Snow chains are required in many parts of northern Greece, while traffic has also been disrupted in certain areas of northern Attica. This kind of weather is unusual, particularly for the wider capital area. A quarter of an hour was enough on the early hours of Tuesday for the inhabitants of Athens' northern suburbs to see the roads, cars and the ground covered by 5cm of snow.

Retail sales volume posted a significant rise in October 2014 compared with the same month in 2013, while the constant decline in prices meant there was only marginal growth in turnover, according to data released on Wednesday by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

The Quest group has completed the acquisition of Cardlink SA from Alpha Bank and Eurobank, which split the price of 15 million euros that Quest subsidiary U-You Ltd paid out to buy 100 percent of Cardlink’s shares.

Greece highly benefits from water buffalo farming, as the industry is gaining more and more ground, while products such as milk, yogurt or meat are getting increasingly popular across the country, providing a satisfactory income to the farmers.

According to Vasilis Bambidis, professor at the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, buffalo farmers have 25% less costs than cattle farmers, since they do not have to use any kind of special food for the animals.

Work gets under way on the expansion of the cruise terminal in Piraeus this year, set to make it the biggest cruise hub in the Eastern Mediterranean, allowing for the docking of the biggest and best cruise ships, whose length exceeds 300 meters.

Exports have played a key role in Greece’s economic recovery. During the recession, exports were necessary so that Greek companies could expand beyond the country’s borders. According to the official statistical data, Greek exports have shown a slight decrease in 2014, mainly due to the economic and political developments in neighboring countries and trading partners, however, the country’s progress in the field has been significant.

Around 65% of Greek exportable products end up in EU countries, during a period of weak economic growth, where Russia imposed an embargo on European imports and countries who were traditionally linked with Greece in regards to trade, such as Balkan countries, North Africa and the Middle East are being ravaged by the recession and political crises.

Both good and bad news for the Greek business world emerged from the official data of the General Commercial Registry (GEMI) for 2014. During the previous year, a positive balance between companies forced to shut down and newly established ones was recorded.

In 2014, 33,954 new companies were established, while 30,427 companies went out of business. According to Greek daily newspaper “Kathimerini,” what essentially happened is that market shrinking possibly reached its limits, while at the same time it becomes clear there was a further limitation of sources (bank lending and equity) that could fund even a small business.

Chinese construction magnate, Yan Jiehe, is turning his gaze toward the Greek market — characterized by many as risky due to the latest stormy political and economic developments — saying that he is on the hunt for investment opportunities in Greece. 

Yan Jiehe is the founder of China’s largest private sector company by revenues and has amassed one of the country’s largest fortunes since establishing China Pacific Construction Group (CPCG) in 1995, making him China’s seventh-richest man. It should be noted that last year CPCG, which builds public infrastructure, was ranked 166th on Fortune’s list of the world’s 500 biggest companies, while last week the tycoon confirmed he is chasing local governments for unpaid bills.

An agreement between Piraeus Port Organisation (OLP) and the Chinese-owned Cosco subsidiary Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT) which was recently ratified by the Greek Parliament (end of 2014), paves the way for Cosco to proceed with the construction and  exploitation of West Pier III of the Piraeus port container terminal by PCT, the construction on behalf of OLP of a new Oil Terminal, as well as the refitting of Pier II and East Pier Container Terminal III with new machinery.

Seventeen Greek clinics, rehabilitation centres and hospitals are among the World’s Best Hospitals for 2015, as recommended by the United Nations Diplomatic Council (DC) a Think Tank serving as a bridge between diplomacy, economy and society. Each year, the Diplomatic Council awards certificates in some of its selected forums (computer software, educational material etc.).