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Thursday, 21 November 2024
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-10-22Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Papandreou: Minimun tribute to low pensionersANa-MPA/Prime Minister George Papandreou, speaking in the Athens district of Peristeri on Thursday evening, announced special financial support for 500,000 low pension earners.Papandreou stressed that this support constitutes a "minimum tribute" to the low pensioners who lifted a great weight, adding that this support is "what we can do today" and that in the coming days the decision will also be announced on medical and pharmaceutical coverage for all the unemployed. On the question of support for low pension earners, the prime minister said that the amount and the preconditions for it will be announced by the relevant ministers. "Only our conscience imposes these measures on us," Papandreou pointed out, linking these decisions with the "first positive steps that have been taken (in the course of the economy)" and calling for "even bigger steps." Papandreou referred to all that has been done from the beginning of the country's governance by PASOK and said that despite the fact that "we found ourselves on the verge of the cliff, we remained standing thanks to the effort of all." More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [02] ND leader: New measures are comingANA-MPa/Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party leader Antonis Samaras,speaking in the city of Volos, central Greece, on Thursday in the framework of a three-day tour he began in Thessaly, said that "we imposed the real dilemma of these elections: the contrast between the policy of (ruling) PASOK, the policy of deadlocks and of desperation on the one hand, and the prospect of recovery and growth, the prospect of hope that we are offering on the other.""On the night of the elections, the government must feel 'scalded'. Not pleased. Not even relieved. Send them your message. Clear and frank. Hit the target," Samaras further said, adding that "there is a different prospect. Their is a breakthrough, with the plan of New Democracy." The ND leader said that the PASOK party's policy "has gone bankrupt and has lost the support of the people and for this reason it is doing three things: deceit, concealment, intimidation." Samaras also claimed that new measures "are coming that will be implemented as of the day after the elections and which the government has already signed since May", enumerating, among other things, an increase in heating prices, a new VAT increase, a new increase in Public Power Corporation (DEH) rates and in objective values. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [03] Kiosks begin 3-day strike on FridayANA-MPA/Kiosks and small wares shops embark on a three-day strike on Friday, demanding an increase in their profit percentage.The kiosk owners' federation is demanding of the finance ministry that it raise the profit percentage to 8.2 percent, through legislation, from the current average of 3 percent, stressing that it is a "matter of survival" for such businesses. The federation said that more than 1,200 kiosks and small wares shops throughout the country have gone out of business. Meanwhile, 40 kiosk owners have announced that they will begin an indefinite hunger strike outside the ministry on Friday. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [04] Athens open to Gruevski-Papandreou meeting, foreign ministry saysANA-MPa/The Greek side is ready for a meeting between Prime Minister George Papandreou and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) premier Nikola Gruevski, foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras indicated on Thursday."Our position is that it is good for the prime ministers of Greece and FYROM to meet at every opportunity. This is why we were disappointed when we saw that Nikola Gruevski did not come finally to New York. We hoped that it would be an opportunity for the two leaders to have another meeting, for a better climate in order to reach a solution via cooperation with the UN," Delavekouras said. The spokesman was replying to questions about Gruevski's recent statement that he desired to meet Papandreou before the NATO summit. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [05] Erdogan in AthensTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Athens on Thursday evening and is due to participate in an international conference on Climate Change in the Mediterranean that begins on Friday.Erdogan and the Turkish delegation were welcomed at the airport by Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas. The Turkish premier was due to join Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in a private dinner on Thursday night. The two premiers are also due to hold talks on Friday morning, on the sidelines of the conference, for a review of bilateral relations. In the Conference's panel on Climate Change, apart from the Turkish premier, Papandreou will be also joined by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of Malta, Prime Minister Salam Fayad of the Palestinian Authority, Philippe Maystadt, President of the European Investment Bank and other dignitaries. The panel will be hosted by Columbia University Professor and Director of the Earth Institute, Jeffrey Sachs. The day will also feature a roundtable discussion with ministerial level officials responsible for environmental policy from more than nine countries. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [06] NBG on interbank marketCreating new bank schemes is not among National Bank's priorities, Apostolos Tamvakakis, the bank's chief executive said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters, in the sidelines of a joint news conference with Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Tina Birbili, the Greek banker stressed that the opening up of the interbank market, following National Bank's successful share capital increase plan, was a top priority for the bank and the Greek banking system in general. He expressed optimism that the interbank market would open gradually for National Bank by the end of the year with significant credit lines of several billion euros. Commenting on the domestic banking system, he said that slowly each bank will gain access to international markets, according to its powers.Tamvakakis said National Bank will begin procedures in the first week of November to sell up to 20 pct in its subsidiary Finansbank, with the hiring of consultants for the sale. The sale is part of a capital boosting plan announced by National Bank, which hopes it will raise around 1.0 billion euros in this way. Tamvakakis said around 500 million euros of the new money would remain at the Turkish bank to boost its capital adequacy in a four-year period. He said that a bond loan worth 500 million US dollars, announced by Finansbank, was a first test for the success of National Bank's plan. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [07] Tram journeys get shorterDeputy Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Spyros Vougias on Thursday presented the 'Green Wave' system designed to speed up journey times for the Athens tram system by ensuring that trams were given a green light at some 80 traffic lights along their route.Vougias said that trams would be given priority at all junctions with traffic lights as of October 30, with the final touches to the system due to be completed by the end of November when a special system check team will be set up. The plan is to make the tram system, now considered by many passengers as very slow, a more attractive and competitive means of transport. The system is expected to shear some 10 to 12 minutes off current journey times from one terminus to the other. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [08] Tourists arrivals 5.4% downANa-MPA/Foreign visitors arrivals in Greece fell 5.4 pct in the first half of 2010, compared with the same period last year, highlighting the problems faced by Greek tourism early in the year, Hellenic Statistical Authority said on Thursday.The statistics service, in a report, said arrivals from Europe -accounting for 87.5 pct of the country's tourist market- fell 7.4 pct, while visitors from EU countries fell 6.0 pct in the January-June period. Latvia (73.8 pct), Cyprus (48.9 pct), Finland (31.9 pct), Poland (26.2 pct), Luxembourg (12.2 pct), Czech Republic (1.9 pct) and Austria (1.8 pct) recorded increases in tourist arrivals in EU level, while Russia (67.3 pct), Albania (14.3 pct) and Serbia (10.4 pct) also recorded higher visitors' arrivals from the rest of Europe. The UK (11 pct), France (8.9 pct) and Germany (5.5 pct) recorded moderate declines. Germany (14.2 pct) and the UK (11 pct) accounted for the biggest part of visitors, followed by Bulgaria (6.9 pct) and France (5.7 pct). Not even one citizen from Iceland visited Greece in the first half of 2010, as a result of the country's bankruptcy, after 1,283 visitors recorded in the corresponding period in 2009. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [09] Athens Newspaper HeadlinesThe Friday edition of Athens' dailies at a glanceThe working conditions in the private sector, a financial support to pensioners, and polls ahead of local government elections, mostly dominated the headlines on Friday in Athens' newspapers. ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Cutbacks in salaries and working hours in private sector". AVGHI: "Prime Minister George Papandreou turns the local government elections into "general elections". AVRIANI: "Acts of desperation in fear of crushing defeat". ELEFTHEROS: "Covert reduction of salaries in private sector". ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Civil servants' benefits to be cut from November via the single payment service". ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Derby in Attica prefecture elections". ESTIA: "The bureaucracy monster". ETHNOS: "Poll foresees surprises in local government elections". IMERISSIA: "Government clash with industrialists for the prices'. KATHIMERINI: "EU: Either severe austerity or penalties". LOGOS: "Local government elections bring an extraordinary financial support ". NAFTEMPORIKI: "Government -Industrialists clash over the prices in market". NIKI: "Government to manufacturers: Cut prices by 30 percent". RIZOSPASTIS: "Government-NATO: Surrender Greek sovereign rights to the imperialistic power war plans". TA NEA: "100-300 euros extraordinary financial support to low pensioners". TO VIMA: "Unemployment sends the young to the armed forces". VRADYNI: "Job market a jungle". More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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