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Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 16-07-07Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>PoliticsCONTENTS
[01] Cosco to invest extra 500 mln euros in Piraeus portCosco is planning additional investments of more than 500 million euros to the port of Piraeus, its president Hu Lirong told Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during their meeting in Shanghai.As he said, Cosco's main priority is investing in the sector of cruise as it has already been in contact with large international cruise companies that are seeking to make the Piraeus port their base. He also announced the upgrade and expansion of the port so that it can host the largest cruise ship with 4,000 passengers. The aim of the company is to increase cruise tourists to 3 million. The budget of the investment amounts to 200 million euros. The second priority of Cosco is to upgrade the port infrastructure in the first container terminal. Tsipras expressed his content over Cosco's investment plan and stressed that it is a milestone in the relations of both countries. "The relations of the two countries are upgraded. Greece and China's strategic plans coincide. Greece, as the first station of the Chinese road in the EU, can turn into a bridge between China and the Western world, between Asia and Europe. Now we can plan the new phase of the two countries' cooperation. We are planning a series of investments and we would like to attract other Chinese companies in Greece," he stated. [02] PM Tsipras meets Alibaba president Ma to boost Greek SMEsPrime Minister Alexis Tsipras met on Wednesday with the president of the international giant company Alibaba, Jack Ma, in Shanghai in an effort to strengthen small and medium sizes enterprises (SMEs) in Greece.Alibaba is an online sales platform for small businesses and especially young entrepreneurs interested in start up companies. Its customer base includes 10 million businesses around the world. It offers services from consumer to consumers, businesses to consumers and businesses to business. The meeting between Tsipras and Ma dominated the expansion of company's activities in Greece, which will give a lot of small businesses the possibility to expand their activities internationally. [03] ZTE-Forthnet sign cooperation agreement in the presence of PM TsiprasChina has renewed its interest in the Greek market, particularly in advanced technology, as Chinese companies may extend, via Greece, their activities in Europe, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said during his visit to the headquarters of ZTE group in Shanghai.The Prime Minister was received by the president of the group, which ranks second in the list of advanced technology companies in China. "Greece has two major competitive advantages: its geographical position and highly skilled workforce. These two advantages make Greece attractive for a strategic partnership with your company," Tsipras said, adding that the investment in new technology adds value, strengthens employment and contributes to GDP growth. On her part, the president of ZTE said that the company has been activating in Greece for 14 years and that the economic climate in the country has improved significantly over the last year, which has helped ZTE's activities. The Chinese company is a world leader in telecommunications and the largest listed company of China telecommunications equipment. It annually invests 10 pct of its revenue in research and development. In 2015 it reported revenues of 13.7 billion euros and profits of 85 million euros. ZTE also signed a memorandum of cooperation with Forthnet in the presence of the Greek Prime Minister for a business cooperation plan regarding the development of new generation networks (NGAs) ultra high speeds. [04] 'The most ancient cultures meet in an effort for a better future' PM Tsipras tweets from Shanghai MuseumGreece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday paid a visit to the Shanghai Museum, during his five-day visit to China."Visit to the Shanghai Museum. The most ancient cultures meet in an effort for a better future," Tsipras said in a post on the Greek prime minister's Twitter account during the visit. [05] There is a 'deeper need' for Greek, Chinese cultures to begin a dialogue, Baltas tells ANABEIJING (ANA/ M. Psilos)Greece and China are both countries with a long history that stretches back through the ages, though at times there was minimal contact between them, Greece's Culture Minister Aristidis Baltas told the ANA in an interview on Wednesday, noting that this was a significant factor for the Chinese side. "In this sense, the issues for [China] are not only its own interests in a strict sense, and not just Greece's role for the Silk Road and for China's rapprochement with Europe and the West. There is, I think, a deeper need for the two cultures to launch a dialogue. Because it is necessary, there is a very long past for both with points where there were rudimentary convergences but also points with a mutual lack of knowledge," Baltas said, in an assessment of the Greek prime minister's five-day visit to China. The effort should now focus on deepening the acquaintance and making it broader so that it also yielded economic results, "which we must look at a bit more strategically and not in the strict sense of this or that investment being made," he added. Baltas noted that the visit took place at a very good time for Greece and opened up prospects in a great number of areas, with discussions held on multiple levels with the Chinese leadership. Among others, he noted that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Greece, which was initially accepted in order to further strengthen ties. Asked whether the agreements signed during the visit will be implemented or whether there was a risk they would be forgotten, as in the past, the minister said the present government's intention was to implement the agreements it signed systematically, keeping in mind the passage of time and the fact that the country's credibility was judged by how well and how quickly it did so. [06] Greek PM's visit to China was a huge success, says Ambassador ZhuThe Chinese Ambassador in Athens Zhu Xiaoli has characterized as a "huge success" and a "landmark in the history of the relations" with Greece, the high-range contacts and the business agreements signed during the official visit of the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, in an interview with the AMNA in Beijing on Monday.Speaking to the AMNA from Beijing, Mr Zhu stressed the necessity of a full and prompt implementation of the agreements and the hope that the collaboration with the Greek State will establish Piraeus as the most important port in Mediterranean and the whole Europe. Asked to comment Mr Tsipras visit, the Ambassador Zhu replied that he thinks "the visit of Mr Tsipras was a huge success. I say this because I really mean it. This is a landmark in the history of our relations, because it coincides with the 10th anniversary of our strategic partnership, but also marks a new beginning for the next decade of our relations". "I think the meetings were important and the agreements signed are important, but I think the most important outcome of this visit is the signal that we send to each other, that we trust you and we'll invite you as strategic partner. I think that unless we have the mutual understanding and mutual trust everything will go bad. As we Chinese say, if you want to do business with us, first you have to build the foundations of friendship and personal relations. So I'm, very happy as Chinese ambassador, that we share thin common philosophy. This is a personal chemistry between the two business communities and I'm extremely happy that I had participated and witnessed at this hugely successful visit", argued Mr Zhu. To the question what he expects from now on in terms of the materialization of concrete steps after this visit, Zhu said he wished "the growing up of the follow up of this visit. Because the two sides and leaderships have reached a broad consensus and many agreements are signed. So we must implement them fully, otherwise all these will remain empty words. So, as our Prime Minister has pointed out both sides must further the commitment that we are marching towards a new future. That Chinese investments are coming soon in Greece and we will work together with the Greek side to build the Piraeus Port as the most important one in Mediterranean and also in Europe. And Greece will be an important supporting point of the one belt and one road strategy" [07] President Pavlopoulos meets Lebanese MouqbelGreece attaches great importance to Lebanon and the role it can and should play in the whole Middle East region, at this critical and volatile period we are going through, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said at the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Lebanon Samir Mouqbel on Wednesday at the Presidential Palace."This role is important in at least two fields. The first is the refugee issue," Pavlopoulos said and added:" We must recognize that Lebanon has undertaken a very large burden in what concerns the refugee issue as it has a huge number of refugees in its territory. And we must recognize that the attitude of Lebanon is extremely brave for all the region, but also the entire European Union," Pavlopoulos underlined. The second field, as the President noted, is addressing the terrorism of ISIS. A terrorism, which - as he said - constitutes crimes against humanity, he added. On his part, Mouqbel thanked Pavlopoulos for the warm welcome, and stressed the need to address the refugee issue and to combat terrorism. The Deputy Prime Minister of Lebanon also asked for reinforcing the country's troops with special equipment. [08] ND leader Mitsotakis meets ECB chief Draghi"The Greek people must finally learn the whole truth," main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday in Frankfurt.Mitsotakis met with the president of the ECB Mario Draghi, at the headquarters of the Bank in the German city, in order to present New Democracy's plan for exiting the crisis. He also leveled against the government and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras when called to comment on the referendum of July 5. "Today, all Greek citizens pay increased taxes, increased contributions and receive lower pensions as a result of that disastrous period of alleged negotiation that led to the tragic referendum of July 5," he said. The leader of the main opposition also reiterated the party's request for an investigating committee to find out what exactly happened that period. The two officials discussed the prospects of the Greek banking system and the economy in general. "I explained to Draghi that a necessary condition for the recovery of the Greek economy is the implementation of structural reforms that will improve the competitiveness of Greece and attract investments, investments that will create jobs, investments that will be able to give a real perspective to young people in Greece who are now frustrated," Mitsotakis underlined. [09] ECB's Draghi stresses need to implement reforms quickly in meeting with ND leaderThe Eurozone economy and the prospects of the Greek economy were discussed in a meeting between New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the head of the European Central Bank (ECB) Mario Draghi in Frankfurt, a central bank spokesperson said on Wednesday.The meeting was also attended by Executive Board member Benoit Coeur?. During the meeting, the ECB recognized that there has been significant progress concerning the implementation of the third program in the last year, which resulted in the bank reinstating the waiver on Greek bonds on June 22, the spokesperson said. The central bank officials also stressed anew the need to implement quickly and effectively the extensive and ambitious reforms foreseen in the program, as well as take ownership of the measures, in order to promote economic growth and support job creation. [10] Racism and abuse of power discussed in meeting with Council of Europe officialMeasures to tackle racist violence and abuse of power by police officials were discussed in a meeting between the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, and Justice Minister Nikos Paraskevopoulos in Athens on Wednesday.The two officials talked about fighting racism at a legal level and in practice, the creation of an independent mechanism to investigate abuse of power by law enforcement officials and prison staff, measures to tackle discrimination, implementation of rulings by the European Court of Human Rights, the National Action Plan for Children's Rights and Human Rights, the guardianship of unaccompanied minors and the ratification of international human rights treaties, according to a ministry statement. The general secretary of transparency and human rights Kostis Papaioannou also participated in the meeting. [11] EP approves plan for a European Border and Coast GuardPARIS (ANA-MPA/O. Tsipira)The European Parliament approved with a wide majority on Wednesday a proposal by the European Commission for a European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) that will manage migration waves better. This new body will be made up of the restructured and strengthened FRONTEX and the national coast guards of member-states. The proposal was approved with 483 votes in favour, 181 against and 48 absences. "It is some good news in these difficult political times," Latvian rapporteur Artis Pabriks said during a press conference after the vote. He said the new body is not the only solution for the migration issue and the proper functioning of the Schengen area, but it is however "an important first step". In a joint statement, First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, said: "The European Border and Coast Guard will ensure a truly collective European management of our borders, based on the principle that security of our common EU external borders is a responsibility shared amongst all EU countries. There should no longer be shortages of staff or equipment for operations at our external borders. The external border of one Member State is the external border of all Member States." They also added that member-states will keep their sovereignty and national border guards will remain the key actors for managing their borders, but the role of the European Border and Coast Guard will be to work as a safety net. "In exceptional situations, when a member-state is unable to cope with the situation on its own, the EBCG will be able to step in, drawing on a pool of resources provided by the member-states," they added. A final vote will follow after some technical modifications have been made. [12] Tax officials to attend seminars on combatting tax evasion in GermanyGreece is sending 25 officials from the finance ministry, the general secretariat for combatting corruption and the financial police department in Germany on July 10, to attend a seminar on tackling tax evasion.According to the finance ministry, the aim of the visit is to train the officials in the area of financial crime, tax audit, tax collection and the use of electronic means, to help combat tax evasion and corruption. The week-long seminar in North Rhine-Westphalia will be held by highly trained colleagues and will be repeated the week after that for another 25 Greek officials. The delegation will be accompanied by Alternate Finance Minister Tryfon Alexiadis, the general secretary for combating corruption Giorgos Vasiliadis, the general secretary for public revenues Giorgos Pitsilis and the special secretary of financial crimes unit SDOE, Konstantinos Christou. The delegation will be welcomed by the state's Finance Minister Norbert Walter-Borjans and a joint press conference will be given. Greek authorities and the tax authorities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia signed a joint declaration of intentions last January to mutually support action against tax evasion, illegal trade and corruption. [13] The new electoral law does not lead to lack of governance, Vitsas says"The argument that the new electoral law leads to lack of governance is unfounded," Alternate Defence Minister Dimitris Vitsas said in statements to Skai TV on Wednesday.As he said, the new electoral law will restructure the political system and dismissed reports for lack of governance. On the contrary, he said, coalitions and political factions of more general interest with a clear programme are created, giving citizens the opportunity to intervene in the electoral system. [14] A new scenery in Greek TV as of spring, Spirtzis saysInfrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Christos Spirtzis on Wednesday spoke of "a new scenery in Greek television, with channels that operate legally and with specific ethics."The licensing procedure should have been completed by the end of August and a new landscape on Greek TV will exist in autumn, Spirtzis said in an interview with public broadcaster ERT. "Out of the 11 companies submitting applications those that meet the criteria will be shortlisted. Tax and social security clearance as well as meeting the necessary standards are prerequisites," he clarified. Financial News [15] Greek economy to contract by 1.0 pct this year, IOBE reportThe Greek economy is expected to contract by 1.0 pct this year, the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) said on Wednesday. In its latest report on Greece's economic outlook, IOBE said the Greek economy shrank 1.4 pct in the January-March period this year, after a 0.9 pct contraction in the previous quarter and a 0.4 pct rise in the first quarter last year.IOBE expects private consumption to contract by 1.0-2.0 pct this year, public consumption to fall by 1.5-2.5 pct, investments to decline by 4.0 pct, exports to fall around 2.0-3.0 pct and imports to decline by 4.0-5.0 pct in 2016. The unemployment rate is projected to fall at around 24.7 pct this year, while the inflation rate will remain in negative territory (-0.3 pct). Private consumption fell 1.3 pct in the first quarter, compared with the same period last year (household consumption -1.3 pct, public consumption -1.5 pct). Investments fell significantly to 0.3 pct in the first quarter, from 14.5 pct last year, while exports fell by 11.3 pct in the January-March period -the largest percentage quarterly fall since 2009- reflecting a 22-24 pct drop in the export of services hit by the imposition of capital controls in the country. Export of goods rose 1.7 pct. Imports fell between 12.5-13 pct in the first quarter. IOBE said the a successful completion of the first review of the Greek programme lifted uncertainties over the need for additional fiscal measures, the implementation of certain reforms (NPL management, new Privatization Fund), but failed to deliver an agreement on Greek debt restructuring, something that could clearly boost confidence in the sustainability of public finances and Greek economic prospects. A decision by European Central Bank to restore a waiver on accepting Greek bonds as collateral in Greek banks' refinancing activity, will create conditions for a gradual return of deposits in the banking system and allow banks to strengthen their lending ability. However, deposits remained slightly up in May compared with July 2015 as fears of a Brexit had a negative impact on the market. IOBE said it did not expect any resurgence in investments from government actions in the field of privatizations, while government efforts to achieve fiscal goals were expected to contain primary spending this year. IOBE said a Brexit was expected to negatively affect Greek exports of goods and services. [16] Fitch: Capital controls could be relaxed from late 2016Capital controls could be gradually relaxed from late 2016 if the political landscape remains stable and Greece continues to implement the reforms envisaged in its economic adjustment program, Fitch Ratings said in a press release on Wednesday.The agency added however, that Greek authorities will possibly want to see further improvements in investor and customer confidence before capital controls are eased. "In our view, the economic and political environment remains fragile and confidence has not yet returned to the financial system. Our standalone viability ratings assigned to the Greek banks remain at 'f'," Fitch said. [17] Forthnet signs cooperation agreement with ZTEForthnet on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement with ZTE in Shanghai, in the framework of an official visit by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to China. The agreement envisages that the two companies will draft a business plan to jointly fund and develop new generation networks in Greece. The agreement was signed by Forthnet chief executive Panos Papadopoulos and ZTE Greece chief executive Deng Chao."Forthnet is the company which brought internet and subscription TV to Greece. Today, through its Nova 3Play service it is the largest provider of home entertainment and communication in the country. The company operates a network of 130 retail units in more than 60 cities around the country servicing more than 20,000 small- and medium-sized enterprises and around 20 pct of Greek households," the company said in an announcement. ZTE is one of the largest manufacturers of telecom system, mobile devices and integrated solutions company in the world. [18] Italian railway submits binding offer for TRAINOSEFerrovie Dello Stato Italiane S.p.A., the Italian railway, was the sole candidate to submit a binding offer for the sale of a 100 pct stake in TRAINOSE, the Greek trains operator, after completion of the binding offer procedure on Wednesday, Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) said in an announcement.HRADF said that despite initial interest, the Russian railway company RZD did not make a binding offer. A previous tender for the sale of TRAINOSE was annulled because of lack of fundamental interest, despite the fact that a number of candidates such as the French railway, a consortium between RZD and GEK Terna and Romanian GFR had expressed initial interest. A tender for the sale of ROSCO, the Greek rolling stock maintenance company, was annulled as no binding offer was submitted. [19] Foreign investors cut participation in ASE in JuneThe participation of foreign investors in the total market capitalisation of the Athens Stock Exchange fell to 60.6 pct in June, from 63.7 pct in the previous month, a decline of 4.9 pct, while if the participation of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF) was discounted, the participation of foreign investors amounted to 58.2 pct from 60.3 pct, respectively, a decline of 3.5 pct, official data showed on Wednesday.In June, capital inflows from foreign investors in the Greek market exceeded outflows. Total ATHEX capitalisation closed up at 34.05 billion euros, decreased by 14.6 pct since the previous month. In case that HFSF was not counted there was a decrease of 13.4 pct. Total turnover was 1.67 billion euros (decreased by 19.3 pct compared to the previous month and decreased by 10.0 pct compared to the same month of the previous year). The total number of securities transferred due to settlement of stock exchange transactions amounted at 2,699,485,298 items - decreased by 11.5 pct compared to last month (3,050,549,223) and decreased by 19.4 pct compared to June 2015 (3,347,975,748). Foreign investors in June 2016 constituted 55.3% of total turnover. Active investors' Accounts numbers reached 20.36 thousand (previous month: 19.78 thousand) and New investors' Accounts reached 648 (previous month: 636 Accounts). Transactions value in June 2016 reached 1,665.21 million euros, down 19.3 pct since the previous month when transactions value reached 2,062.79 million. Compared to the same month of the previous year, when transactions value was 1,849.35 million, there was a decrease of 10.0 pct. Correspondingly, the Average Daily Value (ADV) of Transactions in June 2016 was 79.30 million euros, a decrease compared to the previous month (103.14 million) and decreased compared to the same month of the previous year (97.34 million). [20] Greece drains 1.625 bln euros in T-bill auctionGreece on Wednesday drained 1.625 billion euros from the market, during a six-month Treasury bill issue auction, with the interest rate of the issue set at 2.97 pct, unchanged from the previous auction of same issue last month. Bids submitted were 1.3 times more than the asked sum of 1.25 billion euros.[21] HFSF executive committee resignsHellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF) on Wednesday announced the resignation of its executive committee comprising of Aris Xenofos, chief executive, George Koutsos, deputy chief executive and Anastasios Gagalis, member.In an announcement, HFSF said the Fund completed last year the third recapitalization of systemic banks and contributed decisively to safeguarding the stability of the Greek banking system within adverse economic conditions. "A successful planning allowed the raising of significant capital from the investment community, both in Greece and abroad, the obtaining -for the first time- of voting rights in banks' equity capital and the prospect of regaining -also for the first time- of part of capital offered through repayment of CoCos," the Fund said. HFSF also timely and fully completed all commitments envisaged in a memorandum of understanding signed between Greek authorities and its partners. The Fund said the its executive commission submitted its resignation after completing a significant and successful work in order to facilitate future choices that the Fund would play in the Greek banking system and the Greek economy. [22] Piraeus Bank celebrates 100 yearsPiraeus Bank on Wednesday celebrated 100 years from its foundation. Mihalis Sallas, the bank's chairman, in a statement said: "Today, Piraeus Bank celebrates 100 years of presence in the Greek banking system, reflecting the development and the philosophy of growth between two centuries. When the bank was founded in 1916 in Piraeus, it started as a small banking institution with relatively limited goals and activities. Today, we have turned it into a large -for the domestic market- powerful and significant bank for European standards. The bank's successes, supporting business activity and the economy, customer friendly and the quality of its services, characterize the bank's history and determine its course towards new challenges in the next decade. A landmark in the history of Piraeus Bank was its privatization in 1991, when a group of Greek businessmen, with whom I shared the same vision, took the initiative to create a modern and large bank, adapted to the needs of a new era which began for the Greek economy through its integration in the European Union. Piraeus Bank had a market share of 0.1 pct at the time. Today it has a 30 pct market share. Then its workforce was 200, today 20,000 and around 6.0 million customers. We continue our course with the same faith and philosophy. Consistency, quality, work, with priority to meet the needs of the customer and the economy, respecting the interests of all shareholders. We are ready to meet the needs of a difficult domestic and European economic circumstance, ready for the future."[23] Heracles Cement launches 5.0-mln-euro investment plan in VolosHeracles Cement Group, a member of LafargeHolcim Group, on Wednesday announced the completion of a first phase of an investment plan to modernize its factory in Volos.The 5.0-million-euro investment project is aimed to boost the competitiveness of the factory in the domestic market and to boost its export activity, while at the same offered evidence of LafargeHolcim Group's confidence in the country. Heracles Cement factory in Volos is the largest production unit of the Group and one of LafargeHolcim's most significant units. It has more than 450 direct and indirect job positions and has contributed more than 150 million euros to the local community. [24] Inform Lycos completes 4.5-mln-euro investmentInform Lycos SA on Wednesday said it had completed a 4.5-mln-euro investment on new software and machinery equipment.Inform Lycos, is listed in the Athens Stock Exchange since 1994, and it is a leader in print management, security prints and business process outsourcing. The group has also established activities in digital security, operating two production units in Austria and Poland. Its annual turnover was 130 million euros in 2015 and EBITDA was 13 million euros. [25] Greek stocks end slightly higherGreek stocks ended slightly higher in the Athens Stock Exchange on Wednesday, helped by a recovery in bank shares, after two days of decline which pushed the composite index of the market 3.23 pct lower. The Greek market ignored a decline in other European markets, hit by worries over the impact of the UK's Brexit vote on European economy.The composite index rose 0.47 pct to end at 529.65 points, after falling as much as 1.28 pct during the day. The Large Cap index rose 0.95 pct and the Mid Cap index eased 0.20 pct. Turnover was a low 36.856 million euros in volume of 91,333,062. Piraeus Bank (7.69 pct), Alpha Bank (4.41 pct) and Eurobank (3.85 pct) were top gainers among blue chip stocks, while Titan (2.70 pct), Folli Follie (2.49 pct) and Motor Oil (1.54 pct) suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day. Among market sectors, Banks (4.43 pct) and Travel (2.51 pct) scored big gains, while Commerce (2.49 pct) and Oil (1.49 pct) suffered losses. National Bank and Piraeus Bank were the most heavily traded securities of the day. Broadly, decliners led advancers by 47 to 38 with another 19 issues unchanged. Selonda (22.5 pct), Elastron (10 pct) and Ekter (9.32 pct) were top gainers, while Alumil (26.75 pct), Progressive (19.64 pct) and Evrofarma (17.73 pct) were top losers. [26] Greek bond market closing reportThe yield spread between the 10-year Greek and German benchmark bonds fell further to 8.15 pct in the domestic electronic secondary bond market on Wednesday, with the Greek bond yielding 7.98 pct and the German Bund yielding -0.17 pct. There was no turnover in the market.In interbank markets, interest rates moved lower. The 12-month rate fell to -0.062 pct from -0.052 pct, the nine-month rate fell to -0.129 pct from -0.117 pct, the six-month rate fell to -0.189 pct from -0.185 pct, the three-month rate rose to -0.293 pct from -0.294 pct and the one-month rate was -0.368 pct. [27] ADEX closing reportThe July contract on the FTSE/ASE Large Cap index was trading at a discount of 0.27 pct in the Athens Derivatives Exchange on Wednesday. Volume on the Big Cap index totaled 1,579 contracts with 5,891 open positions in the market. Volume in futures contracts on equities totaled 94,341 contracts with investment interest focusing on National Bank (53,564), followed by Alpha Bank (7,731), Piraeus Bank (18,676), Eurobank (9,725), MIG (1,814), OTE (461), PPC (1,120), OPAP (580), Mytilineos (119), Hellenic Petroleum (108), Ellaktor (95), Metka (50) and Terna Energy (25).General News [28] Archaeological Museum of Corinth to reopen refurbished hallsThe Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth will reopen two of its halls which had been closed for refurbishment since 2012, the culture ministry announced on Wednesday, adding Minister Aristidis Baltas will inaugurate the rooms in a ceremony on July 13.The Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities took the initiative in 2012 to modernize the infrastructure and the exhibition schedules to accommodate tourists and continued to refurbish the southern hall. The museum also added a new exhibition room in the east, which was used as a warehouse until then. Finds in the six halls date from the Prehistoric Period of the area of Ancient Corinth, the Korakou Hill and the site of Zygouries, and continue to the Geometric, Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic city. The other halls exhibit finds from the Roman, Byzantine and Frankish eras, while one of the rooms holds objects stolen from the Museum in 1990 and delivered back in 2001. The museum is located in the center of the archaeological site and is considered one of the most historical museums in the Greek periphery, welcoming 160,000 visitors in 2015. It was built in 1931-1932 on plans of the American architect W. Stuart-Thompson (1890-1968) on the initiative of the American School of Classical Studies to house exhibits unearthed during the excavations in Ancient Corinth. In 1950 it was extended eastwards. [29] Observatory on Crete to host unique experiment seeking traces of 'Big Bang'The Skinaka Observatory on the island of Crete has been selected to carry out a unique astrophysics experiment that seeks to "sweep aside" the veil of cosmic dust in the universe in order to reveal traces of the Big Bang, the "primeval light" formed at the earliest moments of creation. The Crete observatory will be joined by South Africa's SAAO Observatory in the attempt.The attempt was announced on Wednesday at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science EWASS 2016 conference held in Athens, which organised by the Eugenides Foundation in collaboration the European Astronomical Society and the Greek Astronomical Society. [30] Members of Rouvikonas group raid on Israeli Airlines' officesTen members of the anarchist group Rouvikonas on Wednesday raided on the offices of the Israeli Airlines at the Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" and raised banners in protest to the violence exercised against a Colombian national by security forces in the airport because they considered him a suspect.The incident took place on June 26, 2016. Police arrested the ten members of the group Weather forecast [31] Mostly fair on ThursdayMostly fair and northerly winds are forecast for Thursday. Wind velocity will reach 5 on the Beaufort scale. Partly cloudy in the northern parts of the country with temperatures ranging from 19C to 32C. Mostly fair in the western and the eastern parts with temperatures between 22C-34C. Sunny over the Aegean islands and Crete, 23C-30C. Mostly fair in Athens, 22C-34C. Partly cloudy in Thessaloniki, 23C-30C.[32] The Wednesday edition of Athens'dailies at a glanceAVGHI: The prosecutor sounds alarm over the Siemens scandal DIMOKRATIA: Public health system at peril ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: The list of university entry marks ETHNOS: University entry marks down IMERISSIA: Fresh money in banks KATHIMERINI: Plan B caused political storm NAFTEMPORIKI: Hot summer in EU RIZOSPASTIS: Rally on Thursday TA NEA: SYRIZA against (former) SYRIZA 36, TSOCHA ST. ATHENS 115 21 GREECE * TEL: 210 64.00.560-63 * FAX: 210 64.00.581-2 INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.ana.gr * e-mail: anabul@ana gr * GENERAL DIRECTOR: MICHALIS PSILOS Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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