Dijsselbloem Says Further Greek Aid May Include Extending Loans

By Corina Ruhe  Mar 31, 2014 12:42 AM GMT+0300

Bloomberg

Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem said Greece’s international creditors will decide after the summer on possible further aid, including extending the maturity of existing loans.

Greece’s economic situation is improving, and this has an impact on calculations of the country’s debt sustainability, Dijsselbloem said in an interview aboard a Dutch government airplane en route to Cyprus late yesterday.

Exclusive: China seizes $14.5 billion assets from family, associates of ex-security chief: sources

BY BENJAMIN KANG LIM AND BEN BLANCHARD

BEIJING Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:31am EDT

(Reuters) - Chinese authorities have seized assets worth at least 90 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) from family members and associates of retired domestic security tsar Zhou Yongkang, who is at the centre of China's biggest corruption scandal in more than six decades, two sources said.

More than 300 of Zhou's relatives, political allies, proteges and staff have also been taken into custody or questioned in the past four months, the sources, who have been briefed on the investigation, told Reuters.

Greece passes reform bill, government majority shrinks to two seats

BY ANGELIKI KOUTANTOU AND RENEE MALTEZOU

ATHENS Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:03pm EDT

(Reuters) - Greece approved on Monday a contentious reform bill to secure bailout aid but the government was forced to expel a dissenting lawmaker, reducing its majority in parliament to just two seats.

A total of 152 lawmakers backed the bill, which incorporates into Greek law hundreds of reform measures Athens agreed earlier this month with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund after more than six months of tough negotiations.

Kerry, Lavrov hold talks on de-escalating Ukraine crisis

BY LESLEY WROUGHTON AND ALEXEI ANISHCHUK

PARIS/MOSCOW Sun Mar 30, 2014 7:22pm EDT

(Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, discussed ways to defuse the Ukraine crisis during talks in Paris on Sunday in which Kerry made clear Washington still considered Russian actions in Crimea "illegal and illegitimate."

Yasou: Greece Is Pulling Off an Amazing Recovery

Bloomberg Businessweek

This chart tells a remarkable story. Just two years ago, Greece was on the ropes. The yield on the Greek government’s 10-year debt hit a punishing and unsustainable 30 percent. Today the yield is less than 7 percent—a sign that investors are increasingly confident of the nation’s ability to pay its debts. Rarely has a country repaired its image with creditors so quickly. The world’s attention has moved on since the Greek debt crisis (a lot has happened since), but it’s worth stopping for a moment to look at what went right, as well as the huge challenges that remain.

How to deal with Russia without reigniting a full-fledged Cold War psychology

By George P. Shultz and Sam Nunn, Published: March 27

George P. Shultz, a distinguished fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, was secretary of state from 1982 to 1989. Sam Nunn, a former U.S. senator from Georgia and chairman of the Armed Services Committee from 1987 to 1995, is co-chairman and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

The Washington Post

Russia has taken over Crimea and threatens further aggression. Now is the time to act but also to think strategically. What basic strategic approach should the United States and its allies take, and how can that approach be implemented over time so that the tactical moves benefit our long-term interests? Is it possible to avoid the reemergence of a full-fledged Cold War psychology, which is encouraged by Russia developing an “I can get away with it” mentality?

Euro zone not preparing third Greek bailout so far: official

BY JAN STRUPCZEWSKI AND MARTIN SANTA

BRUSSELS Thu Mar 27, 2014 6:45pm EDT

(Reuters) - The euro zone is not making any preparations for a third bailout for Greece and will consider it only if expressly asked by Athens, which has not happened so far, a senior euro zone official said on Thursday.

Instead, the euro zone is now focusing on the timing and size of disbursements of badly delayed tranches of loans that have already been promised under the first two rescue packages, the official, directly involved in the Greek bailouts said.

Greece should get more aid from IMF after board review

WASHINGTON, March 27 Thu Mar 27, 2014 10:41am EDT

(Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund is likely to give Greece a bigger aid disbursement than usual after the board reviews the euro zone country's bailout program, likely in May, a Fund spokesman said on Thursday.

‘Ukraine’ or ‘the Ukraine’? It’s more controversial than you think.

BY KATIE ZEZIMA

March 25 at 2:40 pm

The Washington Post

When speaking about Ukraine, three seemingly innocuous letters can make a huge impact: the.

In recent weeks, politicians including President Obama and Mitt Romney have used the construction "the Ukraine" while speaking about that country and Russia's recent annexation of Crimea.

"And unfortunately, not having anticipated Russia's intentions, the president wasn't able to shape the kinds of events that may have been able to prevent the kinds of circumstances that you're seeing in the Ukraine," Romney said on CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday.

Malaysian Leader Says Flight 370 Ended in Indian Ocean

By THOMAS FULLER and CHRIS BUCKLEYMARCH 24, 2014
The New York Times

PEARCE AIR FORCE BASE, Australia — Malaysia’s prime minister said Monday that further analysis of satellite data confirmed that the missing Malaysian airliner went down in the southern Indian Ocean with its passengers and crew. The announcement narrowed the search area but left many questions unanswered about why it flew to such a remote part of the world.

Experts had previously held out the possibility that the jet could have flown north instead, toward Central Asia, but the new data showed that it could have gone only south, said the prime minister, Najib Razak.

Acknowledging defeat, Ukraine pulls troops from Crimea

BY ALEKSANDAR VASOVIC AND GABRIELA BACZYNSKA

FEODOSIA/SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:48am EDT

(Reuters) - Ukrainian troops and their families began evacuating from Crimea on Monday, as Kiev effectively acknowledged defeat by Russian forces who stormed one of the last of their remaining bases on the peninsula.

NATO says Russia has big force at Ukraine's border, worries over Transdniestria

BRUSSELS Sun Mar 23, 2014 7:25am EDT

(Reuters) - NATO's top military commander said on Sunday that Russia had a large force on Ukraine's eastern border and said he was worried it could pose a threat to Moldova's mainly Russian-speaking separatist Transdniestria region.

UPDATE 1-Greece's biggest bank turns to profit in 2013 on lower bad-loan provisions

Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:23pm EDT

Reuters

* National Bank posts net profit of 809 mln euros in 2013

* Bad-loan provisions drop 36 pct from previous year

* National reiterates it plans no equity offering to plug capital shortfall (Adds CEO comment, details)

Greek Sovereign Debt Rating Held at B- by S&P

By Marcus Bensasson  Mar 21, 2014 8:16 AM GMT+0200

Bloomberg

Greece’s credit rating was maintained at six steps below investment grade by Standard & Poor’s, which said the country’s debt remains large even as its government’s fiscal performance improves.

The country’s long-term local currency debt was kept at B-, with a stable outlook, S&P said in a statement.

China’s Rapid Growth Hits the Brakes

By NEIL GOUGHMARCH 18, 2014

The New York Times

HONG KONG — New pockets of economic weakness in China emerged on Tuesday, as the collapse of a highly indebted real estate developer and weak home sales pointed to a slowdown in the sprawling property sector.

The latest batch of difficulties add to the continuing debate over China’s commitment to economic reforms. While Beijing is pushing through initiatives to reform its economy, the worry is that the country’s slowing economy will prompt it to reverse course.

Greece Reaches Deal to Release Foreign Rescue Funds

By NIKI KITSANTONISMARCH 18, 2014

The New York Times

ATHENS — After seven months of faltering negotiations, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Tuesday that Greece had reached a deal with its foreign lenders on economic reforms necessary to unlock billions of euros in crucial rescue funding. He also pledged to distribute 500 million euros to one million Greeks hit hardest by the country’s economic crisis.

Greek Bonds Lead Euro-Area Periphery Rally on Recovery Optimism

By Neal Armstrong and Lukanyo Mnyanda  Mar 18, 2014 6:24 PM GMT+0200

Bloomberg

Greece’s government bonds led gains among Europe’s higher-yielding sovereign securities as optimism that the country is set to sell coupon-bearing debt for the first time in four years boosted demand for its assets.

Ten-year bonds rose for a second day after Infrastructure Minister Michalis Chrisochoides said Greece will probably sell securities before May. Greece reached an agreement with its creditors after a review of its adjustment program, a European Union spokesman said. Athens-based Piraeus Bank SA (TPEIR) sold non-investment grade debt. German bunds erased a gain as President Vladimir Putin said Russia won’t further split up Ukraine, damping demand for the euro area’s safest assets.

Russia Sounds Alarm on Economic Crisis as West Imposes Sanctions

By Olga Tanas and Anna Andrianova  Mar 17, 2014 11:00 PM GMT+0200

Bloomberg

Russia’s economy is showing signs of a crisis, the government in Moscow said as the U.S. and the European Union announced sanctions over the country’s support for the Crimea region breaking away from Ukraine.

“The situation in the economy bears clear signs of a crisis,” Deputy Economy Minister Sergei Belyakov said in Moscow yesterday. The cabinet needs to refrain from raising the fiscal burden on companies, which would be the “wrong approach,” he said. “Taking money from companies and asking them afterward to modernize production is illogical and strange.”

From Russia, with Lavrov

Mar 17th 2014, 14:53 by Buttonwood

The Economist

           

THE big question for investors after the Crimean referendum (which in its one-sided result, only added to the 1930s parallels of the crisis) is what will be the extent of Western sanctions against Russia, and what will be Mr Putin's response. The latest figures from the Fed suggest that the Russians have been following the famous rugby tactic of "getting their retaliation in first". The Fed's custody holdings of Treasury securities fell by $104 billion in the week to March 12, with the sell-off generally attributed to Russian actions.

Portuguese Bonds Advance With Italy, Spain After Crimea’s Vote

By Lukanyo Mnyanda and Neal Armstrong  Mar 17, 2014 6:30 PM GMT+0200

Portugal’s government bonds rose as investors bet Crimea’s vote to leave Ukraine and join Russia won’t lead to serious conflict, boosting demand for the euro area’s higher-yielding assets.

Italian and Spanish securities also gained even as the U.S. and the European Union condemned the referendum and imposed sanctions on individuals in Russia. Greek bonds advanced as the nation was said to be approaching agreement with its creditors. German 10-year bunds, which rose last week by the most since September, declined. Portugal’s bonds have also been supported as the nation moves toward exiting a bailout program.

Τρεις επέτειοι

16.03.2014 : 16:17

Καθημερινή

Α Παπαχελάς

Εμείς οι Ελληνες δεν γνωρίζουμε σε βάθος την Ιστορία μας, παρά την υπερηφάνεια που νιώθουμε γι’ αυτήν. Ενα μεγάλο κομμάτι των συμπολιτών μας την έχει μάθει, κυρίως τη σύγχρονη Ιστορία, μέσα από ένα πολύ συγκεκριμένο πρίσμα, που παρουσιάζει την Ελλάδα πάντοτε κυνηγημένη και τους Ελληνες μονίμως αλάθητους. Αυτό το θεμελιώδες έλλειμμα ιστορικής γνώσης δικαιολογεί πολλά, μα πάρα πολλά, από τα ιδεολογήματα, τα στερεότυπα και τις θεωρίες συνωμοσίας που καταδυναστεύουν τον δημόσιο διάλογο και σκοτώνουν την κοινή λογική.

China's yuan dips in widened band, but scope for big swings seen limited

BY LU JIANXIN AND SAIKAT CHATTERJEE

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG Mon Mar 17, 2014 5:46am EDT

(Reuters) - China's yuan eased against the dollar on Monday after the central bank doubled the currency's daily trading band as part of its commitment to let markets play a greater role in the economy.

Yet the currency moved in a relatively narrow range reflecting market views that the People's Bank of China will seek to limit currency swings at a time when markets fret over China's cooling growth and the quality of corporate debt.

Crimea Votes to Secede From Ukraine as Russian Troops Keep Watch

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORNMARCH 16, 2014

The New York Times

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine — With thousands of heavily armed Russian troops occupying this perennially embattled peninsula, an overwhelming majority of Crimeans voted on Sunday to secede from Ukraine and join Russia, resolutely carrying out a public referendum that Western leaders had declared illegal and vowed to punish with economic sanctions.

With Takeover Of Natural Gas Station, Russia Ratchets Up Tension With Ukraine

Forbes

By Doug Schoen

Since the protests in Kiev turned bloody weeks ago, there has been one question on my mind: when will Russia invade Ukraine?

And now I have my answer: yesterday.

Η πικρή ιστορία της «λίστας των 1.700»

ΓΙΑΝΝΗΣ ΠΑΛΑΙΟΛΟΓΟΣ

Καθημερινή

Η Κατερίνα Φραντζεσκάκη δείχνει να έχει βρει την ησυχία της. Βετεράνος 32 χρόνια στο υπουργείο Οικονομικών, τα 25 από αυτά στις ελεγκτικές υπηρεσίες, τον Νοέμβριο του 2012 παραιτήθηκε από τη θέση της διευθύντριας Ελέγχων του υπουργείου. Ενα χρόνο νωρίτερα, είχε εκπληρώσει το νεανικό της όνειρο: πέτυχε στις εξετάσεις της Ιατρικής και φοιτούσε ήδη ως πρωτοετής φοιτήτρια στο Πανεπιστήμιο της Πάτρας. «Τον τελευταίο χρόνο, δεν μπορώ καν να ακούω ειδήσεις για τα οικονομικά. Παθαίνω αλλεργία», δηλώνει στην «Κ», ένα ηλιόλουστο απόγευμα του Φεβρουαρίου.

«Αν ήξερα τι θα έβρισκα, μπορεί και να μη δεχόμουν»

ΜΑΡΙΑΝΝΑ ΚΑΚΑΟΥΝΑΚΗ

Καθημερινή

Μετά την εξάωρη «κατάθεσή» του στην Επιτροπή Θεσμών και Διαφάνειας της Βουλής, ο κ. Παναγιώτης Νικολούδης μίλησε με στενούς συνεργάτες του. «Χαμός έγινε», του είπαν. «Τι χαμός; Επανάσταση θα έπρεπε να έχει γίνει. Να έχει κατέβει κόσμος στο Σύνταγμα», απάντησε εκείνος. Ο πρόεδρος της Αρχής με τον τίτλο που μοιάζει σαν τρένο, όπως είπε χαριτολογώντας στους βουλευτές, παρουσίασε τα αποτελέσματα της τελευταίας χρονιάς στις τρεις μονάδες της υπηρεσίας του: στην Καταπολέμηση της Νομιμοποίησης Εσόδων από Εγκληματικές Δραστηριότητες, της Χρηματοδότησης της Τρομοκρατίας και στον Ελεγχο των Δηλώσεων Περιουσιακής Κατάστασης, δηλαδή το «πόθεν έσχες».

Putin Declares War

Will Obama and Europe let him get away with carving up Ukraine?

March 2, 2014 10:11 a.m. ET

The Wall Street Journal

Vladimir Putin's Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean peninsula by force on the weekend and now has his sights on the rest of his Slavic neighbor. The brazen aggression brings the threat of war to the heart of Europe for the first time since the end of the Cold War. The question now is what President Obama and free Europe are going to do about it.

Russia holds war games near Ukraine; Merkel warns of catastrophe

BY STEPHEN BROWN AND TIMOTHY HERITAGE

BERLIN/MOSCOW Fri Mar 14, 2014 2:53am EDT

(Reuters) - Russia launched new military exercises near its border with Ukraine on Thursday, showing no sign of backing down on plans to annex its neighbor's Crimea region despite a stronger than expected drive for sanctions from the EU and United States.

India Looking for Malaysian Jet as U.S. Sees Air Piracy

By Alan Levin, Kartikay Mehrotra and Anurag Kotoky  Mar 14, 2014 5:37 AM GMT+0200

India’s navy set up a search zone for the missing Malaysian airliner in the Andaman Sea, hundreds of miles off the course of Flight 370, as evidence mounted that the plane may have flown long after controllers lost contact.

Challenges Ahead in Crimea

Brookings

By: Steven Pifer

Editor’s Note from Lawfare: The Russian military occupation of the Crimea and Russian president Vladimir Putin’s attempts to railroad a political settlement that would separate Crimea from the rest of Ukraine is the latest, and perhaps the most formidable, foreign policy test for the Obama administration. Events on the ground are fast-moving and defy easy categorization, further complicating policymaking. Steven Pifer, a senior fellow here at Brookings as well as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine during several pivotal years in the Clinton administration, offers his perspective on the challenges ahead and the best approach for the United States and its allies.

Greek journalist-turned-politician rides anti-establishment wave

BY DEEPA BABINGTON AND RENEE MALTEZOU

ATHENS Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:11am EDT

(Reuters) - A television journalist-turned-political crusader promising to shake up Greek politics is winning unexpectedly strong support from voters in the run-up to European elections in May.

Tapping into the disgust felt by many Greeks against established politicians with a call for a grassroots, youth-led movement to solve Greek problems, Stavros Theodorakis has quickly snapped up followers from both the left and the right.

Irish Bonds Rise, Yields Drop to Record in Market Return

By Lucy Meakin  Mar 13, 2014 3:47 PM GMT+0200  0 Comments  Email  Print

Bloomberg

Ireland’s 10-year yield fell to a record as the nation auctioned government bonds for the first time since 2010, the latest sign the euro region’s financial woes are abating.

Italy’s bonds also advanced as the Treasury in Rome sold 7.75 billion euros ($10.8 billion) of debt due between 2016 and 2037. The average yield to maturity on securities from Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain fell to the lowest in the history of the euro area this week, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch indexes, as investors return to markets they shunned during the region’s debt crisis.

Greece posts wider primary budget surplus in Jan-Feb

ATHENS, March 11 Tue Mar 11, 2014 6:40am EDT

Reuters

(Reuters) - Greece's central government posted a primary budget surplus, before interest payments, of 2.1 billion euros ($2.91 billion) in the first two months of the year, compared to a surplus of 487 million euros in the same period last year, deputy finance minister Christos Staikouras said on Tuesday.

This is far above an interim target for a surplus in Jan-Feb of 1.047 billion euros. The figure excludes the budgets of social security organisations and local administration.

Soros Says Europe Faces 25 Years of Stagnation Without Overhaul

By Jesse Westbrook  Mar 12, 2014 12:45 PM GMT+0200

Bloomberg

Billionaire investor George Soros said Europe faces 25 years of Japanese-style stagnation unless politicians pursue further integration of the currency bloc and change policies that have discouraged banks from lending.

While the immediate financial crisis that has plagued Europe since 2010 “is over,” it still faces a political crisis that has divided the region between creditor and debtor nations, Soros, 83, said in a Bloomberg Television interview in London today. At the same time, banks have been encouraged to pass stress tests, rather than boost the economy by providing capital to businesses, he said.

Why regulation — on yogurt and more — is blocking Greece’s recovery

By Peter Gumbel MARCH 11, 2014

Reuters

The news that Greek-style yogurt maker Chobani is looking to sell a minority stake that would value the company at around $2.5 billion should in theory be a big boost for Greece’s beleaguered dairy industry.

Προσέλαβαν 80 εργαζόμενους στην ΟΣΥ με πλαστά ή παραποιημένα πτυχία

ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΗ: 11/03/2014 23:14

TA NEA 

Πλαστά πιστοποιητικά σπουδών φέρνουν στην επιφάνεια οι εσωτερικοί έλεγχοι που γίνονται με εντολή του υπουργείου Διοικητικής Μεταρρύθμισης στους φακέλους του προσωπικού της εταιρείας Οδικές Συγκοινωνίες (ΟΣΥ).

Malaysia military tracked missing plane to west coast: source

BY EVELINE DANUBRATA AND NILUKSI KOSWANAGE

KUALA LUMPUR Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:12am EDT

Reuters

(Reuters) - Malaysia's military believes it tracked a missing jetliner by radar over the Strait of Malacca, far from where it last made contact with civilian air traffic control off the country's east coast, a military source told Reuters.

In one of the most baffling mysteries in recent aviation history, a massive search operation for the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER, now in its fourth day, has so far found no trace of the aircraft or the 239 passengers and crew.

Ukraine crisis: Russia preparing counter-offer to US demands

Kremlin says Washington’s stance on negotiations unacceptable because it accepts ouster of Yanukovych as fait accompli

Associated Press in Kiev

theguardian.com, Tuesday 11 March 2014 04.25 GMT

Russia has said it is drafting counterproposals to a US plan for a negotiated solution to the Ukraine crisis. The Kremlin denounced the new western-backed government as an unacceptable “fait accompli” and claimed Russian-leaning parts of the country had been plunged into lawlessness.

Beware Greeks Selling Gifts as EU Frets: Euro Credit

By Nikos Chrysoloras and Marcus Bensasson  Mar 10, 2014 1:35 PM GMT+0200

Bloomberg

The European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund have expressed a view that the Greek government may repeat past mistakes if it manages to slip the shackles of its bailout program

Why Mexican drug-traffickers started smuggling iron ore to China

The Economist explains

Mar 9th 2014, 23:50 by H.T. | MEXICO CITY

http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/03/economist-explains

The Economist

IT IS big, bulky, you can’t snort it, and it doesn’t get you high. Per tonne, it sells for about $125, compared with cocaine, which fetches at least $50m wholesale. By any reckoning, iron ore would seem like a daft thing to peddle if you were in the drugs trade. Yet on March 3rd Mexican authorities seized nearly 120,000 tonnes of it near the port of Lázaro Cárdenas on the Pacific coast. Much of it they reckon was due to be smuggled to China by the Knights Templar, a bloodthirsty drug-trafficking outfit. Officials say that the business had become even better for the Templars than drugs.

Debt Exceeds $100 Trillion as Governments Binge

By John Glover  Mar 10, 2014 5:42 PM GMT+0200

Bloomberg

The amount of debt globally has soared more than 40 percent to $100 trillion since the first signs of the financial crisis as governments borrowed to pull their economies out of recession and companies took advantage of record low interest rates.

The $30 trillion increase from $70 trillion between mid-2007 and mid-2013 compares with a $3.86 trillion decline in the value of equities to $53.8 trillion, according to the Bank for International Settlements and data compiled by Bloomberg. The jump in debt as measured by the Basel, Switzerland-based BIS in its quarterly review is almost twice the U.S. economy.

Greek Yields Drop to 4-Year Low, Stocks Rally Amid Troika Talks

By Neal Armstrong and Christos Ziotis  Feb 26, 2014 6:41 PM GMT+0200

Bloomberg

Greece’s bonds jumped, sending yields to a four-year low, and stocks climbed on speculation the country will reach an agreement with international creditors to ensure its bank-recapitalization requirements are manageable.

Russian Forces Gain in Ukraine as Separatist Vote Looms

By Kateryna Choursina, Volodymyr Verbyany and Stepan Kravchenko  Mar 10, 2014 9:58 AM GMT+0200

Bloomberg

Russian forces advanced in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, ignoring Western calls to halt a military takeover before the region’s separatist referendum.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said yesterday he’d travel to Washington this week as Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Crimea’s local government, which may use the March 16 vote to leave Ukraine and join the country’s Soviet-era master. Russian troops detained Ukrainian border guards at a base a day after gunmen fired warning shots at international observers and barred them from Crimea.

ΣΔΟΕ: Στα δίχτυα 72 της λίστας Λαγκάρντ για φοροδιαφυγή, μιζαδόροι και οδοντίατρος

Αρχίζει η αξιοποίηση της λίστα Λαγκάρντ για την είσπραξη εσόδων από το Δημόσιο. Στο αμέσως προσεχές διάστημα, σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες, 72 επιχειρηματίες, ιδιώτες και άλλα πρόσωπα που το όνομα τους υπάρχει στη λίστα αναμένεται να παραπεμφθούν στις οικονομικές υπηρεσίες για να καταβάλουν δεκάδες εκατομμύρια ευρώ για απόκρυψη εισοδήματος.

Το ΣΔΟΕ βρήκε «μαύρη τρύπα» άνω του 1,5 εκατ. ευρώ στο Μετσόβιο

«Μαύρη τρύπα» με αδικαιολόγητες δαπάνες άνω του 1,5 εκατ. ευρώ στο Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο εντόπισαν οι ελεγκτές του Σώματος Δίωξης Οικονομικού Εγκλήματος.

Η έρευνα του ΣΔΟΕ στα οικονομικά του Πολυτεχνείου της Αθήνας βρίσκεται σε πλήρη εξέλιξη, όπου οι ελεγκτές κάνουν «φύλλο και φτερό» τιμολόγια και άλλα παραστατικά για δαπάνες, ερευνητικά προγράμματα, αμοιβές κ.λπ.

Ισόβια σε εφοριακούς για παράνομες επιστροφές ΦΠΑ

ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗ

Σύννεφο» πήγαν τα ισόβια από το Κακουργιοδικείο Θεσσαλονίκης σε βάρος εφοριακών που κατηγορούνταν για την γνωστή υπόθεση των παράνομων επιστροφών ΦΠΑ.

Μάλιστα, σύμφωνα με νομικούς, είναι η πρώτη φορά που ποινικό δικαστήριο της πόλης επιβάλει την ποινή της ισόβιας κάθειρξης εναντίον κατηγορούμενων εφοριακών σε δίκη που συνδέεται με το συγκεκριμένο σκάνδαλο, το οποίο αποκαλύφθηκε πριν από περίπου 15χρονια, με τη συνολικά προκληθείσα ζημιά για το ελληνικό δημόσιο να εκτιμάται σε δεκάδες εκατομμύρια ευρώ.

Greece, lenders will miss March 10 deadline for rescue loan deal: sources

ATHENS Fri Mar 7, 2014 5:50pm EST

(Reuters) - Greece and its international lenders will miss a self-imposed March 10 deadline to clinch a deal that will release the next tranche of the country's rescue loans, three senior Greek government sources said late on Friday.

Greece's top banks need $8.9 billion euros in extra capital: central bank

BY GEORGE GEORGIOPOULOS

ATHENS Thu Mar 6, 2014 1:44pm EST

(Reuters) - Greece's major banks must raise an extra 6.4 billion euros ($8.9 billion) in capital to make themselves strong enough to deal with the fallout from future crises, the central bank said on Thursday.

A health check was run to see whether last summer's 28-billion-euro recapitalization of the four top banks had left them with enough cash to withstand rising loan losses, a further economic slump and other potential shocks.

How the Ukraine crisis ends

By Henry A. Kissinger, Published: March 6

Henry A. Kissinger was secretary of state from 1973 to 1977.

Public discussion on Ukraine is all about confrontation. But do we know where we are going? In my life, I have seen four wars begun with great enthusiasm and public support, all of which we did not know how to end and from three of which we withdrew unilaterally. The test of policy is how it ends, not how it begins.

IMF Said to Demand Greater Say on Greek Banks in ECB Wrangle

By Nikos Chrysoloras, Jeff Black and Christos Ziotis  Mar 6, 2014 2:00 AM GMT+0200

The International Monetary Fund wants a greater say in the fate of Greek banks because it’s worried that the European Central Bank is being too lenient on them, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

The IMF views an analysis of the country’s banks run in 2013 by BlackRock Inc. (BLK) as being too optimistic, said the people, who declined to be identified as the talks are private. The fund is concerned that the ECB, which will conduct its own stress test later this year, hasn’t pushed the Greek central bank hard enough to revise BlackRock’s findings, the people said. Those results will be published today.

EU weighs Russia sanctions as Ukraine diplomacy falters

BY LUKE BAKER AND ELIZABETH PIPER

BRUSSELS/MOSCOW Thu Mar 6, 2014 3:41am EST

(Reuters) - European Union leaders were set to warn but not sanction Russia on Thursday over its military intervention in Ukraine after Moscow rebuffed Western diplomatic efforts to persuade it to pull forces in Crimea back to their bases.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov refused to meet his new Ukrainian counterpart or to launch a "contact group" to seek a solution to the crisis at talks in Paris on Wednesday despite intensive cajoling by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The two men will meet again in Rome on Thursday.

U.S. Effort to Broker Russia-Ukraine Diplomacy Fails

By MICHAEL R. GORDON and STEVEN ERLANGERMARCH 5, 2014

The New York Times

PARIS — An effort by the United States to broker the first face-to-face diplomatic meeting between Russia and Ukraine over the Crimea crisis failed on Wednesday, but Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart announced more discussions in the days ahead.

Their remarks left open the possibility of progress toward a solution to de-escalate one of the most serious East-West confrontations since the Cold War.

Almost Half a Billion Worth of Bitcoins Vanish

The Wall Street Journal

Mt. Gox Says It Lost 750,000 of Customers' Bitcoin to Fraud

Mt. Gox, once the dominant exchange for bitcoin trading, on Friday said more than $470 million of the virtual currency vanished from its digital coffers, kicking into high gear a search for the missing money by victims and cybersleuths.

Acting alone and in groups, the people stepped up their efforts after Mt. Gox filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan and confirmed rumors it had lost almost 750,000 of its customers' bitcoins, as well as roughly 100,000 of its own.

Is Putin “in Another World?”

Marvin Kalb | March 4, 2014 12:30pm

Brookings

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, rarely one to engage in flights of fancy, finished a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the crisis in Ukraine, and then, turning to several of her aides, she said that “she was not sure he was in touch with reality.” The Russian leader, she added, seemed to be “in another world.”

President Obama’s foreign policy is based on fantasy

By Editorial Board, Published: March 3

The Washington Post

FOR FIVE YEARS, President Obama has led a foreign policy based more on how he thinks the world should operate than on reality. It was a world in which “the tide of war is receding” and the United States could, without much risk, radically reduce the size of its armed forces. Other leaders, in this vision, would behave rationally and in the interest of their people and the world. Invasions, brute force, great-power games and shifting alliances — these were things of the past. Secretary of State John F. Kerry displayed this mindset on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday when he said, of Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, “It’s a 19th century act in the 21st century.”

Putin’s error in Ukraine is the kind that leads to catastrophe

By David Ignatius, Published: March 3

The Washington Post

Napoleon is said to have cautioned during an 1805 battle: “When the enemy is making a false movement we must take good care not to interrupt him.” The citation is also sometimes rendered as “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” Whatever the precise wording, the admonition is a useful starting point for thinking about the Ukraine situation.

High-Interest Web Banks on the Rise in China

By DAVID BARBOZAMARCH 2, 2014

The New York Times

SHANGHAI — Last June, an affiliate of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba made an offer to its hundreds of millions of users: Give us your cash, and we will pay more than Chinese banks will.

Savers swamped the company seeking interest rates that were significantly higher than the low rates fixed by the government. By early February, 81 million people had signed up for the company’s money market product called Yu’e Bao, which translates as “leftover treasure.”

Ukraine's Perpetual East-West Balancing Act

Brookings

Striking the right balance between relations with the West and relations with Russia has always been Ukraine’s central foreign policy challenge. Ukraine’s leaders have sought to have it both ways: to grow relations with the United States, European Union and NATO while also trying to maintain a stable relationship with Russia.

Russian forces expand control of Crimea

By William Booth, Will Englund and Kathy Lally, Updated: Monday, March 3, 7:44 PM E-mail the writers

The Washington Post

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine — Russian forces expanded their control of the Crimea region Monday and reportedly gave the Ukrainian military an ultimatum, as the Ukrainian prime minister called for Western political and economic support and the Russian and Ukrainian currencies fell in tandem.

Kremlin Clears Way for Force in Ukraine; Separatist Split Feared

By ALISON SMALE and DAVID M. HERSZENHORNMARCH 1, 2014

New York Times

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine — As Russian armed forces effectively seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula on Saturday, the Russian Parliament granted President Vladimir V. Putin the authority he sought to use military force in response to the deepening instability in Ukraine.

The authorization cited a threat to the lives of Russian citizens and soldiers stationed in Crimea and other parts of Ukraine, and provided a blunt answer to President Obama, who on Friday pointedly warned Russia to respect Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.