Mitsotakis' mission: Saving Greece from Tsipras

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the leader of the Greek conservative party Nea Dimokratia, says he wants to "liberate" Greece from left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. He tells DW how he intends to accomplish this.

Deutche Welle

If Greece were to hold elections tomorrow, the pro-European conservatives Nea Dimokratia (New Democracy, ND) would clearly win. According to polls, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who has headed his party since January, has gained popularity. Many believe he would be a better prime minister than Alexis Tsipras.
The pro-European and neoliberal Mitsotakis, a scion of a Greek political dynasty, holds degrees from Harvard and Stanford. He has worked in politics and investment banking. His father, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, is a former Greek prime minister and his older sister, Dora Bakoyannis, former mayor of Athens, also served as Greek foreign minister and culture minister.

Eight Aboard Military Helicopter Seek Asylum in Greece

6:20 AM ET
Jul 16, 2016
Sat Jul 16 2016 09:20:46 GMT+0300 (GTB Daylight Time)
Niki Kitsantonis
ATHENS

The New York Times

Greece has arrested eight people aboard a Turkish military helicopter that landed in Alexandroupolis shortly before noon, the country’s Ministry of Public Order and Citizen Protection said.

The eight individuals have requested political asylum, the ministry said in a text message to reporters, and the helicopter has been placed under guard.

After the Brexit vote

The first signs of post-Brexit financial stress: property fund suspended
Jul 4th 2016, 16:45 BY BUTTONWOOD

The Economist

AFTER the initial post-Brexit sell-off in sterling and equities, financial markets had quietened down in the wake of the shock referendum result. The FTSE 100 even moved ahead of its pre-Brexit level.

But investor concerns have shown up in another market - property, Today Standard Life, the Scottish insurer, suspended redemptions in its UK Retail property fund, with £2.9 billion of assets under management. Here is the press release.

Nigel Farage, Who Spurred ‘Brexit,’ Resigns as Head of U.K. Independence Party

By STEPHEN CASTLE and STEVEN ERLANGERJULY 4, 2016


The New York Times

LONDON — He spent nearly 20 years pushing for Britain to leave the European Union, and having succeeded in his aim, he is now taking his leave.

Nigel Farage, the politician who probably did more than any other to force the referendum on British membership in the European Union, resigned on Monday as leader of the right-wing populist U.K. Independence Party, saying “I’ve done my bit.”

Mr. Farage, 52, has quit the post before — twice. But on Monday he sounded as if he meant it this time, telling reporters that “my political ambition has been achieved” and that “I want my life back.”

This economist thinks China is headed for a 1929-style depression

Published: June 30, 2016 2:23 p.m. ET

MarketWatch

Andy Xie is among the loudest voices warning of an inevitable implosion

By SUE CHANG
MARKETS REPORTER

Andy Xie isn’t known for tepid opinions.

The provocative Xie, who was a top economist at the World Bank and Morgan Stanley, found notoriety a decade ago when he left the Wall Street bank after a controversial internal report went public. Today, he is among the loudest voices warning of an inevitable implosion in China, the world’s second-largest economy.

Xie, now working independently and based in Shanghai, says the coming collapse won’t be like the Asian currency crisis of 1997 or the U.S. financial meltdown of 2008.