A friend called me on Sunday morning and claimed that the atmosphere in the SYRIZA congress and the speech of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reminded her very much of the “glorious” days of socialist PASOK and the leadership appearance of its founder Andreas Papandreou. As I was living abroad in …

It isn’t about competitiveness and even lower minimum wages. It isn’t about the constantly changing taxation system and the over taxation. It isn’t about lack of growth-friendly policies, like lower tax rates and fast implementation of structural  -see: labor – reforms. It is about Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank …

A day before arriving in Athens US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew used the political situation in neighboring Turkey  – “Turkish turmoil” – to argue in favor of a Debt Relief for Greece. In an interview to Financial Times, Lew said “I would hope [the recent regional upheaval] would change the …

Remember that Sunday, on June 28th, a year ago? Remember the queues outside ATMs growing in a quick and non-stop pace? It was a day after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had announced a Referendum amid suffocating pressure from the European Union, financial dry out by the European Central Bank and …

The numbers are impressive and shocking at the same time. The number of people displaced by conflict is at the highest level ever recorded, the UN refugee agency said on World Refugee Day on June 20th. The UNHCR estimates that 65.3 million people were either refugees, asylum seekers or internally …

The Dutch chapter of the environmental activist group Greenpeace leaked on Monday what it called a trove of documents from the talks over a proposed trade deal between the European Union and the United States. The documents, which were released in Berlin at 11 a.m., consist of 248 pages, or …

Oh. And Prime Minister Tsipras spoke ‘nonsense’! And ’15 Eurozone ministers wanted Greece out of the euro’. However they acted independently and not because Germany or – even worse – Schaeuble told them to do so. In an interview with French daily Liberation, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble drew a …

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said it clearly Monday night on political program on private STAR TV. There will be a flat Value Added Tax of 18% for cash-transactions and a 3% discount – ie. 15% V.A.T. –  for payments with credit or debit card. He assured that “the low …

Golden Dawn MP Ilias Kasidiaris was cleared of charges for having slapped Communist MP Liana Kanelli during a live TV show back in 2012. A despicable act of violence that took place in front of the eyes of thousands of viewers. So how comes that the beater was acquitted of …

“Negotiations with creditors will not be easy,” but “we will negotiate a new agreement – a bridge between Greece previous programs and the new“”  Yanis Varoufakis said in his first speech as the country’s new Finance Minister, while he was receiving his new portfolio by ex FinMin Gkikas Hardouvelis. He …

There is certainly no doubt about it: Greeks have the politicians they deserve. And furthermore these politicians do their best to destroy the country and the economy, they never learn from previous mistakes and they spread fearmongering government propaganda at whatever the cost. Out of the blue and for no …

Dispute is high on the agenda just a couple of weeks before the EU and the municipalities elections with each party trying to trip the rival and gain points in the voters’ preference. At the same time the political, economical and social disputes set the climate on fire not only …

Greece got a plan. A growth and development plan with the futuristic title “Greece 2021”, that is seven years from now. The plan was submitted by Finance Minister Yiannis Stournaras to Euro Working Group on Thursday in Brussels in the context with the Greek debt relief request. Here is to …

What does the Greek government expect from German Chancellor on visit today? What is Angela Merkel willing to give? Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s highest expectation is to have the negative climate against Greece changed. And thus before the crucial EU Summit on October 18th 2012. First of all, Samaras expects …

Front page report “The coup d’état that didn’t happen..” of  Sunday newspaper To Vima reveals a series of alleged “unknown events that led to the surprise replacement of the military leadership in Greece in November 2011”. According to the report that extends to many pages that alleged coup d’état was averted through the replacement and early …

KTG received this guest post by a young Greek woman living in the UK. Evi Marami, 30, an education psychologist,  felt the need to write right from the heart her thoughts about the results of  June 17 elections and the disturbed relations between the Greeks and their lenders.   Cartoon about Greeks’ election dilemma The …

The meeting between the first and second winners of Greek elections 2012 ended in 24 minutes, making clear there was no common ground for a coalition government between conservative Nea Dimocratia and left-wing SYRIZA. “Samaras’ plan is opposite to ours, the austerity he signed for was rejected by majority,” Alexis Tsipras said after …

Greece’s lenders representatives in Athens, also known as the “Troika”, released their report on fiscal progress and gave the green light for the 8 billion EUR. The sixth bailout tranche would be released to Greece most likely in early November, after the Eurogroup & IMF approval of the progress report. Finance Minister …

The General Index of Athens Stock Exchange fell bellow 800 units with loss at -3.87%. The ASE landed at 797.95 for the first time since April 1995, forced by the severe pressures triggered by political ineffectiveness against the debt crisis domestically and abroad. Banks losses accumulated at -15% during the week. Banks …

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou pays  a two-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, carrying out the first visit by a Greek prime minister to Israel since three decades.  Among the issues to be discussed during the visit is the situation in Gaza and ways to find a final a …