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Thursday, 21 November 2024 | ||
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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-01-18Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Snowfall and huge temperature drop across the countrySnow has started to fall in most parts of Greece from early Monday causing a series of problems mostly to traffic.In the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, snow has fallen in the surrounding mountainous and semi-mountainous areas with the temperatures ranging between 0C-04C. The snowfall is intense in central Greece without problems in the traffic in the cities of Larissa, Lamia and Volos. However, snow chains are necessary for vehicles moving on the regional and mountainous roads across the country. Drivers will face a difficult situation on Athens-Thessaloniki motorway from Aghii Theodori to Larissa. Graders are trying to keep the road network on Mt.Pelion open in order to facilitate the local residents and the skiers to have access to the villages and the ski resort at Hania. Snow is falling an on the island of Lesvos, even in the island's capital Mytilene where a large number of refugees arrive every day. According to information, snow has also started falling on the northeastern Aegean island of Chios. According to latest reports, cars moving on the mountainous areas of Peloponnese must use snow chains including the road leading to Kalavryta ski resort. [02] Institutions' technical teams start to arrive in AthensThe technical teams of the institutions have started to gradually arrive in Athens while the date of the arrival of the heads of the institutions remains unknown.The technical teams will start collecting the additional data and details that the institutions request particularly those regarding the government's proposal for the social security system and the fiscal gap not only for 2016 but also for the period 2016-2018. [03] Sale of Finansbank will have significant benefits for National Bank, chairman saysNational Bank will be the strongest bank in the Greek banking market, based on its capital and liquidity, with the aim to play a leading role in the recovery of the Greek economy and of social cohesion after completion of the sale of its subsidiary in Turkey, Finansbank, Luca Katseli, the bank's chairman said on Monday.Addressing an extraordinary general shareholders' meeting, Katseli said that completion of the deal will offer a significant boost in liquidity to the bank, 3.5 billion euros, which will be distributed to fund Greek enterprises and households while at the same time it will fortify the solvency and capital adequacy of National Bank. The Greek banker said that completion of Finansbank's sale will allow National Bank to repay the biggest part of CoCos, worth 2.0 billion euros, offering benefits of around 150 million euros on an annual basis, repay the expensive Pillar 2 bonds and to gradually decoupled from ELA, offering significant flexibility and higher profitability to the bank (around 100 million euros annually). [04] Gov't tries to improve aspects of agreement for farmersThe Greek government is trying to improve and change aspects of an agreement with the country's creditors with the aim to lower tax and social contributions burdens on farmers, Agricultural Development Minister Vaggelis Apostolou said on Monday.In comments made to a television station, Apostolou said that the country will need to drink "the bitter glass of implementing the agreement" and particularly mentioned the need to safeguard around 3.5 billion euros annually from EU agricultural funds. The Greek minister called farmers, who are preparing strike mobilizations, to begin talks with the government. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |