Urban decay

According to UN’s data, the average murder rate in El Salvador is 10 murders per day. This makes the country one of the world’s most violent ones.

What is unbelievable though, is that on Wednesday there was no murdered recorded by the police, something that even they can not explain!

Dynamic urban changes have been central to Turkey's modern political history. From the Kemalist nation-building project, to the dawn of multi-party democracy in the 1950s, to violence between left and right in the 1970s, to the rise of Islamism after the 1980 coup d'état, cities have always been the country's political bellwether.

At least seven police officers, including a high-ranking retired one, from precincts around the country have been implicated in crime rings run by members of the Roma community.

Two of the rings, behind robberies that netted at least 1 million euros, were smashed in a wide-scale operation last week.

Police on Friday night stood guard outside a site in Votanikos, near central Athens, that has been slated for the creation of the capital's first mosque after arresting 15 nationalists who had been occupying the premises.

More than 600 police officers and 37 judicial officials are involved in a nationwide operation to disband two major criminal organizations that have been linked to dozens of robbery gangs active across the country, police revealed on Wednesday.

The New York Times published piece on the ordeal Greek homeowners experience during the process of foreclosures on their properties. The newspaper’s contributor, Niki Kitsantonis conveys the horrifying realities of ordinary people in an article entitled “Greek Homeowners Scramble as Repossession Looms: ‘It’s Like a Horror Movie”.

Banks are proposing that foreclosures should be done electronically in a bid to overcome the resistance put up by a growing movement blocking repossessions at courts around the country.

If adopted, the idea would mean that the physical presence of notaries - one of the main targets of protesters - would not be required.

The coalition is searching for a way to prevent primary residences from being seized to pay off debts to the state, as confiscations have resumed following a hiatus, just before the start of SYRIZA's party congress on Thursday.

The government plans to suspend foreclosure procedures of primary residences for debts to the state until late 2017, according to reports Wednesday.

Reports said a proposed amendment aims to harmonize legislation on home foreclosures for arrears to the state with existing regulations regarding debt to banks, which protect primary residences on the basis of income and other criteria.

A people’s movement against foreclosures of underprivileged citizens’ by the Greek state is gaining momentum, after a series of protests inside court rooms, ruling on cases of property seizures, resulted in physical confrontation with police.