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Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-11-25Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] PM calls for flexible, development-friendly stateANA-MPA"The state is the āsick manā and will have to be transformed into a state of law, one that will exercise its executive powers and be flexible; facilitating development, innovation and entrepreneurship," Prime Minister George Papandreou emphasised on Wednesday.Addressing newly elected regional authority heads, deputy governors and mayors during a two-day training seminar for the new local government authorities, he underlined that the target for the next two years will be cutting extravagant spending namely, reducing the size of the public sector.ana-mpa ana-mpaThe premier made a brief review of what happened in the past year focusing on the fact that the country came very close to bankruptcy and suspension of payments, stressing that the challenge with which the government was faced was to avoid those developments and, at the same time, turn the crisis into an opportunity for the implementation of reforms. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [02] ND calls independent MPs to resignANA-MPA/In a swift reaction to the development, main opposition ND leader Antonis Samaras charged that "Prime Minister George Papandreou is seeking crutches from others; few but very a willing group. This is happening openly in the last two days. Today, it occurred again without any pretence."Samaras evaluated that ND rising election strength and PASOK slide caused the latter to seek out willing allies from other parties.ana-mpa According to officials from ND, however, the decision was widely expected, as Kontoyiannis is viewed as a political ally of the former minister. Moreover, the main opposition party called on Kontoyiannis and another MP, Lefteris Avgenakis of Crete, to resign from their Parliament seats, given that they were elected on ND's ticket. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [03] Merkel praises Greek government's efforts for country's exit from crisisBERLIN (ANA-MPA/G. Pappas) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking during the discussion at the Bundestag on the 2011 budget, praised the Greek government's efforts for the country's exit from the crisis.As she said, these efforts were rewarded in the recent local government elections and pointed out that this meant that the people want things to be said as they are and that the want the necessary decisions to be taken.ana-mpa According to the Chancellor, if Germany was the model of strict fiscal discipline, Greece was the example of what a country must do to return to the path of virtue, meaning fiscal stability. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [04] Interior minister on transition to KallikratisANA-MPa/The next three months will be crucial for starting the implementation of the Kallikratis plan for local government, Interior Minister Yiannis Ragoussis said on Wednesday while attending a two-day seminar organised by the interior ministry to train the new local authority officials on the transition from the old local authorities to the new system.ana-mpaRagoussis said the transition will be completed in two weeks and highlighted changes under the new system, noting that 257 tenders concerning the Kallikratis plan were now underway and 1,200 electronic Citizens' Service Centres were being prepared. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [05] 'Green economy' dominates talks between Dep. FM, UNEP headANA-MPA/UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme UNEP, Achim Steiner, on Wednesday reiterated that the "green economy" concept is part of efforts to view environmental protection from the perspective of economic opportunity, during his meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis.Steiner is in Athens within the framework of the Greek BSEC Chairmanship and a ministerial meeting to take place in Thessaloniki on Friday.ana-mpa "We are looking forward to cooperation with UNEP to build the backbone of green economy in the country," the Kouvelis stressed, underlining the UNEP head's heightened experience in the sector. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [06] Thursday strike to disrupt public transport in AthensANA-Mpa/Public transport services throughout the capital will be disrupted on Thursday as a result of strike action by staff participating in a three-hour work stoppage announced by the umbrella trade union organisation General Confederation of Employees of Greece (GSEE) between noon and 15:00.Athens buses will not be running from the start of their shift until 7:00 and from 10:00 p.m. until the end of their shift. Trolley buses will not be running between noon and 15:00, while metro, tram and electric railway trains will stop between noon and 16:00.ana-mpa More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [07] Poachers threaten mainland wild goat with extinctionANA-MPa/A wild goat subspecies native to northern Greek mountain ranges, Rupicarpa rupicarpa balcanica, is now threatened with extinction, mostly because it is the most sought after trophy for local and Albanian poachers who cross the border along Mt. Grammos in the northwest to hunt the specific animal, biologist Haritakis Papaioannou told the ANA-MPA.A study on local hoofed animals entitled "Monitoring of fauna species on Grammos Mountain range", conducted within the framework of a research by Arcturos environmental organization, has showed that the wild goat population in the region is very small made up of roughly 50 members expected to be further reduced in numbers due to poaching practices. The entire wild goat population across Greece is roughly 700 individuals. ANA-MPA A small population increase is being recorded in just four regions, the Vikos-Aoos National Park, the mountains Olympus and Giona and the Fraktos Forest. However, this trend can be reversed easily unless an effective preservation mechanism and a National Action Plan for the wild goat are set up. According to Greek legislation, the wild goat is a protected wildlife species and its hunting is forbidden. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [08] fYRoM name solution imperative(ANA-MPA) -- A Greek foreign ministry spokesman on Wednesday pointed directly at the lack of constructive dialogue by the leadership of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) to solve the nagging "name issue", noting characteristically that fYRoM Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki, amongst others, at "every opportunity attacks Greece in a provocative way and burdens the UN framework procedure".ana-mpaSpeaking at a regular press briefing in Athens, spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras was responding to a question on whether the time is right for a meeting between the two sides with UN mediator Matthew Nimetz, and given that Milososki has reportedly responded in the affirmative. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [09] ATEbank reports lossesANA-MPA/ ATEbank on Wednesday reported after-tax and minorities losses of 117.2 million euros in the January-September period, after profits of 82.4 million euros in the corresponding period last year.The bank attributed the worsening of results to higher risk provisions, write-offs totaling 287.2 million euros and losses suffered in financial transactions in the first half of the year. ana-mpa ATEbank will proceed with a share capital increase plan, worth 1.0 billion euros, with the support of its main shareholder, the Greek state, to boost its capital base. The new money will be used to buy out preferential shares owned by the Greek state and the rest to boost the group's basic supervisory capital. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [10] Plan on sites servicesANa-Mpa/The culture and tourism ministry on Wednesday outlined a plan to improve services at Greek museums and archaeological sites, especially in terms of disabled access and availability of water.The new programme follows a study that revealing a lack of vital services in some 150 museums around the country, including some of the most important and most popular sites. Perhaps the most striking example is the Athens Acropolis, where until recently there was no provisions for access to the disabled or the Temple of Olympian Zeus in the heart of the city, where visitors were unable to buy water. More details on the subscriber's page of APE-MPE | Subscription request form [11] Athens Newspaper HeadlinesThe Thursday edition of Athens' dailies at a glanceDevelopments in main opposition New Democracy (ND) after a MP left the party, government promises to accelerate reforms, the issue of civil servants' transfers and the mergers of numerous state-run and loss-making enterprises and the course of the economy in Greece and Europe mostly dominated the headlines on Thursday. ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Express transfers of 25,000 civil servants and 12,000 lay-offs in public sector". AVGHI: "Not a single euro for growth". AVRIANI: "People disgusted by the new apostasy (referring to a handful of ND deputies leaving the party)". ELEFTHEROS: "Another four detention centres for illegal migrants to be established". ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Employers, bankers and businesspeople hiding behind troika". ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Clear explanations" ESTIA: "Unbelievable chaos prevails in public sector". ETHNOS: "Prime Minister George Papandreou furious with ministers". IMERISSIA: "Growth measures now, otherwise we sink". KATHIMERINI: "Fear of domino in eurozone". NAFTEMPORIKI: "Effort to start development". LOGOS: "79 state-run agencies will shut down". RIZOSPASTIS: "Local administration merger plan a guillotine for working class families". TA NEA: "Closed professions- How they'll open, what will be abolished". TO VIMA: "Additional 2 percent contribution". VRADYNI: "Criminals killing for a few euros". 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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