, may turn to violence after violating the terms of his conditional release... ...
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Leaders of divided Cyprus resolve new try at power-sharing deal
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Leaders of ethnically split Cyprus agreed to press anew to forge a system of power sharing on Tuesday to end a bitter and long-running conflict that is frustrating Turkey's hopes of joining the EU and complicating its relations with Greece.
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Cyprus reunification talks resume after 18-month freeze
ATHENS -- Breaking an 18-month stalemate with the help of the United States, the leaders of Cyprus' divided Greek and Turkish enclaves resumed talks Tuesday aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island and ending one of Europe's most enduring conflicts.
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Cypriot leaders seek settlement 'as soon as possible'
Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot leaders vowed to seek agreement on ending the island's four-decade division "as soon as possible," relaunching peace talks Tuesday after nearly a two-year hiatus.
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Turkish Corvette Violates Greek Territorial Waters
Greek ReporterTurkish Corvette Violates Greek Territorial WatersGreek ReporterBANDIRMA Today, a Turkish Corvette violated Greek territorial waters. This is a new provocation from Turkish armed forces. The Turkish corvette Bandirma was moving from north to south and on February 11, 2014 passed by the Strait of Kafirea. It almost ...
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Blind Student Claims Greek University Refuses Him
Greek ReporterBlind Student Claims Greek University Refuses HimGreek ReporterThe news that the Physics Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) refused the application of a distinguished blind student came as a shock to the Greek people. The high school student who has excelled in student competitions of ...
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Berlin: Greece's Faliro House Grows Footprint, Partners With FilmNation ...
Hollywood ReporterBerlin: Greece's Faliro House Grows Footprint, Partners With FilmNation ...Hollywood Reporter“This will greatly help our goals in Greece and abroad, and we very much look forward to working with Glen and all the wonderful citizens of FilmNation." Founded in 2008, Faliro has been involved with a wide array of prestige projects, including Jeff ...
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Clooney Wades Into UK-Greece Parthenon Marbles Row
The GuardianClooney Wades Into UK-Greece Parthenon Marbles RowABC NewsThe fate of the marbles, originally part of the Parthenon temple, is a longstanding issue between Britain and Greece. Greece calls them looted art, and wants all the friezes reunited in a museum in Athens. The British Museum says the marbles "are a ...George Clooney backs return of Parthenon Marbles to GreeceThe Guardianall 205 news articles »
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Cypriot talks resume, fresh hope
Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders have re-launched talks on ending the Mediterranean island's division after a break of nearly two years. The dynamics have changed with oil and gas finds in offshore waters.
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Greek group claims responsibility for shooting attack against German ambassador's house
An organization calling itself Popular Fighters Group has claimed responsibility for a December shooting attack on the German ambassador's residence in Athens.
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Greek Bonds Rise Seventh Day After Bill Auction, Portuguese Sale
Greek Bonds Rise Seventh Day After Bill Auction, Portuguese SaleBloombergGreek 10-year bonds advanced for a seventh day, the longest run of gains since July, as the nation auctioned bills at the lowest rate in more than four years. The yield on the benchmark Greek securities dropped toward the lowest since 2010 as the ...and more »
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Cypriot Leaders Meet to End Divide
The leaders of the Greek and Turkish communities on Cyprus meet in a fresh bid to end the 40 year divide that split the Mediterranean island in two.
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The Greek Farmer: Young Graduates Who Surf the Web
Farming in Greece used to be more of an empirical job, with knowledge being passed down each generation. This tradition is slowly changing and everyday more and more young people turn to agriculture, which appears to be an industry full of prospect. A survey from the American Farm School indicated that there is a new farmer “profile” emerging in Greece, and especially in the area of Thessaloniki. It appears that farmers in Greece are not just delivering crops anymore; they are gradually getting into the mindset of an entrepreneur. The survey reveals that farmers are now young graduates who like to surf the web. However, this phenomenon is not common in all of the country’s regions. “In a 2013 survey we found that the average age of a farmer in eastern Thessaloniki was 52-years-old, when in the rest of the country it was 68-years. Forty percent of farmers in this region are university graduates, while 87% of people working in agriculture are using the internet frequently and want to keep up with the developments and participate in training programs, under their own expenses” said Vangelis Vergos, agronomist at the American Farm School. The economic crisis seems to play a catalytic role in the farmers need to change their ways. The next stage is to adopt the new methods of precision agriculture that don’t require large investments and produce a large number of crops. However, such a change requires proper education, training and use of new technologies. In the meantime, a new program for young farmers is set to cover 8,000 people who want to get involved in agriculture. The program’s aim is to revitalize rural population by installing young people in different rural areas.
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Greek Government Unveils Plan for Network of Water Airports Serving Seaplanes
The Greek government on Monday unveiled plans for a network of water airports designed to improve transport links to Greece ΄s remote islands and regions. Shipping and Aegean Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, with Deputy Transport, Infrastructure and Networks Minister Mihalis Papadopoulos, presented the plan in a joint press conference, AMNA reported. “The implementation of water airports and the arrival of hydroplanes creates a new market for tourism, transport and the islands policy,” Varvitsiotis said. He pointed to the seaplanes΄ potential to boost islands΄ growth and create new jobs, as well as the development of Greek ports and harbors, while facilitating access to the mainland destinations that were hard to reach for both locals and tourists. Papadopoulos noted in statements to the ANA-MPA that the water airport network, implemented in collaboration with the ministries΄ involved, was a good solution for transport links to Greece΄s many coastal and island regions and a lever for growth for Greek islands, bringing multiple benefits. The first attempt to establish a seaplane network in Greece started in 2005, 15 licenses for water airports throughout the country were issued under new laws and a pilot programme had begun in the Ionian Sea. Seaplane companies pulled out by 2008, however, citing problems with the legislative framework and the lack of a seaplane link to Attica and Athens. The legislative framework was updated in a bill passed by Parliament last April, under which a license to operate a water airport can be issued within 65 days of submitting a technical dossier to the transport and networks ministry and the shipping and Aegean ministry. Applications have now been submitted on behalf of several ports and harbor funds, including those of Corfu, Patras, Lavrio, Iraklio, Volos, Skyros, Rethymno and Zakynthos. Once permits are given, the port and harbor authorities can then lease the right to operate the water airport to seaplane companies, via a process of tender.
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Acropolis Museum Launches a New Weekly Thematic Programme
The Acropolis Museum is launching a new weekly programme with multiple thematic sessions on Greek antiquity. Specifically, the thematic sessions will be held every Saturday at 13:00 and visitors will have the chance to participate along with archaeologists and museum staff to a series of debates. Visitors can also contribute in shaping future presentations by stating to the museum the topic that interests them. These discussions can also be made in the English language if requested. According to information by the Acropolis Museum in Greece, the programme is divided into 26 daily sessions, each one having a different topic and is scheduled to last at least until August. (source: ana-mpa)
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SYRIZA Leads: So Does Samaras
Continuing their curious case of contradictions, Greek voters say they prefer the anti-austerity major opposition Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) to come to power but want to keep pro-austerity Prime Minister and New Democracy Conservative leader Antonis Samaras as Premier. The poll conducted by GPO for MEGA TV was the latest showing SYRIZA holding a lead over Samaras’ party but that he’s a runaway choice over the leftist leader Alexis Tsipras to lead the country, even though voters disagree with the Prime Minister’s imposing of pay cuts, tax hikes and slashed pensions on the orders of international lenders. The poll concerned both upcoming municipal and European Parliament elections in May which are seen as critical to the government coalition of New Democracy and its partner, the fading PASOK Socialists, who didn’t even show up in the results. Tsipras said they will be repudiated and force new elections in which his party will rule. Greeks, however, want it both ways according to the survey although if SYRIZA wins, Samaras can’t be Prime Minister unless the results are so skewed that a curious coalition had to be formed. Their choice is akin to Americans preferring the Democrats to win the elections but to have a Republican President. For national elections, the poll had SYRIZA ahead of New Democracy, 21.4-20.2 percent but Samaras favored as Prime Minister by a margin of 42.8-30 percent and with 26 percent of Greeks wanting neither of them. In the national elections, the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party was a fading third at 7.2 percent even though its leaders have been jailed or arrested on charges of running a criminal gang. It was followed by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with 6.1 percent, PASOK with 5.6 percent, Independent Greeks with 4.4 percent and Democratic Left (DIMAR) with 3.8 percent. PASOK, which won the elections in 2009 with 44 percent of the vote, failed to register above the 3 percent needed to win seats in Parliament. For the European Parliament elections – before it was reported the voting method would be altered in which critics said was a move to favor the government parties – SYRIZA was preferred by 20.8 percent, followed by ND with 19 percent, Golden Dawn and KKE with 7 percent, PASOK with 5.3 percent, Independent Greeks with 4.5 percent and DIMAR with 3.5 percent
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Turkish Terrorist Network in Greece
It seems that the Greek police hit the bull’s eye by arresting the four Turkish nationals of Kurdish origins during an operation in an apartment in Gyzi. The four men are believed to be members of the DHKP-C militant group. The Greek counterterrorism police recovered weapons and explosives from the apartment in Gyzi, Athens, a fact that strengthens the case of the terrorist activity against the four men. A full list of the weapons recovered is included in police reports. A Kalashnikov assault rifle with three clips, three pistols, one suppressor, two sub-machine guns, 6.35 kilos of high explosives, two F1 hand grenades, ammunition, three computers, maps of Greece’s capital Athens, Alexandroupoli and Turkey as well as various DHKP-C photos were found in the four men’s apartment which are believed to be related to last year’s case in the Greek island of Chios. At that time, the police had recovered two anti-armor rockets, four grenades, two pistols, detonators and bullets from a speedboat which was sailing between Chios and Inousses. The police investigation showed that in both cases the weapons and explosives seem to have originated in Crete where a 44 year-old woman was located and arrested two days ago. A series of investigations seem to have begun since the people implicated in the incident are not accidental. It is worth mentioning that one of the four men arrested is wanted by Interpol for an assassination he committed in Turkey. Police objectives include the analysis of data they possess which are likely to lead to other safe houses or even other terrorist groups.
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Probe Calls For Migrant Boat Sinking
International organizations are continuing their calls for an investigation into a January 20th incident off a Greek island near the coast of Turkey in which a boat full of illegal immigrants being towed by the Greek Coast Guard capsized, leaving 12 missing and presumed dead. Survivors said they were threatened by the Greek crew members and charged nothing was done to save helpless victims, including women and children. The government said the Coast Guard did all it could to rescue people. Some of the migrants charged the Coast Guard was trying to bring the small fishing boat crammed with 28 Syrian and Afghan immigrants back to Turkey when it was found near Farmakonisi. Merchant Marine Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis told Parliament that Coast Guard officers have orders to “guard the country’s sea borders and save the lives of those at risk at sea,” not to conduct “violent pushbacks and behave inhumanely.” “It is not at all true that the vessel was being towed at high speed toward Turkey,” Varvitsiotis said. “That is clear from the vessel’s coordinates, which we have at our disposal and that anyone who wants can see.” With conflicting accounts of the incident, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Pro Asyl, and UNHCR said an investigation was needed to sort it out. “We are concerned about the outright denial of the survivors’ accounts by the Minister of Maritime Affairs before any judicial investigation is concluded,” Eva Cosse, the Greece specialist for Human Rights Watch, told Southeast European Times. She said if the survivors’ accounts are proved true, “Any guardsmen engaged in such illegal acts, as well as their commanding officers, should be subject to disciplinary sanction, and as appropriate, criminal prosecution.” Greece is the entry point for as many as 90 percent of illegal immigrants seeking asylum in the EU and has complained it gets too little support to patrol its borders and seas. Vice Admiral Dimitris Bandias said his crew tried to help. “We apologise to the families of the victims but to all Greeks too for the situation that we put them in,” he said. “We did what we could.” Officers on the vessel told a parliamentary committee the boat capsized when the passengers moved to one side. That coincided with what Ioannis Michaletos, an analyst at the Athens-based Institute for Security & Defence Analysis, said he gleaned from his sources. “Similar incidents have happened in the past and will continue, as long as small boats by smugglers roam the Aegean with no safety regards for any passenger involved,” he told SETimes. “Greece should really push the agenda of the EU to alert the rest of the nations of what exactly is going on in the region and also exercise political pressure on Turkish authorities to dismantle the smuggling groups that make huge profits by taking advantage of immigrants.” Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, which has criticised Greece’s handling of illegal immigrants, said the incident “appears to be a case of a failed collective expulsion.” Greece’s ombudsman also said a review is warranted, as did the major opposition party Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA). European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, in Athens for an informal meeting of European Union home affairs and justice ministers, pressed for a probe as well. “I note that there have been allegations of pushbacks,” she said. “I presume that the government is looking into that.” Yunis Mohamed, head of the Afghan migrant community in Greece, said, “We are asking for the members of our community to come forward and give evidence in any inquiry if needed.” Giorgos Tsarbopoulos, the head of the United Nations refugee agency office in Athens, said survivors told a UNHCR official that some of the Coast Guard crew were saying “back to Turkey” and swearing at them in English. “They said that when the boat capsized they were not thrown ropes or lifejackets but had to swim to the patrol boat, and some said that as they were trying to get up they were hindered,” Tsarbopoulos said. “There are clearly two different accounts, which is why we are asking for an in-depth investigation,” he said. “I don’t know where the truth lies, but what [the survivors] were saying is very serious.” Elias Anagnostopoulos, director of Amnesty International’s Athens office, told SETimes that, “There is a tactic by Greek authorities of conducting pushbacks.” He added: “Human rights are above border protection. That doesn’t mean we don’t need to protect the borders but it’s the duty of the Coast Guard to rescue people. These are people who fled Syria and Afghan war zones looking for a better life and international protection and we wound up with a tragedy of women and children being drowned. (Used by permission of Southeast European Times)
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Greek Police After Kostas Sakkas’ Trails
The Greek Police are trying to track down anarchist Kostas Sakkas. The Greek authorities have lost his trails since last Monday when he failed to report to the local police station in Kaminia. Sakkas is facing charges of being a member of the urban guerilla terrorist group “Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire.” The 30-year-old anarchist was kept under custody until January when he was set free on a bail of 5,000 euros. He was also obliged to report to the closest police station in his region every Monday and to stop fraternizing with any known member of the terrorist group or anyone who is suspected of being involved in it. Last Thursday, Sakkas was rearrested by Greek counterterrorism officers after his fingerprints were confirmed as a match for those on the remains of a bomb found near a group’s safe house in Chalandri, Athens, first raided by the police in September 2009. Greek police are trying to locate Sakkas since Monday when he failed to report in. Kostas Sakkas has denied any connection with the terrorist group “Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire,” however, he has admitted that he is on “friendly terms” with some of its members.
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Unsold Real Estate in Greece Keeps Piling Up
Unsold real estate keeps piling up in Greece. In fact the number of unsold properties in the real estate market is approximately 270,000. According to a study conducted by the research and analysis department of the Re/Max Athmonon real estate agency and the Char. Meidanis & Associates legal firm, the cost of half of real estate sales are below the taxable objective value. The study showed that even in the wealthy suburbs of Athens, such as Marousi, Vrilisia, Melisia, Kifisia, Ekali, Nea Erythrea and Drosia, the majority of real estate was sold below the objective taxable value. The prices of real estate have dropped to such an extent because there is an oversupply of properties and a small demand in the market. Thus, it has been proven once more that the market is one step ahead of the State’s mechanism. Greek authorities insist on keeping the taxable objective value of real estate at sky-high levels in a period of a great economic recession. However, the decrease in the objective taxable value of real estate offers a great opportunity to anyone who is interested in purchasing land properties. It is true that the average buyer has a smaller budget at his disposal due to the ongoing economic crisis but there are more opportunities if they are willing to buy something smaller or older.
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Priceless Greek Statue, Lost for Centuries, Briefly Resurfaces on eBay
The IndependentPriceless Greek Statue, Lost for Centuries, Briefly Resurfaces on eBayTIMEPalestinian fisherman Joudat Ghrab, who said he scooped a 500-kg bronze statue of the Greek God Apollo from the sea bed last August, prepares his fishing net on the beach of Deir El-Balah in the central Gaza Strip February 9, 2014. Email · Print; Share.Fisherman nets centuries-old statue of Greek god Apollo in Gaza StripThe IndependentMysterious Greek god statue, lost for centuries, now in Gaza detentionGMA NewsMysterious Greek god Apollo held in Gaza Strip detentionReuters Blogs (blog)Al-Bawabaall 39 news articles »
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Greece's Budget Surplus Misses Target in January
Greece's Budget Surplus Misses Target in JanuaryWall Street JournalATHENS—Greece's primary budget surplus in January nearly doubled from last year's levels but missed its target on lower-than-expected revenues, the finance ministry said. Data showed the central government's budget surplus—before taking into account ...Greece posts wider primary budget surplus in JanuaryMSN Moneyall 2 news articles »
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Greek police: at least 1 Turk arrested in anti-terror raid was being sought by Turkey
Greek police say at least one of four Turkish men arrested during an anti-terror raid in Athens is wanted by Turkish authorities on charges of participating in a terrorist organization.
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Cyprus leaders determined to resume 'result-oriented talks': U.N.
NICOSIA (Reuters) - Leaders of ethnically split Cyprus agreed to work towards a new system of power sharing on Tuesday, in a fresh attempt to end a bitter conflict frustrating Turkey's hopes of joining the EU and complicating its relations with Greece.
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Turkish Terror Suspects Found With Arms Cache
Greek anti-terrorist police raided apartments in the Gyzi neighborhood on Feb. 10 seizing weapons and explosives believed to be linked to a Turkish group allegedly responsible for assassinations and bombings in Turkey. Police said four foreigners — whose nationality was not made public — had been detained. Weapons seized included an automatic rifle, three handguns, a silencer, two machine guns, bullets, more than six kilograms (13 pounds) of explosives and two hand grenades.
The post Turkish Terror Suspects Found With Arms Cache appeared first on The National Herald.
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Greeks Want SYRIZA and Samaras
A survey shows Greek voters want to keep Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, but want his party ousted in favor of the anti-austerity Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA).
The post Greeks Want SYRIZA and Samaras appeared first on The National Herald.
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Peace talks to reunite Cyprus resume after two-year break
Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Dervis Eroglu were meeting Tuesday to relaunch talks on ending the island's division after a nearly two-year break. The two leaders were expected to ratify a joint declaration allowing for the resumption of the stalled peace process. The United Nations is represented by UN Chief of Mission Lisa Buttenheim, who at the end of the session was to read out the joint declaration, officials said. Anastasiades is accompanied by his chief negotiator Andreas Mavroyiannis and several other aides.
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Cypriot leaders to resume unification talks
Turkish and Greek-Cypriot leaders to meet to unveil schedule for talks, prompted by US and economic pressures.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.aljazeera.com |
Rival Greek, Turkish Cypriot leaders resume talks to unify ethnically split Cyprus
The leaders of Cyprus' Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities are embarking on a new round of talks aimed at achieving the long-elusive goal of reunifying the ethnically split island nation.
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Greece's Alpha Bank in talks to buy Citi's local retail ops-paper
Greece's Alpha Bank in talks to buy Citi's local retail ops-paperReutersCitibank, which started shipping and corporate lending operations in Greece in 1964 and expanded into retail banking in the 1980s, runs a network of 21 branches across the country. The two banks are looking into a plan under which Alpha would acquire ...
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Mysterious Greek deity detained in Gaza
GAZA: Lost for centuries, a rare bronze statue of the Greek god Apollo has mysteriously resurfaced in ... Ahmed al-Bursh, director of archaeology of Gaza’s Tourism Ministry, said he had seen the piece and promised that Ghrab would receive a reward ...
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Saudi Arabia looks to ink tourism pact with Greece
Saudi Arabia and Greece will sign a major agreement here on Monday to boost cooperation in the tourism sector, as reported by Arab News. The pact will also look to generate growth in tourist traffic and offer opportunities to the southern European nation ...
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Nerai: A Modern Take on Greek
Nerai puts forth a modern twist on Greek cuisine in a polished setting that is as beautiful as it is soothing ... night on the Aegean without feeling remotely cliché. The elegant, soft folds of the fabric on the walls recall sails, and a ...
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I Traveled to Palestine-Israel And Discovered There is no 'Palestinian-Israeli Conflict'
The mind has a way of making traumatic experiences seem like distant dreams to those who survive them. As it goes, the more traumatic the experience, the quicker the paramedics in one's mind rush to dress wounds, resuscitate and stabilize the victim; the victim being you.
Since returning from Palestine 36 hours ago, I find myself confronted with feelings of detachment and minimization of what I encountered. My subconscious has decided the horrors I witnessed in the 'Holy Land' were nothing serious-horrors which include a 26-foot-tall concrete wall enclosing the Palestinian inhabitants of the West Bank, and the sniper towers seemingly on every other corner of this open-air prison.
This was my first trip to Palestine-most westerners call it Israel, but I'll address that topic shortly. I had never been to the country, but I read enough to know the basics: Palestinians and Israelis were fighting over land. The Israeli government was formed in 1948 as part of a vision set forth by a secular European colonial political movement called Zionism, founded by Hungarian Theodor Herzl in 1896. Herzl, an atheist, sought to free the Jews from European oppression and anti-Semitism, with the ultimate goal being the creation of a Jewish state. He first proposed East Africa's Uganda as the location of the Jewish state. This proposal also found the approval of the British government which controlled Palestine since the First World War. Herzl, however, later identified Palestine as the country of choice. I knew this.
The history of Palestinians was something I was familiar with as well, only because in high school, my friend's parents were Moroccan Jews with staunch right-wing Zionist views. They'd go on about how Palestinians were worth shit and how they were sucking off the land they stole, and how they were not from Palestine, but Jordan. Truth be told, my friend's parents' passion about their 'homeland' made me sick. As a black person living in the United States, I could not relate to their love for their proclaimed homeland because I never had one. My ancestors were captured from various regions of Africa and forced onto ships bound for the Americas. Therefore, when questioned about the geographic origins of my ancestors, my answers were as vague as Africa is big.Blurt
Before I go further, I must put to rest a misnomer. Contrary to what's been reported in the news for years, there is no Israeli-Palestinian conflict. None, zero, zilch, diddly-squat. I can say with confidence that Palestinians have no agency. The Israeli government controls everything in the country. This total control which is most magnified in the West Bank, concerns everything from where Palestinians are permitted to travel, to how much water they consume per month. Currently, there is no 'conflict,' only the omnipresent power of the Israeli government and those who resist it. This is important to understand.Where was I?
I began researching the history of Palestinians in my senior year of college and discovered that my high school buddy's parents weren't only functionally insane, but they were completely incorrect in their claims. Palestinians had not fallen from the clouds and landed on Jewish land, (interpretations of certain religious texts would suggest otherwise) but had inhabited the country for thousands of years. In fact, Palestine hosted several occupations throughout history: Ancient Egyptians, Canaanites, Israelites, Philistines, Tjekker, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, Crusaders, Ayyubids, Mamluks, Ottomans, British, Jordanians- a gang bang of military occupations. Nasty.
American author and Professor of Political Science Alan Dowty put it best when he wrote, "Palestinians are the descendants of all the indigenous peoples who lived in Palestine over the centuries." Moreover, studies suggest, that part, if not the majority of Arabs living in Palestine, descend from a core population that dates back thousands of years.
Perhaps it would be easier for me to believe the story of Palestinians falling from the clouds, or crossing into Palestine from Jordan shortly before the creation of Israel -- that is, if my perception were formed by mainstream western media. In the years prior to the events of 9/11, including the initial months of the Second Intifada, media outlets such as Fox, CNN, and BBC, unfolded one dimensional narratives which included bloodthirsty Palestinians blowing themselves up in public places, killing innocent people. Never did they examine the societal constraints and conditions which might drive people to commit such atrocities.
In order for colonialism and occupation to be successful, previous inhabitants of a region must be dehumanized, labeled savages, and finally, their very existence denied. Once this paradigm has been established, any and all acts of horror can be inflicted upon them without recourse. Thus, the stories of the oppressed become irrelevant. Members of our delegation show passports at checkpoint entering illegal settlements in Hebron, West Bank. Jewish Israelis are permitted entry, internationals must present passports and endure interrogation and Palestinians are not allowed. Photo: Thomas DallalGetting in and out
In the weeks preceding my departure from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Tel Aviv, I received travel warnings from The Carter Center, the organization responsible for sponsoring my trip. Our delegation, which consisted of prominent African-American journalists and artists, was provided suggestions of how to increase our chances of getting into Palestine-Israel. It is not uncommon for travelers to be denied entry into the country for absurd reasons such as their father's last name sounds Arab, or they criticized Israeli policy on a social networking website. I decided I would tell my Israeli interrogators the truth, but be as vague as possible.
If denied entry, travelers could be detained for hours, interrogated and forced to board an airplane back to where their flight originated. Other visitors to the region advised me to avoid saying words like "Palestine," "Palestinian," "solidarity," and "West Bank" inside of Israel's airport. I was also advised to sanitize my email in the event that Israeli officials requested my password in order to rummage through my inbox. Unfortunately, this is a common experience for Palestinian-Americans attempting to visit the country. Additionally, I was warned that Israeli authorities, on occasion, provoke visitors by being rude, or asking inappropriate questions-they aim to cause one to feel as though they've done something wrong. In my case, this tactic was working. I felt I was committing a crime by wishing to enter the West Bank to talk to Palestinians. Israel was getting to me already, and I hadn't left my apartment.How things work
I reached Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and made my way up a flight of stairs leading to a long, wide, windowed corridor filled with travelers speed-walking towards their destination. To my left were palm trees of a country I was hoping to enter, and fixed high above was the sun, whispering the arduous tale of humankind.
I had made it to customs. It resembled a race track betting area with fifteen booths and neon signs fixed to them which read, "Israeli Citizens" and "Foreigners." I got into the foreigner line. Inside the booth sat an Israeli woman, maybe 20 years old. She looked sad and beautiful.
"Passport," she said in a dry tone.
I gave it to her.
"What is the reason for your visit?"
I smiled and replied, "A tour of the holy land."
She examined my passport, then she examined my face,"Will you be visiting the West Bank or Gaza?"
I said, "No," without thinking.
"Where will you be going?" she asked.
"Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth," I replied.
She examined my passport again, "Do know any Palestinians?" she asked.
I smirked and lied, "No."
I was officially permitted into the state of Israel. I found my taxi driver, loaded my carry-on bag into the trunk, and we were off. Leaving Israel would not be so easy, but I'll save that story for another time.
Riding from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the first thing I noticed, besides the breathtaking Palestinian landscape with its palm trees, olive trees and immense hills and valleys, were walls and barbwire. There were literally hundreds of miles of concrete walls and barbwire-not the kind one sees on a Los Angeles off-ramp, but those belonging to a prison
I'd later find out that a portion of my 90-minute ride from the airport to Jerusalem gave a brief look at "Area-C." As it goes, the occupied West Bank is divided into three parts: "Area-A," "Area-B" and "Area-C." "Area-C" is controlled by the Israeli government, while "Area-A" is supposedly under the control of the Palestinian Authority (or PA), a self-governing body established to govern the West Bank and Gaza Strip ("Area-B" is under glorified Palestinian municipal control and Israeli security control). The reason I say "supposedly," is because after spending a week in the country, I began wondering if the area classifications were simply a broad public relations campaign to convince the world that Palestinians have a degree of military, political, and economic power they do not have. This is not a far-fetched inquiry. Since the second Oslo Accords in 1995, the Israeli government has asserted, and the international community has accepted, the notion that "Area-A" is under PA control, but on the ground, the PA acts as a subcontracted enforcer to the Israeli occupiers.The Reality
In Jerusalem, I witnessed great religious and ethnic diversity. I saw Arabs, Asians, Europeans, Africans, Orthodox Jews, Muslims, Christians, all scrambling in Old City Jerusalem towards their various destinations. It was postcard worthy.
The variety of cultures in Jerusalem is outstanding. Similar to many societies however, Palestine-Israel presents a polished version of itself to tourists, where 5-star hotels in Tel Aviv and tourist attractions in Jerusalem cloak its brutal realities. The fact remains that our delegation was subject to a type of racism I've only experienced in the southern states of the United States of America. Of course, to a Jew or a middle class Palestinian living in Jerusalem or Nazareth, my observations may sound like exaggerations, but for the African migrant sleeping on the ground in South Tel Aviv, or for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, my evaluations are dead on.
The blatant, systemic subjugation and profiling of Arabs was most pronounced when our tour guide, a middle class Palestinian woman, was forced by IDF soldiers to exit our tour van and pass through a checkpoint on foot. As all Palestinians must do, she was told to place her thumb on a scanner to pass through a turn-style at a checkpoint. The members of our delegation were no exception to IDF scrutiny. The light skinned blacks in our delegation were interrogated and asked bluntly if they were Arab, and if not, what the last names of their fathers' were.
Palestinians and progressive Israelis told our delegation story after story of the abuses and degradation they've suffered at the hands of Israeli settlers or soldiers, and we witnessed some of this treatment first hand. Along with the rampant home and land confiscation in the West Bank (in which settlers receive state subsidies), agricultural violence is on the rise, as settlers uproot and destroy the olive trees Palestinians rely on for income and nourishment. More sinisterly, public beatings, arrests and shootings are common, particularly in the West Bank. Without charges, a Palestinian can be imprisoned and held for months or years under administrative detention. The same law does not apply to Jewish Israelis. In fact, Israeli citizens can commit a range of crimes against Palestinians with near impunity. Furthermore, Israelis benefit from being under police and civil courts jurisdiction, while Palestinians are under military jurisdiction. Human Rights Watch has documented the "Separate and Unequal" legal situation endured by Palestinians.Yehuda Shaul (seen in orange shirt) lectures our delegation near village of Susya. Photo: Thomas Dallal
Our delegation was introduced to Yehuda Shaul, a former commander in the Israeli army and current Foreign Relations Director for Breaking the Silence, an organization of former IDF soldiers who have dedicated themselves to revealing the atrocities committed against Palestinians, as well as the general corruption of higher-ups in the Israeli government. Yehuda, a heavyset man wearing a yarmulke, still moves and speaks like a soldier. As we drove up and down the hills of South Hebron, Yehuda's lecture quickly began to feel like a general preparing a platoon for an offensive. He even revealed Israel's plan to force rural Palestinians away from their land and into West Bank cities, making them dependent on the government.
As a liberal Israeli, Yehuda believes in granting rights to Palestinians and developing a two-state Israeli-Palestinian solution. Yehuda is still a Zionist, and beyond lecturing about various land grabs, violence and injustices committed by Israeli settlers and the government, the 31-year-old steers away from revealing his personal story, which likely involves his journey as an IDF commander who terrorized Palestinian neighbourhoods, to the activist he is today who accepts that Palestinians are human.
Yehuda commanded our Palestinian driver to stop on the side of a road near an illegal Israeli settlement in the village of Susya. I point out that our driver was Palestinian because stopping in Susya was extremely dangerous for the three Palestinians in our van. Susya is home to armed, right-wing Israeli settlers who as Yehuda admitted, would "beat up" Palestinians on sight. Our Palestinian colleagues stayed in the van.
For some reason, Yehuda was compelled to conduct his lecture outside of the bus while our delegation shivered from a mountainous chill. It was then that a dusty car stopped feet away from us, engine running, with the driver focusing a murderous stare on our group. Yehuda kept lecturing as though nothing was happening, and our delegation pretended to listen as we remained vigilant for the deranged onlooker. The man examined us for a minute more, then sped off violently to return moments later to repeat this action. Sensing danger, I suggested to Yehuda we get back in the van and leave, but he ordered us to remain outside.
"This will only take a few minutes more," he said, before continuing his lecture.
The rapid fire gunshots we heard in the distance gave us our cue to finally return to the van. The moment we were about to drive off, Israeli army vehicles pulled up, and a few soldiers peered in at us. They took a quick inventory of the van and then sped off. Apparently, during our lecture, Israeli settlers were attacking a group of Palestinians. I had seen enough.
Zionism has convinced many Jews that they are preserving themselves. The common thought is that if the "savage" Palestinians stop resisting, stop shooting rockets, stop fighting Israel's inevitable domination, there can be peace. I find this peculiar because during my visit, I felt no danger from Palestinians, only from Israeli soldiers. Perhaps it's because I'm accustomed to being hunted in America. There is no Palestinian-Israeli conflict; there is only oppression.
I will never disregard the Holocaust which left millions of European Jews dead or scrambling for survival. There is nothing that will ever right the wrongs committed by the brutal German regime. On the same note, I will never minimize Germany's first, and little-known, genocide against the Herero and Namaqua of Africa, or King Leopold's bloody reign on the continent. Tragedy is tragedy, one should not be placed above the other, nor should a past tragedy justify the next.
Ferrari Sheppard is Editor-in-Chief of Stop Being Famous
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Greece: The Fascist Threat
Deep economic crisis, savage austerity and social upheaval have polarised Greek society.One result has been the rise of Golden Dawn, responsible for brutal attacks on immigrants and left-wing activists. Christina reports on the response of the ...
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Energy is "game changer" in new Cyprus peace drive
Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot leaders meet Tuesday to relaunch talks on ending the island's division after a nearly two-year break, with optimism that the energy card could provide a breakthrough.
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Protesting Greek farmers to meet with officials to discuss further action
A committee of farmers which is responsible for organizing roadblocks such as those that interrupted traffic flow on parts of the national highway over the weekend, is expected to meet with government and opposition officials in order to decide further ac... ...
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