Two weeks ahead of snap elections, Greek leftist coalition Syriza maintains a comfortable lead over the ruling conservative party, three surveys ...
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How the world sees Greece
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Syriza Maintains Lead Two Weeks Ahead of Greek Elections
Hellenic News Correspondent Lili Bita Honored in Athens
Her contributions as a theatrical performer and an ambassador of Greek culture were also noted, and, upon request, she performed musical selections ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT hellenicnews.com |
Greece: Syriza's party maintains solid lead
FXStreet (Bali) - There has been new polls published over the weekend in Greece, ahead of the Jan 25th general election, all suggesting that Greek ...
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Italian Firefighters Finally Extinguish Fire on ‘Norman Atlantic’
Italian firefighters have finally managed to extinguish all fires burning on board of ferry boat “Norman Atlantic,” which was towed to the port of Brindisi, Italy, on January 2. The ship has already been sequestered for the investigation, while on January 6, a lifeboat from the “Norman Atlantic” was found on the Albanian coast near Valona. The ferry continued to burn in port for almost two weeks until today, when firefighters were finally able to enter the hull for inspection. Earlier on Saturday, the side doors of the burned ferry were opened and special machines of smoke absorption were used in order to clear its areas. Preliminary investigation shows that the temperatures inside the vessel have finally been reduced to 21 degrees, while oxygen has significantly increased. The main door, which was already opened and through which the firefighters have promoted the absorption machines, is located at the point where the letter “N” has been assigned by the charterer, ANEK. According to the head of the Brindisi Fire Department, “under these latest developments, all processes can be accelerated and the prosecutor of Bari, along with experts, can enter ‘Norman Atlantic’ again early next week.” At the same time, Italian newspaper Corriere del Mezzogiorno published the testimony of an unnamed 16-year-old Afghan migrant, in which he narrates how he managed to save himself but saw many others losing their lives by the fire in the garage. “We were at least ten people,” he said to the Italian newspaper. As stated, the prosecutor of Bari who is in charge of the investigation regarding the naval tragedy — which cost the life of 11 passengers — will seek the assistance from Greek, German and Turkish authorities in order to identify the corpses found through DNA tests. The number of Greek citizens missing after the fire on “Norman Atlantic” is nine, while three of their compatriots died. On Monday, the relatives of those missing have left Italy and are now expecting news on the fate of their loved ones from the Italian and Greek authorities.
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Frank’s Fave: Dash Greek Yogurt Maker
This week Frank discusses the Dash Greek Yogurt Maker with CEO of Storebound, Evan Dash. Listen and find out more about this fabulous product. It’s easy to make healthy, delicious Greek Yogurt right at home with the Dash Greek Yogurt Maker. Just use ...
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Italians buy Greek olives to cover needs
The purchase of Greek olive oil to be packaged and labeled “made in Italy” is common practice, but it is the first time that the acquisition and shipping ...
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Twenty-One Parties, Four Coalitions and One Independent to Run for January 25 Greek Elections
The submission deadline for the delegations’ participation in the January 25 Greek general elections expired and the Public Prosecutor along with the country’s Supreme Court have approved the participation of 21 political parties, four coalitions and one independent candidate. In the following days, the first Department of the Greek Supreme Court will proceed with the applications’ review and then finalize the list of candidates entitled to take part in the critical snap elections to be held in two weeks from today. The parties that will run for the upcoming general elections are the following: New Democracy (Antonis Samaras) SYRIZA – Radical Left Coalition (Alexis Tsipras) PASOK – Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Evangelos Venizelos) Golden Dawn (Nikos Michaloliakos) KKE – Greek Communist Party (Dimitris Koutsoumbas) Liberal Party (Manolis Kalligiannis) Teleia (Apostolos Gletsos) OKDE – Greek Communist Internationalists Organization (Three-member committee) Democrat Socialists Movement (George Papandreou) PAEKE (Miltiadis Tzalalidis) KEAN – National Resistance Movement (Ippocrates Savvouras) EEK – Workers Revolutionary Party (Sabetai Matsas) National Hope (Giorgos Papadopoulos) LAOS – Popular Orthodox Rally (Giorgos Karatzaferis) Centrists Union (Vassilis Leventis) ELKSI – Greek White Movement of Today’s Ideology (Eleftherios Daniilidis) Democratic National Reform Union (Three-member committee) ROMA – Radical Orthodox Solidarity Front (Aggelos Liakopoulos) EKAD – Hellenic Movement of Direct Democracy (Giorgos Kokkas) To Potami (Stavros Theodorakis) ELLADA – Hellenic Popular Democratic Liberation (Konstantinos Papanicolas) The coalitions to run for the upcoming general elections are the following: ANTARSYA MARS – Front of the Greek Anticapitalist Left (Central committee) KKE M-L – Greek Communist Party Marxist-Leninist) and M-L KKE – Marxist-Leninist Greek Communist Party (Four-member committee) DIMAR-Greens – Democratic Left-Greens (Fotis Kouvelis, Nikos Chrysogelos) Independent Greek National Patriotic Alliance – Independent Greeks (ANEL), Greek Agrarian Livestock Party, White, Burning Greece, Greek Christian Democratic Party (Panos Kammenos) Furthermore, a participation delegation was submitted by the Combination of Independent Candidates “Dignity” (Dorylaos Klapakis). It should be noted that ANEL leader Panos Kammenos originally submitted an application as a party, which was later withdrawn and followed by a new as a coalition party.
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Golden age of Indian mathematics was inspired by Babylon and Greece: Amartya Sen
At an event to honour the six winners of the Infosys Prize in Kolkata last week, the Nobel Prize winner noted that the progress of knowledge depends ...
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Practice what you preach
by Monnet Matters The last years of José Manuel Barroso’s presidency were marked, among other things, by a very unfair and antidemocratic position towards some European Union member states. Brussels tried to interfere in the domestic affairs of EU members. We experienced this in Greece since the country applied for support to the European Commission and then to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). We experienced the same position, with the same arguments, in the case of the Scottish independence referendum. The arguments in both cases have a German aroma and are marked by strict economic aspects, but this is not the point. This wasn’t of course the first time the European House tried to interfere in an EU country’s domestic affairs. We can remember, for instance, when Brussels informed Hungary that a possible participation of the far right party of Istvan Csurka (now an advisor of the Hungarian prime minister) could block the European future of Hungary. In another case, Brussels used very severe language addressing Austria when the far-right party of the late Jorg Haider enjoyed successful electoral scores. But the official explanation for these interferences at the time was that there was a deep concern for democracy and democratic values. Now the case is different. The way the EU and some member states are treating the upcoming parliamentary elections in Greece is unprecedented. The declarations made by many politicians in Brussels and elsewhere seem to be dictating to the Greek citizens who to vote for. In the event that they will make the “wrong” choice at the ballot box, a big catastrophe will strike this beautiful Mediterranean country: no energy, no milk for their children, no medicines for their sick and their pensioners and no money at all. The same arguments had been used during the Scottish referendum. Voters had been warned that the only future for an independent Scotland would be the ‘seven plagues of Egypt’. But this behavior is deeply antidemocratic. It also goes against our culture and our tradition. It’s against the European ideal. In 2015, elections are scheduled to take place in three big European countries: Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. In all three countries, it is the parties that have questioned Brussels’ politics that have the most chances of winning at the polls. In the UK, the Eurosceptic Conservative party will be contested by the Europhobic UKIP. In Poland, the PiS of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which lingers somewhere between Euroscepticism and Europhobia, will probably win the elections. In Spain, the leftist and anti-austerity PODEMOS has a serious chance to victory especially after a successful win for the SYRIZA party in Greece. It would also be interesting to see whether Brussels and Berlin will express their concern for the possibility of a “wrong” vote. In 2017, France will hold its presidential elections. According to some predictions, the winner will be Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of the National Front. Even though her win would make her the first female president in France (which is a good thing), Le Pen is openly racist and best known for her far-right rhetoric. Her party is against the EU and has even declared that France must exit the union. A possible win by National Front’s leader will bring forward a new situation for Europe. It will be a situation that many analysts consider to be a real catastrophe for the European idea. It would be interesting to see if Brussels, and Berlin, will express their concern with the same intensity and the same vulgarity they did in the case of Greece and Scotland. They probably won’t. France is bigger and more important than Greece or a possible independent Scotland. In this case maybe they will remember that two of our traditions in Europe is dialogue and negotiation.
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Financial Discipline Or Human Dignity?
by Kassandra Speaking in the ALDE New Year Conference on "Re-launching the EU economy; how to overcome the investment gap?" Commission vice President for for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Yyrki Katainen (former Prime Minister of Finland) threatened Member States with sanctions if they refuse to implement financial reforms imposed by Brussels. The President of S&D Group Gianni Pittella, replied by speaking of a “diabolical plan” and invited President Jean Claude Juncker to intervene, adding “this is not just illegal, it is also politically unacceptable. I want to say openly, this plan could be the end of the Juncker´s Commission. President Juncker should stop Katainen before he causes irreversible damage." Gianni Pittella is a Partito Democratico politician who comes from the South of Europe, has a solid electoral base and is well aware of the problems countries like Italy, Greece, Spain or France are facing in order to comply as much as possible to financial discipline without sacrificing the dignity of their citizens which is guaranteed by a minimum of social benefits and pensions. Diametrically opposed are the positions of ALDE, an elitist northern European club, which sustains financial discipline must be maintained at any cost.
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Europe looks to Syriza for hope of change
Syriza’s potential victory in the forthcoming elections in Greece is of the utmost importance for all those who want Europe to change course. Such a victory would be an expression of the demand for dignity and justice: for hope. The threats and pressure applied by EU leaders, the troika and financial circles to influence the electoral choice of the Greek people are unacceptable.Throughout Europe, we will defend the right of the Greek people to make their decisions freely; to break with austerity; to say no to the humanitarian crisis that has plagued the country; to pave the way for a real alternative for Greece – for a social and democratic reorientation. Continue reading...
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Soccer-Greek championship results and standings
Jan 11 (Infostrada Sports) - Results and standings from the Greek championship matches on Sunday Sunday, January 11 Niki Volos 0 Levadiakos 3 awd. ...
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UVA's New Greek Conduct Rules Lack Enforcement Provisions
The rules were announced this week as part of the process of restarting Greek activities on the scenic, iconic Charlottesville campus that was rocked ...
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Helping Hands: Greek organizations positively influence the Athens community
The Greek community, as well as other organizations, play an important role in keeping our residents active and entertained. Whether it is playing ...
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Subir Gokarn: Greek tragedy
To put these concerns into perspective, let's look at the performance of the Greek economy over the past few years. It has operated for a part of this ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.business-standard.com |
ECB to QE or not QE that is the question for gold and silver prices
Then there is the problem that any bond buying program would have to include Greece which is insolvent and on the brink of leaving the euro again.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.silverseek.com |
Germany Owes Greece 11 Billion Euros From the Nazi Occupation Loan
Germany owes the impressive amount of 11 billion euros to Greece, solely due to the forced occupation loan taken by the Nazis during World War II and which remains unpaid until today, a new official Greek report, handed to the Finance Ministry, revealed. Despite the outboasting report, Berlin, on its part, insists not to recognize that debt. According to Greek Sunday newspaper “To Vima,” the secret report has been finally delivered to the country’s General Accounting Office and Deputy Finance Minister Christos Staikouras, after three months of thorough research and work undertaken by a special committee, chaired by the former General Director of the Greek Treasury, Panagiotis Karakousis. As the report revealed, Germany’s debt towards Greece reaches a sum of at least 11 billion euros. As the Greek newspaper underlined, the committee took in account the most conservative estimates regarding the German debt, while Karakousis stated that this amount has nothing to do with the war reparations for the damages Greece suffered under the German occupation of 1941-1944, which could reach tens of billions of euros. The report was delivered to Staikouras, who will forward it to Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos, and will send it to the State’s Legal Council. According to the Greek Constitution, a special Legal Council should meet and decide-advise the government on how to handle the issue.
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Tsipras: Syriza's seven immediate priorities
Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras in his address on Saturday in Corinth referred to seven top priorities that his government will implement in order Greece to become a European country again. Syriza's seven priorities ...
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Disabled tortoise walks again with Lego brick wheelchair
Iris Pleste, Blade's owner, had noticed that her Greek tortoise wasn't as active and healthy as other tortoises so she took him to a local veterinarian in ...
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Greece's radical left SYRIZA leads in opinion polls ahead of elections
ATHENS, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Greece's main opposition radical left SYRIZA party leads over the ruling conservative New Democracy (ND) party in all ...
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Second comings: the artists who found success the long way round
Ever dreamed of packing it all in and becoming an artist? Meet four people who prove it’s never too late to follow your heart – from the sociologist bagging poetry prizes in her 60s, to the surgeon wowing audiences at the NationalA few years ago, Prasanna Puwanarajah was about to step out on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company when a member of the audience fainted. Puwanarajah, who trained as a surgeon before embarking on a second career as an actor, director and playwright, was called out from backstage to help. “I was playing the priest in Twelfth Night,” he says. “I was in full Greek Orthodox costume. I came out into the foyer, and the lady who had fainted took one look at me and said, ‘It’s a very good service here, isn’t it?’” Continue reading...
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SYRIZA’s Six Immediate Priorities
SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, in his address in Corinth, referred to six top priorities that his government will implement in order for Greece to become a European country again. “The sealed lips have turned into clenched fists and fear has changed camp,” said Tsipras. “Hope is coming, dignity, democracy; Greece is ready to make the huge step. Nobody can stop this hope…the time has come for the Memorandum to leave together with the politicians that supported it,” he noted. Tsipras sternly attacked Greek Prime Minister and New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras that he attempts to stop SYRIZA’s course with fear and mudslinging. He referred to the Paris terror attack, saying that it concerns us all because it targeted freedom of speech and democracy. “We should not give in to the racism voices that are heard in Europe aiming to promote the extreme right agenda.” Tsipras said that Samaras invests in fear and black propaganda, and he is the only one that speaks of a Grexit, given that the foreign media and the European institutional entities have “buried” the issue and noted that “after the recent developments, Grexit has finished and the only thing left is the Samaras-exit.” He expressed his certainty that the Greek people with give the parliamentary majority to SYRIZA and called the Prime Minister to abandon scaremongering and accept to take part in a TV debate with him. Finally, SYRIZA’s six priorities are, according to Tsipras, free electricity to households that are unable pay their bills, food allowance to 300,000 people, free healthcare, Christmas bonus to low income pensioners, free transport card for the poor and abolition of the tax equalization on heating oil and diesel. Moreover, he clarified that “we do not want the governance in order to take the summer palace. We will never forget where we started from and this is something you should always keep in mind.” (source: ana-mpa)
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Greece to stick with euro if Syriza wins election: leader
(ATHENS ) - Greece will stay in the eurozone while also fighting against the politics of austerity "which is ruining Europe" if the radical left-wing Syriza party wins this month's general election, its leader said Sunday.
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Samaras unveils New Democracy's tax reforms plan
Greek Prime Minister and New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras unveiling on Saturday his party's National Reform and Development Plan, he presented a series of tax reforms that will not burden the deficits but will strengthen the ...
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Don't believe the scaremongering: Greece leaving the euro would be no disaster
Who would have thought that Greece would be on the verge of another crisis? Actually, lots of economists forecast that this would happen. But what next? The Greek public finances have been mismanaged for many years. Much of Greek government spending has ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.telegraph.co.uk |
Greece and Europe must compromise to avoid Grexit
At its launch on January 1, 1999, the euro’s creators imagined entry into European monetary union as irreversible — a hotel from which, once a country checks in, it can never check out. But if Greece is to be a permanent resident, someone has to pay ...
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Postgraduate Studies Mania Hits Greece
A significantly increasing number of Greek students have signed up for postgraduate studies over the past five years – during which the country has ...
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European Debt Crisis Fast Facts
Greece: January 1, 2001 - Greece drops its currency, the drachma, to join the European Union "eurozone." Greece is the 12th country to adopt the ...
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European Debt Crisis Fast Facts
(CNN)Here's a look at the European Debt Crisis which has affected the countries of Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. July 11, 2011 - An munitions explosion at a naval base kills 13 people and destroys the country's main power station.
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Rio Tomatlán resurrection: new venue, signature vibe
site, Archive. eEdition. |. subscribe. |. newspaper ads. |. newsletter · Greece Post. Home · News · Top Stories. 10082. 10082. Community. 10054. 10054.
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Greek PM offers to ease austerity to head off Syriza challenge
International creditors such as EU and IMF will be unsettled by Antonis Samaras’ pledge to limit cuts and reforms to pensions and wagesIn a move likely to stun international creditors keeping debt-stricken Greece afloat, the prime minister, Antonis Samaras, has stepped up his electoral campaign with a promise to ease the austerity policies demanded in exchange for financial aid, two weeks before crucial snap elections.Unveiling a “roadmap” of measures for a “post-bailout Greece”, the leader pledged he would restrict spending cuts and reforms that have seen the popularity of the main opposition radical left Syriza party soar. Continue reading...
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Populous Greek Delegation in Paris to Participate in Solidarity March
Heads of state and the European Union leadership, along with millions of people, attended today the solidarity march in Paris for the victims of the multiple Islamist attacks. At the same time, the security measures were draconian, as some 2,200 police officers and snipers were guarding the route of the three-kilometer march, which starts from the historic square of Place de la Republique. In addition, another 1,350 soldiers have been transferred to Paris to guard potential targets. Greece’s government was represented by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, while a delegation of Greek main opposition SYRIZA also arrived in Paris, consisting of MEP Manolis Glezos, and possibly Giorgos Katrougalos and Konstantina Kuneva. Among the foreign leaders who went to Paris to participate in the solidarity march, along with French President Francois Hollande, is British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy, Belgian Premier Charles Michel, as well as Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Dutch Premier Mark Rutte. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Romania by President Klaus Werner Iohannis and Ukraine by President Petr Poroshenko. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Parliament President Martin Schulz were also in Paris. Finally, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, also attended the solidarity march in the French Capital, along with leaders of African countries such as Mali, Niger, Gabon, Tunisia and the King of Jordan, Abdullah.
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New Greek Polls: SYRIZA Continues to Lead Over New Democracy
Greek main opposition SYRIZA leads over ruling New Democracy (ND) by 2.6 percentage points, according to an opinion poll published in Sunday newspaper “To Vima.” According to the poll, SYRIZA came first with 28.1%, followed by ND with 25.5%. In third place was “To Potami” with 6.5%, followed by Golden Dawn with 5.4%, PASOK with 5.2%, the Greek Communist Party (KKE) with 5%, newly founded George Papandreou‘s party, Democrat Socialists Movement (KIDISO), with 2.8% and Independent Greeks (ANEL) with 2.6%. 4.1% of the respondents said they will vote for another party and 14.8% did not answer or said they will cast a blank vote. Greece’s Prime Minister and ND leader Antonis Samaras is more suitable for Prime Minister said 43.9% of respondents, with SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras preferred by 36.2%. The poll was conducted between January 7 and 8, 2015. According to another opinion poll for the Sunday edition of “Avghi” newspaper, conducted between January 2 and 9, 2015, SYRIZA leads with 38% over ND that was preferred by 30% of respondents, followed by “To Potami” with 7%, PASOK with 5.5%, KKE with 5%, ANEL with 3% and Democratic Left (DIMAR) with 1%. SYRIZA also leads in a third opinion poll for Sunday newspaper “Proto Thema” with 31.2%, followed by ND with 28%. “To Potami” was in third place with 4.5%, followed by Golden Dawn with 4.2%, PASOK with 4%, KKE with 3.7%, KIDISO with 2.4% and ANEL with 2.2%. 4.4% of respondents said they will vote for another party and 9.6% said they haven’t decided yet. The poll was conducted between January 7 and 9, 2015. (source: ana-mpa)
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Exit from debt crisis or retreat to uncertainty wager of Greek elections: socialist leader
25 elections in Greece is whether the country will exit the five-year debt crisis and return to normality or whether Greeks will retreat to uncertainty, ...
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Samaras Still Trails Syriza 14 Days Before Greek Election
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras entered the two-week countdown to Jan. 25 elections with opinion polls showing he has so far failed to narrow the lead held by his main opponent, Alexis Tsipras of Syriza.
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Syriza Leads Greek Opinion Polls
Greece’s leftist opposition Syriza party continues to hold the lead in a series of public opinion polls published over the weekend, two weeks ahead of the country’s national elections.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.wsj.com |
Former Greek PM George Papandreou Speaks About Everyone and Everything
Democratic Socialists Movement leader and former Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou, during an interview to Athens-Macedonian News Agency on Saturday, referred to everything and everyone and shed light to a number of questions and speculations regarding his actions and policy when he was Prime Minister, after three years of silence. Referring to his meeting with former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn in the summer of 2009 and the allegations that it was then that he decided Greece’s accession to the IMF and not in the spring of 2010, he called them nonsense. “No decision has been made before or after the elections, in any discussion with Strauss-Kahn. We both agreed that if Greece took the right steps but without EU’s support, the markets would not calm. But I was worried,” said Papandreou, “because I saw that Europe underestimated the Greek problem, they said ‘it’s your problem, your created it, you must solve it’. I discussed all possible scenarios to protect my country. Neither the IMF was the solution because the money was not enough to cover the country’s needs. Based on these discussions, I started a diplomatic marathon to persuade the Europeans to support us.” Asked on who finally brought the IMF in Greece, German Chancellor Angela Merkel or himself, George Papandreou said “It is widely known that many countries and particularly Germany demanded IMF’s participation into the program. They have said, either the IMF will participate or we will not participate at all. You can see even now, that we are at the final phase before our exit from the adjustment program, some EU partners’ insistence to IMF’s involvement. It sounds strange but IMF was hesitant. I do not believe that the Fund wanted to get involved into the Eurozone, many non-EU country board members like Brazil expressed their opposition. I had asked for a purely European mechanism. I had proposed the establishment of a European Monetary Fund.” Commenting on charges by his former party PASOK and its leadership that he is responsible for the rapid fall of its popularity because he did not ask the program to be approved by the parliament’s vast majority and did not proceed with a referendum or elections before signing the Memorandum, Papandreou said, “I asked for consensus. I did not take the political cost into account. We undertook the whole burden. I do not apologize for that. Those who need to apologize are those that did not help and who have huge part of the responsibility for the Greek crisis. New Democracy’s leadership had taken a final decision not to vote for the program and I remind that New Democracy threw out its MPs that voted it. They should apologize today for their stance and their refusal to assist a government that did its patriotic duty.” On charges that he handed over the leadership to New Democracy in June 2011, Papandreou said “I did not hand over the leadership. I saw what was happening in PASOK. Some deputies were against the government’s efforts, not for ideological or political reasons but for personal. They simply did not want me to be Prime Minister or Finance Minister. I also saw what was happening in the Greek society and the manipulation of people’s rage. When I left, the protesting people disappeared from the squares. I have called Antonis Samaras and asked him to rise to the occasion by accepting a coalition government with a specific framework of progressive reforms to tidy up the public sector with specific timetables, against corruption and a new growth model. He did not react negatively. On the contrary. Unfortunately, I was later informed that there were leaks in New Democracy saying that I have resigned. That is what Samaras’ associates had understood. Shame, a unique opportunity was lost then.” Asked on what happened at the EU informal Summit in Cannes, a few days after the agreement with Greece’s EU partners in October 2011 and speculations that the order for his overthrow was given after Cannes, Papandreou opined, “In October’s EU Summit we reached a historic agreement for Greece. An additional 120 billion euros loan with better conditions and a huge debt write-off. In Greece, those who did not call me a traitor rejected the agreement. I knew that it would not be voted in parliament and even if it was, it would be impossible to be implemented in such conditions of ‘civil war’ in society. There was a long time that I was thinking about the referendum. I wanted to have the time and the permission by law to call it before the first Memorandum. I had made my intention known to European leaders as well as to Chancellor Merkel a few months ago. Yes, there was turmoil over the referendum, but if the government collapsed and we went to elections, wouldn’t there be a turmoil? In Cannes, I had an argument with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, – none of the exaggerations written – he could not understand that the referendum was and is the only democratic way to successfully implement the Brussels agreement if the citizens approved it. The referendum was a proposal for the Greek people to decide, without middlemen, good or bad protectors. Sarkozy wanted the question to be ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the euro currency. I resisted. Obviously, the decision for a referendum would affect our position in the Eurozone and that was the reason I believed and still believe that the Greeks would have said YES to the agreement. But the dilemma could only be the agreement package, not our participation in the Eurozone. The truth is that suddenly, the main opposition’s stance towards the agreement changed and during the vote of confidence debate in parliament, a number of PASOK MPs demanded my resignation in order to vote. I had already been overthrown. Everything else is history. And another thing; I was charged that with my proposal for a referendum I indirectly set Greece’s position in the Eurozone into doubt. Do you remember those who charged me which direct and clear dilemma they used as their campaign slogan in the national elections? Euro or Drachma. Hypocrisy?” (source: ana-mpa)
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Manchester United v Southampton: Premier League – live!
Latest updates from Old TraffordEmail daniel.harris.casual@theguardian.com; tweet @DanielHarrisCheck out the latest scores around the UK and Europe 4.10pm GMT 9 min “’A player like Carrick needs pictures, pictures ahead of him...’” emails Charles Antaki. “I had to look it up, but this is a decent example of anadiplosis by Glenn Hoddle; let’s see if Carrick can bear the weight of more classical Greek rhetoric as the game wears on. Or just misplace a few passes.”Wonder what he did in a past life to deserve such terrible fate. 4.09pm GMT 7 min The corner is no use, but United win the ball back and find Di Maria on the right, just outside the box. He shimmies and diddles, escaping Bertrand and Ward-Prowse and making the angle for a shot, spanking a low one that flies wide of the far post. 4.07pm GMT 6 min Schneiderlin wraps arms around Di Maria, who falls over; free-kick to United, 25 yards out, just by the left corner of the box. Rooney whips it in, but Smalling it beaten to the header, and then Carrick arcs over a cross from just outside the box on its right. This time, Smalling wins the header, nodding across for Van Persie, and Alderweireld does extremely well to concede a corner. 4.06pm GMT 5 min Bit of possession for United - Di Maria is playing inside, it seems, with Rooney in midfield despite not being a midfielder. 4.05pm GMT 4 min This is an excellent start from the visitors - United have mustered barely a touch, and are being pressed all over. In particular, this might not work for Juan Mata, who struggles in fast, physical games. Why, it’s almost as if Jose Mourinho knows something. 4.03pm GMT 3 min Southampton win a free-kick on the left and pile men into the box. It’s curved in high, and Rooney heads clear, but Southampton maintain pressure, winning a throw. That’s cleared, but they keep United boxed, forcing Mata to juggle and hook away over his head. 4.02pm GMT 1 min More Southampton pressure. Clyne bangs a low one into Pelle, who lays off adroitly and back into his stride as Blind chugs in pursuit. He bursts into the box, and drills a low shot just wide of the far post - on target, and De Gea was naewhere near. 4.01pm GMT 1 min Southampton go long, and De Gea fails to charge out to clear. For this, he suffers the ignominy of a telling from Chris Smalling. 4.00pm GMT 1 min Southamton kick-off. Yo DJ pump this party. 4.00pm GMT It is United against Southampton, and it’s live. We’ve gone for an accumulator, and who knows which way the games are going to go. Etcetera. 3.58pm GMT Housekeeping: Luke Shaw used to play for Southampton. 3.57pm GMT “A player like Carrick needs pictures, pictures ahead of him ... if he sees pictures, he’ll play passes.” Hoddle on Hoddle Carrick 3.55pm GMT The Southampton players are tunnelled. The short, back and sides are short back and sided. 3.51pm GMT Three at the back; I don’t get it. No overlaps, simple balls into the corners causing undue mayhem, Glenn Hoddle’s a fan. 3.49pm GMT “Francesco Totti (aged 38) has scored twice for Roma against Lazio this afternoon. He’s a touch raw, but the potential of the lad is phenomenal,” says Kevin Porter. Yes, he’s got some ability. Wonder if anyone’s riffed on his surname yet. 3.48pm GMT Email! “Looking at the team sheets I’m wondering if the two most tactically innovative managers in the league this year might both be playing four four two,” ponders Ben Wilkinson. I’m not sure - it seems like United are going three at the back, with Blind next to Jones and Smalling. Have that, Daley. Southampton will start 4-2-3-1, I reckon, but I reckon the players will run around and stuff. 3.45pm GMT The managers say very little, though are asked very little. Van Gaal reckons it’s harder to pick a team with a lot of players available, but no one bothers to wonder what Falcao’s up to. We also don’t know who’s playing where. Koeman wants pace upfront, and for Elia to get into the swing of things. 3.41pm GMT Classic this fixture: a young Ryan Giggs makes a young Barry Davies purr. 3.40pm GMT End of an era: today sees the sale of the last ever Red Issue, one of United’s three fanzines. Ferociously intelligent, erudite, puerile, uncompromising, impassioned, supremely written and impeccably sourced - or, put another way, everything a fanzine should be - it has fought for the rights of supporters for a generation. If your team has such an organ, support it, love it, cherish it. 3.35pm GMT Classic this fixture: Ryan Giggs juggles the ball to the penalty spot, misses, and Southampton eliminate United from the Cup at Old Trafford. 3.29pm GMT So, what does it mean? Well, to begin with, Robin van Persie is a very lucky man. Having played well just once this season, and hardly at all since January 2013, Radamel Falcao’s absence leaves him undropped. And Van Gaal was thinking about it too, saying on Friday “wait and see if he is in my line up”, “he is always in my line up, till now....now you have to wait and see”. He is. Ander Herrera, on the other hand is not - despite paying £28-oddm for him just a few months ago, Van Gaal does not appear remotely convinced by his qualities. United’s best player last weekend, he is dropped this, for a bloke who’s not played since November, and is not at all dissimilar to another already all the side. Elsewhere, Jonny Evans is dropped for continuing uniform awfulness, Di Maria returns from the start, Valencia returns, and Fellaini is on the bench. Quite how the team will line up is impossible to predict. 3.17pm GMT Manchester United (5-3-2, 3-5-2, 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1): De Gea, Valencia, Smalling, Jones, Shaw, Carrick, Di Maria, Blind, Mata, Rooney, Van Gaal Persie. Subs: Evans, Herrera, Fellaini, Valdes, McNair, Blackett, Wilson. 3.00pm GMT There is nothing we will not say to avoid aggravation and blame. This is because we are human beings, genetically hardwired to pursue the path of least resistance, and to cheat at everything possible; there is not a single field of endeavour at which which people will not, have not, and do not cheat. Similarly, what with humans being humans and all, convention dictates that we term these aforementioned sayings as “excuses”, rather than “lies” - consider, for example: the wrong type of snow; I didn’t inhale; just researching a role; my washing machine flooded my flat; ooooh my hayfever; we’re country! 3.00pm GMT Daniel will be here shortly before the 4pm kick-off …But this is what the Manchester United manager has been saying in the buildup to the game.If Louis van Gaal has steadied the Manchester United ship in his first six months at Old Trafford, then consistency at home has been key to climbing back into the top four of the Premier League. This time last year United had lost four times at Old Trafford. This season they have suffered one defeat, by Swansea on the opening day, and 25 points from a possible 30 at home compares favourably with 12 collected on the road from the same number of games.Factor in the consideration that Van Gaal has rarely been able to field a settled side, let alone work out his best one, because of all the injuries United have had to deal with since his arrival, and the coach ought to be satisfied with entering the new year in third place. Continue reading...
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Greece’s Leftist Syriza Party Holds the Lead in Opinion Polls
ATHENS—Greece’s leftist opposition Syriza party continues to hold the lead in a series of public opinion polls published over the weekend, two weeks ahead of the country’s national elections. All 10 opinion polls that were published in the Greek ...
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Greek exit could trigger eurozone break-up
"A Greek default on its around €240 billion in rescue loans would send another shock wave to the (euro) area," said Guy Verhofstadt, president of the ...
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Greek Prime Minister Samaras marches in Paris – PHOTOS
Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras marches against terrorism in Paris. Sources: enikos.gr, BBC
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"Online Retailers in Greece: Market Snapshot to 2018" Published
11.01.2015 16:07:16 - Recently published research from Conlumino, "Online Retailers in Greece: Market Snapshot to 2018", is now available at Fast Market Research (live-PR.com) - Conlumino's, "Online Retailers in Greece: Market Snapshot to 2018" contains ...
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Gift cards purchased at mall stolen
John Zirbel bought four gift cards as Christmas gifts for his family from The Mall at Greece Ridge. Three of the cards were breached and used to ...
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Market's Ups-and-downs Spell End Of Low Volatility Era
By Saqib Iqbal AhmedNEW YORK (Reuters) - In the last month, the U.S. stock market is down just 0.8 percent, but it's been a bumpy ride: Since Dec. 9, the S&P 500 has had a 4 percent selloff, a 6 percent rally, and a 4 percent drop that ended Thursday with a two-day gain of 3 percent. Equities were hit hard again Friday - down almost 1 percent.Investors made queasy by the sharp selloffs and snapback rallies might want to prepare themselves for more of the same. A growing number of market watchers say the low-volatility regime that dominated in 2013 and 2014 has ended, and the roller-coaster ride going on now has become the norm."This year has the potential to be a very good year for stocks but we will see more and bigger spikes in volatility," said Brian Reynolds, chief market strategist at Rosenblatt Securities in New York.Uncertainty about impending Greek elections, rising credit spreads, the possibility of a Russian default, and how far oil prices could fall is boosting the CBOE Volatility Index , the market's favored indicator of Wall Street's anxiety. For example, stock investors have attempted to buy up energy shares cheap, only to be hit hard when oil keeps falling, Reynolds said. The VIX is a measure of how high investors perceive the risk or uncertainty about the size of changes in a security's value.Investors have responded to this uncertainty by loading up on protection through the use of options on the S&P and the VIX. Recent increases in average daily volume in exchange-traded funds designed to take advantage of higher volatility - or hedge against it - also shows investors are trying to grapple with an up-and-down environment.From the beginning of 2013, on average, the S&P 500's average daily trading range was 15 points; in the last three weeks that has jumped up to a daily average of 25 points.A rapid expansion in open interest in SPX options shows many investors are hedging long stock positions as well as speculating on further drops in the index in the near-term, said Ophir Gottlieb, chief executive of Los Angeles-based Capital Market Laboratories.Traders are buying VIX calls in the February and March expiration at the 25 level, said J.J. Kinahan, chief market strategist at retail brokerage TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. The VIX was last trading at 17.82, so that implies a sharp increase."We are starting to see people buying volatility as almost a type of asset class," Kinahan said.That can be seen in the trading of leveraged ETFs, which seek to double the gains or losses in the VIX on a given day. Over the last 20 days, the ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures VIX ETF , which looks to double the daily move in the VIX, has seen daily volume of 16.7 million shares, compared with an average of 9.66 million in the past 200 days.A similar ETF, the ProShares Short VIX Short-Term Futures ETF has seen daily volume more than double, to 2.86 million shares a day in the last 20 days, compared with 1.36 million in the last 200 days.Those protecting against losses are also paying more money for this. Across major equity indices, the skew - an indicator of how desirous investors are of protection - is extremely high, said Mandy Xu, equity derivatives strategist at Credit Suisse. "For the S&P, using one month options, skew is in the 95th percentile," she said, indicating that people are paying more money for downside protection than at most times in the last year.(Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed. Editing by David Gaffen and John Pickering.)Join the conversation about this story »
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Here's What A 'Grexit' Would Cost Europe
Paris (AFP) - A Greek exit from the eurozone would certainly come at a cost to Europe, but just how expensive would it be? The amount Athens owes ...
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Absolutely No Love For European QE
I am wholly unconvinced this is all related to Greece's mess, but even setting aside whether that is a primary factor you have to appreciate that credit ...
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SYRIZA Leader Tsipras: We Will Free Farmers From the Shackles of Unjust Taxation
SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, who is visiting the region of Argolida, Greece, said that “we will re-establish the cooperative movement on healthy roots and will release the farmer and producer from the ties of an unjust taxation.” Tsipras underlined that the time has come to support the country in order to exit the crisis, noting that the country cannot leave from the crisis without supporting the primary production and laborers. He pledged that the ‘government of restoration and reconstruction’ he plans to create will support the farmers and the primary production by decreasing production cost. He also said that he will cancel the ENFIA single property tax because it taxes agricultural production means, he will set the tax-free limit at 12,000 euros and will settle bad loans with aim, as he said, to help farmers not face the risk of losing their properties. He said that Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ threats do not find their target because people are aware that if the Memorandum policy continues, the country will become a colony without production and farmers in the future. “Rifts are needed with the past and with all those that have led us to 2009 and we are here to show the difficult road of reconstruction,” he said, stating that he is certain that people have taken their decision and that “from January 26, we will be a country full of people with heads high and dignity in Europe.” Tsipras clarified that the subsidies will not be cut from farmers, adding that European Funds will be used to support primary production. Asked about the Greek debt’s haircut, he said that “the haircut is necessary in order for a sustainable development and prospect to exist for all Europe. It is an unavoidable development,” he said, adding that “the crucial issue is whether it will be applied through new measures of unsuccessful austerity or via growth prospect measures, which is what is at stake on January 25, and regarding the Memorandum, SYRIZA will not be the one that will cancel it, but the people, the night of the elections.” (source: ana-mpa)
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Russia, Ukraine And Greece
There is on the one hand Greece, where an election victory of Syriza seems highly likely. We recently reported on the "Mexican standoff" between the ...
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Greek central bank says deposit outflow situation under control
ATHENS Jan 11 (Reuters) - Greece's central bank said on Sunday that the situation with deposit outflows from the country was under control, as it tried ...
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Ag Futures: Large Oil Supply Could Grow
Ongoing economic peril in Greece has led to political instability, necessitating new elections later this month. It is expected that Eurosceptic parties ...
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