“On the one-year anniversary of the EU plan to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers from Greece and Italy, the first countries of arrival, the scheme must be judged a farce, ” Human Rights Watch Advocacy Director Philippe Dam writes in his review about the failure of the European Commission sponsored Relocation …
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A hell of a night for thousands fleeing fire: 60% of Moria hot spot infrastructure burned down (Updates)
It was a hell of a night for the some 4,000 refugees and migrants in Moria hot spot. Mothers carrying their babies in their arms, fragile elderly, disabled, children and men… they all started to run away from the fire that was sweeping through the tents and the prefabricated containers. …
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Migration Minister: Without EU-Turkey deal, another 180,000 refugees would be in Greece by now
Greece’s Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas warned on Tuesday that another 180,000 refugees and migrants would have come to Greece in the last three months, if there was no EU – Turkey deal. During a press conference, Mouzalas stressed that Greece would face an unprecedented wave of refugees and migrants, should …
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Greece bans blood donations in 12 districts over Malaria
Twelve districts of Greece have banned blood donations because of malaria cases some of them to have been contracted domestically and the majority of them to be “imported.” Over the weekend, the Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KEELPNO) and the National Center for Blood Donation both issued blood …
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1.2million Greeks await 3-15 months for their salaries
One out of three Greece’s labor craft await 3 to 15 months for their salaries. This is one of the main slogans of the campaign for the rights of workers launched by opposition party To Potami. In a statement, the centrist party notes that “more than 1.2million people go daily …
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Frontex: Number of migrants arriving in Greece dropped 90% in April, just 2,700 arrivals
The number of migrants arriving in Greece dropped 90 percent in April, EU border agency Frontex said on Friday, in a sign that a deal with Turkey to send back those who make the sea journey between the two countries is working. “Fewer than 2,700 people arrived in Greece in …
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EU data on refugees’ relocation: just 569 people from Greece
The data released by the European Commission on the relocation and resettlement of refugees – asylum seekers -from Greece is as depressive as they could be and as everyone would have suspected. Not even 600 people have left Greece for another EU member country a total of 937 people were …
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Latest data: 42K refugees registered in Greece; 13K in Idomeni as Athens prepares to move them by Sunday
According to the Refugees Crisis Management Coordination body, there are 41,973 refugees currently in Greece. According to data released on Thursday. If there is confusion about the numbers of the registration, please, note that the number are real registrations and that they lag behind arrivals by a day or two. …
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OECD proposes funding of social programs for Greece’s poor via Pension Cuts & Tax Hikes
While we have been busy with the Refugee Crisis, the institutions have been working for us. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), for example, has been collecting economic data, evaluating them and comming to conclusion that The refugee crisis creates significant problems for the Greek economy and growth …
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Europol: at least 10K unaccompanied child refugees disappeared in Europe
At least 10,000 unaccompanied child refugees have disappeared after arriving in Europe, according to the EU’s criminal intelligence agency. Many are feared to have fallen into the hands of organised trafficking syndicates. In the first attempt by law enforcement agencies to quantify one of the most worrying aspects of the …
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Hugs instead of Heating Oil: Despite Taxes tsunami Greece’s revenues not impressive
The Season Greeting the Greek Finance Ministry sent this year to dozens of officials in several departments were as bit peculiar. The ministry advice “More hugs for less heating oil consumption”, with reference to the heating oil allowance. The Ministry knew very well that despite the tax tsunami it had …
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“Flexible work conditions” with “peanuts for payment” rule Greece’s Labor Market
Gone are the times when labor craft would get a full time job with a wage that would allow a descent living. The data published by the Greek Labor Ministry are grim. Not only 24,674 jobs were lost in the private sector in November. The data reflect also the absolute …
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UNHCR data Jan-Nov 2015: total 863K arrivals to Europe by sea, 715K to Greece, 3.4K dead/missing
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees published data about the arrivals of people to Europe by the sea. The data refer to arrivals from January to November 2015. A total of 862,901 people have arrived to Europe via Spain (3,592), Malta (105), Italy (143,700), and Greece (715,704). 3,485 people trying …
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Great achievement after 5.5 austerity years: “36% of Greeks at risk of poverty”
Thousands of austerity measures, dramatic cuts in incomes, incredible hikes in taxes. Five and a half years in deep recession. Three bailout agreements. And where do Greeks stand now? On top of the Eurozone when it comes to poverty. More than one out of three Greeks, that is “36% of …
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Part-time rules in Greek labor market: half a million employees have to live on less than €400 per month
Everyone who lives in Greece knows that there are no jobs. And that if there are any, they are badly paid. Not so much because of the low salaries but because full-time jobs have become a rarity. Part-time jobs prevail and rule the Greek labor market. Almost half a million …
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UNHCR: more than 500K refugees & migrants crossed the Mediterranean in 2015
More than half a million immigrants and refugees arrived in Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea in 2015 and nearly 3,000 died or are considered missing, according to data released today by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “This year, a total of nearly 515,000 immigrants and refugees …
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More than 200K of Greece’s very poor apply to Humanitarian Crisis Relief Program
Exactly 212,897 Greeks have submitted so far requests to be part of the Humanitarian Crisis Relief Program of the Greek government. The majority of the needy seek help with food, while a percentage seeks financial aid to pay rent and an even smaller percentage needs free electricity. According to data …
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Greek government spending decreasing, but debt/GDP high
There is certainly something wrong with the bailout and strict austerity program imposed by the creditors on Greece, so far. Government spending has been constantly decreasing but the debt/GDP ratio remains high. In fact it is higher than before the bailout in 2010… “Latest Greek data show government spending -21% …
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Greek gov’t to demand WWII reparations from Germany, may confiscate Goethe Institute
After a long debate that ended in the early morning hours of Wednesday, the Greek Parliament decided to establish a committee in order to demand World War II reparations from Germany. And if this is not enough challenge towards the country’s biggest creditor, the Justice Minister assured, he was ready …
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Contradictοry reports on German profits from loan interest to Greece
There seems to be some discrepancy between the current and older data released by the German Finance Ministry regarding the profits it makes from the bailout loans to Greece. While the German Finance Ministry claims nowadays that the profits from Greek interest were “€360 million from 2010-2014“, according to older …
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