Greeks Take to the Streets for Dueling Rallies That Reflect a Divided Nation

By Griff Witte and Michael Birnbaum. Dueling rallies of tens of thousands of people apiece took over central Athens on Friday evening, with demonstrators making their final push before a referendum on Sunday that has passionately divided this flailing nation between those terrified Greece will lose its place in Europe and others determined to transform the continent at all costs.

With Greece’s 19th-century Olympic stadium as a backdrop, “yes” supporters shouted their contempt for the government and demanded an end to the brinkmanship that has characterized the country’s relationship with Europe for the past five months.

Across town, in the shadow of the neo­classical Parliament building, those siding with Greece’s leaders in urging a “no” vote on European bailout proposals swayed to the tunes of revolutionary anthems and pledged not to bend to creditors’ “blackmail.”

“Here in the place where democracy was born,” Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told an energized crowd that stretched for blocks in every direction, “we will start to rebuild European democracy.”

But beneath the bravado was an emerging recognition within Greece’s radical leftist government that regardless of how Sunday’s referendum turns out, the country may be on the verge of defeat in its epic standoff with European heavyweights over the terms of the country’s bailouts. (Read more from “Greeks Take to the Streets for Dueling Rallies That Reflect a Divided Nation” HERE)


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Greek Bank Closures May Deplete Supermarket Shelves

By Martinne Geller and Lefteris Karagiannopoulos. A halt to international payments from Greek bank accounts is hurting Greek businesses and their foreign partners and threatening supplies of vital goods like food and clothing into the debt-crippled country.

With banks closed, people limited to withdrawing 60 euros ($66.62) per day and Greece’s future in the euro possibly hinging on a referendum on Sunday, Greek shoppers have been stocking up on essentials like sugar, flour, pasta, rice, beans, canned and paper goods.

Shelves remain full for now as retailers have inventories in storage. But capital controls put in place after Greece defaulted on a loan to international creditors have essentially frozen companies’ cash flows and credit.

This has severely hampered production and shipping, meaning that goods are in finite supply. With this week’s rush to supermarkets, shortages could be around the corner although budget limits are providing some cushion.

“At this stage there is no problem of shortages. There is sufficient stock in our warehouses and we renew it frequently,” said Melina Varoutsikou, spokeswoman for Sklavenitis, one of Greece’s largest supermarket chains. (Read more from this story HERE)

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