Eurozone agrees bailout payment to Greece

#UPDATE Eurozone agrees bailout payment to Greece https://t.co/z9ouKyTbu0 pic.twitter.com/YLQcMXyx0c

— AFP news agency (@AFP) June 15, 2017

Lagarde: w/ agreement in Luxembourg today I will propose Approval in Principle of new Greek arrangement to IMF Board https://t.co/kyFrC21ua0 pic.twitter.com/sKISXFKU6l

— IMF (@IMFNews) June 15, 2017

Greek ambassador to Brazil Kyriakos Amiridis missing after he mysteriously VANISHED without trace on Boxing Day

GREECE’S ambassador to Brazil has not been seen since mysteriously vanishing without a trace three days ago.

Kyriakos Amiridis, 59, has been missing since Boxing Day night, Civil Police confirmed.

Officials from the Floor Discovery Branch of the Homicide Police are hunting for the ambassador.

Greek authorities in Rio have not provided any information on the diplomat’s whereabouts.

The Greek Embassy has not officially commented on the mystery .... https://www.thesun.co.uk

Greece must reform or leave eurozone, says German minister

Greece must implement economic reforms if it is to keep its place in the eurozone, Germany’s finance minister has insisted, ruling out debt relief for the country ahead of a crucial euro group meeting on Monday.

As the finance ministers of member states using the single currency prepared to discuss fiscal plans for the coming year, Wolfgang Schäuble in effect presented Greece with an ultimatum: either it must enforce unpopular structural reforms or exit the bloc .... https://www.theguardian.com

Greek police use tear gas against demonstrators protesting Obama’s visit to Athens

Leftist demonstrators protesting against US President Barack Obama’s visit to Athens have clashed with police, who used tear gas to disperse the crowd as people tried to break through cordons.

Some 7,000 people took to the streets of central Athens on Tuesday to protest Obama’s visit to the Greek capital, Reuters reports. The demonstrators initially planned to walk all the way to the US Embassy located in another part of the city, but the procession was disrupted as protesters clashed with police officers .... https://www.rt.com

Greek Police Fire Tear Gas, Use Pepper Spray On Protesting Pensioners

Familiar scenes returned to Athens today, when Greek police fired teargas at a demonstration of pensioners protesting over cutbacks to their benefits, part of an austerity drive dictated by the Troika (or was it Quadriga). Between 1,500 and 2,0000 pensioners attempted to march to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s office, however they were blocked when riot police blocked their path, intercepting them with pepper spray and tear gas .... http://www.zerohedge.com

Kammenos confirms Obama-Tsipras exchange over Russia at NATO summit

According to a report in the Financial Times on Sunday, as NATO leaders sat down for dinner in Warsaw’s presidential palace, Tsipras “broke form the official consensus and argued for partnership with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president” to end the crisis in Syria.

“His position was quickly slapped down by US President Barack Obama,” the report said .... http://www.ekathimerini.com

Greece’s Central Bank Urges Government to Implement Economic Overhauls

The bank, however, warned against excessive emphasis on tax increases to meet austerity targets.

ATHENS—The Bank of Greece urged the country’s left-wing government to implement bailout overhauls and privatizations agreed with the country’s lenders but warned that the emphasis on tax increases posed the biggest threat to the struggling economy.

In its annual monetary report published Wednesday, the central bank said the greatest risk to the Greek economy this year comes from an excessive emphasis on tax increases aimed at meeting .... http://www.wsj.com

Greece starts evacuating migrant border camp

At least 200 police started clearing Greece's squalid Idomeni camp Tuesday on the border with Macedonia, where over 8,400 migrants are living, according to Agence France-Presse.

A helicopter hovered over the camp, where some 20 police vans and dozens of plainclothes police officers were on site as the operation got under way after a harsh winter prompted many to try to force their way across the border.

No force was used as officers, who started to arrive at the camp Monday, urged migrants to leave their tents and board buses to take them to shelters.

Officials have said 6,000 spots are available at reception centers, and that most of the migrants are to be moved to camps at former industrial facilities near Greece's second city Thessaloniki over 10 days .... http://english.alarabiya.net

Greek parliament passes fresh austerity measures amid public protests

The Greek parliament has passed a new set of controversial austerity measures amid widespread public protests.

On Sunday, all but one of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ 153 deputies voted for the unpopular policies, which include budget cuts and tax hikes.

In protest to the new legislation, large numbers of demonstrators gathered outside the parliament as the lawmakers cast their ballots.

The austerity measures are part of a package demanded by the European Commission, European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund in exchange for an 86-billion-euro bailout .... http://www.presstv.ir

IMF and Troika Want Still 'More Austerity' From Greece–The ‘Wikileaks’ Revelation

Last August 2015, after eight months of intense negotiations with Europe’s Troika financial institutions—the IMF, European Central Bank, and European Commission—the Greek Government capitulated to the Troika’s demands imposing more austerity on Greece and its people in exchange for another $98 billion in additional loans.

The $98 billion did not represent economic assistance to Greece, to stimulate its economy, but was earmarked almost exclusively to pay back interest to the Troika, Europe banks, and Europe investors for prior loans made to Greece in 2012, 2010, and before. But while the Greek people would see little real benefit, they would have to pay the price. 

In exchange for the $98 billion in new credit, the August 2015 debt restructuring deal required Greece to even further cut pensions, axe more government jobs and cut wages, raise taxes, accelerate the sales of public works (ports, airports, utilities, etc.) to private investors .... https://jackrasmus.com

Greece Orders Banks To Record "Personal Data" On Anyone Who Was Hoarding Cash

Commercial banks are being ordered to note the personal data and transaction history of clients who exchange 500-euro notes, along with cross-checking the details recorded with other transactions by those customers, according to a circular issued by the Bank of Greece.

The aim of the measure – on top of a commission charged by banks on the exchange of 500-euro banknotes with smaller ones – is to prevent money laundering, which experts believe to be behind demands by certain bank clients to exchange bills of high denomination .... http://www.zerohedge.com

'Turks are barbaric & dirty' Greek MEP kicked out for insults

A far-right Greek MEP has been kicked out of the European Parliament after branding Turks ‘dirty’, ‘polluted’ and ‘wild dogs’.

‘EU is disintegrating, there’s only one solution’: Varoufakis launches new leftist party

Angry farmers block highway in Greece over tax hike

Greek farmers have staged a blockade on a main highway leading to the capital, Athens, in protest against proposed tax hikes by the government.

Dozens of tractors closed the highway linking Thessaloniki to Athens at the Malgara junction on Monday. Traffic came to a standstill for six hours with farmers threatening to extend the protest for 24 hours if necessary.

It was the latest in a series of protests against austerity measures Athens has taken in recent years to receive bailout funds .... http://www.presstv.ir

Greek Defense Ministry confirms Russian Su-24M bomber was downed in Syrian airspace

The Russian Sukhoi Su-24M bomber was brought down by the Turkish Air Force in Syrian airspace, Greek Minister of National Defense Panos Kammenos said in an interview to the Mega TV channel on Wednesday, TASS reported.

“The attack (on Su-24M) took place in Syrian airspace. This is beyond doubt,” he said. “The Turkish side knows that, otherwise Ankara would ask to invoke Article 5 of the NATO Charter, requesting the Alliance’s help.”

“This is undoubtedly a military action in the territory of another state,” Kammenos said. “But even more important point is the murder of the pilot, who was shot dead by members of the Turkish extremist group Grey Wolves.”

Asked which side Greece should take, as a NATO member, the minister said – “the truth”. “If Russia had violated Turkish airspace, we would support Ankara”, the defense minister said .... http://www.focus-fen.net

Greeks Told To Declare Cash "Under The Mattress", Jewelry And Precious Stones

When earlier today we read a report in the Greek Enikonomia, according to which Greek taxpayers would be forced to declare all cash "under the mattress" (including inside) or boxes that contain more than 15,000 euros as well as jewelry and precious stones (including gold) worth over 30,000 euros, starting in 2016, we assumed this has to be some early April fools joke or a mistake.

It was not a joke .... http://www.zerohedge.com

Tsipras blasts ‘mercurial’ Turkish pilots & air defense budgets amid ground refugee crisis

As EU leaders met with the Turkish PM to finalize a €3 billion ($3.18bn) deal on easing the Syrian refugee crisis, his Greek counterpart criticized Turkey’s “mercurial” pilots for airspace violations that cost billions but in no way help to tackle people-smuggling through borders on the ground.

Alexis Tsipras took to Twitter to point out that it was ironic that while having billions of dollars worth of modern technology in the air, countries can’t resolve the issue of people-smuggling through uncontrolled borders on the ground.

In a series of Tweets addressed to Turkish PM Ahmed Davutoglu, the Greek Prime Minister first of all noted that unlike their “mercurial” Turkish counterparts, Greek military pilots don’t simply shoot down the planes that regularly violate the Greek airspace.

“Fortunately our pilots are not as mercurial as yours against the Russians #EUTurkey,” Alexis Tsipras wrote in his first tweet .... https://www.rt.com

Turkish fighter jets violate Greek national air space

A formation of six Turkish fighter jets violated Greek national air space in the northeastern Aegean Thursday, Greek defense officials said.

The Turkish jets entered into Greece’s national air space on one occasion, the defense officials said, adding that two of the aircraft were armed and that one dogfight occurred. In all cases the Turkish jets were chased off by Greek aircraft.

The violations follow a peak in tensions between Turkey and Russia after Turkish fighter jets shot a Russian military jet near the Syrian border .... http://www.ekathimerini.com

During 2014 Turkey violated greek airspace 2244 times

Interestingly, the issue of airspace violations has been a near-constant flashpoint between Turkey and another NATO member, Greece, for years. This is due to a dispute over the sovereignty of islands in the Aegean, as well as other factors such as the delimitation of territorial waters and national airspace. The latter has resulted in frequent confrontations between the air forces of both countries. These have been known to turn aggressive, resulting in casualties on both sides.

Even though Turkey has outlined its tough stance and rules of engagement when it comes to intruding aircraft in its own skies, it has hugely increased its own violations of airspace claimed by Greece over the past three years. Data recorded by the Greek military has shown that Turkish aircraft violated its claimed airspace 2,244 times in 2014. By October of this year, Turkish aircraft had made 1,443 intrusions with the financially-weakened Greek military stuggling to respond .... http://www.forbes.com

Classified US cable: Turkey violating Greek airspace 40 times a day

2. (C) Reviewing the PM's May 20 meeting with the President, FM Molyviatis reiterated to Ambassador May 25 the Greek argument that high Turkish sortie rates in the Aegean made it increasingly difficult for the Greek government to defend its cooperation with Turkey in other areas, including the EU.

Molyviatis emphasized that Turkey did not need to send 40 aircraft a day across the disputed airspace to make its political point; they could, he insisted, send one flight a week and accomplish the same purpose. If the Turks pursued a less inflammatory policy in the Aegean, he suggested, there would be much more sympathy for Turkey in Greece

3. (C) Ambassador questioned whether Greece drew a fine enough distinction between Turkish airspace violations and Turkish non-notifications of the FIR, reminding Molyviatis that the U.S. did not file FIR notifications either. It was important for Greece to be on solid ground when it reckoned up the number of "violations." Molyviatis acknowledged that there was a legal difference between violations of the six-mile limit versus FIR notifications .... https://wikileaks.org