Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 16-07-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] Parliament rejects ND proposal for inquiry into 3rd memorandum

[02] Government economic team rejects ND proposal for memorandums inquiry

[03] ND's Mitsotakis accuses Tsipras of ducking the debate before the plenum

[04] KKE leader: 'Parliamentary inquiries are no solution'

[05] Centrists' Union leader rejects proposed Parliamentary probe into 3rd memorandum

[06] Parliament debates whether to hold inquiry into causes of 3rd memorandum

[07] Defence Minister Kammenos in Bulgaria on official visit, stresses good cooperation

[08] Greek asylum service to interview eight Turkish soldiers on Wednesday

[09] Alt FM Xydakis addresses informal meeting of EU General Affairs Council

[10] Dep. FM Amanatidis pays two-day official visit to Cyprus

[11] China's PLA Rocket Force officers visit Hellenic Army Artillery School

[12] Greece to take over Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group 2 command in July

[13] Eleven charged for shady frigates deal in 2003; case on former minister Papantoniou to Parliament

[14] Farm minister pledges 500,000 to help promote mastic gum in wake of devastating Chios fire

[15] Foreign ministry given until September 15 to translate Siemens case indictment

[16] Greek budget showed a primary surplus of 2.467 bln euros in Jan-June

[17] Finance ministry rejects allegations that prolonged negotiations burdened the country's public debt

[18] SEC recognizes ATHEX as Designated Offshore Securities Market

[19] NPLs are expected to rise further in 2016, Bank of Greece report says

[20] Tianjin-Piraeus ports discuss prospect of closer cooperation

[21] AB Vasilopoulos says sales up 13.5 pct in H1

[22] Praktiker Hellas opens new store in Rhodes

[23] Greek bond market closing report

[24] Greek stocks end flat

[25] ADEX closing report

[26] Large number of mastic trees destroyed in Chios wildfire

[27] Wildfire near Patras under control

[28] 101 migrants and refugees rescued on Tuesday

[29] 57,426 identified migrants and refugees in Greece on Tuesday

[30] International symposium for energy and sustainable development on Nisyros

[31] Greek man remanded in custody, on suspicion of setting 12 fires

[32] Somali migrant airlifted to Kalamata hospital from Italian coast guard vessel

[33] Fishermen warned of recent sighting of exotic - and poisonous - lionfish in Greek waters

[34] 'Lysistrata' takes a trip ... on the Athens metro

[35] 'Healthy Seas Fashion Project' starts in Crete

[36] 'Paros Jet' departure delayed two hours in Rafina

[37] 'Eurodam' cruise ship arrives in Iraklio port

[38] Mostly fair on Wednesday

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

[01] Parliament rejects ND proposal for inquiry into 3rd memorandum

The proposal failed to collect the 120 votes needed under Parliament rules for a committee of inquiry to be set up, with the final count showed 155 votes against, 96 votes in favour and 20 votes of 'present'. The proposal was rejected by MPs of the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition and the Centrists' Union and supported by ND, Democratic Alliance and Potami MPs, as well as the independent MPs Haris Theoharis and Leonidas Grigorakos.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and Golden Dawn both abstained, voting 'present'.

[02] Government economic team rejects ND proposal for memorandums inquiry

"I am more ready to believe that [ND leader] Kyriakos Mitsotakis is a political prisoner than that Greece's debt, if SYRIZA had not been in government, would not have been 300 billion euros but 200 billion-odd," Tsakalotos said, in response to the main opposition's claim that the tactics adopted in the first half of 2015 led to economic damages of 86-100 billion euros.

Citing an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report, the finance minister said the previous governments were to blame for the country's dire economic woes due to their failure to quickly recapitalise the banks and for failing to address the problem of non-performing loans.

Government vice-president Yiannis Dragasakis said the ND proposal was a tactical move and noted that "2015 was a battle in war that hasn't finished" and was being fought with "asymmetrical means" that included economic strangulation and open blackmail, which the main opposition had assisted.

Alternate Finance Minister George Chouliarakis told Parliament that the negotiations in April and August 2015 had not been based on disastrous threats to exit the euro but "on restoring an atmosphere of trust, creating alliances and exploiting the contradictions in the Eurozone, not the opportunist choice of the country's exit from the euro."

He said he supported an investigation of how the country was led to economic disaster from the start of the memorandums in 2010 until the present "away from the spotlight of publicity, like that conducted by the United Kingdom on the war in Iraq."

According to Chouliarakis, flawed ND planning had failed to prepare the country for an exit from the memorandums.

[03] ND's Mitsotakis accuses Tsipras of ducking the debate before the plenum

Even if ND's proposal was rejected now, "this examining committee will be set up in the next Parliament," Mitsotakis promised and accused the government of being afraid to let the truth come out.

Mitsotakis then referred at length to the role played by former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, suggesting that the plan may have been to leave the euro all along.

"Perhaps Plan B was in fact Plan A and at the last minute Tsipras got scared and gave the creditors everything? That is what Varoufakis charges. There is no Varoufakis issue. There is a Tsipras issue and Tsipras can no longer hide behind Varoufakis," the main opposition leader said.

Mitsotakis went on to accuse the government of tacticalism in bringing the simple proportional representation bill, but also for launching a process for revising the constitution in the middle of summer as a "communications" exercise. He noted that multiple opportunities to improve the country's institutions and its growth were being lost under Tsipras' leadership.

The government had known its pre-election promises could not be honoured and had gambled with the country's prestige until it was forced into a disorderly retreat in the face of impending disaster, he said, leading the country to a "parody" of a referendum and the imposition of capital controls.

"You knew your decision would leave Greece without a programme and that the European Central Bank would be forced to cut off Emergency Liquidity Assistance," Mitsotakis said, while noting that Varoufakis and James Galbraith in their book had revealed that preparations were being made for a 'Plan B' and parallel currency in the case that Greece left the euro.

[04] KKE leader: 'Parliamentary inquiries are no solution'

"The condemnation must be political since the decisions were political. For this reason, the fundamental and main problem cannot be solved with examining committees," he noted, presenting his party's position in the debate on whether to set up a committee to examine the reasons why Greece was led to sign a third memorandum agreement.

"The people themselves must undertake to punish all of you that governed or who lent a helping hand to such governments," Koutsoumbas said.

[05] Centrists' Union leader rejects proposed Parliamentary probe into 3rd memorandum

Addressing Parliament during the debate on ND's proposal, Leventis noted that ND, if it genuinely wanted to seek out the reasons for the crisis, should also have included the administrations of former prime ministers Costas Karamanlis and George Papandreou in the period of investigation.

In his speech, Leventis denied reaching a deal with the government in order to support the law for simple proportional representation, noting that this had always been his party's position. Commenting on proposals unveiled by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday for revising the Constitution, he expressed a number of objections, including to the election of the president directly by the electorate, and noted that too-frequent referendums should be avoided as divisive.

In his next meeting with the prime minister, Leventis added, he would recommend "not tinkering overmuch" with the constitution, since "we don't suffer from any lack of constitution but a lack of its implementation."

[06] Parliament debates whether to hold inquiry into causes of 3rd memorandum

Support for ND's proposal was voiced by the rapporteurs of the Democratic Alliance and Potami parties, while representatives of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and far-right Golden Dawn said they would abstain by voting 'present'. The Independent Greeks, the junior party in the ruling coalition, and the Centrists' Union were against the proposal.

Independent MP Haris Theoharis was in favour of a parliamentary inquiry, adopting ND's arguments that the extended negotiations had saddled the country with an additional 86 billion euros in debt.

The debate is expected to peak in the evening, when the party leaders will address the plenum.

[07] Defence Minister Kammenos in Bulgaria on official visit, stresses good cooperation

"Bulgaria, Greece and by extension Cyprus in the south and Romania to the north are countries that essentially form the border between East and West. Close cooperation will help build a secure Europe," he added.

In a comment on the migration issue, Kammenos urged the EU and NATO allies to understand that reinforcing Greece and Bulgaria was important for other countries in the Alliance and the EU.

"Close cooperation between our defence ministries and the armed forces of Greece and Bulgaria creates conditions of absolute security for our peoples and will serve as an example to other countries in the Alliance," he said.

Kammenos held talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolay Nenchev and Bulgarian Parliament Chairwoman Tsetska Tsacheva. In talks with Nenchev they agreed on a common defence policy and to conduct joint military exercises that other allied countries will also be invited to take part in.

The Greek minister also formally opened a seminar on cooperation between the Greek and Bulgarian defence industries.

[08] Greek asylum service to interview eight Turkish soldiers on Wednesday

The interviews are part of the process of evaluating asylum applications made by the eight last week. Under the law, applicants have seven days after their application is submitted in which to prepare for the interview. Once the interviews are complete, an asylum service employee will announce the primary-level decision. If asylum is refused, the applicants can appeal and their application is then reviewed again in a secondary process.

[09] Alt FM Xydakis addresses informal meeting of EU General Affairs Council

Austria and the referendum in Hungary." He continued, stressing that the new second-round presidential election in Austria holds the risk of an extreme-right president's being elected, and that the referendum in Hungary, in the case of a positive outcome for the government in Budapest, means that a decision of the European Council can be called into question by a domestic referendum in a single country.

The agenda for the GAC included a) assessment of the implementation of the European Council's Strategic Agenda (June 2014) and redefining of priorities for acceleration of the implementation of the Agenda's goals, and b) finding ways to improve the EU's communication strategy, with the aim of halting euroskepticism and the centrifugal trends observed in the Union and expressed in the result of the British referendum.

During his intervention, Xydakis talked of the technocratization of EU policy, clarifying that the political problems are reduced to a technical level, with a kind of EU idiolect prevailing - an idiolect that cannot be understood by the wider public - while instead of the problems being solved by the politicians themselves, who have democratic legitimacy, Euro-bureaucrats are trying to solve them.

Favouring the community method over the intergovernmental, he stated that "at such a critical time, the impression is being given that the struggle for convergence, cohesion and solidarity among the EU member states has definitively failed. For this reason, because such struggles must not be definitively lost, we need to persist in the community method and reject inter-governmentalism. We need to continue to strive towards "communitization" of the budget and towards the shifting of surpluses."

Xydakis referred to political instability that is due to the absence of a socially cohesive center in today's EU, noting that the prevailing image is of social fragmentation, with the exclusion of social strata and with impoverishment.

Concluding, Xydakis called on for defence of democracy and religiously neutral state (Etat laique).

[10] Dep. FM Amanatidis pays two-day official visit to Cyprus

Amanatidis will greet the proceedings of the Conference on behalf of the Greek government on Tuesday afternoon.

During his visit to Cyprus Amanatidis will meet on Wednesday morning with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus Ioannis Kasoulides while an unveiling ceremony will be held for a sculpture entitled "The Olive Tree," a gift from the Hellenic Republic to the Republic of Cyprus.

Later, Amanatidis will participate in a working meeting with the Commissioner for Human Rights Issues of the Republic of Cyprus, Fotis Fotiou, on Diaspora issues.

Finally, Amanatidis will visit Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus and will lay a wreath to the Tomb of Makedonitissa.

[11] China's PLA Rocket Force officers visit Hellenic Army Artillery School

[12] Greece to take over Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group 2 command in July

Commander Panagiotis Papageorgiou is to take over the duties of SNMCMG-2 on the general support ship "Aliakmon" from Turkish Captain Ramazan Kesgin during a special ceremony at the Salamina naval base on Friday.

[13] Eleven charged for shady frigates deal in 2003; case on former minister Papantoniou to Parliament

The prosecutor said charges should be brought against the defence ministry's former general secretary for financial planning and defence investments, Spyridonas Travlos, and another 10 members of the negotiating committee for estimated damages to the state exceeding 30 million euros.

The contract was signed by Hellenic Shipyards in Skaramangas, with the company Thales Nederland B.V. as subcontractor, and the defence ministry in 2003.

[14] Farm minister pledges 500,000 to help promote mastic gum in wake of devastating Chios fire

Apostolou noted the competitive potential of mastic gum cultivation, which is endemic to Chios, and said that the government places emphasis on this as one of the key tools for bringing income to the island.

Talking to the agency, the minister said the money will be given in the next 3-5 days, along with money to be spent on storehouses and refrigerators for the mastic gum producers union.

After visiting the island, Apostolou said the fire had struck many places already burned in 2012, while it had left an area of 2500-3000 hectares entirely bare of vegetation, causing damage to mastic gum orchards and other crops. He said the government would explore ways to compensate farmers for the loss of income and plant capital, applying for assistance from the European Commission's Solidarity Fund or through state support. He also noted the need to take measures to protect the environment in the fire-stricken areas, with anti-flooding protection and other steps.

[15] Foreign ministry given until September 15 to translate Siemens case indictment

The agreement follows a request made by Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos that the cases involving Siemens be fast-tracked on the basis of legislation relating to cases of special interest.

Financial News

[16] Greek budget showed a primary surplus of 2.467 bln euros in Jan-June

The general government's deficit was 1.008 billion euros in the first half, down from a deficit of 1.414 billion last year and a budget target for a deficit of 4.493 billion euros.

Regular budget net revenue was 20.960 billion euros, up 3.8 pct from targets in the first six month of the year, with revenue increases recorded in income tax (4.7 pct), direct taxes (14.8 pct), VAT on tobacco (39.7 pct), VAT on other goods (3.8 pct), insurance tax (10.8 pct), other special consumption taxes (31.2 pct) and other non-tax revenues (24.3 pct). Budget revenue fell short of targets in corporate tax income (48.5 pct), special categories tax (5.2 pct), property taxes 91.7 pct), VAT on oil products (16.2 pct), other transaction taxes (13 pct), other indirect taxes (23.5 pct), revenues from ANFAs and SMPs (37.5 pct) and privatization revenue (61.8 pct).

Tax returns totaled 1.471 billion euros, up 180 million from budget targets. Public Investment Programme revenue was 2.028 billion euros, down 642 million from targets.

State budget spending was 23.966 billion euros in the January-June period, down 3.350 billion from targets. Regular budget spending amounted to 22.694 billion euros, down 2.467 billion from targets. Regular budget spending was up 606 million euros compared with the same period last year. Public Investment Programme spending was 1.302 billion euros, down 883 million from targets.

In June, state budget net revenue was 3.780 billion euros, down 194 million from monthly targets, while regular budget revenue surpassed targets by 3.0 million euros to 3.697 billion. Tax returns in June totaled 266 million euros, up 52 million from monthly targets, while Public Investment Programme revenue was 83 million euros, down 197 million from targets.

Budget spending totaled 3.974 billion euros in June, down 612 million from monthly targets, while regular budget spending was 3.786 billion, down 100 million from targets. Public Investment Programme spending fell short by 512 million from targets to 188 million euros.

[17] Finance ministry rejects allegations that prolonged negotiations burdened the country's public debt

The sources noted that the cost of 86 billion euros of the bailout loan agreed with the creditors in August 2015 was distributed as follows:

-54 billion euros will be used for the refinancing of existing debt

-25 billion euros were earmarked for the recapitalization of banks, of which only 5.0 billion were finally used

-7.0 billion euros will be used to repay the state's overdue debt to the private sector.

"The Greek public debt was 324 billion euros in December 31, 2014 and eased to 321 billion a year later," the sources said.

[18] SEC recognizes ATHEX as Designated Offshore Securities Market

The designation of Hellenic Exchanges-Athens Stock Exchange S.A. as DOSM provides several advantages to both investors and issuers:

-All kinds of securities issued in Greece and listed and traded on the Athens Stock Exchange may now be resold, without requiring the seller to form a prior reasonable belief that the buyer is outside of the United States. Prior to that, investors who wished to sell such securities (i.e., equity or debt securities issued by ATHEX listed companies in a private placement under the U.S. securities laws) had to take certain measures to ascertain the location of the purchaser prior to re-selling. With this designation, investors will be able to resell such securities without having to follow procedures to ensure that the securities are not being purchased by a buyer in the United States or a U.S. person. Consequently, trading in the securities listed on ATHEX will be more facilitated.

-A more liquid resale market is expected to develop, which is likely to make private placements of Greek securities issued by ATHEX-listed companies more attractive to U.S. investors.

-Moreover, subject to satisfying certain other criteria, the DOSM designation will also facilitate the dissemination of research reports during offerings of securities (including private placements of debt and equity securities) by issuers whose shares traded on ATHEX for at least twelve months.

[19] NPLs are expected to rise further in 2016, Bank of Greece report says

The central bank said that NPLs were expected to increase during 2016 depending on how fast banks would proceed with portfolio restructuring (limiting the cost of loan servicing through refinancing of existing loans with more favourable terms, exchanging corporate debt with equity capital), even in the case of macro-economic conditions returned to normality, since there is historically a time delay between a positive return of macro-economic environment and reducing NPLs.

The Bank of Greece estimates that credit risk and a further deterioration of the quality of loan portfolio was the most significant source of uncertainty for the financial system.

Loan portfolio quality of Greek credit institutions continues deteriorating from the beginning of the financial crisis until today. Adverse macro-economic conditions led to nominal wage cuts, higher unemployment, raising the number of workers in part-time jobs and to more flexible labour forms. These developments combined with higher taxation contributed to a significant reduction in available income and a weakening of the ability to repay loans by both households and enterprises. Additionally, the imposition of capital controls in June 28, 2015 has made economic activity more difficult. As a result, the percentage of non-performing loans grew to 44.2 pct in 2015, from 39.9 pct in 2014. This situation deteriorated further as in the first quarter of 2016 this percentage grew to 45.1 pct.

The central bank said that loans in delay of more than 90 days accounted for 30 pct of NPLs and warned that this evidence is an early warning signal for credit risk developments in the banking system. The Bank of Greece said that an integrated plan was necessary to offer solution in the management of early overdue debt.

[20] Tianjin-Piraeus ports discuss prospect of closer cooperation

Tianjin and its port is one of the most significant economic zones in China and one of the pilot free trade zones in China (the zone promotes a free trade agreement with South Korea focusing on industry, aviation and shipbuilding).

Vasilis Korkidis, president of the Chamber, in his speech referred to the two issues preoccupying the business community: accessing a certification agency in China and whether an agreement with Cosco links the ports of Piraeus and Tianjin.

Zhang Aiguo, general manager of Commerce Commission of Tianjin, said the city's port operates as an export center of goods manufactured in northern China and it is the main import center for iron ore, oil products, coal, wheat and cars. The port is ranked 10th, globally, in container traffic. Currently, 20,000 companies operate in the free trade zone, Chinese or international.

[21] AB Vasilopoulos says sales up 13.5 pct in H1

A strengthening of turnover resulted both from organic growth and acquisitions and new franchise stores. AB Vasilopoulos completed seven store renovations in the first half and expanded its network with 14 new sales points, of which 4 were the product of organic growth, six from acquisitions and four as a franchise. The Group's network totals 358 units.

Comparable sales grew 9.0 pct. Leonidas Vrettakos, COO in AB Vasilopoulos, said the results underlined the group's commitment to make bigger efforts towards supporting the Greek economy.

[22] Praktiker Hellas opens new store in Rhodes

The new store will cover a space of 5,100 sq.m. offering 170 parking slots and will offer 35,000 products in a wide range of prices.

Yiannis Selalmazidis, managing director of Praktiker Hellas, commenting on the investment said it was a real jewel for Praktiker family as it incorporated the new brand concept.

[23] Greek bond market closing report

In interbank markets, interest rates were mixed. The 12-month rate rose to -0.048 pct from -0.049 pct, the nine-month rate fell to -0.121 pct from -0.120 pct, the six-month rate rose to -0.187 pct from -0.188 pct, the three-month rate fell to -0.298 pct from -0.297 pct and the one-month rate was -0.371 pct.

[24] Greek stocks end flat

OPAP (2.53 pct), Lamda Development (2.09 pct) and GEK Terna (1.58 pct) were top gainers among blue chip stocks, while Eurobank (3.66 pct), Terna Energy (1.95 pct) and Grivalia Properties (1.90 pct) suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day. Among market sectors, Travel (2.30 pct) and Commerce (1.42 pct) scored big gains, while Utilities (0.83 pct) and Banks (0.73 pct) suffered losses.

National Bank and Piraeus Bank were the most heavily traded securities of the day. Broadly, advancers led decliners by 46 to 36 with another 24 issues unchanged. Progressive (20 pct), Medicon (12.86 pct) and Nereus (10.39 pct) were top gainers, while Sfakianakis (16.67 pct), Centric Holdings (15.63 pct) and Alpha Astika (15.58 pct) were top losers.

[25] ADEX closing report

General News

[26] Large number of mastic trees destroyed in Chios wildfire

Two firefighting aircrafts and three water dropping helicopters are operating in the area to prevent rekindling.

According to Chios mayor Manolis Vournos "the fire will be contained by late afternoon if the weather is good and the winds are low.

Over 90 percent of the mastic trees at the villages of Lithi, Elata and Vessa were destroyed while a large number of mastic trees were burned at the villages of Mesta, Armolia and Pyrgi.

Agriculture Minister Evangelos Apostolou will visit Chios on Tuesday.

[27] Wildfire near Patras under control

Over 60 firefighters with 18 fire engines were battling the blaze throughout the night.

According to first estimations the fire burned approximately 5 hectares of farmland.

[28] 101 migrants and refugees rescued on Tuesday

Meanwhile, 61 refugees and migrants were rescued early Tuesday in the sea region of Skanadari off the coasts of Kos.

Two men of foreign nationality aged 28 and 37 were arrested alleged to be the human traffickers.

[29] 57,426 identified migrants and refugees in Greece on Tuesday

According to the Refugee Crisis Management Coordination Body's figures, 23,157 of the refugees are in northern Greece, 10,222 are hosted in the region of Attica and 2,309 are hosted in facilities of central and southern Greece. 7,178 refugees and migrants are hosted in several facilities rented by the UNHCR, and 1,400 persons are living outside organised facilities. In Piraeus port and at former Elliniko airport are 4,084 migrants and refugees.

9,076 refugees and migrants were recorded on the eastern Aegean islands.

[30] International symposium for energy and sustainable development on Nisyros

The aim of the symposium was the boosting of the scientific dialogue that will support the sustainable management and the use of natural renewable resources with the best practices, examples and policies at local, Mediterranean, European and international level through technological, social and economic, ecological and sustainable dimension.

Scientists from US, Britain, Belgium, France, Italy, Sri Lanka, India, Morocco and Greece participated in the symposium while participants travelling via Istanbul were not able to attend the event due to the latest developments in Turkey.

The participants were toured to the island and a large number of the scientists signed a letter supporting Nisyros volcano's candidacy to be included in UNESCO's GeoParks.

[31] Greek man remanded in custody, on suspicion of setting 12 fires

[32] Somali migrant airlifted to Kalamata hospital from Italian coast guard vessel

The helicopter had taken off from the Elefsina airbase near Athens, gone to Kalamata for refuelling, and then flown to rendezvous with the coast guard vessel sailing 130 nautical miles southwest of Kalamata. The Italian coast guard had just picked up the patient, his brother and other irregular migrants.

[33] Fishermen warned of recent sighting of exotic - and poisonous - lionfish in Greek waters

A lionfish was accidentally picked up in the nets of a local fisherman and taken alive to Cretaquarium's facilities. The first sighting of the species in Greek waters was in the Rhodes region in 2015, where it was reported in a scientific journal.

Cretaquarium staff said fishermen, both professional and amateur, and the general public had to be on the alert to avoid accidents caused by the poison in the lionfish's spines.

[34] 'Lysistrata' takes a trip ... on the Athens metro

The classic ancient Athenian comedy directed by Michail Marmarinos is the third National Theatre production in the Athens and Epidaurus Festival this summer. The play is based on a new translation of the ancient Greek by Dimitris Dimitriadis, with Lena Kitsopoulou playing the lead role.

Originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC, the play is a comic account of one woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponnesian War. Lysistrata persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace. It was produced just two years after Athens' catastrophic defeat in the Sicilian Expedition and is widely seen as having serious rather than comic intent, as a last appeal for an elusive peace.

The production will also tour other theatres in Greece during August, with performances scheduled on the island of Andros on August 12, the Ancient Theatre of Philippi in Kavala on August 20, the Ancient Theatre of Dion in Katerini on August 23, in Ancient Olympia on August 28, the Roman Odeon in Patras on August 30-31, the Papagou Garden Theatre on September 4, Theatro Dasous in Thessaloniki on September 9, Old Oil Mill in Elefsina on September 12, Theatre of the Rocks in Athens on September 16, Dimitris Kintis Park Theatre in Ilioupolis, Athens on September 19, Park Theatre of Nea Smyrni on September 21 and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus beneath the Acropolis on September 24.

[35] 'Healthy Seas Fashion Project' starts in Crete

The "Healthy Seas Fashion Project" is held with the support of the European Commission's representation office in Greece to celebrate one year of successful action by the environmental organisation MEDASSET to protect sea life in Greece.

The discarded 'ghost' fishing nets that litter the seabed, presenting a deadly danger to sea animals like turtles, dolphins and seals, are taken and recycled to make a high-quality yarn known as 'ECONYL?'. Students and graduates of a fashion school then used fabric made of this thread to create stylish, eco-friendly clothes.

The visitors of the Aquarium can also admire more than 200 species of animals populating the Mediterranean Sea in the 60 aquariums and watch a film showing the procedure of the making of the "Fashion Project". Underwater captions record the great destruction that invisible 'ghost' fishing nets inflict on sea life.

The "Healthy Seas: A Journey from Waste to Wear" Fashion Project is supported by the United Nations (UNEP/ MAP), the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises and the UNESCO, as also by the enterprises ASAP Athens, Kosmocar, ANEK Lines and Blue Star Ferries.

[36] 'Paros Jet' departure delayed two hours in Rafina

[37] 'Eurodam' cruise ship arrives in Iraklio port

The Iraklio Port Authority offered traditional treats to the passengers and exchanged gifts with the crew, after a tour around the ship.

Eight cruise ships have already docked at Iraklio port since the beginning of the year, while two more are expected to arrive by the end of 2016.

The Iraklio Port Authority declared that they aim at a long-term growth of the cruise industry in the region by offering safety and high quality services.

Weather forecast

[38] Mostly fair on Wednesday

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

DIMOKRATIA: They change again the Real Estate Uniform Tax (ENFIA)

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Constitutional review with referendums

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: The government rush to withdraw the additional ENFIA

ESTIA: ENFIA with double standards

ETHNOS: The citizens write the new Constitution

KATHIMERINI: Retreat for the ENFIA

NAFTEMPORIKI: Back and forth

RIZOSPASTIS: The new ENFIA is permanent and even worse than the previous one

36, TSOCHA ST. ATHENS 115 21 GREECE * TEL: 210 64.00.560-63 * FAX: 210 64.00.581-2 INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.ana.gr * e-mail: anabul@ana gr * GENERAL DIRECTOR: MICHALIS PSILOS

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