Kipper Williams on Germany's rejection of Greek loan extension

German ministers turn down Greece’s formal request to eurozone partners Continue reading...

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A 'wriggle' or a 'Trojan Horse'? Greece's olive branch to creditors gets short shrift

Germany appeared to slap away an olive branch from Greece yesterday, raising fears that the Mediterranean country could crash out of the single currency within weeks.

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Economist: Greece had chance to make EZ work better and blew it

Finance magazine states that the wrangling over whether to extend Greece’s second bail-out, which expires on February 28th, has shown Mr Tsipras’s government at its worst

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31-Year-Old Serial Killer Arrested in Southern Greece

Greek Police arrested a 31-year-old Albanian serial killer who is responsible for the death of at least three people with the method of strangulation. According to the police announcement, after the killings, the 31-year-old was stealing items of great value from the victim’s houses. The serial killer acted in the areas he was employed as a construction worker and systematically introduced himself with different names. After choosing his victims, who were usually lonely elders, he proceeded with his plan. His last victim was 59-year-old artist Katerina Zazani, a student of the great Greek painters Mytaras and Kokkinidis, whom he killed in her house in Naxos island. At the time of her assassination, the perpetrator was employed at the victim’s house. After her killing, he was instantly considered as the prime suspect, while his rush to flee the island drew even more attention on him. A finger print and his genetic material discovered in the crime scene led to his connection with the two previous cases and an arrest warrant was issued against him. But the man escaped the arrest and returned to his homeland. His return to Patras in southern Greece after a short period of absence was enough for Greek Police to track him and proceed with his arrest. After his arrest, the 31-year-old serial killer plead guilty for the two previous murders he committed in the Peloponnese. Specifically, on May 10, 2011, he murdered and robbed a 79-year-old man from Trifilia, Messinia, and on September 4, 2011, he robbed and killed a 77-year-old man in the village of Vourvouras, Arkadia.

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Germany views Greek extension request as 'Trojan horse'

German experts view the Greek bailout extension request as a "Trojan horse" aimed at putting an end to the country‘s current rescue programme, Greek government sources said. Germany is calling for a "clear and convincing commitment by Greece" that it ...

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Periphery bond yields drop as Greece softens stance on bailout deal

LONDON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Yields on lower-rated euro zone bonds slid on Thursday after Greece asked its EU lenders for a six-month loan ...

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Tsipras changes gov’t tune over privatization projects

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras suggested in an interview on Thursday that Greece’s privatization program may go ahead and that state sell-off fund (TAIPED)

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Greek proposal for loan extension to be discussed in Brussels amid tensions

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday evening after a day of tense efforts aimed at securing a compromise between Greece and the

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Bank officials fear a ‘liquidity accident’

Greek bankers on Thursday stressed the need for an agreement to be reached between the government and Greece’s eurozone peers that will confirm the country’s European prospects, as the outpour of deposits continued unabated.

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Greece, the euro and Solomon’s wisdom

Today we will see who cares more for the future of the Greek people and for the eurozone’s stability,

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Drop in Greek orders for new vessels in 2014

Greek shipowners implemented total investments of 8.41 billion euros last year on orders for new ships mostly from Asian shipyards, according to data from brokerage firm Golden Destiny.

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Board of model schools resigns in disagreement with minister

The members of the board governing Greece's experimental and model schools (DEPPS) tendered their resignation

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Germany calls Greek loan request letter a 'Trojan horse'

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - German officials described a Greek request to extend Athens' bailout program on Thursday as a "Trojan Horse" that left ...

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Tsipras tweets about call with French President

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras tweeted, in his official account, about his phone conversation with French President Francois Hollande. "In a telephone conversation with @fhollande he expressed his sincere wish for a mutually beneficial solution," Tsipras, or ...

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Searches at group suspected of economic crimes in the area of foreign company auditing

The Police searched Thursday morning addresses in Bucharest, Ilfov and Bacau Counties, targeting a group suspected of fraud and money laundering, operating in the area of international company auditing, headed by a Greek national wanted by the Austrian and French authorities. The Romanian Police informs by a press release that the Department for the Investigation [...]

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Merkel and Tsipras seek solution to Greek crisis

A man passes by a wall covered with graffiti reading 'Alexis the Great' in central Athens EU said Greek request for extension is a step forward in achieving a compromise Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel for ...

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Greece responds by saying Eurogroup will decide

Eurogroup has only two options: either to accept or reject the Greek request

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Germany snubs Greece: What to watch for next

Germany shocked Europe-watchers Thursday after it rejected a request from Greece to extend its euro zone loan program by six months, a day before ...

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Schäuble sets stage for Athens showdown

Greek crisis tests eurozone’s stability and Berlin’s EU leadership

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Talk with Greece, urges Germany's Gabriel

Germany's Social Democrat vice chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, says Greece's loan extension request is a "starting point for negotiations." His remark appears to contradict conservative Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.

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Germany may have just put the nail in Greece's Euro zone coffin

Germany's rejection of Greece's wilted olive branch on Thursday may mean that the Grexit—Greece's exit from the Eurozone—is now inevitable.

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Greece, Germany Discuss Bailout Extension

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone over extending Greece’s bailout, hours after Germany rejected a request for an extension sent by Athens.

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'Germany's gone too far': Rejection of Greek debt plan draws quick Twitter reaction

LONDON (MarketWatch) — Germany on Thursday swiftly rejected the Greek government's proposal for a loan-extension agreement, just hours after it ...

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Varoufakis and the Greek-German standoff

Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis’s suggestion that “things could get worse in perpetuity, without getting better” (How I became an erratic Marxist, 18 February) is at odds with a key notion of the business cycle – that after a deflationary clearout of the capitalist system in crisis, states have reformed the system to assist the cyclical recovery in such a way as to improve things in the long-run.Marx and the neoliberal economists have relied on the wrong sort of mathematical models to solve the problems, hence the continuation of the crisis without end which Yanis alludes to. Marx was not too hot on understanding what businesses could do to avoid crises, but within any value system appropriate accounting techniques need to be allied to economic theory to work on solving the problems over time. But, yes, stability needs to be established first, as Yanis suggests.Jeremy ComerfordChippenham, WiltshireThe poorest in Greece are accumulating debts, not hoarding … this excess saving is taking place in Germany, not Greece Continue reading...

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Socialism or Barbarism? Syriza, Economics, and Democracy

With the Syriza-led government locked in no-blink negotiations with Greece's creditors, especially Germany, it might be time to revive an old slogan of the left: Rosa Luxemburg's "socialism or barbarism." Restated for the 21st century, "socialism" simply means that a people's judgments about its own economic life -- the kind of work people do, the kind of security they enjoy, the kind of dignity they feel -- come before the supposedly iron rules of the international economy. It would also be fair to call it "economic democracy." The condescending view of the Greeks as somehow not understanding economic reason and the direction of history writes off this kind of economic democracy as infeasible, archaic, and probably senseless. Alexis Tsipras, the leader of Syriza, the anti-austerity party at the head of Greece's new government, has described its "mission" as "the radical transformation of society across Europe, based on socialism and democracy." All of this convinces many observers that Syriza is a symptom of fantasy. Sometimes the diagnosis is directed at the Greeks themselves ("Don't they know socialism is over?"), sometimes to their admirers in Western Europe and the U.S. ("When will they stop idealizing other people's revolutions?"). More sympathetic commentators praise Syriza for being more realistic than it sounds and seeking a "responsible" way to finesse Brussels, Berlin, and Greek's creditors and ease the country out of a punishing austerity without changing the ground rules. Syriza's government has a chance to reverse the lens. Economic democracy (or, as Syriza calls it, socialism) is politics that puts human needs first and accepts that market-based destabilization, impoverishment, and humiliation are not natural disasters or comeuppance for bad behavior but forms of political violence. * * * Syriza has an extraordinary uphill fight, both institutionally and ideologically. Their humane program sounds utopian to most ears. The "socialist" parties of Europe have committed themselves to the European project, which they, like Polanyi's old idealists, believe is the key to peace and prosperity -- so much that they are willing to double down on it at the cost of poverty and antagonism. And the interdependence of European fiscal rules, banking regimes, and so forth creates an obstacle course with a series of tripwires that could sink Greece's domestic banks or otherwise make things even worse. Syriza is often described as an anti-austerity party, which sounds merely reactive. It is true that the party's support is a response to the disruption, insecurity, and humiliation that budget cuts and unemployment have visited on ordinary Greeks. When Tsipras talks about "an economy that will focus on people's needs" and "a welfare state that ensures education, health, and dignity for all," these rather abstract ideals have very concrete opposites: unemployed young people desperate to flee the country, pensioners pawning their coats and digging through trash for food, taxpayers whose money leaves the country in the form of debt service. Doesn't Syriza's "socialism" just mean "Not this!" -- as it did for many socialists in the 19th century, reacting against the fresh hell of the factory economy? Maybe. But understanding the Greek situation this way prejudges practically every important question. It treats the current fiscal arrangements of Europe as hard facts, economic logic as hard rationality, and the impulse toward a different social world as a feeling, an emotional response to hard times. In that world, when Syriza declares itself a socialist party, it is announcing that it is unqualified to handle real power and responsibility. On this take, Syriza's voters are, almost by definition, emotional and reactive. * * * To see the world differently, it helps to go back to a tradition of thinking that developed before the total dominance of today's conventional economics. That tradition is long and rich, though any effort to use it today requires updating. Partly by chance, in the week of Syriza's victory, I was rereading and teaching economic historian Karl Polanyi's 1944 classic, The Great Transformation, a touchstone work of non-Marxist democratic socialism. Polanyi asked how Europe had gone mad and bloodthirsty in the 1930s. His answer: For decades, the spread and rigorous enforcement of laissez-faire capitalism had been destabilizing communities, endangering and humiliating works, and despoiling the natural world. Under the artificial and draconian partial economic integration that the gold standard put in place, countries saw these crises amplified while their governments' power to address their crises was diminished. Humiliated, bewildered, and alienated, national populations struck back, either scrambling to recover a lost (and idealized) past or straining toward an imagined (often unattainable) future. Fascism was the worst product of this episode, which Polanyi described as spontaneous self-defense by "society." The parallels are striking. Replace "gold standard" with "the euro," and "laissez-faire capitalism" with the austerity-and-market-integration program that Tsipras and his allies call "neoliberalism" (that's economic liberalism, as in libertarianism in the European sense of the word), and Polanyi could be arguing about 2015, not 80 years earlier. As for fascism, well, it was lucky that Greece's angry and exhausted voters bolted for Syriza rather than the neo-fascist Golden Dawn. Mainstream parties collapsed over the last elections two years ago, with the ruling center-right party losing about 90 percent of its voters. Greek politics-as-usual has palpably failed to resolve Greece's social crisis. Because Greek politics-as-usual is also pretty much the only kind of politics the European Union's fiscal constraints and austerity program will tolerate, Syriza's victory portends a crisis. Being anti-austerity means either being anti-Europe or, as Syriza insists it is, a portent of a different, post-austerity Europe. Whether Germany, Brussels, and the creditors are willing to midwife that Europe is another question. Here Polanyi's picture of Europe's last, ill-starred economic crisis is especially provocative. He offers a way of understanding social resistance to austerity as legitimate and important, not just an emotional reaction or social symptom of hard times. For Polanyi, the most astonishing and destructive feature of the 100 years before his time was faith in the "free market." The market was honored as a natural, scientific, and universally beneficial order, both rational and moral. According to true believers, markets ensured prosperity and peace, and they were the only way to get those prizes. With such faith, marketeers were willing to stick to their versions of austerity -- gold-standard-driven deflation, sustained depressions -- and were hapless when the system fell apart and hyperinflation replaced it. To them, it was the market -- fiscal austerity and currency coordination -- or bust, and their faith was so strong that they did not really believe the bust would come. Polanyi accepted that free-market capitalism had created tremendous prosperity, but he also insisted that its advocates, ironically enough, didn't understand economics. There is nothing natural about the market, Polanyi insisted, and no guarantee that it will be self-stabilizing or self-sustaining. For most of human history, economic life was deeply embedded in social life; how you made a living, what work you did, and who you were in your community -- peasant, priest, soldier, lord -- were intimately connected. There was no such thing as "the economy," with its own rules and sphere of operation; there was just social life, which included sharing, household production, tribute, and, sometimes, forms of exchange that we would call markets. Expanding and integrating those markets -- regularly scheduled market days in certain towns, the activity of long-distance traders -- into bigger markets and eventually "the market," or "the economy," was a political project, executed by reformers who wanted their governments to reap gold from trade and taxes and, later, ships and weapons from industrial production. As Polanyi famously put it, laissez-faire was planned, a product of regulation and state power. Where could this be more obvious than in Europe, a painstakingly constructed single market? Market rules, once in place, entailed massive disruptions: villages cleared out, new slum-cities around factories, periods of terrible unemployment for people who could no longer feed themselves from the land, and then, eventually, the crises of the 1930s. The market faithful -- and the many interests that would lose money if the rules changed -- treated all this human cost as the collateral damage of history and rational policy. Only the hardest-hearted thought that hungry workers and their stunted children were being weeded out as unworthy or getting what they deserved, but many believed their version of the neoliberal slogan: There is no alternative. So they stayed the course. Here, too, the parallels are unsettling and clarifying. Polanyi's response was that, as he put it, society came first. It was a historical aberration that modern Europeans believed in the market as they did; it was a superstition of the age, as much as utopian communism was. In fact, social demands -- for stability, security, dignified work, a place to stand in the world -- were legitimate. They came first, and any economic regime should serve them. No matter what the long-term justifications of market theory were, you must not sacrifice the current generation of any society to that abstract future any more than you should throw a generation or a class into ditches to speed the coming of Soviet communism. * * * It's become a theme that punishing nations economically is imprudent and can lead to ugly responses -- witness Germany between World War I and World War II. But the stakes of the Greece debate are much higher than that. The real help in thinking about Greece (and maybe Spain and Ireland next) through Polanyi is not the warning about fascism but the missed chance he pointed to: the chance to respect the democratic self-assertion of a society trying to reclaim the utterly legitimate and foundational values of security and dignity. These are the terms at the heart of Syriza's language: the defense and rescue of society, the restoration of security, the pursuit of dignity. They are attempting exactly what Polanyi observed a people might do when abstract economic forces tore apart their social world. So far, they are doing just about the best possible version of it, without help from the rest of the world. One of Greece's many mixed legacies to the world is the term "barbarians," meaning, basically, "people we can't understand." (The ancient Greeks are said to have heard non-Greek words as nonsense syllables, which they rendered "bar-bar.") The idea has done a lot of harm: European imperialists described the peoples they conquered as "barbarians": unenlightened, unable to govern themselves, needing a firm hand from a rational civilization. Whatever happened to the barbarians during the civilizing process was the collateral damage of enlightenment. Today, barbarism means blinking at the social violence and muttering, "There is no alternative." Syriza is insisting, instead, that a society has a perfect right to defend itself politically against the imposition of destructive economic rules, even when those are presented as a marriage of science ("This is how the world works") and ethics ("Debts must be paid"). Polanyi's lesson is that such social self-defense will never be extinguished, that it is the most natural thing in the world and, in its humane forms, is what democracy looks like. We should expect alternatives to arise against the "no alternatives" dogma, with or without or permission. The question is whether they will be better or worse, more humane or less. Greece, then Spain, will answer that question. The rest of Europe, and the world, are helping to prepare the answer.

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Time for Schaeuble to go home: German op-eds speak of “lost contact to reality”

The decision of German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble to reject right away the Greek request for extension of the loan agreement has stunned every one: officials in EU and the IMF, journalists, and even Schaeuble German coalition partners. In a psychologically, economically and politically hard to explain reaction, FinMin Schaeuble […]

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Germany accuses Greeks of 'Trojan horse' tactics over bail-out deal

Athen's proposal for bail-out extension are rejected by Germany setting two countries on a collision course before crunch talks tomorrow

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Tsipras: Our aim is to strengthen Chinese investments in Greece

“We are ready to support China’s links to Europe, with Greece serving as China’s gateway into Europe"

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Greek govt vs. Schaeuble: ‘We accept no ultimatums’

Europe is seemingly positively predisposed to the proposal tabled by the Greek government

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What will Germany pay for not compromising with Greece?

You could argue that the very public nature of the disagreement between Germany and Greece, over the terms of the latest attempt by Greece to avoid ...

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US Stocks Pare Losses Amid Greece Talk, Oil Prices

U.S. stocks slipped Thursday, but pared their early losses, as investors eyed negotiations over Greece's bailout and a renewed selloff in oil prices.

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Greek bank liquidity 'under control,' central banker says

Greece's central bank chief said Thursday the country’s banks will not face a liquidity shortage, despite fears of a brewing clash with the EU that could push the country out of the eurozone.

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Accidental exits, vulture funds: what's at stake in a 'Grexit'?

The arduous negotiations between the EU and Greece over a temporary loan to resolve Athens’ bailout crisis has reawakened fears of a "Grexit", or Greek exit from the single currency bloc

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Greece dances around words to keep anti-bailout public on side

Greece's new leftist-led government walked a semantic tightrope on Thursday to assure supporters it had not climbed down and sacrificed national pride by requesting an extension of euro zone financial support while seeking to satisfy its creditors. Government officials stressed their proposal to extend a loan agreement with the euro zone did not mean reneging on an oft-repeated pledge to scrap a ...

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German Econ Min says Greek proposal can only be a first step

Germany’s Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Thursday Greece’s proposal to extend a loan agreement was insufficient

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Greek FM backs Ukraine sovereignty, offers help with ‘humanitarian crisis’

On a visit to Kiev, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on Thursday expressed Greece’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and for

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Parties in Greek talks focused on risk to financial system

All parties involved in the debt negotiations between Greece and its European partners are trying to minimize risks to financial stability

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Solution to Greece crisis possible 'very quickly,' French PM says

France’s prime minister said Thursday he believed that Greece’s request for a six-month extension to its EU loan programme showed the crisis can be solved "very quickly"

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Volatile stock session sees index grow

Mixed reactions in Europe to a Greek demand for an extension to its bailout framework submitted on

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Read the Greek Loan Agreement Six-Month Extension Request Letter

Earlier today, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis sent a letter to Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem, explaining Greece’s proposals and reasoning for the continuation of the country’s loan agreement. Germany’s immediate rejection of the Greek proposal has widened the gap between Athens and Berlin amid continuous Eurozone member-states’ attempts to achieve a compromised agreement regarding the Greek program. The Greek loan agreement extension request letter sent to Dijsselbloem, obtained by Reuters: Athens, February 18, 2015 Dear President of the Eurogroup, Over the last five years, the people of Greece have exerted remarkable efforts in economic adjustment. The new government is committed to a broader and deeper reform process aimed at durably improving growth and employment prospects, achieving debt sustainability and financial stability, enhancing social fairness and mitigating the significant social cost of the ongoing crisis. The Greek authorities recognize that the procedures agreed by the previous governments were interrupted by the recent presidential and general elections, and as a result, several of the technical arrangements have been invalidated. The Greek authorities honor Greece’s financial obligations to all its creditors as well as state our intention to cooperate with our partners in order to avert technical impediments in the context of the Master Facility Agreement that we recognize as binding vis-a-vis its financial and procedural content. In this context, the Greek authorities are now applying for the extension of the Master Financial Assistance Facility Agreement for a period of six months from its termination, during which period we shall jointly proceed, and making best use of given flexibility in the current arrangement, toward its successful conclusion and review on the basis of the proposals of, on one hand, the Greek government and, on the other, the institutions. The purpose of the requested six-month extension of the Agreement’s duration is: (a) To agree the mutually acceptable financial and administrative terms, the implementation of which, in collaboration with the institutions, will stabilize Greece’s fiscal position, attain appropriate primary fiscal surpluses, guarantee debt stability and assist in the attainment of fiscal targets for 2015 that take into account the present economic situation. (b) To ensure, working closely with our European and international partners, that any new measures be fully funded while refraining from unilateral action that would undermine fiscal targets, economic recovery and financial stability. (c) To allow the European Central Bank to re-introduce the waiver in accordance with its procedures and regulations. (d) To extend the availability of the EFSF bonds held by the HFSF for the duration of the Agreement. (e) To commence work between the technical teams on a possible new Contract for Recovery and Growth that the Greek authorities envisage between Greece, Europe and the International Monetary Fund, which could follow the current Agreement. (f) To agree on supervision under the EU and ECB framework and, in the same spirit, with the International Monetary Fund for the duration of the extended Agreement. (g) To discuss means of enacting the November 2012 Eurogroup decision regarding possible further debt measures and assistance for implementation after the completion of the extended Agreement and as part of the follow-up Contract. With the above in mind, the Greek government expresses its determination to closely cooperate with the European Union’s institutions and the International Monetary Fund in order: (a) to attain fiscal and financial stability and (b) to enable the Greek government to introduce the substantive, far-reaching reforms that are needed to restore the living standards of millions of Greek citizens through sustainable economic growth, gainful employment and social cohesion. Sincerely, Yanis Varoufakis Minister of Finance Hellenic Republic

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Athens Stock Exchange on the Rise Despite German ‘No’

Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) closed with a 1.06% increase, despite the German negative response to the Greek request for a six-month extension of the loan agreement. The General Price Index closed at 856.50 points, recording a 1.06% increase. Intraday, the General Price Index moved in a wide range, variating 48 units. The higher price it recorded reached 883.87 points (+ 4.29%) while the lowest was 835.48 points (-1.42%). The total value of transactions stood at a high level and amounted to 267.22 million euros, the Blue Chip Index rose at a rate of 1.33%, while the Midcap Index was strengthened by 1.87%. In total, 85 stocks recorded an increase, 34 fell and 32 remained stable. The highest increase rate was recorded by the stocks of Pairis (+30%), Mathios (+29.96%) and Chaidemenos (+27.79%). On the opposite, the highest decrease rate was recorded by the stocks of Medicon (-20%), AEGEK (-18.92%) and SELONTA (-18.28%).

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Germany rejects Greece 'take-it or leave-it' debt offer

Germany rejected a request by Athens Thursday for a six-month extension to its EU loan program, denting hopes that Europe and Greece can find a quick solution to a bitter debt row.

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Former French President d’Estaing: The Solution for Greece Would Be a Friendly Exit

Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing expressed the opinion that a viable solution for Greece would be the country’s exit from the Eurozone in order to devalue its new national currency and increase its economic competitiveness, although he firmly ruled out a Greek exit from the European Union. In an interview with French newspaper “Les Echos,” d’Estaing highlighted that “the fundamental question is whether or not the Greek economy can recover and prosper with a currency as strong as the euro. The answer is clearly negative,” adding that “Greece needs to be able to devalue its currency.” As he explained, such an agreement could be achieved “on good terms” and would leave the possibility open for a future return to the single currency. The Former French President characterized Greece’s adoption of the euro in 2001 as a “mistake,” explaining that he opposed it in the first place: “I was against it at the time. The Germans too. They only accepted it because others, France in particular, insisted on it.” d’Estaing was the President of the French Republic between 1974 and 1981, and was among the strongest supporters of the European Union’s enlargement in 1981 when Greece became one of the Union’s member-states. As he explained, a Grexit would not necessarily entail the country’s departure from the European Union, bringing up the example of countries that have chosen not to adopt the single currency, even though they are members of the Union. “It would be absurd to say this is a failure of Europe. Greece still has its place in the European Union. By leaving the euro, it would only be joining the countries like the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Czech Republic etc. that never adopted the single currency. More importantly, this exit would allow Greece to return at a later date,” he underlined. According to d’Estaing, this orderly exit can take place peacefully, in everyone’s best interest. “It is what I would call a ‘friendly exit’,” he stressed. Regarding the newly elected Greek government‘s policy, the French statesman said they “rely on a devaluation of the currency. Quite simply because the program it was elected on is impossible to execute with a strong currency. Greek production cannot regain its competitiveness with the euro at its current strength. As a result, it cannot implement its economic program, including raising the minimum wage and increasing social benefits.”

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Migrants Released from Criticized Greek Detention Center

It was decided on Wednesday, February 18, that Greek authorities gradually start releasing migrants from Amygdaleza detention center, northwest of Athens. The mass release will start next Tuesday, just days after the center was criticized by Doctors Without Borders for the horrid living conditions. According to Deputy Citizen Protection Minister Giannis Panousis’ announcement, migrants who have been in the detention center for more than six months will be released first, under the condition that they are able to provide a permanent address of residence and report to their local police station bimonthly. It was estimated that out of 1,000 migrants who are currently detained in Amygdaleza, 500 have been there for more than six months. Furthermore, another 400 people will be released in groups of 30 per day. The remaining one hundred are facing criminal charges and they are expected to remain in the detention center until their deportation. As for the 60 minors in the facility, Greek authorities have taken necessary measures in order to transfer them to more appropriate facilities. According to Doctors Without Borders, the detention center lacked in several areas. Migrants received little to no information regarding their detention status, while living conditions resembled a concentration camp. The report also noted that the food was not sufficient for all detainees or permanent medical staff, while many migrants remained in the detention center for more than 18 months, which is the maximum detention period.

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15th International Wine Competition in Thessaloniki

More than 600 wines and spirits from Greece and across the globe will compete to win in the 15th Thessaloniki International Wine Competition that will be held in the city as part of Detrop and Oenos exhibition from February 24 to 26. The competition is organized by the Wine Producers Association of Northern Greece and HELEXPO-TIF, and for the first time, the 1st International Spirits Competition will also take place in parallel. The main objective is to present the variety of international quality wine and spirits production to professionals and the general public, and acquaint foreign wine professionals with the exciting developments in Greek wine production. During the three-day event, 20 foreign and 15 Greek oenologists, sommeliers and journalists specialized in the field of oenology will judge the competing wines. The official announcement regarding the winners as well as the awarding of diplomas and medals will take place on Saturday, February 28, during a special ceremony at “I. Vellidis” Convention Center. The competition abides by the wine competitions conduct rules as stated by the International Vine and Wine Organisation (Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin, OIV), and it has received the necessary license from the Ministry of Rural Development and Food. The competition takes place under the auspices of the Thessaloniki Municipality, as well as industry bodies and organizations.

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Greece Ranks 91st in World Press Freedom Index

Greece ranked 91st in the annual Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index 2015, which is a step up compared to last year when the country was ranked in 99th place. The World Press Freedom Index ranks the performance of 180 countries according to a range of criteria that include media pluralism and independence, respect for the safety and freedom of journalists, and the legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which media operate. According to the report, between 2009 and 2014, Greece fell 56 places on the list, receiving the second lowest ranking in the European Union, while Bulgaria is last in 106th place. The reasons behind Greece’s low ranking are “Police violence against journalists during protests has above all been to blame. Several trials and investigations into cases of violence against journalists, including Manolis Kypraios and Marios Lolos, ended in 2014 without any police officers being held to account, reinforcing the prevailing impunity. The climate of violence has also been boosted by attacks on journalists by Golden Dawn members, without any appropriate measures being taken by the government to protect media personnel. At the same time, the economic crisis has had a grave impact on pluralism in both state and privately owned media,” according to Reporters Without Borders. The top 10 countries are Finland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand, Austria, Canada, Jamaica and Estonia. Cyprus was ranked in 24th place, while the occupied area of Cyprus (presented as “Northern Cyprus”) was place 76th. Turkey was placed very low (149th place) and FYROM (presented as “Macedonia”) was placed 117th. Syria, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea were placed last on the Index.

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Health Clinic in Northern Greece Treats the Poor

Social health clinic “Hygeia” in Thessaloniki provides relief to around 350 poor and uninsured Greek citizens. The clinic is even visited by parents who are unable to pay for a pediatrician and regular check-ups required for infants. The clinic belongs to the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Neapolis and Stavroupolis, and has been operational since 2013. The staff consists of volunteer doctors. According to the clinic’s communication officer, Maria Charalambidou, 50 to 60 children are brought to the clinic every week. “We are facing a great problem. Children are not only coming in if they are sick, but also for their regular vaccination,” she said. Furthermore, Greek NGO “MissionAnthopos” also performs vaccinations every two months. Explaining the clinic’s operational plan, Charalambidou noted: “We provide medicine to our patients. We have created a pharmacy, where 6,100 drugs are available. We are also supported by a large private diagnostic center that offers us free tests.” Furthermore, as of March 2015, the scientific team will offer free tests for Alzheimer’s disease and psychological support to people suffering from depression or other illnesses.

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Elafonissi, Crete, Among Top 10 Beaches in the World

“The sea was calm and beautiful. The colors are intense—light blue water, pink sand. Paradise,” wrote a TripAdvisor reader about the beach of Elafonissi in Crete, Greece. The beach was voted the 10th most beautiful beach in the world by TripAdvisor readers, 3rd in all of Europe and first in the country. Elafonissi beach, located on the southwest of Crete has enchanted tourists from across the globe. It is a small island, just 200 meters off the coast of Crete, which is accessible through the lagoon that connects it to the mainland. Visitors can walk the small distance safely and carry along their personal items without worrying about getting them wet since the waters are very shallow. The sand on Elafonissi is white, but in many places it takes on a pink color due to the thousands of broken seashells it contains. The crystal clear, blue-green sea is reminiscent of an exotic paradise and that is the reason why it was voted as one the most beautiful beaches in the world. TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Beaches in Europe list also includes several Greek beaches such as Eggremni beach in Lefkada (9th place), Balos beach and lagoon in Crete (12th place) and St. Paul’s Bay in Lindos.

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The World's Top 'Financial Firefighter' on How to Douse the Greek Debt Crisis

Described as “the world's pre-eminent financial firefighter,” Rhodes looks at the slow motion disaster unfolding in Europe, with Greek Prime Minister ...

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What the Greek Crisis Means for Your Money

Global markets seem safe enough for now, but a so-called “Grexit” could have unpredictable effects. + READ ARTICLE. Greece Prime Minister Alexis ...

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT time.com