Keep Talking Greece Greek News in English, Blog, Wit & Drama

Unprecedented! Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras withdrew the provision after the Parliament staff went on strike. Stournaras told the plenary that he withdraw the provision but that he will bring it up again on a later point as the strike threatened to boycott the austerity bill voting procedure. MPs reacted shouting …

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Thousands have rushed outside the Greek Parliament on Wednesday evening to protest the austerity package that is due to be voted at midnight. With Banners and anti-austerity slogans, members of trade unions and political parties from the opposition raise their voice against a bill that will further crack the back …

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To work or not to work? To work in Greece or to migrate abroad? This dilemma is something that thousands of Greece’s youth below 25 years old will have to answer before starting their professional life in the debt-ridden country. But even for those above 25 who get a job …

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While the Greek Parliament claims the austerity measures are compatible with the Constitution, the country’s Supreme Administrative Court decided they were ‘unconstitutional’ – at least some of them. The pleanary of Supreme Court (Areios Pagos) unanimously  ruled that the new cuts in judges’ and prosecutors’ wages were against the Greek Constitution. Under …

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The crucial debate over the austerity measures package started with turmoil and a coup-like situation in the Greek Parliament on Wednesday morning after main opposition party SYRIZA and Independent Greeks challenged the compatibility of the bill with the Greek Constitution. SYRIZA and INDEPGREEKS submitted two motions against the bill saying …

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In a last minute action and after pressure from coalition partner PASOK, Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras exempted from pension cuts people with 80% disability. MP Koukoulopoulos had threatened to down vote the austerity package bill, should there be no exception for the heavily disabled. Stournaras said that the 30 million …

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With votes from Nea Dimokratia and PASOK the austerity package has been approved by the parliamentary committee on Tuesday evening. Junior coalition government partner Democratic Left voted “present”, while SYRIZA, Independent Greeks, Golden Dawn and KKE voted against it. The debate on the austerity package of 13.5 billion euro will …

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Greek Public Power Company DEH warns of 40-minute power cuts on the islands of Crete and Rhodes due to the strike of the company workers’ union GENOP-DEH. The power cuts are expected to take place after 9 p.m. tonight, November 6th 2012, and will last approximately 40 minutes. GENOP-DEH started …

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Health in Greece is sick. As sick as the brains of those who take such decisions and force thousands of people to painful death as they deprive them of life-saving medicine. Call it ‘Third Austerity Package’, call it ‘a country in bankruptcy’, call it however you want, fact is: the …

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Thirty to forty high-ranking officials at the Bank of Greece have reportedly resigned in order to escape upcoming wages cuts. According to Capital.gr and Proto Thema, the majority of the resigned bank officials have founded ‘right to pension’ and chose to resign in order to avoid the upcoming wages and …

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To tell you the truth, I really do not understand how the officials of a country, especially the so-called ‘development ministers’ can be so contra-productive and put obstacles to what they praise: development and growth. It’s been hardly three years when the then Papandreou government promoted with all its power for investments …

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 What’s going on with Greek police? Two tourists, one from South Korea and one from New Zealand, claimed that they were beaten by the police while on vacation in the country. The Korean was allegedly beaten in Athens, the New Zealander in Chania, Crete. Is this the way to promote tourism …

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