Give Greece a Chance

8 NOV 21, 2014 12:02 AM EST

By The Editors

Bloomberg

Greece's creditors are testing the country's endurance -- again. If they keep pressing, they could split the euro area apart, which would be a disaster for them as much as for Greece. They need to stop insisting on the impossible, and find a way to relieve the country's debts.

The European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund have told the government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to cut the country's debt burden, the biggest in the euro area, by reducing public spending even further. In return, they propose a last injection of bailout money and an emergency credit line.

Επιβαρυντικό για τον Γ. Καρατζαφέρη το πόρισμα των ορκωτών λογιστών της Βουλής

Η εταιρεία Καταλίνα είναι αυτή που δέχθηκε τα τρία επίμαχα εμβάσματα ύψους 1,65 εκατ. ευρώ

ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΗ:  14:02

Εφημερίδα ΤΟ ΒΗΜΑ

Επιβαρυντικό για τον αρχηγό του ΛΑΟΣ Γιώργο Καρατζαφέρη είναι, σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες, το πόρισμα των ορκωτών λογιστών της Βουλής.

Η εταιρεία Catalina International που δέχθηκε τα τρία επίμαχα εμβάσματα ύψους 1,65 εκατ. ευρώ από την εταιρεία εξοπλιστικών Κεστρέλ φαίνεται ότι ιδρύθηκε το 1992.

Βουλή: Βρήκαν 6 εκατομμύρια ευρώ σε λογαριασμούς του Καρατζαφέρη

Οι πιθανές κατηγορίες που αντιμετωπίζει ο κ. Καρατζαφέρης, είναι ξέπλυμα μαύρου χρήματος, υποβολή αναληθούς πόθεν έσχες και παράβαση του νόμου για τις οφσορ, ενώ γίνεται έρευνα και τα άλλα περιουσιακά του στοιχεία, τα οποία υπολογίζονται σε 20 εκατ. ευρώ

SKAI

16-11-2014

Aντιμέτωπος με τρία κακουργήματα ενδέχεται να βρεθεί ο πρόεδρος του ΛΑΟΣ Γιώργος Καρατζαφέρης, σύμφωνα με τα πρώτα ευρήματα των ερευνών των Ορκωτών Λογιστών για λογαριασμό της αρμόδιας επιτροπής της Βουλής.

Στα 2,2 ευρώ η τιμή διάθεσης των νέων μετοχών της Εθνικής Τράπεζας

Με σημαντική υπερκάλυψη η έκδοση για την άντληση 2,5 δισ. ευρώ

ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΗ:  08/05/2014 19:55 | ΤΕΛΕΥΤΑΙΑ ΕΝΗΜΕΡΩΣΗ:  09/05/2014 10:40

Μετά την επιτυχημένη ολοκλήρωση της αύξησης , το ποσοστό του ΤΧΣ  στο μετοχικό κεφάλαιο της τράπεζας υποχώρησε στο 57%, από 84%.

Greek unemployment eases to 25.9 percent in August

ATHENS Thu Nov 13, 2014 5:11am EST

(Reuters) - Greece's jobless rate fell to 25.9 percent in August from a downwardly revised 26.1 percent rate in July as the country's six-year recession eases, Greek statistics agency ELSTAT said on Thursday.

August's reading was the lowest since August 2012 when unemployment stood at 25.5 percent. The record high was set in September 2013, when unemployment hit 28 percent.

Greece's unemployment is coming down from record highs as the economy stabilizes after a severe recession but remains at more than double the euro zone average of 11.5 percent in August. Greek national output is projected to emerge from recession and expand by 0.6 percent this year.

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos, editing by Deepa Babington)

«ΠΑΡΤΙ» ΣΤΗΝ ΥΓΕΙΑ

«Παρέλαση» μεγαλογιατρών στον ανακριτή για μίζες εκατομμυρίων

Από την εφημερίδα ΗΜΕΡΗΣΙΑ,

http://www.imerisia.gr/article.asp?catid=26510&subid=2&pubid=113386274

Δεκάδες μεγαλογιατροί δημόσιων νοσοκομείων, μαζί με στελέχη μεγάλης εταιρείας προμήθειας ιατρικού υλικού θα περάσουν την πόρτα των ανακριτών προκειμένου να λογοδοτήσουν για το μεγάλο κύκλωμα που είχε στήσει «πάρτι» εκατομμυρίων στο ΕΣΥ.

Χθες η Εισαγγελία απήγγειλε κατηγορίες σε βαθμό κακουργήματος σε δύο στελέχη της εν λόγω επιχείρησης για υπόθεση παράνομων αμοιβών στους γιατρούς. Σύμφωνα με τη δικογραφία, φέρεται να διακινήθηκε «μαύρο χρήμα» εκατομμυρίων ευρώ προκειμένου να χρηματιστούν οι γιατροί και να επιλέγουν τα προϊόντα της προμηθεύτριας εταιρείας.

Όλη η συνέντευξη του Σπύρου Μουζακίτη στο ΠΡΩΤΟ ΘΕΜΑ

«Μας είπαν κάτω τα μολύβια στη λίστα Λαγκάρντ»

Μανόλης Γαλάνης 09/11/201423:35

«Στο διάστημα που δουλεύαμε την ποινική δικογραφία της λίστας Λαγκάρντ ήμασταν συνεχώς υπό την απειλή άσκησης πειθαρχικής δίωξης», δηλώνει, σε μια συνέντευξη-ποταμό στο «ΘΕΜΑ», ο πρώην εισαγγελέας Οικονομικού Εγκλήματος Σπύρος Μουζακίτης.

Ο εισαγγελικός λειτουργός, που με τον συνάδελφό του Γρηγόρη Πεπόνη ανέλαβαν τον Μάιο του 2011 να πατάξουν το οικονομικό έγκλημα στη χώρα μας, 15 μήνες μετά την παραίτησή του από τη θέση αυτή σπάει τη σιωπή του και αποκαλύπτει πολιτικές και δικαστικές παρεμβάσεις που δέχτηκε στο έργο του. Ο κ. Μουζακίτης αναφέρει ότι στο στάδιο της έρευνάς τους για την υπόθεση της λίστας Λαγκάρντ οι δύο δικαστικοί, έχοντας προηγουμένως δεχτεί ασφυκτική πίεση, οδηγήθηκαν ουσιαστικά σε παραίτηση αφού με νομοθετική ρύθμιση-μήνυμα («κύριοι, κάτω τα μολύβια, είστε αναρμόδιοι, δεν μπορείτε να συνεχίσετε») τους αφαιρέθηκαν όλες οι σοβαρές υποθέσεις. Ο επίτιμος αντεισαγγελέας Εφετών σήμερα περιγράφει τον τρόπο με τον οποίο μετά το «άνοιγμα» της υπόθεσης των δα­νείων των κομμάτων επιχειρήθηκε η κατάργηση του ίδιου και του κ. Πεπόνη με νομοθετική ρύθμιση, η θέση τους σε πολύμηνη πειθαρχική ομηρία και ουσιαστικά η υπηρεσιακή απαξίωσή τους, ενώ μιλά και για τα καθημερινά εμπόδια που έβαζαν κάποιοι στο έργο τους αρνούμενοι να τους εφοδιάσουν ακόμα και με στυλό και χαρτί, λόγω της εισαγγελικής δράσης τους. Παράλληλα, ο δικηγόρος Αθηνών πλέον, αναφέρεται στους λόγους που τον οδήγησαν να αποχωρήσει από το δικαστικό σώμα για χάρη της μάχιμης δικηγορίας, καθώς και για το πώς αισθάνεται σήμερα στις δικαστικές αίθουσες.

In Ukraine, Shelling and Convoys of Armed Trucks Threaten Cease-Fire

The New York Times

By ANDREW E. KRAMERNOV. 9, 2014

MOSCOW — A shaky cease-fire in eastern Ukraine looked ever more tenuous on Sunday as European monitors confirmed reports of unmarked military vehicles driving through rebel-held territory while Donetsk, the region’s biggest city, endured a nightlong artillery battle.

The monitoring group, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said that long columns of unmarked military vehicles, some towing howitzers, were spotted over the weekend. The monitors did not speculate as to the origins of the trucks or the people inside them, but Ukrainian officials said the statements bolstered their claims that Russia was again arming and training separatists.

Fate of Isis leader remains unclear after US airstrike in Iraq

Monitoring of Isis communications following attack near Mosul reveals nothing to suggest Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed

The Guardian

Officials in Baghdad and Washington remained unclear on Sunday about the fate of the Islamic State (Isis) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after a key aide was killed in a US air strike near Mosul.

A senior Iraqi official confirmed to the Guardian that the aide, Abdur Rahman al-Athaee, also known as Abu Sajar, was killed in the the attack late on Friday night, which hit a 10-car convoy southwest of the Isis stronghold.

Athaee was known to have been in almost constant contact with Baghdadi and officials deduced that his presence in the convoy likely meant that Baghdadi was with him.

However, monitoring of the group’s communications in the aftermath of the attack has revealed nothing to suggest that Baghdadi was killed. Officials have not ruled out that he may have been injured.

Exclusive: Euro zone considers three bailout exit options for Greece

BY JAN STRUPCZEWSKI

BRUSSELS Thu Nov 6, 2014 12:24pm EST

(Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers will consider three options on Thursday for what happens after Greece exits its bailout at the end of the year, seeking to balance the need to reassure investors with the demands of domestic Greek politics.

The Greek government has staked its survival on exiting the bailout a year early, a move that will please voters hammered by austerity measures imposed by the EU and the IMF, but which has already rattled markets, pushing up Greek bond yields.

Central Command general to ISIS: We can hear you

By Eric Marrapodi, CNN

(CNN) -- The top U.S. military commander in the fight against ISIS said airstrikes are working to erode the terror group's capabilities and warned militants that the U.S. military is listening to them.

Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, who heads the U.S. Central Command, made those remarks at an event Thursday with the Atlantic Council, which was moderated by CNN anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper.

"I'm confident we're having the desired effects," Austin said of airstrikes in Syria and Iraq aimed at ISIS.

"What we want to do is take away the enemies' ability to command and control, his ability to sustain himself, his ability to project combat power and his ability to move forces back and forth across the Iraq/Syria border."

Latest strikes target Khorasan group.

Fed Completes Rule Limiting Banks’ Size

Bars Acquisitions That Result in a Firm Holding Over 10% of Financial-Sector Liabilities

By SCOTT PATTERSON and  VICTORIA MCGRANE

Updated Nov. 5, 2014 3:52 p.m. ET

The Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON—Bank regulators took a step toward curbing the ability of large financial institutions to get bigger as Washington continues trying to lessen the risk giant firms pose to the U.S. economy and taxpayers.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday finalized a rule, mandated by the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial law, that generally prohibits banks and other financial firms from buying or merging with rivals if the deal would result in the combined firm holding more than 10% of all liabilities in the financial system.

ISIS Wave of Might Is Turning Into Ripple

By BEN HUBBARDNOV. 5, 2014

The New York Times

BAGHDAD — The extremists of the Islamic State appeared unstoppable after their sudden blitz through Iraq this summer, with its battle-hardened fighters continually raising their black flag over newly conquered areas.

Today, roughly a third of Iraq is dotted by active battle fronts, with intense fighting and occasional Islamic State victories. But analysts also say the days of easy and rapid gains for the jihadists may be coming to a close in Iraq, as the group’s momentum appears to be stalling.

The international airstrike campaign against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, has clearly played a role in slowing the Sunni Muslim group’s advance. But analysts say other factors are having a major effect, including unfavorable sectarian and political demographics, pushback from overrun communities, damage to the group’s financial base in Syria and slight improvements by ground forces in Iraq.

ECB Fails 25 Banks as Italy Fares Worst in Stress Test

By Jeff Black  Oct 26, 2014 8:00 PM GMT+0200

Twenty-five lenders including Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA failed a stress test led by the European Central Bank, which found the biggest capital hole in the region’s banking system in Italy.

The Frankfurt-based institution identified a total gap of 25 billion euros ($32 billion) as of the end of 2013, most of which has now been raised by banks. Among lenders still in need of funds, Italy’s Monte Paschi (BMPS) and Banca Carige SpA (CRG) must find a combined 2.9 billion euros between them, the ECB said today.

Misrule of the Few

How the Oligarchs Ruined Greece


By Pavlos Eleftheriadis FROM OUR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE

The Foreign Affairs

Just a few years ago, Greece came perilously close to defaulting on its debts and exiting the eurozone. Today, thanks to the largest sovereign bailout in history, the country’s economy is showing new signs of life. In exchange for promises that Athens would enact aggressive austerity measures, the so-called troika -- the European Central Bank, the European Commission, and the International Monetary Fund -- provided tens of billions of dollars in emergency loans. From the perspective of many global investors and European officials, those policies have paid off. Excluding a one-off expenditure to recapitalize its banks, Greece’s budget shortfall totaled roughly two percent last year, down from nearly 16 percent in 2009. Last year, the country ran a current account surplus for the first time in over three decades. And this past April, Greece returned to the international debt markets it had been locked out of for four years, issuing $4 billion in five-year government bonds at a relatively low yield -- only 4.95 percent. (Demand exceeded $26 billion.) In August, Moody’s Investors Service upgraded the country’s credit rating by two notches.

Euro sells off after report ECB considering corporate bond buys

BY DANIEL BASES

NEW YORK Tue Oct 21, 2014 4:50pm EDT

(Reuters) - The euro fell sharply against the dollar on Tuesday after Reuters reported the European Central Bank was looking at buying corporate bonds as soon as December in its efforts to revive the stagnating euro zone economy.

The move, if realized, would expand the private-sector asset-buying program the ECB began on Monday, which is aimed at fostering lending to businesses in hopes of spurring growth.

Enforcer at Treasury Is First Line of Attack Against ISIS

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVISOCT. 21, 2014

The New York Times

Every morning David S. Cohen descends into a fortified, cavelike complex in the bowels of the Treasury Department to pore through hundreds of pages of leads — from raw intelligence reports to polished threat assessments — to try to penetrate the vast and opaque finances of the Islamic State, the terrorist group capable of producing 50,000 barrels of oil a day.

China Attack Aims at iCloud, Apple’s Service for Storage

By PAUL MOZUR, NICOLE PERLROTH and BRIAN X. CHEN.OCT. 21, 2014

The New York Times

HONG KONG — For Apple in China, trouble seems to be the new normal.

Cybersecurity monitoring groups and security experts said on Monday that people trying to use Apple’s online data storage service, known as iCloud, were the target of a new attack that sought to steal users’ passwords and then spy on their activities.

U.S. Air Drops Arms To Kurdish Forces Fighting ISIS In Kobani

 AP      | By ROBERT BURNS

Posted: 10/19/2014 10:16 pm EDT Updated: 3 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Sunday it had airdropped weapons, ammunition and medical supplies to Kurdish forces defending the Syrian city of Kobani against Islamic State militants.

The airdrops Sunday were the first of their kind and followed weeks of U.S. and coalition airstrikes in and near Kobani, near the Turkish border. The U.S. said earlier Sunday that it had launched 11 airstrikes overnight in the Kobani area.

Syrian Kurds Gain Importance In Campaign Against ISIS

Posted: 10/16/2014 8:47 pm EDT     

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

WASHINGTON -- After more than a month of being outnumbered and outgunned, facing likely doom in Kobani, Kurdish fighters have begun to turn the tide against Islamic State militants with help from airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition.