Thursday, July 13, 2017

EU Commission Says Greece Public Finances Back in Order

By REUTERS
JULY 12, 2017, 7:57 A.M. E.D.T.
The New York Times

BRUSSELS — Greece's fiscal position has improved and the European Union should end disciplinary procedures against it over its excessive deficit, the EU commission said on Wednesday, paving the way for the country to return to international bond markets.

EU fiscal rules oblige member states to keep their budget deficits below 3 percent of their economic output or face sanctions that could entail hefty fines, although so far no country has received a financial penalty.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Turkey detains academics for alleged links to cleric Gulen

By Associated Press July 10

The Washington Post

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s official news agency says police have detained 42 people, including academics, for alleged links to a U.S.-based Muslim cleric less than a week before the anniversary of the failed coup.

Anadolu news agency said the operations Monday targeted people working at Turkey’s Bogazici and Medeniyet University. Prominent Bogazici academic and government critic, Koray Caliskan, and 19 professors from Medeniyet’s medical school are among the detained.

American tourist killed in Greece was fatally beaten over a selfie, police say

By Kristine Phillips July 11 at 3:17 PM

The Washington Post

American Bakari Henderson was killed by a group of as many as 15 men because of an argument over a selfie at a bar on a Greek island, police said.

A confrontation began after Henderson, who was vacationing with friends, asked to take a picture with a waitress, and quickly escalated into a fistfight involving other customers and two bar employees, Greek police spokesman Theodore Chronopoulos told The Washington Post. Video surveillance shows that the 22-year-old recent graduate of the University of Arizona was fatally beaten in a span of just 30 seconds, Chronopoulos said.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Greece expects minimum $456 mln offers in gas grid sale - newspaper

 Mon Jul 10, 2017 | 7:28am EDT

Reuters

Greece expects potential investors will offer at least 400 million euros ($456 million) for a majority stake in its gas grid operator DESFA, Energy Minister George Stathakis said in an interview with Naftemporiki newspaper.

Greece, under pressure by EU lenders to conclude the sale as it has earmarked about 180 million euros of the proceeds in this year's budget, relaunched the tender in June after a 400 million euro deal with Azerbaijan state oil company SOCAR fell through over gas tariffs among other issues.

Friends say Texan killed in Greece was easygoing, fun-loving

By Jamie Stengle | AP July 10 at 6:03 PM

The Washington Post

DALLAS — A 22-year-old Texas man who was beaten to death at a bar on a Greek island recently graduated from college and was known to his friends for his fun-loving and friendly demeanor.

Bakari Henderson, of Austin, was beaten to death early Friday at the bar in Lagana on the island of Zakynthos.

Authorities haven’t disclosed a possible motive for the attack, but eight people have been arrested. Greek police said among them were a 34-year-old Greek and a 32-year-old British man of Serbian origin. Serbia’s foreign ministry said six of its citizens were arrested.

Greece: Protest and fire break out at Lesbos migrant camp

By Associated Press July 10 at 10:19 AM

The Washington Post

ATHENS, Greece — Authorities on the Greek island of Lesbos say a fire has broken out at a large migrant camp following a protest at the site.

Police said no injuries were reported from Monday’s protest and that the fire believed to have been set deliberately at the Moria camp is still burning.

ESM Urges Greece to Ready Market Borrowing Strategy

By REUTERSJULY 10, 2017, 3:09 P.M. E.D.T.

The New York Times

BRUSSELS — Greece should develop a strategy for its return to market borrowing and raise private finance before its euro zone bailout programme ends in a year's time, the head of the European Stability Mechanism said on Monday.

Klaus Regling told reporters "Greece will not need that much borrowing from the markets in the future" once bailout funding via the ESM ends in August 2018. It would be required only to replace maturing debt, given Athens' predicted fiscal surpluses.

Monday, July 10, 2017

Euro Zone Set to OK Release of Loans to Greece This Week-EU Official

By REUTERSJULY 6, 2017, 3:21 P.M. E.D.T.


The New York Times

BRUSSELS — Eurozone creditors are set to give their final go-ahead to the release of loans to Greece on Friday under a political agreement reached in June, a euro zone official said on Thursday.

Greece needs new loans under its current 86 billion euro (76 billion pounds) bailout programme, the third since 2010, to pay debt due this month.

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Το κείμενο είναι από τον απολυμένο Κ Μπογδάνο λόγω της κριτικής προς τον Α Τσίπρα

Πρωθυπουργικοί σύντροφοι (το ρεπορτάζ που φιμώθηκε)

Αλήθεια τώρα; Ενοχλήθηκαν από το "πρώην σύντροφοι"; Να αρχίσουμε να μετράμε; Είναι πολλές δεκάδες τα στελέχη και οι βουλευτές του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ, που έμμεσα ή άμεσα τα τελευταία χρόνια έχουν ενεργά στηρίξει κατηγορούμενους και καταδικασθέντες ως μέλη τρομοκρατικών οργανώσεων. Μόλις πριν μερικές εβδομάδες το τελευταίο κρούσμα. Δεκαπέντε νυν βουλευτές (αλφαβητικά οι υπογραφές: Γκιόλας Ιωάννης, Θελερίτη Μαρία, Θεοπεφτάτου Αφροδίτη, Θηβαίος Νικόλαος, Ιγγλέζη Αικατερίνη, Καββαδία Αννέτα, Καραγιαννίδης Χρήστος, Κυρίτσης Γεώργιος, Μπαλαούρας Γεράσιμος, Πάλλης Γεώργιος, Παπαδόπουλος Χριστόφορος, Σταματάκη Ελένη, Σταμπουλή Αφροδίτη, Φιλης Νικόλαος και Ψυχογιός Γεώργιος) έσπευσαν να υπογράψουν κοινή δήλωση για την Ηριάννα Β. Λ. (δύο επίθετα – χαρακτηριστική αναρχική επιλογή), υποστηρίζοντας ότι η καταδίκη της ως μέλος της Συνομωσίας των Πυρήνων της Φωτιάς θα αποτελέσει, μεταξύ άλλων, "συντριπτικό χτύπημα στο δικαίωμά της στη μόρφωση και στην επιστημονική εξέλιξη". Να σημειωθεί, ότι τον Λουκά Παπαδήμο, που ο Τσίπρας ακόμα δεν έχει επισκεφθεί στον Ευαγγελισμό, η ΣΠΦ τον χτύπησε.

Friday, July 7, 2017

Britain Isn't Greece, Prime Minister

Enough austerity. The government can afford to raise spending where that would help the economy.
By The Editors
7 Ιουλίου 2017, 9:39 π.μ. EEST
Bloomberg
Britain’s government isn’t due to announce a new budget until the autumn, but debate is already raging over public-sector pay. With Brexit bearing down, the embattled prime minister, Theresa May, will have to choose between making another embarrassing U-turn and defending a policy that is both unpopular and unnecessary.

Sadly for May, the U-turn makes better sense.

Greece Aims to Complete Former Athens Airport Deal by December

By REUTERSJULY 6, 2017, 6:42 A.M. E.D.T.


The New York Times

THENS — Greece aims to complete a deal on the former Athens airport of Hellenikon by December, the country's privatisations agency Chairwoman Lila Tsitsogiannopoulou said on Thursday.

A consortium of Abu Dhabi and Chinese investors backed by conglomerate Fosun, led by Greece's Lamda, signed a deal in 2014 to develop the Hellenikon coastal area, one of Europe's biggest real estate development projects.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Greece fires at Turkish freighter in Aegean, Ankara protests

03-07-2017
Deusche Welle


Greece's coast guard has fired "warning shots" at a Turkish freight ship near Rhodes island, prompting a protest from Ankara. Greek police say they acted on an anonymous call that it was "transporting drugs."

Turkey's foreign ministry condemned Greece on Monday over the shooting that left no one injured - but 16 bullet holes in the freighter's hull, according to its captain.
The vessel, the M/V ACT, had left the southern Turkish port of Iskenderun, near the Syrian border, and was heading west to the Gulf of Izmit when, according to Greek coast guards, it entered Greek waters northeast of Rhodes island.
"Warning shots were fired but the ship did not change course," said the Greek coast guard.

Friday, June 30, 2017

Φτωχά έσοδα από τις λίστες του πλούτου
Αργοί ρυθμοί και πενιχρά ποσά φόρων και προστίμων - Χαμηλές οι εισπράξεις και από τους τελωνειακούς ελέγχους
Παρασκευή, 30 Ιουνίου 2017 09:44
Ναυτεμπορική
Του Γιώργου Παλαιτσάκη
gpal@naftemporiki.gr



Thursday, June 29, 2017

Greece Gets Investor Thumbs Up on Possible Return to Bond Market

By Sotiris Nikas  and Anchalee Worrachate
29 Ιουνίου 2017, 5:04 π.μ. EEST
A new issuance in the second half looks increasingly possible
Government is in contact with investors to test the waters

Bloomberg

If Greece returns to the bond market this year, Mark Dowding would be a buyer.

“We have been bullish on Greece over the past year or so,” said the partner and portfolio manager at BlueBay Asset Management in London, which owns some long-dated Greek bonds. “We’ve also formed the view that lenders would remain committed to helping Greece. I feel relatively confident that Greece will be returning to market in the second half of this year.”

Greece eyes market return as debt dispute still simmering

The Washington Post

Derek Gatopoulos | AP June 28 at 11:12 AM

LAGONISSI, Greece — Greece is on target to tap bond markets for money again by the end of this year and exit its bailout program next summer, European creditors said Wednesday.

But a spat with the International Monetary Fund over how to deal with the country’s enormous debt showed no sign of being resolved swiftly.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Greece Says Needs to Step Up Privatisations

By REUTERSJUNE 28, 2017, 5:30 A.M. E.D.T.

The New York Times

ATHENS — Greece needs to step up its privatisation programme, deputy finance minister George Chouliarakis said on Wednesday.

Privatisations have been a main pillar of the country's international bailouts since 2010 but have reaped only 3.4 billion euros in revenues due to political resistance and red tape.

Monday, June 26, 2017

Prime Real Estate On Fire Sale -- In Greece

Forbes

Panos Mourdoukoutas ,   CONTRIBUTOR

A deep and prolonged economic contraction has placed prime real estate on fire sale in Greece, creating good opportunities for bargain hunters. But they may not last too long.

Buying prime real estate is all about good location and good timing. Good location is usually a place with a limited amount of land for development, like a city center or a waterfront. Good timing is a period when real estate in these places goes on fire sale due to catastrophic events or prolonged economic contractions.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Europe's Unserious Plan for Greece

The latest deal on debt won’t work, and everybody knows it.
By The Editors

21 Ιουνίου 2017, 9:00 π.μ. EEST


  • Grace periods come to an end. As interest rates creep up, Greece’s debt repayments will rise too. The perpetual primary surpluses creditors are demanding will squeeze the economy so hard that they’ll be self-defeating even in narrow fiscal terms.


Bloomberg

Brexit Bulletin: The New Political Reality

By Simon Kennedy  and Robert Hutton
21 Ιουνίου 2017, 9:52 π.μ. EEST

Bloomberg

Prime Minister Theresa May will make her first attempt to engage with Britain’s new political landscape on Wednesday as she publishes a Brexit-heavy legislative program.

Queen Elizabeth II will read out the plan for the next two years. It’s set to include a bill designed to convert thousands of European Union rules into British law and another to regain control of trade policy from the bloc.

Rick Perry just denied that humans are the main cause of climate change

By Steven Mufson June 19

The Washington Post

Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Monday denied that man-made carbon dioxide emissions are the primary cause of climate change.

Asked in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” whether he believed that carbon dioxide was “the primary control knob for the temperature of the Earth and for climate,” Perry said that “No, most likely the primary control knob is the ocean waters and this environment that we live in.”