Latest News from Greece
Bartering our historical identity
It goes without saying that an issue as important as the name dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) needs to be handled with great care, with the aim of maximizing the benefits of a resolution or at least of minimizing the damage - obviously within the best possible bounds.
Bulgaria is Expecting 9 Million Foreign Tourists this Year
We expect 2018 to be the most successful in the history of statistics in Bulgarian tourism with over 9 million tourist visits by foreigners. We also report 7.2 billion leva of international tourism revenue for the eleven months of last year - more than for the whole of 2017. The data will be reported at the end of this month.
Greek population plunged during economic crisis
A diminishing birth rate in Greece during the 1970s and 80s was severely exacerbated when the country plunged into its eight-year economic crisis and adopted a bailout program, leading to a population decline, an epidemiology professor said on Monday.
Tsitsipas follows up Federer upset by reaching first Slam semifinal
Lest anyone get the idea that Stefanos Tsitsipas's upset of Roger Federer was a fluke, the 20-year-old from Greece followed it up by beating No. 22 seed Roberto Bautista Agut 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) at the Australian Open on Tuesday to become the youngest Grand Slam semifinalist since 2007.
Record High Number of Participants Expected in the Mummers Festival in Pernik
Some 7,500 participants from 9 countries are expected to take part in this year's edition of the international mummers festival "Surva" in Bulgaria's town of Pernik. They will present customs and traditions of ancient origin. The festival will run from 25th to 27th of January, reports BNT.
Households have lost 28 pct of their assets
Greek households lost 27.9 percent of their assets in the decade from 2008 to 2018, Alpha Bank notes in its weekly financial bulletin.
Teachers' glut causing bottleneck in hirings
As Greek universities continue to pump out educators, the new crop is joining more than 150,000 trained teachers on the waiting list for a permanent position. It is estimated that incoming teachers will have to wait at least 20 years to get a job in the public education sector.
Tsitsipas trains ahead of Bautista clash
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in action during a practice session on day eight of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Monday. After his stunning win over defending champion Roger Federer, No. 14 Tsitsipas faces No. 22 Roberto Bautista Agut. at 3.30 a.m. Tuesday. [EPA]
Akar reiterates warning about Aegean and Med
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar warned again on Monday that Ankara will not allow any initiatives be taken in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean by Greece and Cyprus without the participation of Turkey.
Speaking during a troops review in southern Turkey, Akar said Turkey will continue to uphold its interests stemming from international law.
Current account deficit widens in November
Greece's current account balance showed a wider deficit in November compared to the same month a year ago, on the back of a larger trade gap and a weaker primary income balance, the Bank of Greece said on Monday.
Central bank data showed the deficit at 1.417 billion euros from a deficit of 1.125 billion euros in November 2017.
Two consortia approved for Hellenic Petroleum bids
Greece on Monday approved two consortia to submit final bids for a 50.1 percent stake in its biggest oil refiner Hellenic Petroleum, its privatizations agency said.
The consortia are: Glencore Energy with a unit of the US-based Carlyle Group; and Vitol Holding with Algeria-based Sonatrach.
Glencore and Vitol had already been short-listed last summer.
[Reuters]
Kotsovolos may be sold by Dixons Carphone
Shares in British electricals and mobile phone retailer Dixons Carphone rose as much as 7.6 percent on Monday after Sky News TV reported that activist investor Elliott Advisors is exploring plans to buy a "big stake" in the firm.
Greek CEO sells Berlin-based startup for 90 mln euros
Data analysis firm Data Artisans, a Berlin-based startup founded by Greece-born Kostas Tzoumas, has been acquired by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group.
The deal is reported to be worth around 90 million euros.
A million cell phones infected by malware, experts find
About one million mobile phone subscribers in Greece are estimated to have malicious apps or malware installed on their devices, Upstream CEO Guy Krief told Kathimerini, shortly after the Greek firm's security experts uncovered a suspicious China-made Android weather app.
Tesla Makes Charging Stations in the Balkans, but Ignores Bulgaria
Some time ago, Tesla promised that in 2019 it will cover the whole of Europe with its supercharging charging stations to extend "from Ireland to Kiev (Ukraine), from Norway to Turkey." The expansion of Musk's company is mainly focused on Central and Western Europe, where dozens of similar facilities already exist, but it also covers the Balkans.