ekethimerini The Greek Letter :New era for Greek higher education and more...

 

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Sun 3/10/2024 8:03 PM

FORWARD TO A FRIEND > New era for Greek higher education[InTime News] Constantine CapsaskisNewsletter Editor Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. The Hellenic parliament voted to adopt the government bill allowing for the operation of private, non-profit universities in the country. The vote, which the government won with 159 MPs voting in favor of the legislation, came after two days of acrimonious debate in parliament and weeks of protests by student unions. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his address noted that the new bill is a “radical shift in Greek education”, that will allow Greece to “assert itself on the educational stage.” In particular, the prime minister made special mention of the 40,000 Greeks studying abroad and stated that the government’s proposal will allow them to study at reputable international universities at home. In this spirit, Mitsotakis also levelled criticism at members of the opposition who studied abroad, particularly main opposition SYRIZA leader Stefanos Kasselakis who received a scholarship to study at the University of Pennsylvania. “You have a president who studied at a great non-state university”, said the prime minister, adding that “if U-Penn tried to open a campus here, Mr. Kasselakis would say no”. For its part, the leader of SYRIZA’s parliamentary group Sokratis Famellos accused the government of “trampling on the country’s constitution” and accused the government of passing the motion to allow the commercialization of education to the benefit of investment funds. Overall, the center-left and left opposition to the bill was splintered with SYRIZA, PASOK, the New Left, and the Communist Party of Greece failing to form a common front against the government. This was also addressed by Stefanos Kasselakis in an interview with Kathimerini (in which he also discussed his plans to alter his party’s charter) who stated that “these are critical times and we cannot wait for Androulakis [the leader of PASOK] to stop having a logic complementary to the Right and for the small, disruptive Left to exercise some real self-criticism of its choices.” Spotlight Russian missiles struck near a meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Odesa on Wednesday. The Greek prime minister called the attack a “vivid reminder” of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Mitsotakis had earlier underlined his country’s commitment to Ukraine’s cause, with Greece also reiterating its intention to contribute to the reconstruction of Odesa. “I think we all have a message for the Kremlin: we will not be afraid, we will continue to support Ukraine and its brave citizens for as long as it takes. And we remain united on this issue,” said Mitsotakis from Bucharest the following day, noting that “no one will intimidate us”. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, along with his Belgian and Italian counterparts, is also set to accompany European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen in an official visit to Cairo where they will meet with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.   Fredi Beleri, an ethnic Greek who was elected mayor of the Albanian municipality Himare, was convicted by a court over charges of vote-buying and was sentenced to a two-year prison term. In a statement, Beleri described the judicial proceedings as a “sham trial”. Greece, which has monitored the case closely and has signalled it will continue to do so as the case goes go to a trial in the second instance, has raised concerns over the rule of law in Albania. With the case creating a serious divide between Athens and Tirana, with Greece having already tied Beleri to Albania’s European Union accession, the next months will be critical. However, it is widely accepted that if Greece continually obstructs Albania’s European integration it faces the risk of being diplomatically isolated. Additionally, Greece has undergone significant efforts to delimitate maritime zones with Albania in an effort to strengthen its position vis-à-vis similar negotiations in the Aegean, something that is also likely to be put on ice. MUST READS Interest in uni more about the degree than a quality educationGo to article > Do those taking profits out see something ahead?Go to article > Rama burns bridges with Beleri convictionGo to article > OPINION Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition Cyprus at the forefront of western efforts for Gaza[AMNA] Cyprus is playing a pivotal role in western efforts to deal with the crisis in the Middle East; its added value stemming not from its military power, but rather its geographic location, its membership in the EU, and its excellent relations with all the regional actors. The Cyprus-initiated joint multinational plan to open up a humanitarian aid corridor for Gaza is a welcome initiative embraced by the US and the EU. Nicosia drew up an operational plan, known as the Amalthea Initiative, which comes as a necessary response to the dire humanitarian situation in the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave. A maritime corridor, with Cyprus as its integral part, has broad support – from the European Union and the US to the United Arab Emirates – but it’s obviously a complex operation where not all the interests of the parties involved are necessarily identical. But if the plan is successful, it will go a long way towards ameliorating the living conditions of innocent civilians at a time when hospitals in northern Gaza are already reporting children dying of malnutrition. On the practical side, the aid – food, water and medicines – will be transported to Cyprus and stored in specific facilities, mainly in the port of Larnaca. After inspection in coordination with Israel, the aid will be transported to Gaza and delivered to the people who need it. As the effort unfolds, the US military will be building a temporary platform to expedite the delivery of necessities, although it could take weeks for the pier to be up and running. In any case, while negotiations on a possible ceasefire remain deadlocked, and the United Nations is warning of famine among the 2.3 million living in Gaza, Cyprus is again part of a solution. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides described his country as “the lighthouse of the European Union in this important and challenging region. This is the unique perspective that Cyprus brings to the EU. The Middle East is also Europe’s neighborhood, and it is a crucial one where Europe’s role and leadership are required.” This is not the first time the small Mediterranean nation plays a crucial part in dealing with the repercussions of conflict in the region. In the summer of 2006, more than 15.000 Americans were evacuated from war torn Lebanon, many of them through Cyprus. CHART OF THE WEEK The sale prices of homes increased in 2023 at an average annual rate of 13.4% across the country, a higher rate than the 11.9% recorded in 2022, according to the latest data available from the Bank of Greece. Overall, between the beginning of 2018 and the end of 2023, average residential sale prices have gone up by 60%. However, in the capital region of Attica, this is estimated to be 79% with many areas having seen prices return to levels last seen prior to the financial crisis. In fact, as real estate experts point out, there are several in-demand areas where prices are even higher today than they were before the crisis.   ESCAPADE Menechmou Street: We Visited the New Hot Spot in Neos Kosmos A new set of cool shops has recently opened on the same street in Neos Kosmos. We went to Menechmou Street for craft beer, wine, and tasty food. Go to article > ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL “The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,427.02 points on Friday, up 0.30% from last week. This marks the seventh consecutive week of gains for the benchmark.” “Credit rating agency DBRS Morningstar has confirmed Greece’s credit rating on Friday at BBB (low) with a stable outlook. DBRS was the first major agency to restore Greece to investment grade last year. The only remaining major agency not to have done so is Moody’s, which is set to deliver its latest verdict on March 15.” “The public offering of the state’s stake in Piraeus Bank saw it receive 1.35 billion euros in revenue from the divestment, with investment interest covering supply over eight times. Finance Minister Kostis Hatzidakis called the sale an “unprecedented success”.” WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA 11/03/2024PM meets with farmers: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is set to meet with a delegation of farmers at the Prime Minister’s Maximos Mansion on Monday. He will also attend the inaugural meeting of his party’s convention planning committee in Thessaloniki on the same day. 11/03/2024Deputy FM in Turkey: Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou will travel to Ankara to meet with her Turkish counterpart Burak Akcapar, to discuss convergences and differences in bilateral relations and to foster an agenda of political dialogue. 12/03/2024First Afternoon Surgery: The first of the new paid afternoon surgical operations of the National Health Service will take place in Thessaloniki on Tuesday according to Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis. 14/03/2024SYRIZA’s European campaign: Main opposition party is set to begin its campaign for the European elections this Thursday, with party leader Stefanos Kasselakis presenting his party’s program. The party also announced that Kasselakis will begin his national military service the following day. Editor's PickThe trajectory of the country’s history would have been vastly different if both the government and the opposition had refrained from pushing matters to extremes during critical junctures.Alexis PapachelasRead the article PODCAST 05/03/2024 • 17:29Turkey revives plan to convert Chora Church into mosqueIn 2020 Turkey’s government changed the status of Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque. Now, Ankara is looking to repeat this with another important UNESCO World Heritage site, Chora Church.In response, HALC has launched a petition calling on the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to exert pressure on Turkey for the protection of its Christian minorities and Christian cultural heritage. Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou joins Thanos Davelis to look at why preserving Chora Church is important, and break down how USCIRF can take action, including visiting Turkey and the occupied territories of Cyprus. Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou is a professor in the International Studies Department at Boston College, an internationally recognized leader on issues of religion and human rights, and a previous Vice Chair and Commissioner on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. We’d like to hear from youShare your feedback at newsletters@ekathimerini.com