Europe: The Sky's Not Falling

Now that the dust has settled from the recent elections for the European Parliament, it is time to take a deep breath and see what really happened. No, Britain is not about to toss its immigrant population into the sea. No, France's Marine Le Pen is not about to march on the Elysee Palace. And as repulsive as the thugs of Hungary's Jobbik Party and Greece's Golden Dawn are, it was the continent's left to whom the laurels went in last month's poll. Parties that targeted unemployment, austerity, and the growing wealth gap in Europe did well. The dramatic breakthrough of right-wing, racist, and xenophobic parties in France, Britain, and Denmark had less to do with a neo-Nazi surge than with the inability or unwillingness of the mainstream parties in those countries to offer a viable alternative to a half decade of economic misery. Indeed, if there was a message in the May 25 EU elections, it was that those who trumpeted austerity as the panacea for economic crisis were punished. Hence Britain's Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition took a drubbing, France's ruling Socialists were blitzed, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats lost eight seats, while her Social Democratic opponents picked up four. In contrast, where there was a clear choice between economic democracy on one hand and "let's blame it on the immigrants and Roma" on the other--as in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, and most of Central and Eastern Europe--voters went left. As Srecko Horvat, Croatian philosopher and author of What Does Europe Want?, commented in the wake of the election, "The European left is back in the game."Earthquake"Earthquake" was the metaphor most used in describing the triumphs of Marine Le Pen's National Front in France, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) in Britain, and the Danish People's Party in Denmark. But if there was a result that shifted the foundations of Europe, it was the victory of Greece's Syriza Party and the "out of nowhere" appearance of Podemos--"we can"--in Spain. Syriza emerged from the wreckage inflicted on the Greek economy by the so-called "troika"--the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank, and the European Commission. For the price of a bailout--most of it siphoned off by big European banks--the Greek government instituted massive layoffs, made huge cuts in pensions, health care, and education, and privatized government-owned property. The jobless rate rocketed to 28 percent--over 50 percent for young people--and millions of Greeks were impoverished. While Greece's creditors did well, the austerity did nothing to turn the depressed economy around. Syriza took 26.5 percent of the May 25 vote to become the biggest party in Greece. That figure, translated into a general election, would net the party 130 seats in the 300-seat Greek parliament. In contrast, the two governing parties that oversaw the austerity program lost over 10 percentage points between them. Much of the media focused on the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Party, which won 9.4 percent of the vote--a 2.4-percent jump over their 2012 showing. Golden Dawn will send three representatives to the European Parliament, where the Greek left will swamp their representatives. Another right-wing Greek party, the Popular Orthodox Rally, lost voters. While Syriza focused on the Greek domestic crisis, it also consciously attached itself to other left-leaning anti-austerity movements throughout the continent. "What happened in Greece is not a success story but a social tragedy that shouldn't be repeated anywhere in Europe," Syriza's leader Alexis Tsipras said during a debate among candidates for the post of European Commission president.Anywhere in Europe That "anywhere in Europe" resonated in other countries entrapped in the troika austerity formula or struggling to emerge from stagnant economies and long-term unemployment. Besides Greece, the most conspicuous example was Podemos in Spain. Podemos came out of the massive anti-austerity rallies that paralyzed Madrid and other Spanish cities in 2011, and which impelled similar demonstrations in Europe and the United States, including the Occupy Wall Street movement. Podemos, says its leader Pablo Iglesias, is "citizens doing politics. If the citizens don't get involved in politics, others will. And that opens the door to their robbing you of democracy, your rights, and your wallet." The Spanish party consciously modeled itself on Syriza, not only in program, but also in its grassroots, bottoms-up organizing tactics. While Podemos has only been in existence four months, it took 8 percent of the vote nationwide and 11 percent in Madrid. With Syriza's showing added to the success of left parties in Catalonia, Valencia, and the Basque Region, plus the votes for the Spanish Green Party and the Socialist Party, Spain's ruling right-wing People's Party is now a decidedly minority organization. That pattern was repeated in several other countries. In Ireland the two parties that oversaw the austerity program--Fine Gael and Labour--dropped 16.5 points and 12.5 points respectively, while left and independent parties like Sinn Fein, the Socialist Party, and People Before Profits cornered 45 percent of the vote. The anti-austerity Portuguese Socialist Party defeated the center-right coalition that has overseen the troika's recipe for Lisbon, and the Portuguese Communist Party took 12.7 percent of the vote. Italy saw the center-left Democratic Party emerge as the number-one political force in the country with 40 percent of the vote, while Beppo Grillo's angry and iconoclastic--but program-light--Five Star Movement took a beating, coming in at 21.2 percent. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing Forza Italia took third at 16.8 percent. A Syriza look alike, L'Aitra Europa (the "Other Europe"), garnered a respectable 4 percent and three seats in the European Parliament after only a few months campaigning. In contrast, the much older and established racist Northern League lost four seats and took an anemic 6.2 percent of the vote. In Slovenia the United Left won 5.9 percent of the vote, which in a general election would have given the party six seats in parliament. The extreme right Party for Freedom in the Netherlands lost two seats, and Finland's right-wing Finns Party dropped from the 19 percent it scored in 2011 to 13 percent.The Right Rears Its Head Not that it was all sweetness and light. Hungary's neo-Nazi Jobbik took 14.7 percent of the vote, but that was an almost 6-percent drop from what the party received in last month's general elections. Poland's reactionary Congress of the New Right jumped from 1 percent in the 2011 general elections to 7 percent, and Lithuania's conservative Order and Justice Party scored 14.3 percent. The anti-immigrant New Flemish Alliance won in Belgium, and Austria's Freedom Party came in third with 19.7 percent of the vote. However, right-wing parties like Ataka in Bulgaria, the Greater Romanian Party, and the Slovak National Party all lost voters. The right won parliamentary seats in 10 out of the 28 EU countries--and increased its representation in six of those countries--but also lost seats in seven other countries. The triumphs of the National Front in France and the UKIP in Britain are certainly worrisome. Both ran virulent, anti-immigrant campaigns, and the Front in particular has long been associated with anti-Semitism and anti-Roma ideology. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that everyone who voted for the two parties share their penchant for ethnic hatred. Some of that support was indeed racist, but the parties also tapped into voter anger over the economic policies of the EU that have kept both countries locked into near-recession conditions. The "traditional" left in the two countries--the Socialist Party in France and the Labour Party in the UK--have gone along with some of the troika's austerity measures, and have also been sotto voce about immigrant bashing. The absence of a serious left critique of EU policies in both countries let many people surrender to their dark side and buy the fable that immigrants have swamped the job market and plundered social services--especially since many of the rightist parties opportunistically adopted anti-austerity planks. It was a pattern that played out elsewhere as well. In Denmark, for instance, the center-right Venstre Party campaigned on denying welfare benefits to immigrants, hardly a platform to contrast itself with the far-right Danish People's Party.A Better Solution Than Hate Politically the continent has rejected the troika's strategy, much as Latin America did in 2000. "We are opposed to everlasting austerity as a means for fiscal rebalancing on both pragmatic and ideological grounds," says Syriza's Tsipras. "The subjugation of democratic process to the markets was the reason why we have the crisis today. ... We predicted from the onset" that "austerity-based policies would backfire." The trick now will be to pull the various left forces together to hammer out an alternative. Podemos' Iglesias has declared that the Spanish party intends to work "with other parties from Southern Europe to say that we don't want to be a colony of Germany and the troika." Syriza has already proposed a European summit modeled on the 1953 London Debt Agreement that canceled 50 percent of Germany's World War II debt and spread out payments on the rest over 30 years. As for the so-called "earthquake" on the right: the neo-Nazis and immigrant bashers will make a lot of noise, but they offer nothing but hate as an economic solution. The left has a better one, and they are back.This article originally appeared in Foreign Policy in Focus.

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Happy Hour Pairing: Fraoula Aktinidi Cocktails

This combination of strawberries, kiwi, and bubbly is the perfect way to get your weekend underway! Makes 4 Ingredients: 2 kiwis cut in half 1 cup fresh strawberries 1 bottle Champagne or Athiri Sparkler* 1 kiwi peeled and sliced and 4 whole strawberries for garnish Directions: In a medium bowl, scoop out the insides of […]

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Tsipras to Le Monde: ‘The Greek Debt is Not Viable’

Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alexis Tsipras indicated in an interview to the newspaper Le Monde, that Europe needs to restructure the Greek debt which is unsustainable and threatens the stability of Europe. “Greece has a need for a new national strategy in the negotiations because we have critical negotiations ahead for debt restructuring,” Tsipras said. He then continued: “The debt is not viable and is threatening the stability of all of Europe. This systemic danger led Brussels to deal with the Greek debt in 2010. The threat of Greece’s exit from the euro was used as blackmail. All were aware that such a thing would blow the Eurozone up into the air. Greece did not understand how to use its negotiating possibilities.” The SYRIZA leader, replying to the remark of a reporter on a statement by Samaras, that Greece is doing better, has returned to the markets and began the path of growth, underlined the fact that “ austerity’s ultimate target was not Greece’s exit from the crisis, but for an internal devaluation to take place so as to provide a new impetus to its competitiveness. Merkel and Schäuble have a strategic plan which is the Germanization of Europe and the colonization of the south of Europe.” He stressed that “if Europe doesn’t democratize soon, it will suffer a major cohesion.” About the implemented policy on debt structure Tsipras stated: “First we need a European solution to the debt problem. Before the crisis, the public debt was 120% of GDP and today it is 180%. This proves that the policy applied was criminal.” He concluded that “focusing on Greece, the countries of the periphery should implement a broad program of investment, a New Deal, to quickly find the path of growth.”

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Spike in air space violations by Turkey this year

Greece’s armed forces are on standby following a spike in the number of national air space violations by Turkish aircraft over the Aegean Sea. Turkish aircraft carried out 1,017 violations in the first five months of 2014 compared to 636 encroachments the... ...

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More than 800 migrants returned home in May

A total of 811 immigrants were deported from Greece in May, the police’s aliens bureau said on Friday. Just over 500 of the migrants left the country via a voluntary program conducted with the help of the local branch of the International Organization for... ...

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Nearly 20 million illegal cigarettes seized at Piraeus Port

Two crates shipped from the United Arab Emirates to the port of Piraeus and labeled “office supplies” were found to contain 19.9 million contraband cigarettes, customs authorities reported on Friday. The illegal cigarettes would have cost the Greek state ... ...

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Health booklets will not have to be validated under new scheme

Greeks will soon no longer have to visit their social security funds at regular intervals to validate their health booklets, allowing them to receive free or subsidized healthcare. A decision signed on Friday by Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis means that ... ...

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Q1 GDP drop was less than expected

The revised rate of 0.9 percent for the contraction of Greece’s gross domestic product in the first quarter of the year may have generated more optimism that the government will be able to attain its target of returning to growth by year-end, but this was... ...

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Trapezaria brings real Greek food to the table

Trapezaria brings real Greek food to the tableWashington PostIn his estimation, the area's recent crop of Greek restaurants is focused more on trends than on tradition. “No one's doing it the old-fashioned way,” says the native of Cyprus and the co-owner of what translates from Greek as “big table.” Trapezaria ...

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ESPN World Cup Poster Features A Greek Word That Does Not Actually Exist

If you haven't seen the latest World Cup posters commissioned by ESPN and illustrated by Brazilian graphic artist Cristiano Siqueira, you're seriously missing out. The bold, color-saturated images are beautifully rendered and feature well-known players ...

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Council of Europe calls on govt to recognise Turkish-named associations in Thrace

Council of Europe's foreign minister's conference notes that Greece has been condemned by the Eur...

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Greek Cooking Classes Continue with Chef Maria

Are you looking for a fun date night or girl’s night out option in Louisville? Look no further than Chef Maria’s Greek Deli. Here, starting on Saturday, June 14, you can learn the art of Greek cooking and food preparation with a lesson with Chef Maria ...

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Arsenal make Greek youngster Elias Chatzitheodoridis their first summer signing

Squawka Football NewsArsenal make Greek youngster Elias Chatzitheodoridis their first summer signingSquawka Football NewsArsenal have made their first summer signing by confirming the arrival of 17-year-old Greek youngster Elias Chatzitheodoridis. The Gunners have agreed a deal to sign Chatzitheodoridis after he impressed the club's coaching staff during a recent trial.Arsenal Make Greek Teenager First Signing Of The SummercaughtoffsideArsenal FC Transfer News: Gunners Land Promising Greek Defender as First ...International Business Times AUArsenal Complete First Signing of the Summer With 17-Year-Old Elias ...FTBproall 6 news articles »

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Europeans Boost 2014 Tourism in Chalkidiki

After five years of reduced tourist flow in the region of Chalkidiki, northern Greece, it appears that in 2014 there is a significant rise in bookings by European tour operators, according to Chalkidiki Tourism Organization. The administration of the organization, taking advantage of the direct flights to the airport “Macedonia” in Thessaloniki, implemented a highly targeted strategy contacting airlines and tour operators in Europe in order to include as many locations and resort lodgings as possible in online and printed tourist guides. Arrivals from Germany increased by 11.70% compared to last year’s May. At the same time, there is a rise in allotment contracts in the hotels of Chalkidiki. These contracts refer to a specific time frame during which the hotel can provide, on a daily basis, a certain number of rooms. Arrivals from the United Kingdom increased by 30.5% in May due to regular low-cost flights to Thessaloniki. In May the Chalkidiki Tourism Organization carried out a familiarization trip with the participation of 20 British travel agents and offices (including BA HOLIDAYS). The trip included visits to areas of Chalkidiki, Thessaloniki and Vergina. A similar trip will also take place in October. Transavia airlines with 3 weekly direct flights from Amsterdam to Thessaloniki, brought, for the first time after 15 years, Dutch tourists to Chalkidiki. It is estimated that  more than 2,500 people visited Chalkidiki in May. Ryanair’s daily flights, from Charleroi Airport in Brussels, the selected journalists by the Greek National Tourism Organization who “discovered” the area and the Belgian tour operators targeting a special category of tourists   contributed to the arrival of 4,700 Belgian visitors. In May, Belgian arrivals increased by 206% compared to the same period in 2013. Finally, the neighboring Turkey has shown a strong interest in destinations in northern Greece. It is estimated that more than 25 hotels in Chalkidiki and many rooms for rent will accommodate Turkish visitors in 2014.

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Trial Begins for Strawberry Farm Workers Shooting

The trial of the owner of a strawberry farm in Nea Manolada in Peloponnese began on Friday, June 6, along with his three foremen accused of shooting at a group of Bangladeshi migrant workers. The shooting occurred on April 2013, when the foremen opened fire on about 120 laborers, who demanded their unpaid wages. Twenty eight of them were injured and recovered after treatment. The initial charges on attempted murder were softened to grievous bodily harm and the four Greek men have been charged with labor trafficking and breaches of employment law. It is the first time that Greece will hold a trial for the mass trafficking of workers. More than a year after the incident the laborers are still living under poor conditions in the strawberry fields of southern Greece and are still waiting to get paid. “The case has to do with major abuse of human rights within a wider framework, which has been covered up for years by a veil of silence,” said the Greek Council for Refugees, which has helped raise money for the migrants to attend the trial that will take place in Patra. Only the 28 undocumented migrants who were treated in the hospital have been given temporary protection against deportation, while the remaining laborers have filed a separate suit against the Greek owner and three foremen.

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Acropolis Museum Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

Acropolis Museum, which was recently ranked among 20 best Museums in the world, will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Friday, June 20. The celebration events will include a concert by Leon of Athens and a 3D presentation of the horse riders statues (Hippeis), which stand in the west side frieze. Reduced entrance tickets at 3 euros will be also available to all visitors. The west frieze horse riders with bronze weapons and reins that were added, will be presented in a three-dimensional picture with alternating lighting and coloring. These innovative ideas mark the beginning of the digital rehabilitation of the Parthenon marbles. Exhibition rooms and the Museum’s restaurant will remain open from 8 a.m until midnight and the entrance fee will be reduced to 3 euros for everybody. At 9:30 p.m Acropolis Museum will celebrate its fifth anniversary with a concert by the popular artist Leon of Athens held in the courtyard. Visitors will have the opportunity to hear their favorite songs from the two albums released so far by the Greek artist entitled “Future” and “Global” as well as remixes of popular songs from the international music industry.

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The Day After The Mario Draghi's Big Actions, The Eurozone Periphery Goes Into Rally Mode

Yesterday, the ECB took the unprecedented step of taking interest rates into negative territory. 

Draghi's decision came after the close of European markets, but U.S. stocks rallied yesterday.

Today, its been Europe's turn to run higher. 

Leading the gains are markets on the European periphery, namely Italy and Spain, with both countries seeing strength in both their bond and stock markets.

Italian 10-year bonds are trading 9 basis points, or 0.9%, lower than yesterday at 2.84%. Spanish 10-years are down 8 basis points to 2.74%, according to data from Bloomberg. 

Spain's IBEX stock exchange is up more than 1.6%, and the Spanish FTSE MIB Index is up 1.4%. 

Today's action in Italian and Spanish bonds comes amid a strong year across the European periphery, including Portugal and Greece, which have seen yields on 10-year government bonds drop by more than 2% and 3%, respectively. 

Markets in the U.K., France, and Germany are also stronger, as the market seems to be taking Draghi's bold actions seriously.

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IMB reports ‘possible hijack’ of Greek tanker off Ghana

A Greek tanker with 24 crew aboard is believed to have been hijacked off Ghana in the Gulf of Guinea, the International Maritime Bureau said on Friday. The Liberia-flagged MT Fair Artemis lost contact with its owners on Wednesday off Ghana’s capital Accra... ...

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NBG leads local bourse benchmark to 2-month high point

The benchmark of the Greek bourse hit a two-month high on Friday following another session of gains with particularly high trading volume. The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,305.16 points, adding 1.49 percent to Thursday’s 1,285.97 poin... ...

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ECB Sets Stimulus, Cuts Rate

The European Central Bank took bold steps June 5 to protect Europe's fragile economic recovery, cutting interest rates and offering to pump more money into the financial system.

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Golden Dawn Sues Its Prosecutors

Greece's extremist Golden Dawn party, whose leaders have been arrested on charges of running a criminal gang, has sued the prosecutors bringing the case against them.

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10 Things You Need To Know This Morning

Good morning and Happy Jobs Day! Here's what you need to know.

It's Jobs Day! At 8:30 a.m. the BLS will release its employment situation report. Consensus is for 215,000, down from 288,000 in April. The employment rate is expected to tick up 10 bps to 6.4%.

Goldman's Payrolls Forecast. Goldman's prediction is even lower, at 210,000. "Payroll gains have averaged 238k over the last three months, but the May employment data flow looks more mixed," the firm's David Mercie writes. "As a result, we expect May to come in a bit below the trend-like rate of about 225k that we expect as growth accelerates in 2014." 

Barclays Unemployment Rate Forecast. Barclays sees the unemployment rate holding firm. "We look for the unemployment rate to stay unchanged at 6.3% in May," the firm said in a note. "Although there may be some increase in the labor force participation rate after last month’s 0.4pp drop, we expect the solid pace of job growth to absorb re-entrants and leave the unemployment rate unchanged."

New Largest Lehman-Era Fine. The Wall Street Journal reports the government will settle with Bank of America over alleged Lehman-era mortgage fraud for more than $12 billion, topping the previous record settlement held by JP Morgan. 

Record-Low Eurozone Yields. The ECB's decision to tip interest rates on deposits into negative territory has sparked a fresh surge into continental treasury notes, the FT says. "Italy and Spain's 10-year bond yields fell about 13 basis points each to 2.8% and 2.68% respectively, new record lows. Greece's benchmark bond yield fell 25 bp to 5.86%, below the 6 per cent mark for the first time in a month. Portugal and Ireland's 10-year yields also fell 10 bp to 3.51% and 2.48% respectively, a new record low in Dublin's case."

UBS: Draghi's Weak Sauce. The ECB chief Mario Draghi's negative rates decision was as expected as it was unprecedented, and UBS rate strategies chief Justin Knight is not impressed, arguing it failed to amount to another "whatever it takes moment" like the one Mario Draghi conjured in 2012, the FT reports. "Notably, after an initial sell-off, the euro recovered late in European trading against the dollar," Knight writes. "The ECB's policy decisions will have only modest impacts on interest differentials and relative central bank balance sheet size. To the extent the euro weakens against the dollar this year—as we expect—depreciation is more likely to be driven by improving US growth and rising US interest rates."

Walmart Investor Day. Shareholders convene in Bentonville Friday. On the docket: " appointing an independent board chairman, and a say-on-pay measure designed to curb executive compensation," USA Today reports.

Jos. A. Bank Earnings. Analysts are expecting $0.40 share and revenue of $216 million.

Consumer Credit. At 3 p.m. we get consumer credit data from the Fed. Consensus is for $15 billion, down from $17.5 billion prior.

Markets. U.S. futures and European stocks were higher. Equities in Asia closed down. The U.S. 10-year note was at 2.50%. 

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10 Facts About 2014 That Have Surprised Everyone In The Market

Here's something interesting from Deutsche Bank, which shows what a weird year 2014 has been.

Every one of these economic facts has happened this year:

(1) A narrower trading range in dollar/euro than renminbi spot (2) Irish 10-year bond yields below both UK Gilts and US Treasuries (3) Japan as the country with the highest inflation rate among advanced economies (4) Stronger first quarter output growth in the eurozone periphery than in America (5) BIITS equity markets up double digits in dollar terms on average (6) A Greek government primary surplus (7) Iron ore prices down a third and nickel up a third despite both used primarily to make steel (8) A drop of 200,000 unemployed in the periphery but a rise in unemployment across the rest of the eurozone (9) America’s trade deficit (goods and services combined as a percentage of output) being smaller than Japan’s (10) Best performing stock market: Argentina.

2014 has been a pretty brutal year for a lot of investors. These facts explain why.

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Greek mythological Gods

Greek mythology is the body of myths and teachings that belong to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. It was a part of the religion in ...

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Ancient Folks in Sicily

Sicily continues to amaze me. The history here is so multi-layered and so ancient that I, from Boston with its proud and (very) young history, am overwhelmed and find it incomprehensible on many levels when faced with 8000 years or so of history. From what I understand, this beautiful island was a destination for the many civilizations that had the ability to sail their vessels and take advantage of the favorable winds to get here. These ancient civilizations each left their marks, trading or conquering, making babies, creating temples and shrines. Agrigento (located on an opposite coast from Siracusa and Ortigia) is astounding. At one time, the city/town had about 200,000 people and 15 Greek temples, and many of the temples (or parts of them) survive today. The Valley of the Temples is a wonderfully preserved treasure, with many temples testifying to the wealth and power of the Greeks (and giving evidence of their slaves who did the building) who lived and worked here. Some of the temples are illuminated at night, creating a view that did leave me breathless; the day time, close-up view is also just amazing and I could feel the history, the stories and the lives of those ancient times. I was told that no human sacrifices did take place here. I do know that the priests were the only people allowed in the inner sanctum and that the 'congregation' was always in front of the temple and not inside the structure itself. The temples are high on a bluff overlooking the sea, affording what must have been (and still is) a strong statement of the power and wealth and favor bestowed on the city by the gods and, also, serving as a warning to any possible invaders approaching from the sea. Modern Agrigento is a bustling, fun, proud city, full of good food and interesting history. Authors Luigi Pirandello and Andrea Camilleri, among others, were born in Agrigento and considered it their home. Pirandello was actually born in a villa outside the city called "Chaos" (where his family and pregnant mother had sought refuge from a plague epidemic) and Camilleri actually used real places in Agrigento (renamed Vigata in his novels) for his hero Salvatore Montalbano to work in, live in and eat in. Since I have read and enjoyed the novels and seen some of the movies and tv shows that have been made from the books, I had a great time touring some of the actual sites with Michele, a great native guide. The Montalbano tv series is, supposedly, the longest running show in Italy, and still enjoys immense popularity; the food-obsessed and temperamental detective, full of personality and complications, makes wonderful comments about life in both Sicily and Italy. The city is proud of both the real author and the invented hero. Michele told me that 'the air, the sea, the view' in Agrigento all encourage and nurture creativity, as they have done for thousands of years. And then there is the miraculous Villa Romana del Casale, located in-land here in Sicily, near the town of Piazza Armerina. This wonderful Roman villa (really a palace) was the summer home of a wealthy Roman general, and it was excavated by Paolo Orsi (a famous archaeologist) in the 20th century after having been buried under mud from an earthquake or mudslide for a long time. This villa is huge and very very well-preserved, showing the considerable wealth of the family and the imposing life-style they and their guests were accustomed to around the year 300 or so. The villa has over 40 rooms, and, miraculously, has incredible mosaic floors that are supposed to be the best example of 'in situ' (on-site) Roman mosaics in the world. Visitors are allowed to walk on plexiglass floors which afford an amazing view of the mosaics below, and the walk through the multiple chambers is outstanding and awe-inspiring, showing the various rooms where guests were formally and informally welcomed according to their status; the less important guests were confined to the outer rooms, and the more important ones were invited into more lavish and intimate rooms which were further into the heart of the villa. The real inner sanctum was reserved for the family, and there are suites which must have been for the children, filled with mosaics depicting stories and themes which are children-oriented and playful. The artistry is absolutely breath-taking, was created by African artisans, and shows (using only pieces of mosaic) facial expressions on the people and the animals of the stories; it is a masterpiece in so many ways, giving us a glimpse into the ancient world. The great hall, which is a huge long space, shows the complete story of the animals, hunted and captured (by slaves, probably) in the jungles of Africa, boarded on ships (by slaves, probably) and transported by sea and, ultimately, ended up in the Coliseum in Rome. The entire mosaic tells a complete story and gives us a wonderful glimpse into these ancient times and into the artistry that is still awe-inspiring. One of the most famous mosaics here is the so-called' Girls in Bikinis', showing young female athletes in their sporting attire and in competitions. Villa Romana del Casale is definitely a highlight worth seeing. And then there is the Paolo Orsi (archaeologist) Museum in Siracusa, recently renovated and truly, truly outstanding. The collection of artifacts and art dates about 8000 years, to a time I cannot even begin to imagine. The artifacts have all been found in Sicily, and many of the sites from where they come have not even been completely excavated yet, so much more remains to be found, apparently. The tools, the vases, the ornaments dating from such ancient times are incredible, and my former naive conceptions about the crudity and ignorance of these ancient peoples were really wrong. Some of the vases and the jewelry and the adornments are still so very beautiful, and the designs and the utility of the art and artifacts are surprisingly sophisticated and eternal. The excavation sites are located throughout this amazing island, and some are right here in Ortigia or Siracusa and in neighboring towns, emphasizing once again the importance of this region to the development of civilization as we know it. And, then there is the Neopolis Archaeological Park in Siracusa, a vast natural park filled with archaeological sites from different eras of Siracusa's history and considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Sicily and even in the Mediterranean. The natural topography is fascinating and includes remnants of Greek stone quarries, altars, houses, the Greek theater, the Roman amphitheater, the Orecchio di Dionisio (Ear of Dionysius - a huge slave-made cave with incredible acoustics) and more. The Teatro Greco (Greek theater), site of plays in ancient times, still hosts the Greek tragedies (presented by INDA, the Italian national drama institute) every summer, and this is the 100th year of the modern stagings. Each night a Greek play is presented, in Italian, in this beautiful old setting to a packed house. This year the program includes Aeschylus's 'Agamemnon' and 'Eumenides' as well as Aristophanes's comedy, 'The Wasps'. Ticket prices vary from 26 to 60 euros per seat, and cushions are provided in the reserved seat section, making sitting on the original stone benches a bit more comfortable. I went to see "Agamemnon" one night a couple of weeks ago, and felt quite overwhelmed with the knowledge that I was sitting where ancient Greeks sat, watching a play that ancient Greeks watched; the experience was amazing and the production was beautiful and simultaneously old and new. The night was beautiful in so many ways - the sun was shining when we arrived at the theater, so it was warm when we sat down, and after the sun set the night turned cool and comfortable (and with no bugs!). The set was fabulous and the Greek chorus was incredibly animated, dancing and expressing their opinions and fears with their bodies as well as with their words (which, of course, I didn't understand anyhow). The 'floor' was covered completely in dirt, and the cast members rolled around and danced around and played around in the dirt, somehow adding another dimension to the words and actions. The play is timeless and the story is ageless; seeing it presented in this marvelous theater was a true gift. More modern history (but still many centuries ago!) can be found everywhere in Sicily. In Ortigia, for example, Jews may have been part of the history for about 2000 years. One story is that the Jews were brought to Sicily as slaves by the Romans after they destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70, but rumors abound that the Jews were present even before then, mostly as traders and merchants. By the Middle Ages, Jewish communities were flourishing in Sicily and were to be found in 50 towns across the island, including Palermo, Messina, Taormina, Catania, Siracusa, Agrigento and Agira, where they worked as cloth merchants, doctors, bankers, farmers, tradesmen and goldsmiths; there were, perhaps, as many as 100,000 Jews living in Sicily before they were expelled from the island in 1492 by its Spanish ruler, King Ferdinand. The Jews that remained after 1492 faced execution unless they converted to Catholicism. At that time Siracusa's Jewish population was second only in size to that of Palermo and Jews accounted for a quarter of Ortigia's inhabitants. The mikveh (ritual baths used by religious women and men) in Ortigia is one of the many traces of Jewish communities on the island. It was unearthed in 1989 during restoration work on a medieval palazzo once owned by the Jewish Bianchi family. The mikveh, which dates from the 6th century, lies 30 feet below ground under the Residenza Alla Giudecca hotel in the heart of what was once the town's Jewish quarter (the 'Giudecca') which also housed a synagogue. When the Jews fled into exile they filled the mikveh with rubble and sealed its entrance, concealing it from prying eyes, so it wasn't discovered until the 20th century. The mikveh dates from the 6th century and was in continuous use until the 15th century when it had to be abandoned.

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More to It Than a Right Wing Swing

Spring 2014 brought elections in the two most populous democracies - India and the European Union - and Indonesia is in the midst of an election campaign. It is a daring task to look for a common denominator and yet an analysis points to two major elements capturing the attention. An increasing number of people question not the participation, but the depth and strength of their countries' engagement in economic globalization - negative side-effects like access to national welfare for non-nationals have become more annoying. Discontent about unequal distribution of the fruits of economic growth - indeed the result of economic globalization - plus a feeling of unfairness is more widespread than believed. Similar feelings can be detected in the US, China and a large number of countries all over the world. Those not directly involved in economic globalization admit the virtue of the model through the prism of economic growth, but that is not enough. Threats to their jobs, unknown and untested cultural patterns brought into their daily life through migrants, and top jobs plus top universities reserved for the wealthy people has reached a level where they are not better off. Then why should they support the model? Popular support for economic globalization stems from an equation saying that people are willing to sacrifice part of their cultural identity to gain a higher living standard via high economic growth. What we see now is that economic globalization does not bring along a sufficiently higher living standard to compensate for the threat to cultural identity. Indeed the threat to cultural identity is rising while the increase in living standard if present at all diminishes. The established political parties all support full throttle economic globalization whether in government or opposition. Good for them, but polls show that many people in the rich countries like the US have little or no confidence in either own their future or their children's future. This pushes them towards voting for protest parties surfacing in the European election. In India Narendra Modi engineered a landslide even if he did belong to the elite - indeed because he was seen as not belonging to the elite. In a way we can categorize the results in the EU and India as a strong warning to the elite regardless of political parties. Still people overwhelmingly have confidence in the political system. In the EU the total turnout as share of the electorate rose slightly rejecting the view frequently stated that the Europeans are turning their back on the political system. The protest parties (anti-EU parties) all in all garnered around 25 per cent of the votes casts up from around 12 per cent in 2009; a strong signal not to be ignored but nor to be exaggerated. Bringing in the participation rate it translates into about 11 per cent of the electorate. In India, Modi won promising to reform from within, using the system, not offering another system. In Indonesia the same view can be detected. This is one more chance for democracy and one more risk. Apparently people in the large democracies are still willing to give democracy a chance to redeem itself. Despite all the dire predictions of seeing the carpet pulled from below their feet in several EU member states the mainstream parties fared generally well. This is especially the case in the hard hit countries like Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland all of them going through an almost unprecedented austerity connoting fear of extremism, even a new kind of fascism or communism. But it did not happen - their system did not crack. The governments in all these countries came through the test. France, the UK, and Denmark saw a strong support for populist political parties building on a xenophobic platform, but transformed from share of those who voted to share of the electorate or population their support does not go much above 12-15 per cent. The signal is: We still confide in your ability to reform from inside the system. The result did not spell the omen of political revolution for neither Europe nor India and certainly not Indonesia, BUT voters have voiced discontent and uneasiness about inequality, unfairness, and the erosion of identities stemming from economic globalization. Economic globalization has changed the daily life and politicians must understand that it cannot be business as usual ignoring the uneasiness and anxiety. Herein also lays the risk. If the mainstream political parties fail to understand this message next time may bring about a genuine upheaval, not only a warning signal. Joergen Oerstroem Moeller Former State-Secretary, Royal Danish Foreign Ministry. Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore. Adjunct Professor Singapore Management University & Copenhagen Business School.

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National Hellenic Museum Celebrates the Greek Islands at 2014 Gala

CHICAGO, IL – In a creative tribute to Greece, the National Hellenic Museum (NHM) team entertained at their annual “Journey to the Greek Islands” black tie gala held at the modern chic Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago on May 31. Greeted at the entrance by two cheerful donkeys, guests took their seats at tables […]

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DIMAR Lawmaker Quits Party

The floundering Democratic Left (DIMAR) fell to 13 Members of Parliament on June 6 when one of its lawmakers, Vasilis Economou, quit the party.

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Lagarde List Filled With Tax Cheats

Financial prosecutors looking at a list of 2,062 Greeks with secret Swiss bank accounts have found the first 500 have evaded taxes and are being made to pay but not prosecuted.

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Troubled DIMAR Loses A Lawmaker

The floundering Democratic Left (DIMAR) which is essentially rudderless while trying to decide whether to accept the resignation of its leader Fotis Kouvelis, fell to 13 Members of Parliament on June 6 when one of its lawmakers, Vasilis Economou, quit the party. That came as DIMAR was planning a meeting to decide what to do about Kouvelis, who offered to quit after its disastrous 1.2 percent showing in the European Parliament elections which saw the disintegrating party fail to elect a single member among Greece’s 21 representatives in Brussels. Economou informed the President of Parliament Evangelos Meimarakis in writing of his decision to leave DIMAR’s Parliamentary Group, citing sharp dissent with the party’s leadership, which he said left him unable to stay on under Kouvelis, To Vima reported. Economou also cited “the reluctance of the Democratic Left to cooperate with the rest of the existing Center Left forces, the profound lack of interest in the opinions and positions of MPs who do no agree with dominant opinion and the party majority’s intention to refuse all possibility of a government proposal from the united center left” as the reasons for his departure. DIMAR responded with a written statement, arguing that “with Mr. Economou’s departure [...] a long period of problematic relations and obvious differences, which were dictated by personal choices, is coming to an end”. DIMAR served in the coalition government of Prime Minister and New Democracy Conservative leader Antonis Samaras and the PASOK Socialists before Kouvelis pulled out a year ago in refusal to back the firing of all 2,653 workers at the now-defunct ERT national broadcaster which has been replaced by a new station, NERIT. Kouvelis’ support of austerity measures while serving under Samaras drove the party to new depths even as the Leftist leader defended going against its principles.

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Greek unions rally over Finance Ministry job cuts

Members of civil servant unions in Greece have staged a protest rally in the capital, Athens, in support of hundreds of staff sacked from the Finance Ministry, Press TV reports. Union members took to the streets of Athens on Friday in support of the 595 ...

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Economy shrinks by 0.9 percent in first quarter, beating original estimate

The Greek economy performed better than expected in the first quarter of this year, shrinking by 0.9 percent year-on-year, compared to a contraction of 1.1 percent estimated in May, the Hellenic Statistical Authority said on Friday. The quarterly figure i... ...

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Man held over Irish woman's killing

A man is arrested following the killing of an Irish woman, who was found dead in a flat in Greece.

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EU 'seriously concerned' about Greek taxman's sudden resignation

EurActivEU 'seriously concerned' about Greek taxman's sudden resignationEurActivThe Commission spokesman continued that the EU executive would closely monitor the Greek government's commitment to a more autonomous revenue administration, “as well as commitments to establish rigorous, transparent and merit based processes for ...

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10 Things You Need To Know Before The Opening Bell

Good morning and Happy Jobs Day! Here's what you need to know.

It's Jobs Day! At 8:30 a.m. the BLS will release its employment situation report. Consensus is for 215,000, down from 288,000 in April. The employment rate is expected to tick up 10 bps to 6.4%.

Goldman's Payrolls Forecast. Goldman's prediction is even lower, at 210,000. "Payroll gains have averaged 238k over the last three months, but the May employment data flow looks more mixed," the firm's David Mercie writes. "As a result, we expect May to come in a bit below the trend-like rate of about 225k that we expect as growth accelerates in 2014." 

Barclays Unemployment Rate Forecast. Barclays sees the unemployment rate holding firm. "We look for the unemployment rate to stay unchanged at 6.3% in May," the firm said in a note. "Although there may be some increase in the labor force participation rate after last month’s 0.4pp drop, we expect the solid pace of job growth to absorb re-entrants and leave the unemployment rate unchanged."

New Largest Lehman-Era Fine. The Wall Street Journal reports the government will settle with Bank of America over alleged Lehman-era mortgage fraud for more than $12 billion, topping the previous record settlement held by JP Morgan. 

Record-Low Eurozone Yields. The ECB's decision to tip interest rates on deposits into negative territory has sparked a fresh surge into continental treasury notes, the FT says. "Italy and Spain's 10-year bond yields fell about 13 basis points each to 2.8% and 2.68% respectively, new record lows. Greece's benchmark bond yield fell 25 bp to 5.86%, below the 6 per cent mark for the first time in a month. Portugal and Ireland's 10-year yields also fell 10 bp to 3.51% and 2.48% respectively, a new record low in Dublin's case."

UBS: Draghi's Weak Sauce. The ECB chief Mario Draghi's negative rates decision was as expected as it was unprecedented, and UBS rate strategies chief Justin Knight is not impressed, arguing it failed to amount to another "whatever it takes moment" like the one Mario Draghi conjured in 2012, the FT reports. "Notably, after an initial sell-off, the euro recovered late in European trading against the dollar," Knight writes. "The ECB's policy decisions will have only modest impacts on interest differentials and relative central bank balance sheet size. To the extent the euro weakens against the dollar this year—as we expect—depreciation is more likely to be driven by improving US growth and rising US interest rates."

Walmart Investor Day. Shareholders convene in Bentonville Friday. On the docket: " appointing an independent board chairman, and a say-on-pay measure designed to curb executive compensation," USA Today reports.

Jos. A. Bank Earnings. Analysts are expecting $0.40 share and revenue of $216 million.

Consumer Credit. At 3 p.m. we get consumer credit data from the Fed. Consensus is for $15 billion, down from $17.5 billion prior.

Markets. U.S. futures and European stocks were higher. Equities in Asia closed down. The U.S. 10-year note was at 2.50%. 

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UGS presents at Posidonia 2014 achievements of Greek-owned shipping fleet

The President of the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS), Mr. Theodore Veniamis briefed Greek and foreign journalists during the press conference on the achievements of Greek-owned shipping fleet and its importance for Greek economy at Posidonia Exhibition ...

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Trial opens over Greek strawberry farm shootings

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A strawberry farm owner and three of his foremen have gone on trial in Greece over a shotgun attack on a group of Bangladeshi migrant laborers protesting about unpaid wages.

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Greek economy shrinks at slowest pace since 2008

Greece’s economy shrank in the first quarter at its slowest annual pace since late 2008 when its protracted recession began, data showed on Friday, supporting projections that Athens will emerge from a crippling six-year slump this year. Gross domestic ...

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Greek Economy Contracts

Channel News AsiaGreek Economy ContractsWall Street JournalATHENS—The Greek economy contracted by 0.9% in the first quarter, performing slightly better than previously forecast, according to data provided by the Greek statistics agency Friday. This compares with a forecast contraction of 1.1% in a flash ...Greek chief tax official resignsEUobserverIMF's Lagarde, Greek minister meet discreetly in ParisChannel News AsiaChristine Lagarde, Greek minister meetSky News AustraliaNinemsnall 74 news articles »

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Taste of Syracuse: 5 Greek/Middle Eastern tastes

Taste of Syracuse: 5 Greek/Middle Eastern tastesThe Post-StandardThe Dolmades are from Kiki's Authentic Greek Cusine; the Sarma is from the Turkish Cultural Center. • Falafel. The deep-fried vegetable patties that are staples at most Mediterranean restaurants. Why? They're addictive. From King David Restaurant and ...

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Greek economy gains ground in first quarter, growth in sight

A man leaves a Piraeus Bank branch in central Athens on March 26, 2013

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Samaras’ Jet Carried Transplant Boy

Greek Prime Minister on June 5 let his official aircraft transport a seven-year-old boy in need of a liver transplant to Germany, where a match had been found for him.

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Theoharis Denies Being Squeezed Out

Greece's top tax official, Harry Theoharis, said his abrupt resignation was for "personal reasons" and said he wasn't squeezed out for mishandling the job.

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Archaeology to Enlist ‘Robot Suit’ to Scour Seabed Near Roman-era Antikythera Shipwreck

Using the latest advances in technology and robotics, archaeology will strive to extract more secrets from an ancient shipwreck that once yielded the unique Antikythera Mechanism, representing one of humanity’s earliest steps on the road to high technology. The 2000-year-old artifact, dubbed the world’s first ‘analog’ computer, was recovered from a Roman-era ship that foundered off the island of Antikythera in the early 20th century and was first discovered by a local sponge diver. This coming summer, according to a report in the June issue of “New Scientist”, Greek and American researchers will return to explore the depths around the shipwreck using a diver wearing a robotic ‘exoskeleton’ dubbed “Exosuit”, ANA-MPA reports. The main function of a powered exoskeleton is to assist the wearer by boosting their strength and endurance. They are commonly designed for military use, to help soldiers carry heavy loads both in and out of combat. In civilian areas, similar exoskeletons could be used to help firefighters and other rescue workers survive dangerous environments. Marine biologists and engineers have developed a massive Exosuit weighing 530 lbs. (240 kilograms) designed for ocean depths down to 305 meters. The one-of-a-kind Exosuit, on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) measures 6.5 feet (2 meters) tall and is made of hard metal and other materials. The pressurized suit has four 1.6-horsepower thrusters to propel the diver up, down, forward, backward or to the side, Live Science’s Mark Lallanila notes . Additionally, the Exosuit — with an oxygen system that provides up to 50 hours of life support — is equipped with a fiber-optic tether that allows for two-way communication, oxygen and pressure monitoring, and a live video feed. The cutting-edge diving suit, essentially still in an experimental stage, will be worn by U.S. divers who will be able to remain deep underwater for extended periods of time, enabling them to conduct excavations and handle the fragile ancient objects with due care. Scientists are optimistic that the site will yield a second device like the Antikythera Mechanism, currently the centrepiece of an exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens until June 29, while a preliminary survey last year showed a wealth of artefacts scattered over an area of about 50 metres by 10 metres, as well as a second unknown shipwreck next to the one already found. The 1.5-million-dollar Exosuit was made by the Canadian robotics firm Nuytco Research and comes equipped with a number of features that will allow divers to work at the 120-metre depths for an essentially unlimited period of time, without being at risk from decompression sickness. According to the article, the first real test of the suit will take place in July, during underwater surveys off the northeast coast of the United States and the Antikythera mission will take place immediately afterward. (source: ana-mpa)

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SDOE Investigating 500 Cases from ‘Lagarde list’

The Financial and Economic Crime Unit (SDOE) of Greece has already conducted 500 inspections of cases in the notorious “Lagarde list.” As reported violations were discovered in all 500 cases. The SDOE director Theodoros Floratos reported that so far about 25% of the 2,062 cases contained in the list have been investigated while he stated that he would submit a final report to the financial prosecutor as soon as the audits finish.  Floratos noted that in only 918 of the cases do the bank accounts of individuals and legal entities appear to contain funds, while in the rest of the cases the bank accounts appear empty. He revealed a case of a dentist based in Voula, southern Athens who appears to have evaded taxes amounting to 13 million euros and said that the dentist appeared to have an empty bank account in the Lagarde list. Apart from the Lagarde list, Floratos pointed out that SDOE’s 2 central and 13 regional agencies are inspecting Greek accounts in Luxembourg and Lichtenstein and are conducting an estimated 20,000 simultaneous audits. The Lagarde list contains roughly 2,062 names of Greeks with undeclared accounts at Swiss HCBC bank’s Geneva branch. It was named after the former French finance minister Christine Lagarde, who in October 2010 gave the list to Greek officials to help them  deal with tax evasion. However, it was only two years later the list became known to the wider public, when Greek journalist  Kostas Vaxevanis published it in his magazine  protesting against the Greek government’s inactivity.

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Vrettos Vrettakos: The Next Big Thing

When famous Greek designer Vrettos Vrettakos designed his favorite comic book heroes on paper and then using fabric, no one could have imagined his promising future. Just a few years later, Greek and international VIPs gather in his boutique to acquire one of his creations. His personality and professional orientation was greatly affected by his mother, who was a seamstress. Internationally famous singers and actors such as Shakira, Beyonce and J.Lopez as well as Greek stars such as Eleni Menagki, Despoina Vandi, Elena Foureira and Zeta Makripoulia are only some of his customers. Vrettos Vrettakos stated “ I have worked with some of the “hottest” names in the Greek music industry, such as Eleni Foureira, Katerina Stikoudi and Zeta Makripoulia. Some of the dresses I made for them drew a lot of attention, as they were kind of unusual. Take for example the dress with the 2 meter-long tail Foureira wore at the Mad awards. I also have to admit I felt really proud when Zeta Makripoulia made a special request for my clothes in the “Some like it hot” musical, when all the other actors’ clothes were designed by Deny Vachlioti.” One week ago Vrettakos and his wife Lily Apostolou had their first child. “Nothing can compare to it. Professional success flatters one’s ego, but a baby is life’s natural evolution” said the happy father. Rumors have it that Shakira will be choosing him to design her outfit in her new Mundial video clip and the same for Jennifer Lopez for her new video clip “First Love.” Vrettos Vrettakos is one more Greek that proves willpower and patience can achieve anything. “We are running a Marathon, not a 100-meter run, and life gives its own answers as it progresses” said the Greek designer.

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Theoharis Denies Government Forced Him To Quit

Greece’s top tax official, Harry Theoharis, said his abrupt resignation on June 5 was for “personal reasons” and said he wasn’t squeezed out for allegedly mishandling the critical job of trying to bring in more tax revenues. The position of General Secretary for Revenues was created on orders of the country’s international lenders, the Troika of the European Union-International Monetary Fund-European Central Bank, who aren’t happy Theoharis either quit or was fired. Greek media reported that the government, particularly Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras, who had been sniping at him, felt Theoharis had mishandled the position politically, and had “miscommunicated” a document last month a document which forced the government to deny it has instituted a retroactive tax on foreign bondholders. That sent Greek 10-year-bonds to two month highs and forced the government to withdraw the document, just after the successful floating of a 3-billion-euro five-year bond, the first since a crushing economic crisis began four years ago. Theoharis was brought on board to modernize an archaic and jumbled tax collection system that had allowed tax cheats to avoid paying with impunity and run up $70 billion in unpaid debts to the state, most of which will never be collected, officials have admitted. That coincided with big pay cuts, tax hikes, slashed pensions and public worker firings imposed by the government on orders of the Troika, which had put up 240 billion euros ($327 billion) in two bailouts. Thehoaris’ resignation – or firing – came less than two weeks after Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ New Democracy Conservatives took a beating in the country’s elections to send 21 representatives to the European Parliament, which was won by the anti-austerity major opposition Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA). Following the announcement of his resignation by the Finance Ministry, a teary-eyed Theoharis told reporters he was stepping down “for personal reasons”. “No, I don’t feel like a scapegoat,” he said when pressed by reporters on whether he was forced to resign. “Because to be a scapegoat something must’ve gone wrong and, in my job, nothing went wrong. I delivered results and this is widely known.” Citing unidentified sources, leading Greek conservative daily Kathimerini said the Troika was informed about Theoharis’s departure. “If his departure does in fact take place, it will take the form of a resignation as the secretary-general’s term is for five years,” Kathimerini wrote. The IMF in Washington said Stournaras met IMF chief Christine Lagarde earlier this week to discuss the road ahead for Greece and issues of “common interest”, but declined to give details. The IMF also postponed the planned release on June 5 of its fifth review of Greece’s progress under its bailout, citing “an internal processing issue,” which is usually diplomatic code to stall the release of information. The report is expected to be critical of the government’s reform progress and its delay came the same day that the Parliament was suddenly, and without reason, shut down for two weeks, prompting SYRIZA to say it was done to stifle criticism and debate. Theoharis was appointed in January of 2103 for a five-year term that was supposed to be bulletproof and would see him stay in the job regardless of who was in power – unless he quit. His departure came as a rattled Samaras was readying a big Cabinet shakeup that could also see Stournaras bumped, although it could be to take the job as Governor of the Bank of Greece. Theoharis’s job was to rid the tax service of political meddling and remove underperforming officials, a tough task in a country where many have political protection and where tax evasion is still out of control. He merged tax offices to pool resources and make them efficient. “I tried to consolidate the tax system … I haven’t taken any (austerity) measures,” he said. “The measures were taken by the government. My job was to implement them.” He defended his work. I don’t feel like I’ve been made a scapegoat because something went wrong,” he said. “Those who feel that something went wrong should look at their own actions,” he said. He emphasized that his job had been to enforce policy decisions, not to formulate them. Stournaras, who a week ago had delivered scathing criticism of Theoharis, suddenly switched gears at his departure and praised him to the skies. “Mr. Theoharis, through his efforts, decisively supported tax reform and the government’s goals in the last two years with uprightness, a sense of responsibility and integrity. He was called to rebuild taxation and customs administration from scratch, began radical reforms that laid the basis for its modern, independent and effective function,” he said. He added: “Most important of all, he did all this while steadily bringing results and systematically exceeding the targets set, something that was reflected in the good results in terms of the budget,” he said. If that were the case, he didn’t say why the government didn’t want Theoharis to stay in the thankless job. European Commission spokesman, Simon O’Connor however expressed “serious concern” at the resignation and had played a “key role” in improving Greece’s finances. “It is essential that the government ensures full continuity in the delivery of planned reforms to improve the efficiency of the administration, combat fraud and evasion, and secure increasing government revenues,” he said.  

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Free Summer Events by the Greek National Opera

Greek ReporterFree Summer Events by the Greek National OperaGreek ReporterThe Greek National Opera will also stage a free open-air concert titled “Opera alla Greca” at the archaeological site of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Acclaimed soloists and the GNO's choir will interpret arias in Greek, as well as duets and choruses ...

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Recipe: Grilled Greek salad

Recipe: Grilled Greek saladBurlingtonFreePress.comIf you haven't yet tried halloumi — often also called Greek grilling cheese — let this recipe for a romaine salad be your excuse. Thanks to a high melting point, halloumi can handle just about any heat you care to throw at it. It resembles a block of ...and more »

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City Hall presses for rehiring of ex municipal police officers

City Hall is pressing for former municipal police officers who have not been rehired as employees of the Greek Police force to be taken on to staff "critical services." In a statement late on Thursday, City Hall called on the Administrative Reform Ministr... ...

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