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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

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Reformist lawmaker elected Greek opposition leader

[Candidate Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, waves to supporters as he leaves a polling station at Kifissia suburb, north of Athens, on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. Greece's conservative New Democracy party conducts a nationwide voting to elect a new leader. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)]ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece's conservative opposition New Democracy party has elected a reformist as its new leader.


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What our global obsession with Star Wars says about modern life

[rey star wars force awakens]Disney/Lucasfilm "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is taking over the world. Critics are saying that it's the movie fans have been waiting for.  But let's think about _why_ the franchise resonates so deeply with people at such a huge scale. I'm a Star Wars fan. Growing up, when people would say that they had never seen the movies, I'd look at them with a mixture of disgust and nonunderstanding. A snooty professor in college said that _her generation_ didn't have Episodes IV through VI while she was growing up, and her misunderstanding of the chronology was devastatingly disappointing.  [star wars force awakens]Disney/LucasfilmBut now that I've been writing about social science for a couple years, I have a hunch as to why people are so obsessed with the franchise — myself included. Basically, Star Wars fills a huge gap in our culture. In tribal and modern cultures, initiations and other rituals create experiences shared by individuals, and each person folds them into their identity. The myths provide a sense of the good of the tribe, and provide a larger contextual meaning for living life.  Myths are where cultural values are communicated, through the ancient technology called story. The ancient Greeks valued individualism and excellence, and you can see that in Odysseus; medieval Britons valued chivalry and self-sacrifice, and you learn that through King Arthur.  But today, the myths are gone. We lionize Elon Musk and LeBron James, since they embody the status and wealth that our society values, yet neither of them give us the intense experiences that bond us together as a community.  That's why, I think, Star Wars speaks to us so deeply: The story is a mythic one, and _seeing_ the films is a transcendent, bonding experience.  [Luke Skywalker and Yoda]Disney/Lucasfilm George Lucas was influenced by the mythologist Joseph Campbell when creating the original trilogy. Campbell pioneered the idea of the "Hero's journey" of departure, initiation, and return. That's why Luke leaves Tattooine, is initiated by Yoda, tempted by the Dark Side, and eventually comes to defeat Darth Vader and bring order back to the Force.  That story structure is common — perhaps the most common — narrative humanity has. It turns up on every inhabited continent. Star Wars incorporates themes from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Stoicism. It communicates values.  The movies are _awesome_, in the old and new sense of the world. Seeing Star Wars is a transcendent experience, and doing so initiates you into an order of nerds and enthusiasts all over the world. Star Wars creates community, in the sociological sense, in a way probably no other series of stories over the past 50 years has.  In a mythless, consumerist, status-driven society, Star Wars gives us a myth that we're desperate to hear about — not just one of material "success" but of self-realization. And when we watch these movies, we're connected with each other. So when the force awakens, it's international news. NOW WATCH: Why '5+5+5=15' is wrong under Common Core


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Mitsotakis wins vote to lead Greece opposition party

Kyriakos Mitsotakis scored an upset win in Sunday’s run-off ballot for the leadership of Greece’s opposition New Democracy, defeating the centre-right party’s interim leader by a clear-cut margin. According to unofficial results, the former ...


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No-nonsense reformer Mitsotakis takes over Greek conservative party

[Candidate for the leadership of Greece's conservative New Democracy party, Kyriakos Mitsotakis casts his ballot at a polling station in Athens on January 10, 2016]No-nonsense reformer Kyriakos Mitsotakis, son of a former prime minister, on Sunday beat the odds to become the new leader of Greece's conservative New Democracy party after winning a nationwide vote, Greek media reported.


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Soccer-Olympiakos set club record with 17th successive league win

ATHENS, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Greek Super League leaders Olympiakos Piraeus set a club record 17 successive league wins by beating Levadiakos 3-1 at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium on Sunday. Goals from Ideye Brown, Felipe Pardo, and Alejandro Dominquez ...


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How Influential is the Russian Orthodox Church in State Affairs?

In contrast, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in independent Ukraine and the Greek Catholic Church of the same country have communion with Rome. Both of them function as religious branches of their respective governments. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church saw ...


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EU Meeting Preview 2016: European Leaders To Talk Poland, Iran, Eurozone Crisis In Greece

European leaders Sunday prepared to convene in Brussels this week to discuss a range of issues facing the continent, including a controversial media law in Poland and potential additional bailouts for Greece. Members of the European Union also were ...


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Punjab in search of rhythm divine

“I asked a gymnast friend whose husband worked in India. But she wasn’t much help,” said Baketea, who is an elite-level coach from Greece. In fact, Baketea added with a smile, she had never heard of Punjab before the invitation from the Punjab ...


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France convinced Greece will live up to reform promises

Speaking at a joint news conference in Paris after meeting with Sapin, Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said he was "quite confident" that a first review of Athens' reform efforts could be completed quickly, opening the way for discussions about ...


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It’s the director’s vision

It was the German focus on industries and discipline that made Germany win the recent World Cup and maintain a solid economy in Europe where many countries like Greece, Spain and Italy were harshly affected by the recent economic crisis and stagnancy in ...


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Is Netanyahu looking to derail his own plan?

It would be nice, for example, to think we could end the trend of assuming every Israeli Arab is a potential terrorist, as highlighted by the despicable behavior of Israeli passengers on a recent Aegean Airlines flight to Israel from Greece. Unbelievably ...


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Seeing eurozone events through the lens of the global financial crisis

Since the growth in the number of refugees fleeing the conflict in the Middle East, primarily Syria, through Turkey to Greece and beyond, the Schengen agreement on travel sans papiers within large parts of the European union has come under pressure.


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This Week In Trailers: A Strange Love Affair with Ego, Viva, Trolls, River of Grass, Instant Death, The Thing About Greece

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to ...


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Britain abandons onshore wind just as new technology makes it cheap

It has a mounting backlog of orders for South Korea, China, Brazil, India, Turkey, the US, Finland, and Greece. The world added a record 51 gigawatts (GW) of wind power capacity last year. Almost 40pc of this was in China, where the vast plains of the ...


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Obese bride who was mortified after walking down the aisle with her slim sister loses TWELVE STONE for her second wedding

A year later, on holiday in Kos, Greece, Adam proposed over dinner in a restaurant. Sarah recalled: ‘I said yes without hesitation. Within seconds, my mind was abuzz with thoughts of an elegant, classy dress.’ Ordering a size eight wedding dress online ...


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Dilemma of Europe & its new entrants

Little Aylan’s fate was doomed the moment he was shoved atop a 15-foot dinghy to undertake a perilous journey over the rough seas from Turkey to Greece. Like hundreds of thousands of desperate refugees from a war-torn Middle East and North Africa ...


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Greek Anarchists Attack New Democracy Party Polling Station

… MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Members of the Greek anarchist group Rubicon have caused … and spoiled ballot papers, the Greek Proto Thema newspaper reported. The … seized an office belonging to Greece's ruling Syriza party …


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Iran Yemen Embassy Attack: Saudi Coalition Dismisses Tehran's 'False' And

The lucky numbers drawn on Saturday were 32, 16, 19, 57 and 34, while the Powerball number was 13. A Shia Muslim who lives in Greece takes part in a rally against the execution of cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, outside Saudi Arabia's Embassy in Athens ...


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Popular Greek Singer Allegedly Performs in Greece, Gets Paid in Bulgaria

Vassilis Papakonstantinou, a famous Greek singer that has been performing since the 1970’s, has come under criticism in the past day after news broke out that he received payment for performing in Greece through Bulgaria, allegedly for taxation reasons.


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Taking the Leap: Teacher Leaves Forman School for Opportunity in Middle East

Funnell, however, certainly has the background for a worldly viewpoint. Born in Athens, Greece, to an American mother and English father, he spent much of his formative years in England, but the family later move to Connecticut, where Funnell attended and ...


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Greek Aid Worker Busts Seven Refugee Myths

Europe’s refugee crisis is starting to move out of the headlines, but according to the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration, sea arrivals to Greece have actually increased from around 4,500 a day at the end of September to ...


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Islamic Studies Program to be Offered at University of Thessaloniki

The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki will become the first Greek university to offer an academic program on Islamic studies. The four-year program will be called “Introduction to Muslim Studies” and could be attended by 30-50 students according to Kathimerini newspaper. Professors from various departments such as those of theology, political science and even architecture will teach courses. “We respect the academic


READ THE ORIGINAL POST AT greece.greekreporter.com

European refugee crisis: Macedonia builds 10-foot high razor-topped fence along the Greek border

Migrants and refugees wait to cross the border of Greece and Macedonia near Idomeni on November 23 2015Getty Images The Republic of Macedonia is just weeks away from completing a 10-foot high razor-topped fence along its border with Greece to stop refugees ...


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Spain cruises to victory

If you lose, getting that spot is not impossible but will more difficult.'' The next games saw the women in action, starting with Greece dominating Portugal. The Greek girls showe no mercy to their inexperienced opponents who were blown away 3-27 in a one ...


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Hugo Dixon Urges Greece to Stick to Bailout

British author and columnist Hugo Dixon, who contributes to a number of publications, commented on the social security reform plan the Greek government recently drafted. During an interview with Greek TV station MEGA TV on Saturday, Dixon argued that the ...


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Survey Finds Greeks Want EU but Feel Less European, UK Wants out of EU

Despite their preference for the EU, only 43% of Greek respondents claimed they want the Euro while 44% said they want their own currency; 12% did not know. However, the most stark sentiment comes when respondents were asked whether they feel more or ...


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Greek Labor Minister Claims to Empathize with Public Reaction to His Social Security Reform Plan

A reform in the social security system is part of the review of the Greek bailout, expected to begin mid-January. Successfully completing that review would allow for additional funding to Greece as well as initiating discussions for debt relief.


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House Committee Chairman meets with Israeli President

In this context, particular reference was also made to the tripartite cooperation between Cyprus, Israel and Greece. Rivlin expressed appreciation for the support that Cyprus provides to the state of Israel, making a positive reference to the contribution ...


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Plato Thomas Pappas, Towson resident and retired salesman, dies

Mr. Pappas played the part of a Greek merchant seaman in Barry Levinson's movie, "Diner," appearing in two sce Plato Thomas Pappas, a retired salesman who was active in the Masons and in church theatrical productions, died Thursday from complications of a ...


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First Mass Held in Cypriot Church in Over 40 Years

Hundreds of Greek Cypriot refugees from the Turkish occupied village of Argaki, in the Morphou area, celebrated a holy mass on Saturday at their village church of St. John the Baptist for the first time since the village was occupied by Turkish troops ...


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Merkel backs faster deportation for migrants who commit crimes in Germany

The Turkish government has undertaken a number of measures, though efforts to scale back illegal migration over the waters of the Aegean Sea to Greece were "not yet satisfactory", Merkel said. He said police have identified 31 suspects. The suspects ...


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New Democracy Leader Voting Underway

The New Democracy Party is holding its runoff election for its new president today. Evangelos Meimarakis and Kyriakos Mitsotakis are the candidates for leader of Greece’s conservative presidency after finishing first and second respectively in the first round of voting in December. Although masked men raided a polling center in Nea Philadelphia and destroyed ballot […] The post New Democracy Leader Voting Underway appeared first on The National Herald.


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Hrithik Roshan turns 42 with Shah Rukh Khan- Ranveer Singh in one frame

When the Greek God of Bollywood turns a year older, then that of course calls for a celebration.Hrithik Roshan turned 42 today with a lavish party last night where the who's who of the industry turned up. READ ALSO: Hrithik Roshan: 'Airlift' looking damn ...


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The euro zone is inching toward recovery

[A rainbow is seen behind European flags in Greece at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 7, 2015. REUTERS/Eric Vidal ]Thomson Reuters LONDON (Reuters) - Moribund. Decrepit. Sclerotic. Popular words to describe the economy shared by the 19 countries of the euro zone - but perhaps no longer apt. Very slowly - and primarily because of massive stimulus from the European Central Bank - the euro zone is showing signs of recovery. It is a dawn that policymakers are struggling to nurture into broad daylight. It also may not be felt equally across the board, viz Spain and Greece's unemployed versus Germany's busy builders. But putting aside for the moment that the euro zone's nascent recovery is happening just as China is wobbling and financial markets are unhinged, the numbers look generally positive. Economic growth was running at an annual rate of 1.6 percent in the third quarter. While this may not seem robust, it is roughly twice the average annual growth rate between 2003 and 2014 (itself dragged down by the sharp contraction of 2009), and the equal highest rate since 2010. So, for the euro zone, reasonably good. ECB forecasters and economists polled by Reuters expect it to grow at a slightly faster pace this year at around 1.7 percent. Other data - though sometimes mixed - also points to a stronger-than-advertised economic performance. Unemployment has been falling fairly steadily. It was at 10.5 percent in November, which is high, but the lowest in more than four years and well below the 12 percent of 2013. Consumer confidence is on the rise and economic sentiment is at a more than four-year high. Manufacturing, as measured by purchasing managers' indexes, rose firmly into expansion in 2015, albeit still shy of its 2013 peak. RELATIVELY SPEAKING Finding positives in such data risks comparison with a polite visitor complimenting a dreary industrial city on its surprisingly good orchestra. But given where the euro zone has been - and the many prophets of its political and economic doom - its relative improvement is being noticed. "The world’s third largest economic bloc is actually doing rather well," said Andrew Milligan, head of global strategy at Standard Life Investments, which is favoring European equities, bonds and property in its portfolios as a result. "A number of drivers are supportive," he said, listing "monetary and fiscal policy, a somewhat healthier banking system, better real wages growth helped by lower energy costs, and pent up demand as consumer confidence improves in those countries that have had a hard few years." The danger is that it could all be knocked down in a second by what the finance minister of non-euro zone Britain, George Osborne, has dubbed a "dangerous cocktail" of threats to the world economy. Chief of these is the economic slowdown in China, which is the broader European Union's second-biggest trading partner behind the United States. China and the EU trade around 1 billion euros between them a day, according to the European Commission. UBS calculates that a one percentage point slowdown in Chinese growth would slice 0.1 to 0.3 percentage points off EU growth, which it says "should be manageable". A similar slowdown in emerging markets would lop 0.2 to 0.4 percentage points off growth. A case can be made, however, that in Europe - and the euro zone in particular - the economy has been growing even while China and emerging markets have slowed. In the first half of 2015, for example, big gun Germany's export growth to China fell to just 0.8 percent and engineering exports shrank by 4.9 percent. Yet German gross domestic product (GDP) growth was running at 1.8 percent at last count even with the slide. The overriding issue, though, is that the ECB's 60 billion euro ($66 billion) a month stimulus package is in no danger of ending and can offset much of the impact of trouble overseas. Lower commodity prices will help too, whatever the concerns about deflation. Of course, were the United States and the world economy as a whole to have a serious wobble, the euro zone would too. But for now, the negative adjectives about the euro zone may be overdone. (Editing by Ruth Pitchford) NOW WATCH: There's a conspiracy theory that the Miss Universe disaster wasn't really Steve Harvey's fault


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Greek Youth Unemployment Rate Stands at 57%: MP

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Elena Panaritis, a member of Greece's financial crisis negotiating team, said the country’s youth unemployment rate has risen to 57% and the situation is getting worse. "It is very bad and unfortunately it’s getting only worst.


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Cabals, messengers and capitulation

Plutarch, the famous 1st century Greek historian, recorded a messenger’s fate upon bringing less than happy news to Tigranes, then king of Greece, concerning conditions in a field of battle. Displeased with the revelations, the king chopped off the ...


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Greece's main opposition party to elect new leader

Greece's main opposition New Democracy (ND) party is to elect a new leader on Sunday, with some 400,000 voters expected to cast ballots nationwide. Two party heavyweights, Vangelis Meimarakis and Kyriakos Mitsotakis, emerged as the top contenders from the ...


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VW emissions scandal set to overshadow Detroit Motor Show

Volkwagen will showcase its new vehicles at the US’s largest car show on Monday in the face of the ongoing fallout from Dieselgate On Sunday night, as Detroit fills with auto journalists and car executives, Volkswagen will hold a media party at Fishbone’s, the Cajun-themed restaurant in the city’s Greektown neighbourhood. It’ll be the opening salvo in a PR offensive the German company will be hoping can finally turn the tide after arguably the worst year in its history. Three months after the revelation that Volkswagen Group was using an illegal software fix called a “defeat device” to circumvent US environmental regulations on about 600,000 of its diesel-powered passenger cars, the company will showcase its new vehicles at the US’s largest car show on Monday. Continue reading...


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Of Saints and Singers 

  Given the central role of the Orthodox Church in the lives and identities of Greeks in the United States, it is curious that we know so little about the history of liturgical music in this country. The Iakovian Era not only offers us an initial bedrock study of this topic but simultaneously provokes a […] The post Of Saints and Singers  appeared first on The National Herald.


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See in pic: Hrithik Roshan treats fans with dashing 42nd birthday selfie!

Hrithik has always been a favourite of movie-goers who love him not only for his 'Greek God' features but also his down-to-earth nature. Overwhelmed by the love showered upon him on his birthday, Duggu has treated his fans with a lovely birthday selfie.


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Private islands: reality TV and the internet help drive a booming market

Porer Island, off the coast of Croatia. Photograph: PrivateIslandsOnline.com But of course, there are plenty of options for the 1%, like a $200m island off the coast of Greece. Krolow estimates that 20% of available islands aren’t listed. These are the ...


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Greece New Democracy Leader

Candidate Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, waves to supporters as he leaves a polling station at Kifissia suburb, north of Athens, on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016. Greece's conservative New Democracy party conducts a nationwide voting to elect a new leader.


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Macedonia builds 10ft razor fence along border with Greece ahead of spring migrant influx

More than one million people arrived in the continent in 2015, with fears growing that the huge influx is yet to grow further when the weather improves in spring. The fence, which is due to be completed in the next few weeks, will ensure that all people ...


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8 Dead After Bus Carrying Migrants Overturns in Western Turkey

Ö. Seven of the wounded were in critical condition. The refugees, mostly Syrians, were headed to the coastal town of Ayvalık to cross the Aegean and enter Greece. In a similar incident, six people were killed and 30 others were wounded on Friday when a ...


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New Volkswagen vehicles likely to be overshadowed by emissions scandal

News that VW used illegal software fix to circumvent environmental regulations has undone decades of wooing US customers with promises of a greener future On Sunday night, as Detroit fills with auto journalists and car executives, Volkswagen will hold a media party at Fishbone’s, the Cajun-themed restaurant in the city’s Greektown neighbourhood. It’ll be the opening salvo in a PR offensive the German company will be hoping can finally turn the tide after arguably the worst year in its history. Three months after the revelation that Volkswagen Group was using an illegal software fix called a “defeat device” to circumvent US environmental regulations on about 600,000 of its diesel-powered passenger cars, the company will showcase its new vehicles at the US’s largest car show on Monday. Continue reading...


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Docs to provide medical support to refugees on Greek island

… refugees in need there. The Greek island continues to see thousands … be contributing directly to the Greek economy by buying provisions for …


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Birthday special: Hrithik Roshan's rare photos will take you on a nostalgia trip!

Certain things get better with age… and Hrithik Roshan is one of them! The Greek God of Bollywood, the Sexiest man alive, the ladies’ man and the ultimate heartthrob has turned 42! Admit or not but Hrithik is way more than just his six-pack abs ...


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Ever so slowly, the euro zone economy awakes

It is a dawn that policymakers are struggling to nurture into broad daylight. It also may not be felt equally across the board, viz Spain and Greece's unemployed versus Germany's busy builders. But putting aside for the moment that the euro zone's nascent ...


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Poland, Iran Case, Bailouts and Digital Life: EU Week Ahead Jan. 11-17

Old headaches haven’t gone away either. On the agenda at the Thursday meeting of eurozone finance ministers: the bailouts for Cyprus and, of course, Greece. Here are five things you might want to look out for in the week ahead.


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Two Paris attack suspects traveled together to GREECE

Two of the key suspects in the Paris terrorist attacks took a passenger ferry from Bari in Italy to Patra on August 1 and returned from GREECE the same ...


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