Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 14-04-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] New Democracy presents Europarliament elections' candidates

[02] SYRIZA on the prime minister's address in the presentation of the ND MEP candidates

[03] 'Facts belie SYRIZA', gov't spokesman says about main opposition party

[04] Gov't VP Venizelos on the Greek EU Presidency's achievements

[05] Ministers present NSRF programme on human resources development and education

[06] Dep.FM Kourkoulas chairs EU-Tunisia Association Council in Luxembourg

[07] Transport Minister Chryssohoidis to meet with Segolene Royal on Wednesday in Paris

[08] Draft bill on the selection of new public sector supervisors to be presented after Easter

[09] Voting for KKE is the best response to austerity and EU policy, party leader says

[10] Supreme Court wants Parliament to lift immunity of Golden Dawn MP over robbery charges

[11] SYRIZA leader to visit Halkida on Wed.

[12] Foreign Ministry spokesman on Turkish ship search south of Chios

[13] Turkish aircraft violate Greek air space over the Aegean Sea

[14] Stournaras hails approval by MEPs of banking union's governing texts

[15] Tourism Minister says Athens is a key driver of growth for the Greek tourism

[16] Eurobank raises 1.3 bln euros from institutional funds

[17] Greece sells three-month T-bills at a significantly lower interest rate

[18] IBM invests in Greece

[19] Greek public debt to decline in 2014, report

[20] Environment minister meets with Golar liquified natural gas company officials

[21] A total of 445 projects in Attica, Northern and Southern Aegean included in NSRF funding programme

[22] Tax authorities will return state-seized funds to small debtors

[23] NBG's share capital increase board meeting postponed for Wed.

[24] Greek authorities launch Thessaloniki Port Authority privatisation procedure

[25] Attica Group in talks on debt restructuring

[26] Brussels Airlines returns to Athens' International Airport

[27] Greek stocks remain under pressure for ninth session in a row

[28] Greek bond market closing report

[29] ADEX closing report

[30] Foreign Exchange rates - Wednesday

[31] Easter message to Greek people by Archbishop of America

[32] Church of Greece delegation to visit Poland to promote pilgrimage tourism

[33] Light quake jolts Crete

[34] Prosecutor recommends release under bail of ETEKA fuel company president

[35] Two defendants get life sentences for slaying of Pakistani national in Petralona

[36] Two Nigrita prison guards alleged to be involved in inmate death released

[37] Alleged human trafficker dies during chase off Kos island

[38] Overcast on Wednesday

[39] The Tuesday edition of Athens' dailies Politics

[01] New Democracy presents Europarliament elections' candidates

What is at stake is the way Greece will be repre-sented in Europe, prime minister said.

"Do we want those who question the country's presence in the EU, those who quarrel over our stay in the euro, do we want to be represented by those who want to put us in trouble, those who want to tear the memoranda apart and question all reforms? Do we want new memoranda, because some are fuelled by them? No, we want to get out of the memoranda. Do we want Greece to remain stable or let it be swept away in the swirl of destabili-sation? I hear some people who want Greece to exit NATO. I wonder if they realize what they are saying. The stake of the elections is not about the party, it is about the future and Greece."

The premier also referred to the government's recent achievements.

"Recovery has started this year, we have turned economy around. We must safeguard stability. Sacrifices bear fruit...Unemployment has already decreased and we have the debt sustainability ahead of us. What we signify in this critical battle, with whom we signify it and who will represent us rests with the country's electorate," he said.

Samaras pointed out this is a major initiative of the government that all political forces in favour of more democracy had welcomed and the only people against it were those who wanted politics to be restricted and controlled by their own people.

"We are in permanent conflict with populism. We are not using petty party talk. Today I will talk about Greece, where the country is now and where it is going. The mandate people gave us in 2012 was to keep the country in the euro, take it out of the crisis and pave the way for solid long-term growth and restore the injustices. We prevented the exit from the euro, we achieved a surplus, we went to the markets. Today the (interest rate of the) issue of three-month T-bills fell to 2.45 percent, while a few days ago it was 3.1," Samaras said.

Regarding the party's ballot ticket, he stressed it is unifying and includes persons who run as New Democracy candidates for the first time.

In his conclusion, he referred to the course towards the Europarliament elections. "We will talk about the things that the doomsayers cannot talk about, for the things that embarrass them, that some people even dislike, for the things that the defenders of misery cannot touch, for the great reforms, for growth and all those things we are building."

[02] SYRIZA on the prime minister's address in the presentation of the ND MEP candidates

SYRIZA underlined that while the prime minister "had rejected the first memorandum as the wrong medicine went on to increase the dosage", accusing him of leading the country deeper in the memorandum.

SYRIZA also accused the prime minister of leaving open communication channels with the ultra-right Golden Dawn (GD) party, noting that the young are condemned to unemployment and migration, the health sector, education and social insurance funds are in shambles, while thousands of private businesses have been put out of business.

[03] 'Facts belie SYRIZA', gov't spokesman says about main opposition party

"However much they want to deny reality at SYRIZA, facts belie them", said Kedigoglou, adding that "Greece is moving away from the crisis at an even pace".

[04] Gov't VP Venizelos on the Greek EU Presidency's achievements

Addressing the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET), he observed that the six-month Greek EU Presidency is "in terms of parliamentary duration short and politically comprehensive," referring to the dissolution of the European Parliament and European elections.

He underlined that during the Greek EU Presidency many pending issues were settled such as the Single Resolution Mechanism, which is "a major step toward the completion of the banking union".

Commenting on economic growth, employment and social cohesion, he referred to the legislative work on the Multiannual Financial Framework and the High Level Group on Own Resources chaired by former Italian Prime Minister and former Commissioner Mario Monti.

Venizelos also referred to the financing of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and the European Solidarity Fund, adding that a regulation was adopted aimed at reinforcing consumer confidence in online transactions.

He also reminded that the visa requirement for people from Moldova wishing to enter the EU has been abolished, while procedures have been enacted facilitating seasonal employment.

[05] Ministers present NSRF programme on human resources development and education

"The National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) is not only numbers, it is mainly people, it is the basis for a better future," Hatzidakis noted. "The NSRF covers 16,500 investment projects of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and 18,000 technical projects. It has built or renovated 450 kindergartens... it has covered the health expenses of 42,500 citizens," he added.

Hatzidakis underlined that Greece ranks third in the absorption of funds in Europe and first in the absorption of the regional development programme funds.

The Development minister also said that emphasis will be given on restoring competitiveness and addressing the problem of social cohesion. For this purpose, the funds will reach 3.4 billion euros.

On his part, Vroutsis said that a long, painful fiscal adjustment cycle has come to its end and investor confidence is restored while unemployment seems to be declining. Arvanitopoulos referred to the cooperation between the Education and Labour ministries and stressed the need to connect education with the labour market.

[06] Dep.FM Kourkoulas chairs EU-Tunisia Association Council in Luxembourg

Tunisia was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Faycal Gouia and EU was represented by Commissioner for the Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule.

The very good relations between EU and Tunisia were reaffirmed, while EU's determination for the further enhancement and deepening of those relations was highlighted as Tunisia constitutes a very important partner in the region of Southern Mediterranean.

The Association Council welcomed Tunisia's accomplishments regarding the procedures for its transition to democracy and noted that it is a model for the other countries of the region. EU encouraged the Tunisian government to continue its efforts to implement the reforms and expressed its readiness to continue to support Tunisia.

Finally, Kourkoulas underlined the historic bonds between the people of Tunisia and Greece noting that the values of democracy, of state of law and of human rights are common and are a stable basis for the further strengthening of the relations between the two countries.

[07] Transport Minister Chryssohoidis to meet with Segolene Royal on Wednesday in Paris

The meeting will focus on the transport sector and particularly on the development and cooperation prospects in railway and road transport.

During his visit to Paris, Chryssohoidis will participate in a ministerial meeting on "Road haulage market, harmonisation of the European social policies in the sector" which is held under the EU Greek presidency auspices.

[08] Draft bill on the selection of new public sector supervisors to be presented after Easter

Speaking on a private television station, he announced that the new wage scale for the public sector currently under consideration will be ready by September and will include productivity bonuses for public sector employees. He also noted that the new wage scale will be agreed with the ministry of finance.

Mitsotakis underlined that there will be no more layoffs in the public sector associated with the labour reserve measure other than the 15,000 agreed with the troika for 2014.

DIMAR leader accuses the government of serving pre-election purposes and not realizing the social issue of the homeless

The allocation of 20 million euros from the primary surplus to support the homeless is a measure of relief but when it is offered in a way that clearly serves pre-election purposes it shows the government's deficit in realizing the problem, Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Fotis Kouvelis said on Tuesday referring to the government's announcement on homeless support actions. Greece in the only country in the European Union that does not have a social housing network, Kouvelis said and pointed out that it is the only country that has not legislated the guaranteed minimum income either nationally or locally.

"The challenge for our country is to meet these basic needs for citizens experiencing extreme poverty and at the same time support their socio-economic integration, through constantly financed actions. The funding for these social services should be covered jointly by European Structural Funds and state resources," he noted, pointing out that "there is a need to change the policy and connect fiscal adjustment to social protection."

[09] Voting for KKE is the best response to austerity and EU policy, party leader says

Speaking in a private television station, he responded to criticism that KKE wants Greece's isolation, noting that the Greek people are isolated in the EU considering that a number of directions and measures with grave consequences on all production sectors stem from the Maastricht Treaty.

He said that the party of New Democracy and the prime minister cannot implement a popular policy and referring to the new political parties created, that they have no substantive agenda and that their only purpose is to win enough votes to play a role in supporting the political system.

Koutsoumbas also said that KKE never ruled out the existence of a primary surplus or an anaemic economic recovery, clarifying that "the question is who will benefit from the recovery and the primary surplus".

[10] Supreme Court wants Parliament to lift immunity of Golden Dawn MP over robbery charges

Initially, the trial was scheduled to take place last year but it was postponed because he had parliamentary immunity.

According to the case file, Matthaiopoulos, Anastassios Triantafyllou and other unidentified individuals attacked a Greek citizen at the Ancient Agora of Athens archaeological site in August 2005. Using physical force and threats against his life they removed a bag he was carrying containing his police ID card, driving licence, keys and other personal effects.

The victim was approached and assaulted by the group when he reacted to their harassing of a foreign national. He was surrounded, pushed down and kicked in the head and other parts of his body. One of the group members broke a beer bottle close to his face while he was on the ground and as a result he suffered a hand injury.

Based on the case file, the then underage brother of current Golden Dawn deputy MP Ilias Kassidiaris, Alexandros, was among the members of the group. All charges against him were dropped following a court judges' ruling.

In a statement to the press, Matthaiopoulos said that that "the victim of this so-called robbery has been irrevocably sentenced for perjury, and one of my co-defendants has been acquitted, also irrevocably." He added that he himself had authorised his lawyer to request from competent authorities that his immunity be lifted so that he may be tried and prove his innoncence.

[11] SYRIZA leader to visit Halkida on Wed.

[12] Foreign Ministry spokesman on Turkish ship search south of Chios

"Of course the Foreign Ministry has been informed by the Turkish authorities of the searches that are being carried out in international waters in a region south of Chios, and concern the detection and bringing up of a Turkish military aircraft that crashed into the sea in 1996, as well as the body of its pilot," Koutras said.

The Foreign Ministry has already made all the necessary diplomatic moves to the Turkish side, he added "to ensure that the Turkish searches will be carried out in the framework of international law, expressing, at the same time, Greece's readiness, if necessary, to assist in determining the location and the raising (of the aircraft). Lastly, it is self-evident that the relevant Greek authorities are following the issue closely".

[13] Turkish aircraft violate Greek air space over the Aegean Sea

A Turkish helicopter also entered the Athens FIR on Tuesday in the same area, after lifting off from a Turkish Navy ship.

In all, three incidents of infringements of air traffic regulations took place over the northern Aegean; all three turned into air space violations. In all instances, the Turkish aircraft were intercepted and identified by Greek fighter aeroplanes.

Financial News

[14] Stournaras hails approval by MEPs of banking union's governing texts

In a statement, Stournaras - who also currently presides over the Ecofin council - made a special reference to the large majority of MEPs who voted in favour of the three basic legal texts which will govern the banking union, i.e. the EU Bank Recovery and Resolution Directive (BRRD), the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) and the Deposit Guarantee Schemes Restated Directive (DGS).

The minister noted that through these three texts the EU came a long way in safeguarding the protection of taxpayers from failed banks and in fully protecting their hard-earned bank deposits up to the sum of 100,000 euros.

"The texts represent very important landmarks for the European Union, its banking sector and its common currency", Stournaras stressed, adding that "as president of Ecofin, I would like to thank and congratulate the co-legislators for their laborious work as regards these folders and for their constructive and visionary approach, which made possible difficult compromises".

[15] Tourism Minister says Athens is a key driver of growth for the Greek tourism

She estimated that 2014 would be a very good year for the Greek tourism and added that the aim is to turn Athens into a metropolitan tourism centre that would offer upgraded services."Athens is the mirror of the country. We need to improve the city's image, to modernize the tourism product that the capital is offering," she said.

"We decided to put Athens back on the map of international events; to turn Athens again into a city of positive news," she added. She pointed out that the Greek capital does not need impressive steps and superficial approaches but effective interventions.

Regarding Athens, the general director of "Great Britain" hotel Tim Ananiadis, who represented the Athens Attica Hotel Association (EXAA), and the Director General of SETE Alexander Lamnidis underlined that Athens was returning to the international tourism scene and referred to significant potential for further growth.

[16] Eurobank raises 1.3 bln euros from institutional funds

Under the terms of the agreement, each investor, severally and not jointly and not in concert with any other nvestor, agreed to commit to subscribe for newly issued ordinary shares of Eurobank at a price of euro 0.30 per newly issued ordinary. The aggregate commitments of all investors amount to approximately euro 1,332 million (representing approximately 46.5 pct the capital increase at the investor price), as set out in the table below (commitment amount):

Fairfax: 400,000,000 euros

WRL Funds: 37,500,000 euros

Capital Research and Management Funds: 556,801,260 euros

Mackenzie Funds: 172,000,000 euros

Fidelity Funds: 115,500,000 euros

Brookfield: 50,000,000 euros

(Total: 1,331,801,260 euros)

Subject to the aggregate commitment amount not being reduced, any investor (other than Fairfax or WLR Funds) may assign its Individual investor commitment amount to another investor. The investors will acquire the newly issued shares pursuant to, and as part of, the Institutional Offering.The following main terms and conditions will apply:

Allocation

- Should the final offering price resulting from the book-building process be equal to the investor price, each investor has a guaranteed allocation for its own commitment amount.

- Should the final offering price be higher than the investor price, each Investor has a right to match for an amount up to its own commitment amount with guaranteed allocation.

- Should any investor decide not to exercise such right, a commitment fee of 1.5% of its respective individual investor commitment amount will be paid to such investor, to the extent such shares are not taken up by one or more of the other investors.

Corporate Governance

- Fairfax and WLR Fund declared their intention to actively participate in the corporate governance of Eurobank.

- Based on Law 3864/2010, as amended by Law 4254/2014, should private participation cover 50% or more of the capital increase, the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund will have restricted voting rights on the existing Eurobank shares it owns.

- Should private participation cover 50 percent or more of the capital increase, the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund agreed to commit to a 6-month lock-up period.

- The commitment agreement is not intended to render the investors as persons acting in concert for the purposes of Greek law.

Investors' lock-up

Fairfax and WLR Funds committed to a 6 month lock-up period following completion of the capital increase.

Conditions

The commitment of each investor is subject to obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals and consents and subject to the offering to international institutional investors in connection with the capital increase not having been terminated and expires on 16 May 2014.

[17] Greece sells three-month T-bills at a significantly lower interest rate

The country's Public Debt Management Organization, in an announcement said that the interest rate of the issue was set at 2.45 pct from 3.10 pct of the previous auction of same issue in March 18. Bid submitted totaled 3.416 billion euros, 2.73 times more than the asked sum, while the organization accepted non-competitive bids up to 375 million euros.

The auction was made with the market's primary dealers and settlement date was set for Tuesday, 22 April. The organization will also accept non-competitive bids up to 30 pct of the asked sum by Thursday, 17 April.

[18] IBM invests in Greece

In a press release, the global IT company stated that the new centre "will help companies to better leverage analytics and cognitive computing capabilities, improving business operations and enhancing their competitiveness in the global marketplace".

Operating within IBM Greece's Services business, the Centre of Competence team will provide clients with world-class expertise based on IBM Research, which dedicates two-thirds of its work to big data, analytics and the fast-emerging field of cognitive computing; the combined intellectual capital of IBM's more than 30 big data and business analytics acquisitions over the past five years; access to 15,000 consultants and 400 IBM mathematicians globally who focus exclusively on big data and analytics; collaboration with 6,000 industry partners at a global level that work with IBM to help clients capitalize on big data; and insights from thousands of successful client engagements worldwide.

The new Centre will lead big data and business analytics client engagements in the region, working closely with IBM's global network of Business Analytics Centres in Berlin, Beijing, Dallas, London, New York, Tokyo, Washington and Zurich.

"We believe that big data, business analytics and cognitive computing have a crucial role to play as enablers and as a source of competitive advantage for the Greek economy," said Spyros Poulidas, general manager for IBM Greece & Cyprus. "At IBM, we see big data as the next new natural resource that provides the basis for developing solutions, which offer not only business advantage, but also the platform to drive Greece's competitiveness in the global marketplace."

"By partnering with IBM and leveraging IBM's strong business analytics capabilities in Greece, Alpha Bank is gaining better insight into the areas in which the Bank operates, from retail banking to financial reporting, risk assessment, compliance and governance," said Efstathios Kakogiannis, executive general manager for Information Technology and Operations at Alpha Bank. "This insight enhances our ability to better serve our customers, measure our performance and client satisfaction levels, as well as provide new services."

Furthering its focus on big data and analytics in Greece, IBM is also collaborating with Athens University of Economics and Business to provide lectures, case studies and workshops on big data and business analytics.

IBM will also co-operate with the University of Piraeus on the development and design of hands-on practical sessions in Business Intelligence and Business Analytics modules of MBA programs. IBM experts will be involved by delivering practical training in order to solve business specific problems, using IBM's state of the art tools, as part of the University's MBA courses.

[19] Greek public debt to decline in 2014, report

In a report to Parliament, in response to a question by Maria Giatagana, an independent deputy, the Organization stressed that the country's public debt will fall both in absolute prices and as a percentage of GDP this year, for the first time after several decades of rising trends, after the country achieved a primary budget surplus, reducing interest spending following a debt restructuring in March 2012 (PSI) and promoting a privatization program. The Organization noted that net borrowing for 2014 will be 3.6 billion euros this year, offering evidence that the country needed to borrow less to finance its budget.

[20] Environment minister meets with Golar liquified natural gas company officials

As revealed by the Environment ministry, Golar is one of the biggest companies worldwide in the construction and operation of LNG stations, it has already created and is operating 13 stations in the world, while over this period it is building another 13 stations. The company expressed its interest in fully participating in the project's financing, providing considerable flexibility in the implementation of the overall project.

Maniatis briefed the company's officials on the project's importance which, together with the linking Greece-Bulgaria natural gas pipeline (IGB), has been included in the European Union's Joint Interest Projects as basic pylons for boosting the region's energy security.

The importance of the projects is strengthened by the political instability in Ukraine and reflected by the advanced consultations with the governments and companies from Bulgaria and Romania on these projects. The Expediency Study and Environmental Repercussions Study being prepared for the pipeline by DEPA are in the final stage.

[21] A total of 445 projects in Attica, Northern and Southern Aegean included in NSRF funding programme

According to the Hellenic Development Company (ELANET), the decision relates to 437 projects in Attica with subsidized budget of 41 million euros, 7 projects in Northern Aegean and 1 project in Southern Aegean.

Investors can find more information on ELANET website http://www.elanet.gr

[22] Tax authorities will return state-seized funds to small debtors

This was clarified in a circular issued on Tuesday by the general secretary of Public Income Haris Theoharis that accounts for recent changes to the legal framework regarding fund seizures by the state.

The threshold over which wages and pensions can be seized by the state has been raised to 1,500 (from 1,000) euros, while the threshold of tax debt over which fund seizure is allowed has been raised to 500 (from 300) euros.

[23] NBG's share capital increase board meeting postponed for Wed.

NBG's board will be discussing the bank's capital requirements, which, based on the findings of the latest Bank of Greece stress tests in the banking sector, are assessed at about 2.18 billion euros.

Moreover, the Greek central bank has asked banks to submit by mid-April the latest their plans for recapitalization based on the 'basic scenario', to be implemented in the shortest plausible period.

The board of NBG is also expected to examine the issue of its share capital increase - without yet having officially announced its size - along with alternative and supplementary sources of capital funding.

[24] Greek authorities launch Thessaloniki Port Authority privatisation procedure

According to the announcement, the bidding process will take place in two stages, while the deadline for the submission of interest is June 5, 2014.

[25] Attica Group in talks on debt restructuring

In an announcement to the Capital Market Commission, Attica Group said the aim of the negotiations was to finance a business plan which will enhance the group's leading role in a restructuring process of the coastal shipping sector, currently underway, an initiative led by Piraeus Bank. In the announcement, Attica Group said that negotiations have not yet reached any conclusion.

The talks also focus on a plan to issue a convertible bond loan.

[26] Brussels Airlines returns to Athens' International Airport

A fourth flight, every Saturday, will be added during the tourist season in July and August.

Flights depart from Brussels Airport in the morning and from Athens in early afternoon.

[27] Greek stocks remain under pressure for ninth session in a row

The index is down 12.27 pct during the last nine sessions, reducing its gains so far this year to 2.09 pct. The index fell 1.72 pct to end at 1,186.99 points, after rising as much as 1.48 pct early in the day. Turnover was a huge 204.11 million euros.

The Large Cap index fell 1.59 pct and the Mid Cap index eased 0.23 pct. Piraeus Bank (3.47 pct), OPAP (0.39 pct) and Coca-Cola HBC (0.30 pct) were the only blue chip stocks to end higher, while National Bank (6.75 pct), Eurobank Properties (5.44 pct) and Hellenic Petroleum (5.31 pct) suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day.

The Food (0.36 pct), Chemicals (0.17 pct) and Travel (0.04 pct) sectors scored gains, while Real Estate (5.18 pct), Commerce (4.27 pct) and Personal Products (3.38 pct) suffered losses.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 72 to 46, with another 22 issues unchanged. Kepenos Mills (25 pct), NEL (18.52 pct) and PC Systems (13.95 pct) were top gainers while Naftemporiki (21 pct), Dionic (16.81 pct) and Vioter (15.76 pct) were top losers.

Sector indices ended as follows:

Banks: -0.97%

Insurance: -2.72%

Financial Services: -0.73%

Industrial Products: -1.96%

Commercial: -4.27%

Real Estate: -5.18%

Personal & Household: -3.38%

Food & Beverages: +0.36%

Raw Materials: -3.03%

Construction: -2.99%

Oil: -2.80%

Chemicals: +0.17%

Media: Unchanged

Travel & Leisure: +0.04%

Technology: -2.21%

Telecoms: -2.23%

Utilities: -1.69%

Health: -2.32%

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

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

Alpha Bank: 0.67

Public Power Corp (PPC): 10.30

Coca Cola HBC: 18.08

Hellenic Petroleum: 6.24

National Bank of Greece: 3.04

Eurobank Properties : 8.00

OPAP: 10.15

OTE: 10.10

Piraeus Bank: 1.79

Titan: 22.00

[28] Greek bond market closing report

In interbank markets, interest rates moved lower. The 12-month rate fell to 0.599 pct from 0.601 pct, the nine-month rate eased to 0.508 pct from 0.509 pct, the six-month rate fell to 0.426 pct from 0.427 pct, the three-month rate fell to 0.327 pct from 0.328 pct and the one-month rate eased to 0.25 pct from 0.252 pct.

[29] ADEX closing report

Volume on the Big Cap index totalled 39,432 contracts worth 76.452 million euros, with 56,919 open positions in the market.

Volume in futures contracts on equities totalled 15,116 contracts worth 7.077 million euros, with investment interest focusing on Piraeus Bank's contracts (3,640), followed by Alpha Bank (2,588), National Bank (1,182), Eurobank (672), MIG (776), OTE (2,193), PPC (875), OPAP (533), Mytilineos (518), Hellenic Petroleum (669), GEK (225), Intralot (111), Eurobank Properties (116) and Folli Follie (90).

[30] Foreign Exchange rates - Wednesday

U.S. dollar 1.401

Pound sterling 0.837

Danish kroner 7.578

Swedish kroner 9.226

Japanese yen 142.73

Swiss franc 1.234

Norwegian kroner 8.352

Canadian dollar 1.539

Australian dollar 1.491

General News

[31] Easter message to Greek people by Archbishop of America

Archbishop Demetrius of America sent an Easter message to the Greek people on behalf of the Greek American community, underlining the optimistic prospect for a better future.

"I convey to you with a lot of love the cordial resurrection greeting of the expatriates of America and our warm wishes for an Easter of substantive joy and renewed hope", Archbishop Demetrius said.

"It is Easter of substantive joy, because despite the sadness, the difficulties and the deadlocks that we are experiencing, we are celebrating the resurrection of Christ and his final victory over evil, sin and death. He experienced the worst death, he sustained the most terrible attack by evil and went through complete human rejection. He was crucified, but he was resurrected. He won. Christ has risen. And for this reason joy is flourishing in our heart today", he added.

[32] Church of Greece delegation to visit Poland to promote pilgrimage tourism

Speaking to ANA-MPA the Metropolitan of Dodoni referred to 'cooperation agreements' that are signed with churches from all over the world to support the pilgrimage tourism.

According to Chrysostomos, the Church of Greece in the last three months organised five trips abroad and he made a special reference to the visit to Jordan underlining that "we should not forget that Jordan is a muslim country, but they have such a respect for Christianism and Greece that we were left speechless. We have already visited Berlin, Belgrade and Cyprus and the next trip will be to Poland where we will sign a 'cooperation agreeement" he said.

[33] Light quake jolts Crete

According to the Athens Observatory Geodynamics Institute the tremor's epicentre was located 445 km south-southwest of Athens in the sea region 75km south of Ierapetra.

Four aftershocks were recorded.

[34] Prosecutor recommends release under bail of ETEKA fuel company president

Speaking to ANA-MPA, the attorneys of Spanos claimed that they have already provided evidence which proves their client is being unduly held in custody. The prosecutor's recommendation is expected to be assessed by the examining magistrate.

Spanos is accused of fuel smuggling, along with an ETEKA facility supervisor, a customs official, an Environment ministry official and one more person.

Four fuel truck drivers, a workman, a petrol station owner and a female co-owner of a fuel station have been released on conditions, out of the 15 arrested in the case so far.

[35] Two defendants get life sentences for slaying of Pakistani national in Petralona

The court decided unanimously on the guilt of Dionysis Liakopoulos and Christos Stergiopoulos over the worker's slaying, adopting the proposal by the court prosecutor, who had called for their conviction.

The two defendants were found unanimously guilty on homicide and gun-related charges.

According to the prosecutor's judgement, "the defendants carried out homicide in a calm mental state and stabbed the victim seven times. They decided jointly to take the life of an innocent foreign man and indeed of Pakistani origin. Which of the blows was lethal is of no importance. What is of importance is that they were determined from the start".

During the reading of its verdict, the court did not rule specifically that it classified the act as a "racist crime", but the presiding magistrate said the court's judgement will become obvious from the arguments included in the published decision.

[36] Two Nigrita prison guards alleged to be involved in inmate death released

Fifteen Nigrita prison guards are being charged for the death of Kareli. Six of them were held in custody pending trial and eight were released - seven of which on conditions.

Meanwhile, former Nigrita prison director who is being charged with abetting will testify after the Easter.

[37] Alleged human trafficker dies during chase off Kos island

According to Coast Guard, the Turkish national, who drove a speedboat, ignored Coast Guard patrol vessel's signal and rammed at least four times the patrol boat. Coast Guard officers fired warning shots but unfortunately some bullets ricocheted and hit the alleged trafficker.

A sworn administrative inquiry has been ordered by Kos port authority while Piraeus admiralty court prosecutor has been already informed about the incident.

Weather forecast

[38] Overcast on Wednesday

[39] The Tuesday edition of Athens' dailies

DIMOKRATIA: 1,100 job positions in public hospitals.

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Trade in sensitivity.

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: PASOK cadres call Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' measures for the homeless a pre-elections show.

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: Six hiring packages for 109,000 jobless.

ESTIA: (SYRIZA leader Alexis) Tsipras' provocative rudeness.

ETHNOS: New changes in pensions and social security funds.

IMERISSIA: National Bank and Eurobank, a wager for the markets

KATHIMERINI: Crucial hours in East Ukraine.

NAFTEMPORIKI: The dividend remains, the primary surplus shrinks.

RIZOSPASTIS: "Laiki Syspirosi" ballot tickets for struggle and after the elections.

TA NEA: Hidden surcharges for the insured.

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