Welcome, 77 artists, 40 different points of Attica welcomes you by singing Erotokritos an epic romance written at 1713 by Vitsentzos Kornaros
Thursday, March 6, 2014
German prosecutors probe alleged arms deal kickbacks to Greek officials
PDMA expects Greek credit rating upgrade
Small decline in jobless rate in December
'300: Rise of an Empire' review: It's Greek to me
'300: Rise of an Empire' likely to top 'Peabody & Sherman'
Parent Speaks Out Following Greece Teacher Resignation
German president told Greece will not give up WWII claims
Greek Banking System Needs Additional Capital
52 Year-Old Man Arrested for Abusing Two Minors
Increase in Masters and PhDs in Greece
Three immigrants wounded after coast guard officers fire at boat
Watchdog calls for improvements at Korydallos Prison hospital
Three in 10 pupils subjected to bullying, survey says
Court rules in favor of work at Skouries gold mine resuming
Greek Banks Need to Raise 6.38 Billion Euros, Central Bank Says
Greece Presses German WWII Payments
Greece's President called for talks with Berlin on rejected Greek claims for wartime reparations, during a meeting with his German counterpart.
The post Greece Presses German WWII Payments appeared first on The National Herald.
Bank of Greece, The : 2013 Stress Test of the Greek Banking Sector
American Greengemony: How the U.S. Can Help Ukraine and the E.U. Break Free From Russia's Energy Stranglehold
Greek Cotton and Carpets Popular in Japan
Greek Banks Need Additional €6.4 Billion
FYROM to hold early elections
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is set to hold a double election on April 27, following its parliament’s decision to dissolve itself.
All 116 parliamentarians voted for the dissolution of the parliament. Parliamentary elecionts were not scheduled until 2015 but now they will be held on the same day as the second round of the country’s Presidential elections - the first round takes place on April 13.
"I want to underline that the election rules for this election process were agreed by both position and opposition which is added responsibility for both as well as obligation this to be respected through the whole process," parliamentary speaker Traiko Veljanoski said.
On Friday the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), a junior partner in the coalition led by the right- wing VMRO-DPMNE, asked for early elections after VMRO-DPMNE refused their proposal for a common presidential candidate. DUI is unwilling to give its support to President Gjorgje Ivanov, who wants to run for a second term.
The biggest opposition party, the Social Democrats (SDSM), accused the coalition partners of staging the crisis as an excuse to take the country to the polls earlier than planned.
Recent polls show that both DUI and VMRO-DPMNE are both popular and would benefit from holding the elections earlier.
FYROM’s ruling coalition is traditionally formed by the country’s largest ethnic Macedonian party (VMRO-DPMNE) and its ethnic Albanian counterpart.
VMRO-DPMNE has been in power since 2006.
FYROM is hoping to eventually aceed to the EU but its 20-year-long dispute over its official name with neighboring EU member Greece is a major obstacle on the way. Greece says FYROM is trying to steal its heritage by wanting to be called Macedonia and using symbols related to the dynasty of Alexander the Great.
Greek President Papoulias Meets with German Counterpart
Bank of Greece, The : Greek Central Bank confirms major banks need EUR6.4 bln
Greece's bank bailout fund HFSF says ready to help lenders, if needed
President Joachim Gauck, currently in Greece, talks about Greek-German relations
Banks' capital needs add up to 6.4 bln euros, says BoG
Greek Banks Need More Money
Greek banks which have received a state injection will need an additional infusion but how much is hanging up a deal with international lenders.
The post Greek Banks Need More Money appeared first on The National Herald.
Greek for an Afternoon in Central PA
Having lived in or around Manhattan for most of my life, it has been easy for me to “be Greek” whenever I felt like it. I lived walking distance from a Greek Orthodox Church almost my entire life, with easy access to Greek restaurants and food stores, and an array of Greek dances and other […]
The post Greek for an Afternoon in Central PA appeared first on The National Herald.
Greek Coast Guard Pursues Vessel Smuggling Immigrants
Greek Protesters Clash with Riot Police
Greece seeks more time to shore up ailing banks
Austerity-weary Greeks seek reparations for Nazi-era crimes
Greece's top banks need 6.4 billion euros extra capital
CHESS to allow visitors to shape museum visits
Visitors to museums across Europe may soon be able to shape their own cultural experience before even leaving home or getting on a plane by using an EU-funded app.
"Europe has the world's best #culturalheritage. New digital tools aren't just about sharing that heritage, but about opening up our culture for all. To remain relevant, museums need to be a digital breeding ground for innovation and the app economy”said Nellie Kroes, Commission Vice-President responsible for the EU’s digital agenda
CHESS, the 'Cultural-Heritage Experiences through Socio-personal interactions and Storytelling' was received more than €2.8 million in funding from the European Commission and aims to make the museum experience an attractive, more engaging one for all using mobile, augmented reality and geo-localisation technologies turns an ordinary museum visit into a personal, interactive storytelling experience.The project has built a number of innovative tools that achieve just this by focusing on the visitors and allowing cultural heritage sites to create and publish experiences tailor-made for them. With the online ‘CHESS visitor survey', people can register their interests, likes and dislikes. This tool permits museums to create surveys with single- or multiple-choice and to link answers with a persona, i.e. a character representative of the visitor's profile. The 'CHESS authoring tool' then enables non-IT professionals such as museum curators and staff to easily develop multi-path dynamic storylines integrated with advanced multimedia content. Finally, the 'Storytelling engine' runs the story according to the paths defined but also personalises and dynamically adapts the story being told according to the visitors’ individual choices, updating their profile right through the course of the story.
Unlike traditional museum guides, the CHESS App tells each visitor a dedicated story, focused on the exhibits most relevant to their interests and mood, with as few or many details as preferred. Stories can be enhanced with multimedia, 3D and augmented reality games and in some cases objects talk and invite visitors to interact with them.
When leaving the museum, visitors will find souvenirs, i.e. a video or a picture, from their own story on the museum website, thereby having a personal memory to share with family and friends. The project according to Dr Maria Roussou of the University of Athens has the potential to revolutionise the way in which we behave and engage when visiting museums.
“CHESS aims to enhance and personalise the experience of each and every visitor by creating a tailored experience, aimed at an individual’s likes, hobbies and interests. By directing the visitor to the artefacts of most interest to him or her, and offering interactive content such as quizzes or games, we can greatly enhance the user experience. Not only is this of benefit to the user, but also to the museums, which want their visitors to have the best experience possible and to keep coming back,” said Professor Yannis Ioannidis of the University of Athens.
The CHESS product was trialled at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece and at the Cité de l'Espace Park in Toulouse, France, over six months last year to great success.
Developed by seven partners from four countries - France, Greece, UK and Germany – CHESS will be introduced to the market by project coordinator DIGINEXT, bringing the project from the research stage to commercialisation. The project co-ordinators are predicting that CHESS will be launched on the market in two years.
Michael Jennings, spokesman for European Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, said: "Europe has a rich history that technology such as CHESS can bring to life for a digital generation and make more accessible to everyone. Building more inclusive, reflective societies is a priority of the Horizon 2020 programme and that includes innovation to communicate and educate European cultural heritage".
Bank Battle Hangs Up Troika Deal
Turkish politics: Anatolia (mostly) loves Erdogan
“WE GAVE you new hospitals, we gave you proper schools,” roars the mayor of Kayseri, Mehmet Ozhaseki. Veiled housewives chant back, “Kayseri is proud of you,” as the mayor boasts of the achievements of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) party at an election rally in the city’s Eskisehir district. Eskisehir was a slum full of squatters and open sewers until Mr Ozhaseki, a local businessman, was elected mayor in 1999. Now its pristine streets are lined with two-storey houses built on land given by AK. Mr Ozhaseki is also restoring an ancient Armenian church. “Kayseri is very nationalist, I am getting criticised for this,” he confides.Sitting next to one of Turkey’s highest mountains, Mount Erciyes, Kayseri was once home to thousands of Greeks and Armenians until they were driven out or slaughtered a century ago. Their once grand mansions stand derelict, the basements dotted with gaping holes where looters tunnelled to look for gold. But today Kayseri symbolises the “new Islam” ushered in by AK when it came to power in 2002. This mix of piety and entrepreneurship has produced a class of so called “Islamic Calvinists” who have popularised such things as Turkish jeans and furniture across the world. Abdullah Gul, Turkey’s president and a co-founder of AK, is Kayseri’s most famous son.Mr Ozhaseki, who was elected with 60% of the vote in 2009, ought to be a shoo-in for a...
Greece's Piraeus Bank to tap debt market after five-year drought
Greek President Presses Germany's Gauck on WWII
Greek bank Piraeus set to return to capital markets
German President Gauck dismisses Greek reparation demands for Nazi crimes
Greek president urges speedy talks with Berlin on bid for World War II reparations
NASA Launches Rocket Through Auroras for GREECE Mission (Photos)
What Makes Greece Special?
Greece’s Piraeus to return to bond market
Greek authorities say 3 migrants injured as Aegean coastguards fire at people-smuggling vessel
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say three people were injured when coastguards opened fire on a migrant-smuggling vessel that allegedly tried to ram their patrol boat.
A Merchant Marine Ministry statement says none of the three — two men and a woman — suffered life-threatening injuries. Their nationalities were not made public.
The plastic speedboat was carrying 16 immigrants, 13 of whom were out of sight in a cabin, and a Turkish smuggler, who was arrested.
Its master allegedly ignored commands to stop early Thursday off the eastern Aegean Sea islet of Oinousses and, according to the statement, repeatedly tried to ram the coastguard vessel.
The statement said that, following engagement rules, the coastguards first fired shots in the air and then at the speedboat's bows before it stopped.
News Topics: General news, Maritime accidents, Smuggling, Fires, Immigration, Shootings, Transportation accidents, Accidents, Accidents and disasters, Transportation, Crime, Social issues, Social affairs, Violent crimePeople, Places and Companies: Greece, Western Europe, Europe
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