Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-05-19

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

CONTENTS

[01] Two policemen wounded in Pefki shooting incident

[02] 10th Athens Dance festival opens May 18

[03] FinMin on economy

[04] DM on Greek Shipyards

[05] First airlink from Beijing

[06] 62% against Memorandum

[07] Athens Newspaper Headlines 

[01] Two policemen wounded in Pefki shooting incident

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening after a call was received by the Emergency Police's centre that an incident was under way and after a patrol car went to the region. When the police arrived at the scene and got out of their vehicle they were shot, according to initial reports.ana-mpa

According to the same reports, the two policemen were wounded slightly, while a citizen was also wounded by a shot.

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[02] 10th Athens Dance festival opens May 18

The program of the festival, which opens on May 18 and runs through June 11, includes an impressive 90 choreographies and a new event, the Athens Dance Week, full of events in off-stage venues such as exhibition halls and museums.

Athens Dance Week will run from May 22 to 28, with performances in unconventional venues such as dance studios, exhibition halls, and even the Acropolis Museum, the Benaki Museum, the Museum of Islamic Art, and the Theocharakis Foundation for the Arts and Music.ana-mpa

A total of 475 works by up-and-coming Greek choreographers have been showcased in the Festival to date.

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[03] FinMin on economy

Speaking during an Economist's conference in Athens, the Finance minister stressed that efforts made so far have offered the first signs and reiterated that the government will not abandon this effort.

Papaconstantinou said that when a state organization was closing down or merging, there might by lay offs as well. "This is not our goal," he said, adding that efforts would be made to absorb personnel from closing or merging organizations, but only of the staff needed.

He noted that the government would make a real evaluation of all public sector organizations before keeping those usefull for Greek citizens. Papaconstantinou underlined that there was no room for relaxing a fiscal effort, noting it was necessary to implement all interventions needed to bring the fiscal deficit to targets set. These interventions, worth 6.0 billion euros, will cover both spending cuts and raising revenues. These decisions are not easy, but will be fair and effective, Papaconstantinou said, while underlining that there would be not horizontal cuts in wages and pensions or any raise in VAT.

Papaconstantinou said the public sector will lose 150,000 workers in the next few years as the government would minimize new hirings, cut contract workers and promote voluntary pension schemes.

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[04] DM on Greek Shipyards

"The Hellenic state realises that for ENAE's survival, orders by the Greek Navy are not enough, but orders from the Navies of other countries must also be promoted definitely, given that for the next 15 years, the ENAE cannot undertake works of a commercial character, according to the European Commission's known decision for the implementation of which, of course, clarifications are required," the defence minister stressed.ana-mpa

The meeting was prompted by the latest developments at the Skaramangas Shipyards, following the denouncing by the German HDW company of the contract for the building of another two new 214 type submarines and the completion of the modernisation of the submarine "OKEANOS."

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[05] First airlink from Beijing

When it touched down at Athens airport, the Airbus 330 went through a water arch organised by airport authorities as a mark of welcome for the 95 Chinese passengers on board.ana-mpa

During an inauguration ceremony, Kouvelis said the new flight link was a "bridge of friendship" between the two countries and revealed that an agreement to facilitate the issue of visas to Chinese citizens wishing to visit Greece was signed during his visit to Beijing.

"The aim is to increase movement and contact between Greeks and Chinese in tourism, business and culture," he said.

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[06] 62% against Memorandum

The poll, the results of which were presented Wednesday night on a SKAI television program, was conducted on the completion of one year since the signing of the Memorandum.

According to the results, 62 percent of the respondents were against the Memorandum, just 15 percent were in favor, and 19 percent said it had neither benefited nor harmed the economy, while 3 percent expressed no opinion.ana-mpa

Asked to evaluate the Memorandum, 62 percent of the respondents said it had harmed the economy, 13 percent said it had benefited the economy, 18 percent said it had neither harmed nor benefited the economy, and 1 percent said it had somewhat benefited or somewhat hurt the economy, while 5 percent took no position.

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[07] Athens Newspaper Headlines

Speculated layoffs in wider public sector and the ceiling on pensions in Public Utilities and Organisations (DEKO), and banks' and government's movements towards a rapid privatisation, dominated the headlines in Athens' newspapers on Thursday.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Government a tower of Babel over the measures".

AVGHI: "Eurogroup president Jean Claude Juncker's statement: 'What will happen in Greece is beyond imagination".

AVRIANI: "The sold out to the Troika - Government on the verge of collapse".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Mass layoffs and ceiling on pensions".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: 'End to hirings - Start of layoffs".

ESTIA: "Consensus imperative".

ETHNOS: "Government opened the door for layoffs in public sector".

IMERISSIA: "Government starts privatisations - The listed DEKO first on the list".

KATHIMERINI: "Layoffs in public sector and 6 billion euros in measures".

NAFTEMPORIKI: "Privatisations package for immediate collection of 4.5 billion euros".

RIZOSPASTIS: "Communist Party of Greece leader Aleka Papariga's press conference: Popular manipulation by the policy of the capital".

TA NEA: "Pensions: Ceiling at 2,775 euros in DEKO and banks".

VRADYNI: "Retirement at the age of 67 and suspension of early pensions".

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