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Welcome, 77 artists, 40 different points of Attica welcomes you by singing Erotokritos an epic romance written at 1713 by Vitsentzos Kornaros

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Jailed Greek youth protest icon allowed to attend uni, ends hunger strike

The 21-year-old Greek anarchist—radicalized after witnessing the police killing of a close friend—has ended a month long hunger strike as officials ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT rt.com

Orphan Seal Andriana Is a Greek Survivor

An animal charity in Greece says an orphaned baby seal from an endangered species is likely to survive after receiving 25 days of treatment at a zoo ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT abcnews.go.com

Syria's Greek legends

Using the Greek tragedy as the representation of a current political situation is not something new. Written in approximately the 4th century BC, it tells ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.middleeasteye.net

The Geek vs. The Greek: NFL Picks, Week 15

The Greek continues to nurture his growing bank account, with his 132–75–1 mark bolstered by an 11–5 Week 14 and contributing to his Sports Action ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT blogs.theprovince.com

Israel, Greek Air Forces Simulate Combat

Last year, the IAF hosted the Greek Air Force in the Blue Flag exercise, Israel's largest-ever aerial exercise, with the participation of the air forces of ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.israelnationalnews.com

Endangered species: Greek animal charity says orphan seal Andriana is expected to survive

An animal charity in Greece says an orphaned baby seal from an endangered species is likely to survive after receiving 25 days of treatment at a zoo near Athens.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT feeds.foxnews.com

PM says snap polls and SYRIZA win would put Greece’s future at risk

With the government still not in a position to elect a president, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras launched an all-out attack on SYRIZA on Thursday that was aimed to make independent and opposition MPs think twice about how they will vote when the ballot fo... ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Juncker: Greece should avoid 'wrong outcome' in elections

BRUSSELS - EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has warned Greece against electing "extreme forces" into power and said he would prefer ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT euobserver.com

Reality testing

Greece’s long tradition of national division has accustomed us to living with many alternative versions of history and reality. The years of the crisis, the harsh adjustment of our living standards to our country’s economic capabilities, did not bring abo... ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Greece faces fresh fines over landfill

Only two weeks after it slapped Greece with a 10-million-euro fine for failing to close down dozens of illegal landfills in line with EU law, the European Court of Justice on Thursday ruled that a waste treatment facility in Kiato, west of Athens, does no... ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Greek stocks and bonds in sharp sell-off

Greek stocks and bonds suffered another sharp sell-off on Thursday amid mounting fears about the country's future within the eurozone and mounting ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ft.com

New Democracy and SYRIZA Heading to Presidential Vote with an Eye on Snap Elections

January 25 or February 1 have emerged as the possible dates for the conduction of snap general elections in Greece if the coalition government fails to attract the 180 needed MP votes for the election of the new President of the Hellenic Republic, although this is a scenario Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his governmental partner Evangelos Venizelos want to avoid at any cost, as they would not want to see the country enter a prolonged pre-elections period. Even though the Greek Premier has “operation 180″ primarily in mind, aiming to attract as many voters as possible for his proposed Presidential candidate, Stavros Dimas, at the same time examines the broader strategy in case the current Parliament is dissolved and snap elections are launched. During his speech at the annual event of the National Confederation of Greek Commerce (ESEE) yesterday, as well as in his speech to New Democracy’s parliamentary group today, he underlined the threat of possible snap elections, repeating again his worries that if main opposition party SYRIZA comes to power, the country will find itself outside the Eurozone and return to the Drachma. “I do not have the right to risk – even to the minimum degree – the long effort of the Greek government and especially the Greek people. I am obliged to take into account the general interest in my political choices,” he underlined. On the contrary, SYRIZA is directed to the proposal of another Presidential candidate in case the country is finally driven to elections, as Dimas is characterized as a “narrow” choice of ruling New Democracy. “Let us not forget that Mr. Dimas is the Vice President of New Democracy. It is a party nomination, aiming to strengthen this particular audience,” SYRIZA spokesman Panos Skourletis noted. At the same time, and with the certainty that the necessary majority of 180 MPs is impossible to be achieved, the main opposition party inaugurated yesterday the beginning of the pre-elections period with the Political Committee’s meeting.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Investors in Greece’s future spooked by political uncertainty

Greece spooked investors for a third day running Thursday as the Athens stock exchange fell 7.35% amid fears over the debt-stricken country’s future in the eurozone. Yields on Athens’ ten-year bonds rose to nearly 9% – two percentage points above the ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com

European rights court condemns Greece over treatment of asylum seeker, migrant

The European Court of Human Rights condemned Greece on Thursday for the treatment of an asylum seeker and an irregular migrant who arrived in the country as a minor. Greece was ordered to pay 6,500 euros in damages to an Iranian national who arrived in Gr... ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Papaconstantinou due to stand trial by February 11 over Lagarde list

Unless there are snap general elections, ex-Finance Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou will stand before a special court by February 11 to answer charges that he tampered with a list containing the names of more than 2,000 Greeks with deposits at the Genev... ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Greece's political uncertainty is rocking its stock market

Greek stocks plunged Thursday in a third straight day of losses over fears the government may be forced to call early elections by February, a bad omen for the country's fragile recovery. The Athens general index fell close to 8 percent to 822 points in ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.globalpost.com

GSEE labor union claims offices ransacked during sit-in protest

Greece’s main private sector union, GSEE, said on Thursday that its offices were ransacked and many items stolen during a sit-in protest by anarchists in support of Nikos Romanos, who ended his hunger strike on Wednesday. GSEE said that during the six-day... ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Greek-Australian Receives Grant for Innovative Learning Program

Greek-Australian academic Sophie Karanicolas and her colleagues received the impressive grant of 225,000 dollars for their work on an innovative project entitled “Translating concept into practice: enabling first-year health sciences teachers to ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT au.greekreporter.com

Athens Stock Exchange Recording Loses of 7.35% During Third Consecutive Day of Fall

New dramatic free fall recorded the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), which sank to a new year low, amid the worsening climate in the markets due to political uncertainty, while the Greek 10-year bond recorded a worrying increase over 9%. The concerns coming by the domestic political developments rise in a worldwide level and investors assess the country’s risk, moving to a new “sellout” of Greek shares. The Greek General Index closed at 827.98 points, recording a fall of 65.73 points or 7.35%. It is the lowest closing level since July 2013, while during the day it fell up to 819.60 points, or 8.29%. In the last three days, the General Index has recoded a fall of 20%, while compared to the beginning of the year, it has declined by 28.79%. The biggest drop, amongst large caps, was recorded by the equities of Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) with -14.44%, Piraeus Bank with -13.89%, GEK TERNA with – 13.22%, Folli Follie with -12.45%, MIG with -12.31%, Jumbo with -11.83%, Ellaktor with -11.06%, OPAP with -10.86%, Public Power Corporation (PPC) with -10.49%, while the share of the National Bank of Greece (NBG) closed to a new record low, with a drop of 9.38%. In total, 21 equities recorded gains, 105 loses and 17 remained stable. The indicators of Health (-13.26%), Trade (-12.44%), Personal Products (-10.68%) and Travel (-9.80%) recorded the biggest loses. The value of transactions amounted to 180.27 million euros.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

IMF Negotiating Team to Return to Athens in January

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) negotiating team will return to Athens in January, aiming to successfully complete the sixth Greek bailout review, IMF deputy spokesman William Murray said during a press conference on Thursday at the Fund’s Washington headquarters. “We expect to return with the negotiating team in January. Our intention is to return to Athens in January,” Murray said. Answering many questions on Greece, the spokesman refused to make any comments on the country’s political developments and repeated that the Fund is cooperating with Greek authorities for the completion of the sixth program review. Murray said the IMF is aware that Greece wants to replace the current program with a precautionary credit line, clarifying that the country has not yet made an official request, which may be submitted after the completion of the current review. Asked whether Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras informed IMF chief Christine Lagarde of his political initiatives, the spokesman said he couldn’t confirm this information or whether IMF officials have contacted main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras. Murray also declined to comment on how the Fund’s visit could be affected if Greece ends up having snap elections in January. (source: ana-mpa)


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

German arms manufacturer fined €37m for Greek bribes

German armaments and car parts conglomerate Rheinmetall has been fined €37 million after a subsidiary bribed Greek officials to buy a €150 million air defence system. The fine is the first of its kind imposed on a German armaments company and comes ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.irishtimes.com

Slide accelerates again for Greek stocks and bonds

Greek securities sank afresh on Thursday as panic selling in stocks and bonds led the bourse benchmark’s total losses over the last three sessions to 20 percent, with 13 billion euros wiped off the value of Greek shares, while 10-year sovereign bond yield... ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Former PASOK Minister Petsos Dies at 67

Former Greek Transport and Communications Minister, Public Order Minister, National Defense Deputy Minister, Industry, Research and Technology Deputy Minister, Economy Deputy Minister during consecutive PASOK administrations, Giorgos Petsos, died today at the age of 67. Originating from a political family, Petsos was born in 1947 in Edessa, Macedonia, in northern Greece, studied at the Panteion University and then at the Law School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. During his graduate studies, he specialized in Public Finance, in business and tax law organization, and received a Criminology course scholarship. During the military junta regime he went into hiding, but was arrested and jailed in May 1968 and he was first elected an MP in 1977, at the age of 30. In March 1985, he participated in the Parliamentary Review Committee for the Greek Constitution. He was serving as Transport and Communications Minister during the outbreak of the Koskotas scandal and was placed on trial along with Former Prime Minister and PASOK leader Andreas Papandreou and other socialist Ministers. In January 1992, he was given a suspended 10-month sentence and deprived of his civic rights for two years, thus he was not able to be candidate in the 1993 general elections that brought PASOK back to power after a three-year break. Earlier, in 1989, while serving as Public Order Minister, he was subject to an attack by terrorist group November 17, when a car rigged with explosives blew as he was exiting his home. Petsos and his guards suffered minor injuries. Finally, in 2004, he unsuccessfully participated in the elections with New Democracy. He was married and had one son.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

IMF Negotiating Team to Return to Athens in January

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) negotiating team will return to Athens in January, aiming to successfully complete the sixth Greek bailout review, IMF deputy spokesman William Murray said during a press conference on Thursday at the Fund’s Washington headquarters. “We expect to return with the negotiating team in January. Our intention is to return to Athens in January,” Murray said. Answering many questions on Greece, the spokesman refused to make any comments on the country’s political developments and repeated that the Fund is cooperating with Greek authorities for the completion of the sixth program review. Murray said the IMF is aware that Greece wants to replace the current program with a precautionary credit line, clarifying that the country has not yet made an official request, which may be submitted after the completion of the current review. Asked whether Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras informed IMF chief Christine Lagarde of his political initiatives, the spokesman said he couldn’t confirm this information or whether IMF officials have contacted main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras. Murray also declined to comment on how the Fund’s visit could be affected if Greece ends up having snap elections in January. (source: ana-mpa)


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

IMF says Greece intends to treat program as precautionary

He said the IMF would return to Greece in January for its next mission to review the country's progress with the conditions of its 28-billion-euro loan ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.reuters.com

HOG: Will Greece Kill Harley-Davidson's Trend?

Harley-Davidson Inc (HOG) recently announced a new bike, the Livewire, that will be added to its lineup in the future. The Livewire is battery-driven, ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT investorplace.com

Yield-Hungry Investors Stung in Greece

It seemed like a good idea at the time. With the ravaged Greek economy ready to grow again and a positive record of reform to highlight, the government of Greece pitched global investors on a large bond issue earlier this year. Awash in cash, yield-hungry ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT dealbook.nytimes.com

Greek Stock Rout Means ASE Is 2014 Worst After Russia

The rout also spread to Greek bonds, with rates on three- and five-year notes jumping to the highest level since the nation restructured its debt in 2012.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bloomberg.com

MarketsThe Greek crash

The Greek markets have shut down for the day. Many traders will be thankful for the respite. After briefly trading higher in the morning, it was another ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ft.com

European Court condemns Greece for abuse of refugees

The European Court of Human Rights on Thursday condemned Greece for inhumane treatment of refugees. In a case filed in 2011, an Iranian, whose name was not disclosed, fled Iran after being detained for participating in a demonstration against the regime.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.worldbulletin.net

FTSE falls as Greece suffers fresh market rout

The FTSE 100 has closed solidly in the red, weighed down by miners due to a commodity slump, as Greece suffered another day of jaw-dropping losses on its stock market. The UK blue-chip index closed 38 points, or 0.6%, down at 6,462, with miners and stocks ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www3.citywire.co.uk

EU Commissioner Moscovici to Visit Greece

France’s Pierre Moscovici, EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, is expected in Athens next Monday and Tuesday (December 15-16) it was announced today. “I will be visiting Greece on Monday and Tuesday. We stand by Greece and its people as they take forward reforms for jobs and growth,” wrote Moscovici on his Twitter account on Thursday. (source: ana-mpa)


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Georgios Samaras Fan Invited to Greece for Sports Event

Jay Beatty, the 10-year-old Celtic fan who stole the spotlight when he was seen cheering for his hero, Greek footballer Georgios Samaras, during the World Cup, was invited to Greece to receive a sports award. Samaras has developed a special bond with Jay, who has Down’s Syndrome. When the young boy traveled from his hometown in County Armagh, Northern Ireland, to watch the Greek footballer’s last game for Celtic at the end of the last season, Samaras asked the boy to join him in celebrating the team’s win. “This boy gives me so much strength, it’s incredible. There are no words. I feel his love so much. This love I feel, is also felt by many people in Greece,” said the Greek striker. The boy has gained an audience in Greece and the Greek Sport Journalists’ Association has decided to invite Jay and his father to the event for their 60th anniversary that will take place on Monday, December 15. “Our association has decided to honor the friendship between Jay and Georgios Samaras, for the message of humanity and sensitivity that they sent worldwide,” noted an association representative. “It’s hard to believe that a 10-year-old boy with Down’s Syndrome will be flying to Athens to receive this. To each and every one of you who has treated Jay with so much love and respect and to the Celtic support, this award is as much yours as it is Jay’s. Congratulations everyone and thank you,” said Jay’s father who is delighted that his son feels loved by so many people.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Market Extra: Greek stocks on track to lose nearly 1/3 of their value this year

After suffering its worst daily slump ever on Tuesday, the Athex Composite slid another 7.4% on Thursday.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT ri.search.yahoo.com

Millions of Chinese Searching About Greece Online

According to a recent presentation by China’s largest online search engine, Baidu, 3 million Chinese have searched about Greece over the last year, while the same number is expected to reach 7 million next year. Baidu has a total of 564 million online users and 5 billion searches on a daily basis. Baidu CEO Johnny Zhu announced that over the last year, 720,000 searches were recorded about Athens, 180,000 about Crete and an astonishing 2.4 million searches about the Greek island of Santorini. Meanwhile, the total number of searches about Greece is showing signs of a monthly increase. As for China’s tourism market and the residents’ accessibility to the internet, Zhu noted that 42% of China’s population is connected to the internet and are familiar with the idea of searching and buying products and services online. This percentage is rising at an impressive annual rate, thus creating a unique opportunity for all companies that need to promote their products and services in the large online consumer market. According to data calculations, 93.6% of Chinese people who travel, prefer to visit a country abroad. In total, their number exceeds 100 million. Some of their favorite destinations in Europe include Paris and London.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Corinth-Patras in 50′ Through 3 Tolls on New Highway

The national highway that will connect Corinth and Patras in the Peloponnese will be completed by the end of 2015, according to Greek national broadcaster NERIT. In the spring of 2015, the first 30 kilometers will be ready for use. The highway will be named Olympia Road and will enable drivers to go from Corinth to Patras in 50 minutes. Taking the existing highway, drivers can cover the distance in 65-70 minutes. The total distance of the new highway is 201.5 kilometers and the Elefsina-Corinth part is already completed. Olympia Road has 14 tunnels covering a total of 16 kilometers, with the longest tunnel being 4,033 meters. According to NERIT, a new toll booth will be added in Nikoleika of Aigio, making a total of three toll booths between Corinth and Patras; Kiato and Rio are the other two. Engineers consider the particular road construction one of the most difficult in Greece since 85% of the road is in use during construction works. The Corinth-Patras part is 120 kilometers and currently there are 20 construction zones, employing 220 workers.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greek PM: ‘SYRIZA Makes Foreigners Talk Again About a Grexit’

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Thursday leveled harsh criticism against main opposition SYRIZA, while speaking to New Democracy’s Parliamentary group. “SYRIZA makes foreigners talk again about a Grexit,” Samaras said. “We managed to pull the country out of the greatest crisis and now some are threatening to take it back there. All MPs have a political responsibility. Some of them doubted the primary surpluses, the country’s return to the markets, the exit from the Memorandum, and they were proved wrong. Now they are doing something even worse. They are trying to cancel Greece’s success. We will not let them do so,” Samaras underlined. The Prime Minister noted that the government’s success was also recognized by the Eurogroup. “Europe decided to support us with a credit line that will allow us to borrow. The last review should be concluded. We are very close to that without taking strict measures that we do not need and that would affect the first steps of growth,” he noted, adding that SYRIZA is always citing the polls but forgets the most important factor; that people do not want elections, they do not want to halt the country’s course, they do not want to go back. “The people’s stance shows that they have a clear view and that they will punish those who will drag the country to elections. A prolonged election period translates into paralysis for the country,” he said. “SYRIZA told us that it has an alternative policy. Eventually, they submitted a program disputed even by their own people… A few days ago they visited London. As soon as foreigners learned what their intentions are, they were horrified. All this while trumpeting that they will not vote for a President of the Hellenic Republic and blackmailing other MPs. This caused political instability and hurt the country and its exit from the Memorandum. This situation led some of the lenders to request things that could not be done. That is why we decided to hold the Presidential election a month and a half earlier than expected. Everyone is aware that SYRIZA has a policy of confrontation with Europe that will lead Greece to a crisis and may spread to Europe,” Samaras stressed. “SYRIZA has one enemy: a modern, democratic Greece, free from old sins. Every MP will have to explain why they allied with the forces of opposition. MPs ought to comply with the Consitution’s spirit and decide whether they will keep the country in Europe or let it enter into a confrontation with European institutions. Greece will be able to continue developing as long as it meets its fiscal targets and carries out reforms,” he said. Regarding Stavros Dimas’ candidacy, he said that it was excellent. “Some are trying to weaken it by spreading rumors that he will not be a candidate in all three voting procedures. With the recent agreement, Greece will be covered until late February. As soon as a President is elected and the review is completed, we will ask for debt support and will sign the new agreement with the help of the credit line,” he added. He made special reference to the constitutional revision, which is necessary, as he said, in order to be able to implement important reforms. “If a President is not elected, everything will be up in the air, populism will prevail… SYRIZA is in panic, it is seeking elections that it does not want and power that it doesn’t know how to handle,” the Greek Premier pointed out. “Truth and responsibility are our weapons. Everyone should assume his own responsibilities. Nobody will hold the Parliament accountable for not electing a President. However, everyone will accuse it of casting the country into a new dangerous adventure. In the coming days, we will all be judged by developments that will appear after a few weeks… Citizens are watching us, they know what is happening and eventually, what is best for the country will prevail,” he concluded. (source: ana-mpa)


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Former Greek FinMin to Appear Before Special Court

By an irrevocable decree of the Special Court’s judicial council, which is no subject to an appeal, and in accordance with the ministerial responsibility law, Greece’s Former Finance Minister Giorgos Papakonstantinou will be referred to the Special Court, where he will be asked to address charges of distorting documents and attempted breach of faith. At the same time, his family members (cousin Eleni Papakonstantinou, her husband Simeon Sikiaridis and Andreas Rossonis) initially engaged in the Lagarde List case on charges of inciting to distort a public document, are not referred to the Special Court, since they are all cleared of the charges, as it was proved they were committed by the Former Minister himself. The decision regarding Papakonstantinou was taken by a majority vote of four to one. The Former Finance Minister is accused of removing the names of relatives from the infamous Lagarde List, containing the overseas bank account details of Greek taxpayers. The trial should begin within the next two months and the Parliament President will draw thirteen members and six alternates to establish the Special Court, chosen among the members of the Supreme Court and the Council of State, in an open discussion. It should be noted that the last time a Minister was referred to the Special Court was 25 years ago, in 1989, regarding the infamous Koskotas case. Those referred were Menios Koutsogiorgas, Panagiotis Roumeliotis, Giorgos Petsos and Dimitris Tsovolas.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

National Bank of Greece (NBG) Stock Continues to Decline Ahead of Presidential Election

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The National Bank of Greece shares continue to fall on Thursday, down 7.3% to $1.84 in trading, as Greek stocks, especially banking stocks, suffer in the wake of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' announcement that the country will hold presidential elections next week, two months earlier than scheduled. If Samaras' party candidate Stavros Dimas, who needs 180 of Greece's ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT ri.search.yahoo.com

Greece Athena tops first boys hoops poll

Greece Athena is again considered the top team in Section V boys basketball —and it’s no surprise. The Trojans, who have four starters back in their lineup for the second consecutive season, are the No. 1 team in the first Democrat and Chronicle ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT usatodayhss.com

Is Geogre Papandreou Launching a New Party?

The climate between Former Prime Minister and President of PASOK George Papandreou and the party’s current leader, Greek government Vice President and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos, has never been the best possible. The two came head to head for the first time on September 16, 2007, after PASOK’s second consecutive electoral defeat with Papandreou in charge, when the very same night and after the exit polls’ announcement, Venizelos openly questioned Papandreou’s leadership in a live broadcast. The following inner party elections two months later would assure Papandreou’s dominance inside the party his late father, Andreas Papandreou, founded four decades ago. Ever since, PASOK has been separated in two blocks, even after Papandreou’s departure from the party’s leadership, and the two leading socialist figures’ meeting on late November just confirmed the rumors of a definitive split, despite leaks talking about a meeting held in a “friendly and positive” climate. The latest speculation regarding Papandreou’s next move proves that there is no place for any “friendship” or “positiveness.” According to sources close to the Former Prime Minister, he appears ready to leave PASOK behind and proceed to the establishment of a new party, ideologically close to what PASOK used to represent. As his close associates whisper, the final decisions might even come over the coming weeks in relation to the country’s political developments. Papandreou has constant meetings regarding his political initiative, however, it becomes clear that everything will depend on the procedure for the election of the new President of the Hellenic Republic. The first Presidential ballot was also the reason his scheduled speech to Kozani, northern Greece, for the party’s 40 years, will eventually take place later. What he allegedly said to his closest associates is that whatever happens on the Presidential election front, he will try to unify the disappointed central voters and flank main opposition SYRIZA, which managed to gather the majority of PASOK’s traditional voters.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Bloomberg Sees Danger of Grexit

The nightmarish Grexit scenarios of 2010 and 2011 are back, after the recent political turmoil in Greece, said Bloomberg. As international investors analyze the options, they see that Greece’s status in the Eurozone is in question again. The 12.78-point record plunge of the Athens Stock Exchange on Monday and the 8.18% yield on ten-year bonds on Tuesday, triggered the worst-case scenarios among investors. The Bloomberg report said that the drop in the stock market is the worst since 1987 and sovereign bond yields are at the 2010 level, when Greece was still negotiating the first bailout program. Investors see a chain of events following the presidential election. The inability of the Greek coalition government to elect a President will probably lead to national elections in which leftist opposition party SYRIZA has a strong lead in opinion polls. With SYRIZA openly opposing the present bailout program and declaring policy change, investors show a certain amount of worry. “A standoff between a rudderless or Tsipras-led government and European creditors would catapult Greece through a number of tripwires. Casualties would include Greece’s commercial banks, relying as of late October on 44 billion euros of life-support money from the European Central Bank,” the Bloomberg report noted. Financial Times: Greece no longer a threat to the Eurozone  According to a new Financial Times report, Greece is no longer a threat to the Eurozone because it is a marginalized economy that cannot affect the rest of the Eurozone countries. The report said that despite the Athens Stock Exchange plunge and the high sovereign bond yields of recent days, the cost of borrowing for other Eurozone countries remained the same. Therefore, the possible domino effect of 2011 is no longer a possibility. The report also mentioned that a chain reaction that may affect the rest of the Eurozone will be limited since European Central Bank head Mario Draghi has promised to protect the euro by any means necessary.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Greece Can't Suffer More Austerity

Re “A sea change in Greece?” (Opinion, Nov. 28) by Nicholas Gage: There is no doubt that successive Greek governments overspent in order to fuel ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.nytimes.com

Emerging Markets Today: Ruble Weaker, Greece Tumbles, Turkey Higher

Greek bank shares are decimated, with Piraeus Bank (BPIRY) down nearly 15% in local trading, while the National Bank of Greece (NBG) is down ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT blogs.barrons.com

Greece lags as U.S. boost helps euro zone shares to halt slide

Euro zone shares snapped a three-day losing streak on Thursday, taking their lead from gains on Wall Street after some stronger-than-expected consumer spending data from the United States. Greek shares ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT finance.yahoo.com

Greek PM warns of return to fear of 'Grexit' if government falls

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Thursday warned the country risked a "catastrophic" return to the depths of its debt crisis if his government fell, raising the stakes before a presidential vote this month. Greek stock and bond ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thestar.com.my

Greek Unemployment Rate Hit 25-month Low in September

The recovery of the Greek labor market continued in September with unemployment rate falling to 25.7%, the lowest reading since August 2012. The rate was in line with expectations and down from August’s (upward revised) 26% figure. Youth unemployment rate (courtesy of Eurostat) is also trending down at 49.3% in August compared to a peak of 60.6% in February 2013. Greece’s unemployment is coming down from record highs as the economy stabilizes after a severe six-year recession but remains at more than double the Eurozone average of 11.5% in September. The Greek economy is projected to expand by 0.6% this year.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

The 16 Most Disappointing Places To Visit On Earth

We write a lot of lists telling travelers the best places to visit around the world. But how about where not to go? In a recent Reddit thread, users were asked what was the most disappointing place they've ever traveled to and why. Keep reading to see the 16 locations you never want to visit. 1. Casablanca "The least-interesting place in a fascinating country. Really, Casablanca is just a dumpy business district on the coast. Other than one obscenely expensive mosque that the previous king had built, there's really nothing to see." - Matthattan  2. Malè, Maldives "Malè, capital of the Maldives. What a **** hole. The rest of the Maldives was incredible." - I_Nickd_it 3. Jamaica "They're very in your face about tipping and expect money for everything...If you like staying in an all-inclusive resort wallowing on a beach doing nothing but laying about maybe Jamaica is for you. If you're looking for exploration of nature and culture you'll be sorely disappointed." - aussydog 4. The Great Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt "The pyramids could be seen from the Pizza Hut, so close it's impossible to imagine them away from the city. At the pyramids themselves, you are constantly harassed by Egyptians trying to sell you stuff up to the point where you feel the need to start hitting them to get away from you. Left after just 15-20 minutes, couldn't stand it any longer." - Broes 5. Leaning Tower of Pisa in Pisa, Italy "It is so tiny compared to what you would have expected from pictures. The buildings around it are a lot nicer. It is overall very lame." - happypants69 6. Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, USA "You drive up into the South Dakota mountains to see it, come to this enormous visitor's center, then the 'viewing deck' is outside, you look up, and way in the distance is this tiny set of heads. It's hard to say if it's much smaller than the photos make it seem, or if the viewing deck is an absurdly long distance away, but the impression is vastly underwhelming." - ratbastid 7. Stonehenge in Wiltshire, UK "It's smaller than you think, you can't get close to it, and it's hours from London (which wouldn't matter if it was worth it)." - StallinWasAJerk 8. Daytona Beach, Florida, USA "Friends somehow convinced me to go a few years ago. Never again will I enter that city of my own free will. There is literally nothing to do there, aside from going to the dilapidated beach and eating at Joe's Crab Shack." - danecdote 9. Pompeii, Italy "Pompeii is lame and very crowded with tourists. All of the great mosaics have been taken by museums. If you want to go somewhere much better preserved, much more interesting, and way less crowded, check out the nearby ruins of Herculaneum." - Ecuadorable  10. Gibraltar "It really is just a big rock and not the country it technically claims to be...You can see everything Gibraltar has to offer in a few hours. We were stuck there for a week." - Noneerror 11. Sentosa Beaches in Singapore "It's all fancy and hyper-developed and connected to one of the largest malls on earth (Vivo Mall), but you get to the beach via monorail and you get to the sand and look out to the ocean and all you see is oil tankers and factories spewing smoke on the horizon. It was like some sort of futuristic dystopia." - magnora4 12. Naples, Italy "The city had piles of trash on the streets." - GuluOne "In the city of Naples and the surrounding countryside of Campania, Italy, the Mafia has controlled the waste-management industry for decades – dumping and burning trash across its rolling hills and vineyards. In 1994, the European Union declared the situation an official environmental emergency, and things have only gotten worse since then." - Azertys  13. Andorra "Looking back, I think I basically just visited the outlet mall of Europe." - breerocks  14. Marrakesh, Morocco "I'd never felt so abused before (I'm from America, there's still sexism, but god it's so much easier to deal with). The molestation, coupled with the obvious disrespect (male shopowners would yell at me for not buying things — full on yell and curse — and sometimes just for fun, then laugh when all the foreign girls around became upset. They wouldn't yell at other men.) made me swear never to go back. "I saw one shop owner ask a mother how much she would charge for her blonde teenage daughter. I'd gone through so much in a week I didn't even register that until a guy in my group started getting really upset about it." - probs_wrong 15. Athens, Greece "Expected the birthplace of a great civilization. Received slums and scaffolding." - Kuba_Khan 16. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA "I've been twice and while it can be fun, it's really not worth it. The streets are filthy, there are homeless people every twenty or so feet begging, and since you can get alcohol for free people get really drunk and start fights everywhere." - Mos_definitely SEE ALSO: 23 Places You Should Visit In 2015 DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's Life on Facebook! Join the conversation about this story »


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Greek shares fall for third day on election fears

Shares on the Athens Stock Exchange have fallen sharply for the third day on the risk of a snap general election in Greece. The Athens general share index fell more than 7.5% on Thursday. Greece has brought forward to this month the date of its next ...


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Greek shares continue to slide

Shares on the Athens Stock Market have continued to fall sharply on the prospect of an early election in the country


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