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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

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

DOW FALLS 190: Here's what you need to know (SPX, DJI, IXIC, WEAT, BRKA, BRKB)

Stocks got crushed, sending the Dow back into the red this year, with healthcare stocks falling the most in the final day of trading in the first quarter.  First, the scoreboard: Dow: 17,778.9, -197, (-1.1%) S&P 500: 2,068, -18.1, (-0.9%) Nasdaq: 4,901, -47, (-0.9%) And now, the top stories on Tuesday: The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index was dismal for a second straight month. The March reading came in at 46.3, while expectations were pinned at 51.7. Any reading below 50 indicates a contraction. Phillip Uglow, chief economist of MNI Indicators, said: "While purchasers expect to see demand increase over the second quarter, for now the data point to a significant loss of momentum in the US economy during Q1." In other economic data, home prices rose 0.87% in January month-over-month, and rose 4.56% year-over-year, compared to expectations for 0.6% and 4.6% respectively. Prices rose 0.91% in December. And, data from the Conference Board showed consumer confidence soared in March, at 101.3 (versus 96.4 in February,) mostly on expectations of higher pay. The reading was unchanged from January. West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell by over 2% to as low as $47.28 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, also fell by more than 2% to around $54.97. On Wednesday, the Energy Information Administration will release the weekly data on US oil inventories, which are still around 80-year highs. Corn and wheat futures tanked after the US Department of Agriculture released its Prospective Plantings Survey. According to the department, stockpiles for both crops will be larger than expected, and farmers will plant less corn this spring. Corn futures fell by over 4% while wheat futures fell by more than 3%. Greece may be just fine on its own outside the eurozone, according to Warren Buffett. In an interview with CNBC, the Berkshire Hathaway CEO said eurozone members cannot continue going "in dramatically different directions." Greece is currently in negotiations over how to settle its debt, and Business Insider's Mike Bird has a picture of the worst-case scenario if it doesn't get a bailout deal. Buffett also said he "probably won't do much" if he was in charge of monetary policy, especially given the weakness in Europe. Buffett expanded his portfolio by two small Virginia newspapers. He scooped up The Martinsville Bulletin and the Franklin News-Post in Rocky Mount, Virginia, from Haskell Newspapers. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. DON'T MISS: GoDaddy is 18 years old, unprofitable, has a mountain of debt, and is now going public »Join the conversation about this story »


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BUFFETT: Greece leaving the eurozone might not be such a bad thing (USD, EUR)

Warren Buffett isn't sure that Greece leaving the eurozone would be such a bad thing.  "I've thought the euro has structural problems from the moment it was put in, which does not necessarily mean it will fail," Buffett said in an interivew with CNBC's Becky Quick on Tuesday. Buffett added that it is not "ordained" that the euro have the same members in the future that it has today. It is, however, ordained that the euro's members will need to have what Buffett called "compatible management" of their economies, adding that it might not be such a big deal if Greece eventually leaves the economic bloc. "The Germans are not going to fund the Greeks forever," Buffett said.  "The euro is not dead, and may never be dead," Buffett said. "But it can't live with people going in dramatically different directions." The discussion on Greece was spurred by Quick asking Buffett about comments regarding Greece from Berkshire vice chairman Charlie Munger, who last week said that you can't "vote yourself rich" and said the current Greek solution is "idiocy." Greece is currently in the middle of some touch-and-go negotiations with its European creditors over what reforms its government will enact as part of its bailout deal.  And as for whether Greece leaves the euro or not, Buffett said he has no idea.  "Maybe Charlie does," Buffett said. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Warren Buffett is in the new trailer for the 'Entourage' movie


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Berkshire's Buffett says Grexit 'may not be bad' for euro zone: CNBC

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett, the billionaire chief executive officer and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc , said Tuesday that an exit by Greece from the euro zone could be constructive for the region."If it turns out the Greeks leave, that may not be a bad thing for the euro," Buffett told cable television network CNBC. He said a Greek exit from the euro zone could lead member countries to come to better agreement about fiscal policy."If everybody learns that the rules mean something and if they come to general agreement about fiscal policy among members or something of the sort, they mean business, that could be a good thing," Buffett said.(Reporting by Sam Forgione; Editing by Leslie Adler)Join the conversation about this story »


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5 new bills to be introduced before Easter

A series of bills will be introduced in the Greek Parliament in the next few days, as SYRIZA's Parliamentary Group decided to bring forward the parliamentary process. According to sources, until the end of following week, five bills will be submitted ...


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Danger signs for Merkel after German MP quits in bailout protest

Speaking before the European Parliament, DaniĆ©le Nouy, the new pan-EU bank supervisor, said Greek banks continued to be solvent, but noted that ...


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Greece Asks Russia for Gas Discount, Urges End to Food Ban

Kostas Tsironis / ReutersGreece's new left-wing government has said it will not seek financial aid from Moscow but has so far failed to reach a deal ...


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NSU Greek Sing to host fundraiser for BCM director Lipscomb on April 11

Northeastern State University's Greek community will host its Sixth Annual Greek Sing on Saturday, April 11, at 6 p.m. in the NSU Center for ...


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National Bank of Greece (ADR): Greece Turns To Russia For Economic Help

National Bank of Greece ADR (NYSE:NBG) stock surged almost 1.6% and leveled in at $1.29 as markets closed yesterday. However, the surge is by ...


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What Greek life often does and should continue to aspire to be

Scandals associated with Greek life culture — those involving fraternities in particular — seem to come up pretty often and appear to be perpetuating ...


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Why Is The Euro Dropping? As Greek Debt Crisis Drags On, The Currency On Track For Its Biggest ...

The euro is on track to record its biggest quarterly drop against the U.S. dollar since its inception in 1999 as Europe faces another Greek debt crisis.


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Euro Critic Quits Merkel's German Coalition in Protest

German lawmakers, including most of Merkel's caucus, have backed aid for euro-area partners ever since the crisis spread from Greece in 2009.


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Greece—a Destabilizing Financial Squeeze

Technical talks between Greece and the Troika concluded today without a deal, another setback for Greece as domestic financial stress mounts.


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Greek Govt Spokesman Optimistic Over Negotiations, EC President Tusk Says Solution After Easter

SYRIZA-led government spokesman Gavriil Sakellaridis expressed his optimism earlier today that the negotiations between Greece and its creditors “will have a positive outcome.” In an interview to Greek television, Sakellaridis underlined that a Eurogroup meeting “should take place soon,” and that such a development would be “useful,” while adding that “during the Euro Working Group (EWG) meeting on Wednesday there will be a briefing by the institutions that negotiate in Brussels, where a lot of work has been done.” Answering questions regarding Athens’ positions on the negotiations as well as in regards with the so-called “government’s red lines,” he highlighted that “the answers have been given; the people can judge the stance of the government and of each party. Both sides have presented arguments for the agreement. The Memorandum policy has ended. What Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Monday is that you cannot tighten the belt further, austerity is over. In a negotiation, both sides need to make concessions. The red lines are pensions, labor issues and the VAT increase.” Asked on the possibility of the government having to take a decision in the dilemma of “repaying the IMF tranche or paying pensions and wages,” he ruled out such a scenario, explaining that wwhatever we are doing, we are doing it by making sure that we will not reach this point.” Moreover, commenting on the Unified Property Tax (ENFIA), he explained that it is outside the government’s plans to collect it for 2015, since it will be abolished, adding that another law for property to be drafted will replace it. In addition, regarding the Greeks’ bank deposits abroad, Sakellaridis said that “we all know who has taken money abroad. Many lists have appeared and the question is what has been happening in the last period of time.” Finaly, referring to the Parliament’s Plenary session held yesterday, he noted that “the Prime Minister presented all the actions, all the steps that were taken until we reached the point that we now stand.” President of the European Council Donald Tusk: A solution after Easter European Council President Donald Tusk, talking earlier today from Madrid where he met with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, argued that a solution to the Greek problem is not expected before the Catholic Easter, specifying that such agreement would occur at the end of April. On his behalf, the Spanish Premier, who has been in a clear rupture with his newly elected Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras, noted that Athens “has to follow and respect the rules of the European Union,” while stressing that he wants Greece to remain a part of the common currency.


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Property Tax Divides Greek Government, Confuses Creditors

A conflict within the Greek government was generated over the potential continuation of the single property tax (ENFIA). According to the creditors, the continuation of the ENFIA tax is included in the list of proposed reforms, while the government spokesperson flatly denies it. Government spokesman Gavriil Sakellaridis stated on Monday evening on Greek television that the ENFIA tax is “unfair” and will be abolished, so it will not be collected in 2015. It will be replaced by a large property tax, he said. Sakellaridis also denied that there was a conflict within the Greek negotiating team and particularly between Finance Ministry advisor Elena Panaritis and head of Council of Economic Advisors (SOE) Giorgos Chouliarakis. Both parties have denied allegations of conflict between them. Sakellaridis’ statements came after an alleged leak from the Finance Ministry that the collection of ENFIA tax in 2015 is included in the list of reforms presented to the Brussels Group, the group of lenders’ representatives who evaluate the proposed reforms. They claim that revenues from ENFIA are calculated in the 2015 budget. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has repeatedly stated that ENFIA will be abolished and will be replaced by a new tax for large properties. There is no mention of ENFIA or a new property tax in the Finance Ministry leaks, according to the government spokesperson. Deputy Finance Minister Dimitris Mardas in statements to Greek television said the implementation of the law that will replace the sigle property tax is postponed for a while. “Another solution is being sought,” Mardas said, adding that this solution will be beneficial to low income households. However, Finance Ministry officials say that it is impossible to implement a new property tax within 2015. Analysts say it might be necessary to collect the ENFIA tax for another year in order to balance this year’s budget.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Opinion: Europe ditches Ukraine as it seeks to save Greece

Greece's long-festering crisis has been mishandled by all parties from the outset. Emotions now are running so high that muddling through is the only ...


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Unemployment rates show the tension between Germany and Greece

Greece, on the other hand, is grinding to recover from its prolonged recession, with unemployment above 26%. Its new leftist government has been ...


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Greek gov’t to table proposal for inquiry into Loan Agreements (MoUs)

Left-wing SYRIZA tabling Tuesday evening a proposal for the establishment of a Parliament committee assigned to investigate the laon agreements (Memorandum of Undestanding) between previoous Greek governments and the country’s lenders IMF, EU and ECB. The inquiry will investigate the time periods October 2009 -May 2010 (Papandreou gov’t, 1. loan […]


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Inside the 'Holy Mountain': Exploring the Unseen World of Mount Athos

Mount Athos, in northern Greece, is a place steeped in a truly unique history. The tree-swathed slopes of the “Holy Mountain,” as it is commonly called, encompass 127 miles on the coast of the Aegean Sea. Mount Athos, which operates as an autonomous region within Greece itself, contains 20 separate active Greek Orthodox monasteries, and has functioned as a spiritual center of the Orthodox church since the 10th century. About 1,400 monks currently reside on the mountain, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. Entry to this sacred place -- whose art and learning has influenced Orthodox Christianity for a thousand years -- is difficult to achieve. Since seclusion from the world is a central tenet of the spiritual practice of Mount Athos’ communities, admission is restricted to a finite number of pilgrims per day, who are limited to a four-day, three-night stay. Women are not permitted to visit the mountain. Greek photographer Stratos Kalafatis dedicated five years to exploration of the monasteries, caves and men of Mount Athos, bringing us profound insight into this cloistered world. Kalafatis’ journey started in January 2008 and consisted of 25 visits, totaling 200 days. The resulting exhibit, entitled “Athos, Colors of Faith,” was first shown last year in Thessaloniki. Kalafatis, who spoke exclusively to HuffPost Greece, attempts to capture the history and richness of Mount Athos’ monastic life from a fresh perspective. He knows the people he photographs -- he's spoken to them, he has been a guest in their dorms, he has accepted their blessing and their gifts. He's not a tourist at Athos. He works more like a painter than a photographer, a hagiographer painting rough drafts of the stories of saints. HuffPost Greece spoke to Kalafatis about his project: I'd like to ask you about your relationship to Orthodox tradition. Was your decision to travel and photograph Mount Athos purely artistic? I've been visiting the Holy Mountain since my teenage years, either as a pilgrim or as a professional photographer. However, in early 2008 I decided to “take it on” as a photographer-artist. I had to combine my two identities, that of a pilgrim and that of an image creator. How did the monks welcome you? Did you have difficulties with the monks, and if so, how did you get over them? The way I photograph people takes time and active participation from the subject. That forces me to be direct and honest about my intentions. That directness is usually the best way to overcome any difficulties and hesitation. Do you remember any particular encounters with the monks? We were walking for a long time in the desert of Athos, toward the “horrible Karoulia” [an isolated desert region on the southernmost shore of Mount Athos, occupied principally by ascetics]. A monk was sitting in his front yard. As we walked by, he lifted his head and said, “You're the greatest photographer of Athos, and you’ve come to take my picture.” It was the first time we had met. I wasn't holding anything to indicate that I was a photographer. I took photos of him until sundown. After a five-year process, how did Mount Athos change you and your view through the lens? When I started this journey I was 40 years old. Today, almost 50, I have to say that it was the most important decade of my life. A lot has changed in these past 10 years, and a lot of it is due to the 200 nights I spent there. The long-term project “Athos, Colors of Faith” is accompanied by a book of the same title, by Agra Publishing. This piece was originally published on HuffPost Greece and has been translated into English. It was edited, condensed and adapted for an American audience.


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Greece disagrees with sanctions against Russia, Tsipras says before Moscow visit

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says he disagrees with sanctions against Russia, and wants to boost trade ties with the country.


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Greece’s fate hangs on a personality power struggle

Greece is insolvent, and almost illiquid as well. Over €25-billion ($34-billion) in deposits have fled its banks since early December, and €450-million is due to the IMF by April 9. Its government’s main source of short-term funding, €2.4-billion ...


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French Election Presents a Reality That Greek Government Needs to Accept

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Will the Greek government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras learn anything from the electoral defeat experienced by the French Socialist party? The current French government was elected in 2012 when current President FranƧois Hollande campaigned on a pledge "to fight austerity in Europe and the 'world of finance'," which he branded his "true adversary." Sounds like Greece ...


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A mishap should not seal Greece’s fate

Accidental exit from the eurozone is quite likely — not because Greece or its partners want it


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German MP quits in Greek bailout revolt

Resignation underlines unease over rescues in chancellor’s conservative bloc


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Alexis Tsipras calls western sanctions against Russia 'road to nowhere'

Comments come a week ahead of Greek prime minister’s controversial visit to Moscow but Tsipras insists country can be ‘a bridge’ between Russia and westSetting the tone for a controversial visit to Moscow, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras went out of his way to court Russia on Tuesday as Athens continued to argue over reforms demanded in return for aid from the EU and IMF.Barely a week before his 8 April talks at the Kremlin, the leftist leader described western sanctions against Russia as a “road to nowhere”, saying his new government would seek to strengthen ties with the country. Related: Greece can be forgiven for looking to Russia, but it should beware | Mary Dejevsky Continue reading...


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The Short Answer When Will Greece Run Out of Money?

Greece's government is rushing to compile a list of economic overhauls to satisfy its creditors and secure desperately needed bailout aid.


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The Greek Gods® Brand And Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes To Participate In The Central ...

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., March 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greek Gods® brand spokesman Dean Karnazes will participate in The Central Market ...


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Tsipras Praises 'Brotherly Relations' Between Russia and Greece

Greece's prime minister has told Russian media that his visit to Moscow, scheduled for next week, will lay new foundations for Russian-Greek relations ...


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European Commission: No Deal Reached With Greece Yet, Talks Will Resume

Talks between Greece and its international creditors have not been proven fruitful, although the negotiations are expected to continue, a European Commission representative said earlier today. “The constructive talks are ongoing since Friday but we are not there yet, so this is why the talks should continue. The Eurogroup working group will discuss the matter at its next meeting,” European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told reporters during a briefing on the matter. Furthermore, Andreeva explained that a Euro Working Group (EWG) meeting will be held tomorrow, providing the two sides with a first class opportunity to “take stock of the debate.” In the meantime, the Greek officials participating in the process are returning to Athens. According to Greek media, government members appear optimistic ahead of the long lasting negotiations, estimating that both sides will finally find common ground and the country will be able to unlock the needed liquidity. At the same time, the discussions of the technical levels are ongoing and are expected to be wrapped up within the coming weekend. On their behalf though, creditors share the view that no solution will be reached this week. Talking from Spain, where he met with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy earlier today, European Council President Donald Tusk argued that a solution to the Greek front is not expected before the Catholic Easter, specifying that such agreement will occur at the end of April. Moreover, according to Reuters, a source close to the talks said that the disruption of the process is not a sign of rupture but rather a proof of a slow but significant process in negotiations, which may, nevertheless, continue in Athens tomorrow. “The process of the Brussels Group has been completed,” the unnamed official said as cited by Reuters, noting however that significant steps have been made so far. “The technical teams will continue data collection in Athens,” the same source concluded.


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Greek President Pavlopoulos in the streets of Nicosia old town – PHOTOS

Greek president of the Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos walked the streets of the old town of Nicosia accompanied by the mayor of Nicosia Konstantinos Georkatzis, during his visit in Cyprus.  Pavlopoulos reached the ‘buffer zone’ and he expressed his sorrow that the area ...


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Greece Disagrees With Sanctions Against Russia, Tsipras Says

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says he disagrees with sanctions against Russia, and wants to boost trade ties with the country. In an interview ...


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Greece says current phase of talks wrap up; Germany, France stress time is pressing

ATHENS, Greece — Talks between Greece and its creditors have wrapped up for now without a deal to unlock remaining Greek bailout funds urgently ...


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Merkel’s senior ally Gauweiler (CSU) resigns over Greece’s support. Oh, really?

Look what happened in Germany today! While the country’s conservatives directly or indirectly have been demanding that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras should replace Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, a ultra-conservative senior ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel resigned. Peter Gauweiler, the deputy chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU) – the […]


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Greek Deposit Outflows Said to Slow to 3 Billion Euros

(Bloomberg) -- Greek deposit outflows slowed to 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in March, two people familiar with the matter said, suggesting the ...


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Greece fails to reach initial deal on reforms with lenders

Greece failed to reach an initial deal with the European Union and the IMF to unlock aid after the creditors dismissed a package of reforms from Athens as ideas rather than a concrete plan, officials said on Tuesday. The lack of a deal further raises pressure on Athens, which faces the prospect of running out of money in a few weeks unless it can convince lenders to dole out more financial help ...


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Greek stalemate to last until after Easter as Goldman Sachs warns of costly Grexit

Greece's bail-out stalemate showed no signs of easing after a long weekend of delay and frustration for Athens officials in Brussels. Representatives of the Greek government returned to the country on Tuesday having failed to seal an agreement on the ...


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Greece urges Russia to cut gas import price, end food embargo

Cash-strapped Greece has asked for a cut in the price it pays for natural gas imports from Russia and is hopeful that Moscow will lift an embargo imposed on Greek food exports, the country's energy minister said on Tuesday. The two countries, which are both Orthodox Christian, have traditionally had good relations and Greece has never strongly supported the European Union's economic sanctions ...


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Templeton's Mobius says Greece to stay in euro, shares are cheap

"Greece will stay in the euro zone, there is no issue," Mobius, who is in Athens for company visits, told the paper. "The stock market is cheap and we ...


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Varoufakis meeting with PIMCO representatives at ministry

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is meeting with a delegation from the global investment management firm PIMCO at the ministry, state news agency ANA-MPA reported on Tuesday. The two sides will discuss the ongoing negotiations between Greece and its lenders ...


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Merkel: No time to lose on Greece

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that Greece needed to stick to its commitments and though there was some leeway for


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Merkel, Hollande say time short for Greek economic plan

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande pressed Greece’s government to come up with an economic plan that its creditors can


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Economic war against Russia 'dead-end policy' – Greek PM

Western anti-Russia sanctions are a “road to nowhere” while dialogue and diplomacy is the way to find solutions for major problems, Greek Prime ...


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Go Greek for Easter with lamb and greens

I can't think of an Easter when there wasn't lamb on the table, but it took marrying into a big, skinny Greek family to convince me that you don't have to ...


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Election 2015 culture webchat with Liberal Democrat MP John Leech – follow it live

The latest of our pre-election webchats with the main parties’ culture heads is continuing with the Lib Dems’ John Leech – who explains who council house building matters, why history will favour his party, and why David Silva is responsible for the best culture in Manchester 3.48pm BST Phos4 asks:Are you for or against mansion tax?I am in favour of widening the bands for Council Tax to better reflect the value of property. In principle I am not opposed to a mansion tax, so long as people on low incomes, but living in very valuable homes, are able to defer payments. 3.47pm BST craighm asks:How do you sleep at night with the knowledge that you have been a blight on the poor, the disabled and the least fortunate people in British society, whilst lining the pockets of the richest?This is a pretty silly comment. In Greece public sector workers ended up with a 40% pay cut because the Government failed to deal with their deficit. In Government the Lib Dems have delivered an economic recovery, tax cuts for the least well off and relinked pensions to earnings, which Labour, to their shame, failed to deliver in 13 years. The richest are now paying more tax than they were under labour through a number of changes to the tax system and the closing down of tax loopholes, many of which were encouraged by the last Labour Government. 3.46pm BST Kurwenal asks:Since 2004 the LibDems have lost all (38) representation on Manchester City Council of which 31have gone since you went into coalition. This appears to indicate that whatever local good was being done the decision to prop up the Tories has been far from popular. How can the LibDems come back from a wipeout?Good local councillors have been lost because people have stayed at home or not voted. We have to get the message across that the Labour councillors are not standing up for local people (eg over the Christie parking issue) and that Manchester needs an opposition to Labour. 2.24pm BST John had to attend a meeting, but is back to answer a few more questions. Watch out for his answers very soon... 2.09pm BST Graysoon asks:Are you proud of the fact, Mr Leech, that you voted, amongst other things, for the bedroom tax?Check the records. I voted against it in ALL the votes that actually mattered. 2.08pm BST leftthroughtheyrees asks:If you could get one thing into the programme of the government for the next five years, what would it be and why?A massive programme of council house building, because housing costs are the biggest financial burden facing the majority of people. 2.07pm BST CasAnderson asks:Are you going to not raise tuition fees again?I have never voted to raise fees or introduce them for that matter. Perhaps you should ask Labour and the Tories whether they intend to make increased tuition fees as a condition of any coalition agreement like 2010. Labour introduced fees and raised them with an enormous commons majority and a promise not to. 2.05pm BST BrainCheese asks:As a Withington resident who admires your work as a local politician and parliamentarian, how can you persuade me to vote for you and your party when I am determined to see the Conservatives prevented from governing in any form?The problem with our electoral system is that you can only vote for your local MP. In Withington constituency you have a choice of voting Lib Dem or Labour, every other vote is wasted. Either way, you won't get a Tory. I would argue that you need to decide whether the best person to represent you is either me or the Labour candidate. If you vote for me, you certainly will not get a Tory. 2.01pm BST macewen asks:The lib dems are facing wipeout - what did they do wrong in government?Not a lot, other than coming into Government at a time when some very tough decisions had to be made, and at a time when the right wing and left wing press were determined to tell everyone that we had failed. 2.00pm BST clareyesno asks:As a Manchester resident, what do you make of the ‘northern powerhouse’ plans? There’s been a lot of trumpeting about what it will involve - including big new (possibly white elephant) venues. But how will these plans actually foster stronger, richer culture in Manchester and across the north - what practical measures can be made to really improve the cultural life of people in the north of England?At the moment it is not altogether clear how the plans will turn out. We already have some fantastic venues in the north, both in sport and arts and culture. A strengthened northern economy, with local decision-making powers and booming creative industries will undoubtedly encourage investment into our cultural offer. At the moment there is still an attitude amongst some that nothing exists outside of the M25. A stronger north, both politically and economically, will undoubtedly help to explode that myth. As for the "best bit of culture to come out of this city", it is all a matter of personal taste. As far as art is concerned, LS Lowry was born just down the road from my constituency in Stretford, and is buried in the heart of my constituency at Southern Cemetery. As for music, I would have to say the Stone Roses. I was also a big fan of Frank Sidebottom, but I guess that this comedy choice would be a bit "left field". But in 2015 it has to be the left foot of David Silva! 1.39pm BST Darell Philip asks:As someone who has voted for the Liberal Democrats in the past, how will your party restore confidence in an electorate which believed in and voted for you as an individual and not a coalition party?Darell, I can only stand on my record of what I have done locally and how I have voted in Parliament. We did not win the election in 2010. The more Lib Dem MPs that get elected, the more Lib Dem influence there will be in Parliament. Anybody that thinks that we have made no difference in Government either does not really know what the Tories stand for, or spends too much time reading the Daily Mirror and the Guardian! I suspect that history will be far kinder to the Lib Dem role in the Government between 2010-2015. The easy option was to do what Labour did and stay out of Government on the basis that we did not win the election. In Government we have delivered many of manifesto commitments. (See my answer to a previous question.) 1.35pm BST scoobiesnacks also asks:You’re my MP. You seem quite low profile on TV compared to some lib dems. Are you more outside the government circle than other libdems?People tell me that I have the face for radio!I have not been a Government Minister, so I do not have the same profile as some other Lib Dems, but I am regularly in the local papers and radio, and sometimes on TV. 1.30pm BST scoobiesnacks asks:Under what circumstances would you support another conservative government?Personally I think this is unlikely to happen because the relationship between the 2 parties has deteriorated significantly in the last couple of years. I did not vote for the coalition last time, so personally I would expect to see the Tories recognise that their agenda for cutting welfare and other savage cuts is simply not acceptable. 1.27pm BST londonscot asks:Isn’t he technically a candidate rather than an MP now?Technically yes, although it is a pretty farcical situation. Councillors are councillors until the election, so I have never really understood why Parliamentary elections are different. Constituents still have concerns and problems that they need help with, and just because there is an election on, I do not understand why they should not be able to go the person that they elected at the previous election. Of course they do contact their former MPs, and so I see no sense in not describing people as MPs until the actual election. 1.21pm BST Still peeved, lipslikesugar continues:Did you have hair before you sold your soul to the devil?The last time I looked in the mirror, I still had hair. And most if it isn't grey yet, either. I thought I was doing okay for hair at 43, but maybe a need a new mirror. 1.19pm BST lipslikesugar asks:Will you suck up to whoever offers the most, just like last time, or actually stand for something? You do know and realize that you lot are guilty of political and cultural treachery, don’t you? Have some balls, pleaseIn 2010 Labour offered nothing. They were so determined to go into opposition that they made a very difficult option into a completely impossible one. Labour need to recognise that coalition Government does not mean that the other party simply becomes Labour Party voting fodder. Coalition Government is about compromise and breaking down partisan party boundaries.We stand on our manifesto. The reality is that in 2010 only 57 Lib Dem MPs were elected, but we still managed to get plenty of our manifesto into a programme for Government at a time when (as Labour put it) "there is no money left". 1.15pm BST Emma Jane Lacey asks:What Nick Clegg did at the last Election was very brave, one philosophical view is that to make change we must follow the rules that govern them.With the move into Government, it gave the LD’s a chance to block and comment, pause for further discussion on some decisions that otherwise would have had a total Conservative stance. It’s time for NC to raise the profile of LD’s manifesto and lead the party to have further influence in the future.Does John feel that the LD’s have more influence inside the government or in opposition?As one of only two Lib Dem MPs that did not vote to go into coalition, I can still confidently say that you have more influence in Government than in opposition. Politicians go into politics to get things done, not to simply complain about what others are doing. 0.7% of GDP to international aidLinking pensions to earnings and the triple lockMore then 1 million of the lowest paid taxpayers taken out of paying taxThe pupil premiumAnti-tax avoidance measuresNone of the above would have happened without the Lib Dems.As far as coalition discussions relating to culture are concerned, I would hope that the future of the BBC and more equitable geographic funding for arts and culture would be are priorities. 1.07pm BST stultusincubulo asks:What are you going to do after May, seeing as you won’t be in parliament any more?We're used to being the underdogs in elections. Nobody gave us a chance of winning Manchester Withington in 2005, everyone said it was a fluke and that we would lose at the next election. We're fighting to win again. It is just a shame that in so many seats around the country MPs are smiling to themselves because they know that our flawed electoral system will re-elect them, regardless of what they do. 1.05pm BST MediocreSoup asks:In Labour’s paper on the future of the Creative Industries, “Leading the Field: A Review of the Creative Industries, they have vowed not to weaken the BBC if it wins the election. What is the Lib Deb’s view on the future of the BBC’s role in the sector and how will the Lib’s Deb’s position on the deficit affect its charter re-negotiations with the BBC?The Liberal Democrats have been the BBC's strongest supporters in Parliament and are committed to maintaining a BBC funded by the license fee. 96% of people access BBC content for about £3 a week, which is exceptionally good value. I am happy to see the license fee rise with inflation to ensure that the BBC can maintain its position at the top of UK broadcasting and to force other broadcasters to up their game. 1.02pm BST John is with us, firing off his answers from the campaign circuit. He first takes on this from CrabbyGit:What are Lib-Dems for, exactly?In a time when the old established party elites and the minor parties and nationalists join forces pushing an illiberal agenda, there has never been a more important time for a strong liberal, Liberal Democrat voice in Parliament. 11.15am BST In the latest of our pre-election webchats grilling the main parties’ culture heads, we turn to the Liberal Democrats’ John Leech.John is the party’s culture spokesman, and the MP for Withington in Manchester, a seat he won in the 2005 general election which he’s defending in this year’s contest. His political career has seen him become shadow minister for transport, and joining select committees for both transport and culture, but he started from relatively ordinary beginnings, even working as a trainee manager in a McDonald’s after leaving university. His culture credentials meanwhile are bolstered by the fact he’s a member of amateur dramatics group the Manchester Road Players. Continue reading...


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Election 2015: Tory £5bn tax avoidance figure 'flaky' – live

Keep up with all the latest election news with Andrew Sparrow and the Guardian politics team, as the battle buses roll out across the UKCameron says Labour will pick voters’ pockets with taxesLiving standards key to election – data shows slowest recovery since 1920sLib Dems pledge £2bn extra funding for mental healthFarage: immigration has left Britain almost unrecognisableElection photo highlights: the campaign kicks offCatch up with our essential morning briefing 3.38pm BST The Conservatives have released their first party political broadcast. It features a series of parents talking about their hopes for their children, culminating with David Cameron, who is shown watching his son play football and having a meal at home. 3.27pm BST Here is the photo of the day from Stefan Rousseau, the Press Association’s chief political photographer.ELECTION Photo du Jour: David Cameron meets staff at Sainsbury’s HQ in London. By Stefan Rousseau/PA pic.twitter.com/NkFu0kJpBP 3.27pm BST Left Unity, the new-(ish) leftwing party, is fielding 10 candidates at the election. At its campaign launch, the film director Ken Loach said people should “fear” the Conservative Party. This is from the Press Association.Left Unity, a broad left party formed in 2013 and co-founded by Loach, chose the venue to launch its general election manifesto in a bid to highlight the number of large buildings sitting empty in London. The acclaimed Sweet Sixteen director said: “I think people should fear the Tories and Ukip as an extreme example of the Tories. I mean, we know there are going to be more benefit cuts, crueller sanctions.” 3.17pm BST Through Heat we also learn that David Cameron and Ed Balls have one thing in common - or another thing, besides their shared antipathy towards coalition government. (See 9.21am.)Asked whether he had any phobias, Cameron told Heat: “I’m not very keen on rats, we had one in our kitchen once, it came in through the cat flap. It was horrible, and I kind of found it in the middle of the night.” 3.07pm BST Heat magazine has published some excerpts from its interview with David Cameron. He told Heat he couldn’t multi-task.This is what he said when asked what music he listened to while running.I’m a man, I can’t do two things at once! [Laughs] I cannot listen to music and run. I don’t know how people do it. I like getting out of here and I like getting outside, I love fresh air. I love getting out in the fresh air and going for a run and I want to kind of empty my head and get a bit of frustration out so I don’t want something blaring away in my ear. 2.55pm BST George Osborne has been making pizzas on the campaign trail today. And Nick Clegg has been making pancakes, on a visit to a Panasonic test kitchen in Cardiff. 2.41pm BST Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, has accused the SNP of a “tax grab on Scottish home buyers”, revealing new figures showing that the SNP’s stamp duty replacement would have hit Scottish homebuyers for £30 million more than the UK system last year, Libby Brooks reports. Posing alongside mock for-sale signs detailing the new figures in Edinburgh, where homebuyers would have accounted for nearly half the difference, Davidson said: “When the SNP launched its plans to replace stamp duty, we were told that it did not plan to raise any more tax than the system it inherited. But these figures show that the Scottish government is actually planning to raise an extra £30m from house buyers. It’s a tax grab on Scottish home buyers. This is the first tax that the SNP government has taken control over at the Scottish Parliament, and it’s clear its first instinct is to hike taxes, not cut them.”Ironically, John Swinney, the SNP Scottish finance minister, himself was accused of falling into line with Tory tax cuts in January after he announced changes to the the land and building transaction tax (LBTT), flagship legislation that he previously described as emblematic of the SNP’s approach to a more progressive taxation system in Scotland. 1.55pm BST Under @Conservatives employment is at a record high & we’ll create 2 million more jobs by 2020 pic.twitter.com/W4R1zGgP5QIt is hard to see how the Conservatives will create an additional two million jobs over the course of the next parliament. Imposing savage spending cuts on the public sector will suck demand out of the economy and make hundreds of thousands of public servants redundant.Conservatives have said we’re going to get £5bn from tax avoidance measures. Now that’s a very flaky number. Where do you get £5bn from tax avoidance? We don’t know. Given the scale of spending cuts they’ll otherwise require they must be at least thinking about tax rises. 1.33pm BST Jim Murphy, the Scottish Labour leader, is anticipating a big swing away from the SNP late in the day, Severin Carrell reports.Jim Murphy, the Scottish Labour leader, has insisted his party can close an apparently unshiftable 17 point gap with the SNP by election day, denying that the SNP vote is too solid to erode. He told reporters as he visited a community cafe to promote Scottish Labour’s £175m anti-poverty project: “The election is only 24 hours old; there are weeks to go. Lots of people are for the first time beginning to think about the general election.“When I was elected [Scottish leader] I said the polls will turn big and the polls will turn late, when people are confronted by the choice facing them. Lots of people are thinking about last year’s disagreement [on independence] rather than this year’s decision.” 1.27pm BST At his speech earlier Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, said he was surprised the George Osborne wanted to make living standards and growth a campaign issue. (See 11.20am.) Balls said:A small upward revision today in the GDP figures doesn’t change that overall record. This has been a disappointing recovery and it didn’t have to be this way. If the Conservatives want to go round and say ‘Our plan is working, look at the GDP figures; our plan is working, look at the figures on disposable income’ then we say bring it on because the reality is that this is the toughest squeeze on people’s living standards in a parliament since the early 1920s. 1.20pm BST 1.13pm BST Tina Stowell, the Conservative leader of the Lords, could end up reading out the first Queen’s Speech after the election, it has emerged. Peter Riddell, the former Times journalist and director the Institute for Government, outlined this when he briefed lobby journalists about possible coalition scenarios this morning 1.05pm BST TNS UK has released a poll giving the Conservatives a one-point lead.The full voter intention figures are as follows: LAB 32% (0) CON 33% (0) LIB DEM 8% (+1) UKIP 16%(-1) GREEN 5% (+1) Other 7% (0) ...With several of weeks of campaigning ahead, the latest TNS research also shows that almost three quarters (72%) say they have a ‘good deal’ or ‘some interest’ in politics, with 28% saying they have no interest in politics. 12.49pm BST 12.48pm BST My colleague Severin Carrell has sent me this about a possible SNP reshuffle - or non-reshuffle.Alex Salmond has personally reassured his long-standing colleague and ally Angus Robertson that he will not seek to replace him as the SNP’s Westminster leader if Salmond returns to the Commons at the election, the Herald reports.Speculation that the SNP and Salmond want him to replace Robertson as Westminster party leader have escalated in recent days, even though Robertson and Salmond have repeatedly said the former first minister had no plans to do so. 12.45pm BST My colleague John Plunkett has filed more on the ITV debate on Thursday - and the complicated speaking grid that has been produced. (See 11.50am.)TV’s leaders debate on Thursday will be a complicated affair as producers bend over backwards to ensure it will be fair and balanced to all seven party leaders taking part.The consequence of this bid for impartiality, which began with the drawing of lots to decide the podium order, is a remarkably complicated looking question and answer grid which is likely to prompt comparisons with The Thick Of It. 12.37pm BST Shabana Mahmood, the shadow Treasury minister, has joined the list of Labour figures saying they would not buy one of the party’s “controls on immigration” mugs. Asked about this on the Daily Politics just now, she said:Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said he's going to buy a controversial Labour immigration mug... pic.twitter.com/iqtnlbYZx7Ed Balls on Labour's immigration mug: “I’ve not got one, but I want to buy one and have it in my constituency campaign office.” @SkyNews.@edballsmp not remotely abashed about Labour's Immigration mug. After the elxn 'I can do a toast in that mug' #SkyNews 12.23pm BST Guess who’s wearing HM cufflinks? 12.20pm BST Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, has been unveiling a new poster in Dover, under the White Cliffs.When Cameron made that promise he was being wilfully dishonest because he knew the truth and I think now the British public five years on know the truth - that you actually cannot have an immigration policy, you can’t set targets of any kind at all, you can’t attempt to control who comes into Britain, all the while you’re members of European Union.I’m saying a net level of about 30,000 a year is roughly what we had for 50 years from 1950 almost until the turn of the century. It was a level at which the country was comfortable and that integration was possible and it didn’t, crucially, compress the wages, push down the wages of ordinary people.Nigel Farage in the pub... drinking coffee. "I'm just not giving you the pleasure of you seeing me drinking a pint" pic.twitter.com/idg9jP3a1eNigel Farage, at the coast: "Have you seen this surfer down there? He must be off his chump!" 12.19pm BST Matthew Weaver: Does David Cameron talk to his wife Samantha or not? In a blokey exchange earlier with Sky’s Eamon Holmes, Cameron was asked if he in is secret talks with Nick Clegg about forming another coalition. He replied: “I’m not having talks with anyone. I barely have time to talk with my wife, never mind anyone else.” 12.10pm BST The GMB union says David Cameron’s jobs claim (see 12.05pm) “completely lacks credibility”. This is from Paul Kenny, the GMB general secretary.Cameron’s claim completely lacks credibility. The circumstances that gave rise to many new jobs in this parliament are not likely to be repeated in the next one. Many of those new jobs are directly linked to the 3.2m in population since 2007 which led to additional economic activity as would be expected. However GDP per head is still 1.5% below 2007 levels. 12.05pm BST My colleague Angela Monaghan has been factchecking David Cameron’s claim to have created 1,000 jobs a day since he came to power. This, of course, is nothing more than a claim. Employment is forecast to rise in the UK, but it is impossible to know by how much, partly because it will be up to businesses whether or not they create jobs.A Conservative government will help business create two million new jobs in the next parliament if elected in May, David Cameron and George Osborne will announce today, maintaining the average of over 1,000 jobs a day being created.The pledge comes as Treasury estimates show Britain starting to overtake Canada on the road to full employment. Britain’s employment rate is expected to reach 72.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2015 - Canada’s current rate is 72.5 per cent. The commitment to creating a further 2m jobs during the next parliament would take the UK past Germany and Japan on current levels. 11.50am BST ITV has released details of what order the seven party leaders taking part in Thursday’s debate will speak. The seven will each get the chance to make an opening statement. There will be four questions during the two-hour programme, with each leader getting a minute to answer before it opens up for an 18-minute debate. Then there will be closing statements at the end. 11.45am BST Leanne Wood, the Plaid Cymru leader, has categorically ruled out Plaid Cymru supporting a Conservative government. And it would not vote for Labour plans to implement austerity or renew Trident, she said.There’s no way that we could support the Tories in government, absolutely not. Wales has never given a mandate for the Tories to rule over us and it’s highly unlikely that they will next time ...While we won’t prop up a Tory government, we won’t back a Labour government to implement austerity and Trident replacement either. We would not be part of a formal coalition with a Labour government prepared to renew Trident. There is no way that Plaid Cymru MPs will ever vote to support the replacement of a system which would cost £100bn and which no government would ever realistically use. 11.40am BST Sajid Javid, the Conservative culture secretary, says Labour’s plan to reverse the planned corporation tax cut could cost 100,000 jobs.Corporation tax will fall from 21 to 20% this April. And Labour have committed to reverse this – risking 100,000 jobs #youcouldntmakeitup 11.35am BST More on Joey Essex. (See 9.29am.) Apparently he was impressed by Nick Clegg’s “honesty” and now realises that Clegg’s party isn’t called the Liberal Democats.There is a joke about this on the Lib Dem website. 11.29am BST Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, is speaking in Swindon, where he is confirming Labour’s plans to cut business rates for small businesses. He is announcing that this would be introduced in Labour’s first budget. Ed Balls is giving a speech on Labour's help for small business. In a graveyard. #GE2015 pic.twitter.com/OuvRWst7qr 11.20am BST The Conservatives have welcomed three pieces of economic data that have come out today.Today we’ve got a hat-trick of good news about the British economy and with 37 days to go to the election, it’s another sign that changing course would put recovery at risk. We’ve had a significant upgrade to GDP, the highest consumer confidence for over 12 years and confirmation that living standards are higher than they were at the last election. This is good news for families and businesses across the country.Real household disposable income per head, consumption per head and GDP per head now all above where they were at last election 10.52am BST What do you think should be in the party manifestos? We’re running an online survey and inviting readers to suggest ideas, with the aim of writing “readers’ manifestos” for each party.The full details are here. 10.47am BST Nick Clegg is also doing a high-viz photocall.First hi-vis of the campaign trail. Nick Clegg visits a building site in Watford, where voters will one day live... pic.twitter.com/A4S56IDhxZ 10.34am BST Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, is launching its manifesto this morning. Leanne Wood, the Plaid leader, said that if Plaid held the balance of power in a hung parliament, it would fight to rebalance power and wealth away from Westminster.People in Wales are rightly sceptical of the rhetoric of the establishment parties. The four Westminster leaders offer us nothing more than further swingeing cuts to our public services and no commitment to securing an economic recovery for all.But this election provides Wales with an unprecedented opportunity. There will very likely be another hung parliament in May and the direction of the next government could come down to how strong a presence Plaid Cymru secures in Parliament at the election.The people of Wales can have faith in us. If Plaid Cymru holds the balance of power, we’ll rebalance power and wealth throughout the UK. Away from the financial sector in the City of London and to communities such as those in Wales who need investment.I have no issue with the decision of the Welsh people to vote for the Labour Party, because they clearly haven’t been convinced that we are a better alternative.In Scotland the SNP have convinced them, it seems to me from the polls, and therefore that’s our responsibility, we have to have a better election than we’ve ever had before. 10.21am BST David Cameron has been visiting Sainsbury’s HQ in London. 10.18am BST Here is the Lib Dem election spokesman Lord Scriven responding to David Cameron’s failure to say where the proposed £12bn Conservative welfare cuts would come from.It is time for the Tories to come clean about their plans to cut £12bn in working-age benefits from the welfare budget, which will hit 8m low income families.The Conservatives might not think it’s ‘relevant’ to say whether they would tax disability benefits or restrict child benefit to the first two children but the people who rely on this support do. 10.05am BST Nicola Sturgeon was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland this morning. As my colleague Libby Brooks reports, she said the SNP would not support a minority Labour government in on a “confidence and supply” basis if it went ahead with Trident renewal.Pushed by host Gary Robertson whether Trident was still a red line and precisely where that red line sat, Sturgeon clarified (at least to an extent).She has said all along a formal coalition with Labour is highly unlikely. A less formal agreement of confidence and supply would need a formal agreement that the renewal of Trident wasn’t proceeding, she said. 9.54am BST On Sky this morning David Cameron said that in 2010 Britain was on the brink and had a deficit forecast to be higher than Greece’s.My colleague Alberto Nardelli has been fact checking this. Here’s his conclusion.By a very narrow measure, with no context, Cameron can make that claim but it is just not comparing like with like and does not stand up to scrutiny. 9.51am BST Clegg launches Lib Dem mental health manifestoClegg heaps praise on Tim Farron: "I'm a great fan of Tim." Says attacks by Cable, Ashdown etc are not in his nameNick Clegg has been a force for good on mental health stigma but the reality is that MH services have gone backwards under the coalitionIt costs £12,000 inc VAT per seat for a Lib Dem election campaign bus season ticket. The price of democracy. 9.29am BST Nick Clegg has been posing for a selfie with Joey Essex. No, I’ve never heard of him either, but apparently he’s a reality TV star, and the trendy people in the office tell me people will be interested..@JoeyEssex_ Really nice to meet you this morning. Sorry about the early start! Hope the programme goes well! pic.twitter.com/QOyyIUSc1I 9.21am BST Those weren’t the most revealing interviews ever. But we did learn a few things that were new. Here are the key lines from David Cameron’s morning interviews.What we’ve done through this parliament is we’ve actually improved the money that goes to the most disabled people in our country. We’ve replaced one benefit – disability living allowance – with a new benefit – personal independence payment – it’s working well, it is also going to lead to some savings over time and we haven’t created that benefit in order to undermine it. We want to enhance it and safeguard it.We have funded the first part of that, with £2bn extra in the coming year, and we have said that combined with efficiencies and the extra spending we are going to put in, we are confident we can achieve the Stevens plan in full.It depends how much you save from efficiencies. Majority government is more accountable. What I put in my manifesto is the programme for the government. Nothing gets haggled away in backroom deals. And I think people want the clarity, that certainty, that accountability from the election and the outcome.For the next 37 days there is no plan B.I’m not having talks with anyone. I barely have time to have talks with my wife, let alone talks with anyone else.I think it’s a totally fair assumption. If Labour want to come forward now and change the assumptions and set out their own assumptions, then they can. But in the meantime, the best calculation available is the one that we have made.The Office for Budget Responsibility predicted half that number of jobs in the last parliament and we doubled what they predicted and we’re believing that we can do that again. 8.48am BST Severin Carrell, our Scotland correspondent, reports that Jim Murphy, the Scottish Labour leader, will press forward with a plan announced last week to spend £175m on a Scottish anti-poverty fund during a visit to a food bank in Edinburgh South, a marginal seat which the Scottish National party is threatening to take, later this morning. 8.41am BST My colleague Nicholas Watt thinks David Cameron was less than frank in his Today interview when asked he he regretted passing Andrew Lansley’s health reforms. (See 8.22am.)Clever @Sarah_Montague asks @David_Cameron if stop Andrew Lansley NHS reforms if had time again. Private views unsuitable for morn audience 8.31am BST Here’s the full audio of Cameron’s interview on the Today programme: 8.30am BST Q: On Thursday you will stand next to Nicola Sturgeon in the debate. What will you do to convince here that the SNP should not vote down the Conservatives? 8.26am BST Q: Where will you find the £12bn welfare cuts. You have explained £2bn, but not the other £10bn.Cameron says he is saying the government needs to save £1 out of every £100 the government spends for the next two years. He would rather do that than put put taxes or borrowing. 8.22am BST Q: Do you regret passing Andrew Lansley’s Health Act? 8.18am BST Q: Can you commit to spending the extra £8bn that the NHS needs?Cameron says the government has already allocated £2bn. He says he is confident that the Simon Stevens plan (that requires an extra £8bn) can be met in full. 8.15am BST Q: You were asked last week what you regretted, and you said you promised to make politics more polite and failed.Cameron says he was not being impolite yesterday. 8.14am BST Sarah Montague is interviewing David Cameron. 7.55am BST Here are today’s YouGov polling figures.Update: Con & Lab tied - Latest YouGov / The Sun results 30th Mar - Con 35%, Lab 35%, LD 8%, UKIP 12%, GRN 5%; APP-10 http://t.co/YegZcU9g92 7.43am BST Here’s the audio of Cameron on Good Morning Britain. 7.42am BST Q: You say you won’t serve a third term. So, if people like you, and there’s going to be a leadership battle, we should they vote for you?Cameron says he will serve a full third term. But he won’t go on and on and on. 7.39am BST Q: Is it because you don’t know where the cuts will fall? Or do you know and aren’t saying?Cameron says, where the Conservatives know where they want to cut, they have been clear about this. 7.37am BST Q: You have said you will cut £12bn from the welfare budget. Why won’t you tell people where that will come from?Cameron says the Conservatives have been the most specific of all the parties about saying where the money for cuts will come from. The government needs to find £1 from every £100 it spends. It is better to do that than to put up taxes or increase borrowing. 7.36am BST Q: You are running a negative campaign, aren’t you?David Cameron says he is talking about his plans to create 2m jobs. You can’t be more positive than that. 7.34am BST Morning. I’m taking over from Claire now. 7.32am BST Here’s the full audio of Cameron on Sky News. 7.31am BST Asked about his pledge not to serve a third term, Cameron says he was giving a straight answer to a straight question. He said he didn’t necessarily believe that all prime ministers go mad. 7.29am BST Cameron rejects the interviewer’s portrayal of him as Scrooge. He says the election is a choice between cutting welfare and a spending Labour party. 7.27am BST Cameron pledges to train three million apprentices in the next parliament. There is no reason why we can’t carry on creating a thousand jobs per day, he repeats. 7.26am BST Cameron says he is going to work flat out for a Conservative majority. 7.26am BST Cameron says the public want a majority government that “won’t get haggled away in backroom deals”. 7.25am BST Next up Sky News. This time in the studio. Cameron is asked about his refusal to take part in head to head debates with Ed Miliband. The interviewer said it would have been better to debate with Miliband than “getting clubbed to death by Paxo”. 7.21am BST Here’s the full audio of Cameron’s interview on BBC Breakfast. 7.19am BST Cameron again said the choice was between carrying on with the Conservative’s economic plan or opting for Labour which has refused to set out how it would make spending efficiencies. PM clear on @BBCBreakfast - 2m jobs is something Cons "believe" they can create, not s/thing they're pretending they can guarantee 7.18am BST Presumably meant in the sense of trying to “psych out” his opponents, but this is unfortunate phrasing….@BBCBreakfast has just accused @David_Cameron of engaging in 'a bit of psycho campaigning' #ge2015 7.17am BST What business can’t find a £1 of saving for every £100 of spending, Cameron said referring to the Conservative’s budget plans. On benefits savings, Cameron said in the next parliament the Conservatives would look for half as much savings on benefits as it had in this parliament. Cameron refused to rule out privatising disability living allowance. 7.14am BST Cameron insisted that the Conservative’s claim about Labour’s tax bill was “fair” despite claims by the Institute for Fiscal studies that it was unhelpful. Cameron said the election was a choice between a government that will find savings and won’t pick your pocket, and a Labour party that would pick people’s pockets. 7.12am BST Cameron kicks off a round of breakfast interviews by claiming his coalition government created 1,000 jobs per day. 7.00am BST Good morning and welcome back to the Guardian’s election live blog as we settle in for the long campaign. Knowing how you hate to miss a key pledge, candidate gaffe or mis-spelt party leaflet, we will be live blogging every day from 7am till late to bring you every question, answer and evasion from now until 7 May (and likely beyond). “Clowns to the left of him” says a Tory source re the debate line up: http://t.co/dKc422qn1B pic.twitter.com/EiIZeklc2f They are different. They want to break up Britain. You cannot deal with these people …There’s a very natural instinct to keep more of their own money to spend because you want to spend it on your family, you want to try and plan for a nice holiday, have a bit more put aside for Christmas, take the children on that trip you want to take them on.That’s the most natural instinct in the world. Owning your own home – I’ll never forget the moment I got the first keys to my first flat and walked through the door. You just feel so excited that you own something and you’re going to take care of it.She will be sometimes on her own, going to support candidates, some of the time with me, some of the time sorting out the children’s homework and her business and everything else she’s got to do.She’ll take multi-tasking to a new level.There is an interesting mixture of arrogance and insecurity in the failure by the Conservative and Labour leaders to reinvent their parties. On the one hand, both are so convinced of the strength of their own argument that they do not feel the need to win over non-believers; on the other, each also feels that their only task so close to an election is to secure the support they already have rather than trying to shake up the system.The bitterness and negativity that will only intensify between now and May 7th derive from the fact that each party is going into battle from a position of weakness rather than strength. They are fighting fear with fear in the hope that by attacking their rivals they will protect themselves by turning attention away from their own faults. If she was really honest, she’d admit another five years of the Tories is exactly what she wants in the hope that would provoke Scots to be “all in” for another independence referendum. The greatest gamble of all.But here’s the truth. If you play in the SNP casino, it’s the Tories’ house that always wins.Burning with energy, blessed with an enviably able new leader, the SNP feels like the party of most Labour activists’ secret dreams … With motions on more generous benefits, land reform, no fracking, no austerity, no Trident, when Nicola Sturgeon says SNP support would give Labour ‘backbone and guts’, a good many English Labour party members might nod in agreement.It’s everyone’s personal choice whether they speak publicly. I’ve come to a position in my own mind that it’s time someone talked about it. I couldn’t have done this five or six years ago. Our predictions for the U.K. election: http://t.co/7NSj88FMJS #GE2015 pic.twitter.com/C8W1JncRfz Continue reading...


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Greek Leader Criticizes Russia Sanctions

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he didn’t agree with Western sanctions against Russia, calling them a “road to nowhere” in an interview ahead of his visit to Moscow next week.


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10 things you need to know today (DIA, SPY, SPX, QQQ, CVC)

Here is what you need to know ahead of the final day of the first quarter. Greek leaders have left Brussels without a deal. Those familiar with the talks were quick to point out this was a slow-moving process and talks did not break down. According to one unnamed official, "Significant steps of progress were made. The technical teams will continue to collect data in Athens." Greece's three-year yield is higher by 57 basis points at 21.29%.  Turkey is experiencing a massive blackout. Tuesday's blackout has affected more than 40 of the country's 81 provinces, hitting the capital city of Ankara and Turkey's largest city, Istanbul. Reports suggest this is the biggest blackout the country has seen in 15 years. Turkey's lira is down 0.3% at 2.6155.  Euro-area deflation eased in March. Consumer prices in the region slipped 0.1% year-over-year, topping the 0.3% YoY decline that was anticipated. Tuesday's reading shows the pace of the decline in prices is slowing, perhaps evidence the European Central Bank's quantitative-easing program is taking hold. The euro is lower by 0.9% at 1.0740.  UK GDP saw an upward revision. Fourth-quarter final GDP saw a revision up to 0.6% quarter-over-quarter growth from its previous reading of 0.5% QoQ. Business investment provided a boost, climbing 3.7%. Great Britain's pound is off 0.1% at 1.4800.  German retail sales topped estimates. Retail sales rose 3.6% YoY, just missing the 3.7% YoY that was anticipated. Tuesday's reading saw sales slow from the 5.0% clip in January. On a monthly basis, sales slid 0.5% from the prior month. Germany's 10-year yield is on session lows, down 1 basis point at 0.195%.   China will begin deposit insurance in May. Beijing will guarantee 500,000 yuan (approximately $81,000) in an effort to open up its financial system. The People's Bank of China and other government entities will have the power to raise the ceiling, if necessary. China's yuan edged up 0.1% to 6.1997.  Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer wants more stringent rules on shadow banks. Reuters reports, "Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer offered a framework to more tightly regulate the lending activities of hedge funds, mutual funds, and other non-bank entities." However, Fischer made sure to clarify these were merely suggestions and were not close to becoming rules.  Cablevision is trying to buy New York Daily News for $1. Cablevision boss James Dolan is planning to offer $1 for the money-losing tabloid. Reuters says the bid "takes into account the New York Daily News' reported $30 million annual loss and $150 million investment in a printing press, and declining circulation that relies heavily on newsstand sales rather than on subscriptions." Global stock markets are mostly lower. Japan's Nikkei (-1.2%) and China's Shanghai Composite (-1.1%) paced the decline in Asia, while Britain's FTSE (-0.9%) leads the way lower in Europe. US economic data flows. Case-Shiller 20-city Index is due out at 9 a.m. ET, while Chicago PMI is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. ET, and consumer confidence is set for 10 a.m. ET. Join the conversation about this story »


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Brussels talks conclude with no deal, Greece still optimistic

The Greek delegation which participated in the Brussels Group meeting is returning to Greece and talks will continue in Athens on Wednesday, several media reported on Tuesday, citing sources close to the delegation.  Talks between ...


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Clock ticking as Greece continues talks with creditors

Talks between Greece and its creditors are continuing with just over a week to go before Greece is due to make a payment to the IMF and amid ...


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Greece – Institutions Reforms negotiations concluded without agreement for now

The bailout talks between Greece and its creditors have reportedly concluded in Brussels, apparently with progress even though without agreement. The Greek economic team packed its luggage and left the Belgian capital, the talks are excepted to continue in Athens, where the creditors’ technical teams will come to collect additional […]


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Greece Opposes EU's Sanctions on Russia, Tsipras Tells Tass

(Bloomberg) -- Greece opposes European Union sanctions imposed against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said, ...


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