Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 12-03-28

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Government work will continue during election campaign period

[02] PASOK Political Council holds meeting on election campaign

[03] PASOK leader Venizelos addressed the party's political council

[04] ND party accuses PASOK party leader Venizelos of inconsistency

[05] LA.O.S leader Karatzaferis criticises plans for illegal migrant reception centres

[06] Bakoyannis: Greece's European future at stake in upcoming elections

[07] Political parties to receive 7.72 million euros

[08] Eurostat chief, Almunia support Georgiou in Parliament probe of 2009 deficit figure

[09] Foreign Minister Dimas met with the Special Envoy of the U.S. Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy

[10] Energy issues the focus of Maniatis-Morningstar meeting

[11] Cohn-Bendit, Harms urge EU policy shift on migration, economy at Eco-Greens event Athens

[12] Local authorities must 'make do' with existing funds, interior minister stresses

[13] Culture Minister Geroulanos in Ukraine

[14] Culture minister gives World Tourism Organisation sg guided tour of Acropolis

[15] Alternate Greek FM on Cyprus, meets Christofias

[16] Dollis on working visit to Cyprus, meets Cypriot foreign minister

[17] Justice ministry document calls for construction of more prison facilities

[18] Education Minister Babiniotis meets with university rectors

[19] Universities at risk of closing due to PSI bond swap

[20] German General Consul in Thessaloniki visits Volos town hall

[21] OECD calls for further structural reforms

[22] Eurobarometer: 31 pct of Greek SMEs in 'green' economy

[23] Greek exports up 37 pct in 2011

[24] Trade deficit down 20.1pct in Jan. 2012

[25] Greek real estate market says "current situation dramatic"

[26] Flexopack reports improved 2011 results

[27] Bussiness Briefs

[28] Greek stocks end significantly lower

[29] ADEX closing report

[30] Greek bond market closing report

[31] Foreign Exchange rates - Wednesday

[32] Healthcare sector mobilizations on Thursday

[33] Metro, ISAP, Tram work-stoppage Wednesday

[34] Three suspects arrested in Athens for drug dealing

[35] One arrest for bank fraud in Athens

[36] Unidentified man's body found

[37] 36 illegal migrants repatriated

[38] Cloudy on Wednesday

[39] The Tuesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glance Politics

[01] Government work will continue during election campaign period

Referring to the likely election date, he said that Parliament might well be dissolved the Wednesday before Orthodox Easter, meaning that a definitive decision on the election date could be announced within the next few days.

Referring to the issue of the deregulation of taxi services, he said that a consultation process is underway.

On the strong objections raised by regional governors to the creation of illegal migrant reception centres across the country, Kapsis stressed the importance of a complete consultation, adding that the government plan will be implemented as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, it was announced that Prime Minister Lucas Papademos will complete his round of talks with the political party leaders on Wednesday when he will meet with Democratic Left leader Fotis Kouvelis.

[02] PASOK Political Council holds meeting on election campaign

Among these she listed the creation of a candidate selection committee coordinated by Vassilis Geranidis, the appointment of Stelios Aggeloudis as head of political planning and Christina Manolopoulou as head of the party's president's political bureau, with Nikos Salagiannis taking on the role of PASOK general director.

She also announced a meeting of the extended National Council on April 6, with the participation of regional and prefecture party organisation secretaries and a delegation from PASOK's youth group.

Gennimata said that the General Election Committee will be announced on Wednesday and that circulars will be sent out concerning the process for nominating candidates.

On the planning of the election campaign, she said the party will "invest in its political language and relations of honesty with the citizens" and have the smallest possible budget, with minimal spending on fliers, posters and related election material.

She stressed that this would not mean exclusive reliance on the media to get across the party's message but also on personal contact with individual citizens, with PASOK anxious to hear first-hand the anger and frustration of the citizens.

Sources at the party headquarters explained a poster that appeared on Monday as an "attempt" to participate by young people supporting the party and that the party genuinely did not intend to use posters or rent campaign offices.

[03] PASOK leader Venizelos addressed the party's political council

Venizelos underlined that there should be a transition from the memorandum to a national reconstruction plan, adding that across-the-board economic measures would have been avoided if the structural reforms were implemented in the proper time.

He also stressed the need for the adoption of offset measures "to ensure that the sacrifices made by the Greek people will not be vain."

[04] ND party accuses PASOK party leader Venizelos of inconsistency

Referring to statements by Venizelos, according to which what he cares about is self-sufficient Greece, ND spokesman Yiannis Mihelakis stressed that "it is understood absolutely now, the leader of the party that is collapsing to be in the grips of defeatism" and reminded of past statem?nts by Venizelos on the issue of majority self-sufficiency, statements which, as he said "reveal a conflict of Venizelos against Venizelos, full of contradictions."

According to ND, what Venizelos was saying in the past is exactly the opposite of what he is saying today.

[05] LA.O.S leader Karatzaferis criticises plans for illegal migrant reception centres

Karatzaferis stated that Chryssohoidis is treating the Greek people like fools, adding that a radical solution to the problem is necessary "considering that the illegal migrants in Greece are numbering roughly 2 million and the borders are being illegally crossed on a daily basis."

Karatzaferis suggested that Greece should withdraw from the Schengen Agreement and provide the illegal migrants with travel documents allowing them to leave the country, adding that "anything else would be nothing more than half measures that are an insult to the people's intelligence."

[06] Bakoyannis: Greece's European future at stake in upcoming elections

She said that voters must decide whether Greece "must go through a difficult, uphill course but with light at the end of the tunnel, a future for our children and grandchildren," or whether the country will embark on a perilous and uncertain course.

Bakoyannis noted that she had counted seven parties vying for the Greek peoples' vote based on the latest polls, adding that never before "have there been so many parties seeking the vote of the Greeks without proposing any plan or prospect for the future".

She also emphasised that her Democratic Alliance party had consistently supported the same positions, without u-turns, and insisted on the need for a change in the political and party system, with a reduction in the number of MPs to 200, a reduction in MP salaries and party subsidies and the creation of a social safety net to protect against unfair cutbacks.

[07] Political parties to receive 7.72 million euros

According to the decision, the amount approved corresponds to one quarter of the sum allocated to political parties in the first quarter of 2012.

Based on the decision, PASOK will receive 3,107,705 euros, New Democracy (ND) 2,429,469 euros, the communist party KKE 746,737 euros, Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.O.S) 622,748 euros, Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) 556,005 euros and Ecologists-Greens 257,333 euros.

[08] Eurostat chief, Almunia support Georgiou in Parliament probe of 2009 deficit figure

Radermacher's written statement supported the approach taken by ELSTAT chief Andreas Georgiou concerning the obligation to follow Eurostat's ESA 95 handbook that led to the revision of Greece's deficit to 15.8 percent.

Radermacher noted that "the methodology that is applied in statistics for the Excessive Deficit Procedure is created on a European level, while the technical issues of training that are linked to the implementation of this methodology are not foreseen to be an object of discussion and decision at the board of the National Statistical Authority".

Concerning the inclusion of public utilities in the general government deficit, Radermacher said that Greece had been asked to classify public utilities since 2002 and that the other member-states "classify certain state enterprises in the general government sector".

According to Almunia, however, the board members that clashed with Georgiou on this issue were also not entirely unjustified, since there was no legal binding obligation on each national statistical authority to follow the code.

According to Almunia, all finance ministers in Greece and Europe were aware of the risk of a possible crisis in 2009, though it was hard to predict precisely when and how quickly such a crisis might unfold in each country.

He also noted that the European Commission had warned in July 2009 that Greece's deficit was likely to exceed 10 percent of GDP and considered the official 5 percent GDP target over-optimistic. The Commission had also repeatedly raised concerns in its reports about Greece's 'weak' basic indices.

Questioned about the Commission's decision to approve economic policy programmes presented by the New Democracy government and then its successor PASOK government, the Commissioner noted that the measures would have succeeded if they had been properly and promptly implemented but that, in many cases, "they had a limited field of implementation and a small degree of execution".

[09] Foreign Minister Dimas met with the Special Envoy of the U.S. Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy

Foreign Minister Dimas expressed the satisfaction of the Greek side for Greece's exception from the U.S. sanctions related with the Iranian oil imports.

Dimas underlined that the discovery of natural gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean creates a new major potential considering that it offers Europe a valuable alternative energy resource and transport route with Greece playing an important role in the process.

Afterwards, the Special Envoy of the U.S. Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy met with foreign ministry secretary general, Ambassador Y.-A. Zepos.

[10] Energy issues the focus of Maniatis-Morningstar meeting

Morningstar will be making an address on Wednesday at the conference organised by the Economist magazine, on the issue of investments in energy in Greece, Cyprus and Israel. An energy cooperation agreement will also be signed in the framework of the conference.

[11] Cohn-Bendit, Harms urge EU policy shift on migration, economy at Eco-Greens event Athens

He also stressed the need for a new European policy on migration and for cooperation between Greece, Turkey and the European Union to stem the tide of illegal migrants, given that Turkey was the main transit country for migrants entering Greece and the EU.

"If Europe does not develop new relations of cooperation with Turkey, then the Greek-Turkish border will never be secure," he emphasised.

Harms noted that investment in armaments was "an investment in old ideas" and stressed the need to overcome the "conflicts of yesterday".

The two MEPs also expressed strong concern over the severe recession of the Greek economy and the discussion underway for a form of 'Marshall Plan' that was failing to materialise, emphasising the need to make use of European funds with targeted and well-prepared activities in public works, energy programmes that preferentially made use of renewable energy sources, quality agriculture and tourism and decentralised initiatives.

"Greeks have offered humanity much through their ingenuity and creativity. Now they must exploit these for themselves," Cohn-Bendit noted, stressing the need to change the country's "political culture" and put an end to clientelism.

There was also criticism of the economic policy followed by the EU, which they said should be more cohesive and put greater emphasis on social cohesion.

[12] Local authorities must 'make do' with existing funds, interior minister stresses

He reaffirmed his intention to cooperate with municipalities where this was possible but underlined that any increase in funding for any sector of public administration meant taking money from another. In terms of institutional issues, the minister said that these would be "satisfactorily addressed" by legislation being prepared by the interior ministry.

Yiannitsis said that 300 million euro - out of 450 million euro requested by municipalities - had already been secured under the budget. Concerning the 15 percent reduction in the monthly funding for municipalities, Deputy Interior Minister Paris Koukoulopoulos apparently left open the possibility that this might be suspended after May and the upcoming elections.

Attica municipalities afterward grumbled, however, that they had once again been referred to the finance ministry to resolve their economic demands. Athens Mayor George Kaminis stressed, also, that in a time of crisis when the social role of local authorities was increasingly important, reducing funds for local government was not the answer.

[13] Culture Minister Geroulanos in Ukraine

Geroulanos thanked the Ukrainian citizens that visited Greece in 2011, adding that his ministry, in cooperation with the Greek embassy in Kiev, has been successful in facilitating those who want to visit Greece.

Focusing on the visa issue, the Greek minister noted that Ukraine has an ally in its effort for the simplification of the Schengen procedures.

Earlier, Geroulanos spoke at the inauguration of the Ukrainian Travel Forum 2012 and invited the Ukrainian tourists to choose Greece again for their vacations, adding that despite the negative images and news, mostly appearing in the foreign press, "we are here to prove the opposite".

Greece is one of the safest countries in the world," he stressed.

The Greek minister also met with his Ukrainian counterpart Mykhaylo Kulynyaka with whom he discussed the cultural cooperation between the two countries.

[14] Culture minister gives World Tourism Organisation sg guided tour of Acropolis

He was briefed on restoration work that is underway.

[15] Alternate Greek FM on Cyprus, meets Christofias

Cyprus President Demetres Christofias received Dollis on Tuesday and after their one-hour meeting the Greek official noted that "Greece and Cyprus have the same targets and we are heading in the same direction". The two men also exchanged views and thoughts on Christofias' recent visit to the USA.

The Greek deputy FM referred to Cyprus's assumption of the European Council presidency in the second half of 2012, expressing his certainty that the Cyprus presidency "must write history" and for this the two countries' governments will have a close cooperation.

Finally Dollis said that "It was a very fruitful discussion between two people who know each other very well for many years".

[16] Dollis on working visit to Cyprus, meets Cypriot foreign minister

Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Dollis wrapped up a working visit to Cyprus on Tuesday by meeting Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Markoulli. No statements were made after the meeting.

Sources said the two ministers discussed the Cyprus issue, Cyprus' upcoming European Council presidency and other issues of mutual interest.

Dollis also met Cyprus Archibishop Chrysostomos.

[17] Justice ministry document calls for construction of more prison facilities

The document was forwarded in response to a question by New Democracy (ND) MP Ioannis Plakiotakis on the detention conditions in prison facilities.

Petalotis stated that classified security plans have been prepared to be implemented in case of emergency incidents in correctional facilities.

As regards the inmate population in Greek prisons, the deputy justice minister stated that on Jan. 1, 2012 the prison population comprised 11,892 adult inmates, 587 minors and individuals treated in prison infirmaries and 40 AIDS patients.

[18] Education Minister Babiniotis meets with university rectors

Many universities are on the verge of financial collapse following the conversion of their funds into Greek state bonds by the Bank of Greece (BoG) and the subsequent PSI bond swap scheme they were forced to accept in March.

The minister of education pledged to do everything in his power to restore, even partially, the operation of the universities, stating that he fully understands the problems they are faced with.

The issue was discussed earlier in a meeting between the prime minister and the minister of education.

[19] Universities at risk of closing due to PSI bond swap

An emergency council of university rectors on Tuesday said that only 33 million euro remained of 120 million euro that 17 Greek universities had deposited with the Bank of Greece for the operating expenses, while six university accounts were now completely empty and would soon be unable to stay open.

The rectors decided to set up a legal committee to claim the money lost but at this point will focus on making university finances independent of the election of a governing board as demanded by the new framework-law and the approval of their 2012 budgets.

[20] German General Consul in Thessaloniki visits Volos town hall

The Volos mayor outlined the identity and advantages of the greater city of Volos for the German Consul and referred to the municipality's plans and actions. The two sides expressed the will for a continuation of cooperation on issues of developmental and environmental interest.

Financial News

[21] OECD calls for further structural reforms

Greece, along with other Eurozone countries facing fiscal problems, were necessary to stick to their commitments, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said on Tuesday.

Presenting the report, OECD's secretary general Angel Gurria said that austerity policies were not an end in itself but a necessary tool towards returning to economic recovery. Gurria also referred to the positive elements of a coordinated restructuring of the Greek debt.

The OECD report also underlined, among others, some of the basic challenges facing the Greek economy, such as lifting hurdles in competition and boosting the participation of the private sector in economic activity in the country. In the labor market, the Organization recommended lowering labor costs and stressed the need to reforming the tax system, offering tax incentives to extending labor period for senior citizens and underlined the need to reduce taxation on labor and boosting education.

Gurria called on Eurozone countries to agree -the soonest possible- on raising the size of a rescue fund to 1.0 trillion euros to better protecting the Eurozone's weakest links. OECD stressed that the debt crisis in the Eurozone was not over, although conditions in financial markets were more normal now. Fiscal consolidation was necessary and must be accompanied by a policy focusing on price stability, OECD said in a report, while it underlined the need to promoting structural reforms which will boost economic growth, improve debt sustainability and balance economic activity.

[22] Eurobarometer: 31 pct of Greek SMEs in 'green' economy

Greek small and medium-sized businesses are part of a European shift toward a green economy, based on the findings of a Eurobarometer poll released on Tuesday.

According to the survey, 31 percent of SMEs in Greece offer green products and services as opposed to 26 percent in the EU and 18 percent are considering making their business greener in the future, compared with 8 percent in the EU.

'Green' products and services are defined as those whose main function is to reduce environmental hazard, minimise pollution and save resources.

In Greece, 40 percent of the companies belonging to the 'green' economy offer products and services with environmental features, such as organic foods. Another 30 percent are involved in the recycling of materials and 21 percent in the management of renewable energy sources or solid wastes.

Based on the survey, 45 percent of SMEs in Greece (compared with 37 percent in the EU) have at least one full- or part-time employee whose work involves promoting green products and services.

The European Commission noted that 'green' jobs are mostly created by SMEs rather than large companies, with the ratio of of green employees standing at 1:8 in SMEs and 1:33 in large companies.

Approximately three in five (60 percent) of SMEs in Greece and the EU that sell green products or services have activity in green markets for more than three years, compared with 52 percent in the United States.

The vast majority of green businesses in both Greece and the EU (87 percent) operate mainly in their national markets, while 37 percent of Greek 'green' businesses also operate in EU countries, 6 percent in Africa and the Middle East, 5 percent in Asia and the South Pacific and 5 percent in Latin America.

Demand from customers is the main reason driving the offer of 'green' goods and services (40 percent), while another 30 percent is driven by company values and image. In Greece, 83 percent of SMEs (compared with 93 percent in the EU) are taking measures for an more efficient use of resources, with 52 percent saving energy, 65 percent recycling and 27 percent minimising waste.

Financial incentives are considered the best means to help SMEs become greener, with 63 percent of Greek SMEs considering that tax relief, subisidies and loans are the best policy measures to support investments in energy efficiency. Another 37 perent of Greek SMEs that currently do not offer green products and services believe that financial incentives are the best means for them to develop a broad range of green products and services.

[23] Greek exports up 37 pct in 2011

The US remained at the seventh place, followed by the UK (eighth from fifth in 2010), France (ninth from eighth in 2010) and Romania (10th from ninth in 2010).

An analysis of Greek export figures for 2011 also showed that 15 new products, mainly from building materials, machinery-packaging, fertilizers, food and beverage were included in the top 100 most exporting Greek products in 2011. Also seven new markets were included in the list of Greek export destinations (Tongo, Argentina, Falkland Islands, Benin, Bangladesh, Peru and Santa Helena), while Bahrain, Bahamas, Cameroon, Uruguay, Vietnam, Philippines and Surinam were excluded from the top 100 markets.

Uzbekistan (1,044 pct), Argentina (645 pct), Singapore (470 pct), Georgia (434 pct), Saudi Arabia (145 pct), South Korea (143 pct), UAE (123 pct), Syria (110 pct), Turkey (104 pct), China (82 pct) and the US (81 pct) recorded the biggest percentage growth rates in 2010, while Jordan, Niger, Bahrain, Philippines, Iceland, Mexico, Bahamas and Kazakhstan recorded the biggest percentage declines of the year.

Greek exports grew by 37 pct in 2011 to 22.451 billion euros, from 16.392 billion euros in 2010, reflecting a widening export activity throughout developed markets. Imports fell 10 pct in 2011, and as a result the country's trade deficit fell by 10.9 billion euros to 20.8 billion euros in 2011.

The list with the country's top export product includes:

2011 2010 Product description value 2011 (mln euros)

1 1 Oil products 6,366.2

2 6 Aluminium plates, films and leaves 562.5

3 4 Confidentiality products 530.1

4 2 Pharmaceuticals 475.6

5 3 Fresh fish 451.6

6 14 Iron or steel rods 356.8

7 7 Pipes 340.8

8 8 Processed vegetables 264.4

9 9 Apricots, cherries, peaches 251.2

10 5 Cotton 234.8

11 10 Feta cheese/cephalotiri 234.2

12 12 Fur/leather products 215.9

13 11 Extra virgin olive oil 211.1

14 23 Aluminium products 204.4

[24] Trade deficit down 20.1pct in Jan. 2012

ELSTAT, in a report, said that the total value of imports-arrivals, excluding oil products, in January 2012 amounted to 2239.9 million euros (2882.1 million dollars) in comparison with 2655.1 million euros (3536.3 million dollars) in January 2011, recording a drop, in euros, of 15.6%.

The total value of exports-dispatches, excluding oil products, in January 2012 amounted to 1200.4 million euros (1553.8 million dollars) in comparison with 1188.9 million euros (1593.0 million dollars) in January 2011, recording an increase, in euros, of 1.0%.

The deficit of the trade balance, excluding oil products, in January 2012 amounted to 1039.5 million euros (1328.3 million dollars) in comparison with 1466.2 million euros (1943.3 million dollars) in January 2011, recording a drop, in euros, of 29.1%.

[25] Greek real estate market says "current situation dramatic"

Stratos Paradias, president of the Panhellenic Federation of the Real Estate Market (POMIDA), said that real estate transactions fell by at least 33 pct last year, compared with 2005, sales of large apartments in high-end areas fell by more than 70 pct in the 2009-2011 period, sales of used homes fell by more than 50 pct from 2009, while sales of holiday homes plunged 80 pct in the 2009-2011 period.

Building permits fell by 40 pct in 2011, compared with 2010, after a 25 pct decline in the 2010/2009 period, leading around one million workers in the building sector in danger of unemployment. Paradias added that around 110-120,000 newly-built homes were unsold -an all-time record number- and urged the government to postpone the implementation of a new property tax, to lower tax rates and to offer incentives to taxpayers in order to avoid a massive wave of foreclosures and property auctions.

[26] Flexopack reports improved 2011 results

[27] Bussiness Briefs

[28] Greek stocks end significantly lower

1.91 pct to end at 752.70 points, with turnover rising slightly tot 45.818 million euros.

The Big Cap index dropped 3.04 pct, the Mid Cap index eased 0.95 pct and the Small Cap index fell 1.69 pct. The Telecoms (1.26 pct) and Utilities (1.04 pct) sectors scored gains, while Banks (8.04 pct), Technology (5.49 pct) and Health (4.01 pct) suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day.

Viohalco (2.40 pct), PPC (1.58 pct) and OTE (1.26 pct) were top gainers among blue chip stocks, while Eurobank (17.5 pct), Alpha Bank (15.08 pct), Hellenic Postbank (12.68 pct) and Piraeus Bank (9.70 pct) were top losers.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 84 to 50 with another 35 issues unchanged. Sprider (25.69 pct), HOL (19.8 pct) and Ridenco (19.05 pct) were top gainers, while Varvaresos (19.15 pct), Sanyo Hellas (18.52 pct) and Eurobank (17.5 pct) were top losers.

Sector indices ended as follows:

Industrials: +0.69%

Commercial: -4.67%

Construction: -0.60%

Oil & Gas: -0.71%

Personal & Household: -0.44%

Raw Materials: -2.93%

Travel & Leisure: +0.26%

Technology: -5.49%

Telecoms: +1.26%

Banks: -8.04%

Food & Beverages: -0.94%

Health: -4.01%

Utilities: +1.04%

Chemicals: -3.76%

Financial Services: -2.99%

The stocks with the highest turnover were National Bank, Alpha Bank, EFG Eurobank Ergasias and OPAP.

Selected shares from the FTSE/ASE-20 index closed in euros as follows:

Alpha Bank: 1.07

Public Power Corp (PPC): 3.85

HBC Coca Cola: 14.46

Hellenic Petroleum: 5.75

National Bank of Greece: 2.14

EFG Eurobank Ergasias: 0.66

OPAP: 7.42

OTE: 3.22

Bank of Piraeus: 0.30

Titan: 14.18

[29] ADEX closing report

Volume in futures contracts on equities totaled 44,167 contracts worth 6.992 million euros, with investment interest focusing on Alpha Bank's contracts (19,505), followed by Cyprus Bank (3,409), MIG (1,029), OTE (1,412), PPC (687), OPAP (950), Piraeus Bank (2,443), National Bank (11,446), Marfin Popular Bank (562), Mytilineos (367), Hellenic Postbank (804), GEK (304) and Intralot (193).

[30] Greek bond market closing report

In interbank markets, interest rates continued moving lower. The 12-month rate fell to 1.43 pct, the six-month rate eased to 1.09 pct, the three-month rate fell 0.79 pct and the one-month rate was unchanged at 0.42 pct.

[31] Foreign Exchange rates - Wednesday

U.S. dollar 1.353

Pound sterling 0.848

Danish kroner 7.547

Swedish kroner 9.026

Japanese yen 112.23

Swiss franc 1.223

Norwegian kroner 7.684

Canadian dollar 1.343

Australian dollar 1.287

General News

[32] Healthcare sector mobilizations on Thursday

Medical doctors and nurses will join the 4-hour work stoppage (from 11:30 a.m. until the end of the shift) called by ADEDY, the umbrella trade union in the public sector.

According to a decision by their federation POEDHN, public hospital staff, EKAB ambulance service and welfare services' employees will hold a 5-hour work stoppage from 10:00 a.m. until 15:00 p.m.

An ADEDY statement underlined that "the mobilizations are called in protest against the government policy in the health sector that leads to the downgrading and virtual dissolution of hospital and primary healthcare services with catastrophic consequences on the quality of the services offered to the people."

[33] Metro, ISAP, Tram work-stoppage Wednesday

The employees of the Athens Metro, Tram and ISAP train will hold a work stoppage from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., which means that only bus services will be running in Athens during those hours.

In a joint announcement, the unions of the three commuter rail services accuse the STASY administration of attempting to abolish the entire institutional framework with a view of downgrading not only the employees but also the transportation product provided.

They warned that a reduction of the transportation provided, increase in tickets, ticket-evasion and transfers and layoffs of personnel have no relationship with restructuring of the companies to the benefit of the citizen.

[34] Three suspects arrested in Athens for drug dealing

Police, acting on a tip-off, located the suspects and, following a coordinated operation, arrested them.

A total of 22.24 kilograms of cannabis, 4,000 euros in cash, two cars, a precision scale and five mobile phones were confiscated.

The suspects will be sent before an Athens prosecutor.

[35] One arrest for bank fraud in Athens

The automobiles, purchased fraudulently from car dealerships, were resold with fake licence plates by the suspects who obtained huge profits.

The financial damage caused to the defrauded bank is estimated at hundreds of thousands of euro. The investigation continues until the case is resolved.

The 35-year-old, who was led before an examining judge on Tuesday, is also accused of being in the country illegally.

[36] Unidentified man's body found

Police re conducting an investigation into the circumstances of the death and the victim's identity.

[37] 36 illegal migrants repatriated

Specifically, one Iranian, a Hungarian and thirty four Pakistanis left from Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" with destinations Teheran, Budapest and Islamabad.

The cost of the repatriation is covered by the European Repatriations Fund.

Weather forecast

[38] Cloudy on Wednesday

[39] The Tuesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glance

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "The public sector collapsing".

AVGHI: "Pre-electoral 'concentration camps' - 30 'holding' camps for illegal immigrants".

AVRIANI: "ND-PASOK pre-electoral argument over hirings, taxis and taxes".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Presumed proof of lifestyle and taxes on unlicensed structures".

ESTIA: "The economy in absolute stagnation".

ETHNOS: "Default...in salary payments in 150,000 enterprises".

IMERISSIA: "Confusion with the real estate properties".

KATHIMERINI: "Plan for 30 illegal immigrant centers".

LOGOS: "How the new cuts in the auxiliary pensions will be made".

NAFTEMPORIKI: "The social security 'bomb' ready to explode in June".

NIKI: "3 steps to reduce your rent by half".

RIZOSPASTIS: "Obstruct the creation of the concentration camps for migrants".

TA NEA: "Pre-electoral theatrics with the structures lacking building permits".

VRADYNI: "Guide to filling in the E1 income tax form - What mistakes to avoid".

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