Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 16-02-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] Tsipras has phone contact with Merkel on her visit to Turkey

[02] EU country exiting the Schengen zone never raised, says Commissioner Avramopoulos

[03] Defence minister Kammenos briefs EU Commissioner on progress in preparing hotspots, relocation centres

[04] Alt FM Xydakis briefs Austrian Ministers on Greece's efforts and positions on the refugees issue

[05] Alt. FM Xydakis to have series of meetings in Bratislava and Budapest

[06] Head of Turkish interior ministry's migration management service to visit Greece on Thursday

[07] President Pavlopoulos meets EESC head Georges Dassis, urges action to defend social state in EU

[08] Alternate Migration Min does not rule out negative acts on the part of Europe

[09] Society is ready to support reforms if they fight inequality, says Gov't VP

[10] Interior Minister Kouroumblis: Some EU countries have an appropriate and irresponsible attitude

[11] Programme review must be completed quickly, gov't spokeswoman says

[12] Greek economic program review needs to be concluded soon, EU official says

[13] Greece needs to be more specific on pension reforms, Dijsselbloem says

[14] Eurogroup's chief has not asked Greece to pass new measures, says Finmin source

[15] Measures in Dijsselbloem letter are not 'new', finance ministry sources say

[16] ND leader Mitsotakis calls on PM Tsipras to withdraw bill on pension reforms

[17] 'Tsipras' policies are not resolving any problems', says main opposition spokesman

[18] Gov't will table legislative regulation for TV licenses, says parliament head

[19] City of Kos to conduct referendum over construction of hotspot

[20] Larisa farmers: 'We will not leave Athens empty-handed'

[21] Tempi Valley close indefinitely as of Tuesday noon

[22] Legalization of industrial hemp, cannabis could help economy, say 20 SYRIZA MPs

[23] Foreign Ministry expresses condolences to the Germans

[24] ND leader sends condolences to Merkel for Bavarian train crash

[25] Environment and Energy Minister Panos Skourletis meets Palestinian ambassador

[26] Attica Region head Rena Dourou meets French ambassador

[27] Athens Stock Exchange returns back to 1989 levels

[28] Head of eurozone's new bank regulator meets Greece's central banker

[29] Banking Mediator to launch e-services in H2 of 2016

[30] Greek insurance market outlook positive, BoG vice-governor says

[31] Attica Bank ready to support enterprises, chairman says

[32] Passenger traffic up 11.5 pct in Jan

[33] Greek stocks remain under pressure

[34] Greek bond market closing report

[35] ADEX closing report

[36] "Blue Star 1" with 1,034 refugees aboard docks at Piraeus port

[37] Refugees crossing to Fyrom at Idomeni carried out normally

[38] Ro-ro ship "Alios" successfully dislodged after running aground near Kea

[39] Rhodes island coasts swamped with fish

[40] Clouds, rain on Wednesday

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

[01] Tsipras has phone contact with Merkel on her visit to Turkey

Tsipras made clear that any involvement of the NATO will concern the Turkish territorial waters and should by no means affect Greece's sovereign rights, she underlined.

Gerovassili also made clear than the issue of joint patrols in the Aegean has not been raised.

[02] EU country exiting the Schengen zone never raised, says Commissioner Avramopoulos

"The EU has never raised the issue of a country exiting the Schengen zone. When deficiencies or mistakes occur, Europe asks to correct them," Avramopoulos noted. "Countries must meet their commitments," he underlined adding that as soon as the hotspots start operating, the EU funds will be disbursed.

The Greek Commissioner also said that if the hotspots had already been constructed, many problems would have been averted. He also stressed that Greece is not alone either on economic or political terms.

He stated that Greece has already received 33 million euros out of the total amount of 475 million euros approved. According to the Commissioner, Greece has lagged behind on some issues and argued that hotspots can only be set up within the boundaries of Europe.

[03] Defence minister Kammenos briefs EU Commissioner on progress in preparing hotspots, relocation centres

Greece's National Defence Minister Panos Kammenos on Tuesday briefed European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos on the progress in the construction of five temporary reception centres and two relocation centres for refugees and migrants in Greece, during a meeting in Brussels. Kammenos assured the Commissioner that all seven will be ready and functioning by February 15.

Kammenos also informed the Commissioner that the current refugee identification system via Eurodac did not efficiently tackle either the issue of identification or that of security. He said it shoud be combined with some form of biometric measurement.

Avramopoulos informed the Greek defence minister that European institutions already take a positive view of the Greek government's efforts and expressed his own and the Commission's willingness to assist Greece in coping with the European refugee problem.

Avramopoulos also accepted the defence minister's invitation to visit Greece in his official capacity in the coming days.

[04] Alt FM Xydakis briefs Austrian Ministers on Greece's efforts and positions on the refugees issue

Xydakis' meeting with Mikl-Leitner took place in a constructive atmosphere. The two ministers focused on the refugee crisis, of historic dimensions, that Europe is facing, as well as on the need for the countries of Europe to work together in facing the crisis.

Leitner referred to the shared historical course of the two countries, while Xydakis stressed that the two countries are essentially "in the same boat." Leitner referred to the problem posed for Austria by the increased number of refugees it is being called upon to accommodate. Moreover, she requested a detailed briefing on a number of issues that concern the management of refugee flows.

On his part, Xydakis highlighted that Greece, based on international law, must rescue these people, and that is what it is doing. At the same time, he explained that the Greek Coastguard is operating beyond its capabilities and needs material and staff support.

He also noted that the European Union must collaborate to support Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan - where Syrian refugees are being hosted - to improve refugees' living conditions and intercept the refugee flows. He highlighted the need to strengthen the UN World Food Programme, which in 2015, due to lack of funding, dramatically reduced refugees' daily nutrition, which made refugees seek alternative refuge.

He also informed the Austrian Minister of the Interior of the fact that Greece is adequately guarding its maritime borders - in ongoing cooperation with Frontex as well as its land borders. "You can't stop refugees with fences at sea. Desperate people will seek another route," Xydakis noted, stressing that throughout the previous period Greece has been requesting assistance that it has not received at the rate it should. "Naturally, we are seeing weaknesses, but, due to the unprecedented size of the refugee flows, these were to be expected. We believe, however, that these issues can be dealt with through the revitalization of European solidarity, and not by falling into the trap of a blame game," Xydakis said, referring to the debate that has opened up in the EE with regard to the Schengen Treaty.

In response to a question from Leitner regarding the Greek-Turkish readmission protocol, Xydakis noted the delays that have been seen on the part of Turkey and the efforts that have been made recently to improve cooperation between the two countries. Leitner assured Xydakis that Austria will support Greece with human resources and equipment, and the two ministers agreed on the need for sincere relations of cooperation between the two countries.

The Greek minister met subsequently with the Secretary General of the Austrian Foreign Ministry, Dr. Michael Linhart. The two collocutors focused on the refugee issue.

Linhart acknowledged that Greece is facing a demanding situation - just as difficult as that of Austria - and noted that the two countries must work together with the aim of finding European solutions. He referred in particular to the completion of the hotspots and the functioning of the relocation mechanism, stressing that every positive step that is taken restores European cooperation.

Xydakis thanked Austria, stressing that the two countries share a common burden. He explained the technical issues Greece is facing with regard to guarding its maritime borders; issues that it is coping with while at the same time rescuing thousands of people. He noted the delay in European assistance and requested Austria's political and substantial support: "The European Union is coming up against the lack of trust between its members, and diplomacy must play a positive role," Xydakis stressed.

He also referred to the issue of the support of FYROM by the member states of the EU - an issue that has arisen in recent days - and stressed that the member states must safeguard the Union, strengthening the trust and cooperation among them. Finally, he noted that Greece has redoubled its efforts but sees as necessary a European solution, the implementation of the relocation plan, as well as the implementation of the Joint Action Plan with Turkey.

[05] Alt. FM Xydakis to have series of meetings in Bratislava and Budapest

Xydakis will complete his tour on Wednesday, in Budapest, where he will meet with Hungary's Interior Minister, S?ndor Pint?r, Deputy Minister of State for European Affairs, Tak?cs Szabolcs Ferenc, and Economic Diplomacy Minister, Levente Magyar.

[06] Head of Turkish interior ministry's migration management service to visit Greece on Thursday

According to Turkish sources, Toros will meet his counterparts at the Greek interior ministry to discuss effective imple-mentation of the bilateral readmission protocol signed by Greece and Turkey. The sources noted that the meeting is taking place 10 days after a second meeting of the Joint Greek-Turkish Working Group on migration, which was held in Athens on February 1.

They also said that the Turkish Embassy in Athens has not been notified in any way by the Greek police about the nine Turkish citizens that, according to the ANA-MPA were deported at the end of January.

The ANA-MPA report said that nine Turkish citizens were deported from the island of Lesvos on January 28 and had all been arrested within Greek territory or Greek territorial waters, each of them involved in various cases of migrant trafficking. The charges against them failed to stand up in court, however, and they were convicted only of entering Greece illegally. Each was then held for some time at a police jail on Lesvos until the date of deportation, where they were put on a ship head back to the shores of Turkey.

[07] President Pavlopoulos meets EESC head Georges Dassis, urges action to defend social state in EU

Pavlopoulos noted that the European Union's social face was the main pillar supporting the entire European architecture and that this had in recent times suffered severe cracks, especially in Greece, where the welfare state had been greatly undermined since 2010, both in terms of welfare and in terms of workers' rights.

This was also happening in other EU countries and was the result of an austerity policy that created huge impasses and must be revised as soon as possible, he added.

He called on Dassis to undertake initiatives via the EESC for a drastic defence of the social state and the rights of workers in every member-state, not only on the basis of the constitutio-nally established rights of workers in each member-state but on the basis of European law, as this was enriched by the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and international labour conventions.

"We must not forget this: the international labour conventions are an inseparable part of European law. And it is not possible in the name of some economic policy to trespass on the rights that arise from these provisions," Pavlopoulos added.

The president also said it was a source of pride that a Greek was once again at the head of the EESC.

The EESC is a consultative body that gives representatives of Europe's socio-occupational interest groups and others, a formal platform to express their points of views on EU issues. Its opinions are forwarded to the Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament. It thus has a key role to play in the Union's decision-making process.

[08] Alternate Migration Min does not rule out negative acts on the part of Europe

"There will be no tragic events, but it will be a difficult issue that we will be able to address," he explained.

Mouzalas summed up the national policy for the refugees to: the identification centers to be ready and adequately staffed, creating relocation centers for refugees and asylum seekers, and temporary centers.

Moreover, Greece is asking a safe corridor for refugees from Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, and immediate readmission to Turkey of those not seeking asylum or refuse voluntary return.

He also referred to the issue of unaccompanied children saying that "we are lagging significantly behind." To address that issue, he said that a committee composed by the ministry, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has been set up.

[09] Society is ready to support reforms if they fight inequality, says Gov't VP

He also said the operation of the political system and of the state are the key conditions for the success of reforms and changes.

"The government has the will to implement all the reforms and changes so that the country and society can exit from the crisis," he said, adding that apart from the reforms imposed by the agreements signed by Greece, there are reforms which should have been implemented long ago and are important for the survival for the country, just like the social security and administrative reform.

Dragasakis also talked about a change in electoral law which should take place after talks with other political parties, in order to abolish laws such as the 50-seat bonus, which would reflect political representation more accurately.

Commenting on the Interior ministry's draft law on reforms in public administration, he said that it "introduces the notion of modernization and meritocracy in the selection and staffing of the administration".

[10] Interior Minister Kouroumblis: Some EU countries have an appropriate and irresponsible attitude

Kouroumblis was answering a question on whether there are centers in the EU that want Greece outside the Schengen zone.

He lashed out at those who accused Greece of deficiencies over the handling of the refugees issue and referred to unfulfilled, as he called them, European promises. "We rescued 130,000 people that were in the waters," he underlined adding that Greece had to offer shelter and transport to these people.

"They had promised to give us 200 identification machines and they have sent us only 100 and voices wanting Greece out of the Schengen zone continue to exist in Europe," he noted while referring to the islanders he said that they should be awarded the Nobel prize because they "saved Europe's dignity."

Commenting on the locals reactions on the construction of hotspots, he claimed that the Greeks should not be trapped in fear. "We were always an open society," he underlined.

On the new election law, he pledged that the government will table it on time because, as he noted, it does not seek to take anyone by surprise, stressing that it will seek the best possible consensus of all parties.

[11] Programme review must be completed quickly, gov't spokeswoman says

"Any differences need to be bridged; the ball is now on the institutions' court, that need to show a constructive stance," Gerovassili underlined.

On pension reforms, she stated that the new proposal of the government supports the low and middle incomers, while there are gradual increases to the high incomes.

She also said that the government is open to dialogue with the farmers. "Our aim is to find the best possible solution," she stressed.

The government spokeswoman noted that Greece will be ready ahead of the European Council meeting on February 18, but what matters is that EU countries meet their commitments since this is the key to reducing refugee flows.

She said that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had a phone contact with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in order to be briefed on her visit to Turkey.

Tsipras made clear that any involvement of the NATO will concern the Turkish territorial waters and should by no means affect Greece's sovereign rights, she underlined.

Gerovassili also stated than the issue of joint patrols in the Aegean has not been raised.

Referring to Tsipras' visit to Iran, the government spokeswoman said that it is part of a wider framework of initiatives for upgrading Greece's international relations. Gerovassili said the visit to Iran was successful and strong investment interest was expressed from both sides, especially in the technology sector, oil, manufacturing, energy and transport adding that significant agreements have already been signed between Greek and Iranian businessmen.

[12] Greek economic program review needs to be concluded soon, EU official says

The review programme needs to be concluded soon, a senior eurozone official said on Tuesday.

The same official said that the negotiations between the Greek government and the institutions in Athens 'went very well', however, some differences still exist on the insurance, the 2016 fiscal figures and the years after, the reform of the public administration and the privatisation fund. He described the issues of the first review 'complex' not only on technical terms, but mostly on political terms, adding that everyone "hopes that the review will be completed relatively soon." Nevertheless, he underlined that the "quality of the agreement is far more important than the time it will be completed."

On pension reforms, he noted that progress has been made in the negotiations because everyone recognises that a combination of factors is necessary. He also stressed that the aim is the creation of a pension system that will be positive for the official sector of the economy.

Regarding the possibility of taking emergency fiscal measures for 2016, he reiterated that measures corresponding to 1% of GDP must be taken, but they have not been determined yet. As he said, the Greek authorities and institutions have agreed to work on the 2016 budget.

Concluding, he said that a date for the institutions' return to Athens has not yet been set and confirmed that discussions over the main issues of the technical consultations have been concluded.

[13] Greece needs to be more specific on pension reforms, Dijsselbloem says

Greece needs to be more specific over the planned pension reforms and the additional fiscal measures to be taken, Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem on Tuesday said in a letter to the Dutch parliament.

Regarding the February 11 Eurogroup, he said that the course of the first program review will be discussed. "More clarity is needed on the planned pension reforms and the additional fiscal measures to be taken by the Greek government. The institutions continue the negotiations with the Greek authorities on the measures. After the successful completion of the first review, a disbursement to Greece is possible," he added.

[14] Eurogroup's chief has not asked Greece to pass new measures, says Finmin source

The measures in question, as it has been repeatedly clarified by the Finance minister, are not a new request by the institutions, the sources said.

On the contrary, the sources added, they form part of the government's commitments agreed with the institutions: they are included in the 2016 budget, they total 1 pct of GDP, they will be voted for in 2016, they will be implemented in 2017, 2018 and they are part of the ongoing negotiations with the institutions.

[15] Measures in Dijsselbloem letter are not 'new', finance ministry sources say

The specific measures are not a new set of demands by the institutions, the sources added, as Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos has repeatedly clarified.

On the contrary, they are commitments made by Greece on the basis of the agreement with the partners, that are included in the 2016 budget and amount to 1 pct of GDP in total, the sources said. Legislation for the specific measures is programmed to be passed within 2016 and they are programmed to be implemented in 2017 and 2018, while they are part of the ongoing negotiation with the institutions, they added.

[16] ND leader Mitsotakis calls on PM Tsipras to withdraw bill on pension reforms

It is obvious that the society is against the government's proposal on pension reforms as both the economy and certain professions are affected without finding a solution to the problem, he said adding "Tsipras must immediately withdraw the bill so that the climate calms down and a substantial dialogue with the society is held".

[17] 'Tsipras' policies are not resolving any problems', says main opposition spokesman

"The policies and practices of Mr. Tsipras are not resolving any problem. They are instead creating many more and more explosive [problems]," Koumoutsakos said in a press release.

Earlier, Mitsotakis called on the prime minister to withdraw the government's proposals and start talks from scratch. Tsipras' office replied that his proposals are "a sign of complete irresponsibility and provocation".

"It's now obvious. Mr. Tsipras doesn't even understand what all Greeks see. He should understand it, albeit too late; and finally changed course," ND's spokesman added.

[18] Gov't will table legislative regulation for TV licenses, says parliament head

According to the Constitution, the Conference of Parliament Presidents was supposed to form with 4/5 of its members the new ESR, the body responsible for carrying out an open international tender for the licenses.

"As far as it concerns me, this issue will not be brought again at the Conference of Presidents. Today is the last meeting for this issue. Three months have passed; according to the law, we should have come to an agreement. This didn't happen," Voutsis said ending the meeting.

[19] City of Kos to conduct referendum over construction of hotspot

During the council's meeting, Kos mayor Giorgos Kyritsis stated: "Provided that the government's officials and the MP elected believe that the majority of the population supports the constructions of the hotspot, I gave orders to the municipality's general director to examine the procedures so that a local referendum is held and the citizens decide."

The representative of Kos citizens that attended the meeting said that already 7,000 citizen have signed that they are against the hotspot.

[20] Larisa farmers: 'We will not leave Athens empty-handed'

"We are coming to Athens to escalate our actions. Our problems are problems of survival and demands must be met if they want to remain us to cultivate our fields. We ask the government a political solution and not repression and criminalization of our struggle," the head of Larisa's farmers union Rizos Maroudas told ANA-MPA.

"We will march to Constitution square with the people of Athens who will express their support in our fight ... We declare to the government that we will not leave empty-handed," he added.

[21] Tempi Valley close indefinitely as of Tuesday noon

The farmers decided to toughen their stance in protest against the government reform plans in social security, pension and tax system.

[22] Legalization of industrial hemp, cannabis could help economy, say 20 SYRIZA MPs

"Since 2013, we've been waiting for a signature by the relevant ministries for the legalization of industrial hemp. While in many European countries it is grown and even subsidized by the EU, in Greece it has not yet been made clear to the public that hemp and marijuana are completely different, as the euphoric marijuana contains 16% of the psychoactive substance THC, while hemp only 0.2%," the MPs said in a document addressed to the ministers of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights, Health, Economy, Rural Development and Food and Interior and Administrative Reconstruction.

They said the cultivation of industrial hemp could prove a positive factor in the country's efforts to redirect and redeploy its farming and industrial sector.

"The increase in production, export activity and processing of hemp products can boost the Greek economy, create jobs and bring revenue to public coffers. There is therefore no reason to further delay the legalization of industrial hemp," they said.

Concerning cannabis, the lawmakers said that legalizing it for medical and pharmaceutical reasons makes sense as new research proves its beneficial and sometimes therapeutic effects of its use.

"The criminalization of cannabis pushes many patients and families to seek illegal channels for its acquisition, with all that this entails - substantial loss of revenue for the State, which is taken by organized crime or the abetment of patients to illegality," the document reads.

[23] Foreign Ministry expresses condolences to the Germans

"Our thoughts go out to those killed and injured in BadAibling train crash. Heartfelt condolences to the German people," according to the tweet.

[24] ND leader sends condolences to Merkel for Bavarian train crash

In his message, Mitsotakis expressed his sadness for the tragic incident and his condolences to the families of the victims.

[25] Environment and Energy Minister Panos Skourletis meets Palestinian ambassador

Skourletis outlined the Greek government's positions on a fair and viable solution to the Palestinian problem that will ensure the peaceful coexistence and prosperity of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. He also commented on the Israeli settlements, noting that this practice weakened the prospects of finding a solution and multiplied the problems.

Toubassi briefed Skourletis on the escalating tension with Israeli authorities and expansion of settlements and their repercussions on the Palestinian population, as well as the obstacles to efforts to find a solution based on two state entities in the region. He also relayed the Palestinian government's desire for a meeting between Skourletis and his Palestinian counterpart.

The minister said he would be happy to receive his Palestinian counterpart in order to examine possible areas of specific cooperation between the two sides, including cooperation on environmental protection issues, and referred to Greece's extensive experience in the areas of renewable energy and energy conservation.

[26] Attica Region head Rena Dourou meets French ambassador

Financial News

[27] Athens Stock Exchange returns back to 1989 levels

Despite the fact that Greece has safeguarded a third bailout programme and has completed the recapitalization of its banks, for the third time the Greek stock market failed to play the recovery scenario.

At the same time, a negative international environment and a sharp fall in international capital markets also have a negative impact on the domestic market, with European markets falling to 16-month lows.

The Greek market broke the strong support level of 470 points, which had reached in the period between May 6 and July 17, 2012 at the height of the Grexit scenario.

The composite index of the market was down 26.47 pct at Monday's closing so far this year, while the blue chip index FTSE-25, the bank index and bank shares fell to new historic-low levels. Investors seemed to liquidate their positions in Greek bank shares, even at a loss, soon after completion of a bank recapitalization exercise. The bank index is down 59.37 pct so far this year (Monday's closing), while the capitalization of the four systemic banks has collapsed below 5.0 billion euros, losing 6.7 billion in 2016.

Other blue chip stocks also record huge losses so far in 2016, with Viohalco down 29.38 pct, Hellenic Exchanges losing 28.87 pct, PPC down 27.84 pct, OPAP down 27.16 pct, Piraeus Port (-22.55 pct) and Folli Follie (-21.97 pct). Aegean Airlines (-0.59 pct), Grivalia Properties (-3.53 pct), Jumbo (-3.61 pct) and METKA (-7.38 pct) record the lowest percentage losses.

[28] Head of eurozone's new bank regulator meets Greece's central banker

Nouy, who was in Athens for a two-day visit, met also with the heads of the country's largest lenders and the Hellenic Bank Association.

[29] Banking Mediator to launch e-services in H2 of 2016

Pavlakis said that the process of collecting and registering complaints, written or through telephone services, has been fully automated reducing the maximum time of response to 31 days, an improvement of 56.3 pct compared with three years ago.

The Banking-Investment Services Mediator received a total of 10,332 telephone calls and citizen visits in 2015, of which 8,893 were individual transaction cases and 933 professional and small enterprises. It also received 1,692 written complaints, of which 1,425 were banking transactions by individuals, 183 by professionals and small enterprises and 84 were investment transactions. Pavlakis said that 70 pct of complaints were resolved to the benefit of citizens.

[30] Greek insurance market outlook positive, BoG vice-governor says

He expressed his satisfaction over the cooperation of insurance companies with the Bank of Greece as the majority of companies took actions to harmonise their operations with a new supervisory framework, such as reforming their corporate governance system, upgrading IT, modernising infrastructure for a more efficient risk management, a gradual abandonment of expanding activities under any cost, improving asset quality and strengthening capital adequacy. Mitrakos said it was positive that despite an adverse economic environment capital adequacy in the market remaining at levels significantly higher than minimum requirements. He expressed his optimism over the outlook of the Greek insurance market.

[31] Attica Bank ready to support enterprises, chairman says

Addressing a bank event in Chania, Crete, Gamvrilis presented the bank' s plan and goals to support enterprises with activities throughout all economic sectors in Crete.

[32] Passenger traffic up 11.5 pct in Jan

The airports of Athens, Thessaloniki, Chania, Heraclion and Rhodes recorded the biggest percentage increase in passenger traffic in the first month of 2016. The number of flights at Greek airports totaled 19,890 in January, of which 12,459 domestic and 7,431 international, up 4.5 pct from the same period last year.

[33] Greek stocks remain under pressure

PPC (3.21 pct), Lamda Development (2.64 pct), Titan (2.39 pct) and Grivalia Properties (0.28 pct) scored gains among blue chip stocks, while Eurobank (12.11 pct), National Bank (9.72 pct), OPAP (6.78 pct) and OTE (6.09 pct) suffered heavy losses.

National Bank and Cyprus Bank were the most heavily traded securities of the day. Among market sectors, Chemicals (1.30 pct), Real Estate (1.04 pct) and Constructions (0.89 pct) scored gains, while Health (6.52 pct), Telecoms (6.09 pct) and Travel (5.82 pct) suffered heavy losses.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 75 to 34 with another 26 issues unchanged. Forthnet (19.78 pct), Tzirakian (19.44 pct) and Boutaris (18.52 pct) were top gainers, while Sfakianakis (20 pct), AEGEK (16.67 pct) and Attica Holdings (12.37 pct) were top losers.

[34] Greek bond market closing report

In interbank markets, interest rates were mixed. The 12-month rate rose to -0.004 pct from -0.005 pct, the nine-month rate was -0.058 pct, the six-month rate rose to -0.100 pct from -0.107 pct, the three-month rate fell to -0.171 pct from -0.169 pct and the one-month rate fell to -0.237 pct.

[35] ADEX closing report

General News

[36] "Blue Star 1" with 1,034 refugees aboard docks at Piraeus port

A meeting, chaired by Shipping Minister Thodoris Dritsas, on the refugee issue has been scheduled later in the day.

[37] Refugees crossing to Fyrom at Idomeni carried out normally

The condition at the refugees camp is calm and according to police approximately 1,000 refugees are currently waiting to cross the border.

[38] Ro-ro ship "Alios" successfully dislodged after running aground near Kea

[39] Rhodes island coasts swamped with fish

According to estimates, the school of fish probably escaped from a nearby Turkish fish farm.

The same incident was observed in the same area two years ago.

Weather forecast

[40] Clouds, rain on Wednesday

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

DIMOKRATIA: Heavy penalties

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel asks for the NATO intervention in the Aegean

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: New tricks with social security contributions

ESTIA: 'Stalinization' of the law

ETHNOS: Hotspots incentives and blockade to non refugees

IMERISSIA: Crash on the stock market

KATHIMERINI: Lots of open fronts for the government

KONTRA NEWS: The government widens; a new electoral law is submitted

NAFTEMPORIKI: The Athens stock market 27 years ago

RIZOSPASTIS: Workers and farmers on the roads

TA NEA: Farmers are selfish

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