Prime Minister George Papandreou told his cabinet earlier Wednesday that his government is negotiating “in any way possible” to reduce the country’s mammoth debt burden.
“We are negotiating in any way possible to reduce the debt… It’s a big negotiation and that’s where the big problem lies,” he said, according to minutes of the meeting made available by Papandreou’s office.
He didn’t give further details.
There is growing speculation that the private sector will be asked to make a higher contribution to Greece’s second bailout package but the Greek prime minister didn’t comment on that.
However, Papandreou said Greece cannot continue running budget deficits and expecting others to pay for them.
“It’s impossible to… ask the peoples of other member states to pay for those future debts,” he said. “We must reduce the deficit immediately.”
Papandreou said there must be bold, decisive action from the euro zone and Group of 20 developed and developing nations to finally stem the Greek debt crisis.
“In the summit on October 23 and of course the G-20 in November [they] must also give convincing and bold answers.”
Papandreou also said that reforms to euro-zone governance could require future changes to European Union treaties.
(source: Dow Jones)
Papandreou: Negotiating "In Any Way Possible" To Lighten Debt Burden
Cultures in crisis
The financial crisis in Greece has caused detrimental havoc in the greek morale, and that, my friends, is the understatement of the century. The over-analysis combined with the lack of any will to remain calm and face tha facts escalate once the media come into play. Yep, drama did originate in Greece. Even if the Aristotelian definition of tragedy were to have gotten lost before anyone ever knew of him, the current climate projected onto people’s faces, driving style, tone of voice and lack of any trace of positive energy, make it plain : drama is indeed a greek thing.
Us Greeks should be well aware that it is our job to produce, maintain and help tragedy develop to its full capacity. If people aren’t swearing at each other on crudely presented late night reality shows, we are nowhere near fullfilling our role as Greeks in the universe.
Other cultures, such the Anglosaxon culture for example, keep calm. It is what it is. We’ll do the best we can. We shall take one step at a time. There may be some exception, but in general, people don’t drive like madmen ready to blow their heads into a million pieces because the country is in financial turmoil. Americans aren’t happy about the financial crisis in the US either. The news, however, focus mostly on consumer confidence and gas prices. Channels do not pick the most tragic title for their ‘news at ten’ ad and they do not repeat this herrendously tragic and fear infusing headline throughout the day just to intimidate the ones that aren’t yet terrified by means of incessant repetition.
Embracing fear brings a familiar tragedy back for us Greeks considering that the German occupation of World War 2 wasn’t that far back. Suffering and striving and struggling and fighting is familiar territory for the Greek psyche of recent times. Ladies in their 50s and 60s are almost happy to be complaining about the crisis, cursing politicians and showcasing the suffering that is either taking place or is about to take place. ‘I am cooking simpler things these days because of the crisis’ ‘In this crisis we should all be taking the bus’. Everything we didn’t feel like doing because it required too much energy, too much work or we just didn’t feel like doing, all of a sudden turns to a fashionably ‘out’ activity. There’s a crisis. Noone should be doing it anyway. Let us all stay home and moan or gather someplace and moan collectivelly. This way the tragedy will be lived out, felt and somehow dealt with in a masochistic yet agressive and bold manner. It’s not the most efficient way to deal with a problem, it’s not polite and seam-free, it is incessantly crude if not downright barbaric, but it’s as extreme as it gets; and tragedy needs extreme states of being to play out right. Hopefully, the much-needed catharsis, will come in a form that includes a little less passionate moaning and groaning and a lot more cold and calculated action…
Turks Interested in Purchasing Low-Cost Greek Yachts
There has been an increase in Turks buying Greek yachts at low prices due to Greece’s economic crisis. Over 300 people are in negotiations to purchase Greek yachts.
Marinas in Greece are full of sale announcements due to debts to banks and the inability to pay taxes. Many yachts sales take place secretly. Greek yachts for sale are of worth 300,000 to 12,000,000 euros.
Chief Executive of BC Marin, Erdem Gurler states that sales announcements have seen a rapid increase of 60% in comparison with last year, while hundreds of seized yachts have been collected by Greek banks.
Even Financial Crime Prosecution Unit has been conducting investigations in marinas, and thus the yachts’ sales have increased. More specifically, yachts of 2010-2011 are sold at a discount of 40%-50%.
Greek Deputy Mayor of Vienna Comforts Greece
Maria Vassilakoy, Deputy Mayor of the City of Vienna hopes that Greeks will be able to overcome current obstacles due to the ongoing economic crisis with courage, emphasizing that the recovery of Greece can come true very soon.
Vassilakou states her concern, saying that she is thinking about the imminent sovereign default every day.
Moreover, Maria Vassilakou underlined that her 1st year as the Deputy Mayor of the Austrian Capital was very positive, and that collaboration between municipality and local government with the Green Alternative Party and Socialdemocrats has been fruitful.
The Green Alternative Party and Socialdemocrats’ collaboration is considered a historical moment by the Deputy Mayor of Vienna because the goals can be completely fulfilled in the upcoming years.
Greek-origin Maria Vassilakou emphasized that her election day was very moving, and that she can never forget the day when she arrived to the South station of Vienna with a small leather suitcase 25 years ago.
Vienna Green Alternate Party President and leader has signed a federation agreement one year ago with the socialdemocrat Mayor of Vienna, which secured the collaboration between Socialdemocrats and the Green Alternate Party for the next five years.
Greek Film Festival in Lebanon
Under the joint patronage of the Ministry of Culture of Lebanon and the Embassy of Greece in Beirut, Lebanon, the 4th Greek Film Festival will begin on Thursday.
Organized by the League of Lebanese Graduates from Greek Universities (LLGGU) in collaboration with the Greek Film Center (GFC), the festival will last until October 16th at the Cinema Metropolis Empire, Sofil.
The entrance is free and the tickets are provided at the venue.
This year, the selected movies embrace different genres: social, historical, drama, and comedy.
Most movies are prize winners at various festivals in Greece and around the world.
The program comprises of three short and three feature-length films, subtitled in English or French, and is scheduled as follows:
Friday, October 14:
20:15 Casus Belli by Yorgos Zois (2009, 11 min)
20:30 With Heart and Soul by Pantelis Voulgaris (2009, 141 min)
Saturday, October 15:
20:15 Pyramids of Athens by Yolanda Markopoulou (2010, 14 min)
20:35 Guinness by Alexis Kardaras (2008, 94 min)
Sunday, October 16:
18:00 Casus Belli by Yorgos Zois (2009, 11 min)
18:15 Pyramids of Athens by Yolanda Markopoulou (2010, 14 min)
18:35 N’ Me for myself by Georgis Grigorakis (2009, 20 min)
19:00 The Price of Love byTonia Marketaki (1984, 110 min)
21:00 Guinness by Alexis Kardaras (2008, 94 min)
Tax Inspectors to Strike, Protests Spread
Tax inspectors will go on strike next week to protest against planned wage and pension cuts, threatening more disruption to revenue collection efforts that are already falling behind budget targets imposed by international lenders.
With much of Greece expected to be shut down by a general strike on October 19, finance ministry officials have called a two-week stoppage from October 17 while tax offices will remain closed from October 17-20 and customs officials will stay away from their desks from October 18-23.
On Wednesday, the finance ministry in Athens was shuttered with a black banner reading “Occupied” hanging down the front of the building, which faces parliament across the central Syntagma Square.
(source: reuters)
Athens Violent Clashes Included in New Video Game
Violent clash incidents between protestors and police forces in Athens downtown are included in a new sci-fi video game.
Popular video game Deus Ex: Human Revolution offers the player the opportunity of choosing the end scene of the video game through a series of videos and pictures from real happenings all around the world.
Among those pictures coming from different countries of the world, are several from Greece and more particularly from Athens’ violent episodes.
NY Metropolitan Opera Opens New season with Anna Bolena by Donizetti
The NY Metropolitan Opera will be airing its gala premiere of ‘The Met: Live in HD’ on Saturday, the 15th of October at 7.55pm, at the Alexandreio Conference Center of Loutraki. The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD is a series of live opera performances transmitted in high-definition video via satellite from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to venues in the U.S. and other parts of the world, including Greece and Cyprus.
Thanks to Antenna, TV channel for securing the rights to air the 11 productions in the series, Greek opera fans will now have the opportunity to watch the screenings at the same time as New York audiences. The opera productions will be shown at venues around Greece, including the Komotini Concert Hall Municipal Theatre of Mytilene, the Oscar Municipal Theatre of Kavala, the Star Cinema – City of Veroia, the Athens Concert Hall, the Thessaloniki Concert Hall and as mentioned earlier, the Alexandreio Conference Centre of Loutraki.
Since its opening performance in Milan, in 1830, Anna Bolena has been performed regularly throughout Europe. it is one of a number of operas by Italian composer, Gaetano Donizetti which dealt with the Tudor period in English history. It was also his first masterpiece after already composing thirty operas. Throughout centuries, some of the best sopranos in the world have appeared on stage to sing in this dramatic production. In 1957, Maria Callas starred in the successful ‘La Scala’, directed by Luchino Visconti.
This time, it will be the Russian star soprano, Anna Netrobko who will take on the legendary title role of Anna Boleyn, in two acts based on the final tragic days of the ill-fated queen. She will sing one of the opera’s greatest mad scenes under the direction of David McVicar and conductor Marco Armiliato.
Ticket pre-sale for the performances can be purchased at the above venues. Fees: 25€ – (VIP) – 20€ – (general admission_ – 15€ – (children/students/unemployed)
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT VENUES, PRICES & TICKET BOXES, CONTACT: WWW.metingreece.com or TELEPHONE: 210-6902090
Mycenaean Tomb Unearthed on Ionian Sea Islet
Something of great scientific, historical, and cultural importance has been recently unearthed by archaeologists Southeast of the island of Lefkada.
Excavations in the region of Kefali over the past two years unearthed a Mycenaean-era tomb. Archaeologists believe that they have in fact discovered a complex of Mycenaean tombs.
The area where the excavations are taking place belongs to a British company with the most share capitals of which belong to the banker Lord Rothschild.
Weidmann Not Ruling Out Greek Haircut
A haircut, or loss, on Greek debt “can΄t be excluded,” European Central Bank Governing Council member Jens Weidmann tells Germany΄s mass circulation newspaper Bild Zeitung in an interview pre-released Wednesday.
Still, he warns that this would not solve the source of Greece΄s problems. “Greece must get a handle on its public sector and make its economy more competitive” Weidmann, who also heads the Deutsche Bundesbank, said.
“A haircut cannot become an attractive way out of self-inflicted problems,” he says.
The central banker also warns against constantly expanding the euro zone΄s rescue funds, saying that steadily increasing liability or leveraging the facilities “cannot be the solution.”
(source: Dow Jones)