Daily Archives: June 23, 2015

Την ώρα που βρίσκονται σε εξέλιξη οι πιο κρίσιμες διαπραγματεύσεις της ελληνικής κυβέρνησης η Daily Mail  εξαπολύει «ύπουλη» επίθεση στον Έλληνα πρωθυπουργό με τη δημοσίευση φωτογραφιών από τη συμμετοχή του Αλέξη Τσίπρα σε διαδήλωση που είχε πραγματοποιηθεί το 2001 στο πλαίσιο της συνόδου της G8 στη Γένοβα. Μάλιστα «χρησιμοποιεί» αδημοσίευτες φωτογραφίες που απεικονίζεται ο τότε 26χρονος Αλέξης να βρίσκεται με άλλους διαδηλωτές στην μπουκαπόρτα του πλοίου και να παρακολουθεί τη στιγμή που ένας σύντροφός του προσάγεται από την αστυνομία.

Στην απίστευτη επίθεση η Daily Mail στον πρόλογό της αναφέρει: «To πορτρέτο του ανθρώπου που έχει φέρει το ευρώ στο χείλος του γκρεμού: Αποκαλύπτεται πως ο “σκληροπυρηνικός” Έλληνας πρωθυπουργός συγκρούστηκε με την ιταλική αστυνομία σε διαδήλωση στη σύνοδο της G8 στη Γένοβα.

Φορώντας ένα T-shirt με τον Τσε Γκεβάρα και ένα κουβανέζικο κασκέτο, οι φωτογραφίες δείχνουν τον Έλληνα Πρωθυπουργό Αλέξη Τσίπρα σε μια βίαιη σύγκρουση με την ιταλική αστυνομία πριν από τη σύνοδο της G8.

Ο Τσίπρας ήταν ανάμεσα σε μια ομάδα 1.000 Ελλήνων “σκληροπυρηνικών” που βρέθηκαν στην Ιταλία με σκοπό να διαταράξουν τη σύνοδο της G8 στη Γένοβα το 2001.

Λίγο αργότερα, χρειάστηκε να απομακρυνθεί βιαίως από την μπουκαπόρτα από τους αστυνομικούς, ώστε να μπορέσει το πλοίο να αναχωρήσει.  Ο Τάσος Κορωνάκης, σήμερα γενικός γραμματέας του ΣΥΡΙΖΑ, αργότερα υποστήριξε ότι οι ρίζες του κόμματος μπήκαν εκείνη την ημέρα. Θυμάται τον Αλέξη Τσίπρα την ώρα της δράσης, προσθέτοντας: Ο Αλέξης πήρε κάποιο γκλομπ”, γράφει μεταξύ άλλων η εφημερίδα. Οι αγωνιστές, από τον Συνασπισμό, μια συμμαχία της ριζοσπαστικής αριστεράς, ήταν αποφασισμένοι να πάνε στις διαδηλώσεις στη Γένοβα. Αντί να επιστρέψουν στην Ελλάδα αμέσως, οργάνωσαν μια ολοήμερη διαμαρτυρία, εμποδίζοντας την αναχώρηση του πλοίου. Στις βίαιες συγκρούσεις που ακολούθησαν τρεις αστυνομικοί τραυματίστηκαν. Η έκφραση του 26 χρονου  προδίδει ένα μίγμα ανησυχίας και ενθουσιασμού…» συνεχίζει η Daily Mail.

Στη συνέχεια του δημοσιεύματος αναφέρεται με επικριτικά σχόλια στην πορεία του κ. Τσίπρα από τα εφηβικά του χρόνια μέχρι και σήμερα και στη σχέση του με την Μπέτυ Μπαζιάνα.

Από το πυρά της δεν ξεφεύγει ούτε και η σύζυγος του Έλληνα πρωθυπουργού.

«Η κομμουνίστρια σύντροφός του η οποία είπε ότι θα τον εγκαταλείψει αν υποκύψει στις απαιτήσεις της ΕΕ», αναφέρεται  στο δημοσίευμα.

Πηγή:madata.gr

The Federal Government is working to confirm reports that Australia’s most infamous terrorists, Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar, have been killed while fighting with Islamic State (IS) in Iraq.

A person close to one of the men’s families told the ABC’s 7.30 program the pair died in fighting in the city of Mosul.

Another source close to the families said they were told Sharrouf and Elomar were killed by a drone strike in the past week.

Elomar’s body is believed to have been recovered but the remains of Sharrouf are missing.

Mosul has been declared off limits by the Federal Government, making it hard for security agencies to confirm the information.

Sharrouf and Elomar travelled to Syria and then Iraq in 2013, with Sharrouf using his brother’s passport to leave Australia.

They shot to global infamy last year when photos were posted online of them holding the severed heads of pro-Syrian government soldiers.

Sharrouf was also wanted by Australian authorities for his role in the suspected shooting execution of an Iraqi official outside Mosul.

Elomar’s postings on social media indicated he was a popular and influential figure among Australians who turned up to fight for IS.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australian officials were awaiting verification of the reports of their deaths.

“Our security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies will be working to verify these reports, but I stress it’s very difficult to gain the information necessary given that it is a war zone,” she said.

“Australians should not be there and again we stress that any Australian thinking of going to Syria or Iraq or to the Middle East to support Daesh, to support this brutal terrorist organisation, should not go.

“It’s an offence against Australian law and it’s adding to the misery and suffering of the people of Syria and Iraq and they’re putting their own lives in danger.”

If confirmed, their deaths would likely be greeted with relief by security agencies who believed both men continued to reach back to Australia to communicate with young, impressionable Muslims and convince them to travel to Syria and Iraq to fight under the IS banner.

Australian police warrants were issued for both men last year, but they had long professed a desire to die on the battlefields of the Middle East and it was unlikely either would ever return to Australia to be arrested.

Early this year Sharrouf and Elomar were accused of enslaving women from the Yazidi religious minority in northern Iraq.

Deaths would be ‘significant blow’ to Islamic State

Dr Clarke Jones, a terrorism expert from the Australian National University, said if the reports were true, the deaths of Sharrouf and Elomar would be a “significant blow to Islamic State”.

He said they both played a fairly major role, particularly on social media by attracting people to IS.

If the two men were confirmed dead, Dr Jones said it could make people angry and want to go and fight for IS.

“But let’s hope it has more of a deterrent value in the sense that it will show young people that even the more experienced fighters and even the core of Islamic State are still in great jeopardy overseas in Syria and Iraq,” he told Lateline.

Dr Jones said Sharrouf’s wife Tara Nettleton had made inquiries on how she and their children could come back to Australia.

“And I suppose we should have more concern for the kids and trying to get them out of the conflict zone,” Dr Jones said.

“I know that one of Khaled Sharrouf’s young daughters, [a] 14-year-old, had married Mohamed Elomar, so these two do leave families behind and I suppose in one sense we have some sort of sympathy for the children, but in the atrocities they’ve committed overseas it’s very hard to have any sympathy for them whatsoever.”

source:abc.com

The trial of Golden Dawn resumed on Monday briefly and was adjourned again until Thursday after lawyers representing MPs and dozens of party supporters and members asked that alleged victims of GD violence should not be allowed to appear in court as civil claimants.

One of the lawyers claimed that one of several attacks attributed to the neofascist party – the violent assault of members of the Communist-affiliated union PAME – would never have taken place without the express orders of members of the GD hierarchy.

The trial, which started on April 20, has been dogged by delays, not least because local authorities and residents have lobbied for the landmark trial to be moved to another venue.

The government has said this cannot be done until September, by which time a space is to have been designated at the Athens Appeals Court.

source:ekathimerini.com

Party bodies ready to convene, VAT on islands a red line for Independent Greeks.

SYRIZA’s party bodies are on standby to meet in the coming days if the government reaches an agreement with the institutions and to assess whether the deal meets the approval of leftist party members and MPs.

Ministers and SYRIZA lawmakers mostly remained tight-lipped Monday regarding the potential agreement but the party’s political secretariat and central committee will be convened if a deal is reached.

SYRIZA’s parliamentary spokesman, Nikos Filis, said he was confident that the coalition will remain faithful to its red lines, which include lower primary surpluses as well as not cutting pensions and public sector salaries. “The agreement will be evaluated, discussed and will pass through Parliament, with backing from SYRIZA’s parliamentary group and, I believe, Independent Greeks.”

Alternate Minister for Citizens’ Protection Yiannis Panousis suggested that if there are ministers who disagree with the expected settlement between the government and its creditors, they should leave the cabinet. “If there are ministers who cannot take it, do not want it, who are against the new agreement that is on its way, then a reshuffle will be necessary,” said Panousis, who is not a SYRIZA member.

One potential flash point in the government is over the issue of scrapping the value-added tax discount for Aegean islands. Coalition partner Independent Greeks has said it would strongly oppose such a move. This position was repeated Monday by Defense Minister Panos Kammenos.

“The issue of VAT on the islands is a precondition for Independent Greeks and me personally to accept this agreement and continue being part of the government,” Kammenos said.

source:ekathimerini.com

Eurozone leaders were locked in talks in Brussels late on Monday after Eurogroup officials suggested that an agreement could be reached this week on the basis of new economic proposals tabled by the Greek government.

Greece’s proposal foresees raising revenue from savings in the area of pensions and increases in taxes in addition to a range of economic measures that have been discussed over the past weeks with creditors.

Arriving at the Brussels summit, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras appeared upbeat from early in the day. “I think this is time for a substantial and viable solution that would allow Greece to come back to growth within the eurozone,” he said.

Earlier in the day various European politicians offered radically different points of view on the contents of the Greek proposal. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble indicated that, in his view, there had been no real progress since last Thursday’s Eurogroup. Finland’s Prime Minister Alexander Stubb was scathing too, noting that European ministers and leaders had “wasted air miles” in traveling to Brussels. European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici and French President Francois Hollande were typically more upbeat about the prospects for progress.

Finally, after a relatively short Eurogroup meeting, President Jeroen Dijsselbloem told a press conference that Greece’s proposal was indeed a “positive step in the process” and “welcome.” He said the proposal appeared to be “broad and comprehensive” and that it could be a “basis to really restart the talks.”

As technical-level talks in Brussels got under way, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker indicated after talks with Tsipras that he was gearing up for a deal by the end of the week but was cautious. “We have made progress over the last few days, but we are not yet there,” he said.

European Council President Donald Tusk, who called the summit in a stern message delivered by video last Friday, struck a notably brighter tone on Monday. “The latest Greek proposals are the first real proposals in many weeks although they still need… the assessment of the institutions and further work of course,” he said. “The most important thing is that the leaders take full political responsibility for the political process to avoid the worst-case scenario, which means uncontrollable, chaotic Grexident.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who faces strong resistance on the domestic front to providing further aid to Greece, was more cautious than Tusk on her arrival in Brussels. “After the Eurogroup meeting there is no basis for a decision, so this can only be an advisory summit,” she said.

Prior to the summit, US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew urged Tsipras in a phone call to make a “serious move” toward reaching a deal with Greece’s creditors to avert “immediate hardship for Greece and uncertainties for Europe and the global economy.”

source:ekathimerini.com