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Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 16-09-08

Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

Thursday, 8 September 2016 Issue No: 5242

CONTENTS

  • [01] Meeting of EU socialist European affairs ministers to be held in Athens on Saturday
  • [02] Merkel and Greek PM to speak on the phone ahead of Bratislava EU summit, sources say
  • [03] PM meetng trade and industry associations ahead of TIF
  • [04] PM Tsipras to meet European Commission for Migration Avramopoulos on Thursday
  • [05] PM Alexis Tsipras to host dinner for Cyprus President on Thursday night
  • [06] State of emergency in Thermaikos and Messinia due to heavy flooding
  • [07] CoE official Jean-Claude Frecon visits Attica Region Centre for refugee aid
  • [08] There will be no new pension cuts, Katrougalos says
  • [09] EZ official 'confident' that Greece will complete prior actions by end September
  • [10] Reactivation of 100-tranche repayment scheme to be examined
  • [11] Dep. FM Mardas on two-day official visit to Morocco
  • [12] Azerbaijani ambassador visits ACCI President, expresses concern about SOCAR-DESFA deal
  • [13] Last return of migrants from Greece to Turkey on August 25, EC spox Bertaud says
  • [14] EU Court imposes 10 mln euro fine on Greece regarding the management of hazardous waste
  • [15] Security camera footage taken during TV tender to be delivered to Alpha
  • [16] Tourism minister, TUI executives discuss ways to strengthen cooperation
  • [17] Greece drains 1.3 bln euros from market with T-bill auction
  • [18] Greek trade deficit up 88.9 pct in July
  • [19] Inspections helped raise VAT revenue on islands, especially Santorini and Mykonos, senior finance ministry official reports
  • [20] First Greek-made drone to be presented at TIF
  • [21] Tax arrears to the state down 16.7 pct in Jan-July
  • [22] Liabilities premium production up 2.5 pct in 2015
  • [23] Tourist arrivals on Lesvos down 51.3 pct in August
  • [24] Piraeus Securities top securities firm in August
  • [25] Greek stocks end slightly lower
  • [26] Greek bond market closing report
  • [27] ADEX closing report
  • [28] Our vision is Heraklion to become an extrovert city, says city mayor Lambrinos
  • [29] 39th National Short Film Festival in Drama on Sept 19-24
  • [30] Ravel's opera "The child and the Spells" in animation at the Apollo Theatre of Syros
  • [31] The Ietionian Gate, part of Piraeus port ancient walls, to be restored
  • [32] More than 100 Yazidi Kurds transferred from Giannitsa refugee centre
  • [33] Five Syrian refugees return to Turkey from Lesvos, on Frontex charter flight
  • [34] Refugees and migrants continue to arrive on the Greek islands
  • [35] Rain on Thursday
  • [36] The Wednesday edition of Athens' newspapers at a glance Politics

  • [01] Meeting of EU socialist European affairs ministers to be held in Athens on Saturday

    The European Union's socialist ministers of European affairs, members of the European Parliament and the Party of European Socialists (PES) have been invited to meet in Athens this Saturday, ahead of the informal European Council in Bratislava, in order to formulate joint positions in the direction of a progressive, social policy for the EU. The meeting is to be hosted by Alternate Foreign Minister Nikos Xydakis and organised by his office.

    It is a follow-up to a meeting of European socialist ministers held on July 15 in Rome, attended by Xydakis and Greek Minister of State Nikos Pappas, and coincides with a Greek diplomatic initiative unfolding on several fronts this week, including the meeting of EU Mediterranean countries organised by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday and the Rhodes Conference on Security and Stability in the Mediterranean organised by Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.

    "There is understanding on the part of people and some leaderships that certain problems are shared and we can have a common approach. There is a need for realism and flexibility. With the proposal for an ongoing dialogue of the Left and social democracy, Greece is at the table with the progressive forces of Europe. We must give people a new faith that Europe is not what is destroying prosperity," Xydakis said.

    The topics at the meeting are expected to cover Brexit, policies for improving the EU, deepening unification, fighting youth unemployment, protection of labour and social rights, equitable growth, the refugee and migrant issue, security and EU foreign policy, as well as actively linking EU citizens with EU institutions.

    The meeting will be attended by French Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Desir, Italian Under-Secretary for European Affairs Sandro Gozi, Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs Margarida Marquez, Slovakia's State Secretary for European Affairs Ivan Korcok, Malta's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for European Affairs Louis Grech and European Parliament Vice President Dimitris Papadi-moulis.

    Minister of State Nikos Pappas will also participate for the Greek government, along with several PES MEPs and officials. The meeting will take place at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre in Faliro.

    [02] Merkel and Greek PM to speak on the phone ahead of Bratislava EU summit, sources say

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to speak with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the telephone ahead of the European Council taking place in Bratislava on September 16, government sources said on Wednesday. In preparation for the summit, Merkel is inviting EU member-state leaders to visit Berlin in groups, they said.

    An invitation was also extended to Tsipras to visit next Sunday but the Greek prime minister was unable to attend due to his prior engagements at the Thessaloniki International Fair, which opens this week. It was therefore decided that they should speak on the telephone before the Bratislava summit.

    [03] PM meetng trade and industry associations ahead of TIF

    Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday concluded a series of meetings with representatives of the Athens Chamber of Tradesmen and the Federation of Hellenic Enterprises (SEV) at his offices in the Maximos Mansion. The prime minister has been meeting with representatives of Greek business and industry associations ahead of the Thessaloniki International Fair opening on Friday.

    The discussion focused on the problems faced by businesses, economic growth, attracting investments, improving the business environment and investment climate and ways to boost employment and protect labour rights. They also exchanged views on the progress of the Greek economy.

    The talks with the Athens Chamber of Tradesmen focused on issues affecting small and medium-sized enterprises and ways in which these might be resolved.

    Both sides expressed a desire for ongoing and constant dialogue in order to best deal with the problems facing Greek businesses, both large and small.

    [04] PM Tsipras to meet European Commission for Migration Avramopoulos on Thursday

    Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will meeting European Commis-sioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos at 10:00 on Thursday at his offices in the Maximos Mansion, the government announced.

    [05] PM Alexis Tsipras to host dinner for Cyprus President on Thursday night

    Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will host a dinner for visiting Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades on Thursday night. Anastasiades will be in Athens for a meeting of six Mediterranean EU countries convened by the Greek prime minister on Friday. Sources said the discussion during the dinner will focus on regional developments and the Cyprus issue.

    [06] State of emergency in Thermaikos and Messinia due to heavy flooding

    A state of emergency was declared in areas of Thessaloniki and the Peloponnese on Wednesday, in the wake of extensive flooding caused by torrential rains in the last two days.

    A meeting attended by a government delegation in Kalamata, in Messinia, decided to implement the same set of relief measures used in the wake of disasters at Megalopolis two months earlier and on the island of Skopelos.

    General Secretary for Civil Protection Yiannis Kapakis has declared a state of emergency in Kalamata and other flood-stricken areas of Messinia for six months, while the meeting also discussed the extensive damages in Lakonia, after a dam burst on the Evrotas River.

    A state of emergency has also been declared in Thessaloniki in the north, where flooding on Tuesday claimed four lives, while one woman has gone missing, possibly swept away by floodwater.

    The fire brigade has more than 1000 calls for assistance in the last 24 hours, more than half in Thessaloniki, and rescue workers have extricated 24 people trapped by flood water in Thessaloniki, 29 in Lakonia and 21 in Messinia.

    Accumulated flood water has also blocked the Athens-Tripoli-Kalamata highway at 222nd kilometre, where traffic is being diverted onto the old national road, while the Asprohoma-Pylos road in Messinia is also closed to traffic at two points.

    In Lakonia, the villages Taxiarchis, Elos and Leimonas are still cut off due to the water spilling out onto the Evrotas valley, while several roads in the area are closed to traffic.

    A six-month state of emergency was also declared in Thessaloniki's Thermaikos municipality.

    [07] CoE official Jean-Claude Frecon visits Attica Region Centre for refugee aid

    Attica Regional Authority governor Rena Dourou on Wednesday accompanied the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Jean-Claude Fr?con on a tour of the Centre for the Management, Storage and Supply of Essential Goods to Refugee and Migrant Centres operating in Attica, where they were briefed on the centre's operations and activities.

    Fr?con appeared particularly impressed with the operation of the centre, which works with the help of volunteers and organises goods donated by the general public and businesses, distributing to centres both within and outside Attica. The centre has so far distributed thousands of tonnes of food, sanitary goods and clothing, as well as supplying pharmaceuticals to social surgeries for those lacking health insurance, furniture and domestic goods for the poor and other assistance.

    During his visit, the Congress President was presented with a volunteer jacket and ID badge, naming him an "honorary volunteer".

    In comments after the visit, Dourou said that the centre was "tangible proof of what local government can achieve in collaboration with the institutional organisations, government agencies, citizens and businesses to meet the needs of migrants and refugees."

    [08] There will be no new pension cuts, Katrougalos says

    Greek Labour Minister George Katrougalos on Wednesday categorically rejected press reports of a new pension cut round. Speaking in public broadcaster ERT, Katrougalos said there would be no new cuts in pensions and noted that pensioners will be informed in a letter for pension cuts already made, explaining the rationale of the new system of re-calculating pensions.

    The minister said that main pensions were not reduced, while supplementary pensions were cut only when total pension payment surpassed 1,300 euros. Katrougalos said that supplementary pensions were cut up to 40 pct in some cases in order to achieve a balanced contribution-benefit rate. He added that there will be a limit of 10 pct on retrospective pension cuts.

    He said that the ministry was seeking an agreement with creditors on freezing arrears to pension funds and to reach some kind of an arrangement to repay these debts. Katrougalos said all three prior-actions related with the ministry have been agreed with creditors, including an integration of healthcare contribution from January 2017 and reiterated that the government has set red lines in negotiations over group dismissals, collective bargaining and lock out. He noted that the state will stand by the side of any potential unemployed workers in TV stations that failed to obtain a TV license.

    [09] EZ official 'confident' that Greece will complete prior actions by end September

    BRUSSELS (ANA/ M. Aroni)

    A senior Eurozone official on Wednesday expressed confidence that Greece will complete all 15 prior actions required for the disbursement of a 2.8-billion-euro sub-tranche of bailout loans by the end of September, though not before September 15 as agreed at the start of the summer.

    He noted, however, that it would not be a problem if this was done by the end of the month, since there was no immediate pressure on Greece's liquidity. The official said he had been given assurances by the Greek side that all pre-requisites will be met by end September while pointing out that the 2.8 billion euros will cease to be available at the end of October.

    Two days before the informal Eurogroup in Bratislava, the official said that Eurozone finance ministers will be briefed on the current state of play by their Greek counterpart, with respect to completing the prior actions. These include privatisations, the energy market, a revenues agency and the management of Greek banks.

    Regarding the new Privatisation Fund, the Eurozone official said this was not yet operational since the appointment of the supervisory board was still pending. He referred to some "surprises" in connection with this but refused to go into further details, though confirming that French official Jacques Le Pape was one of the two members proposed by the institutions.

    The official said that the ELSTAT case was not on the Eurogroup agenda but did not rule out the possibility that one of the ministers might raise the issue.

    With respect to the second review of the Greek programme, the official said the representatives of the institutions will be travelling to Athens in coming weeks to begin preparatory talks and expressed confidence that it might be completed within the autumn, despite including some tough issues relating to the labour market.

    [10] Reactivation of 100-tranche repayment scheme to be examined

    Reactivating a measure offering taxpayers and professionals the ability to repay arrears in 100 tranches -a measure lost because of the very austere criteria set by the legislation- will be discussed between the government and representatives of the Institutions.

    Reactivating the measure is one of the basic demands made by market groups lately (retail commerce groups asked for the reactivation of the measure until the end 2017).

    Pension funds, such as IKA-ETAM and OAEE, are reactivating the measure in cases that debtors were not responsible for the loss of this favorable arrangement measure.

    [11] Dep. FM Mardas on two-day official visit to Morocco

    Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Mardas on Wednesday departed for a two-day official visit to Morocco, where he is to have a series of meetings with high-ranking government officials.

    Before his departure, Mardas had a meeting with a senior Thomas Cook executive in Europe, after the company expressed strong interest in the Greek market during meetings held with Mardas in Shanghai, who had accompanied Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on his visit to China.

    Also following up on contacts made in China, a meeting will take place at the foreign ministry on September 13 with representatives of the Chinese company Alibaba, that will include Greek business organisations, the Greek ministers of agriculture and tourism, the head of Enterprise Greece and government staff.

    [12] Azerbaijani ambassador visits ACCI President, expresses concern about SOCAR-DESFA deal

    Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Greece Rahman Mustafayev on Wednesday paid a visit to the head of the Union of Hellenic Chambers and president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) Constantine Michalos, expressing concern about whether a deal between Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA) and Azerbaijan's energy giant SOCAR will be concluded.

    According to an ACCI announcement, Michalos assured Mustafayev that the Greek business community wants good relations between the two countries to be maintained and noted that a cancellation of the agreement would be certain to greatly impact the positive business environment that has been created by promoting the two countries' business ties.

    [13] Last return of migrants from Greece to Turkey on August 25, EC spox Bertaud says

    BRUSSELS (ANA/ C. Vasilaki)

    The last return of migrants from Greece to Turkey was carried out on August 25, European Commission spokesperson for migration issues Natasha Bertaud reported on Wednesday.

    The implementation of the EU-Turkey agreement for the re-settlement of refugees in Turkey and the return to Turkey of migrants that had illegally entered Greece was continuing at a rapid pace and more returns were scheduled in the coming days and weeks, she added.

    Bertaud repeated that of the roughly 480 migrants returned, only two had applied for asylum in Greece and this had been denied.

    [14] EU Court imposes 10 mln euro fine on Greece regarding the management of hazardous waste

    BRUSSELS (ANA/M.Aroni)

    The European Court of Justice on Wednesday imposed a 10 million euro fine on Greece for non-compliance with the European regulations regarding the management of hazardous waste.

    According to the statement, the court also imposed a 30,000 euro fine per day until it complies with the 2009 ruling.

    The court said that Greece failed to adopt a plan for the management of hazardous waste in line with EU requirements. Moreover, the country failed to create an integrated and adequate network of disposal installations for hazardous waste.

    "The failure is particularly serious bacause it could pose a danger to human health and harm the environment," the statement added.

    [15] Security camera footage taken during TV tender to be delivered to Alpha

    First Instance Court Public Prosecutor Rozalia Lalli on Wednesday ordered the General Secretariat for News and Communication to release security camera footage taken during last week's television broadcasting licence tender to representatives of the television station Alpha, granting the station's request.

    The material will be delivered after sensitive personal data is first removed. The station has asked for the material, recorded during the 66 hours of the tender's duration, in order to support its claims regarding "unconventional behaviour" by the company owned by Ivan Savvidis, one of the participants, and thus the cancellation of the tender.

    Financial News

    [16] Tourism minister, TUI executives discuss ways to strengthen cooperation

    The prospect of further reinforcing strategic cooperation with the TUI group to develop Greek tourism was discussed at a meeting held between Alternate Tourism MInister Elena Kountoura and senior TUI group executives Thomas Ellerbeck and Mihalis Mavropoulos on Wednesday.

    Kountoura and Ellerbeck discussed the prospects of promoting new year-round Greek destinations, as well as special tourism sectors, such as cruise tourism. They also examined Corporate Social Responsibility prorammes that TUI is interested in carrying out in Greece in order to cement tourist relations by boosting local communities and economies.

    "Through our new tourism policy, we are promoting Greece as a global, attractive destination 365 days a year. We have striven for close cooperation with the TUI group since 2015, with the aim of promoting strategic cooperation in order to increase Greece's share and boost tourist flows to popular and new Greek destinations. This cooperation has brought exceptional results and our aim is to immediately expand this further in 2017 as well as in later years," Kountoura said.

    Ellerbeck said that Greece was one of the most important markets for the TUI group and one of the group's five most popular destinations worldwide, noted for its attractiveness, variety of destinations and warm hospitality. He noted TUI's presence in the Greek market both through its hotels and through its cruiseships and said that TUI considered the Greek tourism ministry a trusted and reliable partner.

    Kountoura reported an overall increase in tourist traffic to Greece in 2016, dwelling particularly on an increase in last-minute bookings to the islands of the eastern Aegean, which had come under pressure due to the refugee crisis. She said the government had fully met promises to secure temporary housing for the refugees, which was completely controlled and far from areas where tourism might be affected.

    In this context, the ministry arranged for the TUI executives to visit the island Kos, accompanied by Greek government officials, in order to confirm the high level of service offered to visitors.

    [17] Greece drains 1.3 bln euros from market with T-bill auction

    Greece on Wednesday successfully auctioned a three-month Treasury bill issue draining 1.3 billion euros from the market. The interest rate of the issue was set at 2.70 pct, unchanged from the previous auction of same issue last month. Bids submitted were 1.3 times more than the asked sum, the Finance ministry said in an announcement.

    [18] Greek trade deficit up 88.9 pct in July

    Greek trade deficit widened sharply by 88.9 pct in July as imports grew 18.2 pct and exports fell by 3.4 pct in the month, Hellenic Statistical Authority said on Wednesday.

    The statistics service, in a monthly report on the country's merchandise trade, said the trade deficit grew 9.7 pct in the seven-month period from January to July.

    The value of import-arrivals amounted to 3.593.6 million euros in July, from 3.040 billion in the same month last year, an increase of 18.2 pct (excluding oil products, the value of imports grew 26.5 pct).

    The value of export-deliveries totaled 2.249 billion euros, from 2.329 billion in the same month in 2015, a decline of 3.4 pct (excluding oil products the value of exports rose 0.7 pct).

    The country's trade deficit totaled 1.344 billion euros in July, from 711.6 million in July last year, an increase of 88.9 pct (excluding oil products the trade deficit soared 97.9 pct).

    In the January-July period, the value of imports totaled 25.207 billion euros, down 0.5 pct from the corresponding period last year (excluding oil products, imports grew 8.8 pct), while the value of exports totaled 14.249 billion euros, down 7.2 pct from 2015 (excluding oil products exports fell 0.9 pct).

    The country's trade defice in the seven-month period amounted to 10.958 billion euros, up 9.7 pct from 2015 (excluding oil products the trade deficit grew 21.9 pct).

    [19] Inspections helped raise VAT revenue on islands, especially Santorini and Mykonos, senior finance ministry official reports

    Raids by tax inspectors on islands and other tourist destinations had help bump up VAT revenues in 2016, according to the head of Alternate Finance Minister Tryfon Alexiadis' office, Panagiotis Melachrinos, in statements to the radio station 'Sto Kokkino' on Wednesday. This was particularly clear in the more popular tourist destinations, such as Santorini and Mykonos, he said.

    "In Santorini, during the first seven months, there has been an increase in relation to the budget by 82 pct for VAT revenues and in the Mykonos tax office by 45 pct," Melachrinos reported.

    By contrast, he pointed out, revenues from VAT in the first seven months of 2014 came to just 5.2 million euros in Santorini, whereas this number had now almost doubled to reach 10 million euros. In Mykonos, the increase relative to 2014 was nearly 60 pct.

    Collection of VAT, compared with the first seven months of VAT, had been above budget targets throughout the country, reaching nearly 8 pct, he added, disproving the main opposition's claims that budget targets were not being met.

    [20] First Greek-made drone to be presented at TIF

    Greece's first-ever locally developed and manufactured Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or drone is to be presented at the 81st Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) that opens later this week, after successfully completing its first test flight in early August.

    The HCUAV ( or Hellenic Civil Unmanned Air Vehicle) was developed by several Greek companies and research institutes, in an effort first launched in 2013. The team was coordinated by the Laboratory of Fluid Mechanics & Turbomachinery (LFMT) of the Dept. of Mech. Eng. of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with the University of Thrace contributing elements relating to its robotic vision, space awareness and signal processing. The companies MLS Multimedia, Spacesonic Ltd and Intracom Defense Electronics were involved in its construction, communication systems, GPS and map systems. The drone has a length of 4 metres, weighs slightly more than a man, takes off at speeds of 2.8 metres a second and reaches top speeds of 190 km per hour. It will have a range of 150 km and can fly for 11 hours without refuelling, cruising at a height of 2.0 km and relaying crucial information in real time.

    The drone's flight specifications, capabilities and electronic equipment were designed on the basis of Greek demands for the supervision of land and sea territories over a wide range, with emphasis on natural disasters and environment accidents, such as fires, marine pollution and rescue operations. There was also a detailed analysis of the production costs per unit, showing that the drone has the potential to be very competitive, compared with similar products on the global market, provided the state exploits this potential.

    "We are talking about an extremely competitive price," Prof. Kyros Iakinthos said, noting that the potential markets extended beyond Greece, since the HCUAV was designed to be easily modified based on the demands of clients and countries. The maiden flight of the HCUAV RX-1 on August 4 lasted about 15 minutes and was hailed as a great success, while it has already yielded information that led to improvements in the current model.

    The total budget of the research programme was 2.0 million euros, while the five partners received 1.3 million euros from National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) funds.

    [21] Tax arrears to the state down 16.7 pct in Jan-July

    Tax arrears to the state fell by 16.7 pct in the January-July period this year, compared with the same period in 2015, Finance ministry sources told AMNA on Wednesday.

    The ministry sources said that from new tax arrears in July a 42.26 pct was attributed to arrears by four state-owned enterprises.

    The Finance ministry is satisfied with budget revenue course in the eight-month period and with an increase in VAT revenue on Greek islands, the sources said and noted that tax returns were up 18 pct compared with budget targets.

    The ministry said that an increase in tax arrears in the January-July period was the lowest in the last three years and noted that an increase in tax arrears in July by 924,747,248 euros was boosted by overdue tax debt worth 390,826,103 euros by four state-owned enterprises (railway transport, weapon production), or 42.26 pct of total new arrears.

    Budget revenue -pre-returns- in August was 4.083 billion euros covering 97.72 pct of budget target, while in the eight-month period revenue -pre-returns- surpassed budget targets by 1.67 pct.

    Tax returns in the January-August period surpassed targets by 18.19 pct.

    [22] Liabilities premium production up 2.5 pct in 2015

    Premium production by the liabilities sector grew 2.5 pct in 2015 compared with the previous year totaling 78.6 million euros, Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies (EAEE) said in a report released on Wednesday.

    The report said that general liability contracts accounted for 48.4 pct, professional liability 34.8 pct, employer liability 13.5 pct and 3.3 pct were other categories.

    G. Zorgno, president of the Liabilities commission of EAEE, commenting on the report said that: "Despite the fact that 2015 was a difficult year for the Greek economy and for the insurance market (premium production fell 6.1 pct), the liabilities sector grew 2.5 pct helped by demand for the coverage of new risks such as environmental and cyber".

    [23] Tourist arrivals on Lesvos down 51.3 pct in August

    Tourist arrivals on Lesvos island were decreased by 51.30 percent year-on-year to 8,078 in August 2016 compared to 16,588 in the same month of the previous year, according to data from the Mytilene airport.

    Accordingly, 58 charter flights landed on Lesvos in August compared to 124 last year.

    In absolute numbers, Lesvos has lost 40,000 tourists so far. Last year, 75,000 tourists visited the island.

    "Unfortunately, these figures reflect the destruction of the tourist industry in Lesvos," the president of the Hoteliers Association of Lesvos, Pericles Antoniou, said.

    [24] Piraeus Securities top securities firm in August

    Piraeus Securities ranked first among securities firms in the Athens Stock Exchange in August with a market share of 39.34 pct of monthly transactions, followed by Euroxx (11.43 pct), Eurobank Equities (8.66 pct), National Securities (4.77 pct) and Investment Bank of Greece (4.25 pct). In the eight month period from January to August, Eurobank Equities was first with a market share of 15.35 pct, followed by Euroxx (15.09 pct), Piraeus Securities (9.78 pct), National Securities (9.57 pct) and Citigroup (6.33 pct).

    [25] Greek stocks end slightly lower

    Greek stocks ended slightly lower in the Athens Stock Exchange on Wednesday. The composite index of the market fell 0.59 pct to end at 575.06 points. Buying interest focused on selected blue chip stocks such as Jumbo, Coca Cola HBC and OTE, while bank shares came under selling pressure. The Large Cap index fell 0.48 pct and the Mid Cap index ended 1.19 pct lower. Turnover was a low 25.524 million euros, in volume of 35,715,366 shares.

    Jumbo (1.81 pct), Coca Cola HBC (1.26 pct) and OTE (1.26 pct) scored the biggest percentage gains of the day among blue chip stocks, while Hellenic Exchanges (3.15 pct), Alpha Bank (2.84 pct) and Ellaktor (2.38 pct) suffered heavy losses.

    Among market sectors, Telecoms (1.26 pct) and Food (1.25 pct) scored big gains, while Financial Services (3.02 pct) and Banks (2.16 pct) suffered losses. Piraeus Bank and National Bank were the most heavily traded securities of the day. Broadly, decliners led advancers by 57 to 36 with another 19 issues unchanged. Alpha Astika (13.64 pct), Lavipharm (12.16 pct) and Mouzakis (10 pct) were top gainers, while Levenderis (29.85 pct), Sfakianakis (20 pct) and Livanis Publications (20 pct) were top losers.

    [26] Greek bond market closing report

    The yield spread between the 10-year Greek and German benchmark bonds widened further to 8.31 pct in the domestic electronic secondary bond market on Wednesday, from 8.23 pct the previous day, with the Greek bond yielding 8.19 pct and the German Bund yielding -0.12 pct. There was no turnover in the market.

    In interbank markets, interest rates were slightly lower. The 12-month rate fell to -0.059 pct from -0.055 pct, the nine-month rate dropped to -0.129 pct from -0.122 pct, the six-month rate fell to -0.198 pct from -0.193 pct, the three-month rate fell to -0.303 pct from -0.301 pct and the one-month rate was -0.372 pct.

    [27] ADEX closing report

    The September contract on the FTSE/ASE Large Cap index was trading at a premium of 0.05 pct in the Athens Derivatives Exchange on Wednesday. Volume on the Big Cap index totaled 2,063 contracts with 5,673 open positions in the market. Volume in futures contracts on equities totaled 21,989 contracts with investment interest focusing on National Bank's contracts (7,012), followed by Alpha Bank (4,379), Piraeus Bank (2,926), Eurobank (3,934), MIG (1,481), OTE (561), PPC (313), OPAP (214), Hellenic Petroleum (628), Jumbo (129), Hellenic Exchanges (45), Titan (34), Piraeus Port (128) and Folli Follie (37).

    General News

    [28] Our vision is Heraklion to become an extrovert city, says city mayor Lambrinos

    The mayor of Heraklion, Crete, Vassilis Lambrinos, presented the cultural and tourist potential of the city during his speech at the forum "1,000 cities, millions of people, a vision for the future" held in Venice.

    In the presence of mayors and deputy mayors from cities around the world, such as Venice, Moscow, Madrid, Dubrovnik, Malaga, Algiers, Nantes and Corfu, as well as officials of the Venice local government, the mayor made a brief review of the rich Cretan history and age-old relationship of the place with the Venetians.

    He also referred to the will of the municipality to develop partnerships with other cities and the vision to make Heraklion an extrovert city, with pillars the culture and quality tourism.

    "From the time of the Minoan civilization, the Cretan Renaissance with El Greco and Vincezo Cornaro, to the time of the Cretan Revolutions and from the short Cretan independence until today, Heraklion has much to say and does it in many different ways," the mayor of Heraklion stated. At the same time he stressed that "through culture, museums, nature, experience and quality tourism, we show all these historical periods addressing to all five senses of visitors."

    "We encourage partnerships with other countries and cities to promote peace, brotherhood, camaraderie, quality of life," he underlined.

    According to the municipality of Heraklion, on the forum's sidelines, and after its completion, there were bilateral meetings between mayors on the development of cooperation in areas of common interest.

    [29] 39th National Short Film Festival in Drama on Sept 19-24

    The 39th National Short Film Festival in Drama will be held on September 19-24.

    It is Greece's leading short film festival, and the annual meeting place for filmmakers and industry professionals. The 22nd International Short Film Festival is held in parallel showing the best new films from Greece and around the world, as well as other events including interviews, book presentations, panels and networking for filmmakers and professionals.

    In this year's festival a total of 225 films from 58 countries will be screened.

    Out of the 209 applications submitted this year, 64 films were selected that will compete for the festival awards. Among them, six documentaries and 3 animation films.

    [30] Ravel's opera "The child and the Spells" in animation at the Apollo Theatre of Syros

    National Opera of Greece in cooperation with Animasyros will present the first part of an animation opera on Thursday September 22 at the Apollo Theatre on the island of Syros.

    The opera is based on excerpts of the opera "The Child and the Spells" composed by Maurice Ravel and poet Colette. The opera with choreographer George Balanchine made its premiere in 1925 at the Opera of Monte Carlo and afterwards in all the greatest theatres of the world and at the Greek National Opera in 1980.

    The International Animation Festival + Agora of the island of Syros is the largest festival and market of its kind in Greece and one of the 20 most important globally. It started in 2008 and it is annually held in the capital of Cyclades, the neoclassical town of Hermoupolis. The festival comprises screenings, tributes to international animation festivals, artists and studios, media literacy activities for children, youngsters and adults, parties and tons of parallel events. This year, Animasyros launches the Agora animation market section, aiming at becoming a hub of creative professional networking, targeting the development of synergies among animation professionals.

    The events take place at the imposing Apollo Theatre, the Hermoupolis Cultural Centre, the University of the Aegean premises, the central Miaouli Square and elsewhere.

    Every year a series of media literacy activites is held enhancing the participation of children, youngster and adults, professi-onals and amateurs, who participate in the creation of moving images, optic toys, and animation films.

    It is the second time that the National Opera and Animasyros join their forces to make an animation movie, their first attempt was a 'reading' of pieces of Johann Strauss' operette "The bat".

    [31] The Ietionian Gate, part of Piraeus port ancient walls, to be restored

    The archaeological site of the Ietionian Gate in Piraeus will be restored and is expected to be ready to open to public in July 2017.

    The Ietionian Gate is the largest archaeological site of Piraeus coast. It is situated south of the central port that it used to protect in the antiquity. Its importance is dual not only because it was the port's bastion and one of the two entrances in the fortified city of Pireaus (the second entrance was at the Urban Gates) but because one can see the fortification techniques developed between the 5th and 3rd century BC.

    [32] More than 100 Yazidi Kurds transferred from Giannitsa refugee centre

    Three coaches carrying 82 Yazidi Kurds departed from the refugee hospitality centre in Sfagia, Giannitsa on Wednesday headed for Serres. A fourth coach with another 21 individuals on board was also preparing to depart from the centre, from which another 200 people are to be evacuated.

    The Giannitsa centre was among those due to be upgraded, according to statements by an aide of Alternate Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas.

    [33] Five Syrian refugees return to Turkey from Lesvos, on Frontex charter flight

    Five Syrian refugees, four men and one woman, on Wednesday returned to Turkey from the Greek island of Lesvos in order to stay at a refugee camp in Turkey, after waiving their right to apply for asylum in Greece.

    The five returned on a flight chartered by the EU's border agency Frontex and the re-admission of the refugees into Turkey was carried out in accordance to the EU-Turkey agreement, at Mytilene airport.

    [34] Refugees and migrants continue to arrive on the Greek islands

    84 migrants and refugees arrived on the island of Lesvos while another 115 reached the coasts of Chios in the last 24h. No arrivals were recorded on Samos island.

    On Wednesday, 5,156 migrants and refugees were in Moria hotspot on Lesvos, 3.399 remain trapped on Chios and 1,029 are on Samos.

    According to police, 9,584 of the migrants and refugees that are on Lesvos, Chios and Samos have sought political asylum in Greece.

    Weather forecast

    [35] Rain on Thursday

    Rain and winds from variable directions are forecast for Thursday. Wind velocity will reach 6 on the Beaufort scale. Heavy rain in the northern and western parts of the country with temperatures ranging from 17C to 26C. Clouds and rain in the eastern parts with temperatures between 19C and 28C. Partly cloudy over the Aegean islands and Crete, 22C-31C. Possibility of rain in Athens, 21C-28C. Rain in Thessaloniki, 20C-25C.

    [36] The Wednesday edition of Athens' newspapers at a glance

    AVGHI: Audits on wealthy people's bankrupt companies

    DIMOKRATIA: French head in the occupation fund

    ETHNOS: Stricter rules on flea markets

    ESTIA: The degradation of Mr Tsipras

    EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Cooperation between TV channels

    ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: Express taxes on oil, coffee and cigarettes

    IMERISSIA: The first problem for the super-fund

    KATHIMERINI: 5 billion euros lost annually from taxes

    TA NEA: The TV licence procedure freezes

    NAFTEMPORIKI: Lower revenues in public funds

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