so we started just blazing a trail from new york up to athens, athens to new york. each time we went to athens we're write a few more songs practice, go to new york. and that early club scene, we opened the mud club, we played cbgb's, max's kansas city, hoorah's, uh it was so exciting cause other bands, you know, uh, blondie, devo, talking heads you know we were all like, they came to see us and it started this buzz, yeah, and they were like and patty smith and all those that were punk, the ramons, you know were our icons. and when we started we weren't that aware. i mean we were in our own athens bubble, so we started writing, it was just, i think that's why we were so different. we didn't really have a prototype exactly to follow, which is like our crazy blend of everyone's personalities into a genie in the bottle brew, so um, when we went to new york, that was very friendly, you know debbie harry and chris stein invited us to their apartment, and we saw their gold records like um, on the floor, sort of leaning against the wall and we're like whoa, so it was very

well the word from athens on that is is that they're willing and able to make that payment to the imf on tuesday. there have been rumbles in athens saying that payment should be main on contingent to unlock the bail out program. but remember this, $840 million is just a small amount that greece is going to have to pay over what is a long and fraught summer. another $3.1 billion to be prayed out in june and september and $3 billion owing to the european central bank in july and august. and so it will go on and on and on. and without these bailout funds there is no real way that greece is in any position to make those payments on an ongoing basis. bear in mind one missed payment does not necessarily a default make. more than one almost certainly does and more than that it will be for the markets to decide. if the markets decided that greece was not able to carry on its debt they could trigger a default. and a default is game over for greece in euro zone. and i think everybody is well aware that the crunch time on a possible default is very close now. >> and the markets seem to be bearin

let's get the view from athens and speak to marcus. there is a statement -- did the statement go far enough for greece? marcus: they are not dancing on the streets yet. but greek banks live to fight another day, so that is something. expectations were so low before the meeting. the statement contained the word positive, that is probably enough to ensure that the ecb tomorrow will not increase the haircut imposed on collateral of the greek banks for the liquidity operation. that's probably close enough for celebration. it is also very much -- yanis varoufakis mentioned how much liquidity greece has, he talked about a couple weeks. that will not as into june. and sense of debt we do not have payments until june but there are some pensions at the end of the month. we are going to have to figure out how we are going to get into june. guy: we will leave it there. thank you very much. mark is joining us from athens. we are still looking at chunky payments in a short period of time. equity markets -- francine: they are down. guy: let's look a

approval to strike human traffickers in libya and concerns over greece as it continues and athens admits it will run out of cash in two weeks. ♪ >> "inside story" takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the sound bites. we're giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. >> ray suarez hosts "inside story". only on al jazeera america. ♪ again you are watching al jazeera and reminder of headlines nepal has been shaken by another big earthquake two weeks after a devastating quake killed more than 8,000 people at least four people have been killed so far. the quake sent people in the capitol running from buildings and was felt in india, afghanistan and indonesia. iran says it is backing a truce in yemen after saudi arabia called for a ceasefire to begin in a few hours time. iran is calling for immediate resumption of talks between pro-government forces and houthi rebels. u.s. secretary of state john kerry arrived in russia where he is due to meet putin in the resort city of sochi and the first visit there since the start of the ukra

vasillis: athens expects greece to be mentioned. the brussels group is where the group is at the moment. there seems to be little convergence at the talks right now. this seems to be convergence on the sales tax but that is it. it is not served by its creditors at the moment. we need an agreement by the end of the week with a deadline would fourth by greece and its creditors expires. i don't think anything groundbreaking will happen. they will review as stocks are continuing. some little, if any, increase the amount because the positing has slowed in the last weeks it looks like there is a bare minimum of the posits that the system has right now. the next wednesday after we have this deadline expired on the brussels talks if we do not have a top-level agreement by then were a clear-cut -- or a clear-cut announcement by all sides in the negotiation that there is a deal down the line, i think that is where the ecb will say that maybe it is time we increase the tax on the greek banks' collateral. jonathan: that could have a big increas

>>> greece's finance minister says athens should be able to push back bond payments to the rekrentd future. >> generali sends shares higher. >> sharp's ceo is optimistic of a recovery after the struggling japanese electronic giant secures a $1.9 billion bailout. >> let's have a look in on european markets. the stoxx 50 is flat. we did have weakness across europe yesterday. it was only pronounced weakness for the dax in germany off more than a percent. partly because gdp figures were a little disappointing. it's a continuation of the unwind of qe trade dom natd market trade throughout the year so far. let's look on what the rest of the european markets are doing today. the ftse 100 below flat. germany and france managing to stay just in the greece. france just ticks down into the red. italy also just below flat. of course there has been a continuing sense of volatility of weakness in the markets. we were a little weaker earlier. we found a little bit of strength over the last half an hour or so but in general certainly nothing to write home about. let's have a look at bond rates. they conti

after decades of terribly mismanaged funds, i'll take you to athens, for people who living

after decades of terribly mismanaged funds, i'll take you to athens, for people who living in a country who today narrowly diverted financial default, a country almost out of options. recent violent reactions have reignited a debate in the country about how to handle images and opinions some say are images are inflammatory, expressing those intolerant views, no one could condemn inflammatory speech but it is inflammatory for a reason and america protects expression that is designed to bring out the worst of those who are offended. homophobic expressions, in most cases simply ignoringful speech is an option that many americans choose. but what on a crowded subway platform? talk about a captive subway platform, millions of americans spend hours a day commuting. selling everything from beer to plastic surgery and until recently, ads like this. in any war between the civilized man, support israel, defeat jihad. or this one, certainly designed to prompt heated debate while many are dealing with enough stress just to get to work declaring, stolen, israel has built over 150 settlements on land

if athens is truly broke, the international monetary fund and others will not get their money back. one possible solution is to lend debts. the head of the european stability mechanism says the final 7.2 billion euro trench from greases -- greece's bail at package is still available, with conditions. for greek creditors, reforms mean continuing best air and he calls set by previous governments, but that something the greek finance minister has consistently rejected. >> how did that news out of greece affect the mood in the financial markets? let's find out at the frankfurt stock exchange. >> nervousness and anxiety -- that the mood in the financial markets. people here in frankfurt, for example, hearing statements coming out of athens that are not very promising the people say. they don't see greece moving any closer to reaching an agreement with the money givers in order to avoid default. spain is a further worry. the election resulted in a success for the leftist party pajamas, as the stability-oriented direction spain has been cut off? normally a low euro is good for equities, bu

athens said they not do not have enough money to pay the imf. the money won't be given as it isn't there to give. he claimed the eu and imf were pressurizing greece to make unacceptable concessions in the current bailout talks. now, aneta did speak to nobel prize winner christof pissarides. >> a default can be happen within the currency union, right? >> the problem is if it's properly regarded as default, in other words, if your bonds can no longer be accepted as bonds issued by a solvent authority, then the ecb cannot accept them as collateral and therefore can they cannot issue liquidity to greek banks. greek banks retire almost entirely on the emergency assistance of the european central bank. if they are denied that liquidity assistance very well to find it other ways. they will go bankrupt. the liquidity from that scenario will have to come from internal sources, from the greek government. where do they find it to keep the banks going? it cannot. if it tries to issue a currency to provide that liquidity, it will be disaster. it will be the

leaders talk about greece's debt as the dead loom looms for yet another payment from athens. >>> and protests against the chilean government turn violent. ♪ ♪ >>> spiteers from the islamic state of iraq and the levant are continue to go make advances in their military campaign in syria. the u.k.-based syrian observatory for human rights says isil now controls half of the country. the goop a trying to control the area between the western city of ho ms and anbar in iraq. meanwhile, isil have imposed a curfew in the ancient city of palmyra which they are in full control of. there is a dire humanitarian crisis there as the city has been without electricity and water there for 10 days. as emma hayward reports. >> reporter: everyone in this pumping station appears to have fled knowing that isil has building edging closer day by day. but with their own camera rolling, isil fighters are relent little. relentless in the destruction of any signs of the syrian rah regime, past or presents. palma try was inpalmyra is is in the hands of the fighters. in the same video local people are shown t

new earthquake to hit nepal, we'll hear from a seismologist, plus concerns over greece continue as athens admits it will run out of cash in two weeks. >> al jazeera's investigative unit has tonight's exclusive report. >> stories that have impact. that make a difference. that open your world. >> this... is what we do. >> america tonight. tuesday through friday 10:00 eastern. only on al jazeera america. ♪ ♪ >>> hello again, you are watching al jazerra. the headlines a magnitude 7.4 earthquake has struck nepal two weeks after a devastating quake killed more than 8,000 people. its epicenter was near familiar chicago bizarre a remote area along the kind he's border. it sent people rung from buildings and felt as far away as the indian capital new delhi. iran has called to put down arms arms. significant base the saudis asked for a ceasefire to begin this evening around 20 gmt. >>> returning to the stop story the breaking news out of that nepal. bill frye is a size knowledges in new zealand and joins us online. thank you for being with us. often with a quake of this magnitude happens there

nikos chrysolaras joining from athens. francine: joining us is bank of montreal's european head of x x strategy to talk about weakness in the euro and the greek drama. thank you for coming in. we talk about greece every day. do we realize the urgency? every day that is passing, this really is in the next 3-4 weeks the fate of greece will be sealed. >> let's say that they set off on new term of deals before june. we still don't think -- we still think it is going to be a shroud hanging over the euro. even if they have a deal before the deadline, we don't think they will get access to the full remaining 7.2 billion of the current bailout extension. we don't think the ecb is going to rush in and buy big bonds. we think it is not over for a long time. guy: how much of what is happening is related to the euro, and how much is related to positioning versus other asset classes? stephen: greece is an issue. there has been some minimal progress in the talks between creditors and greece. that has helped support the euro. when the fe

the domestic angle in athens. over 110 days of talks, the same conversation back and forth over 110 times. hans: there appears to be a consensus emerging around the finance ministers. the actual mandate that mr. tsipras believes that his syriza party wants. it is the very mandate according to edward, a multi-finance minister. once you get over the mandate you could potentially see a path forward. in more and more european capitals that is why you are hearing talk of a referendum. a referendum on whether or not greece wants to stay in the eurozone. that could be one way out. that's if you think the mandate he has from his people is the problem. there are other issues as well we heard from the vice chancellor and the german government right now. and mr. gabrielle said in an interview sunday that he sees most of the risk for a greek exit being political and not economical and anytime politicians in germany are talking about not having economic consequences, that is a troubling sign. jon: is that the line out of berli

we have not heard any of the optimism from athens. they all seem to say greece needs to move a lot more and the ball is in their court. pimm: could you describe some of the political ramifications of the meeting? who is aligned with who, if anybody? we're not getting a anyt sense that there is big division here, but that's mostly because the greeks are not here. there is the film -- the familiar demand-side solution. i spoke with the canadian prime minister and he said there's tension between the german side who wants to push for structural reform and some of their counterparts, especially americans, who are pushing to stimulate more demand. that's why we get to this thorny question of how much demand can be stimulate it by debt. theoreticaling conversations here but the practical thing will be what happens in the next six or seven days in brussels. pimm: hans nichols in dresden, germany. now we want to look at what life is like on the streets of greece these days. unemployment is around 25%. our bloomberg reporter joins us from athen

the look from athens, marcus standing by. we talk about home and tom mackenzie talking about the town. what is the tone like in athens right now? marcus: the emphasis is getting a statement from the eurogroup a meeting. one thing that is interesting is when talking about this for mark -- months and deadlines and what is the next eurogroup and getting a deal. this time around, nobody is talking about getting a deal from this eurogroup. that's how far expectations are being paired back. they just want a statement indicating, the prospect of an agreement this month. now as they have seen a lot of progress made in talks over the last week, the greeks say. on the brussels side as well. the creditors side as well. there is for much talk of progress in terms of the tone of the talks. the process is itself since the reshuffle of negotiating team. the greek say actually is not just the process, you have had talk about red line. when it comes to the details of those red outlines actually there has been some stepping away from a them. f

we found woman's dental office in this apartment block off a busy athens street. the nurse who answered the door was reluctant to let my producer to speak to anyone, or even ask the citizen 'tis if he provided receipts. >> he is the doctor and most of the doctors are not here today. so if you have any questions -- >> but you have patients here. >> i have to tell you he is not here i can't speak for him. he is one that should give you any answers for everybody. >> okay, may i ask you then, do you accept cash or credit cards as well? >> both. >> you do accept -- and can you confirm that you give every single -- >> i can't -- i can't give you any more answers please. don't bring me any -- >> no that's fine. that's fine but you cannot -- >> and please turn the camera down please. >> tax evasion is absolutely everywhere in greece. more and more greek doctors who simply aren't making enough money and are being asked to pay higher taxes have come up with creative ways to dodge the tax man. some lie about the size of their homes. some offer discounts for cash payments min

also on the brink - ali velshi got a first-hand look from athens where the economic crisis took a toll in the crucial market. plus, the geography of inequality in america. a stunning look at how a few miles geographically can put families worlds away financially, i'm david shuster in for ali velshi, and this is "real money". >>> hillary clinton's path to the white house is not getting smoother, her husband, former president bill clinton says he will continue to receive speaking fees from foreign entityies, and that focuses attention on conflict of interest. it's fuelled by a book released this week claiming that bill clinton hauled in millions during foreign interest during his wife's tenure as secretary of state. and it was higher during the period clinton was at the state department than before she arrived and after she left. the book reveals within months of the speeches, the foreign groups and individuals paying for them saw hillary clinton's positions and state department policies change. the allegations that paying bill clinton was an effective way that foreign interests could ge

i stayed in a hotel for the night and then headed back to athens. then i saw the tv news of a rescue operation of a ferry fire out at sea. it was the same ship i was going to get. i saw them rescuing children. i looked to see if my son was on the list of survivors, but he wasn't. the wife and daughter of the family that took my son has died. the greek authorities told me that my son is officially missing, presumed dead but i believed he was still alive. i'm fairly sure he's still alive. i can't explain why. it's father's feeling. he might be with some people and he might be in shock. can you imagine the reaction a parent losing a 7-year-old child. of course i regret being smuggled. everyone always asks that. but let me ask this question what other options do i have? i ask that the e.u. the u.n. and turkey who didn't give me travel documents. what choices were given to me before i killed my son. >>> police in south africa say they have arrested hundreds of undocumented migrants in overnight raids. but activists say the government should focus on tack

index in athens went up more than 3.5% at the close on wednesday. the government agreed to sell its stake in the airline to a.i.g. and investors, they are watching greece just as we were doing here in europe. the focus otherwise remains on when and how the federal reserve will start raising interest rates. the dow jones industrial average this hour up around .35%. the nasdaq really leading the way over on wall street. up 1.5%. or roundabouts. we're going to france next. there's been presenty of doom and gloom for the french economy in the past couple of years, but foreign investors are now returning to the country in greater numbers. there was an 18% jump in foreign investment last year, according to reports from ernst & young. mark thompson has more. mark: setting the wheels of economic recovery in motion. one traveled to 8,000 kilometers to oversee the production of these train parts. soon, they will be on their way to china. his company m.s. steel, -- last summer. >> these two things complement each other. we're hoping it will help improve the pe

and is it time to abandoned athens? the german chancellor's under growing pressure to give up on greece. also coming up, what slowed out? china's superrich are enjoying the highlights on the high seas. all of that in more, on asia edge. >> i have been following this across asia today. japan, 1.3% in the morning session. 250 points rallied. if you look at volumes, we are 70% higher. in australia, we are one third of 1%. interesting note from goldman sachs saying oil prices have been on the up for week -- goldman says this presents investors a window. the bank thinks commodity prices will fall. fundamentals will become cyclical, nothing has changed and supply is still on the way up. let's have a quick look at -- largely unchanged. we are up, though. it is still relatively good as we had into the afternoon. >> disappointing trade numbers in the slump in property all forced policymakers to step in for a third time. pboc says there are plenty of tools available if more action is needed. let's bring in christine. christine, t

but there is evidence of scepticism skill about a new economic plan offered byes and -- by athens. >> more time is needed to bridge the remaining gaps. we having joint interest with the greek authorities to get that agreement as quickly as possible. there are some time constraints. there are liquidity constraints, but hopefully we reach thatting a agreement before time or money runs out. >> reporter: greece must wait a little longer and try a little harder to get its hands on an $8 billion slice of aid. the existing bailout program expires at the end of june and the government in athens must pay public sector salary and pensions. greece is under immense pressure to reach a deal here. >> red lines by necessity are flexible. but there is time for common ground. >> reporter: the government insists it will stick to its red lines on labor reforms and pensions, no more cuts and no plan b. that's the promise that was made in february. the problem is keeping that promise could cost the government and greece the ultimate price, bankruptcy and an exit from the euro. jonah hull al jazeera, bruss

al jazeera, athens. >> in the philippines, the typhoon has hit the northern island forcing more than 3,000 people out of their homes. officials warn of possible flash floods and landslides. they are preparing relief packages and designating buildings as emergency shelters. the self-defense says there have been no reports of injuries, nor deaths. >> a language nearly extinct in venezuela is being revived. >> the people in western venezuela say they are of the water and like the water interconnect the with the rest of the world. in the laguna, there is some commerce and men continue to fish, but their culture and their language nearly vanished. recognizing the importance language has in the process of self determination anthropologists began work on the grammar with the help of the surviving people who spoke it. >> even the existing literature made no reference to the language. crucial aspects of their culture that served to build a people's identity were not being recognized. >> the task was made even more difficult, because they barely spoke among each other. the three elders who hel

. >> adds to the pressure on athens with time running out and the next loan repayment coming due later this month. alexis hubris has been government for 100 days and still is treading water. greases international -- greece's international donors have been treading water. at the beginning of the year the european union forecast a 2.5% growth rate for greece, but has since realized that was too optimistic. >> however, in light of the persistent uncertainty and a downward -- persistent uncertainty, a downward revision has been unavoidable. now we expect growth of 0.5% in 2015. >> and even weaker economy means less revenue. and the treasury is already running on empty. that has prompted a morning from the international monetary fund. even if debt repayment archive greece still won't be able to cut its expenses. -- are cut greece still will be able to cut its expenses. so the greek government has gone on tour again to drum up support. and on wednesday, the ecb will discuss whether to increase liquidity lifeline for greek things -- greek banks that would ease the immediate credit crunch in a

hopeful come menls fromments with athens. there's not much progress when it comes to the greek debt talks. we should point out consumer confidence came in much lower than expected. so negative trade here in europe. u.s. futures also pointing to a lower open. the last trading day of the month. that does it for us here on the show. thank you for joining us here on worldwide exchange. next up is squawk box. have a great day. just because i'm away from my desk doesn't mean i'm not working. comcast business understands that. their wifi isn't just fast near the router. it's fast in the break room. fast in the conference room. fast in tom's office. fast in other tom's office. fast in the foyer [pronounced foy-yer] or is it foyer [pronounced foy-yay]? fast in the hallway. i feel like i've been here before. switch now and get the fastest wifi everywhere. comcast business. built for business.

we are joined by athens bureau chief nikos and been in spain. i want to start with nikos in athens. has there been any progress? i guess not? nikos: not really. we have seen this several times. each time negotiations between greek government officials and creditor institutions hit a stumbling block, there's escalating of the matter. the answer they get is always the same. go back to the negotiating table and reach an agreement with creditor institutions. it is not a political issue. it is a bureaucratic issue. there are certain rules you have to follow. that is the answer that the great premised are got yesterday after his meeting with the german chancellor and the french president. jonathan: every week, i sit here and use it in athens and we say, the greek government says a deal is close. next week, they say it is close. then we talk about deadlines. these deadlines don't really mean anything at all. anymore deadlines we need to be thinking about? nikos: the greek government and mrs. merkel last weekend, and the french president, they all said that we should reach an agreement by t

marcus bensasson joins us from athens. it is all about the report card that the greeks want to see coming from that meeting. tom: absolutely. the tone of any statement released today and leading into this meeting, the mood has really soured on both sides. both sides entrenching their positions. greek prime minister alexis tsipras taking all his lieutenants into a meeting over sunday and coming out, saying they are going to take a tougher line with creditors. on the flipside, you've got the likes of german by sublime saying that greece -- jeronen dijsselbloem saying that greece hasn't done enough. you got wolfgang schaeuble saying that greece could accidentally default. that was a warning from him. the italian finance minister saying that time is running out. disagreements over the policies and reforms the greek government needs to agree on with their creditors in order to get this final tranche of their bailout by the end of june. details around tax, around pensions, around labor market reforms. both sides have their red l

there's evidence still about a new economic plan offered by athens. >> some important issues have been discussed in depth, but more time is needed to bridge the remains gaps. we have a joint interest with the greek authorities to get that agreement as quickly as possible. there are some time constraints and liquidity constraints. hopefully we will reach that agreement before the time runs out or money runs out. >> so greece must wait a little longer, try a little harder to get his hands on a much-needed $8 billion slice of aid. but there isn't much time. the existing bailout program expires at the end of june and in the meantime with few other sources of revenue available, they must pay pub sector salaries that fall due over the kous of the next few months. greece is under immense pressure to reach a deal here. >> it's because of necessity. our red lines and their red lines are such there's no common ground. >> what's the time frame now? >> the next few days i think. >> the government insists it will stick to red lines on labor reforms and pensions and no more cuts and month plan b. th

sunset over historic athens. will they sell the parthenon? not yet. katty: from the world of finance to the world of sports. the national football league has announced a penalty for the new england patriots using underinflated footballs in a championship game in january, an incident known as deflategate. the team will be fined $1 million and start order back tom brady will be suspended for the worst for games of the 2015 season without -- for the first four games of the 2015 season without pay. senator george mitchell is talking about the lessons he has learned from high-pressure negotiations over the decades. thousands of american law and russman officers are in washington for police week. we have been speaking to some of them about how they think police are perceived by members of the u.s. public. >> it's a good ride, especially when it is just traveling. this is something that we started to commemorate the lives lost by law enforcement shows in there for -- law enforcement officials in their performance of duty. >> there are some bad cops, maybe 1%

athens suggested it o pay that installmen >>> still ahead ford motors sees the future of the automotive industry >>> henry ford may have been the man who made detroit the motor city but today, the company bearing his name is looking west for innovation. specifically silicon valley where the auto maker opened a technology center. philip lebeau has more from palo alto california on ford's push into the heart of the tech industry. >> it's a very different environment. ford ceo mark fields calls this the future of ford. far from the nearest assembly plant or a design studio ford is working with the latest technology in the silicon valley to develop cars and trucks. >> the level of intensity this i'm hearing from talking with folks i meet out here they have never seen the amount of interest in one industry by this community in a very long time. >> reporter: ford and other auto makers are racing to make sure silicon valley giants like google and tesla do not take the lead in building connected and autonomous drive vehicles. that means giving consumers tech features they haven't behind the whe

and is it time to abandoned athens? the german chancellor's under growing pressure to give up on greece. what slowed out? china's superrich are enjoying the highlights on the high seas. all of that in more, on asia edge. i have been following this across asia today. japan, 1.3% in the morning session. 250 points rallied. if you look at volumes, we are 70% higher. one thirdia, we are of 1%. interesting note from goldman sachs saying oil prices have been on the up for week -- goldman says this presents investors a window.

however she added she is confident that athens will fulfill it's commitments. meanwhile, ecb board member told cnbc exclusively the central bank won't help break the rules to help greece. listen in. >> for us it is quite clear that we have certain conditions to be met. one is whether we can accept for instance greek assets greek bonds as collateral. the answer is for the time being, no. the second question is whether there are other ways of financing. this is the way of emergency liquidity assistance. also this is under the control and also under the risk of the national central bank. but it has to get approval from the governing council and we have clear rules. >> julia joining us on the desk with more on this story. mixed messages coming from various leaders involved in these discussions. who do we believe? the greek leaders? ecb? or other policy makers? >> it's clear. you have the greeks on one said saying look we reached the deal and the creditors saying guys there's more work to do. there's more work to be done because there's sources close to the greek go

at the end of june and in the meantime the few other sources of revenue available the government in athens must pay sector salaries and pensions and billions in loan repayments that fall due over the course of the next few months. greece is under immense pressure to reach a deal here. >> by necessity and flexible and red lines are such there is common ground. >> what is the timeframe now? >> the next few days i think. >> reporter: the government insists it will stick to its red lines on labor reforms and pensions, no more cuts and no plan b. that's the promise they made to elaborate in february but the problem is keeping that promise could cost the government and greece the ultimate price, bankruptcy and an exit from the euro i'm with al jazeera brussels. >>> french president francois hollande is wrapping up his tour in hatety and made a historic trip to cuba and the first to visit since 1986 and met the father of the cuban revolution castro and asked them to lift the trade embargo and we have more from havana. >> reporter: untying the knot after they froze political and cultural ties with