Several hundreds of public hospital personnel demonstrated on Thursday morning outside the Greek health Ministry in downtown Athens. Some of the angry protesters were holding a coffin… other chanted “No to salaries of 2, 5, 10 and 20 euro!” Despite the rain and the freezing cold, the demonstrators followed the call of …
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Homeless in Freezing Athens (videos) – Any Blankets to Spare?
While some of us enjoy a heated home or the magic of the fire place, many people spend their days and icy cold nights on the streets. Several blankets and cartons give shelter to these men and women, those young and old who for some reason made the hard pavements …
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Athens: School Children To Get Free Meals – Thessaloniki: 500 Kids Go to School w/o Breakfast
This is a Greek reality that officials could not turn a blind eye to. The fact that many families cannot properly feed their children anymore due to the strict austerity and devastating economic crisis. As the phenomenon of malnourished school children has been increasing, the Education Ministry decided to provide children with free snack-meals in 18 …
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Athens: Unionists Block Troika-Team from Exiting Hilton-Hotel
Unionists from the Greek Communist Party surrounded the Hilton Hotel where the Troika representatives stay when in Athens. With flags and banners saying “Troika Go Home” and “Troika Get Out of Greece” five hundred PAME-unionists took position outside the hotel in downtown Athens in an action to protest the Troika’s …
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Hundreds of Athenians Queue For Free Vegetables
Not one, not two, but twenty tons of potatoes, onions, carrots and spinach were unloaded at Syntagma Square in the early morning hours of Wednesday to be distributed to people for free. Farmers from Viotia wanted to protest the defamation of their products and restore their reputation. They brought their vegetables …
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PSI: Just a Breath before the Final Deal?
Blazing negotiations on the PSI are taking place in Athens with some Greek media heralding that agreement on major issues has been already achieved. According to several Greek media, the Greek side has proposed the interest rate to start at 3.5% for bonds maturing in 2014. a5 3.9% for bonds …
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Reichenbach: “Greeks Cannot Take More Sacrifices”
“Greeks have undergone great sacrifices and Greece can not continue with this strategy.” Horst Reichenbach, head of European Commission’s Task Force, was revealing while he was talking at an event organized by the Board of Commerce and Indtustry of Athens (EBEA). He noted that at the centre of the action of Task Force were …
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PSI-Clock Is Ticking; FinMin: We’re On a Very Delicate Point of Negotiations
The PSI-clock is ticking and according to Greek media there might be official announcement about the progress of the talks even within the day. Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told members of the Parliament, that “the talks are at a very delicate point” and described the discussions about whether the …
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Loukanikos: Athens Riot Dog Enjoys Return of “Indignant” Greeks (video)
That was a real “Long Time Not Seen” and a happy “Glad to see you, Wuff-ack”. Athens famous riot dog Loukanikos returned to Syntagma Square together with the “Indignant” Greeks on Sunday and took immediately position and joined the “indignant” front. When the riot policemen tried to push the demonstrators away …
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Athens: 1 Injured, 3 Detentions as “Indignant” Greeks Return to Syntagma Square (video, pcts)
After six months of silence, “indignant” Greeks returned to Syntagma Square in downtown Athens. The crowds started to flock in front of the Greek Parliament at five o’ clock in the afternoon, as Prime Minister Lucas Papademos was meeting German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle at the nearby located PM’s Maximos Mansion. …
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Talks Between Greece and IIF on PSI Suspended
The talks between Greece and the chief of Institute of International Finance Charles Dallara on the Greek Bond Swap (PSI) have been suspended and no solution was found. Despite some positive signs on the PSI progress during the day, Charles Dallara said on Friday afternoon in a statement” We hope Greece will renegotiate …
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“Indignant” Greeks Return to Syntagma Sq on Jan 15/12
After months of silence “indignant Greeks” will return to Syntagma and occupy the Square opposite of the Greek Parliament. With the slogan “No, I Won’t Shut UP!” Greeks will take it back to the streets on Sunday, January 15th, 2012 at 6 pm. They will protest the economic and political stalemate in the …
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Protesters Hurl Eggs at PASOK MPs in Athens Bar (video)
Twelve PASOK MPs met at a bar in downtown Athens to discuss the political situation ahead the possible change in the party leadership. However a group of 15 young people …invaded the bar and the friendly chat turned into a noisy mess. The protesters hurled eggs, bottles, yogurt and even one or two stones …
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Athens: Pharmacists Cancel Protest and Hand Out Medicine Free of Charge Again
Finally a good news: Pharmacists in Athens, Piraeus and Achaia cancel their protest and as of tomorrow Friday, insurers will be able to get prescription medicine free of charge. As of 1.1.12 pharmacists had stopped handing out prescription medicine because of the outstanding debts of the insurance funds to them. …
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Financial Crimes Units Investigate Bribes in Athens … Morgue
I would have never thought that one has to pay bribes also for the dead. But Greek reality shows that also this can happen. Financial Crimes Units (SDOE) took under the magnifying glass the bank accounts of staff working at the Mortuary in Athens. The investigation followed a report by …
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The Robbery of the Century: Picasso, Mondrian and Caccia Paintings Stolen from Greece’s National Gallery
Three paintings, one by art master Pablo Picasso, another by Dutch painter Piet Mondrian and a sketch by Italian artist Guglielmo Caccia (“Moncalvo”) were stolen from Greece’s National Gallery in downtown Athens in the early morning hours of Monday, in what Greek media describe as the “robbery of the century”. The …
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Epiphany-Celebrations Turn into Protests Against Politicians by “indignant” Believers (video)
The first politicians who got to hear the anti-government slogans was Education Minister Anna Diamantopoulou and Athens Major Yiorgos Kaminis. The two had joined the Epiphany Celebrations in noble Athens district Kolonaki. But while the priest of Agios Dionysios Church was blessing the waters in a symbolic act, the few …
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Students Protest Education Minister Holding Black Crosses
Holding Black Crosses Greeks students chose an original way to protest Education Minister Anna Diamantopoulou. Holding the wooden crosses the students had gathered outside the Byzantine Museum in Athens and chanted slogans against the government and the Troika. Diamantopoulou who visited the exhibition “Holy Mountain” got by surprise but strengthened by …
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Athens: They Rob Even Kids Singing Carols
Not one, not two, but nine incidents of robberies against children singing New Year’s Eve carols were recorded on the last day of 2011 in broader Athens area. With the threat of knives or not, but definitely using violence, unknown perpetrators robbed the children and took amounts between 10 and 100 euro. …
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Hundreds of Greeks Lined Up for a Food-Aid Package
Hundreds of needy citizens lined up as early in the morning of the last day of austerity year 2011 to get an aid package distributed by the Greek Red Cross. Large families, lonely elderly, jobless, homeless, immigrants and refugees queued outside the Red Cross Headquarters in downtown Athens for a package of aid that …
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