Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-10-30

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

CONTENTS

[01] ND Central Committee to convene on Sat.

[02] ASE opening: Rise

[03] Áthens Newspaper Headlines

[01] ND Central Committee to convene on Sat.

On Wednesday, all four candidates for ND's leadership - Dora Bakoyannis, Antonis Samaras, Dimitris Avramopoulos and Thessaloniki Prefect Panagiotis Psomiadis - were in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki to attend the annual military parade held for the October 28 national holiday.

Speaking afterwards, Avramopoulos also stressed that ND would emerge united from this transitional period, soon recovering its prospects of once again taking charge of the country.

The move comes one day after the announcement on Tuesday by MP Dimitris Sioufas, chairman of the committee organising ND's extraordinary conference, that he had sent "a final draft" of the proposal originally agreed by all four candidates for ND's leadership - and which will have to be approved by the party's central committee - to ND President Costas Karamanlis and the four declared candidates.

The original agreement called for the election of a new president by ND's grass-roots supporters that had officially joined the party or were willing to join on the day of the vote.

Sioufas stressed that he had not included later suggestions made by Avramopoulos, citing a deadline and procedural obstacles regarding the necessary modifications to ND's charter.

Meanwhile, Bakoyannis, the former foreign minister, said that her target is the widening of ND to the right and the centre to enable it to become an expanded centre-right party, speaking later in the evening to ND supporters and cadres in the northern prefecture of Halkidiki.

"I decided to seek your confidence because I believe that we can build a big, reliable, democratic and well-organised party together again. To rebuild ND that we are dreaming of together, a New Democracy of the grand centre-right," she said.

Referring to the PASOK government, Bakoyannis said "its first steps are anything but encouraging. The first steps show that they have no planning, strategy and targets. ND must be ready to wage its battles in Parliament and in society to protect the citizens and at the same time to prepare its new governance proposal."

[02] ASE opening: Rise

Individual sector indices were moving mostly upward, with the biggest gains in Industrial Products, up 2.23 percent; Chemicals, up 1.64 percent; Banks, up 1.60 percent; and Health, up 1.60 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was up 1.48 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was up 1.30 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was up 1.25 percent.

Of the stocks moved, 88 were up, 11 were down, and 24 were unchanged.

[03] Áthens Newspaper Headlines

The investigation into Wednesday's terrorist attack on a police station in Aghia Paraskevi, northeastern Attica, the situation in main opposition New Democracy (ND) ahead of the election of a new leader and the fiscal deficit, dominated the headlines on Friday in Athens' newspapers.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Changes in labour relations - Clash between employees in STAGE programme and government".

APOGEVMATINI: "First message of unity in ND - ND's supporters concerned over ND's Congress meeting on Saturday".

AVRIANI: "Conflict in ND - Government slow in decision taking".

CHORA: "Three Kings and a Queen (referring to the candidates for ND's leadership) - Arguing continues in ND on the election procedure".

ELEFTHERI ORA: "Police station entrances will be left without guard posts".

ELEFTHEROS: "Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chryssohoidis proceeds with new shocking revelations - He abolishes the guard posts outside police stations".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Police numb after the attack".

ESTIA: "Leader election procedure in ND is full of holes - ND at an impasse".

ETHNOS: "Puzzle with DNA and fingerprints from the crime scene".

KATHIMERINI: "The terrorists wanted deaths - Heavy weaponry puzzles authorities".

LOGOS: "Chryssohoidis: The police stations without guards - Evidence from terrorist attack under the microscope".

RIZOSPASTIS: "Working class demands permanent and stable jobs".

TA NEA: "Gun possession a felony - Chryssohoidis considers imposing a stricter law".

TO VIMA: "Social front against terrorism - Unanimous condemnation".

VRADYNI: "Government in search of the real deficit - Recital of amateurishness and unreliability".

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