How the world sees Greece
Amnesty International condemned the European government for failing to adequately help stranded migrants. The build-up of thousands of migrants and refugees on Greece's northern borders is fast turning into a humanitarian disaster, the United Nations said ...
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The eurozone and the International Monetary Fund are on Wednesday night to make another effort to reach some convergence on the matter GREECE, ...
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High arrivals, tighter borders and pressure on Greece where many are stranded prompt warnings of a looming crisis.
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Authorities in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) have reinforced security measures in a no-man’s land on the frontier between Greece and FYROM in order to avert another attempt by migrants and refugees to break through the barriers and enter the country, local media reported on Tuesday. The Skopje government has significantly increased the
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The United Nations refugee agency warns Europe is on the verge of an explosive self-induced humanitarian crisis, which could spiral out of control and result in widespread violence. The agency reports the number of refugees and migrants in Greece in need of shelter has soared to 24,000. This, it says, includes around 9,000 people stranded
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BROOKLYN – The fans of opera love their art form passionately, but to thrive in America it must attract new fans, especially among the young. That calls for new ideas –LoftOpera is generating them in Brooklyn– and fresh talent like Eleni Calenos, who brought her passion and fine soprano voice from Greece. Born […]
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IDOMENI, Greece — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says border restrictions being imposed in Europe to stem the flow of migrants “are not in line with international law or with common human decency.” Ban made the comments Tuesday in Madrid after Greek police said up to 10,000 mostly Syrian and Iraqi refugees were stuck at the […]
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About 1,000 migrants are stuck in Serbia at present, the acting head of the country’s police force, Vladimir Rebic, has said on Tuesday, according to Tanjug. Approximately the same number of migrants were waiting at the border with Macedonia to enter Serbia, Tanjug quoted Rebic as saying at a meeting of police directors and border police chiefs from Serbia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia. One of the objectives of the meeting was to ensure a migrant flow that would alleviate migration pressure at Greece’s border with Macedonia, Tanjug said. An estimated 7,000 to 10,000 migrants and refugees were stuck on the Greek side of the border as of Tuesday, newswires reported. The backlog of migrants in Greece has built up over the past 10 days after several European nations, led by Austria, capped the number of migrants they would take in. EU members Slovenia and Croatia, as well as non-EU Macedonia and Serbia announced last week that they would limit the number of asylum seekers allowed to enter their territory to 580 a day.
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The United Nations refugee agency is warning that Europe is on the brink of a self-inflicted crisis as tens of thousands of economic migrants and refugees become stranded in Greece. Austria and several Balkan states have effectively closed their borders to ...
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The build-up of thousands of migrants and refugees on Greece's northern borders is fast turning into a humanitarian disaster, the United Nations said on Tuesday as the European Union prepared to offer more financial aid. German Chancellor Angela Merkel ...
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Facts reminding us of past centuries are taking place during the last months in Greece due to the refugee crisis. And that's why some 2,000 weary refugees arrive every day in Greece where they get trapped, being forced to survive under bad and unhealthy circumstances. Just a walk in the center of Athens, and more specifically at Victoria Square is enough to give us an image of the prevailing situation, at the same time when millions of refugees find accommodation in the passenger terminals at the port of Piraeus. Last Monday afternoon, while I was passing by that place, my sight caught a little child sleeping on the concrete without protection from the sunlight. I stood there, looked at the backpacks that his family had left there, and wondered what they must have gone through until they arrived in Greece, planning to travel to some other country of central Europe. After some minutes two children, a boy and a girl went close to a girl some years younger than them. I suppose that they were siblings. Barefoot and with dirty uniforms, they sat on the concrete and started drawing. When a lady standing next to me offered them sweets, I saw a bright smile lightening their faces and I also smiled to them spontaneously, in the sight of the majesty of child innocence. The little girl responded to my smile while unfolding the wrapper of the sweet, making thus my day. The situation is equally bad for the refugees staying in other places of the Greek capital city like the former national airport of Athens in Elliniko, which has been transformed into a hosting place. I was there last Sunday afternoon and what I saw did not resemble a European city at all. The elder people where sad, having an expression which was confessing all their tiredness, disappointment and resignation. [2016-03-01-1456835747-6765097-photo_refugees1.jpg] On the other hand, the children were playing, singing and looking at the hands of the people who entered the yard of the airport holding bags, hoping that they were bringing them food. [2016-03-01-1456835803-9730554-photo_refugees2.jpg] While I was going up the stairs towards the room where these people are accommodated, I felt a stench, which became even more intense when I entered the room. In there, I saw people abandoned in a huge room with complete lack of hygiene, something which caused this awful smell. The few people taking care of these tormented individuals were some volunteers and a doctor which were offering their help on their own initiative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCphpX5ZEms&feature=youtu.be While I was wandering in the place, I was more and more ascertained of the complete absence of the state, as regards the cleanliness of the public places being used by thousands of people who were forced to gather any possessions they had in their destroyed country, hoping to find a better future in the Old World. Baring in mind that the number of the refugees being transferred at the former airport is growing every day, this situation is very dangerous for their health and must be confronted immediately. [2016-03-01-1456836338-9057573-refugees_crisis1.PNG] On my way out, while I was crossing the yard of the airport I saw many taxis waiting on a queue probably for a refugee-client. While I was passing by them a young man asked me something in a language that I did not understand- Arabian probably- and showed me a taxi. Then, a taxi driver standing close to him said "she is Greek" and then the young "linguist" turned his sight away from me. I don't know if it has to do with some "circuit" which takes advantage of the necessity of the refugees in order to gain money- in the last months we have heard of many such cases in Greece- but this "cooperation" seemed very suspicious to me... [2016-03-01-1456835962-307741-photo_refugees5.jpg] Not to mention that this is a classical method by which many financial deals are made here in Greece, something which confirms the lack of state acts, which would prohibit the financial exploitation of the refugees. The only thing that I can say with certainty is that despite this unpleasant situation which tends to get worse every day, a huge movement of solidarity has been organized by Greek and foreign volunteers, aiming to satisfy the needs of all those people that the state has totally abandoned. [2016-03-01-1456835873-2154727-photo_refugees3.jpg] [2016-03-01-1456836017-4672631-photo_refugees6.jpg] Photo and video credits: Kelly Fanarioti -- 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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On February 22, 2016, Isa Mustafa, the Prime Minister of Kosovo made a speech at the Oxford Union, addressing a range of political, geopolitical and socioeconomic issues in Kosovo and the historical legacies that underpin them. Mustafa, the former mayor of Pristina (Kosovo's capital city) from December 2007 to December 2013 became Kosovo's Prime Minister on December 9, 2014 and is the current leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo Party. Below is a synopsis of Mustafa's thoughts on recent developments in Kosovo and its progress towards economic modernization and European integration: MUSTAFA ON KOSOVO'S INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION AS AN INDEPENDENT STATE Mustafa hailed the success of the status negotiations that began in 2007, in giving Kosovo widespread international recognition. While 111 countries have recognized Kosovo's right to independence and Kosovo has integrated itself into major international institutions like the IMF and World Bank, five EU countries still view Kosovo as merely a part of Serbia. These five countries are Spain, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and Cyprus. Countries have opposed Kosovo's independence on the grounds that the secession of Kosovo from Serbia would create instability in the Balkans and potentially result in the displacement of non-Albanian minorities. Mustafa emphasizes safeguards for minorities and the Kosovo government's positive human rights record as proof that these claims are unfounded. Mustafa believes that Spain has been vocal about resisting Kosovo's independence because its own problems with separatism. Mustafa notes that Spain's opposition to Kosovo's independence does not necessarily mean that it is hostile to Kosovo's interests. He traveled to Madrid in 2015 as representative of the European Peoples Parties Congress, and while his speech did not draw attention to Spain's position on Kosovo's independence, there was no objection amongst the Spanish audience to Kosovo's European integration efforts or the display of the Kosovo flag. Greece's opposition can be explained by its historic alliance with Serbia, though Mustafa noted that Greece and Kosovo still have favorable relations. Cyprus's opposition can be regarded as a consequence of being intertwined with Greece; while in Mustafa's view, there is no discernible strategic reason for the resistance of Slovakia and Romania. Russia's opposition to Kosovo's independence can also be explained by its long-standing alliance with Serbia, and while Mustafa believes that Russia is very unlikely to compromise on Kosovo, Kosovo can still ameliorate tensions with Moscow by normalizing relations with Serbia. MUSTAFA ON RECENT POLITICAL UNREST IN KOSOVO Mustafa, when asked about whether he intends to resign as Prime Minister on February 27, vehemently defended his government's record against opposition criticisms. He drew attention to two landmark agreements forged in Brussels and Vienna: the first relating to the establishment of Serb enclaves in Kosovo and the second relating to Kosovo's ongoing border dispute with Montenegro. He argues that despite these agreements, the current political crisis is attributable in large part to the opposition's failure to engage in open discussions over vital issues of Kosovo's territorial integrity. In addition to criticizing opposition figures, Mustafa emphasized his legitimate right to remain Prime Minister of Kosovo, by noting that his government has 87 MPs of the 120 in the elected Kosovo parliament, with 31 MPs representing the opposition and 2 MPs being independents. While democracy cannot be measured purely by electoral math, Mustafa believes that his retention of power despite mass protests respects Kosovo's democracy. The Democratic League of Kosovo and Mustafa's leadership would prefer not to work with a big coalition, as a coalition of many parties leaves some minority opposition parties feeling marginalized, sentiments which can create instability. The establishment of a specialized court to prosecute war criminals necessitated the creation of a large coalition, as achieving this would require a 2/3 majority. Sweeping political reforms have given the opposition a coherent voice over Kosovo's internal politics, which makes his opponents' exclusion arguments disconnected from realities on the ground. MUSTAFA ON SERBIAN MAJORITY ENCLAVES IN KOSOVO One controversial issue that Mustafa cited as playing a major role in inspiring the current unrest in Kosovo is the establishment of ethnic Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo to guarantee Serbs decision-making power. Mustafa notes that Serbs are only 5% of Kosovo's population, and therefore these enclaves do not threaten the territorial integrity of Kosovo. He also insists that the safeguards afforded to ethnic minorities in Kosovo and Serbs in particular, supersede those given to ethnic Albanian minorities in other jurisdictions, and the well being of minorities can be proven by their support for Kosovo's independence from Serbia. MUSTAFA ON KOSOVO'S BORDER DISPUTE WITH MONTENEGRO Mustafa argues that Kosovo's border dispute with Montenegro has been the subject of severe politicization, to rally nationalist feelings. Building on tactics used to invoke anti-Serbian nationalism, opposition figures have accused the Mustafa government of giving away land for free to Montenegro. Mustafa refuted these allegations by claiming that not even one square meter of Kosovo's land has been freely given to Montenegro. He admitted that the methodology behind the determination of the Kosovo-Montenegro border was under challenge. In former Yugoslavia, the border was an administrative rather than a state border, so a substantial adjustment in legislation has been necessary to take this fact into account. Mustafa cited Western assistance in setting the Kosovo-Montenegro border as proof that his government did not unilaterally give up territory for political purposes. He notes that British, German and American experts provided compelling support for his claims. These experts took into account opposition concerns and provided an impartial assessment, which Mustafa, as Prime Minister of Kosovo has faithfully upheld. Mustafa on Kosovo's Youth Unemployment Crisis Mustafa argues that Kosovo is facing a severe challenge raising economic growth (currently averaging 3% per annum) to a level that can seamlessly integrate 30,000 new workers into its labor market. Kosovo's government has set an ambitious target of doubling economic growth in the medium-term and tripling it in the long run. Mustafa attributes the youth unemployment crisis in Kosovo to severe disinvestment dating back to the Cold War era of a multi-ethnic Yugoslavian federation. Mustafa describes Slobodan Milosevic's regime, which ruled Yugoslavia from 1989-1999, as an apartheid system. Milosevic disenfranchised Kosovar Albanian youths by excluding them from the national education system, leaving them with the sole option of being tutored at home. Attempts to diversify and change the structure of Kosovo's economy have temporarily exacerbated the youth unemployment crisis, as while the mining sector and some large companies existed, the bulk of Kosovo's post-war economy was dominated by infant industries. Kosovo's trade balance is also skewed in a pernicious way for long-term prosperity, as it requires a high volume of imports with little manufacturing capacity for exports. Mustafa claims that the 30% official unemployment statistic in Kosovo overstates actual levels of joblessness, as including the informal economy would reduce levels to 23%. Credit guarantees have helped ameliorate the crisis and the Kosovo government has made efforts to target young women, who have been especially disenfranchised. Mustafa believes that European integration and incentivizing student exchanges could assist young Kosovars in finding jobs, and progress towards these objectives would make a major impact as Kosovo has the youngest population in Europe. MUSTAFA ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF KOSOVO Mustafa believes that Kosovo has considerable economic growth potential, with the agriculture sector being an especially important driver of economic expansion. Grants and subsidies have been crucial to the modernization of Kosovo's rural areas, with 70% of the agricultural land being privatized from cooperatives that existed previously. Subsidizing agricultural production without subsidizing the landowners is key to reducing inequality in rural Kosovo. Overall, Kosovo's rural modernization project has been successful with almost all the arable land being processed and the EBRD has been working closely with Kosovo's government on expanding irrigation networks. Kosovo's government has also developed fiscal policies to ensure the dominance of formal sellers in the agriculture sector. Kosovo's National Democratic Strategy and IMF budget for 2015 have focused more on savings, revenue extraction and on dismantling the informal economy. The construction of a major power plant and the expansion of Kosovo's tourism industry could be vital for successful long-term economic development. The IT sector has also been considered as a possible employer for many young Kosovars struggling to find jobs. The Brezovica ski resort is a particularly notable success that has highlighted Kosovo's appeal as a tourism destination. Kosovo's government under Mustafa has cooperated closely with a French consortium to build hotels and ski lifts, infrastructure projects worth an estimated 415 million euros. This project could hire 3,000 young Kosovars, and provide a major boost to the national economy. Mustafa believes that tourism to Kosovo will increase as foreigners realize that it is a safe travel destination. He noted that there have been no major violent incidents against foreign tourists to Kosovo since the 1999 war. Mustafa on Kosovo's EU Visa Liberalization Plans Kosovo has taken many crucial steps towards European integration in recent years. Under the Stabilization and Association Agreement, Kosovo's businesses have established their presence in EU countries, which has given the country's private sector the ability to compete in a market of 500 million consumers. These infant industries have struggled to gain a visa to operate in Europe, a problem, which has restricted Kosovo's development. Mustafa believes that as of September 2015, Kosovo has acceded to 95% of the requirements for EU visa liberalization. Completing the visa liberalization process will be vital for the 700,000 Kosovars who live in Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia to be able to integrate with and invest in their ancestral homeland. MUSTAFA ON ETHNIC VIOLENCE AND EXTREMISM IN KOSOVO Mustafa believes that Kosovo's government has enacted highly effective policies to combat extremism and restrict ethnic violence. Even though Kosovo is a religiously diverse country consisting of Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Catholics, inter-faith violence has been kept in check since the 1999 Kosovo War. Kosovo's citizens have been banned from partaking in foreign wars, and have developed legal institutions. US Secretary of State John Kerry described Kosovo as a leader in the struggle against extremism and terrorism. The legacy of the Kosovo War, which resulted in the displacement of 1 million Kosovars to Albania, Turkey and the Western world, remains an obstacle. Mustafa regards the dislocations and violence that occurred in Kosovo under Milosevic to be comparable to the refugee crisis in Syria. As a result of ethnic violence and the Yugoslav wars, Mustafa acknowledged that many monuments, including mosques and churches were destroyed. There have been incidences of violence like the ethnic violence, which followed the drowning of an Albanian child in the Mitrovits River in 2004. The Ministry of Culture has undertaken measures to rebuild destroyed monuments; and Kosovo has cooperated extensively with UNESCO on this politically sensitive issue. -- 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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There are more and more refugees at Europe’s gates, but teargas and barbed wire are not the answer Europe is approaching the point where the only way to control desperate migrants could soon be the regular use of physical force. Scenes of violence this week on the Greek-Macedonian border, where refugees breached a border fence with a homemade battering ram, and in Calais, where police fired teargas at people protesting against the demolition of their shelters, suggest we are close to a line that we absolutely must not cross. Europe is already guilty of causing the deaths of many migrants by giving them, in effect, no alternative except to risk their lives at sea or on the tracks leading into the Channel tunnel. That is bad enough, and a stain on the record, but to actually battle with migrants in this way is worse. Who can doubt that, if it continues, there will be deaths and injuries? Another kind of violence, in the shape of attacks on those who have reached a supposedly safe haven and are in hostels and centres in Germany and elsewhere, compounds the offence. Continue reading...
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To suggest that Brussels engineered the downfall of governments in Italy and Greece is a distortion The EU’s allegedly undemocratic nature has become one of the most potent arguments in the coming referendum. It is a rallying cry for Eurosceptics of right and left. Boris Johnson has slammed the EU for being “increasingly anti-democratic”. Iain Duncan Smith, another leading Tory Eurosceptic, says he was horrified when Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian premier, was replaced by an administration of unelected technocrats in 2011. He told the Sunday Telegraph he raised the topic in a cabinet meeting: “I said, am I the only one here that feels distinctly uneasy about Big Brother turning around to the elected government and saying, you must go?” Related: Why should Iain Duncan Smith have access to EU referendum papers? | Archie Bland The most extreme critique of the EU, though, is that it has brought down elected governments Related: Europe’s growing tensions show us exactly why we need the EU | Natalie Nougayrède Continue reading...
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(ANSAmed) - SKOPJE, MARCH 1 - Macedonia strengthened security along its southern border with Greece on Tuesday after violent clashes the previous day between migrants and police. A contingent of 700 men, an infantry battalion and a police unit with armored ...
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Authorities slash ferry services to Athens’ port of Piraeus claiming capital overwhelmed amid new arrivals
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Austria and nine Balkan countries met in Vienna last week to consider ways migrants from war-torn Middle Eastern countries could be prevented from traveling north into Europe through Greece. It’s just the latest in a series of unilateral moves across ...
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The GREEK Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades sent a letter to the Dutch EU Presidency asking for Turkish to be made the European Union's (EU) 25th ...
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On the GREEK-Macedonian border, refugees stormed a border fence, pulling away barbed wire as Macedonian police fired tear gas into the crowd.
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Young and old, GREEK or not, Alaskans are invited to celebrate GREEK culture with an evening filled with food, dancing and fun at the second annual ...
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The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet French President Francois Hollande in Paris on March 4 to prepare for a European Union summit with Turkey. Merkel views diplomacy with Turkey as the key to reducing the influx of migrants to European Union member Greece. She is resisting pressure for national restrictions like the […]
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IDOMENI— Senior police officials from countries along the so-called Balkan migrant corridor have agreed to work together to establish a flow of migrants along the route that will ease the pressure at the border between Greece and FYROM. Officials from FYROM, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria said Tuesday that control of the region’s borders […]
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The Greek government said it would set the maximum ceiling for an accumulated monthly social security payment at 3,088 euros tops.
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The EU will allocate 700 million euros in emergency humanitarian aid to countries affected by the ongoing refugee crisis, particularly Greece,
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NICOSIA – Victoras Papadopoulos, the Deputy Government Spokesman “has made it clear that for the Greek Cypriot side the return of the now occupied town of Morphou is a prerequisite of any solution to the Cyprus problem,” CNA reported. Papadopoulos said in a written statement he explains that it is “a long standing position of […]
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Letter from Athens War-Monger Henry Kissinger has one. War-Perpetuator Barack Obama has one. The European Union, which stands by and lets tragedies happen and turns a blind eye to human rights offenses in Turkey, has one. So too does the Useless Nations and its one-time Secretary-General, the scandalized Kofi Annan, who haven’t brought conflict […]
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For his work Stutterer, Michael Paleodimos joined the rest of the crew and cast in celebrating their winning an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.
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LOS ANGELES, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Responding to customer interest for more variety and premium flavors, Southern California restaurants are now offering Breakfast Bowls and Chobani® Greek Yogurt in its parfaits and McCafé Smoothies. View photo ...
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Athens asks EU for €480m in emergency funds as Brussels prepares for two key summits and aid agencies condemn ‘unconscionable’ response to influx Aid agencies and NGOs have said Europe’s “unconscionable” response to the refugee crisis is ...
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Athens, March 1, 2016/ Independent Balkan News Agency By Zacharias Petrou A working dinner with the participation of the International Monetary Fund, possibly represented by Paul Thomsen, Eurogroup officials and other representatives of Greece’s creditors will reportedly be held Wednesday evening in Brussels aiming at bridging differences of opinion between the European Union creditor institutions […]
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Nicosia, March 1, 2016/Independent Balkan News Agency Deputy Government Spokesman Victoras Papadopoulos has made it clear that for the Greek Cypriot side the return of the now occupied town of Morphou is a prerequisite of any solution to the Cyprus problem. In a written statement he explains that it is “a long standing position of […]
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Up to 10,000 migrants and refugees were stuck on Greece’s border with Macedonia on Tuesday, waiting to be allowed to continue their journey to western European countries, in which they want to seek asylum, newswires reported. On Monday, Macedonia allowed only 30 refugees to pass, according to The Associated Press. On Tuesday, however, border police has let no one in, citing a similar policy by Serbia. Up to 10,000 people, mostly Syrian and Iraqi refugees, were waiting at Greece’s Idomeni border crossing in deteriorating conditions, according to Greek police estimates. The backlog of migrants into Greece has built up over the past 10 days after several European nations, led by Austria, capped the number of migrants they would take in. EU members Slovenia and Croatia, as well as non-EU Macedonia and Serbia announced last week that they would limit the number of asylum seekers allowed to enter their territory to 580 a day. "These unilateral actions have infuriated Greece and threatened to damage the unity of the 28-nation European Union," according to the newswire. Macedonian police on Monday used tear gas and stun grenades to push back migrants, who tried to break through a barbed wire fence from Greece.
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When I visited Idomeni, a town on the border between Greece and Macedonia, I arrived in the evening and immediately felt as if I had traveled to one of Dante's circles of hell. Thousands of people wandered around the camp, looking for things they needed to make it through the night, from tents to bars of soap. My gaze immediately feel on the sheets rolled up alongside the fences. Inside them were people, families with mothers and young children, even newborns, who had been sleeping in the mud for days. The number of children was overwhelming. No one knows the exact numbers of children trapped in camps where thousands of people --mostly from Syria and Iraq-- have been living under unacceptable conditions ever since the number of trips across the Greek border has been drastically reduced. Three days ago, this camp, which was built to hold up to 1,200 people, now has thousands of people. Most of them are families. They don't have access to any essential services. Their basic needs are neglected. They don't even have access to adequate information. > Thick, acrid smoke rises up in the air, poisoning both body and > soul. It's no surprise that chaos broke out over there, and that a group of migrants broke through the fences in an attempt to cross the border. No one can survive for too long in a place like that, where the most basic human rights are being violated. We are swiftly reminded of the saddest pages in human history from the past century. Everything is arranged around the railway line, which divides the camp in two. Hundreds of small camping tents stretch out as far as the eye can see, each a home to between four and 10 people. When it gets freezing in the evening --even though temperatures in recent days have been a little less harsh-- the entire area is lit up by campfires built out of any accessible scraps, including discarded plastic. Thick, acrid smoke rises up in the air, poisoning both body and soul. There's a clear lack of safety and security. But despite all this, one is struck by people's attempt to maintain a shred of dignity and order amid all the chaos. Dirty, threadbare clothing hangs on the fence; the refugees wore them on their trip, and they've now washed them in bathrooms set up in the camp. > It is a river of men, women and children walking along the edges of > dark roads, risking being run over by passing cars. Twenty-seven kilometers divide the camp in Idomeni from the train station where buses arrive from Athens, which is where hundreds of families wait for their chance to cross the border. They often pay the very last of their savings for a taxi, but most of them can't even afford one, so they simply walk the road on foot. It is a river of men, women and children walking along the edges of dark roads, risking being run over by passing cars. Among them, babies and disabled people. Our workers distribute flashlights non-stop in an attempt to help them deal with the dark, and hand out raincoats and winter clothing for the children. As the Save the Children staff members were attempting to respond to one of the thousands of pleas for help, a woman came over to them, accompanied by a 10 year-old boy in tears, desperate because he couldn't find his parents. In a place like Idomeni, it's easy to be lost, in every sense of the word. _This post first appeared on HuffPost Italy. It has been translated into English and edited for clarity._ -- 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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GENEVA/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The build-up of thousands of migrants and refugees on GREECE'S northern borders is fast turning into a humanitarian ...
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A rapid build-up of arrivals, with 26,500 refugees and migrants trapped in GREECE, has laid bare the Syriza government's lack of preparation, despite ...
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The Greek government declined an invitation to participate in a second meeting of police chiefs from four Balkan countries — Fyrom, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia — along with Austria, which was held on Tuesday in Belgrade on the pressing issue of border controls. The first such meeting was held in […]
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In an exclusive interview with Program Frontal 21 of German state broadcast ZDF, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras described the border closure by several EU-member states as “unacceptable” and threatened for one more time to veto EU decisions at the EU – Turkey Leaders Summit on March 7th 2016. ” […]
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Distressing scenes have been unfolding on Macedonia’s border with Greece, where police have been using tear gas on refugees attempting to break through a razor wire fence designed to keep them out. Given the recent tone of the debate about the migrant crisis, it is all too easy to dismiss this response as heavy handed. But Macedonia is a small state caught up in a domestic crisis of its own. It aspires to join Europe but has seen many of its would-be partners turn their backs on this shared burden. TROUBLE AT HOME Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski was forced to step down in January after a series of recorded telephone conversations was released by the opposition Social Democratic Party, which alleged widespread wiretapping and grave abuses of power by senior government officials. It confirmed widespread suspicions that the national security service had no real oversight and was overstretching its surveillance powers. With the help of the EU and the US, Macedonia’s main political parties have negotiated early parliamentary elections in June. The ruling party’s secretary general Emil Dimitriev is acting as prime minister for the interim government until the elections. There is often a desire to blame the legacy of socialism when problems like these arise in countries like Macedonia. But the politicians implicated in this scandal have embraced a bold anti-communist, anti-Yugoslav discourse. However the entire region, made up of the former Yugoslavia – and indeed some Eastern European states such as Hungary and Poland – has actually witnessed a perpetuation of the worst practices from the socialist period and the abandonment of the positives – many of which could be seen as European values. So we see a lack of media freedom and a blurring between political parties and the state but also weakening welfare states and a loss of social justice, workers' rights and emancipatory values. The Macedonian scandal also revealed electoral fraud and has soured relations somewhat with the EU – not least because the ruling party recently broke off cooperation with EU facilitator Peter Vanhoutte. Hence, the government is increasingly seen as lacking legitimacy by its EU and American partners. SO MUCH FOR SOLIDARITY Then comes the international crisis. Hungary, an EU member state widely criticised for its own type of hybrid authoritarianism, was the first to erect barbed wire fences to stem the inflow of migrants and refugees. This led to a diversion in the migrant route. People trying to reach western Europe trudged through Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. Now Macedonia has erected its own in an attempt to keep out the people trying to cross its border with Greece after travelling across the sea. The recent distressing scenes from the border came after Austria announced that it is introducing new rules that would allow no more than 3,200 migrants and refugees onto its territory per day and impose a daily limit of 80 on the number of asylum claims that can be made. Macedonian foreign minister Nikola Popovski echoed an often repeated concern when he said that these scenes were a consequence of Europe’s fragmented response to the refugee crisis – and, for that matter, the Syrian civil war. While Macedonia, a land-locked country of 2m people, is an EU candidate country, it is not an official member of the Union or the Schengen Area. It is undergoing its own internal political crisis and happens to be on the migrant route. Geographically, this small nation finds itself caught between Greece, the main arrival point for refugees seeking shelter in Europe, and a vast area of countries unwilling to help them. The Visegrad Group of EU countries – Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia – pioneered an anti-Islamic approach to talking about the migrant crisis, warning that the people fleeing Syria could not be culturally accommodated in their lands. They came up with the idea of sealing off their borders with Balkan countries to prevent migrants from coming in. That left the Balkan countries to deal with the situation. They tend to see themselves as victims of a highly incoherent EU approach to the refugee crisis. Although it is not practically possible for Macedonia to play a leading role in handling this crisis, some Balkan governments – including the Macedonian administration – do share some of the fears about the “islamisation” of their countries and of Europe. Some are indeed ideologically close to Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who vocally opposes taking in refugees from Syria for these reasons. At least the general public are striking out on their own. In spite of their corrupt and populist governments, ordinary citizens of Macedonia and of the other countries on the Balkan migrant route have mobilised to help the refugees. These could be seen as acts of solidarity but also as acts of protest against their own government. The disturbing scenes on the Macedonian-Greek border must be viewed as a symptom of a larger European problem. EU member states such as Austria are being allowed to act unilaterally by closing down borders. The group as a whole is failing to forge a unified, humanitarian response that would reflect Europe’s original values. Macedonia aspires to be a member of the European Union. The existing members are hardly setting a good example. [The Conversation] _Ljubica Spaskovska does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above._
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Conditions in Greek prisons and the handling of police abuse allegations have been slammed by a leading European human rights body. According to the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture the situation has “further deteriorated to ...
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GREEK prisoners are exposed to violence from other inmates, do not receive adequate healthcare and are forced to live in cramped conditions, a report ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT sputniknews.com |
But near Idomeni, on the GREEK-Macedonian border itself, a tent city mushroomed, prompting some despair among those trapped there. “Macedonian ...
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Germany is opening the door to a fix for Greece’s latest budget crisis as Chancellor Angela Merkel tries to help the country cope with the burdens of Europe’s refugee influx. QuickTake Europe's Refugee Crisis Germany is willing to grant Greece leeway ...
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Angela Merkel has called for a return to Europe’s Schengen system of open borders as soon as possible. The German chancellor said the pictures of desperate migrants trying to reach western Europe via the Balkans showed the urgency of next Monday’s EU ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.euronews.com |
Migrants have become stranded in GREECE after Austria and countries along the Balkans ... Merkel said the EU should help GREECE deal with the influx.
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.reuters.com |
This is particularly true in a crisis-hit country like GREECE, where our dependence on dirty and expensive fossil fuels is dashing hopes for a swift ...
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| READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.greenpeace.org |
As GREECE is grappling with the influx of refugees, the European Commission is set to announce an emergency programme providing financial ...
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[1280px Greekfire madridskylitzes1]via We Are The Mighty When most think of ancient warfare, nothing more sophisticated than spears, bows, and maybe catapults come to mind. But like in modern warfare, few things breed ingenuity more than the need to outgun the enemy. Here are some of the more elaborate examples: 1. CLAW OF ARCHIMEDES via We Are The Mighty Archimedes, the famed Greek mathematician and inventor, developed a variety of weapons to aid in the defense of his home city of Syracuse, Sicily. This included improved versions of conventional artillery like catapults and ballistas, but he also designed more exotic devices to defend Syracuse’s seawall from attacking Roman ships during the Second Punic War. Though the exact design of the Claw of Archimedes is not known, it is believed to have been a large crane fitted with a gigantic grappling hook. As Roman ships approached the wall, it would be deployed over them, snagging them with the hook, and then lifting the ship at least partially out of the water. When released, the ship would capsize or at least be dropped violently back into the water, damaging the vessel and throwing crewmen overboard. The Roman historian Livy contended that the Roman fleet suffered terrible casualties from this device. A team working for the Discovery Channel recreated the device using technology that would have been available at the time and used it to capsize a replica of a Roman galley, proving that the device could have been effective. 2. HEAT RAY via We Are The Mighty Another of Archimedes inventions–far more controversial and shrouded in mystery–is a form of heat ray designed to set enemy ships on fire. A strategically placed series of mirrors would focus the sun’s rays onto a single point on an enemy ship and ignite it, like a magnifying glass used to ignite paper. Most Roman ships of the era were coated with pitch as a sealant, which would only make the target more flammable. Though some ancient historians record that such a weapon was used during the 212 B.C. siege of Syracuse, attempted recreations conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and others concluded that the weapon was almost ridiculously impractical. It was completely dependent on the position of the sun and a utter lack of cloud cover, and could only function on a completely stationary target due to the time required for it to achieve ignition. Even if it succeeded, at best it could create small, easily extinguishable fires. Regular flaming arrows and catapult ammunition would have far more range and effectiveness, not to mention being easier to deploy.The only practical function such a weapon would have is to use its rays to temporarily blind the crews and marines of the attacking ships. Despite its shortcomings, the novel concept of using light as a lethal weapon presages modern laser technology that is still under development to this day. 3. BIOLOGICAL WARFARE via We Are The Mighty After a series of disputes, the Mongolian Golden Horde laid siege to the Genoese trading city of Caffa in 1346, in what is in the modern day Crimea. The bubonic plague had already started to ravage Crimea, and it rapidly spread to the besieging Mongolian forces, killing thousands. According to the memoirs of the Italian Gabriele de’ Mussi, the Mongolian Khan Janibeg had ordered the bodies of his soldiers killed by the plague hurled over Caffa’s walls. De’ Mussi wrote: “Soon the rotting corpses tainted the air and poisoned the water supply, and the stench was so overwhelming that hardly one in several thousand was in a position to flee the remains of the Tartar army. Moreover one infected man could carry the poison to others, and infect people and places with the disease by look alone. No one knew, or could discover, a means of defense.” It has been theorized that Italian ships fleeing the city helped spread the bubonic plague to Europe and start the Black Death, which may have killed more than a quarter of the continent’s population. Considering how many other sources there were for the plague, however, the siege at Caffa may have only played a small role in the ghastly pandemic. SEE THE REST OF THE STORY AT BUSINESS INSIDER
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N. KOTZIAS: At the third meeting of the Med Group member states (Portugal, Spain, France, Malta, Italy, Greece and Cyprus) there was a unanimous stance in favor of Greece’s positions on the refugee issue, and there was clear criticism of all those who are seeking their own separate solutions to the detriment of other member states. It was underscored that the future of Europe is linked to seeking and implementing common European solutions, with respect for the decisions of the European organs, which I stressed at this meeting. We cannot have unanimous decisions taken by the elected heads of state...
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In his remarks at an event on “The Destruction of Cultural Heritage,” held by the Cypriot Permanent Mission to the UN, in collaboration with the Permanent Missions of Greece, Brazil, Ethiopia, Iraq, Ireland, Poland, Serbia and Switzerland, as well as the Geneva Academy, Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis noted the need to protect cultural heritage.In his statements, Mr. Amanatidis underscored, among other things, that “the principle of free access to and enjoyment of cultural heritage is an essential aspect of this right and, as such, has a firm basis in international law of human rights. It is closely linked to...
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Fruit 'n yogurt parfaits and McCafé smoothies at 800 McDonald's restaurants in Southern California now feature Chobani's GREEK yogurt in as it ...
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