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Fishermen, volunteers race to rescue as migrant boat sinks off Greek isle of Lesbos

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Despite Falling Temperates, Refugee Arrivals In Europe Keep Rising

_Every week, we bring you one overlooked aspect of the stories that made news in recent days. You noticed the media forgot all about another story's basic facts? Tweet @TheWorldPost or let us know on our Facebook page._  Each year, huge numbers of refugees and migrants attempt to make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean toward Europe. Although regional instability across the Middle East and North Africa in recent years has dramatically increased the total number of people arriving in Europe, the pattern throughout has generally stayed the same: Most people travel in the summer months and arrivals drop as winter conditions set in.  In 2014, for instance, the number of sea arrivals stayed more or less the same between August and September but dropped by nearly a third between September and October. The downward trend continued until February, when arrivals picked back up. This year, however, that hasn't been the case.  "At the moment, we’re not seeing any significant change in the number of arrivals that would indicate a lowering," United Nations Refugee Agency spokesman Adrian Edwards told The WorldPost. "In fact, in October we’ve seen more arrivals on the Mediterranean than any month ever before." More than 179,000 refugees and migrants have crossed into Europe by sea so far this month, according to U.N. data. That number is around 6,000 higher than September's total and over 150,000 higher than in October of last year.  During one Friday-to-Sunday period earlier in the month, more than 28,000 people made the journey, topping weekend highs of summer months, according to the International Organization for Migration. The worsening weather conditions make the already difficult journey even more treacherous. There have already been cases of hypothermia among refugees and increasingly choppy seas threaten to capsize more boats, as happened in a number of incidents this week. The worst weather months are still ahead, with temperatures likely to significantly drop around December. Organizations monitoring the migration say that there may be a sense of "now or never" among refugees and migrants, who are hoping to make the journey before conditions get even worse. “The winter hasn’t arrived in its full fury yet," said IOM spokesman Leonard Doyle. "People are just trying to get in under the wire, and in doing so they’re racing across and taking great risks." While refugees and migrants are arriving from a multitude of countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq and Eritrea, the ongoing civil war in Syria continues to produce the largest portion of refugees to Europe. A little over half of the arrivals are Syrians. The push to flee Syria has escalated since the beginning of Russia's incursion into the civil war late last month, as intensified fighting has displaced over 120,000 Syrians in October alone.  Bolstered by the Russian airstrikes, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad have launched multiple campaigns to take back areas in the provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Idlib. Turkey has seen a noted increase in refugee arrivals as a result of the resurgent fighting, said the country's prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. Syrian refugees in neighboring countries are also experiencing deteriorating living conditions and dwindling aid, causing many to risk the dangerous journey to Europe.  Families who have been outside the country and out of work for years have had their savings depleted, leaving them with increasingly desperate choices. The United Nations refugee agency has regional aid plans to help refugees, but many lack funding. The UNHCR's Syrian refugee regional response plan is only 45 percent funded, forcing the organization to impose cutbacks to food aid and other programs. A separate winterization plan, which includes distributing heating fuel and weather-proof sealing for shelters, is better funded though still shy of its goal -- for Syrians it is at 89 percent funding, but for Iraqis it falls far below, at 52 percent.    The U.N. high commissioner for refugees, Antonio Guterres, told Foreign Policy magazine on Wednesday that the number of people entering Europe may still fall as the crisis gets deeper into the winter months. But for now, the unabated flow threatens to strain an already overstretched aid system. There have been chaotic scenes on Greece's Aegean islands for months as people there struggle to adequately provide aid, something only exacerbated in recent weeks due to the record numbers of migrants arriving. “Lots of locals and NGOs and others are trying to help, but really the sort of robust reception capacity you need for those numbers simply isn’t there in Greece,” Edwards said.  The European Union agreed on a 17-point plan to help countries coping with the refugee and migrant influx this week, part of which includes adding 100,000 spots to reception centers in Greece and other nations along commonly traveled routes.  “Now the pressure is on to make sure it is effectively implemented and all these protection measures along with it," he said. "Otherwise we are staring into a very worrying winter indeed." However, groups observing the migration point out that there has been little positive change to the factors that are pushing more and more people to try to reach Europe.  “We don’t know how the numbers are going to go, but obviously it’s unlikely to taper off unless the war in Syria miraculously stops,” Doyle said. “Probably what we’re going to see is more deaths and more vessels succumbing and more human tragedy.” _The Huffington Post has compiled a list of ways you can help refugees stay safe and warm this winter. For more information click here._ _ALSO ON HUFFPOST:_ -- 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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College drama students to present a GREEK tragedy through the eyes of 'EURYDICE'

The GREEK myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is known to many people throughout the world and is typically given from Orpheus's point of view. With the ...

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GREEK Bake Sale offers many GREEK treats to North Alabama residents

Authentic, homemade GREEK items will be offered at this bake sale. The sale provides North Alabama residents an opportunity to buy GREEK delicacies ...

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Greece wants refugee screening centers in Turkey

… local. 6:50 p.m. Greece’s foreign minister is pressing … the dangerous sea crossing to Greece. But Nikos Kotzias conceded Thursday … that smuggle migrants to Greece. He defended Greece’s handling of the …

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Greek Gov’t Insist on New Measures – Greek Farmers Respond with Tractor Barriers

The meeting between Greek farmers and the Deputy Finance Minister Tryphon Alexiadis turned out to be a fruitless one. “We can’t change what has already been written,” said Alexiadis to farmer association representatives, who protested against tax hikes by creating a barricade of tractors. During the meeting which lasted about half an hour, both groups

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Refugee Crisis & Greek Economy Discussed in Tsipras-Steinmeier Meeting

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Thursday, with talks focusing directly on the ongoing refugees crisis plaguing Greece and the rest of Europe, the economic crisis, as well as bilateral relations. During the one-hour meeting, Tsipras reportedly told the German FM that the refugee issue is a problem

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YANIS VAROUFAKIS: My satisfaction with my life so far is an 11 out of 10 (GREK)

He's back! Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis — who we declared the most interesting man in the world back in February — is in the news again talking to The Financial Times about how great his life is.  Varoufakis said in an interview with the FT that if he had to rate his satisfaction with his life so far out of ten, he would score it an eleven.  So that seems good! After a period where things were all quiet on the Varoufakis front, we heard from him on Wednesday after he vehemently denied reports that he was making gobs of money from speaking appearances.  Since stepping down from his post as Greek finance minister, Varoufakis has hit the road speaking out against austerity measures, or compulsory cuts in government spending.  And of course, there was a controversy. Same as it ever was.  The FT interview, which is a brief collection of brief responses from Varoufakis, also includes gems including Varoufakis revealing that he's still in pretty good shape and that he's driven on by, "The conviction that there is room for improvement and the anger at our collective failure to exploit it." READ THE WHOLE THING AT FT.COM HERE » SEE ALSO: YANIS VAROUFAKIS IS TRYING TO DENY ASKING FOR MASSIVE FEES FOR MAKING SPEECHES Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 6 mind-blowing facts about Greece's economy

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Worsening weather off coast of Lesvos leads to tragedy for refugees and migrants trying to reach Greece

At least 15 people have died and some 38 others are missing in five incidents involving smuggler boats carrying hundreds of refugees and migrants by sea between Turkey and the Greek islands, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

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Foreign Minister Kotzias meets with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Athens, 29 ...

During their meeting in Athens today, 29 October, the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Germany, Messrs. Kotzias and Steinmeier, looked at, among other things, the whole range of Greek-German bilateral relations.The two Ministers agreed to impart fresh impetus to the relations between the two countries, focusing in particular on the following sectors:1. The building of a new framework for the German-Greek partnership.2. The establishment at the soonest possible time of a German-Greek Youth Foundation aimed at promoting dialogue and exchanges between the youth of the two countries.3. Closer cooperation in the sectors of education and sciences, as well as further...

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Hundreds of migrants rescued off Greece

Boats carrying refugees and migrants capsize in dangerous ocean crossings to Greece, at least 15 dead

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NFL Picks, Week 8: The Geek vs. The Greek

San Diego (+3) at Baltimore. The Greek says: Something stinks in this matchup, and it’s not the city of Baltimore. Both teams have disappointed thus far ...

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A wooden fishing boat crammed with 280 migrants capsized off the GREEK coast

A wooden fishing boat packed with more than 280 migrants capsized off the GREEK island of Lesbos on Wednesday, in what Reuters calls "one of the ...

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GREEK Gov't to Prosecute Former General Secretary of Public Revenue Katerina Savvaidou

savvaidou The GREEK prosecutor against corruption filed for the criminal prosecution of former general secretary of Public Revenue Katerina ...

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Mighty Colossus of Rhodes May Stand Again Over Greek Island

In the ancient world, there were many incredible statues erected for certain events or on behalf of powerful figures. Unfortunately, few (if any) of these still exist. There was the Colossus of Nero, the statue of Rameses II (better known as Ozymandias, courtesy of Percy Shelley and, most recently, "Breaking Bad"), and, of course, the Colossus of Rhodes. Odds are, you haven't thought about the Colossus of Rhodes since high school when you were forced to remember the Seven Wonders of the World for a history test. Luckily, there's a group of modern young professionals who are looking to bring it all back.  To refresh your memory, the Colossus of Rhodes, standing at 98 feet, was a bronze statue of the Greek titan-god of the sun Helios. It was located -- you guessed it -- on the Greek island of Rhodes and was erected by Chares of Lindos in 280 B.C. Sadly, in 226 B.C., an earthquake devastated the island and the statue was destroyed. Enter the _new_ Colossus of Rhodes. As per the website, Colossus of Rhodes 2.0 was an idea developed by architect Ari A. Palla after the recent economical turmoil erupted in Greece. Palla's idea led him to partner with an entire team comprising fellow architects, engineers, economists and public relations professionals from Spain, the U.K., Italy, and Greece to create the vision of the modern Colossus. At more than 150 staggering meters, Palla and his team's vision is that the new statue isn't a direct copy of the original. The goal is to evoke the same emotion in new visitors as it did for those who saw the original, and to drive tourism. They intend the statue to be a museum that houses "the hundreds of archaeological findings forgotten in the storerooms," something they believe will "have a 'Domino' effect in the economy." What's most fascinating about this project is how they plan to get it all done. Taking a page from Antoni Gaudí's book (you know, the guy behind the Sagrada Família who funded his project through private patrons), the team is planning to fund the entire project by crowdsourcing it through the Internet.  "Thanks to technology, people all around the world could be involved. Thus, the Colossus of Rhodes will become a 'global' monument," notes their website. The idea looks fascinating, but there's no word on when or how they're going to get the ball rolling on this just yet. Basically, don't hold your breath on this resurrection happening any time soon. In the meantime, feel free to watch their video on the project repeatedly. If the vision they have doesn't inspire you, then the dramatic music that accompanies it certainly will. _ALSO ON HUFFPOST:_ -- 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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The Most Common Questions Refugees Ask When They Arrive in Europe

SOME OF THE MOST COMMON QUESTIONS AID WORKERS GET ARE ALSO THE MOST UNEXPECTED. Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war-ravaged Syria and other countries in crisis are making desperate choices to seek safety in Europe. More than half of them are landing by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos. Every day, International Rescue Committee staff members greet thousands of refugees arriving on the island, providing them with reliable information and guidance -- commodities as valuable as food and shelter. Most of these new arrivals, while thankful for reaching dry land safely, are exhausted, wet and frightened. IRC counselors, social workers and translators do their best to address their concerns and answer their most pressing questions. Below are the 10 most frequently asked questions: 1. WHERE AM I? Refugees are often forced to steer the flimsy rubber dinghies to Lesbos themselves, after they've been abandoned by smugglers on the coast of Turkey. Few have ever piloted watercraft of any kind and the motors are unreliable and frequently run out of gas. Refugees who make landfall often do not believe they have arrived on Lesbos until they see the Greek flag. _Photo: Tara Todras-Whitehill for the International Rescue Committee_ 2. DO YOU HAVE WIFI? Connecting with family is a top priority for newly arrived refugees who want their loved ones to know they are safe. IRC staff direct people to cafés and restaurants that provide WiFi free of charge. Because refugees use their mobile phones to navigate routes through Europe, we advise them on locations where they can purchase SIM cards and recharge their phones. _Photo: Tara Todras-Whitehill for the International Rescue Committee_ 3. WHERE CAN I BUY FOOD AND WATER? Many refugees were successful professionals before fleeing their homes and arrive on Lesbos with money -- they do not expect handouts. (When IRC staff or local volunteers distribute free water in Kara Tepe camp, a stopping point for refugees, people often insist on paying for it.) The IRC provides the location and time of occasional food distributions, but generally we direct people to local food trucks and restaurants in nearby towns. _Photo: Tara Todras-Whitehill for the International Rescue Committee_ 4. WHERE CAN I BREASTFEED MY BABY? The IRC directs mothers to designated tents in refugee camps on the island. Other organizations are currently looking at establishing permanent areas where mothers can comfortably take care of their children. _Photo: Tara Todras-Whitehill for the International Rescue Committee_ 5. WHERE IS THE BUS TO GERMANY? Lesbos has become one of the main entry points for refugees looking to find refuge in countries like Germany and Sweden. Before being able to travel further into Europe, people must take a 20-minute bus ride to Molyvos, a city in the north, where they can board another bus to Mytilene, the capital. There they must register with Greek officials before purchasing a ferry ticket to Athens to continue their journey. We provide information on what people should expect when crossing borders to other countries like Hungary and Austria. _Photo: Tara Todras-Whitehill for the International Rescue Committee_ 6. CAN I TAKE A TAXI? Refugees cannot hire a taxi until they are registered, nor are locals legally allowed pick up refugees in private cars. We often get this question in the north near Molyvos where there is no registration. We provide emergency buses for refugees to the capital where they can start the registration process. _Photo: Tara Todras-Whitehill for the International Rescue Committee_ 7. HOW DO I REGISTER? The IRC works closely with local officials, the United Nations refugee agency and other organizations to stay on top of the always evolving process. We explain to refugees that they must have their passports verified, that they will have their photo taken, and that they will be fingerprinted before obtaining the necessary travel papers required to purchase a ferry ticket to Athens. _Photo: Tara Todras-Whitehill for the International Rescue Committee_ 8. WHY AM I BEING FINGERPRINTED? Many refugees do not intend to seek asylum in Greece. European Union law (specifically, the so-called Dublin regulation) requires that asylum claims be processed in the country of first arrival. The sheer amount of people arriving in Greece and traveling on to Europe has made this rule too cumbersome to enforce. Nevertheless, refugees fear that being fingerprinted in Greece means they will be confined to the country or eventually sent back there. We explain to people that fingerprinting is an important security measure meant to enhance their own safety and address other concerns. _Photo: Tara Todras-Whitehill for the International Rescue Committee_ 9. HOW LONG MUST I STAY HERE BEFORE I CAN LEAVE? Refugees are free to leave Greece once they receive travel papers, but many grow anxious when they see people staying in tents on the island. We explain that the tents house people waiting for a ferry to Athens, and that it is common to wait 24 hours before they can continue their journey. _Photo: Tara Todras-Whitehill for the International Rescue Committee_ 10. WHERE CAN I CHANGE MONEY? Most refugees carry U.S. dollars or Turkish lira. To buy ferry tickets and other things they need, they must exchange currency in a bank -- but only after they register. Unauthorized moneychangers charge exorbitant rates or fees to break large bills. The IRC advises refugees to use banks and cautions new arrivals about fake money. Nearly 60 million people have been forced to flee their homes by war, conflict and persecution -- more lives uprooted than at any time since World War II. Produced by the International Rescue Committee, "Uprooted" keeps the spotlight on the individual human beings behind the tragic numbers in this global refugee crisis. _Follow us on Twitter and Facebook and Medium_ -- 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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Fishermen, volunteers race to rescue as migrant boat sinks ...

A volunteer carries a young boy after a boat with refugees and migrants sank while crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos, on ...

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Chaos, compassion as migrants rescued from Aegean boat ...

The Greek Coast Guard said 242 people were rescued in the operation Wednesday night, including at least 18 children. At least seven people died, and more than 30 are ...

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EU's Moscovici says Greece faces 'tough' decisions by year ...

The EU's top economics affairs official Pierre Moscovici warned Thursday that Greece faces "tough" decisions before the end of the year as Athens struggles to meet ...

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Economist Kritikos: ‘Greece Could Become the Silicon Valley of Europe’

“Greece could become the Silicon Valley of Europe”, economist Alexander Kritikos said in an interview with ANA-MPA on the occasion of a conference “Greece after the elections, Reconstruction of Greece, German development ideas for the reconstruction of the Greek economy“, organized by the German-Greek Business Association (DHW) in Berlin. Kritikos estimated that the technology of informatics

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Report: Greece Becomes a Tougher Business Environment Compared to Last Year

Greece fell two places to 60th, from 58th place last year, in World Bank‘s list of 189 countries setting up and operating businesses. The Doing Business 2015 report by World Bank, records reforms made by the countries which made it easier to do business in the period from June 1, 2014 until June 1, 2015.

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Greece Hires German Michael Skibbe as National Soccer Team Coach

The saga of filling the coach position in Greece’s national soccer team will have its final episode on Friday, when German Michael Skibbe will sign the contract. The Greek Football Association (EPO) has hired Skibbe as the new national team coach, after the country’s 2016 European Championship qualifying campaign ended in total disaster with only

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Economy Minister: New Development Law to Be Implemented Jan.1

“The new development law will be implemented as of January, 1, 2016,” Greek Economy Minister George Stathakis said on Thursday. “Youth entrepreneurship will constitute the basis for Greece ‘s growth. We are giving priority at all levels, and this is reflected strongly on both the new development law and the new programs of the NSRF,”

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Greece names Skibbe as new coach

Athens (AFP) - Michael Skibbe of Germany has taken over as coach of the Greek national team, the country's football federation announced Thursday. "Following a ...

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What we know about latest migrant boat sinking off GREEK island of Lesbos

A wooden boat carrying migrants and refugees sank off the coast of Lesbos at around 4pm on Wednesday. Three people have been confirmed dead, ...

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Washington Oxi Day Foundation Marks 75th Anniversary of the Very Day

 WASHINGTON, DC – On October 28 the Washington OXI Day Foundation celebrated the 75th anniversary of the heroic moment in 1940 when Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas rejected the Italian Ambassador’s demand for Greece’s surrender. That act, commemorated ever since as the great Oxi – No, inspired the allies and disrupted the war plans of the […] The post Washington Oxi Day Foundation Marks 75th Anniversary of the Very Day appeared first on The National Herald.

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The Latest: Greece wants refugee screening centers in ...

LESBOS, Greece (AP) — The latest in the odyssey of hundreds of thousands of people trekking across Europe in search of a new life: All times local.

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Migrant tragedy in Greek seas shows dangers as winter ...

Paramedics and doctors try to revive a baby after a boat with refugees and migrants sunk while was crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey to the Greek island ...

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Varoufakis earns €1,000 a minute for TV interview

Former Greek finance minister reveals his income from media appearances.

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Hungary Says it Won't Take Back Migrants

A Hungarian minister said that his country will refuse to take back any asylum seekers other European Union countries send to it, saying they should be returned to Greece because that was where they entered the EU.

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Greece's Eurobank launches exchange offer on outstanding ...

From Yahoo Finance: Greek lender Eurobank launched an exchange offer on its outstanding subordinated and senior bonds on Thursday, aiming to strengthen its ...

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Refugee crisis turn into 'day of death' on Greek island of ...

A volunteer carries a young boy after a boat with refugees and migrants sank while crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos, on ...

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Greece turn to Skibbe

From Yahoo Sports Singapore: After struggling in Euro 2016 qualifying, Greece have appointed vastly experienced German Michael Skibbe as their new head coach.

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Rescuers Search for 38 People After Migrant Boat Sinks off GREEK Island

Greece's Coast Guard said that 242 people had been rescued late Wednesday after their wooden boat overturned in the Aegean north of the GREEK ...

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GREEK rescuers find four more bodies after migrant boat sinks near Lesbos

The bodies of four more refugees trying to reach Europe have been found off the GREEK coast after a boat capsized near the island of Lesbos.

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Several dead, 34 missing after boat sinks near GREEK island of Lesbos

An extensive search was underway off a GREEK island on Thursday for at least 34 people missing after their boat sank, in one of the largest maritime ...

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A Shipwreck Graveyard Has Been Found Off This GREEK Archipelago

A joint GREEK-American expedition announced this week that they have just uncovered a whopping 22 shipwrecks around the Fourni archipelago—a ...

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UPDATE 1-ECB check of Greek banks to show 14 bln-euro hole ...

The European Central Bank'shealth check of Greece's four big banks will show a totalcapital shortfall of up to 14 billion euros ($15.34 billion) ifeconomic ...

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How To Make Friends With Your Country's Enemies

AN AUNTY FAMOUS IN MY COMMUNITY for the grip she kept on her son’s love life is said to have issued a warning. We mocked it, but I admire its brutal simplicity. "Seeing leads to touching," it went. "And touching leads to love." I was in Pakistan to see, touch and love, a logic I’d used in a last ditch email to the country’s ambassador to the U.S. the night before my flight. At that late hour I still didn’t have my visa, despite the efforts of connected friends. Because my parents are Indian, a Pakistani official in D.C. confided to me, I probably wouldn’t get it. Even the child of Indians might love Pakistan if she could only see it, I argued to the ambassador. To the official's surprise, I got the visa the next day. In Islamabad, I visited the house of a painter, Sana Arjumand. It was a pleasantly moody two-story in a nice neighborhood. Water stains crept from the ceilings. A bowl of lit frankincense sent plumes between us. Around the house a handful of women performed various jobs I couldn’t identify. Arjumand’s husband, a muscular man in his early thirties, shook my hand and left to join friends for the night. We'd met at a gallery party for a group of journalists I was traveling with on a fellowship, assembled from around the world. I had no intentions of peeling off. In a quiet corner we conducted a standard interview, me juggling a wine glass and recorder. At some point, she asked where I was from. In Pakistan, when questioned by those I don’t know, I say I’m Sri Lankan. Sometimes I refine the pretense with a shawl over my head: Muslim Sri Lankan. I am paranoid, but not by much. The cutting of India into two parts -- India and Pakistan -- left emotional fault lines. Something happened when Hindus moved south and Muslims north, in the largest mass migration in history. The code by which the two faiths had lived in relative stability for centuries changed. Fetuses were carved from the bellies of pregnant mothers. Infants were found roasting on spits. Today, no one still knows who owns Kashmir, beyond the terrorists. Deadly riots spring from disputes so unsolvable they sound like riddles: Is it unethical to eat cows? If a temple existed before a mosque, is that reason to destroy the mosque?   I GET THE SENSE THAT MY PRESENCE IN HER HOME SUITS ARJUMAND’S SENSE OF RIGHTNESS. Four years ago, she had her first child, a girl named Aroush, meaning "angel of paradise." Soon after, Arjumand started painting moons. She had been a fast rising star since her graduation in 2005 from the country's premiere art school, the National College of the Arts. She won acclaim for deconstructing the Pakistani flag into its elements: the color green, the moon and stars, draped and studded onto sad-eyed figures. Striking and scary, the paintings attracted attention. The deep color and weird anime faces (exaggerations of Arjumand’s own deer-like features) landed her representation in New York -- a rare coup for a young Pakistani artist -- at the Aikon Gallery, a platform for work from the subcontinent. "There is a part of it that’s like lying, just to give people what they want," she says in a cloud of frankincense, of those early works. Aroush flits in and out of reach, begging to play. She seems to sense that I’m an easy mark, this new friend uninitiated into her games. Aroush’s birth jumpstarted the moon series and a new style altogether, void of humans. The closest I see to tumult, flipping through Arjumand’s latest catalog, is a pair of moons with crazy insides, resembling bacteria in a petri dish. Moons are metaphors, she explains. Like a person in love, they reflect light off another source. Birthing children (she had a son a few months ago) brought her to this model. She loves recursively, loves them for loving her, an act of nature rather than choice. She tells me we are built to love. FATIGUE OVER PAKISTAN’S PUBLIC IMAGE IS TURNING ARTISTS INWARD. The star everyone talks about in Lahore these days, a smiley six-footer named Waqas Khan, eschews "guns, bombs, and veils" for the simple form of the dot. On a visit to his studio, he showed me the fine tip of his pen. His work is meditative. He spends hours a day crouched at a canvas, propping one hand with the other so his dots can flow as if from a mechanized hammer. Both Khan and Arjumand cite Sufism as an influence. The mystic branch of Islam is predicated on the broadness of our capacity to love. Within it, the moon and the dot symbolize wholeness and light, respectively. The erasing of the human figure from work feels Sufi too, a nod to the philosophy’s tenet of egolessness. Arjumand tells me a story of meeting a critic at this year's Art Dubai festival, a major art showcase for the region. Disappointed at the showing, the critic remarked that she "thought Pakistani art would be more political," Arjumand says. "Sitting in a home is politics," she tells me, defiantly. "This right now." She swats Aroush away and I ask if she knows of the famous Sylvia Plath metaphor of love as reflection. It’s dark, I warn. A mother is a cloud. The rain puddle is the child, a distillation of the mother herself. In the puddle lies a mirror image of the cloud dissolving in the sky until it is gone. Our children, with their buoyant resemblance to ourselves, reveal our erasure in their very faces. It’s hard, she admits. You do feel erased. Working in the house with kids underfoot is not easy. Loving them, even recursively, can be trying. She points out the exercise bike occupying prime real estate between the dining and living rooms, a reminder to force herself back to a normal state. Journalists are meant to maintain a cruel distance. We break into minds to share our findings with strangers. Arjumand makes me want to be her friend. The dangerous pitch of her career attracts me, the movement away from a New York gallerist’s wishlist to a primordial simplicity that may not travel well. Then, there is the weird satisfaction of putting two twins split at the heart back together: a Pakistani and an Indian. We talk generally of market pressure. She questions the concept of "commercial galleries," a term I heard in Lahore to distinguish between the good (not commercial) and the bad (commercial). She doesn’t believe in the distinction. "Everything is on Facebook," she says. She explains this later: everything can find a buyer, and everything is for sale. IT’S NEARING 10 PM. I say I should probably go. "You realize my house is safer than the Marriot," she says, the question ending like a statement. Does this mean she likes me? I feel like a seventh grader. I assume she’s referring to a few years ago, when the hotel I’m staying at was bombed. I tell her I heard about it. Back in America I watch a grainy video of a yellow dump truck detonating on the path I took to get in and out each day. The explosion left 54 dead people and a crater as deep as 10 swimming pools. That was 2008, the same year Arjumand went to India for the first and last time. Her first piece after graduation, an oil painting of a Pakistani flag, went to an Indian gallerist in Delhi. The sale made her "question this thing in the air," she says at her dining table. "This story always about us and India." As it happened, she and I were there at the same time. Not long after she left, 10 men from Pakistan arrived in Mumbai by boat. They sprayed gunfire through the city’s poshest hotel before killing dozens on the streets. I’d seen a few of the bullet holes, revealed reverently by a cousin on the wall of his favorite pub as if unveiling an image of god. Arjumand got a visa before the men ended everyone’s chances. "I felt there was so much hope there at that time," she tells me. I think back and say I can remember that too. Headlines blared of "India rising" and GDP wins. Today the top stories, if not about rape, are stories of mob killings and Hindu extremists. I say all this out loud, as if in a court of law for trying countries. She tries her side. We talk about the glint of barbed wire outside her house, bushes of metal shoved into walls throughout the country so men with AK47s can’t leap them. "Nowhere feels safe," she says. She tells me how sick she felt dropping Aroush off at school after seven Taliban gunman slaughtered a school full of children in Peshawar. She admits to thinking about leaving sometimes. Exchanging our mutual disappointments reminds me of the path to bond with friends in childhood: complaining about parents. As in those moments, we are also quick to defend. Arjumand calls Pakistan "mad but beautiful." I suggest that India connects us both, that we both belong to it. As I say this I hear that I sound patronizing. For a moment I glimpse the shape of Pakistani pride: new and twisted and glittering with promise. We find another topic on which to relate. Lying. She tells me how she sat alone in a rickshaw in Delhi and realized she could pretend to be Indian. Her family, she recently discovered, crossed over from the India side in 1947. I swallow the thrill of this connection. I remind myself that she is Pakistani.   The frankincense is dying in wilted spurts. I say it looks like I should really go, even the smoke is tired. She sends me with her driver, waving goodbye with Aroush at the door to the garage. I can’t see well in the night. So I am surprised when we are back. Mother and daughter walk to the car. "Aroush wants to drop you," Arjumand says, sheepishly.  In the surgical light of my hotel room, I can see I am involved in diplomacy as canny as any state meeting. She was right. Politics -- Greek: "of the people" --- unfold every night. Letting a guest into your home where she can drop the lie between her teeth is politics. Baring your country’s raw heart is too. It helps if your daughter is irresistible. She can guide your guest by hand up the stairs to the canvases with layers of fresh paint covering the old work, the stuff with sickles and spikes and the founder of your country hanging from a noose. She can say, "I like your friend, mommy," and the woman with the different parents feels a thaw where ice pierced her heart the day she heard the word "nuclear tests" out of her father’s mouth. She is melting in your home and it is you and your daughter who’ve done it, who’ve made this stranger go home to tell the world that we are all moons shining light off another. -- 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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Heart-Wrenching Photos Show Rescued Refugees Arriving In Lesbos

The pace of refugees still risking their lives to cross into Greece has not slowed since the summer, despite dipping temperatures and treacherous weather conditions. A wooden boat headed for the Greek island of Lesbos capsized on Wednesday. The Greek coastguard said it was able to rescue 242 people, but at least seven people, including children, drowned. At least 38 more were still missing on Thursday. This was the fourth boat capsizing incident in 24 hours.  The boat left the Turkish city of Assos at around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Although the journey is only a few miles, each passenger had to pay upwards of $2,740.  Lesbos has been one of the primary points of entry into Europe for refugees. It's located only a few miles from Turkey and is positioned on the Aegean Sea. The number of refugees who have entered through Greece has now exceeded 500,000. Many of those who made it ashore on Wednesday were suffering from hypothermia. _Scroll down to see photos of the rescue: _ -- 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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Politics Weekly podcast: Europe's migration crisis, Poland's election and the Norwegian model

Alberto Nardelli, Alex Duval Smith and Pawel Swidlicki join Frances Perraudin to discuss the EU migrant crisis, elections in Poland and Portugal and David Cameron's attack on Eurosceptics who favour a Norwegian model for the UK. Plus Tim Farron on the refugee crisis in Lesbos The United Nations estimates 700,000 migrants have arrived in Europe this year and, despite worsening conditions and colder temperatures, tens of thousands are still arriving every week. Tim Farron has been on the Greek island of Lesbos this week, where authorities are struggling to manage the humanitarian crisis on its shores. He tells Frances Perraudin that Britain should be doing much more to help. Continue reading...

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Greece raises death toll to 8 from capsized boat

… ;European force" to help Greece protect its vast sea borders … have been found off the Greek island of Lesbos. Authorities on … en route from Turkey to Greece. At least 30 others are … of the refugee crisis in Greece, with more than 300,000 …

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It’s a Miracle! Greek Government Turns Cleaners into Secretaries!

They became symbols of social struggle, they became known all over the world, they served as SYRIZA‘s handy propaganda tools, they became icons in social media, now they became secretaries. It would be a good scenario for an episode of the Greek government’s political soap opera about clientelism and statism. As if by magic, 17 of

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President Pavlopoulos Tells Germany’s Steinmeier the EU Must Help End the War in Syria

The European Union is best suited to help stop the war in Syria and promote peace in the Middle East, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Athens on Thursday. The President also said that Greece’s borders are Europe’s borders, noting however, that each country is responsible

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Idaho Press-Tribune Contests

The Latest: Dozens still missing after migrant boat sinks off Greek island of Lesbos

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Latest tragedy off Greece's Lesbos shows dangers in ...

LESBOS, Greece – Dead migrants float belly-up, stripped of their clothing by churning seas. On shore, wailing women search for loved ones among the ...

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Greek tragedy shows dangers as migrants surge, winter nears

LESBOS, Greece (AP) — Dead migrants float belly-up, stripped of their clothing by churning seas. On shore, wailing women search for loved ones among the shivering, wide-eyed survivors. A rescuer tries to revive a toddler who lies unconscious in her sodden striped sweater.

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Hundreds saved off Lesbos

The search is continuing for survivors after a wooden boat carrying scores of people capsized off the greek island of Lesbos. At least three people,…

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Migrant boat capsize off Greece leaves 8 dead, at least 34 missing

An extensive search was underway off a Greek island on Thursday for at least 34 people missing after their boat sank, in one of the largest maritime disasters since a massive refugee influx began this year.

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Varoufakis Interview: 24,000 Euros

Italian politicians are furious public broadcaster RAI paid Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis 24,000 euros for a 22-minute interview. The post Varoufakis Interview: 24,000 Euros appeared first on The National Herald.

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