Thursday, January 31, 2013

ΟΜΟΣΠΟΝΔΟ ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΘΗΝΑ

ΕΘΝΟΣ
31-3-2013
Ομόσπονδο Πανεπιστήμιο δημιουργείται στην Αθήνα με την επωνυμία «Αδαμάντιος Κοραής» και σ΄αυτό θα ενταχθούν τα πανεπιστήμια Γεωπονικό, Οικονομικό, Πάντειο, Πειραιά και Χαροκόπειο, διατηρώντας όμως την αυτοτέλειά τους.

IMF’s Greek Euro Exit Analysis

January 31, 2013, 9:57 AM
By Matthew Dalton
The Wall Street Journal
We’re a tad late getting to this, but the International Monetary Fund in its latest report on the Greek bailout took an interesting look at how far euro-zone economic output would fall if Greece ditched the common currency. The fund’s answer: Maybe a lot, maybe not so much – though even the “not so much” scenario looks pretty bad.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

GDP contracts on tepid inventories, government spending drop

By Lucia Mutikani
WASHINGTON | Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:07am EST
(Reuters) - The economy unexpectedly contracted in the fourth quarter, suffering its first decline since the recession ended more than three years ago as businesses scaled back on restocking and government spending plunged.

Greenland defied ancient warming


But Antarctic glaciers may be more vulnerable than thought.
NATURE
Quirin Schiermeier
23 January 2013
Over a few exceptionally warm days last July, Greenland’s frozen surface turned into a colossal puddle. Even the coldest parts of the world’s largest island saw ice thaw and rain fall, fuelling concerns over the future of glaciers that hold enough water to raise global sea levels by around 7 metres.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

PRECIOUS-Gold rallies from 2-1/2 wk low; eyes Fed meeting




Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:59am EST
* Federal Reserve policy meeting on Jan 29-30

* Investors alert to U.S. non-farm payrolls on Friday (Updates throughout, changes dateline from SINGAPORE)

By Clara Denina

LONDON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Gold firmed on Tuesday, snapping a four-day losing streak, but gains were limited as investors sought further data to gauge U.S. economic strength, also looking to a Federal Reserve statement later in the week.

Monday, January 28, 2013

A tale of two Davoses


Jan 28th 2013, 14:33 by M.B. | DAVOS
The Economist

THE brainstorming, deal making and schmoozing is over for another year. Davos Man and Woman have come down from their Swiss mountain high and headed home, including this correspondent. What were the main memories and insights they took away from this year's World Economic Forum?

Decoding the 'Signals' From Davos


Posted: 01/27/2013 11:42 am
Rich Lesser
President and Chief Executive Officer of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
huffingtonpost
As I head to Africa after the World Economic Forum in Davos, like most participants I am trying to distill the core insights from the past week. Clearly, the tone of the meeting was more optimistic than last year, with spirits buoyed by the recent upward momentum of China and the U.S. and signs that the euro zone has stepped back from the brink of collapse. But gauging the mood is one thing. Making sense of the cacophony of issues, challenges, and opportunities is another.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Wealth and Poverty in a University Town


Huffington Post
Rena N. Lauer
Ph.D Candidate, Harvard
Posted: 01/25/2013 6:32 pm
The cashier told the woman in front of me that she couldn't buy the sack of potatoes. WIC, the government food program for mothers and children, would not pay for starches, and so the potatoes she had chosen -- "mistaking" them for a vegetable -- had to go back to the supermarket's shelves.

Will Your Mother Live in Poverty?


Victoria Pynchon, Contributor
FORBES
http://www.forbes.com/sites/shenegotiates/2013/01/26/will-your-mother-live-in-poverty/
A recent news release by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development predicts poverty for mothers in their elder years.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Bankers, policymakers say Europe's crisis not over


By Emma Thomasson and Alexander Smith
DAVOS, Switzerland | Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:15pm GMT
(Reuters) - International bankers and finance ministers warned on Saturday that Europe's crisis was not over even though the euro currency is now stabilised, it will take years to overcome economic malaise and mass unemployment in Europe.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Greece Opposition Leader Calls for European Debt Renegotiation Summit


The New York Times
By RICK GLADSTONE
Published: January 25, 2013
¶ The 38-year-old leftist opposition leader in Greece, who could become its next prime minister on a wave of simmering popular fury over the Greek government’s austerity measures, called on Friday for a European summit to ease the crushing debts that threaten not only his country but all of Europe.

Greece orders striking subway workers back to work


Thu Jan 24, 2013 7:24am EST
* Strikers could be arrested under emergency law

* Athenians frustrated by week-long subway closure

* Strike tests government's resolve against unions


ATHENS, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Greece's government invoked emergency powers to order striking public transport workers back to work as Athens' subway system remained paralysed for the eighth consecutive day on Thursday.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Greek government backs its embattled statistics chief


By Dina Kyriakidou
ATHENS | Thu Jan 24, 2013 10:43am EST
Jan 24 (Reuters) - Greece's government on Thursday backed its embattled statistics chief, accused in felony charges of artificially inflating budget deficit figures to make the country's debt crisis appear worse.

Greece orders subway strikers back to work


By Anthee Carassava
January 24, 2013, 9:32 a.m.
Los Angeles Times
ATHENS -- Greece's ruling coalition on Thursday issued an emergency order demanding that striking subway employees go back to work or face massive arrests and potential job losses in the latest labor showdown to grip the beleaguered government.

UPDATE 1-EU court rules against Greece's OPAP gambling monopoly


Thu Jan 24, 2013 5:48am EST
Jan 24 (Reuters) - Europe's highest court ruled that OPAP's gambling monopoly in Greece was illegal and that the Greek authorities would have to reform the sector to protect consumers or open it up to competition.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

U.S. Budget Discord Is Top Threat to Global Economy in Poll


By David J. Lynch - Jan 23, 2013 7:50 PM GMT+0200
Global investors say the state of the U.S. government’s finances is the greatest risk to the world economy and almost half are curbing their investments in response to continuing budget battles, a Bloomberg poll shows.

Can we fight poverty by ending extreme wealth?


Posted by Olga Khazan on January 20, 2013 at 8:00 am
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/01/20/oxfam-poverty-income-inequality/

In a sign that the “Occupy” and “99 percent” movements that swept the United States in recent years have taken on increased global relevance, Oxfam International this week called for “a new global goal to end extreme wealth by 2025,” as a way to stem income inequality and continue the fight against poverty.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Greece’s 2012 Budget Deficit Narrows 31 Percent to Beat Target

Bloomberg
By Marcus Bensasson - Jan 22, 2013 2:18 PM GMT+0200
Greece’s budget deficit narrowed 31 percent in 2012, slightly more than an initial estimate earlier this month, as the government cut spending and revenue dropped less than anticipated.

ΕΚΤΕΛΕΣΗ ΚΡΑΤΙΚΟΥ ΠΡΟΫΠΟΛΟΓΙΣΜΟΥ 2012

Το Αρχείο που έδωσε στην δημοσιότητα το Υπ. Οικονομικών. Είναι για όλο το 2012.
Καλύτερο από ότι προβλεπόταν. 
Με μια πρώτη ανάγνωση οι δαπάνες για τόκους το 2012 είναι 11,735 δις. Ευρώ. 
Το 2011 ήταν 16,348 δις. 
Όλο το κείμενο για το 2012.
http://goo.gl/735a3 (2012)
Και το κείμενο για το 2011, για όσους ενδιαφέρονται.
http://goo.gl/Lvk07 (2011)


The bright side of Greece: Lower prices, fewer tourists


Rick Steves
January 22, 2013
http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/sns-201301220000--tms--travelrsctnri-a20130122-20130122,0,752553.column
I keep getting asked if Greece is "safe" for travelers -- a question that feels absurd the instant you arrive there. Ask anyone who's been to Greece recently, and you'll learn that safety concerns have been played up by both Greek and international media outlets.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Δ. Ραυτόπουλος: Η Αριστερά θέλει να αλλάξει όλον τον κόσμο εκτός από τον εαυτό της


Η συνέντευξη του Δ. Ραυτόπουλου δημοσιεύθηκε στο ΒΗΜΑ την20-1-2013.
http://www.tovima.gr/books-ideas/article/?aid=493698
Ένας από τους τελευταίους σημαντικούς κριτικούς της ελληνικής μεταπολεμικής λογοτεχνίας μιλάει για την πρόσφατη συλλογή δοκιμίων του με θέμα τον Εμφύλιο και τις συνέπειές του, για την Αριστερά, τη βία, την κριτική και τον δυτικό πολιτισμό.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Makeshift bomb injures two at Greek shopping mall


By George Georgiopoulos
ATHENS | Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:48am EST
(Reuters) - A makeshift bomb lightly injured two security staff at a large shopping center near Athens on Sunday, in escalating political violence in the crisis-hit country.

Explosive device at shopping mall near Athens injures two


ATHENS | Sun Jan 20, 2013 4:29am EST
(Reuters) - An explosive device went off on Sunday at a shopping centre near Athens causing damage and lightly injuring two security employees, police said.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

UPDATE 2-IMF sees up to 9.5 bln euro Greek funding gap in 2015-2016


 Jan 18, 2013 9:35pm EST
* Greek economy likely to shrink again this year

* Brazil opposes loan tranche to Greece

By Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund estimated on Friday that Greece faced a financing gap of between 5.5 billion and 9.5 billion euros for 2015 and 2016 and said it had assurances from Europe it would deliver the aid in the final years of the bailout.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

A Strong Euro Starts to Worry Europe


By Carol Matlack on January 16, 2013 
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-01-16/a-strong-euro-starts-to-worry-europe#r=nav-fst
A new obstacle lies in the path of euro zone economies struggling to regain traction. It’s the strength of the euro currency, which is trading this week near a 10-month high of $1.34 against the dollar and threatening the competitiveness of European exporters. “Dangerously high” was how Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker described the exchange rate in a Jan. 15 speech.

IMF OKs Greek next aid tranche; Lagarde sees progress


By Lesley Wroughton
WASHINGTON | Wed Jan 16, 2013 6:18pm EST
(Reuters) - Greece's bailout program is moving in the right direction, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday after the IMF board agreed to pay the next aid tranche to Athens under the country's 240-billion-euro international bailout.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The year ahead in the euro zone: Lower risks, same problems



By Nouriel Roubini JANUARY 14, 2013
Reuters
Financial conditions in the euro zone have significantly improved since the summer, when euro zone risks peaked because of German policymakers’ open consideration of a Greek exit, and the sovereign spreads of Italy and Spain reached new heights.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

The Wall Street Journal's Bad Plan for Greece


By Josh Barro Jan 14, 2013 11:46 PM GMT+0200
Bloomberg
The Wall Street Journal ran a staff editorial in today's newspaper urging Greece to adopt a flat tax as a road out of its economic troubles. This is a demonstration of the first rule of the Journal's editorial writing: Whatever your problem is, it can be fixed with a flat tax.

Number of U.S. working poor families grows as wealth gap widens


By Susan Heavey
WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The number of U.S. families struggling with poverty despite parents being employed continued to grow in 2011 as more people returned to work but mostly at lower-paying service jobs, an analysis released on Tuesday shows.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Gun attack on PM's party HQ escalates Greek violence


By Dina Kyriakidou and George Georgiopoulos
ATHENS | Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:21am EST
(Reuters) - Unidentified attackers opened fire on the headquarters of Greece's governing New Democracy party with a Kalashnikov assault rifle early on Monday, in what the government said was a worrying escalation in political violence.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Journalists in Greece Are Becoming Targets


By LIZ ALDERMAN
Published: January 12, 2013
The New York Times
¶ The Greek police on Saturday were looking for the people responsible for detonating makeshift bombs at the homes of five journalists in Athens, the latest in a series of actions taken against reporters in Greece who have raised questions about a deteriorating climate for media freedom.

Η στοχοποίηση ενός μάρτυρα


του Π. Μανδραβέλη
Τετάρτη, 09 Ιανουάριος 2013 10:58
«Αυτή είναι μια τακτική που ακολουθεί ο ΣΥΡΙΖΑ εδώ και πολλά χρόνια... κατηγορώντας άπαντες ως φασίστες για να καλύψει τις δικές του φασιστικές συμπεριφορές...»

Greeks Raid Forests in Search of Wood to Heat Homes


The Wall Street Journal
EGALEO, Greece—While patrolling on a recent cold night, environmentalist Grigoris Gourdomichalis caught a young man illegally chopping down a tree on public land in the mountains above Athens.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Greek budget deficit improves but savings cuts push jobless rate to new high


By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, January 10, 7:27 PM
Nikolas Giakoumidis/Associated Press
ATHENS, GreeceGreece’s coalition government on Thursday reported a steep drop in the budget deficit in 2012, but unemployment rose again at an alarming rate as state savings cuts continued to hurt the economy and erode living standards.

Economic change depends on culture and society


By Anne Applebaum, Thursday, January 10, 6:31 PM
Washington Post 
PARIS — For a brief moment before Christmas, self-doubt gripped France. The beloved French actor Gerard Depardieu — who recently played Obelix, an even more beloved French comic book character — announced he was moving to Belgium because President Francois Hollande had threatened to tax millionaires at 75 percent of their income.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

TEXT-S&P: eurozone could start to overcome debt crisis in 2013


Reuters
Jan 9 - This could be a decisive year in determining whether the eurozone
(European Economic and Monetary Union) can emerge from its sovereign debt
troubles, says Standard & Poor's Ratings Services today in the report: "The
Eurozone Debt Crisis: 2013 Could Be A Watershed Year."

Monday, January 7, 2013

A surprising map of the best and worst countries to be born into today


Click to enlarge. Data from the Economist Intelligence Unit. (Max Fisher/Wash Post)
Posted by Max Fisher on January 7, 2013 at 9:00 am
If you came into the world today and could pick your nationality, there are at least 15 better choices than to be born American, according to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The firm looked at 80 countries, scoring them across 11 variables to determine “which country will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead.” The results, mapped out above, are both surprising and not.

The Big Fail


By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: January 6, 2013
The New York Times
And this year, as in past meetings, there is one theme dominating discussion: the ongoing economic crisis.

Greece’s Rotten Oligarchy


By KOSTAS VAXEVANIS
Published: January 6, 2013
The New York Times
Unfortunately, the bicycle of Greek democracy has long been broken. After the military junta collapsed in 1974, Greece created only a hybrid, diluted form of democracy. You can vote, belong to a party and protest. In essence, however, a small clique exercises all meaningful political power.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Why Paul Krugman should be President Obama's pick for US treasury secretary


Not only is he the world's best-known economist, Krugman has the intellect and integrity to resist Wall Street's calls for austerity
Mark Weisbrot
guardian.co.uk, 
Saturday 5 January 2013 13.00 GMT
President Obama hasn't picked a treasury secretary yet for his second term, so he has a chance to do something different.

New Year Resolutions


Posted: 01/04/2013 2:57 pm
Marian Wright EdelmanPresident, Children's Defense Fund
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
As New Year’s Eve countdowns wound down, many people turned to the familiar ritual of taking stock of where they are now to make resolutions for what they can do better in the new year. We all measure our accomplishments and shortcomings in different ways. Some people count numbers on a scale or in a savings account. But what if we decided to take stock as a nation by measuring how we treat our children?

Friday, January 4, 2013

IMF Officials: We Were Wrong About Austerity


By Mark Whitehouse Jan 4, 2013 9:51 PM GMT+0200
Bloomberg
Sharp spending cuts and tax increases have long played a central role in the International Monetary Fund's prescriptions for governments in financial distress -- most recently for the struggling members of the euro area. Now, officials at the world's primary arbiter of fiscal prudence are recognizing that such austerity can do a lot more damage than previously thought.

Clock ticking for resolution of Greece's Postbank


By George Georgiopoulos
ATHENS | Fri Jan 4, 2013 6:44am EST
Jan 4 (Reuters) - Greek banks eyeing state-controlled Hellenic Postbank (TT) are expected to express initial interest by Friday, marking the next stage of the sector's consolidation designed to help cope with the debt crisis.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Greece's only certainty in 2013? Predictions are futile


Forecasts of collapse, 'Grexit' and even civil war proved unfounded but Greek society is under immense pressure
Nick Malkoutzis
The Guardian, Thursday 3 January 2013 19.30 GMT

Greek bank deposits up in November, but credit shrinks


(Reuters) - Greek business and household bank deposits rose again in November as doubts over the country's euro zone membership eased, but credit to the private sector continued to contract, official data showed on Thursday.

Scandal Hits Greek Tourism Agency


By ALKMAN GRANITSAS and NEKTARIA STAMOULI
ATHENS—A multimillion-dollar embezzlement case involving Greece's national tourism agency has dealt a new blow to the crisis-hit country's political establishment, which already is reeling from a scandal over its failure to go after wealthy suspected tax evaders.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Euro-Zone Manufacturing Shrinks in December



By ALEX BRITTAIN
 The Wall Street Journal
Activity among euro-zone manufacturers shrank further in December, a gauge of activity showed Wednesday, as factories across the currency area's biggest economies cut back on their output.