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Low turnout, fraud row mar Serb presidential voteAleksandar Vasovic & Matt Robinson | Belgrade | May 20 Voter apathy and accusations of fraud marred a presidential run-off in Serbia on Sunday, where pro-Western incumbent Boris Tadic is vying with rightist Tomislav Nikolic for the right to lead the nation into talks on joining the EU. Seven hours after polls opened, just 23.2 percent of the 6.7 million Serbs eligible to vote had done so. Tadic began the day as the frontrunner, but analysts have said a low turnout might favour Nikolic, whose supporters are considered more disciplined voters. Twice elected president since 2004, Tadic, 54, was part of the reformist bloc that ousted strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000 after a decade of war and isolation during the collapse of Yugoslavia. Under Tadic, Serbia in March became an official candidate for EU membership, but there is deep frustration among Serbs over the grinding transition from socialism to capitalism and an economic slowdown that has driven unemployment up to 24 percent. Nikolic, 60, was an ultranationalist ally of Milosevic when Serbia was bombed by NATO in 1999. But, since losing to Tadic in 2008, he has tried to rebrand himself as a pro-European conservative, accusing his opponent of presiding over a creeping culture of elitism. Tina May 20, 2012 - 12:27pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
Back to the ballot box: Greeks to vote again in June after talks on forming new govt failAthens | May 15 The Athens Stock Exchange plunged on the news, diving 4.86 percent minutes after the announcement before recovering somewhat. The May 6 election left no party with enough votes for a majority in parliament and repeated efforts over nine days to cobble together a coalition government proved fruitless. Raja May 15, 2012 - 10:59am
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
Greek clashes after pensioner suicideAthens | April 4 The man, named in the Greek media as 77-year-old Dimitris Christoulas, killed himself in the city's busy Syntagma Square on Wednesday morning. In a suicide note reported by Greek media, he accused the government of reducing his pension to nothing. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the square outside parliament on Wednesday evening, the scene of many large protests in recent months. Violence erupted, with petrol bombs hurled at police, who fired tear gas in response. Raja April 5, 2012 - 12:35am
Borat anthem stuns Kazakh gold medallist in KuwaitMarch 23 The team asked for an apology and the medal ceremony was later rerun. The team's coach told Kazakh media the organisers had downloaded the parody from the internet by mistake. The song was produced by UK comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for the film, which shows Kazakhs as backward and bigoted. Raja March 23, 2012 - 5:04pm
Greece on the breadline: cashless currency takes offJon Henley | Volos, Greece | March 16 In recent weeks, Theodoros Mavridis has bought fresh eggs, tsipourou (the local brandy: beware), fruit, olives, olive oil, jam, and soap. He has also had some legal advice, and enjoyed the services of an accountant to help fill in his tax return. None of it has cost him a euro, because he had previously done a spot of electrical work – repairing a TV, sorting out a dodgy light – for some of the 800-odd members of a fast-growing exchange network in the port town of Volos, midway between Athens and Thessaloniki. Raja March 17, 2012 - 1:24am
Greek lawmakers pass austerity bill as Athens burnsHarry Papachristou & Yannis Behrakis | Athens | February 12 Cinemas, cafes, shops and banks were set ablaze in central Athens and black-masked protesters fought riot police outside parliament before lawmakers voted on the package that demands deep pay, pension and job cuts -- the price of a 130 billion euro ($172 billion) bailout needed to keep the country afloat. State television reported the violence spread to the tourist islands of Corfu and Crete, the northern city of Thessaloniki and towns in central Greece. Police said 150 shops were looted in the capital and 34 buildings set ablaze. Raja February 12, 2012 - 11:37pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
Apparently The Austerity . . .. . . inspired confidence fairy is working her miracles on Greece! What's next, Green Shoots? Sean Paul Kelley December 14, 2011 - 8:22am
Euro debt crisis: Greek prime minister George Papandreou to resign once coalition deal is struckDamien McElroy | Athens | November 6 The main goal, duration and leader of such an administration must be agreed before Mr Papandreou resigns, "We only have to wait for the prime minister's announcements in the cabinet," he said. "Everything must be done within the day, otherwise tomorrow it will be hell," Pasok party member Telemachos Hitiris told Greek state television. Raja November 6, 2011 - 10:55am
A Quick I Told You SoGreece is going to abandon the Euro. I said as much months ago. The masters of the universe in Europe prevented a lesser crisis for the entire Eurozone by their stupid austerity intention. Had they taken a fair haircut on the bondholdings, instead of making the peasantry pay, things would not be now so grim. Now they are going to get shit-canned and take huge losses. You can't teach stupid a damn thing and one should never underestimate stupid, either. Also, I note that Occupy Oakland is calling for a general strike. The Longshoreman are on board. This will hurt the elite. And it is necessary. As Ian quoted a while back, "power concedes nothing without a demand." Good for Occupy Oakland, but they should prepare for the worst. They haven't seen the worst of the brutality yet. None of this should come as a surprise to anyone. The writing has been on the wall for at least ten years. And when Obama used the millennials the way he did, by upping their expectations and then delivering nothing it was clear this would all happen soon. Addendum: After reading Krugman I've decided to turn the computer off and go drink. Jaysus effing Kee-raist, things are bad. Addendum Two: Bankers not acting in good faith? Who knew? From the story:
The Davos Set is going to have to take a shellacking until they realize they have to negotiate in good faith. Why else would they? For thirty years they've been the masters of the universe. This could get very ugly. Sean Paul Kelley November 2, 2011 - 6:37am
Greek crisis: PM George Papandreou cancels US visitAthens | September 17 State TV said he decided to return home after consultations with Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos. Raja September 17, 2011 - 11:24am
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![]() Greece unveils more austerity measuresAnthee Carassava | Athens | September 11 The measures, which include a two-year property tax, are intended to make up for revenue shortfalls that come to about $3 billion this year alone. Though designed to target mainly high earners, the new tariff could further anger the crisis-weary middle class and pose political risks for the socialist government, which repeatedly has pledged to protect Greek households from being hurt by further austerity measures. Raja September 11, 2011 - 11:04pm
Greek protesters clash with police before PM's speechThessaloniki, Greece | September 10 Thousands angry over austerity measures rallied in the country's second city as George Papandreou prepared to speak on the debt-laden economy. Trade unionists, students, anarchists, taxi drivers and football fans were among those holding protests. Raja September 10, 2011 - 2:48pm
Fears of far-right rise in crisis-hit GreeceAthens | August 2 In Greece, alarm is rising that the twin crises of financial meltdown and soaring illegal immigration are creating the conditions for a right-wing rise -- and the Norway massacre on Monday drove authorities to beef up security. Raja August 5, 2011 - 12:08am
Greek bailout challenged in Germany's constitutional courtHelen Pidd | Berlin | July 5 In the unlikely event that the complainants win, the payments will be blocked, an outcome experts say would shake the foundations of the European Union. "If the court were to restrict the government's leeway to act, the consequences for the EU and the financial markets could be extremely serious," said Commerzbank analyst Eckart Tuchtfeld. Raja July 5, 2011 - 2:19pm
Everyone's a Helot NowThe mountains look on Marathon - / And Marathon looks on the sea; / And musing there an hour alone, / I dreamed that Greece might yet be free. - Lord Byron The Greek parliament voted to approve this week what might justly be titled “The Debt Enslavement Act of 2011”. Under this act, everyone in Greece gets to be a helot, and how bad could that be? It’s not like the old days. In ancient Greece the youth of Sparta participated every autumn in the Krypteia, a sort of military training exercise in which Spartans would hunt down and kill helots without fear of legal reprisal. The helots were Greeks too, just the wrong kind of Greeks – lower class, servile, tied to the land. Slaves, in effect. Numerian June 29, 2011 - 9:42pm
( categories: Balkans | Economics: USA | Europe | Global Financial Crisis | Globalization | The Markets )
Protesters clash with riot police in Athens strikeElena Becatoros & Menelaos Hadjicostis | Athens | June 28 The latest austerity measures must pass in two parliamentary votes Wednesday and Thursday if Greece is to receive bailout funds from the EU and the IMF that will keep it from becoming the first eurozone nation to default on its debts. Raja June 28, 2011 - 8:02am
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
Critical Confidence Vote Begins in GreeceRachel Donadio & Niki Kitsantonis | Athens | June 21 The crucial confidence vote will not only determine the unity of his fractious Socialist party but also the cohesion of the euro zone. Most analysts expected Mr. Papandreou to prevail. Global traders seemed to agree, with financial markets up strongly throughout the world. Before the vote, Mr. Papandreou called on Parliament and the people to show responsibility and seize "a critical opportunity to save the country from default." Raja June 21, 2011 - 5:55pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
Greek strikers hurl yoghurt and stones at Athens policeAthens | June 15 Demonstrators around Syntagma Square in Athens responded by throwing yoghurt and stones. Thousands are taking part in a general strike, the third in Greece this year. Raja June 15, 2011 - 8:25am
Greek unions demonstrate after new bailout agreedAthens | June 4 They called for a change in policy to safeguard jobs and improve social services. On Friday the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank agreed to extend the next tranche of funds under Greece's debt rescue accord package, probably in July. Raja June 4, 2011 - 4:33pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
Serbia arrests Ratko Mladic on war crimes chargesColum Lynch | New York | May 26 Mladic, 69, was indicted twice, first in 1995 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, on more than a dozen counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during Bosnia’s 1992-95 war. He was charged with commanding troops responsible for enforcing the 46-month siege of Sarajevo and for slaughtering about 8,000 Bosnian Muslims near the town of Srebrenica in July 1995. After Thursday’s arrest, Serbian President Boris Tadic told reporters in Belgrade that Mladic was picked up by the Serbian Security Intelligence Agency and will be extradited to the U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Tina May 26, 2011 - 1:39pm
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Greek crisis forces thousands of Athenians into rural migrationHelena Smith | Andritsaina, Arcadia, Greece | May 13 High in the hills of Arcadia, in a big stone house on the edge of this village overlooking verdant pastures and a valley beyond, a group of young Athenians are busy rebuilding their lives. Until recently Andritsaina was not much of a prospect for urban Greeks. "But that," said Yiannis Dikiakos, "was before Athens turned into the explosive cauldron that it has become. We woke up one day and thought we've had enough. We want to live the real Greece and we want to live it somewhere else." Raja May 13, 2011 - 3:06pm
Mass anti-government rally held in SerbiaBelgrade | February 5 About 10,000 police officers gathered near the rally in front of the state parliament in downtown Belgrade to prevent it from turning violent, as similar protests by right-wing protesters have in the past. Raja February 5, 2011 - 2:07pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
Croatia's races toward membership in pursuit of EU fundsJanuary 27 skipper ian January 30, 2011 - 11:35am
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![]() Three killed as Albanian police clash with protestersTirana | January 21 An estimated 20,000 people rallied outside government buildings calling on the conservative government to resign. The protests follow the resignation of deputy prime minister Ilir Meta who is at the centre of a fraud scandal. The socialist opposition accuses the government of corruption, abuse of power and rigging the last election. [...] More than 30 protesters and 17 policemen were wounded. A civilian and a policeman were in a critical condition, Mr Gega added. Raja January 21, 2011 - 5:24pm
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
Protesters clash with police on streets of AthensAthens | December 15 Striking Greek workers grounded flights, shut down schools and paralysed public transport on Wednesday as protests against austerity measures to dig Greece out of a debt crisis culminated in a nationwide walkout. Raja December 15, 2010 - 9:39am
( categories: AgonistWire | Balkans )
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