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Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Germany's brinkmanship over Greek economic woes could prove damaging

In ancient Greek legend Icarus flew too close to the sun. But in today's eurozone Germany is relaxed about Greece experiencing some searing heat.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.independent.co.uk

US blacklists two Greeks as 'terrorists' amid prison reform row with Syriza

The US State Department has designated two Greek guerilla group members, Christodoulos Xiros and Nikolaos Maziotis, as terrorists. This follows a dispute with Athens over a new law changing prison policies.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dw.de

Gazprom CEO Visits Athens and Guarantees Gas Transit Through Greece

Colossal Russian energy company Gazprom chief Alexei Miller said his country guarantees annual supplies of up to 47 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Central Europe through transit infrastructure to be constructed in Greece. “The Greek government is supporting the project involving construction of gas transit infrastructure from the border with Turkey, which could be implemented by a Russian-European consortium,” Miller told reporters following a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras earlier today. “The Russian side, Gazprom, guarantees that up to 47 billion cubic meters of natural gas will be transported through the Greek territory. There is no doubt that the Russian-European consortium will be able to attract the two billion euros in financing necessary to build this infrastructure,” the Russian company CEO explained, adding that the pipeline will be implemented in strict accordance with European law. On his behalf, Greek Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis expressed the certainty that Moscow and Athens will soon sign an agreement on gas pipeline cooperation. “No agreements were signed today… Russia and Greece will sign an agreement on the pipeline construction soon,” Lafazanis said. Moreover, as the Energy Minister noted, the talks with the company’s chief were constructive, adding that “Greece is interested in building the pipeline because it will benefit a lot from it.” it should be noted that on April 8, during Tsipras’ official visit to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin underlined that the Turkish Stream pipeline could help Greece become one of the main power distribution centers in Europe and attract serious investments. The ambitious pipeline project will start at the Russkaya compressor station near Anapa in southwest Russia, while the landing point in Turkey has not been negotiated yet. According to Gazprom, the works will immediately start when the landing point in Turkey is decided and for that reason two pipe-laying ships are already located in the Black Sea. The pipeline’s planned capacity of natural gas is 63 billion cubic meters per year. Turkey would take about 14 billion cubic metres per annum and the rest will be distributed to Europe.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

Funds Seizure Ires Municipal Leaders

Authorities from municipalities across Greece will hold an emergency meeting after the government ordered reserves from state enterprises seized. The post Funds Seizure Ires Municipal Leaders appeared first on The National Herald.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

More Migrants Pour Into Greece

Greek authorities picked up more than 120 migrants who illegally entered the country by sea, a day after three drowned. The post More Migrants Pour Into Greece appeared first on The National Herald.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

Kerry, Kotzias Discuss Xiros, US Blacklists 2 Jailed Greek Terrorists

The Obama Administration placed two Greek far-left militants on a terrorism blacklist April 21 amid concerns that a third could soon be released from prison to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. The post Kerry, Kotzias Discuss Xiros, US Blacklists 2 Jailed Greek Terrorists appeared first on The National Herald.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.thenationalherald.com

Greece hopes to strike a deal with Gazprom soon

The proposed pipeline, which has not been approved by the European Union, could deliver Russian gas through Turkey and Greece to Europe.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dw.de

Kipper Williams on Wonga and Greece

As the money starts to run out in Athens, Wonga plunges into the red Continue reading...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com

Over 8,500 people apply for crisis coupons in Greece

More than 8,500 people badly affected by the crisis on Monday applied for food coupons and free electricity under the provisions of the recently passed “humanitarian crisis” law, it was revealed on Tuesday.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Illuminescents Greek Deli Café: Get past the dodgy surroundings and North Parkway spot's food ...

Illuminescents Greek Deli Café also has a few awkward inherent aspects. It's located in an extremely small commercial space that was formerly a ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.al.com

Bundesbank: ECB cash is linked to Greek banks’ health

The provision of European Central Bank emergency liquidity to Greece is “directly correlated” to the health of its banks and will continue as long as the preconditions are met, a top policymaker from Germany’s Bundesbank said on Tuesday.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

ATHEX index drops to new 31-month low

The benchmark of the Greek bourse on Tuesday recorded a new 31-month low as many investors appear to be disengaging themselves from the ominous conditions of the local market.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Publishing HIV sufferers’ identities not permitted, says Greek committee

The government on Tuesday officially repealed a controversial legal provision that was issued three years ago “to curb the spread of infectious diseases” but was widely condemned for stigmatizing women with HIV, particularly prostitutes, as it allowed their details to be made public.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

Greece’s key aid-talks deadline is end of June, EU official says

The euro area now views the end of June to be Greece’s main deadline to unlock aid payments as hopes of a deal before April 30 fade, a European Union official said.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.ekathimerini.com

FTSE LIVE: Footsie buoyed by corporate earnings but easier miners and Greek debt worries keep it off record highs

10.05: The Footsie held firm as the morning session progressed, continuing its positive start to the week helped by strong results from broadcaster Sky and Apple chip designer ARM Holdings, but it eased back from an assault on record highs as heavyweight ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.dailymail.co.uk

Europe has finally woken up to migrant deaths in the Med – but can it deliver a united response?

The EU needs to agree a concrete migration policy. EPA/Alessandro Di MeoIt is common to describe the deaths of hundreds of people in the Mediterranean sea over the last few days as “a tragedy” and “a crisis”. The suffering of victims, their families and their home communities is indeed shocking and extreme. Yet the idea that this is a tragedy and crisis is perhaps misleading. What makes something a tragedy is that it is a fateful, unpredictable and unpreventable event. A crisis on the other hand is a problem that has recently become suddenly more urgent and extreme. The recent deaths in the Mediterranean were none of these. On the contrary, they were predictable, and predicted. Since the summer of 2014, the UNHCR has put out 10 statements calling for action to prevent the deaths of migrants putting to sea in the Mediterranean. Over the past five years at least, several thousand people have died in the Mediterranean in capsized boats and these have periodically hit the news headlines. However, up until now, the pattern of the political response in Europe has also been largely predictable and mostly ineffective. This is for two main reasons. First because the migration across the Mediterranean represents a difficult political, social and economic problem, with complex origins. Secondly, because there has been political stalemate in the EU about the responsibilities of different member states and about what “burden-sharing” means in practice. Could this time be different? There is evidence to support the idea that this time the political response in the EU might be different comes from several sources. The current EU commission, lead by Jean-Claude Juncker, had already prioritised the issue of migration in its “political guidelines. Now there has been a marked change of tone in the declarations from the European Commission. These were previously characterised by a barely concealed frustration with the resistance of member states to resolve questions of burden sharing. But following the most recent deaths, European Council vice-president Federica Mogherini talked of “finally” securing a “European response” while an agreement to deal with the issue was referred to by Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU Commissioner for Migration, as a “shared responsibility”. A rare show of unity: Dimitris Avramopoulos and Federica Mogherini at the joint European Council meeting. EPA/Julien Warnand The apparent success of Mare Nostrum and the predicted drastic human cost of its withdrawal and then replacement with the relatively limited EU-level Triton mission has been pivotal in justifying the need to enhance Triton – and, now, to extend its mission. In particular, this evidence seems to have stung the German government into a volte face on the need to enhance the EU’s mission in the Mediterranean. What is proposed? The ten-point plan agreed by ministers on Monday has at its heart a very significant change in the level of EU (as opposed to member-state) involvement in regulating the Mediterranean. For this a legal mandate is required (points one and two of the plan). This would change the balance of authority between member-state action and that of the EU in the Mediterranean, strongly in favour of the EU. This would also involve a considerably higher level of militarisation of the Mediterranean, especially if a new or expanded mission gains a mandate to destroy boats used to carry irregular migrants. Other significant measures which would further “Europeanise” policy in this area are the deployment of EU-mandated asylum officers in Italy and Greece and of immigration liaison officers in transit countries. The EU is also going to provide support to the main entry countries for enhancing “rapid return” (Avramopoulos called these “front-line states”), involving more flights back to countries of transit and origin. Member states are tasked specifically with ensuring that all migrants have fingerprints taken and are screened and recorded, as a way of monitoring irregular migration, dealing with smugglers and identifying those in need of protection. There are only two proposals, both much more speculative than the other points, which refer to supporting migrants on arrival. One is a proposal for a possible, very limited – and pilot – resettlement programme across the EU (point 7). The other is to have a review to consider policy options on how to accommodate migrants in emergency situations (point 6). What are the barriers? There remain significant barriers to the successful implementation of real change in policy on this issue. The first barrier is that real political commitment for the ten-point plan is not yet secured. For this, agreement in Thursday’s extraordinary meeting of EU member state heads of government will be required. Yet there is still evidence of political reluctance to substantially enhance support for an EU search-and-rescue operation – notably from the UK. However, it is also notable that the UK is also keen to focus on smugglers and trafficking operations, a policy on which most member states can agree. It is relatively straightforward to gain agreement from member states for those measures which justify higher security and more militarisation of the Mediterranean. Agreement on the proposals for speedy and humanitarian processing of aslyum applications, accommodation and settlement of refugees will be more difficult to generate. This brings us to the second major barrier to real change in policy – and that involves more critical reflections on the ten-point plan and its proposals. Seven of the ten measures – and all those most concretely proposed – revolve around enhancing security and military policy responses. These policies reflect the way in which the EU has historically responded to irregular migration, but they are unlikely to solve the problem in the long term. Most EU member states have recognised the importance of development to reduce irregular migration, but little concrete action is forthcoming so far. Meanwhile, most migrants from outside the EU have little or no access to legal routes to migration, as immigration policies of member states remain highly restrictive. Yet the political conflict, economic inequalities and social harm which drive people to abandon their homes are increasing, not decreasing. Unless and until the EU has secured agreement from member states for a set of policy measures which involve more than picking people up, destroying their ramshackle boats, fingerprinting them, putting them on planes and sending them back to the countries they have come from and travelled through, then this is not a European solution to endorse. Emma Carmel receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (NORFACE programme). The views expressed here are her own.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT theconversation.com

Greek finance minister optimistic over deal with EU/IMF lenders, cites convergence

Greece will reach a deal with its international lenders although this may not happen in the upcoming meeting of euro zone finance ministers, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said on Tuesday citing signs of convergence. "There will be a deal, a comprehensive agreement," Varoufakis told reporters in Athens. "There is clear convergence" he added. Referring to the negotiations Varoufakis said earlier the International Monetary Fund "was demanding the deregulation of the labour market", a market which he said was already hit by a deep recession during the debt crisis.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT uk.news.yahoo.com

Mayors lash out at Greek govt's demand for cash as default fears grow

Athens (AFP) - Mayors across Greece lashed out Tuesday at a government decree ordering them to hand over their cash reserves as Athens struggled to pay off its massive debt and avert a possible default.The cash-strapped radical left-wing government has been battling to come to a deal with its international creditors on unlocking some 7.2 billion euros ($7.7 billion) in bailout funds.With some 3 billion euros to pay out in wages and debt servicing in the next three weeks, the government on Monday published a decree requiring all public institutions -- including hospitals and universities -- to hand over their reserves.The move underlined the urgency of the cash crunch Athens is facing, and heightened fears that Greece was close to default and a potentially chaotic exit from the eurozone.On Tuesday, Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem offered a glimmer of hope, saying some progress had been made in talks with Greece.But within Greece, local authorities were up in arms against the government's decree, warning that the raid on their reserves could bring public services to a halt."It is unjust and unacceptable for the state to manage municipalities' funds," Giorgos Patoulis, who heads the Central Union of Municipalities, said during a meeting attended by deputy finance minister Dimitris Mardas.The move "threatens to stop public works like roads, hospitals and schools", warned Kostas Agorastos, president of the Greek governors' union."Transferring funds used by municipalities and regions... to the Bank of Greece has triggered financial panic," he added, as Athens' stock market closed down 3.3 percent.- 'Just a loan' -Mardas defended the government's move as "no more than a short-term loan by the state", adding that the funds would be reimbursed "according to the needs, within a period of 15 to 20 days".The government also argued that both the Netherlands and Britain have resorted to similar measures before.In the decree, the government listed its urgent needs as: "1.1 billion euros in wages, 850 million euros in social insurance funds, 200 million euros in interest on debt and on May 12, 746 million in repayment to the IMF".The decree has to be formally adopted by parliament, but as ruling party Syriza holds a near-majority, the bill is expected to be approved.Meanwhile, the Eurogroup's chief gave a more optimistic assessment of debt negotiations with Greece, saying there has been progress in talks."This gives us reason to be optimistic," Dijsselbloem told Dutch television.Asked whether an agreement between Greece and its creditors could be in sight by the end of this month, he said: "It's possible."The EU has been pressing Athens to detail a programme of acceptable reforms by Friday, when eurozone finance ministers are due to meet in Latvia's capital Riga.But Athens is holding out against the reforms demanded by its creditors in exchange for the last tranche of 7.2 billion in aid funds.Tsipras is also due to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels Thursday, but his office did not say what the two leaders would discuss.Join the conversation about this story »


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.businessinsider.com

Gazprom Set to Transport Over 47 B Cubic Meters of Gas Through Greece

Greece is hoping the agreement with Russia on the construction of the gas pipeline connecting Turkeish Stream and Central Europe will be signed very soon. The statement was made by Greek Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis after the meeting held in Athens between Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and Gazprom president Alexey Miller, TASS information agency reported. ''We will continue the discussion with the Russian representatives and are hoping that we will reach an agreement pretty soon, thus providing extreme benfits to our country, to our economy and of course for the cooperation in the region and all of Europe,'' noted the Energy Minister. Meanwhile, Alexei Miller guaranteed that '' 47 B cubic meters of gas will be transited through Greece'' following the construction of the gas pipeline from the Turkish-Greek border. In his words, there is no doubt that such volumes of fuel will allow Greece to attract credits for the realization of other projects in the country. 


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.novinite.com

Turkey is 'making NATO very uncomfortable'

Turkey's push to carve out an independent foreign policy and purchase arms from countries outside of NATO is raising concerns among members of the defensive military alliance, Emre Peker reports for the Wall Street Journal.  “Turkey is recasting itself as a nonaligned country in its rhetoric, which is making NATO very uncomfortable,” a Western official in Brussels told the WSJ.  Ankara's decision to purchase missile-defense technology from China, as opposed to from NATO member states, is the most visible break between Turkey and the rest of the NATO bloc. Turkey chose to purchase from Beijing due to a matter of lower costs and a willingness from China to provide a more technology transfers than Western defense contractors.  There are concerns within NATO that the Chinese missile shield would not be able to be integrated into NATO's overall defensive shield. Western military planners are also concerned that a military deal with a Chinese company could open NATO's door to espionage, especially given that the company is on the US proliferation list. If the missile-defense deal were an isolated incident, NATO concern over Turkey's actions would likely be significantly muted. However, the arms deal is just the latest move in a string of decisions by Ankara that has left its Western allies uncomfortable.  “You’re not in a situation where people in Washington and Brussels are asking, ‘Whose side is Turkey on?’ But one or two more big negative decisions, and you’ll be there,” Marc Pierini, a former European Union ambassador to Turkey, told the WSJ.  Turkey's relationship with the West, and especially the US, has been primarily strained by divergent views of the Syrian civil war. Until mid-2014, Ankara maintained an open transit policy which allowed the easy smuggling of supplies and fighters into Syria against the Assad regime. This relaxing of border controls contributed to a sense of lawlessness along Turkey's border and facilitated the rise of ISIS and al Qaeda's Jabhat al Nusra franchise.  Ankara has also refused to allow the US-led anti-ISIS coalition to launch military strikes from Turkish soil, although there are ongoing discussions to allow US drones to operate out of Incirlik air base close to the border with Syria. Turkey and the US have also begun to cooperate on attempts to train moderate Syrian rebels.  Turkey has also become increasingly connected to terrorist organizations and financing. The Financial Action Task Force, a terror finance regulatory body, almost blacklisted Ankara for being out of compliance with its international obligations for seven years in 2014. This is in addition to Turkey's growing role as a top sponsor of Hamas.   There are unconfirmed reports that $300 million in annual aid flowed from Turkey to Hamas. Additionally, one of Hamas' top leaders, Salah Al Arouri, has found shelter in Turkey. Arouri was responsible for the planned murder of three Israeli teens in June 2014.  Turkey is also still stuck in a corruption scandal that includes the exchanging gold for oil with sanctioned Iran. And a gas deal with Russia that helped Russian President Vladimir Putin keep leverage on Europe. This coalescence of factors has led to a steadily growing sense that NATO and Turkey may find themselves at cross purposes. Additionally, NATO is overwhelmingly unpopular within Turkish society as a whole. A Pew opinion poll from July 2014 found that 53% of Turks held a very unfavorable view of the alliance, with an additional 17% holding a somewhat unfavorable view. SEE ALSO: Dogfights between Turkish and Greek warplanes escalated sharply in 2014 Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This 26-year-old from Baltimore took a 35,000-mile road trip and ended up fighting in the Libyan revolution


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.businessinsider.com

Greek Default Almost A Certainty As Grexit Talk Swirls

The U.S. dollar edged up against several other currencies on Tuesday, supported by a euro that's under increasing pressure due to the Greek ...


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US blacklists two Greek 'terrorists' after country passes new prison reform law

Savvas Xiros, who has eye injuries and possible multiple sclerosis, could be moved to house arrest under new Greek law that will ease overcrowding ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com

Greek, German Leaders Set to Meet

ATHENS—Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of a summit in Brussels on ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.wsj.com

Greek bond yields rise to multi-year highs

Greek government bond yields rose to fresh multi-year highs on Tuesday, driven by swelling concerns over the future of the country's beleaguered economy ahead of a key meeting of eurozone finance ministers later in the week. In early trade, the yield on ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.couriermail.com.au

Gazprom: participation in Turkish Stream will guarantee Greece 47 bcm of gas transit

gazprom CEO Alexey Miller saud such transit volumes would make possible for the Greek party to raise commercial loans for implementation of other projects


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT tass.ru

Gazprom ready to build pipeline from Turkish Stream through Greece as part of consortium

Gazprom is confident it is able to raise €2 bln for the project


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT tass.ru

Eurogroup President: Grexit Not An Option

His expectation that a deal will soon be reached between Athens and its creditors expressed Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem earlier today. As he explained, Greece’s presence in the single currency is not only in the interest of Athens but also in the Eurozone’s. Dijsselbloem said Greece must meet its obligations and agreements if it wants to remain in the currency bloc, adding, though, that a Grexit is “not an option.” If Greece leaves “the Eurozone, you [would] get very dangerous instability,” he said in an interview to German broadcaster RTL. “It is in the interests of Greece and the Eurozone as a whole to avoid that,” he added. Three months after the January 25 elections the Greek government is still trying to exit a dead-end reached in negotiations with its international creditors. Athens is hoping to secure some seven billion euros of further aid in order to avoid the risk of running out of cash, although creditors insist it should present a complete and revised list of economic reforms before they greenlight the disbursement of fresh funds. “The money is starting to run out,” the Eurogroup President said. One day before the upcoming crucial meeting of Eurozone’s Finance Ministers to be held in Riga, Latvia, on Friday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Brussels, where he will present his leftist government’s plans to reform the country’s economy. In return, he hopes to secure the release of fresh bailout funds and prevent a Grexit. Although, as Dijsselbloem concluded, if Greece wants to remain in the Eurozone “it must meet certain conditions and agreements so we can reach a deal.”


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

ECB emergency funds to Greece directly tied to health of its banks

The provision of European Central Bank emergency liquidity to Greece is "directly correlated" to the health of its banks and will continue as long as the preconditions are met, a top policymaker from Germany's Bundesbank said on Tuesday. Bundesbank board member Andreas Dombret declined to say how the ECB should respond if Greece defaulted. "Clearly the state of the [country] of Greece is very important for the emergency liquidity and also the state of the banks in Greece. "There are clear rules in the euro system about emergency liquidity assistance and the ECB and the euro system will support Greece as long as Greece fulfils the requirements for that." The ECB is providing 110 billion euros of liquidity to the country and its banks.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT uk.news.yahoo.com

As Athens Runs Short of Cash, Greece and Gazprom Chief Hold Talks

The meeting came amid speculation on a possible multibillion-dollar gas pipeline deal by Athens and Moscow, which could provide Greece needed money.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT rss.nytimes.com

UPDATE 1-Greece hopes to reach deal on Russian gas pipeline soon

ATHENS, April 21 (Reuters) - Greece held "constructive" talks with the head of Russian gas giant Gazprom who visited Athens on Tuesday and hopes ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.reuters.com

Euro at Almost 12-Year Low as Greece's Funding Concern Mounts

The euro traded at almost a 12-year low against the dollar as investor concern about Greece's future grew, with the European Central Bank said to be ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bloomberg.com

Greece shares slides as ECB plans tightening screws

Greek bank shares slid and the country's government bond yields rose on Tuesday as more details emerged on a European Central Bank proposal to increase the insurance it would demand in return for funding to the banks. An index of Greek bank shares fell 5.5 ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.independent.ie

Local Greek officials furious over state cash grab from hospitals, schools

A man walks next a parked vehicle with a Greek flag, in Athens, on Tuesday. Authorities from municipalities across Greece were to hold an emergency ...


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TREASURIES-US bonds flat amid worries about Greek banks

U.S. bond market stabilizes after Monday's sell-off * ECB may reduce collateral value for Greek banks -Bloomberg * Trading volume light on scant U.S. ...


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Opposition MP: 'Greeks committed suicide on January 25'

Opposition parliamentary spokesman Adonis Georgiadis commented on German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble’s statement who said that Greece was on the right path to recovery until the recent national elections held on January 25. Georgiadis wrote in his ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT en.enikos.gr

ECB studying curbs on Greek bank support

The European Central Bank is studying measures to rein in Emergency Liquidity Assistance to Greek banks, as resistance to further aiding the country’s stricken lenders grows in the Governing Council, people with knowledge of the discussions said.


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US designated Christodoulos Xeros and Nikos Maziotis as terrorists

The State Department on Tuesday designated Christodoulos Xeros and Nikos Maziotis, members of Greek urban guerrilla groups, as terrorists, a day after protesting a new law approved by Greece's parliament.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT 80.76.55.30

Ex-EU chief Barroso says Greek gov't made grave errors, troika was flawed

Former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso believes the Greek government has undermined its effort to secure a better deal from lenders by making «completely unrealistic demands,» such as debt forgiveness, and making mistakes that were due to a "lack of experience or ideological reasons."


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT 80.76.55.30

Greek anger over state cash grab from public entities

Two women exit the Bank of Greece headquarters, in Athens, on Tuesday, April 21, 2015. Authorities from municipalities across Greece were to hold ...


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TREASURIES-US bonds flat amid worries about Greek banks

U.S. bond market stabilizes after Monday's sell-off * ECB may reduce collateral value for Greek banks -Bloomberg * Trading volume light on scant U.S. ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.reuters.com

Local Greek officials furious over state cash grab from hospitals, schools

A man walks next a parked vehicle with a Greek flag, in Athens, on Tuesday. Authorities from municipalities across Greece were to hold an emergency ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.telegram.com

Death to structural reform: Why the latest demands on Greece are bogus

Paul Krugman, recently in Greece, reports that the talks between the government, led by the anti-austerity party Syriza, and Greece's eurozone ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT theweek.com

Greece orders local governments to send money to central bank

"Central government entities are obliged to deposit their cash reserves and transfer their term deposit funds to their accounts at the Bank of Greece," ...


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Faces behind Greece's radical government

To those outside Greece the most familiar faces from the country's leftwing Syriza-led government are Alexis Tsipras, the tough-talking prime minister, ...


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Death to structural reform: Why the latest demands on Greece are bogus

Paul Krugman, recently in Greece, reports that the talks between the government, led by the anti-austerity party Syriza, and Greece's eurozone ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT theweek.com

Euro-Area Debt Levels Surge to Record, Led by Greece

Greece's debt pile swelled to a new high of 177.1 percent of gross domestic product at the end of 2014, up from 175 percent a year earlier, the ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.bloomberg.com

Could The ECB Push Greece Out Of The Euro By Closing Down The Banks

Bloomberg reported the ECB may soon up the haircuts banks take on collateral when borrowing from the Bank of Greece, which has been providing ...


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Euro Weakens for Second Day as Greece's Funding Concerns Mount

The euro fell for a second day against the dollar as investor concerns over Greece's future grew, with the European Central Bank said to be studying ...


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Greek bank shares slide to record low as ECB considers pulling the plug

Shares in Greece's stricken banks fell to an all-time low this morning as reports suggested the European Central Bank was considering pulling the plug on the country's lenders. A memo drawn up by the ECB's staff suggested capping the emergency assistance ...


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.telegraph.co.uk

Gazprom CEO heads to Greece as cash reserves run short

Greek Bond yields move higher as worries Grow. #Greece's 2yr and 3yr yields heading towards 30%, highest since 2012. pic.twitter.com/iF1qrW2o0i.


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT www.theguardian.com