Germany says Russia gas cuts ‘economic attack’

“We must not fool ourselves: the cut in gas supplies is an economic attack on us by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has said in a statement.

Brazil loses 1.5 million jobs in 2015

Brazil saw 1.5 million net dismissals in 2015, far worse than the previous year when it created 420,000 formal jobs amid economic difficulties.

Kappa Research survey: Most Greeks expect economy to get worse in 2016, Grexit risk to resurface

The majority of Greek citizens expected that the ailing Greek economy will get worse in 2016, an opinion poll released on Sunday showed, despite the political leadership's optimism in New Year messages that the debt-laden country will exit a six-year recession during the new year.

Americans expected to spend more this Christmas than last year (Gallup)

Adults in the United States are expected to spend an average of 720 US dollars on gifts this Christmas, up slightly from a 704 dollars estimate in November last year, indicating a so-so holiday season for American retailers, said a Gallup poll released Monday.

Griechenland lässt Rezession hinter sich. (Dazu tragen Ausländer ebenso bei wie die Griechen selbst)

Erstmals seit 2008 kommen positive Nachrichten von der griechischen Wirtschaft: Sie wächst wieder. Dazu tragen Ausländer ebenso bei wie die Griechen selbst.

Griechenland verzeichnet zum ersten Mal seit Jahren ein leichtes Wirtschaftswachstum. Nach Berechnungen des Zentrums für Planung und Ökonomieforschung (Kepe) in Athen lag es im zweiten Quartal 2014 bei 0,38 Prozent im Vergleich zum Vorjahresquartal. 

Motor des Wachstums sei hauptsächlich der Tourismus, der neue Rekorde erzielte, heißt es in dem Bericht.

Greece to exit EU/IMF bailout deal in 2014. – PM Antonis Samaras

Greece will exit its EU-IMF bailout agreement in 2014, as scheduled, and will require no further loans, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Monday.
In his address on national television, Samaras said that Greece “will make the big step to exit the loan agreement" next year.

“In 2014, Greece will venture out to the markets again [and] start becoming a normal country,” the prime minister stated.

The Mediterranean country’s debt “will be officially declared viable, meaning there’ll be no need for new loans and new bailout agreements,” he added.

Crisis Pushes Greek Students to Bulgaria, Romania

By Marianna Tsatsou (Greek Reporter)
In the past decades, especially in the 1980′s-90′s, many Greek students chose foreign universities – mostly Romanian and Bulgarian – to study for post-graduate degrees, and now the Greek economic crisis is increasing their numbers, according to news247.gr.
The Greek newspaper Imerissia reported too that about eight of 10 Greek students having already enrolled in Czech and Slovakian universities are now trying to be allowed to study in Romanian and Bulgarian universities instead due to the low cost of living. Apart from students of Greek descent, several other Europeans choose the same countries to study to save money.

Jobless Greek resolved to cleaning toilets in Sweden

By Oliver Staley
As a pharmaceutical salesman in Greece for 17 years, Tilemachos Karachalios wore a suit, drove a company car and had an expense account. He now mops schools in Sweden, forced from his home by Greece’s economic crisis.
“It was a very good job,” said Karachalios, 40, of his former life. “Now I clean Swedish s---.”
Karachalios, who left behind his six-year-old daughter to be raised by his parents, is one of thousands fleeing Greece’s record 24 percent unemployment and austerity measures that threaten to undermine growth. The number of Greeks seeking permission to settle in Sweden, where there are more jobs and a stable economy, almost doubled to 1,093 last year from 2010, and is on pace to increase again this year.