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Monday, April 29, 2013

Euro Zone Officials Give Greece Additional $2.8 Billion in Loans


BBC News

Euro Zone Officials Give Greece Additional $2.8 Billion in Loans
New York Times
ATHENS — Euro zone officials on Monday approved the release of €2.8 billion in loans to Greece, the country's Finance Ministry said, paving the way for the approval of an additional €6 billion installment of aid at a meeting of the currency union's ...
Greece to cut 15000 jobs for bailoutCNN
Greece set to cut 'bloated' public sectorBBC News
Greece passes law to fire civil servantsFinancial Times
Wall Street Journal -Aljazeera.com
all 94 news articles »

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Dannon Introduces New Activia Greek


Dannon Introduces New Activia Greek - Marketwire
Marketwire (press release)
Now, another great one is joining the ranks just in time for National Yogurt Month, NEW Activia Greek. Yogurt lovers can finally rejoice as one delicious yogurt has everything they love about Greek yogurt -- the creamy, thick texture -- plus the ...

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Austerity kills, economists warn

New book points to devastating effects on health in Europe and US of government cuts

George Osborne, look away now: a new book claims it is seriously bad for our health, and that cutbacks have already had a devastating effect across Europe and North America. Pointing to soaring suicide rates, rising HIV infections and even a malaria outbreak, researchers argue that governments' austerity drives are costing lives.

In research that will be seized on by opposition politicians demanding the UK's coalition government waver in its relentless austerity push, the political economist David Stuckler and the physician-epidemiologist Sanjay Basu say they have shown such policies are "seriously bad for our health".

Furthermore, such human sacrifice is by no means the inevitable consequence of economic crises, they say, as they draw on a range of data, from the Great Depression of the 1930s to post-communist Russia and the current recessions in the UK, Europe and the US.

In The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills, due out next month, they cite examples from recent history and longer ago of where government reaction to economic shocks has had a positive and negative impact on health.

The more heartening examples they use include Sweden, where the number of suicides fell during the country's recession, despite a large rise in unemployment. The authors attribute this to active labour-market programmes.

In Greece, however, HIV infection has risen by over 200% since 2011 as prevention budgets have been cut, and intravenous drug use has grown amid 50% youth unemployment. Greece also experienced its first malaria outbreak in decades after budget cuts to mosquito-spraying, the authors say.

Looking back further, they see frightening lessons from history as they argue that about 1 million deaths in eastern Europe during the 1990s "can be attributed to austerity and related government divestment programmes".

Publicising the book, David Stuckler says: "Austerity is having a devastating effect on health in Europe and North America. The harms we have found include HIV and malaria outbreaks, shortages of essential medicines, lost healthcare access, and an avoidable epidemic of alcohol abuse, depression and suicide, among others.

"Our politicians need to take into account the serious, and in some cases profound, health consequences of economic choices. But so far, Europe's leaders have been in denial of the evidence that austerity is costing lives."

The evidence Stuckler and Basu use from the UK includes a drop in National Health Service satisfaction rates that has coincided with cuts, as well as a jump in the number of families pushed into homelessness since the austerity drive started.

Basu said: "Ultimately, what we show is that worsening health is not an inevitable consequence of economic recessions; it's a political choice. Austerity is bad for your health. But there is another way. In this book, we show how a new New Deal could work to improve economies and our nations' health."


guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


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From reality TV to Greek tragedy? Kim K. supposedly miserable on family vacation


TMZ.com

From reality TV to Greek tragedy? Kim K. supposedly miserable on family vacation
Wonderwall
Like a fame-hungry King Midas, everything the Kardashians touch turns into a golden PR opportunity. Case in point: A family vacation to Greece is nothing but an excuse to film scenic, swimsuit-inclusive footage for "Keeping Up With the Kardashians ...
Kim Kardashian -- Greek GoddessTMZ.com
Kylie and Brody Jenner launch themselves off luxury yacht on Greek holiday ...Daily Mail
Pregnant Kim Kardashian Shows Off A Red Look On The Greek Island Of ...Enstarz
instyle.co.uk -hellomagazine.com -People Magazine
all 187 news articles »

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Greece Votes In New Law To Axe 15000 Jobs


Greece Votes In New Law To Axe 15000 Jobs
Sky News
Greece's notoriously bloated civil service is set for a major shake-up as jobs-for-life are cut, with thousands facing dismissal. 10:23am UK, Monday 29 April 2013. Protestors In Athens, Greece, Take Part In Public Sector Strike And Chant Slogans ...


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PAOK fires coach Donis after Greek Cup loss


Kathimerini

PAOK fires coach Donis after Greek Cup loss
Boston Herald
THESSALONIKI, Greece — Greek club PAOK has fired coach Giorgos Donis after a surprise Greek Cup semifinal loss. The 43-year-old former Greek international took over the northern Greek club at the start of the season, finishing second in the 16-team ...
PAOK sack coach Donis after Greek Cup eliminationEnetEnglish
Soccer-PAOK Salonika sack coach DonisYahoo! Sports
PAOK announces sacking of coach DonisKathimerini

all 6 news articles »

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Euro-Zone Officials Unlock Greece Aid Tranche


IVCPOST

Euro-Zone Officials Unlock Greece Aid Tranche
Fox Business
Dow Jones Newswires. Greece has been given the green light for the disbursement of its next 2.8 billion euro ($3.65 billion) aid installment by euro-zone finance ministry officials, Greece's finance ministry announced Monday. "[Monday's] meeting of the ...
Euro Working Group approves release of 2.8-bln-euro loan tranche for GreeceKathimerini
Eurozone expected to release next tranche for Greece on MondayKuwait News Agency
EU Releases March's E2.8 Billion Loan Tranche To GreeceMNI News
IVCPOST
all 5 news articles »

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Shareholders of Greece's National Bank approve recap plan


ValueWalk

Shareholders of Greece's National Bank approve recap plan
Reuters
ATHENS, April 29 (Reuters) - Shareholders of Greece's largest lender National Bank on Monday approved a 9.75 billion euro ($12.7 billion) share offering, the bank's deputy chief executive Petros Christodoulou said. Greece's four major banks, including ...
Greece's National Bank Shareholders Approve Recapitalization PlanValueWalk

all 4 news articles »

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Greek named vice president of Basin Electric


Greek named vice president of Basin Electric
Williston Daily Herald
Basin Electric CEO and General Manager Andrew M. Serri is pleased to announce the selection of Matt Greek as senior vice president of generation. Greek will assume his responsibilities May 13. Greek comes to Basin Electric from Sunflower Electric in ...


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Kim & Khloe Kardashian Miserable In Greece After Being Forced On Trip!


PerezHilton.com

Kim & Khloe Kardashian Miserable In Greece After Being Forced On Trip!
PerezHilton.com
And that's just the sitch Kim and Khloe Kardashian are finding themselves in as they're vacationing in Greece with their family but not their honeys! Home is where the heart is! Even though they'd both rather be elsewhere, they couldn't bail on a ...
Kim Kardashian Wears Tight Red Dress, Family Goes Horseback Riding in GreeceUs Magazine
Jump for joy! Khloe Kardashian celebrates 20lb weight loss by splashing around ...Daily Mail
Kim And Khloé Miserable In Greece! Kardashian Sisters 'Forced' To Go On ...Radar Online
Belfast Telegraph -People Magazine -Hollywood Life
all 154 news articles »

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NSU trial seats chosen via lottery system

The 50 press seats for the trial of an alleged neo-Nazi terrorist have been chosen via a court-run lottery system. Because the murder victims were of Turkish and Greek origin, both countries automatically received seats.

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Greek unions call for mass participation in May Day strike


Press TV

Greek unions call for mass participation in May Day strike
Press TV
The Greek Private Union (GSEE) and Civil Service Trade Confederation (ADEDY) issued a joint statement on Monday asking the country's workers to attend the 24-hour strike and anti-austerity protest in May Day. The unions said the move would focus on ...
Greek parliament passes unpopular law to unlock more rescue loanseuronews
Greek parliament approves draconian civil service job cutsRT
Samaras Gets Backing for Greek Job Cuts Ahead of Loan ApprovalBloomberg
Fox News -Philly.com -Catholic Online
all 85 news articles »

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Two Dead as Cargo Ship Sinks After Collision Off Greece


euronews

Two Dead as Cargo Ship Sinks After Collision Off Greece
RIA Novosti
ATHENS, April 29 (RIA Novosti) – At least two crew members died and eight others are missing after their cargo ship went down following a collision off the southern Peloponnese coast of Greece on Monday morning, local media reported. The Cook ...
10 Syrians Dead or Missing in Ship Collision Off GreeceNew York Times
2 Syrian seamen killed, 8 missing after cargo ships collide off southern GreeceFox News
Two cargo ships collide off Greece, 10 missingXinhua
euronews -RTT News -The Sofia Globe
all 24 news articles »

READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.ria.ru

Bee-harming pesticides banned in Europe

EU member states vote ushers in continent-wide suspension of neonicotinoid pesticides

Have your say: is the EU right to ban pesticides?

Europe will enforce the world's first continent-wide ban on widely used insecticides linked to serious harm in bees, after a European commission vote on Monday.

The landmark suspension is a victory for millions of environment campaigners concerned about dramatic declines in bees who were backed by experts at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). But it is a serious defeat for the chemical companies who make billions a year from the products and also UK ministers - who voted against the ban. Both had argued the ban will harm food production.

The vote by the 27 member states of the European Union to suspend the insect nerve agents was supported by 15 nations, but did not reach the required majority under EU voting rules. The hung vote hands the final decision to the European commission (EC) who will implement the ban. "It's done," said an EC source.

Tonio Borg, health and consumer commissioner, said: "Our proposal is based on a number of risks to bee health identified by the EFSA, [so] the European commission will go ahead with its plan in coming weeks. I pledge to do my utmost to ensure that our bees, which are so vital to our ecosystem and contribute over €22bn annually to European agriculture, are protected."

"This decision is a significant victory for common sense and our beleaguered bee populations," said Friends of the Earth's head of campaigns, Andrew Pendleton. "Restricting the use of these pesticides could be an historic milestone on the road to recovery for these crucial pollinators."

The UK, which abstained in previous vote, was heavily criticised for switching to a "no" vote on Monday. "So much for the precautionary principle," said Joan Walley MP, chair of parliament's green watchdog, the environmental audit committee, whose investigation had backed a ban and accused ministers of "extraordinary complacency". She said today's vote was a real step in the right direction but added: "A full Commons debate where ministers can be held to account is more pressing than ever."

Greenpeace's chief scientist, Doug Parr, said: "By not supporting the ban, environment secretary, Owen Paterson, has exposed the UK government as being in the pocket of big chemical companies and the industrial farming lobby." On Sunday, the Observer revealed the intense secret lobbying by Paterson and Syngenta.

But a spokesman for Syngenta, which makes one of the three neonicotinoids that have been suspended, said: "The proposal is based on poor science and ignores a wealth of evidence from the field that these pesticides do not damage the health of bees. The EC should [instead] address the real reasons for bee health decline: disease, viruses and loss of habitat."

Bees and other insects are vital for global food production as they pollinate three-quarters of all crops. The plummeting numbers of pollinators in recent years has been blamed on disease, loss of habitat and, increasingly, the near ubiquitous use of neonicotinoid pesticides. A series of high-profile scientific studies has linked neonicotinoids - the world's most widely used insecticides - to huge losses in the number of queens produced and big increases in "disappeared" bees, those that fail to return from foraging trips.

The EC proposed the suspension after the European Food Safety Authority concluded in January that three neonicotinoids - thiamethoxam, clothianidin and imidacloprid - posed an unnacceptable risk to bees. The three will be banned from use for two years on flowering crops such as corn, oil seed rape and sunflowers, upon which bees feed.

"Bayer remains convinced neonicotinoids are safe for bees, when used responsibly and properly," said a spokesman for Bayer Cropscience. "As a science-based company, Bayer is disappointed that clear scientific evidence has taken a back-seat in the decision making process."

Prof Simon Potts, a bee expert at the University of Reading, said: "The ban is excellent news for pollinators. The weight of evidence from researchers clearly points to the need to have a phased ban of neonicotinoids. There are several alternatives to using neonicotinoids and famers will benefit from healthy pollinator populations as they provide substantial economic benefits to crop pollination."

Lynn Dicks, at the University of Cambridge, said: "This is a victory for the precautionary principle, which is supposed to underlie environmental regulation."

Neonicotinoids have been widely used for more than decade and are less harmful that some of the sprays they replaced, but scientific studies have increasingly linked them to poor bee health. Many observers, including the National Farmers' Union, accept that EU regulation is inadequate, as it only tests on honeybees and not the wild pollinators that service 90% of plants. The regulatory testing also only considers short term effects and does not consider the combined effects of multiple pesticides.

The chemical industry has warned that a ban on neonicotinoids would lead to the return of older, more harmful pesticides and crop losses. But campaigners point out that this has not happened during temporary suspensions in France, Italy and Germany and that the use of natural pest predators and crop rotation can tackle problems.

"It is imperative that any alternative chemicals to be used in their place must first pass the same tests failed by the neonicotinoids," said Dr Christopher Connolly, a bee expert at the University of Dundee. "The recent findings have highlighted an urgent need for more rigorous safety testing protocols."

In Brussels, the countries that voted against the ban were: the UK, Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Austria and Portugal. Ireland, Lithuania, Finland and Greece abstained. Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, France, Cyprus, Germany, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden voted in favour.


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Greek Companies Dip Back Into Bond Market


Wall Street Journal

Greek Companies Dip Back Into Bond Market
Wall Street Journal
The Greek economy is still struggling, but with loans hard to find, companies are taking advantage of investor demand for yield by issuing new bonds. Since the collapse of the Greek economy starting in 2010, and the government debt restructuring in ...
Hellenic Petroleum Selling Debut Bond as Frigoglass Hires BanksBloomberg

all 5 news articles »

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Kim Kardashian Wears Tight Red Dress, Family Goes Horseback Riding in Greece


Us Magazine

Kim Kardashian Wears Tight Red Dress, Family Goes Horseback Riding in Greece
Us Magazine
The famous sisters arrived in Greece on Thursday with most of their family: Sister Khloe Kardashian, half-siblings Brody, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, parents Bruce and Kris Jenner, Kourtney's love Scott Disick and their kids Mason and Penelope. (The ...
Kim Kardashian 'miserable in Greece without Kanye'Belfast Telegraph
Kim And Khloé Miserable In Greece! Kardashian Sisters 'Forced' To Go On ...Radar Online
Kim Kardashian Shows Pregnancy Curves In Sexy Red DressHollywood Life
The Sun -Reality Tea (blog) -Marie Claire.co.uk
all 97 news articles »

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Greece adopts bill to cut 15000 jobs


Greece adopts bill to cut 15000 jobs
Adelaide Now
Slashing an unwieldy public service is a condition set by Greece's so-called "troika" of creditors -- the International Monetary Fund, European Union and European Central Bank -- to unlock loans 8.8 billion euros ($A11.13 billion). The EU and the IMF ...


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