This, Also, Is the Middle East

I reflected the other day on how when I was in Business School in the 1990s, the three immutable laws of the world order were: 1) Japan had won it all; 2) China could never have growth without Jeffersonian Democracy; and 3) India would be a basket case for decades. Of course, a few years later no one was saying any of this. And I can assure you that even when the change was accepted, no one envisioned that within two decades one of the largest initial public offerings of stock in history would be an eCommerce company from China -- and that the vast majority of its value creation relied, in no way, on the West, let alone the United States. This reflection all came to me after giving a talk to 200 or so Washington foreign policy types -- including the next generation -- during which I asked how many knew of Jack Ma (the founder of Ali Baba, the Chinese company described above). Perhaps four hands went up. Personal narratives change slowly, if at all, and institutional narratives even slower still. Thus I should not be surprised that people come up empty when I ask them to guess which region I am describing: where nearly 400 million individuals share the same language and much culturally; has a higher per capital GDP than India or China; has one of the fastest growing Internet adoption rates and smart phone penetration well exceeding 50%; is a mass tourist destination with only a tiny fraction booked online; has a mass consumer base with eCommerce relatively nascent; where 7% of the world seeks content in its language, but such content comprises less than 1% of what is online globally; and, has a hungry new generation, in fact a youth bubble, seeking economic opportunity. They are shocked that I am describing the Middle East. They are shocked because it runs counter to our narratives of historic political unrest, instability and violence. They are shocked because they are flooded today with the terrible reports of ISIS, some 12,000 members strong -- well-armed and well-funded perhaps, and certainly brutal -- without wondering what the 400 million other people in the region may be doing or thinking about each day. They are shocked not because these are some very difficult times in the Arab world -- indeed these are -- but because it is very difficult to hold two conflicting ideas in our minds. The 12,000 or so ISIS members absolutely could fester into something much worse and viral. But 18 months ago I judged a startup competition in Beirut, Lebanon with over 14,000 young people from around the Arab World taking their economic futures into their own hands. A friend of mine was at a TEDx gathering in Cairo last December. In the midst of great turmoil in Egypt, he saw nearly 5,000 kids gathered to solve problems, and over 50,000 Egyptians from across the nation were streaming the event live, wanting to learn more. Last week I attended RiseUp Egypt 2014. Over two days, nearly 4,000 young Egyptians from around the country gathered at the GrEEK Campus, once a part of the American University of Cairo and a baseball throw away from Tahir Square. A leading visionary and venture capitalist, Ahmed Alfi, is making the GrEEK Campus into the largest shared work space in the Middle East, among the dozens that are springing up there. Over 40 journalists were present to cover this amazing event. Guess what? Not one was from the West. It would be naive, and in fact immoral, to NOT concentrate on brutality and unchecked violence. Is it any more so to not understand what new opportunities and tools are available -- and to embrace the new futures they make possible? Here is a little secret we have all learned: as new nations and markets and middle classes rise from difficult and even brutal histories, change is not for the faint of heart. Great displacement and great pain come with it. Repressive regimes don't go quietly into the night in their top-down focus on maintaining control, even as their citizens use bottom-up approaches and the tools of technology to solve their own problems and grasp opportunities in their backyards. They are no longer waiting for permission. But something else is happening also. For the first time in history, the Middle East -- and all emerging worlds -- have progressively ubiquitous access to technology. This is not one more paean to some high-tech utopian wonderment. It is simply a statement of fact: within the decade two-thirds of humanity will have the equivalent of a super computer -- the computing power that put a man on the moon -- in their pockets. They will have unprecedented access to each other, to ideas that worked elsewhere and that they now know can work for them, to essentially all of human knowledge at their fingertips. They will use even basic technology -- a texting-capable, old-school phone -- to move money and simple crafts to markets they could never before reach. They will have access to supplemental education in ways once reserved only for the wealthy to compensate for their failing education systems. They will find clever ways to address problems because millions of more people with great talent and genius -- who have always been there -- can now engage. I can't tell you what Syria or Iraq will look like in a year, let alone three. But I can tell you with 100% certainty that what I wrote is true now and will only expand in coming years. How and whether we choose to understand this new narrative is up to us, but it is also an exercise in engaging in a world as it is rather than what we fear it must always be. This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and Education For Employment (EFE), a non-profit focused on creating job opportunities for unemployed youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Conflict and upheaval have dominated the news on MENA in 2014, and some see a region spiraling into chaos. But beneath the alarm bells, some digital pioneers are doubling down on their bets that the region's next generation could have a brighter future tied to technology and skills. For more information on EFE, read here.

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Wofford College announces plans to build Greek Village

“This Greek Village will provide better chapter facilities that will encourage fellowship and community,” President Nayef H. Samhat said in a written ...

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Greek festival held Saturday

Mary-Louise, Eleanor and Elizabeth Crawford ring the bells outside Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in McComb during the annual Greek Lunch ...

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New Greek bailout unveiled to contain debt crisis

President of European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso (R), President of European Council Herman Van Rompuy (C) and Greek Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou attend the press conference after the ...

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Northern Greece in state of alert amidst rainfall

ATHENS, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Four municipalities in Northern Greece close to Evros river on the border with Bulgaria were put in state of alert on ...

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Greece’s Rich, Politicians Prevail: Patronage, Bribery Will Outlive Troika

Greece’s crushing economic crisis has largely seen politicians, the rich and privileged escape sacrifice while hammering workers, elderly and the poor with punishing austerity measures – and it seems like that will always be the case, despite what the country's international lenders want. The post Greece’s Rich, Politicians Prevail: Patronage, Bribery Will Outlive Troika appeared first on The National Herald.

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New Greek bailout unveiled to contain debt crisis

President of European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso (R), President of European Council Herman Van Rompuy (C) and Greek Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou attend the press conference after the ...

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Greek Banks Want Taxpayer Data

Greek Public Order and Citizen Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias arrived in Washington Oct. 26 for a series of END .article-big-block -- ...

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‘The Dartmouth’ No More Greek

"For too long, we have wavered in fear of declining donation rates or an angry student body," said the piece, which filled the entire front page of Friday's paper. "But the time ...

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Greek Public Order Minister Visits U.S.

Greek banks want full access to citizens' tax information, to be drawn from the Finance Ministry's Taxis database END .article-big-block -- ...

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Magnitude 5.2 quake jolts western Greece

Greece's earthquake observatory said that a magnitude 5.2 earthquake has hit the country, reports Greek Reporter. No injuries or damage were reported. The ...

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Markets hit by weak German business confidence -- business live

Rolling business and financial news, as German sentiment slides againLatest: IFO index shows more German painEarlier: Italys oldest bank could be sold or merged 5.00pm GMT Europes stock markets have closed, and Italys Milan index has endured a bad day.The Italian FTSE MIB tumbled 2.4%, as the failure of nine of its banks to pass the ECBs banking examination drove shares down.Chiusura #Borsa: FTSE MIB -2.40%, DAX30 -0.95%, CAC40 -0.78%, Cambio /$ 1.271, DOW -0.14%Italian stocks and particularly Italian banks were pasted after coming in bottom of the pile in the stress tests with Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena needing to raise 2.1bn euros to pass. Banca Monte dei Paschi can hardly be described as an Italian stallion, in fact if it were a horse after this many bailouts it would have been shot by now.UK's FTSE 100 weighed down by financials after banking health check http://t.co/FnLrWbKTaXThe British banks may have passed the European stress test but for traders the margin by which Lloyds passed was too close for comfort. It hardly instils confidence in the UK financial sector when the big five banks are given the all clear but the sector still finishes lower. The timing of the stress test could not be worse, with Lloyds and Standard Chartered issuing interim management statements tomorrow.Britain's FTSE 100 down 0.4 pct, Germany's DAX down 0.9 pct, France's CAC 40 down 0.8 pct #forex #fx 3.37pm GMT Time for a catch-up....Germanys economic outlook has darkened after business confidence slipped to its lowest level in 22 months, according to the IFO institute. Bank lending to the euro zone private sector is still on a falling trend, registering a 1.8% year-on-year rate of contraction in September. Loan repayments continue to exceed gross borrowing. In some sectors, the deleveraging process is probably, for the most part, autonomous; borrowers wish to scale down their operations in high-risk sectors such as real estate. In other instances, banks may well be pressing customers with large exposure to high-risk sectors to reduce their commitments and repay loans. In either case, the impact on sentiment of the ECBs stress test, even if favourable, is hardly likely to bring about a change in behaviour. The ECBs hope is that banks new lending to more productive sectors of the economy, and especially to small and medium-sized businesses, will outweigh continued deleveraging elsewhere. But the chances of this happening are not helped by the sudden darkening in euro zone economic prospects. The ECB is likely to find that credit availability, though necessary for sustained economic expansion, is not a sufficient condition for triggering growth when other factors are unfavourable.Dilma wins in #Brazil, as we expected. Since she thinks economy doing well, expect more of the same policies - which is, sadly, not good 3.03pm GMT The European Central Bank has announced that it bought 1.7bn worth of covered bonds last week, as it began its new stimulus programme.Those purchases are meant to encourage bank lending and end the credit squeeze hampering the eurozones recovery. 2.22pm GMT Over in Cyprus, a former central bank governor was been jailed for five months for tax evasion today.Christodoulos Christodoulou had pleaded guilty to not declaring a 1m payment from Greek ship-owner Michalis Zolotas to a company managed by his daughter. Full details here. 1.57pm GMT Another sign of slowdown. Americas service sector is growing at its slowest rate in six months, according to a survey just released by data firm Markit.The US Services PMI dipped to 57.3 this month, from 58.9 in September. US service sector activity growth eases to six-month low in October. #PMI at 57.3, down from 58.9 in Sep http://t.co/F0peMx9Zm3The flash PMI survey data show the pace of economic growth easing for a fourth consecutive month in October. The weakened growth of new orders and downturn in business optimism suggest that growth and hiring could slow further in coming months. Having signalled an annualised rate of GDP growth of approximately 3.5% in the third quarter, the October readings indicate that the pace of economic growth looks set to moderate in the fourth quarter, down to perhaps 2.5% or less if the PMI falls further in coming months. 1.21pm GMT One for the history buffs -- today is the 28th anniversary of Big Bang.Before 1986, the City worked rather differently to the way it does today. Old Etonians would roll in from the shires mid-morning, depart shortly after for a civilised lunch and a bottle of very nice Bordeaux at a discreet restaurant somewhere, then hop in a cab to the club for a few snifters of single malt, before being whisked back first-class to Londons leafy fringes.If you wanted to buy a stock, you approached your broker, who placed the order with a jobber cockney barrow-boy types who made the trade on behalf of the public schoolboys. It was all terribly, terribly cosy.The task of the financial authorities, not only here but elsewhere in the world, and especially in the United States, is to preserve the energy, competition and efficiency of todays financial system while clamping down on its conflicts of interest and its tendency to instability. I feel sure that this will eventually have to involve the barring of certain sorts of financial institutions from particular forms of financial activity. The Volcker Rule in the US and the Vickers reforms over here represent merely the starting point. OTDI 1986 the London Stock Exchanges Big Bang transforms the way shares are traded http://t.co/iiQr4IHEZP pic.twitter.com/xid2H8IM3I 12.42pm GMT As predicted earlier, shares are tumbling on the Brazilian stock market as traders respond to Dilma Rousseffs re-election with a flurry of sell orders.The Bovespa stock index has slumped by 6% at the start of trading, with oil explorer Petrobras leading the selloff:#Brazil's benchmark index Bovespa plunges 6% in 1st trading day after Rousseff win. pic.twitter.com/aZvWaCQ89I*PETROBRAS SHARES FALL 15% TO BRL13.41 IN SAO PAULOBrazi real suffering its own 7-1 thrashing after Dilma's victory. Worst performer in world. http://t.co/MzCiqCWC7c pic.twitter.com/WAR8gkjKFS 12.12pm GMT Italys government has made concessions to Brussels, after being challenged over its 2015 budget plans.Pier Carlo Padoan, minister of economy and finance, wrote to the EC today to outline 4.5bn in extra deficit-reduction measues.At the same time, it is my duty to remind you that the Italian economy is going through one of the most severe and lengthy recessions in its history. GDP declined by more than 9% with respect to the level of 2008. The economy is now in its third year of recession and at serious risk of deflation - or a prolonged period of very low inflation - and stagnation. A fourth year of recession is to be avoided by all means as it would be extremely problematic to pull the country out of such an economie environment. Furthermore, it would make debt sustainability much harder to be maintained. You can read Italy's (Padoan's) response to Katainen at the European Commission over its budget here. http://t.co/UdThPgBOjcItaly is going to do more - cuts of 4.5billion - to ensure it meets EU budget rules on the deficit. That leaves France in dispute.Renzi's move to -partly- address @EU_Commission's concerns and revise #Italy's 2015 draft budget puts Hollande in a tough spot. 12.12pm GMT The ban on short-selling isnt helping Monte Dei Paschis shares -- theyre now down 20%!Bank that performed the worst in the ECB's stress test RT @Schuldensuehner: Monte Paschi Shares Resume Trade In Milan, Down 20%. 11.48am GMT Brazils Real has tumbled this morning, losing 3% against the US dollar following Dilma Rousseffs re-election as the countrys president.Its going to be a rough day on the Brazilian stock market, where traders had hoped that her pro-business rival Aécio Neves would triumph. Shares in oil giant Petrobras have already tumbled 15%, in Frankfurt.Along with drop in real, #Brazil's Ibovespa futures fall 8.2%Wall Street Jornal laments 4 more yrs of "economic mediocrity".Financial world woke up today bitter that #Brazil remains on the Latinam leftThis is why these elections have been as emotional as ever, an us vs them. Because it takes guts to stand up to the west. #Brazil @dilmabr 11.15am GMT Just in..... UK retailers have reported their fastest quarterly sales growth in three years, easing fears that the sector was struggling.UK CBI October retail sales balance at +31 in October (unchanged). Three months to October best since Feb 2011Sales on our high streets are still ticking along and, with similar prospects next month, retail growth is looking more stable.The clothing sector in particular appears to be bouncing back after the mild weather in September deterred people from buying their winter warmers.'Sales on our high streets still ticking along and retail growth is now looking more stable' http://t.co/eKCQbydd86 11.01am GMT Oh dear, Monti Dei Paschi has just triggered another automatic suspension, as investors continue to sell heavily (via Milan trader @lemasabachthani)BMPS -20.3% (HALTED) 10.56am GMT Todays slump in Monte Dei Paschis shares is bad news for those traders who had driven its stock up last week.That optimism, ahead of the Bank stress tests/asset quality reviews, has now been punctured: 10.50am GMT Italy bans short selling on Monte dei Paschi as shares slump 20% http://t.co/GhuO4AYwoS 10.20am GMT Italys stock market regulator has just banned investors from short-selling Monte Dei Paschis shares today, or tomorrow, Reuters reports.That means traders cannot borrow stock in MDP to sell on the stock market, and then buy it back at a lower price to book a profit.FTW: ITALY'S MARKET REGULATOR SAYS BANS SHORT SELLING ON MONTE DEI PASCHI'S SHARES ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY 10.05am GMT Back in Italy, banking are still reeling from yesterdays stress tests and asset quality review.The financial sector is feeling singled out, after 9 of its lenders failed the examination. And this could fuel tensions between Italy and the rest of Europe.There was a surgical targeting of Italian banks with asset quality review (AQR) drones .The ECB targeted the banks with the lowest level of transparency and governance, and the highest links with the political system. 9.46am GMT German confidence began sliding as the West began to hit Russia with economic sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, flags up market strategist David Scutt.Chart: German IFO Survey. Russian sanctions started in April, unsurprisingly the high-point for both measures $EUR pic.twitter.com/zMadKc0AGz 9.40am GMT This latest slide in German business confidence suggests that Europes largest economy could be in for a bumpy ride in the fourth quarter, analysts say.Andreas Scheuerle, an economist at Dekabank, says that morale is now in a downward spiral (via Reuters).The original mood killers - geopolitics, euro zone weakness, German economic policy and deflation concerns - have led to big downward revisions of forecasts and the weaker economic expectations are now weighing on sentiment. 9.24am GMT Germanys economy has suffered another blow, with business confidence falling again to its lowest level in almost two years.The Munich-based IFO institutes survey of 7,000 firms showed the sixth consecutive fall in business sentiment.More on German business confidence: sentiment at lowest level in almost 2 years. Ifo economist sees zero growth for G in fourth Q#GermanyGerman IFO Current Conditions Index at 108.4 in October. Business expectations at 98.3. Both below TR forecasts for 110 and 98.9 9.10am GMT Monte de Paschi the main stress test casualty as authorities take a sceptical line on those loans they've been rolling over since 1472. 9.08am GMT The relief rally has reached Greece:Athens market up 1.5% at 0900 GMT, banks up 3.2%, following better-than-expected #stresstest results for Greek banks. | #euro #Greece 9.07am GMT Monte dei Paschi di Siena can trace its origins back to 1472 -- 20 years before Columbus spied the New World on the horizon.Analysts say the bank has been dogged by a series of strategic misstepsin particular its 2007 purchase of Banca Antonveneta for 9 billionas well as interference by local politicians in Tuscany and shortsighted management by its majority shareholder, a Siena-based charitable foundation.In March 2009, the bank turned to the Italian government for a cash infusion of 1.9 billion. In 2013 it went back for an additional 2.2 billion. Since then, problems at the bank compelled the foundation to sell down its stake to about 2%; new management at the bank has overhauled its strategy and shed assets. 9.02am GMT Italian banks, which failed the EBA stress tests, are sliding rapidly Banca Carige down 18%, Monte Paschi Siena down 15% 8.54am GMT Roberto Henriques, European credit analyst at JPMorgan, reckons the stress tests were rigorous enough: It does meet the credibility test. 8.53am GMT Should we be relieved, or worried, that only 25 European banks failed yesterdays examination, with just 14 still needing extra capital?Kit Juckes of Société Générale reckons you can view it either way: Doctor Daghi gave the European banking system a reasonably clean bill of health, the ECB observing only that a smallish number of banks have to raise a modest amount of capital. Its either a reassuring or a naive picture of the banking system, depending on how you want to read it. Our equity analysts conclude that this is good news for bank stocks on the whole, while from a macro point of view it was largely a non-event that allows us to move on to bigger issues. 8.43am GMT Banking analyst Sandy Chen reckons Lloyds Banking Group could struggle to pass the UKs own, tougher, stress tests, which are due in December.A particular driver behind a weaker result would be a bigger modelled fall in UK house prices... e.g. 19% in the EBA stress scenario, versus the 34% potential fall in the house price index that was set out in the BOEs April 2014 stress test guidelines. 8.32am GMT Shares in a second Italian bank, Carige Bank, have also slumped this morning, down 17%.Carige, which is the largest bank in Liguria, is expected to raise at least 500m through a rights issue after European authorities found an 810m capital shortfall in its books.Trading in Banca Carige suspended after shares opened down 17% after EBA #stresstests failed the Italian bank 8.28am GMT Austrian lender Raiffeisens shares have also surged, by 7.3%, after passing the stress tests. 8.24am GMT Another sign of relief -- shares in Austrian bank Erste Group have jumped by 7.5%. 8.23am GMT 8.21am GMT Italys Monte Dei Paschis shares are being hammered in early trading in Milan after it became the most high-profile casualty of the bank tests.Trading in the worlds oldest bank has just been temporarily suspended after they slumped by 15% in a rush of early selling.BMPS -15.00% (HALTED)raising the question of once again how much more money must be pumped into this bottomless pit of a bank that has had to raise extra capital each of the last three years. 8.11am GMT Most bank shares are rallying this morning, pushing the Eurostoxx Banking Index up by 1.7%.It tracks all the main banks across Europe, 8.10am GMT Shares in Germanys Commerzbank have surged by almost 9%, over in Frankfurt.Commerzbank opens up 9pct after stress test pass. 8.05am GMT The FTSE 100 has rallied 50 points at the start of trading, up 0.79% at 6439.Mike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets, says:sentiment is being buoyed by the European bank Stress test results. 7.58am GMT Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of the financial markets, the world economy, the eurozone and business.Theres mild relief in Europe this morning after yesterdays stress tests of the regions banks showed up fewer problems than feared.Eurostoxx50 futures up 1% now after ECB stress testsA slightly 'Gung-ho!' stance to earning season on both sides of the pond may trigger positive opening for Europe. FTSE +20, DAX +30, CAC +19The bank was one of nine Italian banks deemed to have failed the stress tests carried out by the European Banking Authority, which published its findings on Sunday and concluded 24 banks out of 123 it had tested across the European Union needed more capital.Monte dei Paschi di Siena, which is already in the midst of a restructuing exercise, said it had been penalised by the methodology used by the regulators and appointed UBS and Citigroup to advise it of its options and explore all strategic alternatives for the bank.Banca Monte Paschi, the main casualty of the ECB stress tests, called to open down 15% Continue reading...

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Eurobank, National Bank restructurings eliminate capital gap

Greece’s Eurobank Ergasias SA and National Bank of Greece SA should be able to cover capital shortfalls by completing their plans to cut costs and raise funds, the European Central Bank said after the two lenders flunked the regulator’s health check. The ... ...

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The arduous road of privatisation in Greece

ATHENS | By Jens Bastian via MacroPolis | Why is the process of privatization in Greece fraught with political controversies, a lack of public support in ...

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Samaras to Capitalize on Greek Banks Stress Test Results

The positive results of the European Central Bank stress tests on Greek banks prompted Antonis Samaras to say, “step by step, and on a steady basis, we are coming out of the crisis… a new Greece is born, proud, economically strong, and just.” The coalition government is very optimistic that the Greek economy will be boosted as there will be more liquidity in banks, allowing for much-needed lending to struggling businesses. This will lead to the ambitious target of 2.9 percent GDP growth the government has set. At the same time, the results of the ECB stress tests will leave the 11 billion euros of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund at the government’s disposal to use as they see fit. The 11 billion euros can be used as a cushion in case Greece exits the bailout program early and cannot cover the 2015 budget shortfalls by borrowing from the international markets. It can also be used to pay a portion of the sovereign debt, thus bringing it down by a few percentage points and making it sustainable, as the debt currently stands at a total of 320 billion euros. However, the troika evaluation in November will include thorny issues that will hardly be resolved by then. The reforms the troika wants on “red” loans, salaries in the public sector, changes in labor laws, new union legislation and retirement funds are not easy to be implemented. Especially with Samaras pushing for an early exit from the bailout program. Therefore it is certain that Greece will remain under some sort of watch from its creditors. What the prime minister is hoping to achieve is put an end to austerity measures and negotiate a new agreement that will have a different name than the much-loathed “memorandum.”

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Uber Expanding in Greece

Uber, the popular American company for private transportation is planning to expand in Greece. The company’s website has now started accepting applications from operations and logistic managers as well as drivers. Many Greeks have rushed to apply and have already secured their positions. Uber is a San Francisco-based company which connects prospective passengers with private drivers with the help of a mobile app for smartphones. However, it does not require drivers to hold a license for commercial use of their vehicle. This has caused many legal problems in several countries where the profession of taxi drivers is protected. Uber was founded in 2009 in the U.S. and initially operated only as a private luxury transportation service but later expanded in the “ridesharing” industry. Uber allows private vehicle owners to become drivers for hire, sharing their car with users through the mobile app. Uber’s pricing is similar to metered taxis, although all hiring and payment is handled exclusively through the company and not with the driver directly. Apart from taxi drivers and private companies for luxury transport in Greece, Uber will also have to compete with Greek taxi finder applications such as Taxibeat and Taxiplon, which have effectively eliminated any competition in terms of radio taxis and has forced companies to create their own mobile apps.

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Bank of Greece Sinks On EU Stress Test

Tell that to National Bank of Greece (NBG) shareholders. The stock is down nearly 7%, having made the list along with Piraeus Bank and Eurobank.

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Greek Cyprus court jails ex central banker for tax evasion

A former governor of Greek Cyprus's Central Bank was sentenced to five months in jail on Monday on charges of evading tax on earnings following his retirement. Christodoulos Christodoulou, who led the Greek Cypriot central bank for five years prior to his ...

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One of Darwin's oldest Greek families prepares for 100-year reunion

From pearl diving and saltworks to croc hunting and construction, Darwin's Greek community has had a huge impact on the Top End. The Haritos family has had a hand in all of these things and more since immigrating to the Northern Territory almost 100 years ago.

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1 in 4 Greeks Wants His Own Company

Greek-businessmen The financial crisis has created new opportunities for Greeks who wish to open their own companies. According to a recent ...

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UNWTO World Tourism Organization : commends Greece on strong tourism results and high political support to the tourism sector

Meeting with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras during his official visit to Greece, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai commended the excellent results of Greece´s tourism sector, indicating that 2014 will come to an exceptional close (Athens, Greece ...

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FSU Greek organization host Halloween party for local kids

FITCHBURG -- Fitchburg State University's Greek organizations held their annual Halloween party for children Sunday afternoon in the school's ...

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Vancouver: Launch of Greek History Themed Book

The Greek history based book was presented at a successful book reception in Athens, Greece, while the author won a Canadian literary 'Empowered ...

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SOCAR says acquisition of stakes in Greek gas operator to be completed soon

The acquisition of shares in the Greek gas operator DESFA by Azerbaijan's State Oil Company (SOCAR) is scheduled to be completed in the next few ...

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Greek economic crisis stimulates social entrepreneurship

Earlier this month, the Hellenic Statistical Authority released new data showing that more than 2.5 million Greeks, or nearly a quarter of the population, ...

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MV Blue Star Ithaki named new ferry for NB to NS route

The MV Blue Star Ithaki is being bought from a Greek ferry operator and will replace the MV Princess of Acadia. The replacement ferry was built in ...

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Austin Film Festival: Beast of Cardo: Greek mythology and magical realism converge in this drama

With touches of magical realism and an insightful view of a suffocating high society, Beast of Cardo is a beguiling drama with arresting imagery, strong ...

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What next for Gattuso? Ex-Milan and Rangers hero quits Greek club

Former Glasgow Rangers and AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso could be heading to a club near you after stepping down as coach of Greek side ...

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International students find home in Greek system

Ask any new international student about the Greek system, and you may receive one of these responses: “Is it for people from Greece?” “Is it like ...

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New Thoughts on Ancient Greek Wine Cup

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI—John Barnes of the University of Missouri suggests that rather than depicting a simple animal scene, a 2,600-year-old ...

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Costco Reportedly Inks Deal with Greek Producer

The terms of the deal were not disclosed and reports in the Greek press varied, with some saying Costco would import 400 tons every month from ...

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A Ukrainian pastor who stood up for the 'martyrs and the marginalized'

ROME — Under the Soviet Empire, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the biggest of the 22 Eastern churches loyal to Rome, was the largest illegal ...

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Greece: government satisfied with banks' performance

In Greece, Alpha Bank passed the stress tests successfully while Piraeus, National and Eurobank passed provisionally. According to the ECB, of the ...

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Rare Photos of Greece 's Heroic Tale of 1940-1941

Heroic-Tale-of-1940-1941 On the occasion of Greece 's National Celebration of October 28, 1940, Greek Reporter presents the heroic tale of the ...

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Battle Over the Aegean – Turkish F-16s Fly Over Greek Air Space

turkish f16 aircrafts660 On Monday, October 27, six F-16 aircraft of the Turkish Air Force flew in formation over Greek air space near the islands of ...

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Financial Times: Rich Greeks Survived Crisis, SYRIZA's Bark Worse Than its Bite

SYRIZAKENTRIKIEPITROPI_533_355 Rich Greeks did nothing to help Greece overcome the financial crisis and it is not certain that SYRIZA will ...

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Greece: poll; New Democracy closes gap on Syriza

(ANSAmed) - ATHENS, OCTOBER 27 - The gap between Syriza (radical left) and New Democracy (center-right) has narrowed since last month but ...

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Cardinal Trading Says Greece Back In Focus As Yields Surge

Cardinal Trading says long-term borrowing costs for Greece surged through 8% last week as markets grew jittery over upcoming elections that could ...

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ECB Should Show Mettle on Bank Capital

Meanwhile, Spain, Italy, Portugal and most recently Greece have been trying some capital alchemy. They have been changing tax laws to allow banks ...

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Greek President Papoulias in Thessaloniki

papoulias-agiow-dimitrios Greek President Karolos Papoulias will arrive on Monday afternoon in Thessaloniki, Greece, to attend the celebrations of ...

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Greece: Sotiris Ligdas organic citrus desperate for cold nights

From the 18th to the 21st of October Lenneke Schot editor of Biojournaal, FreshPlaza's sister website for organic products visited various organic ...

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Foreign Ministers of Cyprus, Greece, Egypt to meet on Wednesday

The foreign ministers of Cyprus, Greece and Egypt will meet in Nicosia on Wednesday to prepare the ground for talks between the three countries' ...

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Royal Caribbean's advice to Greece: invest in ports to win cruise war

Royal Caribbean Vice President Commercial & New Business Development, John Tercek, spoke at a recent tourism conference in Greece where he ...

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Mid-Day Movers – Alcatel Lucent SA (ADR) (ALU), National Bank of Greece (ADR) (NBG ...

Houston, TX – October 27, 2014 – (Techsonian)_Alcatel Lucent SA (ADR) (NYSE:ALU) launching the industry's first TWDM-PON (Time and ...

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Spanish bond yields drop as Greece's edge up after ECB test results

While Spain's 10-year securities rose for a fifth day, those from Italy, Portugal and Greece declined after the ECB's health check, which identified a ...

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Greece: tourism arrivals expected to soar to 27 mln by 2021

(ANSAmed) - ATHENS, OCTOBER 27 - The number of foreign visitors to Greece could soar to 27 million by 2021, including cruise passengers, ...

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European bank stress tests: At least they're not worse, says Greece

As Greece continues trying to claw its way out of its debt hole, the results of the European Central Bank's review of the country's lenders were hailed in Athens on Sunday - because they were not worse.

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Soccer-Greek championship results and standings

Oct 26 (Infostrada Sports) - Results and standings from the Greek championship matches on Sunday Sunday, October 26 Kerkyra 1 Platanias 2 OFI Crete 2 Asteras Tripolis 3 Olympiakos Piraeus 1 Panathinaikos 0 Panaitolikos Agrinion 3 Panthrakikos 1 PAOK Salonika 4 Veria 1 Saturday, October 25 Atromitos Athinon 1 Ergotelis 1 Levadiakos 1 Panionios 0 PAS Giannina 0 Kalloni 0 Standings P W D L F A Pts ...

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Greek bank shares rally after positive ECB test outcome

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek bank shares (.FTATBNK) jumped more than 5 percent early on Monday, leading the broader equities market higher, after the European Central Bank's health check turned out better ...

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Award-winning Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy Launches Organic GMO-free Greek Yogurt

The innovative, award-winning yogurt producer Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy is launching a new product line: authentic organic strained Greek yogurt. The new product is GMO-free and probiotic, with 5 live and active cultures and an exceptionally smooth & creamy texture.

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