The deep economic crisis that has hit Greece, entering its fourth year of recession, has had many negative consequences. One of these is a sharp increase in crime across the country.
Armed robberies doubled in the past year and all other types of crime are also increasing by the day, causing citizens to feel more and more uncertain. The police do what they can, despite the fact that there isn’t always petrol for their cars, that the stations are understaffed and that officers are waiting for months to get paid.
In Athens, according to figures released by the institute for tourist research and forecasts, organised crime has reached the highest levels compared to the rest of the country. The figures show that 64% of all murders, 75% of robberies, 64% of thefts and 65.5% of cases of smuggling are recorded in the capital.
”Organise crime, which has seen a sharp rise in the centre of the city but also in its outskirts, must be fought,” said the mayor of the capital, Giorgos Kaminis, in an interview with newspaper To Vima.
The Municipality, the mayor continued, has insufficient resources to fight organised crime but the problem is real in the centre of Athens. The economic crisis, the high concentration of unemployed or under-employed illegal immigrants and the continuous decay of the centre of Athens have created an explosive situation.
Gangs of several nationalities, drug addicts and prostitutes are a regular sight in the centre of the Greek capital. Foreign tourists, scared, leave also the last hotels that are still open and the few inhabitants and shopkeepers that have stayed are living in fear and uncertainty, far away from the reassuring presence of the police. In the past year 18 hotels closed their doors in the historic centre of Athens, according to the Greek Hotel Chamber.
The consequences for the city’s economy and the increase in unemployment in the hotel sector are obvious. Chairman of the Chamber Giorgios Tsakiris said recently in a joint press conference with the mayor of the capital that the degradation of the centre of Athens will force other hotels to close down as well.
Tsakiris also accused the Ministry for Citizen Protection and other relevant institutions – which are responsible for the situation in the centre of Athens according to a report issued by an interdepartmental commission – that they have left the city centre ”in the grip of crime and delinquency” due to their omissions and incompetence. Kaminis has announced after last Friday’s meeting with Premier Lucas Papademos that he will prepare a plan to ”rescue Athens.”
(source: ANSA)
Athens: Economic Crisis Causes Increase in Crime
Abbot Efraim In Pretrial Detention For Monumental Scandal That Shook Up Greece
The Judicial Council of the Court of Appeal in Athens has decided Friday to remand Abbot Efraim of Vatopedi in detention. Abbot Efraim is the key suspect of the land swap scandal between the Mount Athos monastery and the state that broke out in 2009.
The judicial council’s decision solved the disagreement between the public prosecutor Panayiotis Mantzounis and the special investigator Herene Kalou, which occurred after the Abbot’s hearing in early November.
The investigator supported that the Abbot should go to jail, while the prosecutor believed the defendant should be released on restrictive orders of not leaving the country, paying 200.000 Euros and regularly appearing at his closest police department.
The Abbot had appeared before the examining court one month ago, just after he had returned from his visit to Moscow and the Russian PM Vladimir Putin. The Russian Patriarch Kyril had invited Efraim to Russia as an official representative of the mission of the Virgin Mary relic that travelled from Mount Athos to several Russian cities.
A few days ago Efraim had appeared before the judicial council and defended himself by putting extra emphasis on his humanitarian work. However, the final resolution of the appealing prosecutors showed him the way to jail.
The Abbot is being accused of being the main protagonist of the land swap scandal between his monastery and the state in the area of the Lake Vistonida.
Another basic suspect of the case is Monk Arsenios, who was set free on bail and must appear at a police department twice a week.
Both Arsenios and Efraim claimed that their actions held no personal gain but only aimed at enhancing the finances of the Monastery, so that it could cover the monks’ daily needs, as well as host the 25.000 annual faithful visitors.
Members of Advisory Councils, KED, surveyors and mechanical engineers, lawyers and solicitors had already testified to the case prior to the two clergy men.
The arrest warrant for Abbot Efraim has been issued and forwarded to the police department of Karyes, in order to be executed immediately.
According to information, the Vatopedi Abbot will surrender himself to justice on Saturday.
Professor Athanasios Tsaftaris Honored by Sheffield University
Professor of Genetics and Plant Breeding in the Aristotle Univeristy of Thessaloniki, Mr. Athanasios Tsaftaris was presented with the Honorary Doctor of Science Degree of the British Sheffield University for his remarkable contribution to the international scientific community and his unique research achievements as a plant geneticist.
During a ceremony, which took place at the Thessaloniki Concert hall on December 17, Professor Keith Burnett presented the Greek professor with the title noting that the Greek Professor has greatly contributed “in understanding the phenomena of life”.
Tsaftaris has held the post of Director of the Institute of Agrobiotechnology at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas in Thessaloniki since 2001. He has received national recognition with his appointment as a Commander of the Order of the Phoenix for outstanding services to science in 2004.
‘The Greek Herald’ Newspaper Celebrates 85th Anniversary
With a special edition of over 200 pages, the only existing Greek language newspaper of Australia celebrated its 85th anniversary.
On the occasion of the 85th anniversary, the publisher of the newspaper Theodoros Skalkos emphasized that he is impressed by the popularity of the newspaper and that it continues to be released despite current economic turmoil.
Skalkos finally stated that ‘the Greek Herald’ is not just a common newspaper but a useful resource for anyone reader who wishes to learn about the cultural, social and political history of Greece throughout the span of its 85 years of existence.
Greek-Australian Sentenced to 31 Years in Jail for Double Murder
Greek-Australian Christopher Angelo Filippou shot 28-year-old Luke Willis and 22-year-old Sam Willis in the Newcastle suburb of Mayfield in June last year.The 54-year-old faced sentencing in the New South Wales Supreme Court in Newcastle on Thursday.
Acting Justice Jane Mathews said Luke and Sam Willis were given no warning and no chance to escape.She said their lives were cut short by an “inherently angry man” who had shown no remorse.
The court was informed that Filippou shot the brothers at point blank range using a pistol linked to an armoured van robbery in Sydney in the 1970s.
The court was told Filippou was no stranger to the justice system.He had been jailed as a teenager for robbery and drug offences and assaulted another neighbour in 1999.
Filippou showed no emotion when the sentence was given. He will be eligible for parole in 2035, when he will be nearly 80-years-old.Outside court, Vicki Willis spoke about the verdict for the man who killed her sons. Ms Willis thanked Justice Mathews for conveying her condolences to the family.
Filippou’s wife Glenda Filippou also spoke outside the court, saying she expected the sentence and believed there was a conspiracy in relation to her husband’s case.
Australian Businessman Steals $1.3 Million to Pay Debts of Greek Friend
Michael John Henderson has been sentenced to jail for seven-and-a-half years for stealing $1.3 million to pay off the debts of his Greek friend to underworld gangsters.
The 58-year-old had failed to appear in Court at his original set date and was now sentenced on 80 dishonesty charges.
Former director of an IT company, Henderson told the Court that he stole the money from IBM in an attempt of rescuing his Greek friend Demetrios Belias, who owed money to dangerous underworld loan sharks.
Belias had been murdered in 1999, in an underground parking lot, but Henderson was allegedly forced to pay the rest of his friend’s debt.
According to the Herald Sun, the fraud was uncovered in 1999 before the debt had been paid off and Henderson was arrested. Belias was one of the 36 listed victims of Australia’s gangland war that year.
BBC Reports Greece is the Sick Man of Europe
According to BBC News, the financial crisis in Greece has put the right to state health protection in peril. Brutal budget cuts have slashed hospital budgets by up to 40%, spraining an already understaffed, under-supplied and, in places, corrupt health system.More importantly, growing economic inequality has more and more low-income and middle class people losing state health care access.
Nikitas Kanakis, a paediatrician and director of Medecins du Monde in Greece told BBC news:”If a country’s financial fortunes are looking well, then health is a top priority”.”But when you’re squeezed for survival, you’re bound to pass up on going to the doctor to check on a suspicious mole or cough”, Kanakis added.
BBC news also presented the story of Marina Derdevian that is an indicative of the health decline in Greece. According to BBC News, Marina Derdevian was never well off but her fortunes and health have declined as Greece’s economic woes have worsened. In 2009 local banks foreclosed her business because of unpaid loans.
Her life savings – 30,000 euros ($39,000; £25,000) – went to lawyers. Her debts deepened. And the stress triggered a stroke, leaving her hemiplegic, and in a wheelchair for life.A year later, the shopkeeper was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and now state doctors have halted her cancer treatment because of unpaid social security and medical contributions, BBC News says.
BBC News’ article concludes that cuts in health sector would have a negative impact on people, posing the question: “Can Greece impose health cuts without having a negative impact on Greeks’ health?”
The Guardian Says Europeans Migrate South
According to the British Newspaper ‘The Guardian’, Europeans migrate south as the continent drifts deeper into crisis.Tens of thousands of Irish, Greek, and Portuguese people leave in search of a new life as the eurozone’s woes worsen.
Since its conception, the European Union has been a haven for those seeking refuge from war, persecution and poverty in other parts of the world. But as the EU faces what Angela Merkel has called its toughest hour since the second world war, the tables appear to be turning. A new stream of migrants is leaving the continent. It threatens to become a torrent if the debt crisis continues to worsen, the Guardian says.
Tens of thousands of Portuguese, Greek and Irish people have left their homelands this year, many heading for the southern hemisphere. Anecdotal evidence points to the same happening in Spain and Italy.This year, 2,500 Greek citizens have moved to Australia and another 40,000 have “expressed interest” in moving south. Ireland’s central statistics office has projected that 50,000 people will have left the republic by the end of the year, many for Australia and the US.
The Portuguese are also heading to other former colonies, such as Mozambique and Brazil. According to Brazilian government figures, the number of foreigners legally living in Brazil rose to 1.47 million in June, up more than 50% from 961,877 last December. Not all are Europeans, but the number of Portuguese alone has jumped from 276,000 in 2010 to nearly 330,000, the Guardian adds.
For departing Greeks the top destinations over the years, according to the World Bank, have been Germany, Australia, Canada, Albania, Turkey, UK, Cyprus, Israel and Belgium. Skilled Greeks are particularly likely to leave: as an example of what can happen, 4,886 physicians emigrated in the year 2000 (the last year for which the World Bank’s Migration and Remittances Facebook cites data for departing doctors), meaning the country lost 9.4% of its doctors in that single year.
Eurobarometer Survey Reveals Greece’s Disbelief Over EU
The Eurobarometer survey has enabled the measurement of significant movements in European public opinion since the start of the financial and economic crisis in 2008, and in particular a very significant deterioration in the indicators of public perceptions of the economic and employment situation.
According to the Eurobarometer survey, pessimism about the economic future of Greece is increasing, while 99% of Greeks believe that economic situation in Greece is getting worse.
Among the 27 EU Member States, there are more countries except for Greece such as Ireland, Spain (96%), Bulgaria (94%) and Portugal (92%) in which the optimism index for the next twelve months is negative, along with the Czech Republic and Hungary.
As far as Greece is concerned, the improvement recorded in autumn 2010 seems to have stopped (a -3 point decline in satisfaction with the current personal situation to 46%, and a one-point fall in the optimism index to -36).
Concerning household financial situation, in 20 Member States a majority are positive about their household financial situation (Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom). The seven countries where a majority are negative are Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal and Romania.
On the contrary, optimism has increased in Iceland (an 11-point rise in the index) and Croatia (+9), but there was a fairly significant decline in Turkey (-12).
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe Says Turkey Does Not Have to Overreact
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Thursday that Turkey should not overreact after France’s lower house of parliament adopted a draft bill criminalizing the denial of “Armenians’genocide.”
“What I wish is that our Turkish friends do not overreact,” Juppe said as Ankara announced to take diplomatic reprisal measures by recalling Turkish ambassador to Paris, suspending all political visits and freezing military cooperation with France.
In 2001, France passed a law recognizing the killing of Armenians as genocide. Five years later, the French National Assembly first passed a bill considering an offence to deny the mass killing of Armenians but was rejected by the Senate.
Forged by members of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s ruling party Union for Popular Movement (UMP), the bill mandated a 45,000-euro ($58,750) fine and a year in jail for offenders.
Turkey which repeatedly rejected the allegations considered Paris genocide bill a move to win the votes of 500,000 ethnic Armenians in France in next year’s elections.
Tension clouded Franco-Turkish economic and political relations as French head of State stands firm in refusing Turkey bid to join the European Union.
(source:ChinaDaily.com)