Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 14-04-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greek FinMin says Greek, European banks 'safe'

[02] FinMin Stournaras expresses satisfaction over Eurogroup decisions

[03] FinMin Stournaras: 'I am glad to be at the Finance ministry'

[04] Ecofin to focus on banking union

[05] Chancellor Merkel confirms plans to visit Greece

[06] Gov't gen. secretary resigns over GD claims; PM: 'If true, he has no place in gov't'

[07] Baltakos resigns following allegations by GD's Kasidiaris concerning his party's prosecution

[08] Venizelos on the Baltakos case

[09] SYRIZA says government moves in handling GD were 'opportunist'

[10] SYRIZA leader calls for resignation of Public Order, Justice ministers

[11] DIMAR accuses the government of playing political games with ultra-right Golden Dawn

[12] Government should resign over Baltakos incident, Ind. Greeks leader says

[13] KKE party calls on government to take specific stand on Baltakos issue

[14] Justice Minister Athanassiou on the videotaped conversation between Baltakos and Kassidiaris

[15] Dendias rejects as 'figments of a sick imagination' allegations stemming from controversial video

[16] Fist-fight in parliament between Baltakos' son and Golden DawnMPs

[17] Parliament lifts immunity of five Golden Dawn MPs

[18] Commissioner Kallas to be responsible for Olli Rehn's portfolio as of April 19

[19] Main opposition SYRIZA leader to visit Palermo

[20] Parliamentary committee on German war reparations to convene on Thursday

[21] Minister on public-sector reform: 'I don't feel answerable to the troika but to Greek citizens'

[22] GSEE demands cancellation of Piraeus port privatisation in letter to PM

[23] Administrative Reform Minister presents the ministry's reform agenda

[24] The government's message to social groups appealing to justice to claim wage increases

[25] Greek producers against new sanctions on Russia

[26] KKE: Monopolies will exit stronger from the crisis

[27] Network for Recording Incidents of Racist Violence presented annual report for 2013

[28] Prison sentence convertible to fine for jailed former minister over inaccurate wealth statement

[29] Dev't ministry holds meeting on new NSRF programme, 2014-2020

[30] Shipping Minister Varvitsiotis introduces clause on standby 'strike' ship; settles unpaid seamen issue

[31] Unregistered work on the decline, Labour ministry reveals

[32] Greek economic sentiment index jumped to six-year highs in March

[33] Loan/deposit interest rate spread fell in February

[34] Greek bond yields tumble to four-year low, FT reports

[35] Greek stocks end 0.76 pct higher

[36] Greek bond market closing report

[37] ADEX closing report

[38] Foreign Exchange rates - Thursday

[39] Olympia Odos to close from Selianitika to Aigio interchange on Wednesday afternoon

[40] Greece and Turkey to sign protocol for bridge construction at border crossing

[41] Two defendants in Fyssas' murder case to appear before investigating magistrates during the Holy Week

[42] Serres prosecutor to begin taking testimonies on death of Albanian prisoner within the week

[43] Athens to open a Maria Callas Museum in 2015

[44] Fifty-year anniversary of Greek Programme of Deutsche Welle to be commemorated

[45] Ships to sail normally as of Thursday morning, after maritime union suspends strike

[46] Ancient Olympia mayor released on bail, following charges of refuse dumping

[47] Tsohatzopoulos house near Acropolis to remain property of state, court decides

[48] Israel to be 'country of honour' at 11th Thessaloniki Book Fair

[49] Four Bulgarians jailed for trying to sell a 10-day-old infant

[50] 'Women & Girls Go Digital' conference in Athens

[51] Greek science and culture portal openarchives.gr upgraded

[52] Overcast on Thursday

[53] The Wednesday edition of Athens' dailies Politics

[01] Greek FinMin says Greek, European banks 'safe'

Speaking to reporters, in a press conference after chairing the second session of an informal ECOFIN meeting held in the Greek capital, the Greek Finance Minister stressed that banks in Greece and the European Union were safe, underlining that very significant steps have been made towards an ambitious goal of banking union and noted that by mid-April all related regulations would be ready for voting by the European Parliament. A European Council is expected to ratify these regulations afterwards. The process of banking union will continue under the Italian EU Presidency.

Commenting on Greek banks, Stournaras stressed that from a total of 50 billion euros earmarked for their recapitalisation, 25 billion euros were used for the recapitalisation of systemic banks, 14 billion euros for the liquidation of banks - where necessary - and the remaining 11 billion euros remained as reserve capital at the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund. The Greek FinMin noted that if these moneys were not needed for bank recapitalisation then they should be used to reduce the country's debt.

Satisfaction was also expressed by the European Commission's Director-General for Internal Markets and Services Jonathan Faull. He said that the banking sector will be the basic source of funding of the real economy, but stressed that European authorities were also promoting alternative sources of financing. He underlined that the main issue was that banks would be able to save themselves - if necessary - without burdening national governments and taxpayers.

[02] FinMin Stournaras expresses satisfaction over Eurogroup decisions

"Today we will discuss two main issues: first the reform on banks' restructuring and secondly the Banking Union, that is the Single Resolution Mechanism and the Intergovernmental Agreement.

As far as Greece is concerned, I am very satisfied. Seven countries should now turn to their parliaments for the relevant significant decisions. Eurogroup has already given its approval so that all those parliamentary procedures can go ahead and the next tranches can be disbursed. Generally speaking, I am satisfied. We had very interesting discussions on the economic situation and the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It was a fruitful ECOFIN and Eurogroup," the minister said ahead of the second working meeting of the informal Ecofin.

[03] FinMin Stournaras: 'I am glad to be at the Finance ministry'

"I have not made such a discussion with the prime minister. The fate of a minister and of the central bank's governor is in the hands of the Prime Minister and of the Parliament," Stournaras said.

When asked again by the the press he replied: No, I am glad to be at the Finance ministry.

[04] Ecofin to focus on banking union

The Greek presidency reached a political agreement with the European Parliament on the Single Bank Resolution Mechanism. This agreement was confirmed by the permanent representatives of the EU on March 27, 2014 and allows parliament to vote this legislative motion in its plenary before the end of the current parliamentary term, so that the regulation can be then formally adopted by the Council.

The ongoing implementation of the Single Banking Supervision Mechanism (SSM) is also on the agenda of the discussions. The discussions will take place after the presentation of the head of the Supervisory Council of SSM. Greek Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras referred to the organization of the 13th joint meeting of Ecofin / FEMIP (Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership), which is co-organized by the Greek presidency and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

The Ecofin ministers and ministers of the Mediterranean partner countries will exchange views on the "challenges and the leverage of sustainable development" as well as the importance of investments in the Mediterranean region.

EIB's strategy for the Mediterranean to 2020 will also be discussed in the meeting. Enhancing growth and job creation especially for young people is a common goal of the EU and the Mediterranean, the minister stressed.

[05] Chancellor Merkel confirms plans to visit Greece

A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday confirmed that the German chancellor intends to visit Greece on April 11.

Spokesman Georg Streiter said that Merkel will have a meeting with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras during the visit but declined to give further details, promising that these would be released over the coming days.

The planned visit had been leaked in a report by the German newspaper "Suddeutsche Zeitung" published on Wednesday. Citing sources, the paper said the visit was being made to "support the reforms of the Greek prime minister, who is coming under intense political pressure at home."

[06] Gov't gen. secretary resigns over GD claims; PM: 'If true, he has no place in gov't'

While addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Kasidiaris read out dialogue from an alleged secret video recording of a conversation between himself and Baltakos, in which the government general secretary appeared to admit that government directly interfered in the judicial handling of the case concerning the far-right party.

"All the things said by me had the aim of ridding me of the pressures directed at me by GD MPs, who accused me of taking part in a conspiracy against them," Baltakos said in a written statement announcing his resignation and apologising for the upheaval caused.

[07] Baltakos resigns following allegations by GD's Kasidiaris concerning his party's prosecution

Earlier, all the parliamentary political parties had called for an immediate investigation into the allegations made by Kassidiaris, who told Parliament that he had in his possession audiovisual material of a discussion he allegedly had with Baltakos, based on which the prosecution of his party was politically motivated.

Without adopting the allegations made by Kassidiaris, the political parties underlined that an investigation will have to be conducted to verify the authenticity of the audiovisual material, while opposition Independent Greeks (AN.EL) leader Panos Kammenos suggested the suspension of the ongoing procedure to lift the Parliamentary immunity of five GD MPs until the issue was cleared up.

On her part, Voultepsi underlined that the Parliament is not a court of law and will simply decide if justice will be given the opportunity to investigate the criminal organisation charges faced by the GD MPs. The same stance was adopted by PASOK, one of the two partners in the coalition government, and opposition Democratic Left (DIM.AR).

Main opposition Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) Parliamentary spokesman Dimitris Papadimoulis pointed out that the investigation into the case will be carried out by the justice system and, referring to Kasidiaris' allegations, he said "I hope they are untrue but if not, then we have a very serious issue."

Justice Minister Haralambos Athanassiou strongly denied that there was any involvement on his part , noting that justice is independent and for as long as he is minister its independence will be safeguarded.

Independent MP Vyron Polydoras, a former cadre of ND, said that "the prosecution against GD is borderline constitutional and legal," adding that ideologies are not prosecuted and GD had to be dealt with politically.

Earlier, during the discussion for the lifting of his Parliamentary immunity, Kassidiaris said that he had transcripts of a taped conversation he had with Baltakos allegedly proving that the government's efforts were aimed at winning over his party's voters and stopping SYRIZA's momentum.

Kassidiaris told Parliament that Baltakos had a conversation with him and allegedly admitted that the prosecutor handling the GD criminal organisation case had become the target of intervention from the ministers of public order and justice.

Also, Baltakos had allegedly told Kasidiaris that the prime minister became furious as soon as he learned that some of the GD cadres had not been remanded in custody and had made telephone calls to the ministers of justice and public order.

According to Kasidiaris, the recordings and transcripts have been submitted as evidence to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and will soon be posted on the internet.

In the wake of Kasidiaris' allegations, PASOK called for the immediate removal of Baltakos, noting that "the government mechanism should be free of extreme right-wing elements undermining government policy," while adding that the prosecutors and judicial officials handling the GD case have the party's unstinting respect.

In late March, Baltakos had made headlines again when he said on VIMA private radio that he was an "anti-communist", noting characteristically, "of course I am an anti-communist, that's who I am and this will not change until the day I die."

[08] Venizelos on the Baltakos case

Government vice-president and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos, in comments he made here earlier on Wednesday, called for the resignation of government general secretary Panagiotis Baltakos in response to allegations made by ultra-right Golden Dawn (GD) MP Ilias Kasidiaris, suggesting that interventions were made to judicial officials handling the GD criminal organization case.

Responding to a relevant question, Venizelos said that it is "the least that can be done," underlining that he is fully covered by PASOK's announcement on the issue.

Venizelos said that "any form of contact with racists, xenophobic individuals who organize acts of violence and function as a criminal organisation is unthinkable," and underlined that the independence of justice is respected and no one has the right to insult the members of the judiciary.

[09] SYRIZA says government moves in handling GD were 'opportunist'

SYRIZA noted that the "brotherly" conversation between "self-confessed anti-communist" Baltakos and GD's second-in-command creates a major political issue and reveals the utter opportunism in the way the neo-Nazi political party was handled by the government.

The videotaped conversation exposes the government and the prime minister's extreme-right environment, SYRIZA underlined, noting that a government that kept shelved the cases in which GD was implicated, and was openly flirting with the likelihood of a government cooperation with GD, decided to take action after the Fyssas' murder and now watches its senior officials snitching the government moves to GD.

SYRIZA underlined that it is confirmed that the government is an accomplice in the rise of the neo-Nazi phenomenon, clarifying that this does not mean that a criminal organization that uses mafia style methods is acquitted.

"The least the prime minister can do is to remove Baltakos," SYRIZA noted and called for ample light to be shed on all aspects of the case. Public order and justice ministers Nikos Dendias and Haralambos Athanassiou, respectively, are accountable and must give explanations, as well as the prime minister himself, SYRIZA underlined.

[10] SYRIZA leader calls for resignation of Public Order, Justice ministers

Tsipras added that a political and institutional issue exists, since the disclosures reveal the prime minister's way of thinking on a major issue concerning the political system's stability. We, he said, did not discover Golden Dawn's (Chryssi Avgi) criminal action with the killing, we were aware of it and we had denounced it many times.

He also said that SYRIZA had denounced the "selective relationships" between the Maximou Mansion and Golden Dawn and we now fully realise why Baltakos had stated about cooperation with Golden Dawn.

[11] DIMAR accuses the government of playing political games with ultra-right Golden Dawn

According to DIMAR, the taped conversation between Baltakos and Golden Dawn MP Ilias Kassidiaris records the behind-the-scenes moves between New Democracy circles and the neo-Nazi party.

DIMAR spoke about a huge political issue involving the government's core, underlining that the prime minister let a political figure keep its position for a long time, despite the fact that his overall stance had irritated the democratic public opinion.

His statements that he was "born an anti-communist and die an anti-communist" are still fresh, as well as, his fierce fight to block the the anti-racist draft bill, DIMAR underlined.

[12] Government should resign over Baltakos incident, Ind. Greeks leader says

According to Kammenos, even though the recording was illegally taped, the dialogue essentially showed Baltakos admitting that the justice and public order ministers had interfered with the judicial investigation into the GD case.

"We are basically talking about a deviation from the Constitution, of intervention by executive authority in judicial authority. We ask for the government's resignation. We simply cannot have evidence proving that the cabinet gives orders to judicial authority, which then executes them," Kammenos said.

The video also proved an ongoing dialogue between Golden Dawn and the government, he added, claiming that the extreme right-wing party was "part of a plan of the 'two extremes' created by the government," as well as the fact that GD was consorting with the government "and is not, in other words, an anti-systemic, Nazi party from the fringes but one that visits the office of the government general secretary."

In transcripts from the recording read out by Kasidiaris, Baltakos appears to say that the prime minister reacted strongly and criticised the justice and public order ministers when an examining magistrate decided not remand Kasidiaris and another two GD MPs in custody. Presenting it as evidence of political persecution of his party, Kasidiaris said the transcripts and the recording had been submitted as evidence in a case before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

[13] KKE party calls on government to take specific stand on Baltakos issue

KKE added that "this fact and the discussions confirm what KKE had said from the first moment, that Golden Dawn rose and was supported by apparatuses of the system".

Lastly, KKE said in its announcement that "the criminal action of Nazist Golden Dawn exists and the people are raising an outcry over this. Its members have carried out killings, attacks against working people and migrants. For this reason it is a popular demand that its criminal actions are investigated and those responsible be punished".

[14] Justice Minister Athanassiou on the videotaped conversation between Baltakos and Kassidiaris

In comments he made after the videotape with the conversation between the resigned government general secretary Panagiotis Baltakos and ultra-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) MP Ilias Kassidiaris, the Justice minister underlined that the Greek justice is operationally and institutionally independent, as is proven every day by the ethical stance, the ability and work performed by its servants.

The government adhering to the state of law principles respects the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, Athanassiou said, noting that only justice can rule on the crimes attributed to Golden Dawn members.

Athanassiou underlined that since day one of the arrests of Golden Dawn members, the prime minister was clear that the government should have no involvement and let the institutions serve their purpose, while anyone brought before justice should have a fair trial.

"Baltakos is not a judge and, therefore, he could not have a knowledge of the content of the case file," Athanassiou said.

[15] Dendias rejects as 'figments of a sick imagination' allegations stemming from controversial video

He was speaking of what is attributed to him in a controversial video circulated over the internet, which is a recording of a discussion between the former government general secretary Panagiotis Baltakos and the ultra-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) MP Ilias Kasidiaris.

According to Dendias, the allegations against him are in contrast to "the 32 incidents of criminal acts by supporters of GD - which everyone knows I sent to the district attorney of the Supreme Court - which are real, not imaginary".

He also noted, that "it is also not a fiction, as resulting from the [recorded] discussion, that it is being asked of Baltakos to intervene in the work of justice, so as to achieve the acquittal of members of Golden Dawn" from criminal charges.

[16] Fist-fight in parliament between Baltakos' son and Golden DawnMPs

As soon as Varvitsiotis was informed about the incident, he contacted the Coastguard chief and asked him to order a special inquiry into the case and to suspend Baltakos' son from his duties.

All political parties have condemned the incident that took place on the first floor of the Parliament where the Golden Dawn office and the government general secretary office are housed.

The clash erupted when the police officer standing outside Baltakos' office kicked Golden Dawn MP Artemis Mattheopoulos, who was on his way to his party's office across the hall on the same floor.

Fists flew when other Golden Dawn MPs entered the fight, and Baltakos' son got in the party office asking for explanations.

According to testimonies by Golden Dawn party staff, Baltakos' son slapped Mihalis Arvanitis, kicked Mattheopoulos and punched Nikos Kouzilos, all three deputies of Golden Dawn.

The yelling and the insults hurled could be heard by those on the Parliament's ground level floor and journalists watched speechless as Baltakos' son, who wore a hoodie, left Parliament accompanied by the police officers serving as his father's bodyguards.

[17] Parliament lifts immunity of five Golden Dawn MPs

The plenary also decided to lift the parliamentary immunity of Ilias Kasidiaris given that an investigation against him regarding the offenses of possession of weapons and ammunition to supply a criminal organization is underway.

200 deputies voted in favour of stripping the parliamentary immunity of Kasidiaris, Arvanitis and Zaroulia, 11 deputies voted against it and 16 voted "present".

199 deputies voted in favour of stripping the parliamentary immunity of Kouzilos, 11 against, 16 "present" and one abstained, while on Koukoutsis, 195 voted in favour, 12 against and 20 "present".

[18] Commissioner Kallas to be responsible for Olli Rehn's portfolio as of April 19

EU Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for Transport Siim Kallas will be responsible for the portfolio of Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner as of April 19, replacing Olli Rehn who will participate in the Europarliament elections, a Commission spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

According to Pia Ahrenkilde, 7 Commissioners will be standing for election while other members of the Commission will be temporarily - between April 19 and May 25 - responsible for their portfolios.

The Commissioners that will participate actively in the Europarliament election campaign are Commissioner for Justice Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Industry Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Inter-Institutional Relations Maros Sefcovic, Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget Janusz Lewandowski and Commissioner for Consumer Policy Neven Mimica.

[19] Main opposition SYRIZA leader to visit Palermo

During the visit, Tsipras will meet with the local Greek community and organisations, as well as social movements and leftist organisations participating in the Italian European elections ticket "L'Altra Europa con Tsipras" (Another Europe with Tsipras).

On Thursday night, he will address an open rally.

[20] Parliamentary committee on German war reparations to convene on Thursday

SYRIZA deputy Manonis Glezos was elected vice-president, while PASOK deputy Dimitrios Saltouros was elected the committee's secretary.

[21] Minister on public-sector reform: 'I don't feel answerable to the troika but to Greek citizens'

"We are answerable to the citizens for a public administration that is better, more efficient and respects Greek tax-payers' money. For us, completing this discussion is an opportunity not to relax but to step up the pace," he said.

Greece was now leaving behind the quantitative targets imposed by the EU-IMF troika and passing to a period of structural reforms "of a purely qualitative nature," he added, though still seeking technical assistance and political support from Greece's European partners. He also promised an end to the clientelist state and a public-sector that assessed and was assessed.

The minister said that the quantitative targets had been achieved with the inclusion of 25,000 staff in the 'availability' scheme, which included the obligatory transfers at the finance ministry, and the fact that the government had avoided troika demands for an additional 8,000 public-sector lay-offs and more availability in 2014.

"There is only an indicative number for lay-offs that will arise exclusively through staff guilty of disciplinary offences or staff that have illegally converted contracts, set at about 2000 and I stress that this is an indicative number," he added.

[22] GSEE demands cancellation of Piraeus port privatisation in letter to PM

GSEE said the sale of 67 pct of OLP's shares "is an act undermining the interests of the state" that would have disastrous repercussions on tourism, trade, coastal shipping and ferry links to the islands.

[23] Administrative Reform Minister presents the ministry's reform agenda

The reform agenda, which includes, among other things, the evaluation of private legal entities, the outsourcing of activities to the private sector, the reduction of administrative burdens, the new system for the evaluation of staff and the selection of managers as well as the new pay scale, marks the end of the pursuit for quantitative targets (mobility, layoffs, etc.) and its replacement with quality objectives, which aim at upgrading and improving public sector services, the political leadership of the ministry said.

Mitsotakis and deputy Administrative Reform Minister Evi Christophilopoulou also welcomed the agreement with the representatives of Greece's lenders, after long and difficult negotiations, as well as the rejection of the troika's pressures for 8,000 additional layoffs in 2015 and the placement of more employees under the mobility scheme in 2014.

The priorities of the reform agenda are the following: new public administration chart, evaluation of private entities, outsourcing to the private sector, reduction of administrative burdens and simplifying procedures, citizens service centres, effective legislating, new evaluation system for public sector employees, payroll, new selection system for managers in the public sector, permanent mobility scheme, strengthening of disciplinary liability, open interconnected data systems.

[24] The government's message to social groups appealing to justice to claim wage increases

A top government official said that "if the Council of State makes a ruling and that ruling becomes final, the cost incurred cannot be covered either by tax increases or spending cuts. It will be addressed in a way related to the income group concerned".

According to the official, in case of the uniformed staff appeal, the additional cost could be covered through the delay in officers' promotions.

[25] Greek producers against new sanctions on Russia

The meeting, called by secretary general for International Economic Relations of the Foreign Ministry Panagiotis Michalos with the participation of representatives from Tourism, Rural Development, Shipping and Transport Ministries, was aiming at assessing the impact of the crisis on Greek tourism, trade and exports and find ways to deal with the consequences.

[26] KKE: Monopolies will exit stronger from the crisis

"When the prime minister (Antonis Samaras) says that we have turned the crisis into an opportunity, he means an opportunity to implement the pre-decided EU policy that devastates the workers' rights to safeguard the competitiveness and the capital's profitability," KKE said.

"The monopolies will exit the crisis stronger while people will continue to bleed, and any recovery will be followed by new austerity measures imposed by the EU with permanent supervision mechanisms," concluded KKE.

Parliament's Ethics Committee recommends the lifting of immunity for Barbarousis, Zissimopoulos, Alexopoulos.

Parliament's Ethics Committee decided to lift the parliamentary immunity of Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avghi) MPs Constantinos Barbaroussis, Polyvios Zissimopoulos as well as of independent deputy Chrysovalantis Alexopoulos (who left from Golden Dawn recently), given that an investigation against them regarding the offenses of participation and leading a criminal organization is underway.

[27] Network for Recording Incidents of Racist Violence presented annual report for 2013

"Talking about 2013 we cannot but talk about Golden Dawn. But Golden Dawn does not have a monopoly on racist violence. This takes many forms," said the head of the National Committee for Human Rights Kostis Papaioannou.

He underlined the Greek state's slowness to react to the racism denial, adding that the issue was linked with impunity and a lack of accountability.

In its report, the Network interviewed the victims of 166 incidents of racist violence involving at least 320 victims. Of these, 143 concerned migrants or refugees, the remaining 22 targeted LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender) individuals and one an activist for human rights.

The number of incidents rose sharply compared with the previous year, due to the incident in Nea Manolada involving 155 labourers that were victims of a racially motivated attack, who were shot at by foremen that injured 35 people.

According to the head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Greece George Tsarbopoulos, the reports and conclusions of the network indicated an explosion of racist violence in Greece in recent years.

Based on the report, the majority of the incidents concerned physical assaults on foreigners, while 75 resulted in grievous bodily harm.

It also noted that 18 incidents were recorded in the three months following the murder of rapper Pavlos Fyssas by members of Golden Dawn and the prosecution against the party's members for forming a criminal organisation.

Other speakers highlighted that the biggest problem was fear, with the majority of the victims still too afraid to report attacks against them. Those that contacted the organisation to report attacks included 296 men, 11 women, one transgender male and 12 transgender females. The average age of the victims was 29.

[28] Prison sentence convertible to fine for jailed former minister over inaccurate wealth statement

The sentence, convertible to a fine of 10 euros for each day of his sentence, was imposed by an appeals court for the minister's failure to declare a valuable property that he owned on Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, beneath the Acropolis. He was additionally fined 210,000 euros in a split decision, with a minority of the five-member panel of judges supporting a lighter sentence. This was also the first time that a court trying Tsohatzopoulos took into account his lack of a previous criminal record as a mitigating factor.

Financial News

[29] Dev't ministry holds meeting on new NSRF programme, 2014-2020

The event is organised by the General Secretariat of Public Investments-NSRF and the programme "Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship" specifically and wants to encourage extroversion and innovation in Greek businesses.

There will be work groups on several topics, which include tourism; energy; agro-nutrition; environment; health and pharmaceutical industry; supply chain; information and communications technologies; creative and cultural industries; and materials and construction.

[30] Shipping Minister Varvitsiotis introduces clause on standby 'strike' ship; settles unpaid seamen issue

Varvitsiotis introduced improvements stipulating that the standby 'strike' ship can be activated after coastal shipping connections have been interrupted for 72 hours continuously as a result of extended strike action, coastal shipping company collapse or other emergency.

According to the clause introduced, the "standby vessel" will serve a third of the scheduled routes for up to a month.

"The Greek seamen's right to strike will not be abolished but, at the same time, the social right of the Greek islanders to have regular transportation will be protected," the minister said in Parliament.

Varvitsiotis underlined that the new clause, adopted at the recommendation of New Democracy (ND) MP Yiannis Plakiotakis, provides that seamen who are left unpaid by shipping companies operating subsidized routes will be paid by the state. He clarified that the shipping ministry will have the authority to block subsidies to coastal shipping companies running unprofitable routes to remote islands, in order to pay seamen who are left unpaid.

[31] Unregistered work on the decline, Labour ministry reveals

On-site workplace checks conducted in the framework of the special operational project "Artemis" - set up to curb unregistered work - revealed that uninsured work declined significantly to 21.86 pct of the workers checked in 9,642 companies from the 15th of September 2013 until the 28th of February 2014, down from 40.47 pct of unregistered work uncovered during checks conducted in the same period of 2012-2013. In its latest checks, the ministry imposed considerable fines, totalling 12.17 million euros.

The checks are being conducted by mixed squads from the Work Inspection unit, the IKA social security fund and the Financial Police, in economic sectors found to harbour higher rates of non-compliance with work registration requirements, such as food and beverage outlets, industrial zones, small-scale manufacturing, hairdressers, gas stations, car workshops, transportation companies, construction, hospitality, security and other services.

[32] Greek economic sentiment index jumped to six-year highs in March

In a monthly report, IOBE said that business expectations recovered in the manufacturing and construction sectors, fell in the retail commerce sector and were stable in the services sector. Consumer confidence also moved higher, after two months of decline, to its least negative levels in the last four years.

IOBE noted there were positive messages over economic trends and other developments, such as completion of negotiations with the troika or a government decision for one-off social benefits this year, and stressed that a continuing slowing down of economic recession created expectations for economic stabilisation in the country, with positive impact on employment.

Business expectations in the manufacturing sector gained significant ground in short-term production development, while expectations over current orders and demand weakened slightly.

In the services sector, business expectations worsened over current activity, but expectations over short-term demand moved higher.

In the retail sector, negative forecasts over current sales deteriorated, while negative expectations over short-term sales were unchanged and inventories moved lower.

In the construction sector, negative expectations over current works remained unchanged, but employment prospects were better.

The consumer confidence index showed that forecasts over the finances of Greek households and the Greek economy in the next 12 months rose significantly, while saving intentions were unchanged and expectations of over unemployment trends improved.

The economic sentiment improved slightly in the Eurozone and was unchanged in the EU in March.

[33] Loan/deposit interest rate spread fell in February

The central bank, in a monthly report, said that the overall weighted average interest rate on all new deposits stood at 1.74 pct in February 2014, compared with 1.77 pct in the previous month. In particular, the average interest rates on overnight deposits from households and from non-financial corporations remained almost unchanged at 0.33 pct and 0.35 pct respectively. The average interest rate on deposits from households with an agreed maturity of up to one year also remained unchanged at 2.80 pct. The overall weighted average interest rate on all new loans to households and corporations decreased by 26 basis points to stand at 5.40 pct in February 2014.

In February 2014, the average interest rate on corporate loans without a defined maturity remained almost unchanged at 7.23 pct, while the corresponding rate on loans to sole proprietors stood at 9.17 pct, compared with 9.20 pct in the previous month. The average interest rate on corporate loans with a defined maturity at a floating rate or with an initial rate fixation period of up to one year decreased by 19 basis points to stand at 6.78 pct for loans up to 250,000, euros decreased by 17 basis points to stand at 5.82 pct for loans above 250,000 euros and up to 1 million, and decreased by 12 basis points to stand at 5.88 pct for loans above 1 million.

[34] Greek bond yields tumble to four-year low, FT reports

Eurozone finance ministers on Tuesday approved the 8.3 billion euro bailout aid tranche for Greece, sending the Athens Stock Exchange to near a three-year high and trimming the 10-year bond yield by 15 basis points to 6.19 per cent, the report said.

[35] Greek stocks end 0.76 pct higher

The Large Cap index rose 0.67 pct while the Mid Cap index ended 0.39 pct higher. OTE (4.92 pct), Metka (3.70 pct), Athens Water (1.47 pct) and Frigoglass (1.44 pct) were top gainers among blue chip stocks, while Folli Follie (3.35 pct), Eurobank Properties (2.84 pct) and MIG (1.87 pct) suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day.

The Telecoms (4.92 pct), Industrial Products (2.60 pct) and Insurance (2.52 pct) sectors scored big gains, while Commerce (3.32 pct) and Real Estate (2.76 pct) suffered losses.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 82 to 60 with another 20 issues unchanged. Athina (19.60 pct), Alpha Grissin (19.32 pct) and NEL (17.54 pct) were top gainers, while Eurobrokers (15.38 pct), Sato (12.90 pct) and Altec (12.50 pct) were top losers.

Sector indices ended as follows:

Banks: +0.20%

Insurance: +2.52%

Financial Services: -0.08%

Industrial Products: +2.60%

Commercial: -3.32%

Real Estate: -2.76%

Personal & Household: +0.89%

Food & Beverages: -0.32%

Raw Materials: +0.81%

Construction: -0.32%

Oil: +0.55%

Chemicals: +0.30%

Media: -0.31%

Travel & Leisure: +0.60%

Technology: +0.32%

Telecoms: +4.92%

Utilities: +0.42%

Health: Unchanged

The stocks with the highest turnover were Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, OTE and OPAP.

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

Alpha Bank: 0.69

Public Power Corp (PPC): 12.30

Coca Cola HBC: 18.14

Hellenic Petroleum: 7.34

National Bank of Greece: 4.09

Eurobank Properties : 8.91

OPAP: 11.90

OTE: 12.58

Piraeus Bank: 1.99

Titan: 25.68

[36] Greek bond market closing report

In interbank markets, interest rates moved slightly higher. The 12-monthr rate rose to 0.592 pct from 0.591 pct, the nine-month rate rose to 0.501 pct from 0.50 pct, the six-month rate remained at 0.418 pct, the three-month rate was unchanged at 0.313 pct and the one month rate rose to 0.236 pct from 0.235 pct.

[37] ADEX closing report

Volume in futures contracts on equities totalled 15,862 contracts worth 6.503 million euros, with investment interest focusing on Alpha Bank's contracts (7,303), followed by National Bank (665), Piraeus Bank (1,948), MIG (859), OTE (1,637), PPC (599), OPAP (476), Hellenic Exchanges (689), Mytilineos (329), Metka (233), GEK (163), Hellenic Petroleum (179), Ellaktor (110), Intralot (108) and Eurobank (122).

[38] Foreign Exchange rates - Thursday

U.S. dollar 1.400

Pound sterling 0.840

Danish kroner 7.577

Swedish kroner 9.038

Japanese yen 145.18

Swiss franc 1.237

Norwegian kroner 8.338

Canadian dollar 1.541

Australian dollar 1.512

General News

[39] Olympia Odos to close from Selianitika to Aigio interchange on Wednesday afternoon

Olympia odos in an announcement on Wednesday said that a bridge will be demolished at the particular section of the road. Traffic will be diverted to the old national road.

[40] Greece and Turkey to sign protocol for bridge construction at border crossing

The protocol will be signed by Infrastructure, Transport and Networks ministry Secretary General for public works Stratos Simopoulos, heading the Joint Committee assigned with the project's design and monitoring, and by Turkish Transport Ministry Undersecretary Habib Soluk. The signing ceremony will be followed by a meeting of the six-member joint working group, responsible for the project's technical coordination and management, comprising representatives of both countries.

The new 810-metre-long bridge (344 metres on Greek territory) is designed to upgrade the Kipi-Ipsala border crossing and will be close to the existing Evros River bridge.

[41] Two defendants in Fyssas' murder case to appear before investigating magistrates during the Holy Week

Roupakias and Kazantzoglou had been asked to submit additional testimonies on Wednesday but were given a deadline for Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday.

The new calls against the two temporarily detained members of the Golden Dawn relate to new information that the investigating magistrates of the case Ioanna Klappa and Maria Dimitropoulou found, such as weapons that seem to be associated with Kazantzoglou, who is accused of direct complicity in the assassination of Fyssas.

The magistrates are asking for additional testimonies from the two defendants for all charges against them, those related to their participation in a criminal organization and the ones related to the murder in Keratsini.

Another defendant in the case was taken to jail after testifying before the investigating magistrates. The defendant was the head of the local organization of the Golden Dawn in Ierapetra and is facing charges regarding the attack of the organization's members against Pakistani workers in February 2013. Three other members of the Golden Dawn, who were released on restrictions, face charges for the same incident.

The four defendants accused of an attack in Ilioupolis last July will be the last one to testify before the investigating magistrates, except of those deputies whose immunity will be lifted by the parliament.

[42] Serres prosecutor to begin taking testimonies on death of Albanian prisoner within the week

Kareli, 42, who was serving a life sentence for homicide, had stabbed 46-year-old police sergeant George Tsironis to death in the Malandrinos prison, central Greece, on March 25. He was found dead two days later, in his cell at Nigrita prison, Serres prefecture, where he had been transferred for safety, with evidence of having been beaten.

The Amfissa prosecutor, responsible for the Nigrita prison, has initiated proceedings "in rem" - against all persons taking part in all stages of the transfer, from staff in both prisons to the police force in Itea, central Greece, according to Serres prosecution sources. Serres prosecutor Georgia Toutoyntzi will begin calling specific individuals in for questioning within the next few days. The oversight of the case was assigned to Serres, as the Amfissa prosecutor decided that the basic crime of torture resulting in death took place in the northern city.

A toxicology report on Kareli came out negative for alcohol or toxic substances, while a tissue report is pending. Prior to the autopsy, coroners had confirmed burn marks on Kareli's hand consistent with electroshock.

In statements to the press, the association of prison staff of Nigrita condemned "the inaccurate and false reports being disseminated lately" about Kareli's death and cautioned that no prosecution proceedings had been initiated against a specific staff person, and asked for "restoration fo the truth and a stop to the further dissemination of already promoted false news."

[43] Athens to open a Maria Callas Museum in 2015

The plans for the Maria Callas Museum were presented at a press conference in the building that will house the museum, on 44 Mitropoleos.

The building to house the museum is under historical preservation status and was purchased by the state in 2010. It totals 1,070 square metres and includes a basement, ground floor and three more floors, with minor interventions necessary to turn it into a museum. The cost of 1 million euros to create the museum will be offset by bringing the project under programmes for National Strategic Reference Framework funds. According to Athens Mayor George Kaminis, it will be ready for the public in 2015.

"This museum is the least the city may do to honour this exceptional interpreter, the great opera diva," Kaminis said. "It is a museum that is not addressed just to opera fans, but mostly to those not familiar with the opera," he added.

It will be managed by the city's Cultural, Sports and Youth Organisation, while Technopolis will be responsible for its creation.

The building had originally been slated under the last mayor to become a theatre museum, Kaminis said, but lack of funds stopped the plans. The city, he said, has also put in a request to the Seamen's pension fund NAT, to lease long term Callas' actual home on Patission Street for a musical academy, as envisaged by soprano Vasso Papantoniou. The singer and her husband, writer Vassilis Vassilikos, have spearheaded a long-term effort for a joint opera and academy to be named after Callas.

?Presenting the plans, the museologists said the museum would focus on giving a sense of the atmosphere of the theatre, with stage sets and a background of Callas' voice, a historical context of her era, and a timeline of her life.

Most of the exhibits will come from Technopolis' collection, but loans and gifts will also be accepted by agencies and individuals. There will be a caf? - "La Divina" - and a shop. A library and special listening area will also be included, as will another area for recitals and small-scale concerts.

According to Technopolis president Angeliki Antonopoulou and the viability study report, the museum's operational costs will be covered by tickets and caf? and shop receipts.

[44] Fifty-year anniversary of Greek Programme of Deutsche Welle to be commemorated

The director of the German radio service, Peter Liburg, and the head of its Greek Programme, Spyros Moskovou, will be flying to the Greek capital, where they will participate in various commemorative events at the Greek public broadcasting corporation (NERIT) and elsewhere.

Liburg is scheduled to meet with Greek President Karolos Papoulias and Premier Antonis Samaras, while the Deutsche Welle delegation will also meet with other Greek dignitaries and politicians.

The central commemorative event will take place on Friday at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron Mousikis), where a public discussion will be held on "Greek-German misconceptions during the crisis and the role of the media and politics", moderated by Moskovou. There are additional commemorative events planned at Goethe Institute and the German School of Athens.

[45] Ships to sail normally as of Thursday morning, after maritime union suspends strike

Members of PNO's board, speaking to the ANA-MPA, said that many of their issues, such as that concerning the signing of new collective labour agreements, have not been resolved yet and they will return with a new 24-hour nationwide strike in all categories of ships and with the prospect of escalation, on Wednesday April 9, the day of the General Confederation of Workers of Greece's (GSEE) 24-hour strike.

It is noteworthy that at noon the Federation of Passenger Shipping Enterprises (SEEN) that represents the coastal shipowners held a meeting with PNO's board on the issue of the signing of new collective labour agreements in coastal shipping, that have expired since the end of 2013.

Both sides expressed their views at the meeting without, however, any specific decision being taken and renewed their rendezvouz for the coming days. In the morning PNO's board also had a meeting with Shipping Secretary General Athanassios Bousios.

[46] Ancient Olympia mayor released on bail, following charges of refuse dumping

Mayor Efthymios Kotzias was arrested on Wednesday morning at the Lynaria area of Ancient Olympia, after two garbage trucks of the town were found at a tributary of Alfios (Alpheios) River, next to a trench.

Following his testimony, Kotzias said that "I assumed the whole responsibility and weight" of the act, which he said "is an act that is related to protecting the health of our fellow-citizens and to the image of Olympia, which relates not just to Greece, but to our image abroad also."

Residents of Ancient Olympia gathered outside the court hall to support their mayor, they said.

[47] Tsohatzopoulos house near Acropolis to remain property of state, court decides

The court also sentenced Tsohatzopoulos to five years, six months imprisonment and fined him 210,000 euros for filing an inaccurate statement of wealth that did not include the property, while depriving him of his political rights for three years.

The former minister has the right to appeal against the decision.

Tsohatzopoulos is concurrently serving a lengthy prison sentence for accepting kickbacks to approve defence ministry arms programmes.

[48] Israel to be 'country of honour' at 11th Thessaloniki Book Fair

[49] Four Bulgarians jailed for trying to sell a 10-day-old infant

Another three Bulgarian nationals involved in the same case were tried in absentia, as they are sought by the police.

According to the indictment, back in June 2013, policemen were tipped off that some of the convicted Bulgarians were searching in Greece for a childless couple, so as to sell them a newborn 10-day-old infant. A man and a woman working for the police, who posed as an interested childless couple, made telephone contact with the Bulgarian infant-sellers, agreeing to buy the baby for 12,000 euros.

The meeting was finally stormed by policemen, who arrested the convicted Bulgarians after they received pre-marked banknotes for the infant.

[50] 'Women & Girls Go Digital' conference in Athens

The conference is held within the framework of the Greek EU presidency and aims to demonstrate the link between digital e-skills, genders' diversity and the ICT as a key factor for economic growth based on the creation of digital jobs.

Emphasis will also be given on opportunities for youth digital enterpreneurship and on the challenges that emerge from the role of the media in the new digital era.

The initiative "Digital Alliance for the Female Employment" aiming at supporting women's talent in digital job positions will also be presented as well as the progress made in the specific project, drawn by Greek and European partners and is based on European Commission's innovative tool "Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs".

[51] Greek science and culture portal openarchives.gr upgraded

Users can search for academic dissertations, research articles, books, music scores, maps, etc, and among topics ranging from history and music to finances and marketing.

The service is maintained and continuously improved by the National Documentation Centre (EKT). The content is provided by libraries, archives, museums, academic and research institutions from Greece and Cyprus.

The upgrade of the portal was held under was held under the Operational Programme "Digital Convergence" of National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) co-funded by Greece and EU.

Weather forecast

[52] Overcast on Thursday

[53] The Wednesday edition of Athens' dailies

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: 12 prior actions to receive the tranche.

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: Eurozone's Finance Ministers depart from Athens leaving behind them new demands.

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem: You are exiting from the crisis, time for less austerity.

ESTIA: Greece's take off in September.

ETHNOS: First step towards Greece's exit from the memorandum.

IMERISSIA: New start for the country.

KATHIMERINI: New page with Eurogroup's signature.

LOGOS: Tranche in installments.

NAFTEMPORIKI: Eurogroup's ticket to return to the markets.

RIZOSPASTIS: Dynamic response to government, EU and capital.

TA NEA: Greece returns-Green light for growth.

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