All News from Balkans

BoG: 'Reduce debt or face 4th bailout'

The annual Bank of Greece report published on Friday stresses the immediate need for a change in the fiscal policy mix to make it more growth-friendly, while bringing down its growth expectations for 2017 from 2.5 percent to 1.6 percent. Crucially it warns that a fourth bailout might be necessary if the country's debt is not sufficiently reduced.

Little change to Iranian oil imports in Greece

Iran's crude oil exports in July are set to fall 7 percent from this month's three-month high, mainly due to a decline in exports to Europe, a person with knowledge of the Middle Eastern country's tanker loading schedule said.

NBG gets shareholder approval for Ethniki sale

National Bank of Greece shareholders on Friday approved the sale of a majority stake of its insurance subsidiary to Anglo-Dutch consortium Calamos-EXIN.

EXIN is buying 75 percent of the division for 718.3 million euros.

The sale is part of National Bank's strategy to focus on core banking activities under a restructuring plan approved by the European Commission.

PPC sees core profit in 2017 around 700 mln

Public Power Corporation (PPC), Greece's dominant power utility, sees core profit of around 700 million euros this year, down from about 1 billion euros in 2016, its chairman said on Friday.

ATHEX: H1 ends with 28 percent rise for the bourse

The first half of the year has just ended with the main index of the Athens stock market adding a remarkable 27.98 percent in that period, thanks to five consecutive months of growth (unseen since late 2013) capped by a 6.26 percent rise in June.

Greek places: A journey to Messinian land (PHOTOS)

Messinia will take your breath away. This land filled with contrasts and welcoming inhabitants is only two hours drive away from Athens. See its vast olive groves, green valleys, mountains, gorges and coves.

Former David Lee Roth guitarist Jason Becker speaks out against Senate Health Care Bill (VIDEOS)

Jason Becker, the guitarist/composer who has had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease) for over 27 years, has taken to Facebook to speak out against the Senate health care bill.

Police at Xanthi churches to deal with beggars

Police guards have been posted in churches across Xanthi in northeastern Greece to deal with beggars that "harass" parishioners asking for money.

Local church councils asked for a "discreet" police presence after a proliferation of incidents involving Roma people from local areas as well as southern Bulgaria.

PM backs minister on criticism of audit ruling

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday threw his support behind outspoken Alternate Health Minister Pavlos Polakis after the latter criticized a recent court decision that essentially thwarts the government's hopes of securing a windfall from tax audit revenues.

Heat wave pushes thermometer well over 40C

A woman takes a break from the heat under the shade of a tree in central Athens on Friday as Greece struggled with the summer's first heat wave. The National Observatory of Athens said the highest temperatures yesterday at 3 p.m.

Guterres chairs Cyprus negotiations in Switzerland

Acknowledging that there is still a lot of work to be done, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres joined the ongoing Cyprus talks on Friday at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana and urged Greek and Turkish Cypriots to seize what he described as a "historic opportunity" for a deal.

Migrant arrivals up in Aegean, as Juncker pledges support

As official figures point to a significant increase in undocumented migrants seeking to enter the European Union, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday described Greece and Italy as "heroic" in their efforts to tackle the problem and pledged additional European support.