The long standoff between intransigent Greek socialists and their increasingly exasperated creditors appears to be reaching an end, judging by the commentary after an International Monetary Fund meeting this week. It sounds as if the Greeks are running out of cards to play.
Individuals associated with the All Workers Militant Front (PAME), a communist trade union, stormed the Greek Foreign Ministry on Thursday, demanding the far-left government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras not agree to any austerity reforms with the European Union, reforms demanded by both the EU and creditors to help Greece avoid a debt default.
Russian President Vladimir Putin used his trip to Italy to attempt to persuade Italian officials to end the sanctions against his country, which he claims hurt Italian businesses. He also snuggled close with disgraced politician Silvio Berlusconi.
Contents: Indian forces cross Myanmar border to strike at militants; Cross-border raid implications for India with Pakistan and China; Reports of breakthrough in Greece’s debt crisis
The Group of Seven (G7) kicked off its annual summit this week with the situations in Ukraine and Greece on top of the agenda. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met privately on Sunday to hammer out details about the two countries.
In Germany for the G-7 meetings, President Obama drank a glass of (non-alcoholic) beer while eating pretzels and schnitzel surrounded by local costume clad citizens.
Joschka Fischer, former German foreign secretary and key architect of the ever-closer ‘federal’ union, has laughed off British Prime Minister David Cameron’s plans to reform the European Union. Despite the warm welcome German Chancellor Angela Merkel showed Cameron during his
Contents: Report: Russia may end support for Syria’s Bashar al-Assad; Russia searches for a plan for a post-Assad Syria; Greece faces new financial crisis with no solution in sight
There was a significant absence in Moscow on May 9. Even though it was the 70th anniversary of the official end of the European front of World War II, the leaders of the victorious allied powers decided not to attend the Victory Day parade due to increasing tensions with Russia over Ukraine.
Iran seizes cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz; Greece’s PM Tsipras desperately seeks financial crisis solution
Russian authorities arrested three women for dancing suggestively in front of a World War II memorial and posting the video on YouTube.
Greece’s government will confiscate cash reserves from all public institutions; Greece’s people face the future with anxiety and dread; China speeds up its military takeover of the South China Sea; Vietnam and the Philippines establish a strategic military partnership to counter China
The Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA) welcomed Dutch politician and controversial anti-Islam orator Geert Wilders to their weekly ‘stroll’ in Dresden last night, as the group regains ground after a difficult couple of months. Wilders addressed the
Leftist Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, during a visit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, raised the issue of Greece receiving war reparations for the damage the Nazis did to the country in World War II. Despite Merkel’s rapid dismissal of the possibility, the two appeared cordial and friendly during their public press event leading up to a reception dinner.
Iraq’s battle for Tikrit reaches a standstill, humiliating Iran; Disorganization plagues Iraq’s soldiers assaulting Tikrit; Correction to yesterday’s report on France’s elections; Greece’s Tsipras visits Germany’s Merkel and demands reparations
Vladimir Putin brags about how he lied about Russia’s invasion of Crimea; Europe to Greece: Stop wasting time and get serious about reforms
Greece’s PM Tsipras faces opposition from EU bailout deal; Cyprus gives Russia access to Cypriot ports on the Mediterranean
Former French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing has said that Greece should leave the euro so it can devalue its currency and increase its economic competitiveness. Giscard, who notably presided over the Convention on the Future of the European Union that
Greece and Germany are eyeball to eyeball on bailout crisis; Libya chaos threatens to reopen bitter rift between Qatar and Egypt; Ethnic Chinese Kokang burst into violence in northern Burma (Myanmar)
Europe faces ‘enormous tragedy’ over Europe’s Mediterranean rescue program; Confusion reigns over Ukraine ceasefire deal
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Francois Hollande met in Minsk, Belarus, in an attempt to end the war in east Ukraine. The four emerged after 16 hours, all agreeing to a ceasefire in the east starting on February 15.
Failing Ukraine ceasefire negotiations to go through the night; Greece’s negotiations with eurozone fail to reach deal; US closes Yemen embassy, following Somalia, Syria and Libya
During a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House, President Barack Obama addressed the decision not to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Washington, D.C. next month, which includes an address
Greece’s new anti-austerity Prime Minister Alexis Tsipris has a strengthening ally in Spain as divisions firmly appear amongst eurozone members. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out cancelling any of Greece’s debt, saying banks and creditors have already made substantial cuts
The European Central Bank (ECB) gave the Left and their allies meeting in Davos, Switzerland, everything they could have hoped for with the announcement that they have agreed to print $1.13 trillion of new cash to buy the national debt of their insolvent members. But “hidden within the announcement is evidence of Germany’s weakening commitment to the European project,” according to Stratfor.
