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Police Say Bank Robber Prison Escapee

Greek police said that they think a second man involved in an armed robbery that netted 1 million euros in Larissa, central Greece, on May 16 is also a fugitive from a Trikala prison break. Authorities said they matched fingerprints found at the scene with those of Klement Kala, one of 11 men who broke [...]

Greece’s Muslims Cite “Slaughter” Threat

The Muslim Association of Greece (MAG) said that it has received a threatening note giving all Muslims, Greeks and foreigners, one month’s time to evacuate the country or be “slaughtered like chickens,” according to a statement released by the association on May 18. The note, published on the association’s webpage, is written in Greek, English [...]

Greece Recession Will Ease, Joblessness Won’t

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ prediction that the country’s staggering economic crisis will start to abate and that a slow recovery will begin next year seems like, the country’s international debt inspectors said, but the record 27 percent unemployment rate will take years to come down and will probably stay above 20 percent for three [...]

SYRIZA Back In The Lead Over ND

The major opposition party Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), in a horse race with the ruling New Democracy (ND) Conservatives for popular support, has eked out a narrow lead over the rivals in a new poll, although the two are still are essentially tied as they have been in a slew of recent surveys. [...]

Anti-Racism Bill Splits Greek Government

An anti-racism bill aimed at the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party by imposing tougher penalties for assaults has caused a rift in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, the New Democracy Conservative party leader, and his partners, the PASOK Socialists and tiny Democratic Left (DIMAR). Shortly after Justice Ministry sources told the newspaper [...]

Troika Anxious Over 2015-16 Fiscal Gap

With Prime Minister Antonis Samaras predicting a recovery for Greece’s economy as soon as next year, the country’s international lenders are more worried about 2015-16, saying the outlook is “inherently uncertain” and will be the focus of negotiations with the government later this year, the European Commission said. The Troika of the European Union-International Monetary [...]

Lesbian Kiss, Greek Politics Hit Eurovision

Eurovision, the pop-schmaltz-saccharine-kitsch song contest that is known for bad taste and fantasy tunes that avoid the real world, has had a taste of gay marriage and Greek politics thrown into the mix for this year’s final in Malmo, Sweden on May 18. In the second semifinal on May 16 – where Greece’s entry was [...]

SYRIZA MP Yelled “Heil Hitler!” In Parliament

After a contentious confrontation in the Greek Parliament that led to a member of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party being ejected for violating rules against insulting colleagues, it was reported that it was a leftist MP who yelled “Heil Hitler!” in mockery. Panayiotis Iliopoulos, was removed from a session on May 17 after using derogatory [...]

Samaras Woos China For Partnerships

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’ five-day trip to China is quickly paying dividends with burgeoning deals and closer relations and he used it to urge the Chinese to use Greece as an entry to invest throughout Europe. While foreign investors often complain about typical rounds of endless bureaucracy-and-bribes and many have given up on the [...]

Two Greeks Arrested In Racist Attack

Two Greeks Arrested In Racist Attack

With attacks against immigrants in Greece unrelenting, police arrested two Greek men on suspicion of attacking a Cameroonian national and setting fire to his coffee bar in a central Athens neighborhood that has become a flashpoint of racist violence. The two, both 34, appeared before a prosecutor on May 16. Police spokesman Christos Parthenis said [...]

Greece To Adopt IRS Methods

Greece To Adopt IRS Methods

With antiquated record keeping, court cases backed up a decade, and tax cheats still running rampant during a crushing economic crisis, Greece is planning to use the same kind of cross-referencing and collection techniques that make the American Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the most efficient – and feared – in the world, although it’s now [...]

New Democracy Takes Slim Lead Over SYRIZA

New Democracy Takes Slim Lead Over SYRIZA

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s New Democracy (ND) Conservatives continued to hold a lead over the major opposition party Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) but by less than 1 percent in a poll conducted by the Marc/Alpha agency. ND had 21.6 percent with SYRIZA at 20.7 percent. The poll showed the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn still [...]