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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Sidelining Varoufakis Won't Solve Greece's Real Problem

Negotiations about Greece's debt may proceed more smoothly without the country's prickly finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, but his arguments about ...


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Greek court to decide on cash transfer decree after appeal

The Council of State, Greece’s highest administrative court, will have to decide whether the legislative decree passed by the government on Friday is in line with the country’s constitution.


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Generic drug brands allowed in prescriptions

Doctors are now being allowed to recommend specific generic drugs when they issue prescriptions, in what the government says is a move designed to increase the use of this form of medicines in Greece.


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Greek gov't drafts multi-bill in hope of quick payment

The cabinet is expected to meet Thursday to discuss the details of a reform multi-bill the government is preparing in the hope that it will accelerate the conclusion of negotiations with lenders and the disbursement of further bailout funding.


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Changes in latitude, changes in attitude

After the debacle in Riga, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis will have to do without his chief negotiator. But Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras may face resistance from the left wing of his party on any debt deal.


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For Mom, the Yia Yia (Grandmother) of All Pontians

  It's difficult to believe that a year has passed since we had services for my mother on April 28, 2014. After the funeral, I went back to her house and I took clippings from her fig bush, put them in three pots, and brought them to my country house. They are thriving, as if not to disappoint her. Each clipping has multiple figs and lush green leaves. Like my mother, moving from one sphere to another didn't faze them... in fact, it seems they have become even more hardy and productive. Perhaps her breath is on them, helping them grow. Now that worldly things no longer hinder her, she can move through time and space at will. For the last five years of her life, I spent a week a month caring for my mother in her home. On warm days in spring, summer, and fall, we'd sometimes sit on her swing in the back yard and sing the songs she sang when I was a child. They are etched in my memory, even though many decades have passed since then. The sound of her sweet voice was such a comfort, assuring us the world would go on forever and she would be there baking her pies and cakes, her special rolls, her Sunday roasts, and Baklava as only she could make it. Now, I find myself singing certain lines from those old songs to myself. They sometimes just pop into my mind, such as: "What'll I do, when you are far away and I am blue, what'll I do?" Or: "You went away and my heart went with you. I say your name in my every prayer..." She has given all of us the great gift of memory in her memoir, Not Even My Name. She has given us our shared history. And tragic as her life was for a while, she made the best of what was left of it. Her mother, whom she so dearly loved, must be so proud of her. My mother refused to hate. She refused to surrender to depression and anger. When asked how she could go through so much pain and loss and still not hate, she said: "Why should I waste my life hating when there is still so much beauty in the world?" Perhaps that's why she lived in this realm for almost 105 years. As a child I promised her she would live forever. We must celebrate her life, not her passing, because she will never leave us. She lives on through her story and will live on through all the generations. I see her all around me in the nature that she loved--in the new daffodils pushing through the earth; the just budding branches; the spring rain. She is in the wind. She is in every blade of grass. She is in our hearts. For Mom May 10 1909-April 28, 2014 When I die, don't weep for me as if I am gone. Whisper my name to someone beside you. Whisper it loud, so my name will be carried on the air to all corners of the earth. Tell my story to your young so they remember me. Speak of me to your neighbor so our people will live alongside me. Don't say I am gone when I die. Say I live forever in your memory-- the memory of those who know me and the memory of those who will know me through my story--our story. Don't speak of me as if I am dead. Speak of me as if I stand beside you. I will be there. On your lips I will never die. Speak my name often to resurrect those who have perished at the hands of the murderers of innocence. I am their representative. My story is their story. To stop the enemy of our people from winning speak of me and our people often. We live on through you. You are my breath--our breath. You are my voice--our voice. You alone keep memory alive. Silence is the final stage of genocide. Speak of me often. Brief history: Although my mother came from a place in the world that was too small to be depicted on a map, as the subject of the memoir, Not Even My Name, she became known to Pontic Greeks world-wide, as the Yia Yia (Grandmother) of all Pontians. To her family and friends she was a warm, sensitive, often humorous, and caring mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. The only known survivor of her family of 15, including parents, grandparents, siblings, and aunts and uncles, my mother's extraordinary memory brought to life the details of how the Pontic Greeks lived in mountain villages of the Black Sea region of Turkey in the early 20th Century, how the Assyrians lived in small hamlets in southern Turkey, and how the Armenians lived in Diyarbakir. Her memory also allows us to see and feel her community's devastating death march to exile in 1920. To help her survive, her mother left 10-year-old Themia in a small hamlet in southern Turkey, with a woman who promised to care for her. After her mother's death, young Themia was treated as a slave. With the loss of her family, community, and finally her name, changed to Sano by her cruel keeper, Sano ran away to Diyarbakir at age 12. There an Armenian family took her in. When they fled to Aleppo, Syria to avoid further massacres, they took young Sano with them as their daughter. Sano's future husband, Abraham, an Assyrian who had also fled Turkey and emigrated to the U.S. in 1905, traveled to Aleppo in 1925 to visit exiled cousins and to find a bride. To give Sano a chance at a free life in America, at just 15 years old, her Armenian family arranged Sano's marriage to 45-year-old Abraham. On their arrival in New York City, Sano became mother to Farage, Abraham's 10-year-old son from a previous marriage. Sano and Abraham raised 10 children of their own. I am the eighth. My mother had once opined, "If I could only write, I'd tell the world what happened." Although I had made my career as a painter, after our trip to Turkey, I decided to be my mother's voice. Not Even My Name was published by Picador, an imprint of St. Martin's Press, in 2000. In 2002, Sano Themia Halo was given the New York Governor's Award for Excellence in Honor of Women's History Month, Honoring Women of Courage and Vision, for making known to the American public for the first time, the history and tragic fate of the Pontic Greeks, a people who had made Asia Minor their home for almost 3,000 years, until their massacre, death marches to exile, and finally the Exchange of Populations in 1923 pursuant to the Treaty of Lausanne. Sano is also featured in a number of documentaries, and has received numerous other honors and awards in the U.S., Canada, and in Greece. In 2002 I established The Sano Themia Halo Pontian Heritage Foundation with the intention of building a living museum in Greece to help future generations know how the Pontic Greeks lived in the Pontic Mountains along the Black Sea. So far our plans have been hindered, but I am still hopeful it will be built. Although a resident of New York City since her arrival in 1925, neither I nor my mother, nor most of the country, were aware that over 40,000 Pontic Greeks made their homes in Astoria, L.I., with further Pontian communities in Connecticut, Chicago, Ohio, Canada, and elsewhere. In 2009, for her 100th Birthday, Greece awarded my mother and me honorary Greek citizenship. "Now everyone will know I am Greek," my mother said, referring to a U.S. passport that depicted her place of origin as Turkey, without identifying her as a Greek. Although my mother's story of loss of family, home, country, and finally even her language and her name was so tragic, she never held any animosity towards the Turkish people. After returning from our 1989 pilgrimage back to Turkey to find her home she said of the Turks we met along the way, "Everyone treated me like family." She said they had lived side by side in peace. "They are people like any other people. They want to raise their families and prosper. You must place the blame where blame belongs, with the Ottoman government. Ataturk. He was the one. Not the only one. But he was the one." The Ottoman genocide of over three million of their Christian citizens: Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians under the Young Turk and Kemalist regimes from 1913-1923 took the lives of 353,000 of the 700,000 Pontic Greeks, and a further 700,000 Greeks of Anatolia and Thrace in Ottoman Turkey. It also took the lives of 275,000 Assyrians, more than half their population, and 1.5 million Armenians. In 2007, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) passed a Resolution affirming the Genocide of the Pontian and other Asia Minor Greeks and Assyrians as comparable to the Armenian Genocide. Since then the Parliaments of Sweden 2010, and The Netherlands 2015, have each affirmed the Genocide of these three historic Christian peoples in their own resolutions. When asked if she wanted restitution from the Turkish government for the loss of her family and her home, my mother responded that she wanted an apology from the Turkish government. "We had everything to live for and they sent us to die on the roads," she said. She never received that apology. In 1976 my mother moved from NYC to Monroe, NY. Above all, she was devoted to her family. She often said, "my family is my life." Sano Themia Halo is survived by seven of her ten children, plus her many grand- and great-grand children. She was buried with my father, Abraham, in a private family ceremony at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, NY. More info at: www.notevenmyname.com -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.


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Los Angeles City Council to revisit management of Greek Theatre, city may take over operation

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles City Council is expected to revisit the management of the Greek Theatre today, with Recreation and Parks officials ...


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Greece Remains 'Precarious,' Says Bundesbank's Weidmann

ESSEN, Germany--The situation in debt-ridden Greece remains precarious, the head of Germany's Bundesbank said Tuesday in a stinging rebuke to ...


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Central Market's Passport Greece starts Wednesday

Starting this week, the gourmet grocer is bringing back its popular Passport series, which this year will unlock the culinary wonders of Greece.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT food.blog.austin360.com

National Bank of Greece (ADR) (NBG): Here's What Reshuffling Bailout Team Will Do For Greece

National Bank of Greece (ADR) (NYSE:NBG) saw its stock surging yesterday by over 8%. Share price is up again today in pre-market trading by 1.50% ...


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Ex-Cop and Son of Former Greece Police Chief Arrested Again

GREECE, N.Y. -- Chad Rahn, a former Irondequoit cop and son of former Greece Police Chief Merritt Rahn, faces charges following an alleged ...


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Bomb squad clears car blocking Greek parade route, driver arrested

A man refused to move his car stopped along the Greek Independence Day Parade route in Copley Square on Sunday, which led to his arrest and a ...


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Hopes For Greek Deal Rise

Hopes for a deal on Greece's bailout rose after the Prime Minister said he expected an agreement could be reached within two weeks. The post Hopes For Greek Deal Rise appeared first on The National Herald.


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Boston’s Greeks Carry The Torch

The Greeks of New England and the National Herald have had a close relationship since the newspaper’s establishment a century ago. The post Boston’s Greeks Carry The Torch appeared first on The National Herald.


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Varoufakis Preparing Bill for Voluntary Declaration of Swiss Bank Deposits

The Greek government will table a new draft bill to Parliament that will allow Greek citizens to voluntarily reveal deposits held in Switzerland in exchange for a smaller tax payment, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Swiss State Secretary for International Financial Matters Jacques de Watteville, Varoufakis added that the two sides agreed to move forward with the new legislation that will allow Swiss authorities to issue a political declaration calling Swiss banks to ask their customers to reveal their deposits in Switzerland, taking advantage of favorable tax provisions. The initiative will benefit both countries, the Greek Finance Minister said, as the Swiss government would have to adapt with an automatic information exchange status, currently valid with third countries, after an imminent signing of a similar agreement with the European Union. The meeting was also attended by Minister of State for Combatting Corruption Panagiotis Nikoloudis. (source: ana-mpa)


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S&P: Bond Investors Positive Over Greek Agreement

Bond investors in Europe “are more confident than not” that an agreement will be reached between Greece and its creditors to avoid a default, Standard & Poor’s said in a report on the bond market. The report, published by Financial Times on Tuesday, noted that Greek bond yields fell last week, with the Greek state bond index falling by 3.3 percentage points to 18.72%, compared to the previous week, despite the fact that a Eurogroup meeting in Riga was inconclusive. The two-year bond yield fell to 21.9% on Tuesday, after soaring to 29.661% on April 21 on heightened fears of a deadlock in negotiations to secure more funding for Greece. S&P said that Spanish and Italian bond indexes also fell during the week, reflecting a weakening of concerns over a possible spillover of a Greek crisis. (source: ana-mpa)


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Greek PM Tsipras Repeats Optimism that Deal Will be Reached

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Tuesday he is optimistic that an agreement will be reached with Greece’s creditors, while repeating that he will resort to a referendum if this deal is too far beyond the limits of the mandate he received from the January 25 elections. Addressing a joint meeting of the ruling coalition Parliamentary group and Political Secretariat, Tsipras also highlighted that the deadlines in negotiations are now extremely pressing. According to sources, he noted that the negotiations are now at a crucial phase but he also appeared confident that an agreement will be reached but only be finally concluded, if this is possible, at the next round of negotiations in June. Doubts were expressed by members of SYRIZA’s Left Platform as to whether an agreement that includes harsh measures could be called an “honorable compromise” and they stressed that the option of a “rupture” in talks with creditors must be on the table. Members of the Political Secretariat noted the need for further discussion on the text of the agreement so that they can be fully briefed and the meeting was interrupted to be resumed next Thursday, after Tsipras returns from Nicosia and a trilateral summit with the leaders of Cyprus and Egypt. (source: ana-mpa)


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EU sees intensified work to keep Greece from going bankrupt

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union says that talks with creditors to keep Greece from going bankrupt "are being made more productive and ...


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Greek-inspired chicken saute fills pita sandwiches

Mix up the traditional Sunday roast chicken routine with a Greek-inspired chicken saute that includes tomatoes, olives, oregano, and feta. If you can ...


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Hopes for Greek deal rise as prime minister, EU see progress

BRUSSELS (AP) — Hopes for a deal on Greece's bailout rose on Tuesday after the prime minister said he expected an agreement could be reached within two weeks and the European Union reported a pick-up in the negotiations.


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Greek, Turkish Cypriot leaders to kick start peace talks

By Michele Kambas NICOSIA (Reuters) - Greek Cypriots unveiled measures on Tuesday to boost trust across the ethnically divided island, and announced that rival leaders would hold their first meeting in months on May 2. Peace talks between Cyprus's estranged Greek and Turkish communities stalled last October, and Saturday's meeting will be the first since moderate Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci swept to power in elections on April 26. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, who attends peace talks in his capacity as leader of Greek Cypriots, said on Tuesday he would offer 'unilateral confidence building measures' to Turkish Cypriots to boost negotiations. Confidence building measures included the handover of maps detailing the location of 28 mine fields the Greek Cypriot military laid before a 1974 war which now fall in Turkish Cypriot-controlled territory.


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Bundesbank head says euro state insolvency possible without system collapse

The head of Germany's Bundesbank criticised Greece's government on Tuesday for failing to implement reforms and said it was possible for a country within the currency union to become insolvent. "Member states must take responsibility for the consequences of their political decisions," Jens Weidmann, also a member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council, told an audience in Essen.


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Tsipras presses for May debt deal, threatens referendum

By Renee Maltezou and Deepa Babington ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Tuesday he was confident of an outline deal with international creditors within two weeks, after shaking up his negotiating team and sidelining his finance minister who has infuriated euro zone partners. Athens is weeks away from running out of cash, and talks with EU and IMF lenders on more aid have been deadlocked over their demands for Greece to implement reforms, including pension cuts and labour market liberalisation. Greek financial markets and the euro rallied on hopes that the relegation of Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, a Marxist academic prone to lecturing his euro zone peers, would improve prospects for an early deal to avoid a default that might lead to a Greek exit from the currency area. Yet around half of investors expect Greece to leave the euro zone within the next 12 months, a survey published by German research group Sentix showed on Tuesday.


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Eurogroup's Dijsselbloem says Greece will not make it without aid

By Toby Sterling and Thomas Escritt AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The head of the Eurogroup said on Tuesday that a recent shakeup of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' negotiating team would not by itself resolve the impasse between Greece and its creditors, and Athens would need new loans to stay afloat. "Without further loans, Greece won't make it, that's the reality," said Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the Dutchman who heads the group of finance ministers of countries that use the euro. Dijsselbloem said in a television interview it may be of some help that the Greeks have appointed a single contact person for negotiations, with Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis apparently sidelined.


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Take cash to Greece in case bank machines and credit cards stop working because of mounting debt crisis, tourists warned

Holidaymakers jetting off to Greece this summer have been warned to take emergency cash with them in case the country's ATMs are suddenly switched off amid a mounting debt crisis. The Greek tourist board and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have advised ...


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Is this the man to replace Yanis Varoufakis as Greece's new finance minister?

In what may well prove to be a short-lived life in office, Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has achieved the previously unthinkable: unity in the eurozone. In a heated and ill-tempered meeting in Riga last week, all 18 of Yanis Varoufakis's ...


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Renewed Greek optimism boosts stocks

Irish shares increased yesterday in line with the major European indices, with Greek stocks rallying amid suggestions the country might be willing to compromise. By the close in Dublin, the ISEQ Overall Index was up 0.93pc or 58.55 points to end the ...


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Greek Debt Situation Remains ‘Precarious,’ Bundesbank’s Weidmann Says

ESSEN, Germany—The situation in debt-ridden Greece remains precarious, the head of Germany’s Bundesbank said Tuesday in a stinging rebuke to the stance taken by the country’s government. In prepared remarks here, bank President Jens Weidmann gave a ...


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Greek finance minister denies being sidelined from debt talks

Yanis Varoufakis renews outspoken attack on eurozone partners despite being replaced as leader of bailout negotiating teamThe Greek finance minister has denied that he has been sidelined from talks with Greece’s creditors on Tuesday as he resumed outspoken attacks on the country’s eurozone partners. Related: Greece tries to ease tensions with lenders by reshuffling negotiating team Continue reading...


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The James Dean Movie That Explains the Greek Debt Negotiations

If you are the finance minister of a country, and word goes out that your role in crucial negotiations is being reduced, and your country’s cost to borrow plummets, it is not generally seen as an endorsement of your skills. It is the government ...


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Greek PM Tsipras presses for early May debt deal

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has expressed confidence a deal with international lenders will be reached by early May. But he warned anything not covered by the government's mandate would result in a referendum.


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Greek PM sees EU deal by next week

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says Greece is in the final stretch of talks with the EU and that he believes an interim deal will by in place by 9 May.


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Euclid Tsakalotos: from Oxford to Greece's lead bailout negotiator

The economist is likely to be methodical, detail-oriented and tenacious in his new role – the polar opposite of his maverick predecessor Yanis VaroufakisEuclid Tsakalotos, the Oxford University-educated economist elevated to the top post of bailout negotiations coordinator, is the polar opposite of the Greek finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis. Diffident and soft-spoken, the 55-year-old’s wow factor is limited to a wardrobe of colourful corduroys and a trademark yellow and black scarf.In person he is amiable, low-key and professorial, the embodiment of the academic he has been for the past 30 years. It is a world away from untrammelled narcissism, of which the maverick finance minister has been accused. Continue reading...


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Relic of St Barbara to travel from Italy to Greece

The relic of Saint Barbara, one of the most venerated saints in the Orthodox Church, is to be lent to the Church of Greece by the church in Venice where it is normally housed.


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Tax amnesty in Greece

Greek taxpayers with funds in other countries will be allowed to declare it without penalty and to pay a reduced rate if tax on it. The initiative is designed to lure money back to Greece which is struggling with a cash crunch threatening to turn the country bankrupt.


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Is this the man to replace Yanis Varoufakis as Greece's new finance minister?

In his place comes Euclid Tsakalotos, who will now be notionally fronting Greece's talks with the Brussels Group of lenders as Athens hurtles towards ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.telegraph.co.uk

British holidaymakers to Greece 'should take cash' amid fears of bank meltdown

BRITISH holidaymakers to Greece have been urged to take cash amid fears of the ... If it doesn't get the cash, Greece will be forced to default on a loan ...


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Greek chicken salad wraps: brown bag your lunch

These Greek chicken salad wraps will fill the order quite nicely. Stuffed full of creamy chicken, salty olives, and nutritious spinach, they will satisfy your ...


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Greek finance minister denies being sidelined from debt talks

The Greek finance minister has denied that he has been sidelined from talks with Greece's creditors on Tuesday as he resumed outspoken attacks on ...


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Outcry over Greek plan to borrow cash from universities

Tensions are also rising over a government reform bill that would reverse some of the changes brought in three years ago to make Greek research ...


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Olympiakos Owner Marinakis Charged with Match-Fixing and Other Offenses

Greek Super League champions Olympiakos Piraeus owner Evangelos Marinakis was charged by prosecutors with a series of alleged offenses including match-fixing. Marinakis, 47, a Greek shipping magnate, has owned Piraeus’ hometown team Olympiakos since mid-2010, while he also served as president of the Greek Super League and Vice President of the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) from August 2010 until September 2011. During his presidency, Olympiakos took the Greek League title for four consecutive periods and the National Cup twice. During this time, he has been implicated by prosecutors probing allegations of match-fixing in a sweeping anti-corruption inquiry into Greek football. Yesterday he became the highest-profile figure to be charged and must stand before judges to respond in June. On his behalf, Marinakis denies the charges. Olympiakos’ owner is among 16 people who are accused of involvement in a match-fixing scandal and was charged alongside three referees, three other EPO officials, two Central Refereeing Committee members and a fellow Super League club chairman. He is accused of being involved in a criminal organization, of incitement to extortion, of having incited an explosion endangering human life and of the instigation of bribery and corruption aimed at the successful manipulation of football matches offered in betting markets. Marinakis denies all four charges. If found guilty of being involved in a criminal organization, Marinakis could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The other chairman accused was Levadiakos president Giannis Kobotis, who presented his case on Monday. After hearing his testimony, prosecutors banned him and two others from all involvement in the football industry until after the case has been resolved. Reportedly, the two teams, Olympiakos and Levadiakos, have strong backroom ties.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Eurogroup President: Greece Will not Make it Without Aid

Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Tuesday that a recent reshuffle of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ negotiating team will not resolve the impasse between Greece and its creditors by itself, and Athens will need new loans to stay afloat. “Without further loans, Greece will not make it, that’s the reality,” Dijsselbloem was quoted as saying by Reuters in a television interview to RTL Nieuws. He said that there is very little money left and without help, Greece will not be able to exit the crisis. Dijsselbloem said that it is good news that the Greeks have appointed a single contact person for negotiations, although it does not resolve the problems between Greece and the Eurogroup. “It is not just about Finances, it’s also about Energy, Justice, Foreign Affairs…It is so large [the field] that we need a direct contact, under the responsibility of the Prime Minister [Alexis Tsipras],” he added. The Eurogroup President also noted that little progress has been made in negotiations over the past two months and sometimes there were even some backward steps. He signaled he did not think a Greek referendum on a deal with creditors would be a good idea. “It would cost money, it would create great political uncertainty and I don’t think we have the time,” Dijsselbloem said. “And I don’t think the Greeks have the time for it.” Commenting on the stance of the European Central Bank (ECB) toward Greece, the EU official said it should not have come as a surprise to the Greek government that the ECB has not relaxed limits on how much Greek government debt its banks may use as collateral. “The Greek government gambled that if it negotiated with us, the ECB would open its cashier windows, relax its rules,” Dijsselbloem said. But “there will be no easy access to the ECB’s windows until there is a solid agreement with the Eurogroup,” he told RTL Nieuws. “That has been made clear to them, over and over again.” (source: ana-mpa)


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Nationwide Blackout in Greek TV This Morning

Television screens across Greece went blank for several hours on Tuesday morning, as the country’s digital signal provider, Digea, was trying to repair a serious technical problem. At the time of the blackout, which started at around 9:30 am and lasted for about two hours, the only channels that kept broadcasting without a problem were state-owned NERIT and the Greek Parliament Channel. “Due to a serious technical fault in the reception and digitization of channels’ signals broadcasting nationwide, the digital signal has been temporarily interrupted. We are working toward a rapid solution to the problem,” the company explained in an announcement after the incident that caused the reaction of the country’s main TV networks, both regional and national. Digea is a digital network operator that provides a digital terrestrial television transmission network in Greece for seven nationwide private TV channels (Alpha TV, Alter, ANT1, Macedonia TV, Mega Channel, Skai TV and Star Channel) as well as a number of privately owned regional channels.


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Portuguese Deputy PM Portas: Greece Should Stay in the Euro and Follow the Rules

His belief that the European partners want Greece to remain part of the single currency while following Eurozone’s rules expressed Portuguese Deputy Prime Minister Paulo Portas. “Everybody wants Greece in the euro. Europe has rules and guidelines. It is up to them to present measures and reforms, as we all did,” Portas said in an interview to Bloomberg on Monday. Like Greece, crisis hammered Portugal as well and received a 78-billion-euro assistance package from the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 2011. Although, the country managed to exit its bailout program on May 2014 and its borrowing costs for 10-year debt have fallen to less than 2%. On the opposite, Greece, after cutting its deficit by more than two-thirds last year, has not yet achieved the desired economic growth and is currently amid a long-standing negotiation ahead of the end of its bailout program. “So this is not a lost case. They can fix the situation but they have to deliver solutions and reforms,» the Portuguese Deputy Prime Minister highlighted. Furthermore, as he explained, in case of a Grexit, Portugal is well positioned to avoid losing investors’ confidence as part of a contagion effect. Reducing the budget deficit, cutting corporate taxes and easing restrictions on labor and housing markets laid the groundwork for economic growth and increased foreign investment, he told Bloomberg. “There are a lot of people, not only from the United States, looking for land, looking for agroproduction, looking for information technology companies, looking for renewables, which is relevant in Portugal, looking for tourism assets and for banks,” Portas concluded.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Bundesbank head says euro state insolvency possible without system collapse

The head of Germany's Bundesbank criticised Greece's government on Tuesday for failing to implement reforms and said it was possible for a country within the currency union to become insolvent. "Member states must take responsibility for the consequences of their political decisions," Jens Weidmann, also a member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council, told an audience in Essen.


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ECB Dominates Greece Saga as Dijsselbloem Rejects Tsipras Charge

The Greek-rescue drama descended into verbal volleys as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's government awaited the latest critical liquidity review of the ...


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FTSE falls back after disappointing UK GDP and US confidence data

Investors remain cautious despite signs of hope for Greek debt negotiationsAfter hitting a new peak on Monday leading shares came back down to earth with a bump.A mixture of economic worries, mixed company results and geopolitical tensions pushed the FTSE 100 73.45 points lower to 7030.53, with European markets also under pressure. Chris Beauchamp, senior market analyst at IG, said:The problem for investors in all markets is that while they haven’t found reasons to sell stocks, they haven’t got firm arguments for buying them either, condemning us all to more of this whipsaw action. The announcement that the group has entered into a conditional agreement to buy the entire issued share capital of Mouchel clearly helps accelerate the chief executive’s Vision 2020 strategy. However, this is another big deal, following on from May Gurney (July 2013) and we wonder whether the business would be better focusing on its core, rather than risk spreading itself too thinly across a myriad of verticals? Whilst the deal is expected to be materially earnings enhancing, we have some reservations and therefore move from buy to hold. Continue reading...


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Greek Debt Situation Remains ‘Precarious,’ Bundesbank’s Weidmann Says

ESSEN, Germany—The situation in debt-ridden Greece remains precarious, the head of Germany’s Bundesbank said Tuesday in a stinging rebuke to the stance taken by the country’s government. In prepared remarks here, bank President Jens Weidmann gave a ...


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Here's What Donuts Look Like All Around The World

Photo Credit: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez via Getty Images Let's be honest: Is there anything better than biting into a warm, airy, fresh donut? Though it's tough to get most countries to agree on anything, the need for fried dough seems to be universal -- but how it's prepared is another story. Americans know it as the hole-punched, sometimes colorful and always delicious classic donut. Yet all across the world, there are dozens of different takes on how to best assemble a piece of fried dough, from jam-filled and sugary to braided and soaked in syrup. We've rounded up several examples for your viewing pleasure. One thing is for sure: people don't discriminate when it comes to donuts. Italy: Bomboloni Particularly popular in Florence, bomboloni most closely resemble donut holes that are filled with vanilla custard and dusted with powdered sugar. Unlike dense cake donuts, bomboloni are made with yeast, which keeps them lighter -- they've even been described as "little puffs of heaven," by Yelp user Sarah R. Germany: Berliner Wir sind gut vorbereitet: Junge #Berliner zu #Altweiber pic.twitter.com/iCPoTKR9N9— Reinhold Janowitz (@prahl_recke) February 12, 2015 If JFK called himself a Berliner, it's got to be good. A Berliner, which is also known as a bismarck, is made from sweet yeast dough that's fried, then stuffed with a marmalade or jam filling and finally topped with icing, powdered sugar or conventional sugar. Poland: PÄ…czki Traditional Polish #Paczki delivered to your door in time for #FatTuesday. http://t.co/xLFhJzMkiH pic.twitter.com/62W7X5AbTO— Cops & Doughnuts (@CopsDoughnuts) January 20, 2015 These Polish pastries are similar to a bismarck but are richer, with more butter and eggs. PÄ…czki translates to "little package" in Polish, because these treats are typically filled with jam, preserves or other sweet fillings, then covered in powdered sugar or icing. France: Beignet Any guesses where I am right now? pic.twitter.com/ns9ZJ2DY8o— Terry Noland (@tnoland1) April 9, 2015 Though New Orleans has reigned as the home of the beignet, the pastry originates in France. Beignets are fried, raised pieces of yeast dough known for their square shape and lack of filling or a hole. After being fried, they're sprinkled with sugar or coated with various icings. The Acadians brought the beignet to Louisiana, where they have perfected the art of the sweet treat. South Asia and Middle East: Jalebi BJP 16th may ke baad itne U-turn maar chuki hai ki unki jalebi Nahi imarti ban chuki hai. See pic.twitter.com/l7Oz00I2nd— मुकेश मित्तल (@hallagullaboy) October 17, 2014 These small, yellow, pretzel-shaped pastries most closely resemble funnel cake. They're soaked in saffron syrup to give them a crunchy exterior while preserving the juicy interior. These web-like treats are also known as zulbia in Persian communities. Mexico: Churros Churros! pic.twitter.com/hRGbPq0FPX— Misa (@misathekeeper) December 16, 2014 These deep-fried sticks of dough are sprinkled with sugar and often dipped in warm chocolate sauce. The churro originated from Spanish shepherds and who named them after the churra sheep, since the dough resembled their horns. Israel: Sufganiyah #Hanukkah #berliner #Doughnut #donuts #holiday #israel #igers A photo posted by Ofir Goren (@ofirgoren) on Dec 16, 2014 at 3:15pm PST Traditionally served for Hanukkah, sufganiyot are the Israeli version of jelly donuts. Similar to the German berliner, about 70 percent of sufganiyot are jelly-filled, but some contemporary spins include halva, crème espresso or chocolate truffle. China: Youtiao Also known at the Chinese cruller, the youtiao is essentially a deep-fried breadstick due to its shape and consistency. It is typically dunked in and eaten with soy milk, with a crispy outside and chewy inside. India: Balushahi Similar to a glazed donut in appearance and ingredients, the balushahi (also known as badusha) is a traditional Indian pastry. It is flaky, puffy, round, golden in color and soaked in a syrup to give it a moist, sugary center. The Netherlands and Belgium: Oliebol Mijn eerste oliebol dit (na)jaar. Ik heb 'm verdiend, na drie kwartier baantjes zwemmen in het Sportfondsenbad Oost. pic.twitter.com/Ng1ixsPttK— Peter de Jong (@venjonet) November 4, 2014 Oliebol means "oil spheres" in Dutch, and these fried spheres are about the size of a baseball. Usually eaten during the holidays, the Dutch add raisins and currants to their oliebol and it is considered a "celebration bread." Turkey and Greece: Tulumba and Lokma Tulumba pic.twitter.com/wah3Py5zWu— PASHA Bakery & Cafe (@PashaBakery) August 2, 2014 Tulumba are small, oval-shaped sweet pastries with ridges, made from golden and crispy deep-fried dough and then soaked in sweet fragrant syrup. Hafta sonununuz lokma tadında olsun Lokma imparatoru/Cunda Adası pic.twitter.com/XVQfLYSI7R— istkazanbenkepçe (@gurmeistanbul) January 23, 2015 Lokma are round, ping-pong sized dough balls that are bathed in thick honey or syrup then sprinkled with cinnamon once they're out of the oil. South Africa: Koeksister There are two distinct koeksister variants: the Cape Malay community prepares a spicy, cakey and often coconut-coated version, and Afrikaners generally make a sweeter, crunchy, sticky braided pastry that's dipped into a cold syrup after it's fried. Northern Africa: Sfenj Stemming from the Arabic word for sponge, stenj usually aren't as sweet as bomboloni or beignets -- there's no sugar added to the dough, so it tastes more like fried bread. The common street food can be dipped in sugar, honey, or simple syrup. Nepal: Sel roti Sel Roti is known as "sweet rice bread" and resembles a large, thin puffed-up donut. Its distinguishing features are the crispy texture and reddish brown color, and it's commonly served at festivals. South America: Buñuelos Buñuelos are bite-size dough balls that are rolled in flavored syrup, sprinkled in cinnamon sugar and served with warm honey. The desserts, which look like fritters, symbolize good luck. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.


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Hopes for Greek deal rise as talks make progress

A Greek woman speaks with Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis as he leaves from a meeting with Greek Prime Minister in Athens, on Tuesday, ...


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