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Thursday, 21 November 2024
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 12-01-19Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Papademos: CACs activated if requiredAMNA--Prime Minister Lucas Papademos will meet again on Thursday with Institute for International Finance (IIF) managing director Charles Dallara to resume the negotiation on the Greek bond swaps.The two officials, with Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos also in attendance, resumed their discussions late Wednesday following a suspension of the negotiations last Friday. amna No statements or comments were made after the meeting. However, it was agreed that the discussion will continue on Thursday. In an interview published in the New York Times on Wednesday, the Greek prime minister noted that "the private lenders must acknowledge that they could take a loss from the PSI procedure", adding that in the event that the bondholders do not agree then it is possible that the CACs (Collective Action Clauses in sovereign bonds) will be activated". www.amna.gr According to the New York Times, Papademos said that if Greece did not receive 100 percent participation in a program in which bondholders would voluntarily write down 50 percent of debt, the country would consider passing a law to require holdouts to take losses. amna "It is something that has to be considered in the light of expectations about the degree of the participation to be achieved," Papademos, cited by the newspaper, said, adding: "It cannot be excluded. It is contingent on the percentage." [02] Increase in tourist arrivals in 2011 at Greek airportsAMNA--The year 2011 will remain in history as the best year for Greek tourism, according to figures released on Monday by the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises (SETE) concerning the country's 13 largest airports.Tourist arrivals at airports throughout Greece rose by 8.65 percent in January-December 2011 in comparison with the same period in 2010, according to provisional figures released by SETE, with arrivals reaching 11,528,782 arrivals against 10,611,219 in 2010. SETE said that arrivals at all airports throughout the country, with the only exception of Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos international airport (AIA), posted increases, with the islands of Rhodes and Kos presenting the larges rises, with 22.06 percent and 22.41 percent respectively. amna Substantial increases were also posted in Heraklion, Crete (12.59 percent) and Hania, Crete (10.57 percent), and also Thessaloniki (11.25 percent). Conversely, Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (AIA) posted a 3.64 percent decline in arrivals. Foreign tourist arrivals at Greek airports in the month of December alone reached 186,095 marking a 1.45 percent rise against the same month in 2010. amna The overall number of tourist arrivals in 2011 is projected to reach 16.5 million, with revenues from tourism rising more than 10 percent against 2010, corresponding to a 1 percent increase in GDP. [03] Neaderthals first inhabitants of Ionian isletAMNA--Scientists conducting paleontological research on the small Ionian islet of Meganissi have determined that its first inhabitants were Neanderthals.According to research conducted over the last two years by scientists from the archaeology and history faculty of the University of Crete, Neanderthals lived in the Ionian Sea region some 100,000 years ago, during the mid-Palaeolithic era, when the climate and flora were totally different from today. The paleontological finds in Meganissi offer evidence of the presence of Homo Sapiens from the Mesolithic era. [04] PASOK leadership elections in MarchAMNA--PASOK president George Papandreou on Thursday will have a series of meetings with the social partners on the issues set out by the troika (European Commission, European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund), namely cutbacks in auxiliary pensions, the abolition of bonuses in the private sector and further cuts in salaries in the Public Utilities and Organisations (DEKO).PASOK's political council, chaired by Papandreou, decided late Wednesday the timetable for the party leadership elections procedures. According to sources, the procedures will open on the first weekend of March and will be concluded by the end of the month. The election for the new leader will be held possibly on 17-18 March. amna Also, Papandreou will leave late Friday or on Saturday morning for Puerto Rico where he will preside over a Socialist International (SI) Council meeting. [05] Greek dance troupe in Beijing for Year of the Dragon eventAMNA / A traditional dance troupe from the central Greece city of Trikala, a group which promotes Hellenic cultural traditions throughout the world, will perform at a Chinese New Year's celebration in Beijing's Chaoyang park during the International Spring Carnival, from Jan. 23 to 28.2012 marks the year of the Golden Dragon on the Chinese calendar, an ancient symbol of power in Chinese culture. The Greek dance troupe will convey to Chinese audiences the mythical dimensions of dragons in Greek mythology and cultural legends, such as the safeguarding of immortality, the giving of the golden apples of Hesperides or the story of Golden fleece of the Argonauts. The event is organised with the contribution of the embassy of Greece in Beijing and with the promotion support of the embassy's press & communication office. amna [06] Nine arrested in Europol child porn internet crackdownAMNA--Nine people were arrested in Greece, including a French national, while hundreds of others have been arrested around Europe in a major Europol crackdown against online child sexual abuse file-sharing networks, an operation code-named "Icarus".Diplomats, an army officer, a businessmen, a schoolbus driver and other citizens 'above suspicion' are among the nine people arrested and another five against whom case files were opened in Greece, within the context of the Icarus operation. The extensive crackdown on child sex abuse material via the internet, coordinated by EUROPOL, was launched three months ago and concluded on Wednesday. amna Greek Police electronic crimes squad became active in the operation after electronic traces were found belonging to users in Greece trafficking in hard-core child pornography. Nine persons were arrested in Greece and case files were opened for five others. The suspects were arrested in Athens, Piraeus, Arta, Corfu island, and Iraklio on Crete island. Eight of the arrestees are locals and one is a French national, who is also charged with declaring a false identity during his arrest. amna [07] Credit conditions worsened in 2011AMNA / Credit conditions worsened in 2011 with the value of bounced checks rising to 2.1 billion euros last year, from 1.8 billion euros in 2010, although in volume the number was down to 178,412 from 195,338 over the same period. www.amna.grIn December, the value of bounced checks totalled 139.7 million euros, down 5.37 pct from November and down 11.9 pct from December 2010. amna [08] Greece-China cooperation in research, technologyAMNA / Education Minister Anna Diamantopoulou and the Chinese ambassador in Athens, Du Qiwen, on Thursday signed a proclamation between China and Greece on the research and technology sector.In statements after the signing of the document, Diamantopoulou said China and Greece are inaugurating a new period to further strengthen bilateral relations, by boosting scientific and technological cooperation, cooperation between universities and promotion of the Greek language. amna Diamantopoulou will visit China on Feb. 16 to discuss the cooperation between universities and schools of the two countries, including local philosophy faculties with China's Confucius Institute. Funding of each programme will not exceed 400,000 euros and will be completed in three years. [09] Wife and son charged with 58 year-old's murderAMNA--Police on Thursday announced they had solved the homicide of a 58 year-old man on October 2011 at Neokastro, Imathia prefecture in northwestern Greece.According to police, the perpetrators of the crime are the 51-year-old wife of the victim and his 25-year-old son, as well as a 31-year-old friend of the son. The three suspects confessed during interrogation that they had murdered the 58-year-old in cold blood over financial and family differences. amna The investigation revealed that the two younger men, following instructions from the victim's wife, set up an ambush for the victim in a farming area in Neokastro, where the son shot his father once in the chest with a single-barrel hunting rifle at close range, fatally injuring him. The two perpetrators then got rid of the weapon at an unknown spot. amna A case file for intentional homicide and complicity was opened against the suspects, who will appear before a Veria prosecutor. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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