Greece and the economic crisis 2018

NEWS ARCHIVE - October 7 - October 12

October 12, 2018

Corporate merger regulations loosened

New rules will apply to a variety of company types - eKathimerini.

Reparations

Reuters on the talks between President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Germany continues to insist that the issue of reparations ended in 1990 with the "Two Plus Four" agreement, which did not include Greece but was an understanding arranged between the reunited Germany with France, the UK, the United States and the Soviet Union. MSN News has a article describing the various legal sides to the reparations issue, and tells of how Poland and Greece are working together on the issue.

ALso see: Key dates in the Greece/Germany war reparations situation

Earthquake 4.4 near Pylos

Earthquake News Today on the "light earthquake" reported 25 miles offshore from Pylos.

58 shipwrecks found at Fournis

Tovima on the growing list of ancient sunken ships.

Moscow church breaking ties with Ecumenical Patriarchate over Ukrainian Orthodox

eKathimerini on the changes in the world of Orthodoxy.

Ancient figure and artifacts found on Santorini

Keep Talking Greece on this archeological find which includes a marble proto-cycladic female figurine plus jars and vials. – More Archeology in Greece

Lycabettus and Syntagma Parliament Building

October 11, 2018

Acropolis shut down with strike

Reuters on the strike by Cultural Ministry Workers. Also, eKathimerini on the "long lines of tourists" left outside of shuttered sites, and on the apparent misunderstanding between the cultural ministry and workers who fear that some museums or archeological sites will be privatized, something which is completely denied by Culture Minister Myrsini Zorba: "What’s happening here today is out of place, to say the least."

German President issues WW2 apology while in Greece

ABC News on the visit by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Athens.

Turkish hackers attack Greek sites

Protothema on the cyber warfare.

Reparations issue settled already, says Germany

eKathimerini on the response from Berlin.

Anxiety in Athens over Wall Street "Correction"

Tovima.gr on the red ink spilled in the stock market.

October 10, 2018

"Italy's fault"

Central Bank of Greece on why bank stocks are tanking - MSN News story.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos has died

New York Times story on death of Greek Coast Guard officer who rescued thousands during his career.

More Mediterranean energy deals on the way?

Washington Post says new business negotiations are perculating between Cyprus, Greece and Egypt. More on this at In-Cyprus.

IMF upgrades Cyprus growth prospects

Story at Protothema.

Ferries are to upgrade disability functions for 2019

Greek Shipping and Island Policy Minister Fotis Kouvelis is requiring ferries to be disability friendly in 2019 - more at Tornos News.

USA military bases at Volos, Alexandroupoli and Larissa?

Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos is urging expansion of United States military cooperation with Greece - more at eKathimerini. Meanwhile at Naftemporiki there is push-back against some of the comments made by Kammenos during his US visit. Also, Liberal.Gr on the conflict between Kammenos and the Tsipras government over the Prespa agreement issues.

Abuse of "Golden Visa" program by criminals

Protothema on the obvious. They quote Naomi Hirst (from Global Witness) "If you have a lot of money that you acquired through dubious means, securing a new place to call home far away from the place you stole from isn’t just appealing, it’s sensible." The article mentions that 25 billion has been invested into host countries through the program, with Spain, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and the UK getting the highest numbers of investors, followed by Greece, Cyprus and Malta. (See this other Protothema article on the rate of luxury properties being purchased by Chinese, Turks and Russians)

The National Library of Greece

October 9, 2018

Losing 630 points

Naftemporiki on stock market volatility. [In Greek]

Evacuations on Corfu due to fire

Village near Kouloura on Corfu evacuated - eKathimerini.

Joint US/Greek anti-terrorist exercises

eKathimerini on efforts to improve anti-terrorist work, especially with the refugee camps, and how US Department of Homeland Security is supplying database information to ELAS.

Migrants in Northern Greece hope to be arrested

Washington Post on colder temperatures and migrant groups seeking asylum.

Bank shares continue to suffer

eKathimerini on the continued decline in bank share prices.

Trouble between Italy and EU continues to grow

Protothema on the conflict concerning the draft budget.

IMF revises growth expectations by .6%

Naftemporiki on the changes in the IMF data on Greece. [In Greek]

eKathimerini says that the IMF is projecting 2.4 percent, close to the 2.5 percent growth claimed by the Greek government. The European Commission is saying 2.3 percent.

Downturn 2020?

Bloomberg podcast with Yanis Varoufakis, Harm Bandholz, and Kathy Fisher.

Three-year Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE

Competitors compete for a $4 million grand prize by mapping the sea floor - more at Marinetime Tech News.

Bavarian joking from German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer

Protothema quotes Seehofer as saying “the Bavarians ruled Greece for a time. Maybe it would have been better had it not been temporary.”

Ban on obese tourists riding donkeys

Tourists riding donkeys in Greece is pretty ubiquitous, but animal rights groups have been complaining about overly heavy tourists - more at FIR.

October 8, 2018

Elections in May?

FYOM and other factors could set up Tsipras and Syriza to face voters of Greece in May - so says eKathimerini. And Protothema on consessions made by Greece in the Prespa negotiations. And Athens News Agency on the lack of a "Plan B" for FYOM to gain membership in NATO.

Banking situation reasserts pressure on stocks

Naftemporiki on the combined dilemma of Greek banking loaded down with bad loans and the emerging Italian crisis.

Camera security on Hellenic shipping

Security Informed reports on weather and vandal proof cameras going onto the Greek shipping fleet.

In tourism surge, Athens gaining more overnight tourists

FIR shows numbers demonstrating that as a tourist location, Athens is also increasing, not just the islands.

October 7, 2018

Zeav still looking to implement name deal

Both Zaev and Tsipras put a lot into closing a deal on name reform for FYOM, but as eKathiemrini points out, the referendum vote was below the legally required 50% turnout which leaves a big question mark over what happens next. Zaev could get the changes he wants by establishing a parliamentary majority.