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☆ Greek Anarchists Claim Responsibility for Attack at Thessaloniki Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek anarchist guerrilla group claimed responsibility on Monday for a planned parcel bomb attack against a judge at courthouse in the northern city of Thessaloniki this month, the third such incident since December. Police last week confiscated the parcel, which was sent to a senior judge and contained explosive material, before it exploded. The group warned of more attacks against prosecutors, police and judges, including the judge who was meant to receive the parcel. On Feb. 3, a bomb went off outside Greece's labour ministry in central Athens causing no injuries but damaging the building. In December, another explosive device, planted at the headquarters of the riot police unit (MAT), was defused by police.

Persons: Yannis Souliotis, Renee Maltezou, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Police, Athens Indymedia Locations: ATHENS, Thessaloniki, Athens, Greece

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — With some of America's biggest stars deciding to stay home, Claire Curzan and Hunter Armstrong claimed the spotlight at the World Aquatics Championships on Tuesday. Curzan won gold in the women's 100-meter backstroke at the Aspire Dome, while Armstrong followed just a few minutes later with a victory in the men's 100 back. The 19-year-old Curzan, who competes at the University of Virginia, claimed the first individual world title of her burgeoning career. After settling for bronze in the 100 back at the last two world championships, the Ohio native now has a gold. Hobson, part of a scaled-back team for these world championships, gave himself a big boost with the Paris Olympics just five months away.

Persons: Claire Curzan, Hunter Armstrong, Curzan, Armstrong, Simona Quadarella, Italy romped, Hwang Sun, Kaylee McKeown, Regan Smith, Iona Anderson, Canada's Ingrid Wilm, ” Curzan, ” Armstrong, “, Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Ryan Murphy, Quadarella, Katie Ledecky, Ledecky, Li Bingjie, Isabel Gose, Hwang, Luke Hobson, Danas Rapsys, Hobson, ”, Kim Woo Organizations: University of Virginia, Paris, Cal, Doha, Ledecky, Olympic, Paris Olympics, University of Texas Locations: DOHA, Qatar, U.S, Doha, Italy, South Korea, Fukuoka, Ohio, Paris, Quadarella, China, Germany, Nevada

☆ Bomb Explodes Outside Ministry in Athens, No Injuries
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

ATHENS (Reuters) - An explosive device went off outside Greece's labour ministry in central Athens early on Saturday but caused no injuries, Greek police said. A Greek newspaper received a phone call that a bomb had been planted at the ministry and had informed the police who cordoned off the area before the explosion which caused damage to the building and broken windows, police said.

Locations: ATHENS, Athens

☆ Greek chef shares kitchen staples and simple recipes to help lead a Blue Zone diet
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Nuts, beans, and dried herbs are crucial but so is a quality Greek extra virgin olive oil, she says. "I think there's pretty high awareness of the Greek diet as being one of the healthiest in the world," the chef told Business Insider. AdvertisementThe chef emphasizes that you should always have quality extra-virgin Greek olive oil at hand. When she eats fish, she often buys fresh or makes her own cured fish using anchovies, salt, vinegar, and olive oil. AdvertisementDinner, traditionally, will be the lighter meal, Kochilas said, such as yogurt and some fruit.

Persons: Diane Kochilas, Kochilas, —, Ikaria, Ikarians, It's, there's, collard Organizations: Business, Service Locations: Greek American, Ikaria, Greece, Italy, Spain, chard, rusk

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece completed a major privatization Friday, selling its 30% stake in the biggest airport operator in the tourism-reliant country during an initial public offering, officials said. Shares in Athens International Airport are expected to begin trading on the Athens stock exchange starting Wednesday, the airport said in a statement. Finance Minister Costis Hadzidakis said the listing of a new blue chip stock would provide a strong boost to Greek capital markets. The initial public offering drew demand that exceeded the number of shares available, raising 785 million euros ($848 million) for Greece's state HRADF privatization fund. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesSome 32 million tourists visited Greece in 2023, up from about 28 million a year earlier.

Persons: Costis Hadzidakis, HRADF Organizations: —, Finance Locations: ATHENS, Greece, — Greece, Athens

☆ Greece Promises Extra Aid for Grieving Farmers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament that the measure would cost the state 82 million euros ($89.31 million) in 2024 and announced more steps to appease the protesters. Farmers have been setting up blockades in central and northern Greece, echoing grievances from farmers across Europe, who have staged hundreds of tractors blockades in France and Brussels where EU leaders met on Thursday. A group of them lined up their tractors in the northern city of Thessaloniki on Thursday, surrounding the Agrotica trade fair venue. PPC, Greece's biggest power utility, will also offer an extra 10% rebate on electricity for farmers from May to September, Mitsotakis, who met protesting farmers in central Greece this week, said. Mitsotakis said that the state will spend in total 3.3 billion euros over the coming years to repair damage in Thessaly.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Lefteris Papadimas, Angeliki Koutantou, Renee Maltezou, William Maclean Organizations: Farmers, EU Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Europe, France, Brussels, Thessaloniki, Thessaly

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday that authorities in Greece violated the privacy rights of a group of women who were arrested and publicly identified in 2012 as HIV-positive prostitutes who allegedly endangered public health. The case was brought to the Strasbourg, France-based court by 11 Greek women, 10 of whom had been arrested and charged with intentionally attempting to inflict serious bodily harm by allegedly having unprotected sex with customers. He had warned of an increase in the incidence of customers having unprotected sex with prostitutes for an additional fee. Prostitution is legal in Greece, with regular health checks for sex workers required. Several of the women involved have since died, including one who was reported to have taken her own life.

Persons: ”, “, Andreas Loverdos Organizations: European, of Human Rights Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Strasbourg, France

☆ The top 9 'must-have' travel experiences of 2024, according to luxury advisors
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Jonathan Delise | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

If that sounds like a tall order for a summer getaway, the luxury travel company Virtuoso asked 20,000 of its travel advisors to share their top experiences for 2024. Dark sky tourism focuses on rural locations without light pollution, such as Greece's Olympus Mountain National Park. Departing in August, Virtuoso recommends travelers first take in the Olympic Games before departing the city in style. Passion travelsHobbies may be associated with the home, but Virtuoso recommends taking your passions on the road. Virtuoso recommends exploring Peruvian cuisine at the Mistura Food Festival, or checking out the street food of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Persons: Nicolas Economou, Manoj Shah, Belles, Bhutan's, Young, Peter Adams, Chiang Mai, Koh, Wiphop, Sakura, James Cole, Hillary, Cousteau, Shackleton, pricey, Yasin Akgul, bookworms, Wolfgang Kaehler, Brian Curtice, Levente Bodo, ERNESTO BENAVIDES Organizations: Nurphoto, DarkSky, Stone, InterContinental, UNESCO, Istock, Expedition, Getty, CNBC Travel, Orient, Afp, Departing, Olympic Games, Chelsea Flower, Lightrocket, Festival Locations: stargazing, Norway, Iceland, Canada, Northern Mexico, Blanco , Texas, Albanya, Spain, Africa, Bhutan, Thailand, Pana, Yai, Bangkok, Japan Japan, United States, North America, Japan, Hakodate, Hokkaido, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Fuji's, Antarctica, Paris, Istanbul, Turkey, Asia, Europe, Venice, Turkish, Strahov, Riau, Isla, Ljubljana, Slovenia

☆ Best travel destinations to visit in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-01 | by ( Cnn Travel Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +32 min

cdwheatley/iStockphoto/Getty Images Angola: Beyond the capital city of Luanda, pictured, Angola has some jaw-droppingly spectacular scenery and cultural treats. David ChiaFF/Alamy Stock Photo Mérida, Mexico: Yucatán state's capital city showcases a blend of Mayan and colonial heritage. Pavel Tochinsky/The Image Bank RF/Getty Images Morocco: This North African country is home to nine UNESCO sites, including the historic city of Meknes, pictured. Panama City is also the only world capital with a tropical rainforest within its city limits. And a historic city forever entwined with the famed Camino de Santiago.

Persons: you’d, Tengguo Wu, Gabriele Thielmann, Turkey's, Gary Ennis, Matevz, Bill Bachman, Christian Kober, Gonzalo Azumendi, David ChiaFF, Pavel Tochinsky, Terry Kelly, Raul Rodriguez, iStock, Anton Petrus, –, — Karla Cripps Turkey’s, — Barry Neild, Mana Kaasik, — Maureen O’Hare, — Maggie Hiufu Wong, Deb Snelson, Glen Arbor, Marnie Hunter, — Forrest Brown, — Forrest Brown Angola Cristo, Eric Lafforgue, it’s, King, Eric Carr, John’s, Saint John, New Brunswick —, —, Tuul, Bruno Morandi, — Julia Buckley, Groenewald, Alamy, — Lilit Marcus, Alexander the Great, Philip II of Macedon, — JB, Bogdan Lazar, — Tamara Hardingham, Gill, Hercules, Francesca, Lazarus, ”, David Casanova, Megan Sequeira Casanova, “, Kuka y Naranjo, medina, Gordon Sinclair, Yvette Cardozo, — FB, Pierce Ingram, Stefan Tomic, Fujairah, who’ve, Samarkand —, It’s Organizations: CNN, United, CNN Travel, Getty Images, Town, Getty, Northwest, Saint, New Brunswick Tourism, UNESCO, Heritage, Alamy, Parque Nacional Volcán Barú, Galicia, Tercera Orden, Parque, Bank, Wakulla Springs, Texas, United Arab Emirates, AP, Rock, of Culture, Estonian National Museum, — Maggie Hiufu Wong Northwest Michigan, Bear, Farm, Riders, Lubango, — BN Saint John, Canada Tourists, St, Saint John City Market, Historic, Saint John Arts Centre, Carnegie, Carnegie Library, — KC, Korea, Folk, Netflix, South Korea, Adriatic, Nacional Glaciares, Australian Sea Lions, Panama, Spain Santiago de, Spain Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Islas, Camino, Mexico People, YouTube, US State Department, Morocco, Regis Hotels, Resorts, — FB Texas, Travel Texas, Krause, Gruene, Fujairah, Icefjord, FS, Tuul, ” Locations: United States, Sumba, Indonesia Sumba, Indonesia, Bali, Getty Images Tartu, Estonia, Tartu —, European, Tainan, Taiwan, Northwest Michigan, Traverse City, Lake Michigan, iStockphoto, Western Balkans, Culebra , Puerto Rico, Flamenco, Culebra, cdwheatley, Angola, Luanda, , New Brunswick, Fundy, New Brunswick, New Brunswick Tourism South Korea, Korea Albania, Albania, Chile, mauritius, Western Australia, Greece, Macedonia, American, Panama, Spain, Camino, Santiago, St, John's, Mexico, Parque Hidalgo, Morocco, Meknes, Florida, Spicewood, Anton, Greenland, Denmark, AP Uzbekistan, Bukhara, Indonesian, Sumela, Turkey's, — Barry Neild Tartu, Estonia Tartu, of Culture Tartu, Tartu, “, Baltics, — Maureen O’Hare Tainan, Taiwan Tainan, Taipei, — Maggie Hiufu Wong Northwest, Lake, Traverse, Leland, Glen, perusing, Balkans, Slovenia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, transdinarica.com, —, Puerto Rico, It’s, — Forrest Brown Angola, Lubango, Barra, Cabo Ledo, — BN Saint John , New Brunswick, Canada, Hopewell, Newfoundland, Saint, Canada’s, Korea Andong, South Korea, Sanga, Korea, Seoul, Busan, Andong, Albania Albania, Berat, Montenegro, Vlorë, Gjirokastër, — Julia Buckley Chile, Atacama, Patagonia, Coral Coast, Geraldton, — Lilit Marcus Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece's, Hemis, Athens, Vergina, Veria, Naousa, Greece’s, Thrace, Philippi, Kavala, Panama . Panama City, Gill Galicia, Spain Santiago, Spain Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Galicia’s, Santiago de Compostela, Cabo, Fisterra, Galicia —, Singapore, John’s, Paseo, Montejo, Mérida, Yucatán, getaways, there’s, Marrakech, Rabat, Fes, Resorts Morocco, Wakulla, Ginnie, Fredericksburg, Texas, Marble Falls, Meanderers, New Braunfels, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Wadi, Nuuk, Ilulissat, West, FS Uzbekistan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, China, India, Khiva, Uzbek, Sentob, Tashkent

☆ Greek olive growers brace themselves as thieves seek pricey crop
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Lefteris Papadimas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Tsafaras has been robbed twice, with thieves stealing more than a tonne of his olives in one incident last month. Greek police confirmed to Reuters that there is a spike in thefts of olives and olive oil across the country this year. Greece is the world's third-biggest producer of olive oil behind Italy and Spain, which have seen similar incidents. The decline in output has doubled olive oil wholesale prices to 8-9 euros per litre, according to government officials. Retail prices have reached up to 14 euros, making the crop an appealing target for thieves.

Persons: Louisa Gouliamaki, Panagiotis Tsafaras, Tsafaras, Dimitris Plakonouris, Plakonouris, Panagiotis Foudas, Lefteris Papadimas, Mark Porter Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sesklo, Greece, Filiatra, Italy, Spain,

☆ Morning Bid: Buoyant markets hold near year's highs
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Wall Street sign is pictured at the New York Stock exchange (NYSE) in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 9, 2020. Fed futures markets think a first cut may come as soon as March - with a quarter-point easing by then already two-thirds priced. Two-year Treasury yields hit their lowest since June on Friday and 10-year yields their lowest in three months, although they edged higher on Monday. U.S. crude hit its lowest in two weeks and is tracking year-on-year losses of almost 10%. But that is widening into yearend as peak rate hopes encourage some rotation to smaller cap stocks.

Persons: Carlo Allegri, Mike Dolan, Jerome Powell, Powell, Goldman Sachs, Jan, Fitch, Bitcoin, Christine Lagarde, Joann, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: New York Stock, REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Spelman College, Fed, Tech, HK, Central Bank, Treasury, PMI Reuters Graphics Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Atlanta, Europe, Gaza, China, Hong Kong, WuXi, Evergrande, RGC Resources

☆ Jannik Sinner: Why the Carota Boys are ‘finding a lot of love’ for Italian tennis star
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Go to a major tennis tournament and it’s hard to miss the Carota Boys, a team of six men decked in full-body, bright-orange carrot costumes. It’s only over the past seven or so months that the Carota Boys’ love for Sinner has really blossomed, endearing themselves to the tennis public in the process. The conception of the Carota Boys originates with the friends’ tradition of buying tickets for tennis tournaments to celebrate each other’s birthdays. The Carota Boys attend the ATP Tour Finals in Turin, Italy, watching Sinner take on Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas. “Jannik and all the Carota Boys are born in a place near the mountains.

Persons: Sinner, – Lorenzo Ferrato, Francesco Gaboardi, Gianluca Bertorello, Enrico Ponsi, Alessandro Dedominici, Alberto Mondino –, TIZIANA FABI, Ferrato, Lavazza, Novak Djokovic, “, ” Ferrato, “ Jannik, Clive Brunskill, “ Let’s, let’s, we’ve, Jannik, ”, Valentino Rossi, Max, Michael, Schumacher, Daniil Medvedev, Valerio Pennicino, Carlos Alcaraz, Denmark’s Holger Rune, Djokovic, ” Djokovic, he’s, Sinner’s Organizations: CNN, Carota Boys, ATP, Getty, CNN Sport, Boys, Wimbledon, Davis, ITF Gaboardi, Italy, Australia, “ Locations: Italy, It’s, Turin, Revello, Rome, AFP, Vienna, Austria, Paris, London, New York, Malaga, Spain, Formula

[1/4] An employee views examples of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS/LONDON Nov 28 (Reuters) - Greece's government on Tuesday accused Britain of showing "a lack of respect" by abruptly cancelling a meeting between their leaders at short notice in a dispute over ancient Greek sculptures brought to Britain in the early 19th century. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a planned wide-ranging meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the latter raised the decades-old demand for the return of the Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum. "It shows a lack of respect to the prime minister but also to the country he represents." "I don't think the prime minister needed really to intervene in this way and it hasn't particularly helped our relationships with Greece."

Persons: Toby Melville, Rishi Sunak, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Pavlos Marinakis, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, Mona Lisa, Marinakis, Ed Vaizey, Vaizey, Alistair Smout, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Elgin, British Museum, REUTERS, British, BBC, Conservative, Sky News, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Greece, Ottoman, Athens, Gaza, Ukraine, British

☆ Greek foreign minister says the Israel-Hamas 'humanitarian pause' should be extended
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailGreek foreign minister says the Israel-Hamas 'humanitarian pause' should be extendedGiorgos Gerapetritis, Greece's minister of foreign affairs, says there needs to be "positive momentum."

Persons: Giorgos Gerapetritis Organizations: Hamas Locations: Israel

REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS/LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused his British counterpart Rishi Sunak of cancelling a scheduled meeting in London on Tuesday in a diplomatic row over the status of the Parthenon Sculptures. "I express my annoyance that the British Prime Minister cancelled our planned meeting just hours before it was due to take place," Mitsotakis said in a statement. "Greece's positions on the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures are well known. Deputy British Prime Minister Oliver Dowden was available to meet Mitsotakis to discuss these issues instead, Sunak's office said. A law prevents the British museum from removing objects from the collection apart from in certain circumstances, but the legislation does not prohibit a loan.

Persons: Louisa Gouliamaki, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rishi, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, George Osborne, Mona Lisa, Sunak, Oliver Dowden, Keir Starmer, Starmer, Renee Maltezou, Angus MacSwan, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, British Museum, British, BBC, Financial, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, LONDON, London, Ottoman Empire, Mitsotakis

☆ Greek Lawmakers Quit Leftist Syriza Party in Protest Against New Leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

ATHENS (Reuters) - Nine Greek lawmakers quit the leftist Syriza party on Thursday after breaking ranks with its new leader, formalising a split in the country's main opposition party which they said could now disintegrate. They resigned in protest over the leadership of 35-year old Stefanos Kasselakis, a former banker who was picked as party leader in September after Syriza's heavy defeat in June's national election. "SYRIZA is experiencing a dissolution crisis," the lawmakers said in a letter, accusing Kasselakis of contradictory positions and an ideological shift from leftist principles. The lawmakers who quit Syriza have the numbers to form a separate parliamentary group and could launch a new party ahead of European Parliament elections next year. "It is very uncertain how Syriza can succeed under these circumstances," head of ALCO pollsters Costas Panagopoulos told Reuters.

Persons: formalising, Kasselakis, Syriza, Euclid Tsakalotos, Goldman Sachs, Alexis Tsipras, ALCO pollsters Costas Panagopoulos, Renee Maltezou, Gareth Jones Organizations: New Democracy, Socialist PASOK, ALCO, Reuters Locations: ATHENS, United States

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s main left-wing opposition party, Syriza, suffered a damaging setback Thursday when nine lawmakers quit the party in protest against its newly elected leadership. But he has failed so far to halt the party’s decline in popularity in the wake of a crushing general election defeat in June. Syriza has since dropped to third place behind Socialist opponents in opinion polls, boosting the dominance of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ conservative government. On Thursday, Effie Achtsioglou, a former Syriza labor minister, led the walkout as nine lawmakers declared themselves independent. He resigned following his third successive general election defeat.

Persons: Stefanos Kasselakis, Syriza, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Effie Achtsioglou, Euclid Tsakalotos, Alexis Tsipras, Syriza’s, Tsipras Organizations: Miami, Socialist, Syriza Locations: ATHENS, Greece

☆ Greek rowing champion Ntouskos to be first Paris 2024 torchbearer
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Olympics - Athens presents Greek leg of the torch relay for Paris 2024 - Greek Olympic Committee Building, Athens, Greece - November 22, 2023 An image of the Olympic torch is displayed on a screen during the presentation REUTERS/Louiza Vradi Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Greece' Olympic rowing champion Stefanos Ntouskos will be the first torchbearer of the Paris 2024 Olympics relay after next year's lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia, Greece's Olympic Committee (HOC) said on Wednesday. The Olympic flame will be lit in Greece's Olympia, birthplace of the ancient Games, on April 16 in a traditional ceremony with an actress playing a high priestess igniting the torch using a parabolic mirror and the sun. The high priestess will pass the flame to Ntouskos, who won gold in the men's single sculls at the Tokyo Games in 2021, at the edge of the ancient Olympic stadium in Olympia. The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26-Aug. 11. Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Louiza, Stefanos, Ioannis Fountoulis, Karolos Grohmann, Ed Osmond Organizations: Paris, Greek Olympic, Rights, Olympic, Tokyo Games, Paris Games, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, Olympia, Belem, Marseille

Climate Change Conference (COP 28) that opens on Nov. 30 in Dubai. Neither floods nor fires are new to Greece but with climate change, they are becoming a frequent disruptor to an economy dependent on tourism and farming. "We have to change our prediction methods," Skylakakis said, acknowledging the rapid pace of climate change. Mitsotakis has urged the EU to top up its solidarity fund and help countries tackle the impact of climate change. Adaptation measures worth 67 billion euros could reduce that loss to 510 billion euros, the country's leading economic think tank IOBE said in a February report.

Persons: Louisa Gouliamaki, Dimitris Kouretas, Kouretas, Theodore Skylakakis, Storm Daniel, Kostas Agorastos, Giorgos Stasinos, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Sokratis Famellos, Skylakakis, Thanos Giannakakis, Nikos Papathanasis, Miltiadis Gkouzouris, Mitsotakis, Petros Varelidis, Lefteris Papadimas, Renee Maltezou, Michele Kambas, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Reuters, United Nations Environment Program, Mount Olympus, HVA, Chamber, European, Justice, EU, Water Management, Environment Ministry, Thomson Locations: Vlohos, Greece, Greece's, Thessaly, Europe, Dubai, Los Angeles, Dutch, Athens, Thessaly's, Mouzaki, Netherlands

☆ Miss Universe 2023 preliminary: Highlights from the national costume competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Alex Rees | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

That’s a serious question, but with a delightfully nonsensical answer: All served as inspiration for national costumes on display during the 2023 Miss Universe pageant’s preliminary competition. (Specifically, those were the looks donned by Miss Great Britain, Miss Philippines, Miss Dominican Republic and, yes, Miss Switzerland.) Eighty-four countries are represented at this year’s Miss Universe, which is taking place in the El Salvadoran capital of San Salvador. Miss Nepal, Jane Garrett, is one of the first “curvy” women to compete at Miss Universe; Erica Robin, meanwhile, is the first woman to represent Pakistan at the pageant. Hector Vivas/Getty ImagesTrue to form for the competition, Miss France ventured into Moulin Rouge's costume department.

Persons: Miss Great, Miss Nepal, Jane Garrett, Erica Robin, R’Bonney Gabriel, Hector Vivas, Miss Brazil, El Salvador's, Alex Peña, Ireland's, carnations, Miss Nigeria's, Miss Curaçao's, Marina Machete, Miss Malaysia, Serena Lee, Jordanne Levy, Moulin, Anntonia Porsild, Bryoni Natalie Govender, Miss Mongolia's Organizations: CNN, Swiss Guard, Miss, El, Oxford English, Miss Netherlands, Games, country's Air Force, Images Locations: Miss Great Britain, Miss Philippines, Miss Dominican Republic, Miss Switzerland, El Salvadoran, San Salvador, Netherlands, Portugal, Miss, Pakistan, USA, Miss Iceland, Venezuelan American, Costa Rica, Miss Portugal, Honduras, Jamaica, Thailand, South Africa

☆ National Bank stake sale oversubscribed - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

The logo of National Bank is seen outside a branch in Athens March 23, 2015. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The sale of a 22% stake in National Bank of Greece (NBG) by the country's HFSF bank bailout fund was oversubscribed by more than eight times on Thursday, a source close to the process told Reuters. The sale via a book-building process and a public offering concluded earlier on Thursday at 5.30 euros per share, the source said. Fidelity, Blackrock, Norgest, Lazard, RWC and Alliance were among the investors who bought shares in Greece's second largest bank by market value. Lefteris PapadimasOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alkis, Lazard Organizations: National Bank, REUTERS, Rights, National Bank of Greece, Reuters, Fidelity, RWC, Thomson Locations: Athens, Blackrock, Norgest, Greece's

☆ Greece's National Bank stake sale oversubscribed -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of National Bank is seen outside a branch in Athens March 23, 2015. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Greece on Thursday sold a 22% stake in National Bank (NBG), its second-biggest lender by market value, with the sale oversubscribed by more than eight times, a source close to the process told Reuters. On Monday, HFSF concluded the sale of a 9% stake in Alpha Bank to UniCredit and announced plans to sell a 20% stake in NBG. A book-building process and a public offering for the sale of the NBG stake which started on Nov. 14 concluded on Thursday, with the final offer price set at 5.30 euros a share, the source said. HFSF, which owns 40% in NBG, sold a total of 201,237,334 shares, raising more than 1 billion euros, according to Reuters calculations.

Persons: Alkis, HFSF, Lefteris Papadimas, Toby Chopra Organizations: National Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, P Global, Alpha Bank, Fidelity, Norges, Lazard, RWC, Allianz, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, UniCredit, NBG, Blackrock

☆ Greece's National Bank attracts strong demand in 20% stake sale - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Lefteris Papadimas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Demand covered 6.2 times the shares offered," the source involved in the process said on condition of anonymity. On Monday, HFSF concluded the sale of a 9% stake in Alpha Bank to UniCredit and announced plans to sell a 20% stake in NBG. The value of the 20% stake is estimated at about 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion). HFSF currently holds a 40.4% stake in NBG and a 27% holding in Piraeus Bank, (BOPr.AT), Greece's third-largest lender. A source told Reuters on Monday that out of the 20% stake in NBG, 17% would be offered to funds and 3% to retail investors.

Persons: Alkis, HFSF, Greece's, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Lefteris Papadimas, Louise Heavens, Sharon Singleton Organizations: National Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Greece's National Bank, Reuters, P Global, Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, UBS, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, UniCredit, NBG

☆ UniCredit CEO Orcel's 'bank of Europe' ambition tough to realise
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

However, his aspirations to make UniCredit the "bank of Europe" are proving trickier to realise with the CEO setting a high bar for mergers and acquisitions in the euro zone's fractured capital markets, despite having what he describes as the biggest war chest among European lenders. UniCredit bought Greece's 9% stake in Alpha Bank (ACBr.AT) and struck a commercial partnership with the Athens-based lender, also acquiring most of its Romanian operations. The CEO works closely with a small M&A team he set up within UniCredit which constantly reviews potential deals in the markets and businesses where the bank operates, people with knowledge of the matter said. But uneven regulation across the euro zone, where progress towards a single banking market has stalled, complicates cross-border deals. Calling on Europe to follow his lead, Orcel says he has unlocked UniCredit's potential by giving it a unified strategy across its 13 markets.

Persons: Andrea Orcel, Merrill Lynch, Orcel, He's, Cole Smead, ALPHA Orcel, Siena, UniCredit, Smead, Jean, Pierre Mustier's, Mustier, it's, Carlo Franchini, Danilo Masoni, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Discount, MILAN, UBS, Smead Capital Management, Fund, ALPHA, Banco, Alpha Bank, Alpha, Banca Ifigest, Thomson Locations: buybacks, Europe, Arizona, Ukraine, Athens, HVB, Berlin, Milan

☆ Greece starts process to sell 20% stake in National Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People walk outside the National Bank of Greece headquarters in Athens, Greece, January 17, 2022. REUTERS/Louiza Vradi/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Greece on Monday announced plans to sell a 20% stake in National Bank of Greece (NBG) after concluding the sale of a 9% stake in Alpha Bank to UniCredit as it looks to divest from the country's lenders. It currently holds a 40.4% stake in NBG and a 27% stake in Piraeus Bank (BOPr.AT), Greece's third largest lender. NBG's shares were down about 1% at 5.39 euros at 1012 GMT on Monday, with the 20% stake valued at about one billion euros ($1.07 billion). Earlier on Monday, HFSF said it sold its 9% stake in Alpha Bank (ACBr.AT) to UniCredit for 293.5 million euros after an improved bid from the Italian bank.

Persons: Louiza, HFSF, Lefteris Papadimas, Jason Neely Organizations: National Bank of, REUTERS, Rights, Monday, National Bank of Greece, Alpha Bank, Hellenic, Stability, Piraeus Bank, Reuters, Global, Thomson Locations: National Bank of Greece, Athens, Greece, UniCredit, NBG

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