Turkish Warships in Greek Waters

Greece’s National Defence General Staff said a Turkish frigate and a missile boat violated Greek territorial waters on Tuesday, May 20, during a military exercise. Turkish frigate Turgut Reis entered the Kafirea strait between Evia and the island of Andros and left Greek waters at 17:50, while the “Bora” missile boat entered Greek waters north of the island of Naxos on westward course at 13:21 and left Greek waters at 15:24 According to the NDGS announcement, the two Turkish boats were under surveillance by the Greek Navy throughout their entire journey. The frequent violations of the Greek waters and air space by the Turkish navy and air force has strained Greek-Turkish relations. According to figures from NDGS, so far, in 2014 there have been 681 violations of the Greek air space while in 2013 the violations of the Greek territorial waters amounted to 353. 

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

World Travel Awards Held This Year in Athens

World Travel Awards will take place in Greece, Athens, on August 1 to August 3. “Divani Apollon & Thalasso” hotel will host the ceremony of the Awards and all visitors will have the chance to enjoy various activities. Senior representatives of Europe’s finest travel brands and travelling agents as well as foreign media are scheduled to attend the ceremony. They will be offered a full organized tour to discover Athen’s and Attica’s hotspots to form an overall- and hopefully positive – view of the capital. The tour will include visits in Saronicos bay and Acropolis. The main event will take place on August 2, when the awards will be presented. WTA will be held in partnership with the Greek National Tourism Organization and the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises. The deadline for the candidates to apply is June 23 and applications are already up to 2,500. Graham E Cook, president and founder of WTA, underlined that: “The selection of our hosts is fundamental to the success of our awards programme, and Athens possesses all the ingredients to rise to the challenge of hosting our Europe Ceremony 2014. Working closely with Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso, we have put together a whistle-stop tour of Greek highlights.” Niki Fotiou, Marketing & PR Manager, Divani Collection Hotels, stated: “Our goal is to organize truly memorable moments for everyone to share. We want to offer to our guests a real taste of Greece and all that Athens has to offer.” WTA is nothing less than the “Oscars of travel industry” and are organized for the 21st consecutive year. It is worth mentioning that the event will be covered by New York Times, Le Monde, TV5, Focus, Travel News, TTN and other important media.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Kouvelis Slams Coalition, Says No Return, Slaps SYRIZA Too

Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Fotis Kouvelis said he won’t return to the coalition government headed by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ New Democracy Conservatives. The administration was left with just the fading PASOK Socialists as a partner when Kouvelis yanked DIMAR last year after refusing to back the firing of all 2,653 workers at the now-defunct ERT national broadcaster. PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos supported the firings and was named Deputy Premier/Foreign Minister but it has been costly as the Socialists have fallen to 3-5 percent support and tied themselves to a new center-left political alliance, Elia (Olive Tree) to stay alive politically. New Democracy is locked in a close duel with the major opposition Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) ahead of the May 25 European Parliament elections and a second round of balloting in Greek municipalities. Speaking at a televised news conference, Kouvelis said New Democracy and PASOK had strayed from policy agreements when DIMAR was part of the government, citing ERT and still-lagging privatization. Venizelos had hinted that with the coalition having only a two-vote majority in Parliament that DIMAR might be invited to come back with its 14 votes but Kouvelis ruled it out. DIMAR has fallen to under 2 percent in some polls now. Asked whether DIMAR would work with SYRIZA, Kouvelis said it hadn’t made it positions clear, leaving no room for him to align with it. Kouvelis also slammed the polarization strategy adopted by both New Democracy and SYRIZA ahead of the ballot, as the two keep saying he other would be disastrous for the country.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

A Modern-Day Idyll On Greece's Peloponnesian Coast: Amanzoe

A Modern-Day Idyll On Greece's Peloponnesian Coast: AmanzoeForbesThe architecture and scale of Amanzoe are as lavish as those of any number of ancient Greek palaces and acropolises, but the pervading ambience is not of pomp and circumstance but of effortless tranquility. Aman's third Mediterranean resort, like every ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.forbes.com

Gas, Ukraine Top Bid Cyprus Visit

Cyprus' airport was briefly evacuated following a bomb hoax, a day ahead of a visit to the small Mediterranean island nation by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.

The post Gas, Ukraine Top Bid Cyprus Visit appeared first on The National Herald.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

PAOK Fights Title Cost Points Loss

The Thessaloniki soccer team PAOK is asking the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn a three-point deduction for fan hooliganism that cost the team a place in next season's Champions League.

The post PAOK Fights Title Cost Points Loss appeared first on The National Herald.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

DIMAR Rejects Coalition Return

Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Fotis Kouvelis said he won't return to the coalition government headed by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' New Democracy Conservatives.

The post DIMAR Rejects Coalition Return appeared first on The National Herald.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

How To Celebrate Memorial Day In Cleveland

Source: new102.cbslocal.com - Wednesday, May 21, 2014 Memorial Day weekend is the official start to the summer and there is plenty of fun for all in the Cleveland area. With several annual events that include lots of food, drink, music and family fun, everyone is sure to have a good time. There are more traditional events like parades and memorial services and also finger-licking rib fests, concerts and even an annual Greek festival. This year’s Memorial Day weekend will surely rival events from past years. See the full list at CBSCleveland.com More Summer How To Celebrate Memorial Day In Cleveland 5 Great Ideas for the Perfect Summertime Date Update Your Spring Wardrobe With These Staples Backyard Olympics: How To Have Your Own Field Day Best Places In Cleveland For Sundresses Best Barbecue In ClevelandAll Related | More on Memorial Day

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT new102.cbslocal.com

New Exit Poll Shows SYRIZA Leading

PollWatch, the research institute financed by the European Parliament, in a recent poll on the euro elections on May 25, gives Greek main opposition party, SYRIZA, a lead of 3.6 units. For Greece, PollWatch, citing figures from the researches conducted by the companies Palmos and Alco, on May 14 and 15, estimates that SYRIZA with 29.6% will win 7 seats in the European Parliament, New Democracy with 26% will get 6 seats, Golden Dawn and the River with 8% will win 2 seats each while Elia (6.5%), the Communist party (6%), Independent Greeks (5.1%) and Democratic Left (3.2%) will get 1 seat each. PollWatch estimates that the European People’s Party (EPP) will win 217 seats in the European Parliament, ahead of 201 seats for the center-left Socialists & Democrats. The socialists have increased their seats to 201 from 194 while EPP has lost many seats (217 from 275). It seems that the European Left Party has recorded an impressive estimated rise of today’s seats, from 35 to 53, an increase of over 50%. PollWatch also recorded an impressive increase of MEPs who do not belong to any of the parties of the European Parliament. Many of these MEPs come from the French National Front of Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders‘ Dutch Freedom party.  Greece is the only European country where a party of the European left comes first. In Italy the slate “Another Europe with Tsipras” is estimated to stand at 4% and to win three seats.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Karamanlis Re-Appears to Back New Democracy

Former Prime Minister and previous New Democracy Conservative leader Costas Karamanlis, who disappeared from the political scene after losing the 2009 elections, has shown his face again at the behest of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to support his party publicly ahead of May 25 elections for municipalities and the European Parliament. Karamanlis said his party is the best bet for voters as Samaras is pushing that the Conservative – who, along with their coalition partner the PASOK Socialists brought the country to near-economic ruin by wild overspending and runaway patronage – can now bring stability and recovery. Karamanlis, whose administration was blamed for lying about the state of the economy, forcing then newly-elected Premier and PASOK chief George Papandreou to ask for international bailouts that came with harsh austerity measures, said only New Democracy could now safeguard “the country’s necessary political stability.” Media reports earlier said that Samaras, whose party is locked in a tight battle with the major opposition Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), would appeal to Karamanlis to do something to support the party even though the former Premier has been blamed for helping cause the crisis with an ineffectual administration. Karamanlis stepped down as party chief in October 2009 after suffering a landslide defeat in Parliamentary elections. He has since stayed out of the public eye, making few statements although he occasionally sits at the back of the Parliament where he is still a lawmaker. He has taken no blame for the economic crisis.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

For restaurant families, shared heritage of one Greek island blooms each spring

For restaurant families, shared heritage of one Greek island blooms each springThe New Orleans AdvocateAdvocate staff photo by JOHN McCUSKER -- Greek restaurateurs Nikolas Toras, of Please-U, Petros Bilalis and Gus Kouniarian, of P&G, Leo Christakis, Mena's Palace, Gus Michailakis, of Gus's, John Kleamenakis, of Mano's Po-Boys, Pete Michailakis, ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theneworleansadvocate.com

Samaras Promises Voters Jobs, Recovery

Days before critical elections for Greek municipalities and the European Parliament, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras pleaded with voters to stay a course of recovery with him.

The post Samaras Promises Voters Jobs, Recovery appeared first on The National Herald.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

Greece Steps Up Aegean Patrols

Fearing smugglers will try to bring more illegal immigrants across the sea, the Hellenic Coast Guard is picking up patrols off Turkey.

The post Greece Steps Up Aegean Patrols appeared first on The National Herald.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

Greece: Jazz Version of Rise Up released

The 2014 Greek Eurovision representatives Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd have released the Jazz version of their Eurovision entry Rise Up. Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd won the 2014 Greek Eurovision national final last March and won the right to represent ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT esctoday.com

Man Executed in Western Athens

The cold-blooded murder of a 31 year-old man in a restaurant in Korydallos, western Athens, Greece, early on Wednesday morning has shocked the country. The victim was sitting at a table with his back to the street. The culprit calmly walked up to the victim’s table and shot him three times in the head. Witnesses immediately called the police and an ambulance. The victim was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Greek authorities are now looking for the murderer, who managed to run away from the scene. According to the police the victim was convicted for involvement in criminal circuits and he was released just three months ago. He was obliged to present himself to a police station twice a month. It is thought the culprit was member of a rival gang.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

IMF Meets on May 30 to Decide on Next Tranche

The managing board of the International Monetary Fund will meet on May 30 to discuss on the fifth evaluation of the Greek program and to approve the disbursement of the next tranche of the rescue package to Greece. Poul Thomsen, the head of the IMF’s Greek mission, gave his report to the members of the fund’s board who will decide on the release of the next tranche. During a press conference, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice noted that IMF’s view on the Greek debt remain unchanged and claimed that the Greek debt is expected to remain at “high levels”. He pointed out that Greece’s European partners have agreed to proceed with a restructuring of the debt, provided that Greece will remain “fully aligned with its commitments in the program”. Rice noted that the Europeans announced that discussions on the Greek debt will start in the second half of 2014. Rice said that IMF’s technical team will be in Greece in June or July while the fund’s higher officials will arrive after summer. However the exact date hasn’t been decided yet. Greece’s next aid package is estimated at 8.3 billion euros ($11.4 billion). As reported the eurozone will approve a tranche of 8.3 billion euros and the IMF 3.6 billion euros.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Crete Village of Doctors Without a Doctor

The village of Mesi, in the region of Rethimno, Crete, Greece has a long medical tradition. Despite its small populatio, many of its residents work as doctors in hospital and clinics of Crete and Attica, while many young people choose to study medicine. According to madeincreta.gr, 13 out of 30 village residents are doctors. However, despite being a village of doctors, the rural doctor hasn’t visited the area for two years. “In the past, the doctor used to come once a month,” say the dissapointed and angry residents who are deprived of basic medical care. They have to travel to neighboring villages or to the hospital of Rethimno, to have medical examinations. As required by the Greek Health Ministry, the authorities have placed an antenna for internet access, which is supposed to help the doctor’s work. However the antenna hasn’t been activated yet.  

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Stocks dip on weaker banking heavyweights

Shares in Denmark’s AP Møller-Maersk rise as it lifts forecasts for its shipping business, while Greek banks NBG and Piraeus also climb

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ft.com

Greek Design Group Mousegraphics Wins Coveted Design Award

The successful Greek creative group Mousegraphics won Best of Show award for packaging design in the Dieline awards. The Dieline Awards is a worldwide competition exclusively on the art of brand packaging and winning one of its coveted awards is a top ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

The Real Greek expands outside London

Eastern Mediterranean restaurant the Real Greek is opening its first site outside of London in Windsor on 29 May in the first phase of its wider expansion strategy. The new Real Greek restaurant is 2500sq.ft in size and has 130 covers. It will also create ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bighospitality.co.uk

Greek PM presents new national growth plan for post-crisis Greece

by  KG/XINHUA

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras presented on Tuesday an ambitious new national growth plan which lays the foundations for a healthy Greek economy after four years of an acute debt crisis.

The "Greece 2021" program envisages the implementation of a new development model for the country which will lead to 50 billion euro (68.5 billion U.S. dollars) revenues and the creation of some 770,000 job positions over the next seven years.

The new plan focuses on the support of sectors where Greece has strategic advantages, such as shipping, agriculture, energy, transit trade, pharmaceuticals, the metal industry, research, technology, innovation and services.

Among the priorities in this context is the gradual introduction of further reforms aimed to cut down on bureaucracy, deregulate the market, strengthen the banking sector and facilitate the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises.

He pledged a policy mix which will reduce tax evasion and gradually taxes, production costs and social security contributions in order to attract more investments, deal with the unemployment and enhance social cohesion.

Outlining the overall strategy during an event organized by the ruling conservative New Democracy party ahead of the forthcoming May 25 local administration and European Parliament elections, Samaras stressed that Greece is exiting the crisis and lays the ground for a better future.

"We are moving forward to growth ... We are building a new Greece," Samaras said, underlining that even international markets acknowledge today the impressive progress achieved in fiscal targets and reforms in recent years.

Greece, which has been kept afloat with international bailout loans in return of painful austerity since 2010, is exiting six years of recession in 2014 and will post a 2.9 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2015 and a 3.7 percent in 2016, the Premier said.

As the ruling coalition suffered losses, but kept its ground in the first round of local elections on May 18, he called on Greek voters to make a clear choice next Sunday between "stability and the risk of backtracking to a nightmare."

Anti-bailout main opposition Radical Left SYRIZA party has presented the May 25 elections as a referendum on the government's economic policy and stay in power. 

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.neurope.eu

Business live: SSE and Burberry profits up; Bank of England minutes and retail sales awaited

Energy firm claims the sector faces very challenging conditions after growing profits to £1.55bn, but lost 370,000 customers over the last year

SSE: profits up 9.6%, but retail profits downChairman: We're part of the solutionBurberry warns on currency effects, againComing up: Bank of England minutes...

8.59am BST

Back on SSE's results, and the Press Association has focused on the drop in retail profits at the energy supplier:

Energy giant SSE today said annual profits from its energy supply arm fell by nearly a third and are unlikely to recover for two years after it announced a price freeze.

Operating profits from the business dropped by 32.2% to £246 million though the wider group saw adjusted pre-tax profits rise 9.6% to £1.55 billion.

8.55am BST

It's the end of an era at Carpetright.

The UK flooring firm's (very) long-serving executive chairman, Lord Harris, is stepping down this summer, after more than half a century in carpet retailing.

"I will be 72 this year and shareholders will be aware that I have been planning a managed hand-over of my responsibilities for some time.

8.46am BST

Heads-up for eurozone crisis watchers - the FT's Peter Spiegel is about to discuss his brilliant series on how the euro was saved, on Radio 4. You'll be able to hear it later on iPlayer (could be tricky if you're not in the UK, though)..

Not fully awake yet? I've got solution: my grating American accent on @BBCRadio4 in 10mins talking about recent @FT series on #eurocrisis

8.43am BST

SSE's 9.6% jump in profits (despite that drop in retail earnings) haven't caused any alarm in the City -- where shares have dipped just 0.3%, or 6p, to £15.60.

And Burberry's record profits have also gone down well - shares are up 0.6%

8.36am BST

Burberry's new boss, Christopher Bailey, has begun his stint at the top of the fashion industry by reporting record profits for the last year, up 8% rise in line with expectations.

As we enter a new chapter, our teams are united and energised by the opportunities ahead - from unlocking Japan, to accelerating Beauty and further integrating the physical and digital to deliver distinctive experiences.

8.17am BST

SSE has hiked the dividend it pays to shareholders by 3.0% -- part of its policy to raise dividends at least as fast as inflation.

But it warned that future earnings face several risks, including:

SSE ups the dividend but warns that potential Labour price freeze "could place a greater risk" on future earnings for shareholders.

8.10am BST

SSE's chairman Lord Smith insists that his company is part of the solution, not the problem, in the energy sector - after growing profits by almost 10% in the last year:

"SSE is listening to and helping customers with the longest ever household energy price freeze in the Great Britain market;we have well-defined plans for net investment of around £5.5bn over the next four years in maintaining, upgrading and building the electricity assets customers depend on; and we are committed to giving investors a fair return through an annual dividend that at least keeps pace with inflation.

"The issues facing the energy sector are very challenging. Nevertheless, customers, investors, regulators, politicians and SSE all want the same thing: an energy market that works for customers, and is trusted and seen to do so. We believe SSE is not part of the problem but part of the solution to meeting the energy needs of customers in Great Britain and Ireland."

8.04am BST

Energy firm SSE has reignited the debate over the state of Britain's energy sector by posting a 9.6% surge in profits for the last financial year.

SSE, one of Britain's "Big Six" suppliers, made adjusted pre-tax profits of£1.55bn for the year to 31 March compared with £1.4bn a year earlier.

SSE group profits up 9.6% to £1.5bn as retail price hike last Nov helps. Interesting 48% gain from regulated (?) electricity transmission.

Energy supplier SSE reports 9pc rise in adjusted pre-tax profits of £1,55bn - a reflection of the underlying profits of the business

8.02am BST

Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of the financial markets, the world economy, the eurozone and business.

Coming up today -- the minutes of the Bank of England's last monetary policy meeting will show whether any rate-setters are considering raising interest rates, in the face of a growing economy and hefty house price rises in London.

get your resumes out: samaras vowed 770,000 new jobs by 2020. which, by then, shd be roughly the size of the remaining labor force. #greece

#Greece #EP2014 RT @jodi2014: This is what #Samaras promised before the 2012 elections http://t.co/P3KKueweOw pic.twitter.com/KlLBmJ3jhZ

Continue reading...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com

Ellen DeGeneres is in a Greek Soap Opera?

Greek ReporterEllen DeGeneres is in a Greek Soap Opera?Greek ReporterWhen Ellen Degeneres saw this clip from a real-life soap opera in Greece, she couldn't believe her eyes. A Greek fan sent the clip to Ellen's show claiming that the American TV host was in the Greek soap opera Brousco. And she was right! As one of the ...and more »

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT hollywood.greekreporter.com

EYCS Council focuses on high quality education and youth entrepreneurship

by  KG/EUROPA

The Ministerial Council on Education, Youth, Culture and Sport (EYCS) (Education & Youth), chaired by Athanasios Kyriazis, Greek Secretary General  for Education and Religious Affairs, met in Brussels yesterday, 20 May 2014.

In the Education session, the Council adopted the following conclusions:

• on effective teacher education, • on multilingualism and the development of language competencies, • on quality assurance supporting education and training.

In conjunction with February’s conclusions on “efficient and innovative education and training, to invest in skills-supporting the European Semester 2014”, a coherent framework of initiatives, aimed at improving the quality of education as well as a number of issues that no other presidency until now had adopted, were promoted.

In particular, the Greek Presidency raised the issue of quality assurance in the cross-border higher education programmes, which was discussed in public session. Moreover, the Council examined the strengthening of the role of education in updating the strategy "Europe 2020", as its contribution to Member States’ economic and social development is considerably important.

Finally, during the afternoon session, ministers exchanged views on youth-related matters. The Council adopted conclusions on “promoting youth entrepreneurship to foster social inclusion of young people”.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.neurope.eu

Greek lessons start on TV

PRIVATE Turkish Cypriot TV channel Kanal Sim yesterday began broadcasting Greek language courses. According to the station’s general programming manager Sami Özuslu, the goal of the courses is to contribute to a peace culture and that regardless of a ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT cyprus-mail.com

Chefs raise funds with Greek cooking demo

Chefs raise funds with Greek cooking demoPensacola News JournalHowever, on May 29, the wait will be over — if only for a day. Well-known Pensacola chef Gus Silivos will be doing live cooking demonstrations of popular Greek dishes at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. “Primarily, it's a fundraiser,” Silivos said.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.pnj.com

Greek-American Chef Jimmy Bannos Is (Officially) a Rising Star

Chicago chef, Restaurateur, and Greek-American Jimmy Bannos, Jr. was awarded one of the most prestigious awards in the culinary industry when he was named 2014 Rising Star Chef by the James Beard Foundation on Monday, May 5, 2014. Bannos shares this year ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT usa.greekreporter.com

World Cup: Greece cut Papadopoulos, Tzorvas from squad

World Cup: Greece cut Papadopoulos, Tzorvas from squadGMA NewsATHENS - Olympiakos Piraeus center back Avraam Papadopoulos was among the leading players cut from Greece's World Cup squad as coach Fernando Santos named his final group of 23 players.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.gmanetwork.com

Are Greeks returning to Turkey?

Are Greeks returning to Turkey?Al-MonitorThe Turkish media reported earlier this month that four Greek families had decided to leave Greece and (re)settle on the island of Gokceada, in Turkey's northern Aegean region, encouraged by the reopening of a Greek primary school there. What was ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.al-monitor.com

RMH Walk-a-Thon Raises Funds, Spirits

The annual Walk-a-Thon for the Ronald McDonald House in NY that is organized by its Greek Division was held May 17 and raised $76,000. Co-chairs Nicolas Bornozis and Marie Konstance marched along with RMH President and CEO William Sullivan, Greek Division Administrator Spiridoula Katechis and its new chairman Michael Bapis. According to its web site […]

The post RMH Walk-a-Thon Raises Funds, Spirits appeared first on The National Herald.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

Exceptional Greek salad and other specialties at My Other Kitchen

A Greek salad can be a beautiful thing. At My Other Kitchen in Belmont, the salad’s signature is a delicious tomato-flavored vinaigrette tucked beside a bowlful of crisp cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, pickled peperoncini, olives, and feta.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bostonglobe.com

Greek Film Impresses Critics at Cannes Festival

The Greek director Panos Koutras, won critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival for his fourth feature film, “Xenia,” which was screened in the “Un Certain Regard” section of the festival, on Sunday, May 18. “Xenia” is described as his ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT eu.greekreporter.com

Sugar Ray to play Greek Fest more than month before Mark McGrath stars in 'Sharknado 2'

KALAMAZOO, MI --Sugar Ray will headline the 38th annual Theo & Stacy's Greek Festival in June at the Arcadia Creek Festival Place. Greek Festival will be held June 5-7 at the downtown site. Sugar Ray, and frontman Mark McGrath, will perform at 10 p.m ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.mlive.com

Athens Mayoral Candidates to Hold Televised Debate

The candidate mayors of Athens, George Kaminis and Gavriil Sakellaridis, who had the higher rates in the first round of local government elections on Sunday May 18, will hold their first televised debate on Wednesday. The debate will be aired on Athens-based private television station ANT1. It is expected that the candidate mayors of the city of Athens, Greece will hold more debates until the second round of local government elections on Sunday May 25. Sakellaridis on Monday suggested that the debate should conclude with a publicly held meeting in the amphitheater of the Athens municipality radio station “Athens 9.84” attended by citizens who would pose questions on predetermined thematic units without the pressure of time limits. He had also proposed the discussion to be aired on the City of Athens radio station, as well as on private television stations. George Kaminis, the independent candidate supported by PASOK and Democratic Left (DIMAR), took 21.06 % of the vote in Sunday’s first round of local elections, while opposition SYRIZA’s candidate, Gavriil Sakellaridis, gained 20 %.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Acropolis Museum Among 20 Best in the World

In light of International Museum Day on May 18, web magazine’s “Achdaily” editors made a list of the top twenty museums in the world. The list includes famous museums, such as the Acropolis Museum and MAXXI, and some of the less well-known such as the Medieval Museum, Natural History Museum of Utah, and Muritzeum, which were chosen for their inspired architecture. The editors included Acropolis Museum on their list taking into consideration the rich archaeological collections hosted inside the Museum and the utmost simplicity of its design, which is strongly connected with the mathematical and conceptual clarity of Ancient Greece. Its location also seems ideal since it stands less than 1,000 feet southeast of the Parthenon, in the historic Makrigianni district, fitting perfectly into its “natural” environment. The top floor Parthenon Gallery offers a spectacular panoramic view of Acropolis and modern Athens. The entrance links the Museum to other key archaeological sites in Athens.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greek Property Prices 2014 Continue to Drop

The Bank of Greece data showed that Greek housing prices are dropping during the first quarter of 2014, compared to the same period of last year. It is estimated that prices have decreased by 7.5 percent in 2014. According to revised data, housing prices dropped with an average annual rate of 10.3 percent in 2013 ( 11.5 percent, 11.7 percent, 9.2 percent and 8.6 percent in the first, second, third and fourth quarter of 2013 respectively). In 2012, price drops amounted to 11.7 percent compared to 2013. More specifically, in the first quarter of 2014, prices of newly built homes (up to 5 years old) fell 7.6 percent while older ones saw a drop of 7.5 percent, compared to 2013. The correspondent annual decline rate in 2013 came to 10.4 percent for newly built homes and 10.2 percent for older housing. Analysis of data by geographical area showed a decrease in the prices of apartments by 10.6 percent in Athens, 7.4 percent in Thessaloniki, 5.3 percent in other big Greek cities and 3.8 percent in the remaining regions of Greece. According to revised data, the annual decline in 2013 was 11.9 percent, 8.8 percent, 10.1 percent and 7.9 percent respectively.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greek Week for charity

From May 7-16, Cal Poly Pomona sororities and fraternities participated in Greek Week, a time for Greek organizations to show the university what they’re all about. The events provided a fun way to earn money for organizations. It was a time to show non ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thepolypost.com

From our Upcoming Travel Guide: The Incomparable Nisyrian Moon

“There’s no place like home” is a phrase used by Greeks, Americans, and people of various other countries throughout the world. It speaks to a bond with one’s native land. Greeks of Greece and the Diaspora have their favorite “homes,” too – their own little corner of Greece they boast is “the best!” If we […]

The post From our Upcoming Travel Guide: The Incomparable Nisyrian Moon appeared first on The National Herald.

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com