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Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 16-06-21Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>Weekend News BulletinTuesday June 21, 2016 CONTENTS
[01] Lesvos is the island of peace, says UN sec gen Ban Ki-moonUN secretary general Ban Ki-moon visited on Saturday the island of Lesvos and 'met with refugees from countries that have suffered very much' as he said.He toured the refugees and migrants' camp at Kara Tepe and the hotspot of Moria and thanked the Greek authorities, the local authorities, the humanitarian organisations and the citizens of Lesvos for their help. "Lesvos is the island of peace and your sea is the sea of solidarity" he said to the people of Mytilene "You opened your hearts and your homes to support these people in need. The families of refugees with whom I met today shared with you their hopes. They want from you to give them the opportunity to return all those you have done for them. They want to go back to their country but they are aware that this is only a dream", said Ban Ki-moon Expressing the international community, Ban Ki-moon noted that "the international community wants to help towards the solution of the conflicts in the refugees countries and to address the reasons of all those problems. We must unite and react against intolerance and against the human traffickers" and called on all the European countries to respond by establishing a humanitarian approach that will focus on the respect to the human rights. "Let's all work together in order the relocation of these people to become possible and to find legal ways for this. I recognise and understand the difficulties but the possibilities and the ways exist to meet these challenges" [02] PM Tsipras to meet with political party leaders on revision of the constitutionPrime Minister Alexis Tsipras will meet this week with the political party leaders to discuss the constitutional revision and the electoral law.On Tuesday he will meet with Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos. On Thursday he will have successive meetings with Communist Party (KKE) general secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas, PASOK leader Fofi Gennimata and with main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Finally, on Friday Tsipras will receive Potami leader Stavros Theodorakis and the president of Centrists Union Vassilis Leventis. [03] Transport Minister Spirtzis says no to privatisation of urban transportInfrastructures, Transport and Networks Minister Christos Spirtzis pointed out the need for a national plan on the major works in order to "have the benefits that the country and the productive forces should have from these works" in an interview with ANA-MPA on Sunday.He said that the ministry has ready three draft laws that must be completed in the summer. These bills refer to the public works and the public contracts in general as we well as the systems and the structures that will offer the opportunity the public and the private works to be monitored. Spirtzis said he is firmly against the privatisation of public transport. "This will not happen" he noted adding that "the model of the private urban transport in Greece, which is applied in Thessaloniki, has failed. It costs five times more. What we must do is to put a halt to the looting and the bad management. Referring to the privatisation of TRAINOSE (Railways) he said that its Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund's (HRADF) responsibility noting that the ministry focuses on the development of the railways infrastructures. "It is our top priority. A plan that is a clearly national plan and will upgrade our country". Spirtzis also said that the extension of the urban railway (proastiakos) to the port of Lavrio is included in the ministry's planning."I believe it is one of the major works that should be done because it will link the international airport and Athens with two main ports namely Piraeus and Lavrio. This work will promote the maritime transport, the cruise tourism but most of all it will facilitate the citizens". [04] George Papandreou to ANA-MPA: National consensus for radical changesPresident of Socialist International and leaders of Democrats Socialists movement George Papandreou urged for "national consensus for radical changes" in an interview with ANAMPA on Sunday.Papandreou referred to a 'national moratorium of seriousness" and the need of "a national contract with changes". "Broader consensus is needed" because "in order the changes to take roots must exceed the electoral circle" he claimed and noted that regarding the cooperations the major issue is "agreement within a political framework of changes, a national contract". We say yes to consensus but for decisive changes not for the distribution of the authority, clarified Papandreou. At a query on a possible cooperation with SYRIZA, Papandreou stated "I am and will be open to help whoever commits in a political framework of progressive change, whatever is it called. With anyone who is ready to set the common interest above the client perception of authority distribution. Unfortunately this intention is not available. I hope that I am proven wrong" he Financial news [05] Capital controls may be lifted until the end of the year, says NBG chief KatseliNational Bank of Greece (NBG) president Louka Katseli said that fear is the reason the citizens do not bring their money back to the banks adding that it will take time until they trust their money to the banks again.Speaking to national broadcaster ART late Saturday, she noted the main factors for return to normality is the stability at political and financial level. Referring to the lifting of the capital controls she said she believed that most of the restrictions will be lifted until the end of the year. One of the conditions for the lifting of the capital controls was the completion of the review of the Greek programme which has been achieved, said Katseli adding that the large number of the non-performing loans is not due to the fact that the people became suddenly bad-payers but to the adverse changes of the households and the businesses' economic condition. Katseli called on the lenders to go the banks to settle their loans otherwise they run the risk of being characterised uncooperative. General News [06] No metro, tram on Tuesday after 22:00Workers in Athens metro, electric train and tram (STASY) have declared a work stoppage for Tuesday 21 June from 22:00 until the end of the shift.STASY workers protest against government's plans to include the public means of transport in the privatisations fund. [07] Wildfire on Rhodes under controlA wildfire that broke out on Saturday on northern Rhodes on Sunday was under partial control after burning hundreds of hectares of woodland.Firefighters remain in the area to face any rekindling in the several fronts while firefighting aircrafts continue the water-dropping operation. [08] Athens Headlines at a glanceAVGHI: Tax initiatives for the plastic money.ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: The Brexit terrifies EU and the eurozone and brings back the ...Grexit. EPOCHI: Europe in the Brexit shadow. ESTIA: Taxes became an end in itself. KATHIMERINI: The Brexit ghost and the fears in EU and Athens. RIZOSPASTIS: All for the monopolies' benefit. PARON: Bank of Greece governor (Yiannis) Stournaras boycotts the debt settlement. PRIN: They bring massacre-law for the labour relations PROTO THEMA: How the Brexit leads to Grexit. TO VIMA: Europe before the Brexit shock. 36, TSOCHA ST. ATHENS 115 21 GREECE - TEL: 64.00.560-63 - FAX: 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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