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Geopolitics

General Strike Brings Greece To A Standstill

KATHERIMINI (Greece), THE GUARDIAN (UK), REUTERS Worldcrunch ATHENS – The three-month old Greek coalition government is facing its first anti-austerity general strike Wednesday, with disruptions bringing the country to a standstill. Greek public sector unions have called a strike that is likely to draw thousands of workers out into the street today to protest against […]

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Economy

Report: Greece Needs Another 30 Billion And Two More Years

BRUSSELS – Greece needs at least two more years and an additional 30 billion euros in order to be able to meet the targets set for it by the euro zone countries, European sources tell Süddeutsche Zeitung. When – and indeed if – the country gets money from the second bailout package is unclear. In […]

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Economy

Bring Back Deutsche Marks! (Euros Can Stay) – A German Case For Parallel Currencies

In the face of the European debt and financial crisis, Hamburg-based economist Dirk Meyer has a “third way”: a system of parallel currencies. A professor at the Helmut Schmidt University of the armed forces, Meyer is convinced that in its present form the euro zone is simply not sustainable in the long term. He used […]

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Economy

Austerity? Not For Greece’s Defense Budget

LE TEMPS (Switzerland), DER SPIEGEL (Germany) Worldcrunch As Greece remains under the watchful eye of Angela Merkel and the IMF to make sure it imposes strict austerity measures, there is one governmental budget that has largely escaped cuts: the defense department. Alexandre Trauvers, writing in Le Temps, reported that Greece’s defense budget amounts to around […]

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Economy

Greece Asks For More Time To Implement Cuts

BILD (Germany), CHANNEL 4 NEWS(UK), ATHENS NEWS (Greece) Worldcrunch Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is meeting with eurogroup leader Jean-Claude Juncker in Athens on Wednesday, after asking “more time for cuts” in an interview with German publication Bild. Mr. Samaras rejected the possibility of an exit from the euro zone and a return to the […]

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Geopolitics

Europe’s Most Hated: Euro-Sceptic Politicians

OP-ED – A German newspaper recently published a list of the “ten most dangerous politicians in Europe.” When something bad happens we immediately start looking for someone or something to pin the blame on. It makes no difference if the “bad” thing was the capsizing of a cruise liner, a war that ended in a […]

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Economy

Troika Inspectors Arrive In Greece To Seek Difficult Austerity Cuts

BBC NEWS (UK), ASSOCIATED PRESS (USA) Worldcrunch Inspectors from the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund arrived in Athens on Friday to meet with Greek authorities, who hope to convince their international creditors that Athens should receive the final installment of 31.5 billion euros in bailout money. Greece is facing […]

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Society

What A Beautiful Island And Blind Taxi Driver Say About Greek Hopes For Survival

With its blue waters and soft breezes, the island of Zante is the essence of a Greek paradise. It turns out it was also home to widespread scams of state benefits that help explain what is so deeply broken in modern Greece.

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Society

Fashion’s Princess Of Print And Her Computer-Generated Haute Couture

It may look like art, but it’s just a beautiful dress: Mary Katrantzou is leading fashion’s digital print boom, a new generation of designers creating clothes with the help of such tools as Photoshop.

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Society

Another Greek Tragedy: Stuck In Limbo, Illegal Immigrants Face Neo-Nazi Violence

Once a gateway for illegal immigrants hoping to hop a ferry to Europe, the Greek port of Patras is now a dead end, where refugees must now also face growing hostility from the popular Neo-Nazi political party Golden Dawn.

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Geopolitics

Greece: Why Europe Doesn’t Trust Antonis Samaras

Even if he was considered a “pro-Europe” option, the Conservative victor in Greece’s Parliamentary election does not enjoy a shining reputation around the continent.

Categories
Economy

Markets Fizzle Despite Pro-Euro Greek Election Results

Worldcrunch CNN, DIE ZEIT, BLOOMBERG LONDON – World leaders have enthusiastically welcomed the narrow election victory of Greece’s pro-bailout New Democracy and Pasok parties –world markets, not so much. The center-right New Democracy and center-left Pasok parties won a combined 162 seats in Greece’s parliamentary elections, enough to form a majority in the 300-member parliament, […]

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Geopolitics

Greece Vote Weighs On Future Of Europe, Global Economy (Video)

[dailymotion https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/xrkm8a expand=1]Greeks ready for future-defining poll by reuters

Categories
Society

Greek Neo-Nazi Politician Attacks Two Rivals During TV Debate (Video)

ANT1 (Greece) ATHENS – Only weeks after the neo-Nazi Greek party Golden Dawn entered Parliament, one of its deputies physically attacked two left-wing women rivals during a TV show on ANT1. Ilias Kasidiaris, Golden Dawn’s spokesman, exploded when Rena Dourou, from the far-left party, referred to Kasidiaris’ current trial for armed robbery. Kasidiaris stood up […]

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Economy

IMF Chief Lagarde Pulls No Punches With Greece, Greeks Punch Back

LE MONDE (France) THE GUARDIAN (United Kingdom) PARIS – It may be a sign that the euro zone crisis is reaching a new low when political leaders say out loud what they share behind closed doors. The typically careful managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, has let loose with some plain […]

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Economy

Neither Euro, Nor Drachma: Could A New *Geuro* Currency Save Greece?

Top economists at Germany’s Deutsche Bank suggest creating a second “parallel” currency, alongside the euro, to save Greece. They also believe Greek banks should be turned into a European-managed “Bad Bank,” a

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Geopolitics

Meet The Neo-Nazi Group Greece Just Elected To Parliament

LES INROCKUPTIBLES (France) ATHENS– “The time has come for this country’s traitors to fear us,” said Nikolaos Michaloliakos, leader of the Golden Dawn, the neo-Nazi movement that won 7% of the seats in Greece’s Parliament this past Sunday. Until a few weeks, reports the Inrockuptibles magazine, no one had heard of these skinheads. Here’s the […]

Categories
Food / Travel

Hunting For Holiday Home Bargains In Crisis-Riddled Greece

For some northern Europeans, Greece’s economic crisis may be just the opportunity to finally have a sun-soaked Mediterranean vacation home. Property prices are down, with some sea view plots going for as little as 30,000 euros. Still, would-be buyers shou

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Society

“On The Misfortune Of Being Greek” – Germans Dig In To Ever Pertinent 1975 Essay

Greek intellectual Nikos Dimou published a book in 1975 slamming his native country’s failure. Now published for the first time in German, “On the Misfortune of Being Greek” is painfully relevant to understanding the current crisis engulfing the

Categories
Economy

European Decline: Is A University Degree Still Worth It?

Europe’s job seekers can expect tough years ahead. Cedefop, an EU agency, predicts slow employment growth will continue to come down disproportionately hard on the educated youth. Some are even asking if a university degree is still worth the time and mon

Categories
Geopolitics

Let’s Be Honest, Europe Is A God-Awful Mess

Op-Ed: Blinded by its own visions of grandeur, Europe dropped the ball years ago and will make things worse by turning the keys to the empire over to Goldman Sachs-trained “experts” like Mario Monti and Lucas Papademos. Folks, we are witnessing a train wr

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Geopolitics

No Reforms, No Cash: How Euro Bailout Conditions Would “Re-create” Modern Greece

The euro zone countries and the IMF are now making it clear to Greece: bailout cash will only come after the kind of drastic reforms that would effectively transform Greek society. But are the measures too drastic to make it possible?

Categories
Geopolitics

Where Europe Begins: A Greek River Crossing Marked On So Many Immigrant Maps

Along the river Evros, at the Turkish border, the Greek town of Nea Vyssa has become the first point of arrival for immigrants coming from all points east. Nowhere can you see better both the hopes and futility of the waves of immigration that continue to

Categories
Economy

Germany Gauges Latest Wave Of Grim News To Hit Euro Zone’s Weakest Links

The Fitch ratings agency offers the latest vote of no-confidence on Italy’s finances, as the situation only grows worse in Greece. Germans try to measure whether the vicious cycle of bailouts will ever end.

Categories
Economy

The Latest, Greatest Phantasmagorical Doomsday Forecast For 2012

Splitsville for Sarkozy and Bruni, Germany buys its way to a soccer championship, Greece can’t kick the habit, China stimulates itself to new heights. Meanwhile, Paul Krugman can’t be satisfied, even as Sarko finds a new bride. These and

Categories
Society

What We Owe Greece: A German Takes Stock Of Mediterranean Values

Essay: The West traces its origins to Greece and its Mediterranean neighbors. The region’s history and traditions continue to inspire, even as developments there warn us against taking capitalism and its social benefits too far.

Categories
Economy

New Signs Of “Invisible” Bank Run in Southern Europe, Cash Shifts To Scandinavia

Throughout the euro zone, banks are quietly hemorrhaging money as nervous clients seek safer havens for their cash. Some large companies deposit directly with the European Central Bank. Other clients are looking north, to the presumably more secure Scandi

Categories
Economy

Who’s To Blame For Greek Debt? Don’t Forget Tax Evaders’ 60 Billion Euro Bill

Outside creditors aren’t the only ones loathe to throw money Greece’s way. Would-be taxpayers have been unwilling to part with their cash, according to a new EU Commission report that found the Greek government may have to write off some 30 billion euros

Categories
Economy

The Bailout Delusion: European Summits Can’t Fix Economy, Only Jobs Can

Op-Ed: Rescue plans were the focus of this week’s high-stakes EU summit in Brussels. But anyone really wanting to know how Europe is doing should stop looking to its leaders, and talk instead with the region’s struggling business owners and unemployed wor

Categories
Geopolitics

Europe’s Past And Future – And The Risk Of ‘Just Blaming It On The Greeks’

Both Greece and its fellow euro-zone member countries must decide whether to bet on a future of shared sacrifice and common rules. Europe’s post-War dream of a union to avoid the continent’s history of warfare is facing its gravest risk

Categories
Economy

Debt Crisis Twist: Does Germany Owe Greece 70 Billion From World War II?

Germany continues to shoulder much of the load when it comes to Europe’s bailout of Greece. For some Greeks, that’s just as it should be. After all, Germany still has billions of euros in unpaid reparations bills from World War II. Die Welt takes a closer

Categories
Society

An Ancient Greek River Stinks With Tragedy Of Modern Industrial Pollution

Name the color, name the odor: Local factories have long been dumping all kinds of pollutants into the river north of Athens. Will the arrival of legendary American activist Erin Brockovich make a difference?

Categories
Economy

Bet You Didn’t Know “Insolvent” Greece And Portugal Are Sitting On Tons Of Gold

Op-Ed: Deeply indebted euro zone countries are hoarding significant quantities of gold reserves: Greece has 4 million ounces, Portugal’s stash is worth 13 billion. But instead of selling it to pay off their creditors, they’d rather ask t

Categories
Geopolitics

Greece: Depression And Suicide Rate Rising In Face Of Economic Crisis, National Shame

Unemployment, economic hardship, and the shame of being considered Europe’s black sheep – the Greek have never been so dispirited. And the number of cases of clinical depression and suicides is soaring.

Categories
Society

As Economy Implodes, Young Greeks Begin To Flee Cities For Safe Haven In Ancestral Lands

Greece’s deepening economic crisis is prompting some lifelong city-dwellers to return to their ancestral villages, where they are taking up farming, opening B&Bs and rediscovering the quiet charms of rural living.

Categories
Society

Shining Treasures From Greece’s ‘Dark Age’ Come To Light

In the small Greek village of Kalapodi, German archaeologists have excavated one of the primary Greek sanctuaries of the ancient world: the Oracle of Abai.

Categories
Future

Opera Legend Maria Callas “Didn’t Die Of A Broken Heart”

A new study rejects the hypothesis of suicide, concluding that Callas’ vocal decline and 1977 death were caused by a degenerative disease. Maria Callas, Henry Koerner, Oil on canvas, 1956 (via Flickr) BOLOGNA – To this day, the causes of both the vocal decline and eventual death of legendary soprano Maria Callas have remained a […]

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