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Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-07-19Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Samaras on debt crisis, proposalsANA-MPA/Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras met with visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday in Athens, where he again reiterated his absolute disagreement with what he claimed were government ideas for a "selective default" to deal with the ongoing debt crisis."As I said to Ms Hillary Clinton, ND does not agree with the so-called participation of the private sector in state bond risk," Samaras said. The meeting with Clinton focused mainly on international economic developments and the handling of Greece's debt problem. Outlining the reasons for his objections to any such plan, Samaras noted that a selective default would make it more difficult for the European Central Bank to supply liquidity to Greek banks using Greek state bonds as collateral.ana-mpa He also noted that a selective default will be a psychological blow to Greece, with uncontrollable repercussions for the real economy, while it would trigger a debt restructuring that would have a negative impact on the banking system and insurance funds. Samaras accused the government of trying to "dress-up" a dire situation, which would actually make the recession even deeper. The main opposition noted that his objections were backed up by the ECB's refusal to agree to a selective default and its warnings that it will not accept the bonds of a state that has proceeded to either a partial or general cessation of payments. ana-mpa The ND leader said repercussions of a selective default in the Eurozone were unknown, since it had never been done before, and that there were no guarantees that its duration would be short. © ANA-MPA SA. Intellectual rights and copyright belong to the ANA-MPA S.A. Reproduction of ANA-MPA content by visitors of this website is strictly forbidden. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [02] Econ crisis 'hits' divorcesÁÍÁ-ÌPÁ/The economic crisis in Greece has apparently hit the divorce "market", which has marked a large decline due to the financial cost of a legal separation.According to figures from the City of Athens registry service, divorces have declined by 25 percent in recent years. More specifically, from a total of 1,579 divorces registered in Athens in 2006, the number started to decline in 2009 after the outbreak of the economic crisis, falling to 1,149 in 2010.ana-mpa Meanwhile, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) has recorded a drop in marriages as well, which fell from 63,997 in 1995 nationwide to 59,512 in 2009. The ration of marriages per 1,000 residents fell to 5.3 in 2009 from 7.3 in 1980 and from 9.0 in 1960. Also, 41.9 percent of couples prefer civil weddings from just 10.5 percent in 1995. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [03] Positive signs for tourismANA-MPA/Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos on Monday spoke about hopeful signs in terms of the number of tourist arrivals from Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Turkey, the new tourist markets targeted by Greece.Referring to Russia, he said there was a 60 pct increase compared with last year, stressing that the 650,000 tourist arrivals set as a target this year will definitely be met. As regards tourist flow from Ukraine, it rose 50 pct, from Israel 30 pct, while tourist arrivals from Turkey also recorded a double digit increase. Many visitors from the Balkans chose camping sites in northern Greece which are easily accessible by car. ana-mpa Commenting on his recent trip to Russia, Geroulanos stressed that notable progress has been made in visa issuance and that ways are being considered to make the procedure even easier. ana-mpa Referring to the tourist residence venture, he stressed that the measure will be implemented in five star hotels, stressing that interest has already been expressed by Russian and Israeli tourists. More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form [04] Athens Newspaper HeadlinesThe Tuesday edition of Athens' dailies at a glanceThe taxi owners' strike and eurozone's special summit on Thursday, mostly dominated the headlines on Tuesday in Athens' newspapers. ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Taxis blocked ports and airports". AVGHI: "Call for action against government and Memorandum". AVRIANI: "European Central Bank chief Jean Claude Trichet is leading us to bankruptcy". ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Plan to reduce salaries to 500-900 euros". ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Shipwreck in a 'yellow' (taxis) river". ESTIA: "Unbelievable self-depreciation". ETHNOS: "Blow against tourism in the heart of the season". IMERISSIA: "The way for seven privatisations opens". KATHIMERINI: "Europe at the extremes because of Greece". NAFTEMPORIKI: "Government will ask for liquidity and development at the eurozone summit". RIZOSPASTIS: "Protests on Wednesday against antisocial measures in public health sector ". TA NEA: "Outcry over the blockades (by striking taxis of airports and ports)". VRADYNI: "Taxis block Athens". More details on the subscriber's page of ANA-MPA | Subscription request form Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |