Irish oil producer Petroceltic International Plc said on Wednesday it had hired bankers to conduct a strategic review, including a sale, after tumbling oil ...
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How the world sees Greece
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Broome shuts GREEK Key for health violations
GREEK Key Restaurant and Bar has been shuttered by the Broome County Health Department after violations that made the food “unfit for human ...
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Christmas Travelers Choose Greece
Greek and foreign travelers who choose to spend their Christmas holidays in Greece are beginning to face problems finding an unoccupied hotel room in any of the popular winter destinations. Hotel occupancy in destinations like Arachova, Kalavrita, Kaimaktsalan has already reached 90% with hotel owners stating that in the next few days it will reach
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MarketsGreece, Ukraine, Russia: surprise bond winners
GREECE was heading for January elections that would put Syriza in power, which had raised fears (well-placed, it turned out) that agreeing a third ...
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An Award Winning Photographer Reflects On Covering The Crises Of 2015
Many of this year's most notable news stories converged in Greece, as the country fell into political and financial crisis during a bitter fight over austerity and debt, while the shores of the country's islands became landing points for hundreds of thousands of refugees. Photos capturing people clashing with police outside of shuttered financial institutions or scrambling to beaches from rubber boats were seen around the world and drove home the tragedy of these events. Some of the most memorable images of these crises were captured by veteran Reuters photojournalist Yannis Behrakis. This week, the Guardian named him photographer of the year for his coverage. The WorldPost spoke with Behrakis about his work, his most memorable shots and what he hopes people take away from his images. YOU’VE COVERED REFUGEES FOR DECADES. DOES IT CHANGE YOUR APPROACH THAT THE CURRENT CRISIS IS TAKING PLACE IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY? It was difficult, obviously, because it was happening in the middle of a huge political and financial crisis. Greece was not prepared for another big issue. But, it was also a test. I was curious and anxious to see how the Greeks would react to such a big catastrophe. At the end of the day, I'm proud of how the Greeks handled it. I’m talking about the Greek citizens -- the fisherman, doctor or whoever was on the islands or near the border. They made refugees feel comfortable and welcomed. A lot of Greek volunteers and people from around Europe have come to help one way or the other. A lot of people donated money. It was humanity that flourished in the catastrophe. > It was humanity that flourished in the catastrophe. IN ADDITION TO THE REFUGEE CRISIS, YOU ALSO COVERED GREECE'S POLITICAL CRISIS AND FOREST FIRES. WHAT WERE SOME OF THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECTS OF COVERING THESE STORIES? The most difficult part is always your personal emotional involvement. This [financial] crisis has had an immediate impact on my family, friends and the people I know. A lot of my colleagues lost jobs, and we have the highest unemployment rate in the European Union. In the past I used to be based in Greece and then travel to cover big stories such as war or refugee crises around the world. I'd come back to Greece and considered it a paradise. Then all of a sudden Greece became the center of global media attention, and it becomes hard to remain unbiased and cover the story. WHEN YOU’RE SEARCHING FOR IMAGES AND FOR SUBJECTS IN YOUR COVERAGE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU LOOK FOR? I’m in the news business, covering hard news and breaking stories. I usually don’t have much time to look for the right light, the right face. It’s usually just a bit of instinct and inspiration, looking at the environment around me. The most important thing that I want to do is send a message. Working for Reuters, you work for the planet. We have a billion people looking at our stories and pictures, so it’s heavy on my shoulders to be in the middle of a big story and know that all these people around the world are expecting to see the right capturing of the image. > It’s an amazing job we do by telling people what’s going on. I want to make everyone responsible for what’s happening. What I always say is that I don’t want anyone to say "I didn’t know." I want everyone to know there is a small island in Greece that everyone is coming to as a last hope, and that this is happening. Everyone should know about it. It’s an amazing job we do by telling people what’s going on. IS THERE A SINGLE IMAGE OR DAY FROM YOUR COVERAGE THIS YEAR THAT STANDS OUT TO YOU? It was a very rich year story-wise, and there were a lot of moments. If I were to pick a single moment or picture I would say it was from the refugee story. One image I have in my heart is the picture of a Syrian man carrying his daughter through the rain on his way to the border with Macedonia. He is wet, and he has a plastic cape which in my imagination made him look like Superman when I saw him. He kisses his daughter and it was like he was kissing the human race. It was a pure moment of love and care, and such a pure moment for humanity. This is something that’s in my heart and mind. That's the one, if I were to choose one. IS THERE A PART OF YOUR JOB THAT YOU THINK PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND OR MISS? There is. Some people ask me, or in some cases it feels like they accuse me, saying "you see these people coming in boats and you take pictures, you should help them." I explain there are so many people around who help them. I’m here to take a picture because this is how I help them, you look at the picture and you say "maybe I should go there and help" or "maybe I should give money to a charity." My mission is to let people know what is happening, and I think it’s a very important mission. _This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity._ More from The WorldPost's Weekly Interview Ser >> > > - Have We Got ISIS All Wrong? > - What Is The State Of Political Islam Today? > - Was The Libyan Intervention A Mistake? > - What Palestinian Membership In The ICC Really Means > - Naming The Dead: One Group's Struggle To Record Deaths From U.S. > Drone Strikes In Pakistan > > _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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Putin Casts Covetous Eyes on Sweden and Greece
This article first appeared on the Atlantic Council site. Greece and Sweden are both in possession of islands that are of critical geostrategic value.
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GREEK PM apologises to LGBT community for country's 'cycle of shame'
GREEK Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has issued an unprecedented apology to the LGBT community – as he passed a law giving same-sex couples ...
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The science behind why we eat chicken noodle soup when we’re sick
Shutterstock Chicken noodle soup is regarded as a therapeutic dish in several cultures, including Jewish-American and Chinese communities where traditional medicine is practiced. Although researchers have not been able to determine the cause of the alleged positive effects of chicken soup, several studies have confirmed that it helps to unblock congested noses and throats. CHINESE CHICKEN NOODLE Archaeological evidence shows that people started using poultry to make soups soon after they discovered how to boil water. The earliest recorded evidence of chicken soup being used as a therapeutic dish dates back to Chinese antiquity. In the second century BC, the Chinese medical text, Huangdi Neijing, declared that chicken soup is a “yang food” – a warming dish – to which different therapeutic herbs can be added to cure various diseases. In China, chicken soup is given to women after pregnancy and to elderly people. Both groups are considered to be in the need of energy-giving yang food, which is believed to transport “energy” around the body and have an invigorating effect. One of the earliest recipes for Chinese noodles, “lamian”, dates back to the second century AD. In Chinese culture noodles represent a long life. Traditionally they were combined with chicken soup to emphasis the well-being of the family. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), noodle shops became widespread and chicken noodle soup was a popular dish. Recipes for chicken noodle soup were also exchanged with other parts of Asia. THE JEWISH TRADITION The Jewish folklore about chicken soup is closely tied to the central European medical history of chicken soup. The Greek physician Galen, in the second century AD, recommended chicken soup as a cure for migraine, leprosy, constipation and fever. A few centuries later, in the Babylonian Talmud, a story refers to the chicken of Rabbi Abba (175–247) which, when cooked, served him as a general remedy. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, the Jewish philosopher and physician, Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), recommended chicken soup for the weak and the sick. But chicken soup remained an infrequently eaten dish until the 15th century. It was only then that a revival of raising chickens started to compensate for other meat shortages and people began to eat chicken soup regularly. Similar to traditional Chinese practice, among Sephardic Jews the custom prevailed to give “caldo de gayina vieja” – old hen chicken broth – to women who had given birth and ill people. Sephardic Jews also developed the practice of serving chicken soup with rice – “soupa de kippur”. After the 15th century, chicken soup slowly became a traditional dish within Jewish Ashkenazic culture, having spread from the Sephardic Jews to Eastern Europe. In Ashkenazic culture it became known for its color as the “goldene yoykh”, “gilderne” or “goldzup” – golden soup. At special anniversaries and celebrations the floating fat bubbles are interpreted as signs for future happiness. After World War II, Jewish emigrants popularized it in America, leading to its nickname “the Jewish penicillin”. THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE Shutterstock While there is a cultural belief that chicken soup has therapeutic properties, researchers cannot determine exactly why chicken soup, or which content of it, has a curative effect. Who knows, a turkey broth might be a fitting substitute. And, after Christmas, most people could do with a little pick-me-up. HERE IS WHAT WE DO KNOW ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP’S CURATIVE PROPERTIES. Marvin Sackner, in 1978, conducted a study showing that drinking chicken soup was significantly better at clearing up congestion in the nose compared with drinking hot or cold water. In 1980, Irwin Ziment showed that chicken broth helps to thin mucous in the lungs with a higher effect being achieved when the broth was spiced. His study was followed up by Stephen Rennard in 2000 who argued that chicken soup, by reducing mucous in the lungs, supported the white blood cells in fighting a cold. Generally, it can be observed that the calcium content of the soup increases with the duration of cooking and, depending on the composition, can have a mild anti-inflammatory effect. Chicken soup is also said to have a calming effect, which has led some to claim that it can also heal the soul. _This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article._ _ _ NOW WATCH: Researchers found out how many miles a week you need to run to improve your health — and it’s surprisingly low
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EU refugee crisis: Seven children, six adults drown off ...
Seven children, four men and two women drowned when a boat carrying migrants capsized off the tiny Greek island of Farmakonisi, coastguard officials said on ...
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Turkish envoy to GREECE calls for cooperation
GREECE and Turkey need to work closely on tackling migratory flows because they are “both victims of the refugee crisis,” the Turkish ambassador in ...
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European Leveraged Loan Issuance Slows In 2015 Despite Solid Fourth Quarter
The European leveraged loan market did well during the fourth quarter of 2015. For a start, the market got back down to business in an orderly fashion following a tormented summer, bouncingfrom the Greek crisis to roiled Chinese stocks. Secondly, it did a decent job of fending off the volatility that [...]
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New “Falciani list” for Greek tax evaders
Athens, December 23, 2015/Independent Balkan News Agency By Olga Mavrou Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced that Greece received another list from Hervé Falciani with names and deposits and suspicious account movements. The list has already been handed over to the prosecutor of Athens. “We will look into it thoroughly, we don’t lock up lists with tax evaders in our drawers”, Alexis Tsipras said, referring indirectly to […]
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New fair values for real estate in Greece, down only by 20% at the most
Athens, December 23, 2015/Independent Balkan News Agency By Olga Mavrou The Greek government is probably going to reduce only by 10% το 20% the fair market value (or “guiding value”) of real estate, though the gap between the fair value and the market value in Greece is much bigger –almost 70% in some areas and for old […]
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Varoufakis forms new party for “democracy on Europe”
Athens, December 23, 2015/Independent Balkan News Agency By Olga Mavrou Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis announced (in an interview to the Italian magazine “L’ Espresso”, to be published tomorrow) that he wants to once again get involved in politics, but in a movement rather than a party and certainly not restricted to economics. In the question “what are […]
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Year in a word: Oxi
Greek voters said no not nai in a referendum on the EU’s rescue offer
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'My Big Fat GREEK Wedding' stars return in sequel poster
Nia Vardalos at the UNICEF Ball on December 8, 2011. The actress shared the "My Big Fat GREEK Wedding 2" poster Tuesday. File Photo by Jim ...
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GREECE allows same-sex marriage, Orthodox Church goes into mourning
GREECE'S parliament on Wednesday approved a bill granting same-sex couples the right to a civil union, becoming one of the last European countries ...
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GREECE Bulls Ross & Paulson: Tests Ahead, But Optimistic About Greek Recovery
Here's more from two investors known for taking risks on distressed assets, Wilbur Ross and John Paulson, on why they think their investments in ...
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GREECE: Prosecutor gets suspected tax cheats data
GREECE'S Prime Alexis Tsipras said on Wednesday his leftist-led coalition government had handed a USB stick with data on thousands of suspect ...
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Refugee Crisis: Lesvos is Filling Up With Migrants; Frontex Staff on Holiday
Today hundreds of North African immigrants in Lesvos are being registered. In the middle of last week it was decided that immigrants such as these should not be granted the monthly permit which allows them to stay in Greece until their departure. Thousands of migrants and refugees are arriving on the islands of the northern
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Greece Approves Civil Unions For Gay Couples
Greece's parliament has approved a bill that allows gay and lesbian couples to enter a civil union. According to the AFP, 193 lawmakers backed the law, while 56 ...
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Father Of Drowned Syrian Boy Wants You To Think Of Syria This Holiday Season
The refugee crisis in Europe and the ongoing devastation in Syria gained worldwide attention in September when photos emerged showing a drowned Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi, lying facedown on the shores of Bodrum, Turkey. Alan's father is now asking the world to do what it can to help his fellow refugees. "I'd like the whole world to open its doors to Syrians," Abdullah Kurdi told the U.K.'s Channel 4 News in a statement to be broadcast on Christmas. Kurdi was a barber in Kobani, Syria, before he and his family fled to Turkey to escape "barrel bombs, explosions and also Daesh" -- another name for the militant group that calls itself the Islamic State. "We boarded the boat to go to Greece aiming to go to Germany or Sweden," Kurdi told Channel 4. "We were in the sea for four or five minutes when the boat capsized and what happened, happened." Kurdi lost his wife and two sons that day. He later told HuffPost Arabi that he'd been unable to afford flotation devices for his family. "At this time of year I would like to ask you all to think about the pain of fathers, mothers and children who are seeking peace and security," Kurdi told Channel 4. "We ask just for a little bit of sympathy from you," he went on. "Hopefully next year the war will end in Syria and peace will reign all over the world." Kurdi now lives in Erbil, Iraq. He told Channel 4 that he wants to found a charity that would open a hospital and a school for Syrian Kurds. "I want to help children because they know nothing about life except for laughing and playing," he said. "That’s all they know. So it's a problem for children if we don't look after them and take care of them." More than 1 million refugees have made their way to Europe this year, the International Organization for Migration announced this week. About half of them came from Syria. Alan, who was 3 years old when he died, was one of more than 3,600 refugees in 2015 who drowned trying to reach the shores of Europe. _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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Same-Sex Marriage is Now Legal in GREECE
GREECE'S parliament approved a legislation legalising same-sex marriage with a huge majority of 193 – 56. The result was announced early on ...
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The most unusual Christmas characters in Europe
Calsidyrose/Flickr The American version of Santa — fat and cheery and headed down the chimney with toys — is becoming popular throughout Europe. But most countries also have their own beloved Christmas characters who have been part of holiday celebrations for centuries. Some, like Saint Nicholas and Father Frost, bear a strong resemblance to the man in red. Others, like the gossamer-winged Christkindl, the horned Krampus monster, and the ogress Gryla, will give you an entirely different way to celebrate the holidays. CA GA TIÓ Calsidyrose/Flickr A scatological cross between a yule log and a piñata, the Caga Tió reigns as the supreme Christmas figure in Catalonia, in northeastern Spain. Also known as the Tió de Nadal, this log (which often has a face painted on it and a red hat set on its "head") is said to poop out presents for good little kids on Christmas morning. Children start fattening up the pooping Yule log on December 8th, feeding him sweets and covering him with a blanket to keep him warm, and finally beating him with a stick on Christmas day while singing carols ordering him to “poop good”. OLENTZERO Calsidyrose/Flickr Elsewhere in Northern Spain, Christmas is celebrated by the arrival of a more human-looking figure called Olentzero in Basque Country and Apalpador in Galicia. This character was originally part of pagan winter traditions, which held him to be a Jentilak, one of an ancient race of Basque giants who would punish glutinous villagers. These days, however, Olentzero is portrayed as a poor man who was abandoned at birth and raised by a fairy and given eternal life after saving children from a fire. This kinder (man-sized) Olentzero brings gifts to children on Christmas Eve, when his likeness is paraded through the streets. THE THREE KINGS Calsidyrose/Flickr While the pooping log and Olentzero are specific to particular regions of Spain, the Three Wise Men, or Three Kings, are welcomed as gift bringers across the Iberian Peninsula, in both Spain and Portugal. In Spain it’s believed that Melchior represents Europe, Caspar represents Asia and Balthazar represents Africa. In the days leading up to Epiphany (January 6) kids can hand deliver their letters to the king of their choice in shopping malls. On January 5th, kids leave a drink for the kings and food for the camels, then wake up the next morning to small presents in their shoes and bigger gifts beside them. In both Spain and Portugal, people eat a traditional Kings’ Cake that usually has a bean and a small toy or king figurine hidden inside it. The person that gets the bean has to buy the following year’s cake, and the person who gets the toy gets to wear the paper crown. CHRISTMAS SAINTS Calsidyrose/Flickr Saint Nicholas—perhaps the Christmas season’s most famous saint and the basis for most versions of Santa Claus—brings gifts to kids in Holland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and parts of Germany on December 6th. Tall and slim and dressed as a bishop, Saint Nicholas visits each house and fills children’s shoes with gifts and sweets. (He often has mischievous companions, responsible for taking care of the bad children. See below.) In Norway and Sweden, Santa Lucia is the focus of the holiday season. On December 13th, young women dress up as the saint in white gowns, red sashes, and crowns of burning candles and carry palm fronds, cookies, and rolls in processions, singing songs about surviving the long dark winter ahead with plenty of light. According to Swedish legend, Lucia (who is usually pictured as young and blonde, like many Swedish girls) was Adam’s first wife. Saint Lucia is also celebrated in northern Italy, Sicily, Calabria, and on the coast of Croatia, but in these places the holiday is marked by a large family meal. In Greece, Saint Basil replaces Saint Nicholas as the gift-bringer. Traditionally he leaves kids presents on January 1st, but in recent years, the saint has been replaced (in some families, at least) by a Saint Basil-esque Santa character who shows up on the 24th and 25th. Regardless of which tradition people follow, everyone eats a Saint Basil cake with a coin inside it on New Year’s Day to pay tribute to the saint who was born wealthy and gave his riches to the poor. KRAMPUS Calsidyrose/Flickr In some countries, a malevolent helper accompanies the Christmas gift-bringer. In Austria and Bavaria, the horned, hoofed, and hairy Krampus monster comes down from the mountains on December 5th to punish misbehaving children. Krampus cuts an ugly figure. His tongue lolls out of his mouth, long and pointy, and in some places he carries chains said to symbolize the binding of the devil by the church. He usually appears armed with a whip or birch branches to swat kids and a sack or tub strapped to his back to haul the really bad children off to his lair for further punishment. Despite his scary appearance, the character is quite popular: Young men sometimes dress up and participate in Krampus runs, and the figure is featured on greeting cards. The character also makes an appearance in Slovenia, where he is known as Parkelij. NEXT: THIS NEW COMPANY IS CREATING THE FUTURE OF LUGGAGE » In Germany, France, and the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas has a human helper to do the dirty work of punishing the naughty. In Germany, he’s a farmhand called Knecht Rupert, and in France the character is known as Le Père Fouettard—literally, the father whipper. In the Netherlands and Flanders, there is a similar (if more controversial) character, Black Pete, a Moor who accompanies Saint Nicholas on his trip to Holland from Spain. Black Pete is usually portrayed at holiday events by a white person in black face, which is one of the many reasons that the character has become controversial and is starting to fall out of favor. FATHER FROST Calsidyrose/Flickr In Russia and much of the former Soviet Bloc, kids receive winter visits from Father Frost on New Year's Day. Called Ded Moroz in Russian, he wears a heel-length fur coat of red, blue, silver or gold, a semi-round fur hat, and traditional felt boots. He has a long white beard and a magical staff and rides a horse-drawn sleigh called a_troika_. He’s accompanied by his granddaughter and helper, the beautiful snow-maiden Snergurochka, who wears long silvery robes and a furry hat or snowflake-shaped crown. Despite the fact that the Soviets originally banned images of Father Frost (due to worries that the character was a symbol of bourgeois western influence with religious connotations), Russia later exported Father Frost to the rest of the Soviet Bloc countries. CHRISTMAS WITCHES Calsidyrose/Flickr In Russia and other Slavic countries, kids also hear about Baba Yaga, a haggard old witch who tries to steal children’s holiday gifts and is the enemy of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden. Baba Yaga has iron teeth and a long hooked nose and spends her days flying around in a mortar, paddling the air with a pestle, and hanging out in her hut, which walks around the forest on chicken legs. Italy has an equally haggard—but much friendlier—old woman, La Befana, who delivers presents to well-behaved kids on the eve of Epiphany (January 5th). La Befana rides a broomstick that she uses to clean up the ash she scatters when she drops into houses through their chimneys. She stuffs good kids' stockings full of candy and presents and gives bad kids coal, garlic, or a stick. And even if she hasn’t made a mess coming in, La Befana always sweeps the floor before she goes, symbolically sweeping away the problems of the year before. Most Italians leave her a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food. But beware, if she catches you sneaking a peek at her, she’ll thump you with her broomstick before she leaves. CHRISTKIND Calsidyrose/Flickr Christkind, which translates as "Christ child," was originally promoted as a holiday figure by Martin Luther during the Protestant Reformation in order to discourage the popular figure of Saint Nicholas. Sometimes called Christkindl, the child is usually portrayed as spritely and almost feminine—blonde and cherubic with wings. While Christkind is supposed to be the incarnation of the baby Jesus, the child is often portrayed by girls and young women at Christmas Markets and other events. Christkind is the traditional gift-bringer in much of Central Europe and delivers gifts on the 24th of December. In Steyr, Austria, a wax statue of Christkind stands in the town church, and the post office answers mountains of letters that children send to the figure. In Austria and parts of Germany it is traditional for kids to wait outside the living room on Christmas Eve; a bell rings to tell them when they can enter to see the decorated tree and the presents that the Christkind has delivered. GNOMES Calsidyrose/Flickr In Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, a Christmas gnome or elf brings kids holiday gifts. Called a tomte (in Sweden) or a nisse (in Norway and Denmark), this gnome is portrayed as a tiny man, no bigger than three feet tall, with a long white beard, a belted woolen tunic, a conical red hat, and a pet pig. He lives in houses and barns, guarding the home, family, and animals from evil and misfortune. But if he feels insulted, he will plays tricks, steal from the family, and even harm livestock. Traditionally, the tomte brings gifts to the door, and people leave him a bowl of porridge with butter to show their gratitude. In Denmark, he’s often seen without a beard, dressed in red and grey. Norwegians believe he has four fingers, pointed ears, and eyes that reflect light in the dark like a cat's. He’s very strong and despises disrespectful behavior and laziness. In Finland there is a similar character called the Yule goat, which was originally an animal (as its name suggests) but now looks like the same gnome found in neighboring countries. ICELANDIC TRADITIONS: OGRES, YULE LADS AND CATS Calsidyrose/Flickr Across the Atlantic, in Iceland, people celebrate a unique cadre of holiday creatures. According to local tradition, Gryla, a terrible ogress, and her 13 sons, the Yule Lads, come down from the mountain at Christmastime. Gryla is in search of naughty children to boil, and her precocious young trolls are in search of ways to make mischief. But Gryla can only get her paws on naughty kids and can only keep them if they’re unrepentant; kids who realize the error of their ways are allowed to escape. Every evening of the 13 nights of Christmas, from December 23rd to epiphany, Icelandic kids leave a shoe on their bedroom window, and one of the yuletide lads fills it with sweets and small gifts, if the child has been good, or rotting vegetables, if the child has been bad. Icelandic kids and adults also look out for the Christmas cat—enormous and black, it prowls the country on Christmas Eve and eats anyone who doesn’t receive a new piece of clothing for Christmas, no matter their age. NOW WATCH: 'Fashion Santa' is for the moms
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This futuristic school in Hong Kong has a kaleidoscopic gym and a track that winds around buildings
Henning + Larsen The French International School’s (FIS) Tseung Kwan O campus, located in Hong Kong, won't open until 2018, but its attention to sustainability and playful design are already light years ahead of the average. Once the school opens, kids will be free to run on a winding 400-meter track, play in a kaleidoscopic gymnasium, and learn inside open-concept classrooms. Danish architecture firm Henning + Larsen recently unveiled its designs for the K-12 school, which design director Louis Becker tells Tech Insider were personalized for Hong Kong's drier, temperate climate. It's a wonder in education design. THE SCHOOL IS A TOWERING, OPEN-AIR STRUCTURE THAT REGULATES ITS INTERNAL TEMPERATURE LARGELY THROUGH INSULATED WALLS AND PASSING BREEZES. Henning + Larsen Throughout much of the year in Hong Kong, the temperature is mild and dry. "We can use that to have a lot of outdoor spaces," Becker says. Dotting the campus are dozens of plants, trees, and hanging gardens. The jogging track itself isn't a standard oval but a spaghetti-like course that weaves in and out of the buildings. IN THE BACK OF THE CAMPUS IS A STRUCTURE KNOWN AS THE "VILLA," WHICH IS WHERE ALL THE CLASSROOMS ARE LOCATED. Henning + Larsen The Villa features airy balconies and the primary hanging gardens. The classrooms aren't separated by fixed walls and doors, but rather loosely divided by playful barriers. The botanical garden allows for outdoor study of environmental phenomena, such as rainwater collection and plant biology. BECKER SAYS THE STYLE WILL MIMIC THE GREEK AGORA, WHICH ONCE SERVED AS THE CENTER FOR SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL LIFE. Henning + Larsen While typical classrooms feature one teacher lecturing to a couple dozen students, the story is much different at FIS. Instead, dual teachers instruct in a wide-open environment, more similar to the gymnasiums found throughout Europe. Students can learn from one another and guide their own education, rather than always relying on teachers. SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER
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How To Help Refugees In Greece This Holiday Season
ATHENS, Greece -- More than a million migrants and refugees have made their way to Europe this year, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.
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The year of the refugee: Epic journeys of a million migrants who came to the EU in 2015
More than one million refugees and migrants arrived in the European Union in 2015, while almost 3,700 died or went missing in perilous journeys which reaped huge profit for smugglers, according to the International Organisation for Migration. "This is three to four times as many migrants and refugees coming north as we had in 2014, and the deaths have far surpassed the deaths last year," IOM chief William Lacy Swing told Reuters. Out of a total of 1,005,504 arrivals to Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Malta and Cyprus by 21 December 2015, the vast majority – 816,752 – arrived by sea in Greece, IOM said.
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10 things you need to know today (spy, spx, qqq, dia, nke, mu)
Here is what you need to know. TRADING HOURS FOR CHINA'S YUAN WILL DOUBLE STARTING IN JANUARY. The trading hours for onshore yuan are set to double beginning in January. Action will last until 11:30 p.m. Beijing time, but the 4:30 p.m. price will still be considered the close, Bloomberg says, citing the People's Bank of China. The PBOC hopes the extension of trading will increase liquidity in the yuan as it readies for its inclusion in the International Monetary Fund's reserves basket. China's yuan ended little changed at 6.4776 per dollar. UK GDP MISSED ESTIMATES. Britain's final reading on third-quarter gross domestic product printed up 0.4% quarter-over-quarter, a bit lower than the earlier print of 0.5% QoQ. On a year-over-year basis, the UK economy expanded at a 2.1% clip, shy of the previous look of 2.3%. There was a bit of good news, however, as the country's current account balance narrowed to £17.4 billion ($25.8 billion) for the third quarter, against an expected shortfall of £21.5 billion ($31.9 billion). The British pound is stronger by 0.4% at 1.4885. WTI CRUDE OIL WAS BRIEFLY TRADING AT A PREMIUM TO BRENT. The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil hit $36.33 a barrel, briefly ticking above the $36.29 for Brent crude oil. This marked the first time since November 2014 that WTI was trading at a premium to Brent, and only the second such occurrence since 2010. Both energy components are now trading near $36.65 a barrel. GREECE RECEIVED A BAILOUT PAYMENT. International creditors paid Greece $1 billion after the troubled country met the demands of tougher economic reform imposed by its third bailout program. "With the disbursement of 1 billion euros, the ESM is supporting the Greek government in its reform process," European Stability Mechanism managing director Klaus Regling said in a statement. Greece's 10-year yield is up 5 basis points at 7.94%. RUSSIA IS ISSUING COMMEMORATIVE BANK NOTES WITH CRIMEA ON THEM. The Central Bank of Russia has announced it will issue commemorative 100-ruble notes featuring the federal cities of Sevastopol and the Republic of Crimea. The announcement comes nearly two years after Russia reentered the Crimean peninsula with special forces disguised as "self-defense units." Russia annexed Crimea in March of 2014. Western governments responded by placing economic sanctions on Russia. NIKE POSTED AN EARNINGS BEAT. The sneaker giant announced earnings of $0.90 a share, beating the Wall Street consensus of $0.86. Revenue rose 4.1% to $7.7 billion, a tad shy of the $7.8 billion that was anticipated. Sales in China were a bright spot, surging 34% in the second quarter, excluding currency adjustments. Nike says futures orders climbed 20% when accounting for currency fluctuations, which was far better than the 13.6% gain that was expected. "We see tremendous opportunity ahead as we enter an Olympic and European Championships year with a full pipeline of inspiring innovation for athletes everywhere," Nike president and CEO Mark Parker said in the earnings release. LOWER SELLING PRICES WEIGHED ON MICRON'S REVENUE. The chipmaker earned $0.24 a share, topping the Wall Street estimate by a penny. Revenue plunged 26.7% to $3.35 billion, shy of the $3.47 billion that was expected. The drop in revenue was largely a result of the 13% decline in DRAM average selling prices. "While conditions in some market segments are challenging, we believe long-term industry fundamentals are healthy, and we remain focused on the deployment of our advanced DRAM and 3D NAND technologies and products," Micron CEO Mark Durcan said in the earnings release. SANTA CLAUS IS LIFTING MARKETS AROUND THE WORLD. Spain's IBEX (+2.3%) leads the gains in Europe after Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+1%) paced the advance in Asia. S&P 500 futures are up 6.00 points at 2,042.00. US PERSONAL SPENDING LEAKED EARLY. November personal spending rose 0.3%, or $40.2 billion, matching economists' forecasts. October's reading saw a small downward revision to flat, from its previous look of up 0.1%. As for the early release, Bureau of Economic Analysis spokeswomen Jeannine Aversa said in an emailed statement, "BEA will take steps to ensure that this does not happen again and will take all appropriate action to safeguard economic data." ECONOMIC DATA IS HEAVY. Personal income, core PCE prices, and durable orders are all due out at 8:30 a.m. ET, and they will be followed by University of Michigan consumer sentiment and new-home sales at 10 a.m. ET. US crude-oil inventories are scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. ET release. The US 10-year yield is up 1 basis point at 2.25%. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Jim Cramer blasts the Fed’s Bullard and Lockhart for ‘not caring about the facts'
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.businessinsider.com |
Migrant crisis: 13 people drown as boat capsizes off GREECE
At least 13 people, most of them children, drowned when their boat capsized in the Aegean Sea between Turkey and GREECE, officials say. Another 15 ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bbc.co.uk |
GREECE Legalizes Same-Sex Unions
GREECE'S parliament voted 193 to 56 to approve same-sex civil unions following a fiery 10-hour debate, reported Politico. Outside the government ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.advocate.com |
Greek doctors' long hours 'break EU law', ECJ decides ...
On-call duty extended the time Greek doctors are required to be at work, the ECJ said. The ruling also criticised the Greek practice of postponing the 24 ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bbc.co.uk |
Tender for major GREEK port is concluded
No more bids can be submitted for the major GREEK port Piraeus, in which companies including Cosco and APM Terminals have shown an interest, ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT shippingwatch.com |
Minister of Endowment lauds GREEK parliament's recognition of Palestine
Egyptian Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa lauded Wednesday the GREEK parliament's recognition of the state of Palestine ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dailynewsegypt.com |
Greece 2015: The Doomed Year in Politics
Forty-one years after the restoration of democracy in Greece, 2015 saw the biggest political change in the history of the Hellenic Republic. It was also the year that Greece came closer than ever to be forced out of the Eurozone. On January 25, 2015 the majority of Greek people gave their vote to the
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
S&P: Greece in Risk of Default in 2016
The risk of a Greek default has not disappeared yet, according to a Standard & Poor’s new report. According to the analysis, the political reactions to the painful third Greek bailout program is the number one risk that the country currently is facing. The government needs to implement unpopular reforms, including cuts to pensions and
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
Five children amongst 10 dead after migrant boat sinks off GREECE coast
At least 820,000 refugees and economic migrants have reached GREECE'S eastern islands this year, risking the dangerous sea crossing in frail boats ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.independent.ie |
Police deny report that Paris suspects arrested in Austria passed through GREECE
Police have denied a report in German newspaper Die Welt that two men that were arrested in Austria over suspected links to last month's terrorist ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
Another migrant tragedy as 10 people drown off GREEK islet
GREEK coastguard officials said that the tragic incident took place earlier today, and another 13 people, 11 men and two women, were rescued.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT neurope.eu |
Twenty-Two Migrants Drown off GREEK Coast in Two More Shipwrecks
Fifteen of the passengers were saved by rescuers while another two are still missing, according to GREEK authorities. Three of the survivors were in a ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.breitbart.com |
7 Children Drown Off Greek Island On Way To Europe
Its neighbor, Greece, which is a gateway to the EU, is also trying to rebuff criticism that it has done too little to manage the people arriving on its shores.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.huffingtonpost.com |
Suspected drug trafficker arrested in GREECE
A suspected drug trafficker who had been on the run from the police for over a year has been arrested in GREECE, a police official has confirmed.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT in-cyprus.com |
Seven migrant children, six adults drown off Greek island ...
Another 15 people - 13 men and two women - were rescued and taken for health checks to the nearby island of Leros, where Greece has set up dozens of ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.reuters.com |
GREEK Financial Crisis Negatively Impacting Mental Health of GREEK Citizens
The GREEK financial crisis has not only impacted the economy like some want to think, because a survey is reporting that the people in Greece are ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT gazettereview.com |
GREEK Parliament Legalizes Same-Sex Civil Unions
GREEK Parliament Legalizes Same-Sex Civil Unions. The bill passed overwhelming in a late-night session. “This is an important day for human rights,” ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.buzzfeed.com |
Seven children among 13 killed as migrant boat sinks off GREEK island
A small plastic boat carrying migrants from Turkey has sunk off an eastern GREEK island, drowning at least 13 people, mostly children, GREEK ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk |
PM: Recalling Greek ambassador was unnecessary gesture
… Milos Zeman´s statements about Greece. Zeman recently said the Czech … reason why Greece recalled its ambassador Panayotis Sarris, the Greek embassy told CTK yesterday. Sobotka said this is Greece´s …
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT world.einnews.com |
Seven children among 13 drowned drown off of Greek coast
The drownings of 13 refugees are the latest in an ongoing exodus from the war-ravaged Middle East, particularly Syria and Iraq. More than 800,000 have reached Greece in 2015 and nearly 3,700 have drowned.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dw.com |
GREECE awaits Turkish go-ahead for deportations
A total of 136 people, mainly economic migrants from Morocco who arrived in GREECE after crossing the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast, will be ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com |
UK economy weaker than expected
Analysts believe growth figures of 0.4% mean no interest rate rise until well into 2016 1.23pm GMT GREECE HAS RECEIVED €1BN FROM THE EU BAILOUT FUND, THE EUROPEAN STABILITY MECHANISM AFTER COMPLETING A SECOND SET OF REFORM MILESTONES. The money will be used for debt service, budget financing and co-financing projects funded by EU structural funds. The ESM has also handed over €5.4bn for bank recapitalistation. In A STATEMENT the ESM said: ESM Managing Director Klaus Regling said: “With the disbursement of €1 billion, the ESM is supporting the Greek government in its reform process. The reforms cover a wide array of policy fields that are important to modernise the Greek economy. Notable examples include measures to stimulate competition in the energy sector, which should bring down prices, as well as a new law to help banks manage their exposure to non-performing assets, which will free liquidity and boost economic activity. Mr Regling added: “I hope the good cooperation with our Greek partners will continue, so that the first review of the ESM programme can be completed in early 2016. Only a successful conclusion of this review can lead to discussions on further debt relief for Greece, as the Eurogroup has said before.” 1.20pm GMT DESPITE THE WEAK GDP FIGURES, A RATE RISE FROM THE BANK OF ENGLAND IS STILL EXPECTED NEXT YEAR, EVEN IF NOT IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE. Calum Bennie, savings expert at Scottish Friendly said: Growth may be fragile but it is continuing and so attention will turn to an interest rate rise at some point in 2016. This is yet another sign that the party could be over for cheap borrowing. The guests may still be in the room but the music has stopped and with interest rate rises on the horizon borrowers have to prepare now for the very real possibility of larger debt repayments in 2016. People need to turn their attention to putting money aside to reduce any risks to their financial future as there is a degree of uncertainty ahead. Continue reading...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com |
Greek Cafe on Lesvos Offers Shelter to Stray Dogs
A cafe on the Mytilene port of Lesvos island is opening its doors at 3 am every night to offer stray dogs shelter from the cold. The cafe – named Hott Spot, after the refugee registration center operating on the island – allows homeless dogs to escape the winter temperatures so they can use the sofas and
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com |
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