Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-05-16

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Draft bill on developmental law posted for discussion on Internet

[02] Two unidentified bodies found buried in Thessaloniki

[03] One killed, one seriously injured in attacks by robbers

[04] IMF: '̀easures will bring results'

[05] Interior ̀inister to visit Ankara

[01] Draft bill on developmental law posted for discussion on Internet

According to the Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping ministry, the new developmental law forms part of a new strategy for economic growth and for promoting a new business model. This aims at a dynamic and viable economy spearheaded by green development, while promoting competitiveness, productive reformation, employment and regional convergence.

[02] Two unidentified bodies found buried in Thessaloniki

According to the accounts of local residents, the bodies were found buried and appear to be those of two men around 30 years old that were victims of murder.

Thessaloniki police are expected to make further announcements about the case once the coroner's examination has been completed.

[03] One killed, one seriously injured in attacks by robbers

The man killed was a 50-year-old owner of a taverna in Kaisariani, who was set upon by presumed robbers and stabbed to death on Sunday morning. The injured man was a Syrian national that was shot by two armed robbers in his home in Pefki.

The taverna owner was found dead in a pool of blood inside his own taverna at 9:20 on Sunday, by an employee that had been sent out to do some shopping. A coroner said the man had been stabbed twice or three times in the neck and chest. Police suspect he was attacked by robbers and killed when he attempted to resist. The man had no money on him at the time, but it is unknown whether the culprits took money from the till.

The second incident occurred shortly after midnight on Sunday when two unidentified men entered the victim's apartment, where he lived with his pregnant wife and bed-ridden father. The culprits locked the woman and the old man in a room and then started to demand money from the victim. When he attempted to resist, one of the robbers fired a gun and seriously injured the Syrian in the head. The two robbers managed to escape while the injured man was taken to hospital, where he is now in critical condition.

An investigation has been launched by northeast Attica security police.

[04] IMF: '̀easures will bring results'

Strauss-Kahn expressed understanding for people's reaction to the measures, pointing out that he would be demonstrating in the same way if he was a member of a Greek trade union.

If Greeks wanted to avoid struggling with problems for decades to come, however, they had to make an effort now, he added.

Strauss-Kahn underlined, meanwhile, that the IMF were not "policemen" but more like doctors having to dish out bitter medicine and unwelcome advice.

"A doctor gives medicine. We give you money and tell you that you have to change your behaviour," he said, expressing hope that the government would manage to implement the austerity programme because it was "absolutely imperative for Greece to do this" and there was no alternative for overcoming the crisis.

The IMF chief noted that the problems were not confined to Greece, since sustaining a large debt was difficult for most countries after the global economic crisis, but that Greece was a special case because it had entered the crisis with an enormous debt to begin with.

On the role of the IMF, he said the fund was acting as an intermediary because European countries were not used to dealing with such problems and it had taken them months and months to take decisions.

"I am convinced that if the problem had been settled in February, it would have been less costly," he said, noting that the IMF's involvement had been requested in April and the issue was then settled in two weeks.

He also noted that the IMF had initially called for a longer-lasting and less painful programme, that efforts were made for every to lend at the same rate as the IMF but that these efforts were not successful.

[05] Interior ̀inister to visit Ankara

The invitation was made during a meeting between the two men leading up to the Greece-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. During this meeting, they discussed issues falling within the purview of the two ministries, particularly the organisation of the public sector, decentralisation and local government.

Ragoussis briefed him on the changes being made in the areas of staff recruitment, choice of managers, transparency and the Kallikratis programme merging local authorities throughout Greece.

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