Greek Euro Exit Unavoidable if IMF, Euro Zone Can't Agree

The Wall Street Journal

By COSTAS PARIS

The International Monetary Fund and Europe are still far from finding a common formula to tackle Greece's explosive debt crisis, with the IMF insisting on a "haircut" on the principle that Athens owes its creditors, while euro-zone governments dismissed the proposal because of political repercussions.

Greece faces anti-austerity shutdown as EU meets

By Karolina Tagaris

ATHENS | Wed Oct 17, 2012 6:09pm EDT

(Reuters) - Greek workers will walk off the job for the second time in three weeks on Thursday, hoping to show EU leaders meeting in Brussels that a new wave of wage and pension cuts will only worsen the plight of a people worn down by five years of recession.

Greece close to €31bn bailout deal

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/oct/17/greece-close-31bn-bailout-deal

As European leaders prepare for summit, troika says broad outlines agreed on austerity measures Greece must impose

Greece, lenders declare progress as inspectors depart

By Renee Maltezou

ATHENS | Wed Oct 17, 2012 9:33am EDT

(Reuters) - Inspectors from Greece's international lenders will leave Athens after making substantial progress on talks to unlock aid for the near-bankrupt country but without agreement on crucial labor reforms, officials said on Wednesday.

"Grexit" could spark global economic crisis: German think tank

(Reuters) - A Greek exit from the euro zone could trigger a global economic crisis of dire proportions and must be avoided at all costs, a respected German think tank said in a study published on Wednesday.

Greece, troika talks hit snag on labour reforms

ATHENS | Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:04pm EDT

(Reuters) - Greece's labor minister and international lenders briefly suspended talks on austerity cuts on Tuesday to confer with their leaders on the thorny issue of labor reforms, which raised objections among government coalition partners.

Greece prepares second wave of privatizations

(Reuters) - Greece plans to launch tenders to sell or lease a string of state assets, including its biggest refiner and two largest ports, as it battles to pay down debt and meet the terms of an international bailout.

Greece Will Probably Leave Euro Within Six Months, Borg Says

By Johan Carlstrom and Josiane Kremer on October 13, 2012

As European Union leaders prepare for a summit next week devoted to saving the euro, Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg said Greece may quit the common currency within the next six months.

Greece Is Not Poor; Has Abundance Of Uptapped Reserves Of Gold, Oil And Natural Gas

October 15th, 2012

Michael Snyder: It turns out that the poster child for the European debt crisis is not actually poor at all.  In fact, the truth is that the nation of Greece is sitting on absolutely massive untapped reserves of gold, oil and natural gas.  If the Greeks were to fully exploit the natural resources that are literally right under their feet, they would no longer have any debt problems. 

Greece and Troika deal after EU summit

http://community.nasdaq.com/News/2012-10/greece-and-troika-deal-after-eu-summit.aspx?storyid=181478

FXstreet.com (San Francisco) - "It is difficult to reach an agreement by the EU Summit" said Greece's Finance Minister Giannis Stournaras on Monday after meeting with Troika's officials. "There is still the issue of the debt sustainability and the financing gap," Stournaras added and pointed that "all show that we are heading towards an emergency Eurogroup" meeting.

Softening stance on Greece, Merkel rules out default

(Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out letting Greece default on its debt, in the latest sign Berlin is softening its stance towards Athens ahead of an eagerly awaited report on its reform progress from the "troika" of international lenders.

Germany holds firm on Greece as IMF pressure mounts

By Antoni Slodkowski and Julien Toyer

TOKYO | Fri Oct 12, 2012 4:34am EDT

(Reuters) - Germany held firm on Friday in insisting it was too soon to say Greece deserved more time to meet its budget-cutting goals even as the head of the IMF laid out the case for leniency.

Greece's Coca Cola Hellenic to switch main listing to London

ATHENS | Thu Oct 11, 2012 3:34am EDT

Oct 11 (Reuters) - Coca Cola Hellenic, Greece's biggest company by market value, said on Thursday it would switch its main bourse listing to London, where it hopes to tap more liquidity from investors.

IMF’s Lagarde Says Greece Needs More Time to Meet Targets

By Sandrine Rastello - Oct 11, 2012 7:36 AM GMT+0300

Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) --International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said Greece should get two years to meet fiscal targets and suggested debt reductions are needed before a 130 billion-euro ($167 billion) bailout can proceed.

Greece Welcomes Gold Miners to Rank First in Europe: Commodities

Bloomberg News

For three years, Steve Sharpe’s company prodded Greek officials for permission to drill for gold. Before approval was finally granted this year, European Goldfields Ltd.’s battered share price attracted a takeover bid.

IMF Singles Out European Debt Crisis as Key Threat

http://www.cnbc.com/id/49351411

source: Reuters

The International Monetary Fund urged European policymakers to deepen the financial and fiscal ties within the euro area with some urgency to restore sagging confidence in the global financial system.

Nobel for quantum "parlour trick" that could make super computers

(Reuters) - A French and an American scientist won the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for finding ways to measure quantum particles without destroying them, which could make it possible to build a new kind of computer far more powerful than any seen before.

Greece’s biggest cheerleader: Angela Merkel

Posted by Anthee Carassava on October 9, 2012 at 3:53 pm

 The Washington Post

ATHENS, Greece – Last summer, as a team of top European leaders huddled in a Brussels ballroom to discuss the continent’s deepening debt crisis, Antonis Samaras walked into a hostile reception.

Greek anti-fascist protesters 'tortured by police' after Golden Dawn clash

Fifteen people arrested in Athens says they were subjected to what their lawyer describes as an Abu Ghraib-style humiliation

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/09/greek-antifascist-protesters-torture-police

Fifteen anti-fascist protesters arrested in Athens during a clash with supporters of the neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn have said they were tortured in the Attica General Police Directorate (GADA) – the Athens equivalent of Scotland Yard – and subjected to what their lawyer describes as an Abu Ghraib-style humiliation.

Athens Braces for Visit by Merkel

Security Is Boosted as Authorities Fear Protests Could Grow and Overshadow Mission to Show Unity

By PHILIP PANGALOS and JAMES ANGELOS

ATHENS—The Greek capital was bracing for a security clampdown as Prime Minister Antonis Samaras welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday on her first visit to Athens since the debt crisis began.