Tsipras cites contradiction in EU criticism of govt’s ‘humanitarian crisis’ bill

He said EU leaders, such as EP President Martin Schulz, accept that such a crisis exists in Greece

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Pete Medway obituary

My father, Pete Medway, who has died aged 73, was a highly regarded English teacher, lecturer and academic. The recent publication he co-wrote, English Teachers in a Postwar Democracy (2014), marked the end of an influential career and a generous life.Born in Bradford to a customs officer, Robert, and a pharmacist, Margaret (nee Hancock), Pete attended Bradford grammar school, where he made original contributions to the school magazine, and, in Greek, played the lead in an Aristophanes play. At Christ Church, Oxford, he studied classics before switching to English, then in 1963 trained as a teacher at the Institute of Education in London, under the progressive influence of Harold Rosen. Continue reading...

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German couple pay Greece £630 'war reparations'

Tourists enter town hall to hand over cheque saying they want to make up for their government’s attitudeA German couple visiting Greece walked into a town hall and handed over €875 (£630) in what they said were second world war reparations.Dimitris Kotsouros, the mayor of Nafplio, a seaport in the Peloponnese, said: “They came to my office yesterday morning, saying they wanted to make up for their government’s attitude. They made their calculations and said each German owed €875 for what Greece had to pay during world war two.” Continue reading...

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Tsipras Uses Emotion To Distract From Reality

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is proving to be a great master of the art of distraction, using vocabulary and spin to disguise what's really happening.

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Rev. Adam Metropoulos Found Guilty on 4 Counts Of Child Sexual Abuse

BANGOR, ME – Rev. Adam Metropoulos, former presiding priest of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Bangor, ME was found guilty on four counts of sexual abuse of a minor. Metropoulos, 52, denied that he had sexually assaulted an altar boy in 2006 and 2007 when the boy was under aged. The Bangor Daily News […]

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Germany Holds Greece To Terms

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said March 19 that Greece has no choice but to carry out economic reforms if it wants to receive more financial aid.

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Schulz’s tweet on Greek unemployment – PHOTO

European Parliament President Martin Schulz posted on his official Twitter account about Greek unemployment shortly before EU summit. "We must urgently address dramatic youth unemployemnt in #Greece Young people pay with life chances for a crisis they have not caused ...

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ECB raises emergency funding cap for Greek banks by 400 million euros

The European Central Bank has raised the cap on emergency liquidity assistance (ELA) that Greek banks can draw from the country's central bank by 400 million euros, a banking source told Reuters on Wednesday. The ...

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ECB rejected SSM proposal to cap Greek banks' holdings of T-Bills

The European Central Bank rejected a proposal by its supervisory arm to prohibit Greek banks from increasing their holdings of short-term government debt, amid concern that such a move would endanger political negotiations. The Single ...

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WRAPUP 4-EU to tell Greece time, patience running out

BRUSSELS/BERLIN, March 19 (Reuters) - Euro zone leaders will tell Greece on Thursday that time and patience are running out for its leftist-led government to implement agreed reforms to avert a looming cash crunch that could force it out of the single ...

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Syriza has a 20% lead in new opinion poll

More than 40% (40.2%) of Greeks would have opted for Syriza in case of elections in Greece, while 21% would have voted New Democracy, according to a survey conducted by Marc polling agency for private TV station Alpha. Nearly ...

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Greek Parliament Adopts Anti-Austerity Bill Despite EU's Opposition

The Greek Parliament adopted on Wednesday a “humanitarian crisis” bill to help its poorest people despite the opposition expressed by the European Union. This development came before the participation of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the summit of EU leaders on Thursday, at which he is to seek more financial help, EurActiv reports. The package of social measures, which was proposed by the main ruling party SYRIZA, gathered broad political support as some MPs of the conservative New Democracy also voted in favour. The bill arranged for free electricity and food stamps to be provided to the poorest households, which were one of the key electoral promises made by Tsipras. The legislation also calls for providing up to 30 000 households with housing allowance and 300 000 people with food subsidies. Help is also foreseen for people, who have lost their jobs in the recent months and no longer have social security coverage. Greece, which is in a dire need of cash, is waiting on further financial assistance from its international creditors, but before that the EU has to approve the proposed reforms. Tsipras is to meet later on Thursday with the leaders of Germany and France and top EU officials in an attempt of relaxing the terms of the Greek bailout.

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Time and patience running out for Greece as EU summit gets underway

BRUSSELS/BERLIN — Eurozone leaders will tell Greece on Thursday that time and patience are running out for its leftist-led government to implement agreed reforms to avert a looming cash crunch that could force it out of the single currency. Greece has ...

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Varoufakis: 'Ministry didn't have a copy of Greece's loan agreement'

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis revealed on Thursday that when he took office he couldn’t find a copy of the bailout agreements Greece had signed with its lenders as the ministry’s files were empty and that he ...

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Greek parliament majority approves bill to tackle poverty

Greek parliament approved by a majority the much-discussed bill to tackle poverty early on Thursday, following a heated two-day debate. The European Union has voiced strong concerns about the bill and a second one on settling arrears towards the ...

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Ex-finance minister's trial ends, verdict due on Tuesday

The special court hearing the trial of former Finance Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou is on Tuesday due to deliver its verdict on whether the ex-PASOK politician was responsible for doctoring the Lagarde list of Greeks with deposits in Switzerland.

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Tsipras: Europe must be bold, aim for growth

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, arriving for the European Council meeting in Brussels, made the following statement to reporters: "The European Union needs bold political initiatives that respect both democracy and the Treaties, so that to leave ...

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Dijsselbloem: 'Small progress' being made

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the Eurogroup, the committee of the eurozone finance ministers, said Thursday that little progress has been made in talks between Greece and its EU partners. "I think we'll just take stock of the progress being made, which ...

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Varoufakis says predecessor took IMF loan agreement home

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis on Thursday told Parliament that his predecessor, Gikas Hardouvelis, had taken a document regarding the country's loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund home with him after leaving the ministry.

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Four Italians receive organs of Greek student

Four Italian women have benefited from the organs of a 17-year-old Greek student who died

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Smaller eurozone state Belgium slams exclusive Greece meeting

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel (photo) condemned a plan to discuss Greece's debts to the eurozone with the leaders of France and Germany on Thursday without including Belgium and other smaller members of the bloc.

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Merkel looks forward to tough talks with Tsipras in Berlin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is looking forward to talking to - and possibly arguing with - Greece's Alexis Tsipras when he pays his first visit to Berlin as prime minister next Monday, she told the German parliament shortly ...

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Victimhood culture spawns Greek anti-Semitism, study finds

A large number of Greeks have limited awareness of the Holocaust, or even hold anti-Semitic views, according to a new survey

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Berlin may offer compromise to Greek reparation claims

Germany’s Minister for European Affairs said Thursday Berlin may increase its contribution to a German-Greek fund, potentially paving the way

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Deputy PM admits cash situation is getting difficult

Greece has both major and pressing liquidity problems that will only be exacerbated unless there is a swift agreement with the country’s creditors, Deputy Prime Minister Yiannis Dragasakis admitted.

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Greece's neighborhood police to start patrols

The Citizens’ Protection Ministry said on Thursday that “neighborhood policemen” would be on the beat in Athens and Thessaloniki from Monday.

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ECB Raises Greek Banks Maximum Emergency Funding by 400M

The European Central Bank (ECB) decided on Wednesday to increase the maximum Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA) that Greek banks can get from the Bank of Greece by 400 million euros, according to sources. This brings the total funding of Greek banks through ELA to 69.8 billion euros, from 69.4 billion euros. The review of the ceiling will take place next week. According to the monthly accounting statement for February released by the Bank of Greece a few days ago, the borrowing of Greek banks through ELA came to 65.6 billion euros by the end of February. After today’s (Wednesday) ceiling rise the banks will have access to an additional ELA funding of over 3 billion euros. (Source ANA-MPA)

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Merkel: No Quick Solution for Greece, Europe Fails if Euro Fails

Greece has a long path to tread, because there is no quick solution to the debt problem, but everything can be achieved if there is unity in Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. Speaking to the German Parliament ahead of this evening’s European Union summit, Merkel said that there is no reason to despair over Greece because the solution to the country’s bailout will take time. The German chancellor and other top European officials will have a sidelines meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Brussels to discuss the Greek issue. “It is absolutely clear that nobody can expect a solution to be found this evening in Brussels or on Monday evening,” she said, referring to the upcoming scheduled meeting with the Greek prime minister in Berlin. “If we look at what we have achieved on the road to the European Union, I don’t see any reason to give up, or despair,” the German chancellor said. Relations between Greece and Germany have been very tense in the past two weeks as respective finance ministers have exchanged harsh words during the bailout negotiations. In addition, the Greek side has raised the sensitive World War II reparations issue demanding compensation from Berlin. Germany holds a tough stance on the bailout issue, insisting that Greece stands by its commitments to its international creditors. The Greek government is stalling negotiations asking for clarification on some issues included in the four-month bailout extension agreement and requesting funds to be released from the European Central Bank. “I conduct all talks, both today and on Monday and many others, on the understanding that unity can emerge from differences in opinion,” Merkel said to the Bundestag. Germany is prepared to play its part in achieving this, she added. The German chancellor insisted on the importance of Greece staying in the euro zone. She said that the euro is much more than a currency unit and that along with the European institutions, it is the expression of the will of the people of Europe to unite in peace. Europe fails if the euro fails, Merkel said.

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Legal Experts: Greece Has Grounds for WWII Reparations

A growing number of legal experts are supporting Greece’s demands over the German war reparations from the country’s brutal Nazi occupation during World War II. Despite the official German refusal to address the issue, legal experts say now Athens has ground for the case. The hot issue is expected to be brought up by Greece’s newly elected Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during his official visit to Berlin on Monday, where he is scheduled to hold a meeting with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The tension between the two countries have recently rose to unexpected levels and a series of events with the Finance Ministers of Greece and Germany, Yanis Varoufakis and Wolfgang Schaeuble respectively, and the war reparations issue — mainly by the Greek side — has significantly affected the already negative climate. The Greek leftist-led coalition government has repeatedly raised the issue causing Germany’s firm reaction as expressed by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who recently warned Athens to forget the war reparations, underlining that the issue has been settled decades ago. Central to Germany’s argument is that 115 million deutschemarks have been paid to Greece in the 1960s, while similar deals were made with other European countries that suffered a Nazi occupation. At the same time, though, lawyers from Germany and other countries have said the issue is not wrapped up, as Germany never agreed a universal deal to clear up reparations after its unconditional surrender. The German answer on that is that in 1990, before its reunification, the “Two plus Four Treaty” agreement was signed with the United Kingdom, the United States, the former Soviet Union and France, which renounced all future claims. According to Berlin, this agreement settles the issue for other states too. “The German government’s argument is thin and contestable. It is not permissible to agree to a treaty at the expense of a third party, in this case Greece,” international law specialist Andreas Fischer-Lescano said, as cited by the Reuters. Mr. Lescano’s opinion finds several other experts in agreement. One of them, the Greek lawyer Anestis Nessou, who works in Germany highlighted that “there is a lot of room for interpretation. Greece was not asked, so the claims have not gone away.” Parallel to the above, another separate and still open issue regards the forced occupation loan taken from the Bank of Greece (BoG) in 1942, in order to fund the Nazis military campaign in northern Africa. The official German position is yet again the same: This is already covered. “The view of the German government is embarrassing. The Nazi regime even calculated how high the repayments should be on the loan,” historian Hagen Fleischer told Germany’s ARD television. What the experts say is that Greece could take the forced Nazi occupation loan to an international court, while increasing voice in support of the Greek demands are also heard in the Bundestag, the country’s federal Parliament. “It is about recognizing the fact that we committed a serious injustice in Greece,” the chairwoman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) Values Committee, Gesine Schwan, told Der Spiegel last week.

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Greece in Need of 6.55 Billion Euros by June

Greece’s need to serve its public debt are detailed in a document issued by the Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA), which was submitted earlier this week to the Greek Parliament. According to the document, the country’s needs for March, April, May and June reach 6.55 billion euros, not taking into account the short-term debt which is refinanced. Specifically, Greece will need 2.2 billion euros for March, 0.82 billion euros for April, 1.03 billion euros for May and 2.5 billion euros for June. The figures were tabled to the Parliament after a question submitted by To Potami MP Kyrgiakos Charakidis. The newly elected MP asked to be informed on how the state’s financial needs will be met, both on an internal and an external level. °Our country this year is in consultation with the European institutions on the issue of financing,° the letter, signed by the Director General of PDMA Stelios Papadopoulos, concluded. It should be noted that yesterday, the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, while addressing a joint press conference after a meeting with the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, declared himself worried about Greece’s progress. °I remain worried about Greece. I am not satisfied with the progress that we could have achieved in the past few days and I want all parties to get their wits together.” Finally, he urged all parties involved in the negotiations to find a solution as soon as possible.

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Municipality of Athens Launches New Social Support Program Backed By Norway

The Mayor of Athens Giorgos Kaminis, the Norwegian Ambassador in the Greek capital Sjur Larsen and the President of the NGO (nongovernmental organization) “Solidarity Now,” Stelios Zavvos inaugurated yesterday a new program aiming to support Athenians in need due to the economic crisis. According to the agreement, the so-called “Solidarity and Social Reintegration” program includes a food program benefiting some 3,600 households, as well as a space provided by Athens’ City Hall and managed by the NGO where it will provide, among other services, social, medical and legal aid. “The aim is the immediate relief of those in need by providing food, medical care, social services, legal support, help finding employment, and support for single-parent families, children and other vulnerable groups,” the Norwegian Ambassador highlighted. His country has donated 95.8% of a total of the 4.3 million euros needed for the program’s support, while the rest of the funding comes from also crisis-hit Ireland and Lichtenstein.

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International Animation Festival in Athens

The 10th annual Athens International Animation Festival (ANIMFEST) has been scheduled to take place between March 26 and April 1, 2015, in the Greek capital. Since 2006, the seven-day festival has entertained and educated people interested in animation films. The festival includes the screening of major and independent animation films from around the world, created with a variety of different techniques. ANIMFEST aims to bring younger people closer to the art of animation in the big and small screen by sharing the creator’s fascination and secrets. Furthermore, the festival’s program includes a variety of short and feature animations, by animators from across the world who can compete in the festival’s competition or just wish to screen their movies in the parallel special events. The festival gives special emphasis to European animation films, regardless of techniques, style and aesthetic trends thus demonstrating the common cultural heritage. Last year, the competition included 96 short animation movies, 96 student movies, 14 Greek movies and 4 educational movies. This year the festival will also include several tributes. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of “Duce Narrates,” for the first Greek short animation by Stamatis Polenakis, Greek director-researcher Angelos Rouvas will give a speech on the history of Greek animation. Finally, the organizers are planning on paying tribute to Greek and international animation director, scriptwriter and producer Panagiotis Rappas. For more information visit the official website.

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So, did anyone #Varoufake the 'Stinkefinger'?

A satirical TV host seems to have doubly duped German media. On Sunday, public television aired an allegedly doctored image of Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis giving Germans the "Stinkefinger."

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National Bank of Greece (NBG) Stock Lower Today as Greek Markets Decline

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of National Bank of Greece (NBG - Get Report) are down 5.37% to $1.14 in morning trading today as Greek markets ...

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EU summit begins in acrimony with Greek PM told to implement reform

Greece’s Prime Minister arrived in Brussels today to try and convince his EU partners to unlock more emergency funding, but instead received a dressing-down from leaders unhappy with the increasingly combative rhetoric and lack of reform from Athens.

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Greek Foreign Minister Undertakes the Organization of Greek Diaspora Activities

Nikos Kotzias It was announced on Wednesday, March 18 that the Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Kotzias, would be in charge of supervising and ...

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No quick solution to Greek debt dispute, Merkel warns

Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned German parliamentarians not to expect a quick solution to Greece's dispute with international creditors over its debt. She was speaking to the Bundestag ahead of an EU summit.

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Greece looms over EU summit

As EU leaders gather in Brussels for their spring meeting, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is pleading for more money, but it's not clear where Europe and Greece are headed, says Christoph Hasselbach.

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Germany’s Merkel Set to Intervene in Greek Rift With Creditors

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is poised to intervene directly in a deepening rift between Greece and its international creditors, a sign of Berlin’s growing concern that the acrimony threatens the unity of the eurozone. Ms. Merkel and other key leaders ...

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Warnings Raised of a Greek Exit From the Euro

Concerns about a withdrawal from the euro currency union come as the war of words heats up between Greece and its creditors.

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Greece, Creditors Trade Blame on Snags

Technical talks between Greece and its creditors aren't going well, officials said, with each blaming the other for the snags in crucial negotiations.

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Eurozone Skeptical of Reaching Greek Accord

Eurozone leaders played down the chances of a solution to their standoff with the Greek government during a summit scheduled for Thursday evening.

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Europe gets tough with Greece ahead of crunch EU summit

Greece has demanded its debt negotiations be carried out at the highest level of European diplomacy after relations with the bloc's finance ministers ...

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Total Solar Eclipse, March 20/2015 – Partly visible in Greece :)

A superb astronomic phenomenon! A total solar eclipse will occur  on Friday, March 20th, on the same date a the March 2015 equinox. The moon will turn new  only 14 hours after reaching lunar perigee – moon’s closest point to Earth in its orbit – and its shadow will hide […]

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Olympiakos extends lead in Greek league to 6 points after 2-0 win over Asteras

by  Associated Press Olympiakos extends Greek lead after 2-0 win over Asteras Associated Press - 19 March 2015 15:18-04:00 ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Olympiakos extended its lead in the Greek league to six points over Panathinaikos after beating Asteras 2-0 on Thursday. Panathinaikos lost ground in the title race when it lost an appeal on Thursday against a three-point deduction for fan violence. For Olympiakos, Alejandro Dominguez beat goalkeeper Kostas Theodoropoulos in the 13th minute off a cross from Ibrahim Afellay. Theodoropoulos did well to keep the home side in check after that, until in the 83rd, when his parry of a powerful shot from Mathieu Dossevi allowed Kostas Fortounis to tap in. News Topics: Sports, Soccer, Men's soccer, Men's sports People, Places and Companies: Greece, Western Europe, Europe Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Greece debt: Confusion in Varoufakis middle finger row

The footage from 2013 shows him saying that Greece should announce that it is defaulting and "stick the finger to Germany", while he makes an ...

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ECB considers curb on Greek T-bill deals

Warning to refrain from loading up on short-term debt could be translated into action

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Puzzle over Varoufakis 'fake finger'

A German comedian sparks confusion after claiming he faked a video apparently showing Greece's finance minister giving the middle finger to Germany.

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Tsipras vs The Seven Lenders: Rift or Compromise?

A crucial meeting between Greek prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and the country’s main lenders is scheduled to take place today, Thursday, at 7 pm Brussels time. Tsipras will participate in a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker, ECB head Mario […]

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Deputy PM Dragasakis warns of “liquidity problem” if no solution found with Greece’s partners

“If no solution is found with the partners, we will have an imminent liquidity problem,” deputy Prime Minister Yiannis Dragasakis told private Alpha TV on Thursday. “Since last August we have not received any bailout tranche, and so far both the previous government and we have paid our obligations to […]

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