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Tuesday, 16 April 2024
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-02-22Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] PM in Berlin, Helsinki ahead of crucial EU summitGreek prime minister George Papandreou is holding a series of crucial contacts with European leaders ahead of an extraordinary summit of eurozone leaders on March 11 and an EU summit on March 25 at which the final decisions are due to be taken on the support mechanism for the eurozone.Papandreou is due to meet on Tuesday with German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, and on Wednesday with Finnish prime minister Mari Kiviniemi in Helsinki. Also, the leaders of the European Socialist Party grouping of the European Parliament will hold a summit in Athens on March 4. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form  [02] Athens poised to evacuate Greeks from LibyaGreece on Tuesday was on standby to evacuate Greek citizens from strife-torn Libya.Deputy foreign minister Dimitris Dollis said that the priority right now was to receive permission for overflights and landings in order to pick up the Greeks in Libya wishing to leave for Greece. Speaking on private television stations on Tuesday morning, Dollis, who holds the Greeks Abroad portfolio, said that the procedures for the flight permission have been set im motion by the defence ministry, while the planning was being made by the foreign ministry under his own supervision and that of ministry secretary general Ambassador Yannis-Alexis Zepos. Dollis put the number of Greeks in Libya at approximately 300, noting that the operation was made difficult by the fact that most of the Greeks were working in remote construction sites in the desert. "We are making every effort to contact as many people as possible, as well as the companies," Dollis said. He added that Greece was also in contact with other countries preparing evacuation operations in order to coordinate forces and provide mutual assistance in the evacuations. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form  [03] PM's address at Humboldt Univ. briefly interrupted by protestBERLIN (ANA-MPA / G. Pappas) -- Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou addressed an audience at the noted Humboldt University here on Monday evening, although his speech was interrupted at several points by a group of students shouting slogans and unfurling a banner in the auditorium.On his part, Papandreou called on the protesters to first listen to his speech and then protest if they want. According to reports, the Greek PM asked if the protesters had a representative who could take the podium and express their views. "In Greece we need to proceed with major changes; it would be good if protest, by itself, could solve Greece's problems." (ANA-MPA) More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form  [04] H1N1 deaths in Greece climb to 99 since start of year(ÁÍÁ-ÌPA) -- Deaths caused by the H1N1 virus in Greece climbed to 99 since the start of the year, according to figures released by Greek authorities on Monday. Another 127 people were receiving treatment in intensive care units for complications caused by the virus.Experts estimate that the epidemic peaked during the past week but expect a spike in the number of deaths during the current and following week. The epidemic is expected to gradually abate from the start of March and to have completely subsided in six weeks. (ÁÍÁ-ÌPA) More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form  [05] Nationwide general labor strike on WednesdayA nationwide general labor strike has been called on Wednesday by the country's two largest umbrella labor federations GSEE and ADEDY, representing the private and public sector respectively, while two protest demonstrations will be held in downtown Athens that same day, at the Pedion tou Areos Park and in Omonia Square.Strikers on Wednesday include civil servants, public utilities and organisations (DEKO) employees, private sector employees, the mass media, doctors, state hospital employees, urban bus and trolley employees and seamen. Buses and trolleys will not be operating on Wednesday, while the Athens and Metro will be running regularly. The ISAP urban trains will operate from 9am to 5 pm to enable strikers to take part in the demonstrations and marches in Athens, according to an ISAP employees' union announcement. Ships will remain anchored in port throughout the country as the Panhellenic Seamen's Federation (PNO) has announced participation in Wednesday's strike. Also, air traffic will come to a halt from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday due to a work-stoppage by Air Traffic Controllers. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form  [06] Record store closuresA record number of 65,000 commercial stores have closed down and 100,000 jobs have been lost all over Greece in the past 13 months. Of these, 25 percent have closed in the wider region of downtown Athens according to the latest data by the Athens Trade Society. The main reason is the inability of owners to pay their rents that constitute the biggest burden on the stores' operational cost.Over the last three months a downward trend is being observed in the rents of downtown stores that reaches up to 30 percent. The stores that are estimated to have closed, according to the Athens Trade Society's data, are only groundfloor stores and those located on floors are not included. On the part of owners, the trend is being noted of the traditional rent contract between the owner and the storekeeper being replaced by private agreements through which the owner of the real estate participates in the turnover of the business with perentages ranging between 20-25 percent. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form  [07] Migrants rescued from sinking boatA group of 100 illegal migrants and three migrant-runners were rescued from a semi-capsized sailboat south of the island of Lefkada late Monday by Greek coast guard vessels and nearby fishing boats.The distressed sailboat was spotted by a nearby tanker on Monday evening and the Marine Affairs and Islands ministry's operations center was immediately alerted. The vessel was found just off of Lefkada semi-capsized and taking on water. The migrants were taken to the island's medical center for precautionary reasons, where they were given food and water. The three migrant-smugglers were taken into custody and were being held at the Lefkada port authority. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form  [08] Helliniko project 'fast tracked'(ÁÍÁ-ÌPA) -- The government on Monday announced plans to set up a "Helliniko S.Á." company, responsible for the management and exploitation of facilities of the former Helliniko airport and surrounding properties. The new company will have an equity capital of 1.5 million euros.The establishment of the company was included in a new tax draft bill, tabled to Parliament on Monday. Under the plan, the transfer of any part or all the property will require (ÁÍÁ-ÌPA) government legislation - after completion of the propertyâs value. Minister of State Haris Pamboukis is currently visiting Qatar for talks over the exploitation of the former airport, while an inter-governmental commission for strategic investments unanimously agreed to include the Helliniko project in a fast track procedure for large-scale investments in the country. (ÁÍÁ-ÌPA) More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form  [09] Debt at 340 bln euros in '10(ÁÍÁ-ÌPA) -- Greeceâs central government debt totaled 340.277 billion euros at the end of last year, up from 336.807 billion euros on Sept. 30, 2010, the finance ministry announced to the ANA-MPA on Monday.The ministry noted the countryâs reserves totaled 7.187 billion euros on Dec. 31, 2010, down from 11.176 billion euros three months earlier. (ÁÍÁ-ÌPA) More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form  [10] ASE opening: PlungeEquity prices were declining at the opening of trade on Tuesday on the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE), with the basic share price index down 2.55 percent, standing at 1,625.90 points at 12:15 pm, and turnover at 52.51 million euros.Individual sector indices were moving downward across the board, with the heaviest losses in Mass Media, down 5.12 percent; Public Utilities, down 3.60 percent; and Banks, down 3.05 percent. The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was down 2.59 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was down 1.50 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was down 2.37 percent. Of the stocks traded, 14 were up, 96 were down, and 15 were unchanged. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form  [11] Athens Newspaper HeadlinesThe Tuesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glanceEconomic and taxation issues, and the violence in Libya were the main front-page items in Athens' dailies on Tuesday. ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "All of PASOK 'numb' after revelation that Papandreou brought the IMF to Greece". AVGHI: "Admission of collusion with IMF". ELEFTHEROS: "Ten adverse changes to military officers' benefits". ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "They're cutting the benefits received by the families of soldiers killed while on duty". ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Bank deposits to be seized of those who do not pay VAT revenues to the state". ESTIA: "Statism returning". ETHNOS: "Gaddafi bombing Libya - International shock caused by Gaddafi airforce's bombing of Libyan capital". IMERISSIA: "Banks take up battle positions". KATHIMERINI: "Gaddafi sank Libya in blood". LOGOS: "End of sales period, opening of bankruptcies". NAFTEMPORIKI: "Penalisation of tax evasion". NIKI: "The secret that National Bank of Greece is 'hiding'." RIZOSPASTIS: "General strike tomorrow". TA NEA: "Taxes and other debts of the State to companies and professionals will be counterbalanced with the taxes the latter must pay to the state". VRADYNI: "The state will pay (its debts to public sector or private companies) with bonds". More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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