Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-04-18

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

CONTENTS

[01] Labour minister: no cut in low pensions

[02] Fashion icon Jean-Paul Gaultier awarded in Athens

[03] Police update on terror safehouse finds

[04] Terror group's safehouse found

[05] Greek Press Review

[01] Labour minister: no cut in low pensions

He clarified that those receiving pensions greater than 1,400 euros a month would contribute to a solidarity fund from the year 2010 and that this money will be used by social insurance funds in need.

On the pension system that will be introduced after 2018, Loverdos explained that part of this would be a 'welfare' pension paid directly from the state budget and the rest a 'returns' pension based on the years of work and amount of contributions paid.

"Everyone will get the pension they deserve and that they paid for. Whoever works more will get a bigger pension," he added. On the expected savings from contributions evasion, the labour minister said these were roughly 900 million euros a year and a "achievement of the stability programme".

[02] Fashion icon Jean-Paul Gaultier awarded in Athens

The award was presented to the designer by Greece's Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Angela Gerekou, during a special ceremony that formed part of the 11th French Film Festival in Athens, which began on April 15.

Gerekou, after praising Gaultier's decisive influence on the world of fashion, also noted that fashion and film were two sectors that needed great support in Greece, stressing that with the proper ground work they might well become a tourist attraction.

Gaultier, one of the main sponsors of the film festival, said he was happy to be back in a country that he loved and warmly praised the statuette made by Zolotas jewellers that was presented to him by the minister, noting that "this is the first time I am holding a real Zolotas'.

After the award ceremony, there was a screening of the film "Le Jour d'Avant - Jean-Paul Gaultier" - a documentary about the last 36 hours before a fashion show.

The event was also addressed by French Ambassador to Athens Christophe Farnaud and attended by Deputy Citizens' Protection Minister Spyros Vougias, as well as representatives of the fashion and film industry.

[03] Police update on terror safehouse finds

The announcement said that the solid substances in the three gas canisters were derived from agricultural fertiliser composed mainly of ammonium nitrate, impregnated with lamp oil. The substance in the two metallic cans were also made of agricultural fertiliser composed mainly of ammonium nitrate, with fuel oil added.

Police said the substance thus formed was similar to the explosive ANFO and not a standardised factory product.

"A similar type explosive with that found in the gas canisters (ammonium nitrate with lamp oil) was found in the makeshift time bomb that was neutralised on 18 February 2009, in a car parked outside the building housing the Citibank administrative services in Nea Kifissia," police said.

The substance found in the plastic bin liner was mainly agricultural fertiliser with ammonium nitrate as its main component.

[04] Terror group's safehouse found

Police sources said the garage in the basement of 54 V. Antoniadou Street in Kareas was found on Saturday afternoon and had been leased in November 2007 under the name 'Dimosthenis Mandalozis'. This was also the name on a fake ID found two days earlier in the car of Constantine Gournas, one of the people accused as a member of "Revolutionary Struggle".

Inside the garage, police found 180 kilos of the explosive ANFO, the same explosive used in many hits by the terrorist organisation. These were contained in three 20-litre gas canisters, each about half full, and four 75-litre cans originally holding olive oil, of which two were full, as well as a green plastic bin liner containing another 15 kilos of ANFO.

Apart from the explosives, there were also three stolen motorbikes fitted with two sets of number plates and five luggage boxes that contained more number plates for motorbikes.

A police announcement on Saturday pointed to evidence that the terror group had used the aliases 'Dimosthenis Mandalozis' and 'Anastasios Grivokostopoulos' to make fake IDs, which they then used to rent safehouses.

A house occupied by Nikolaos Maziotis and Panagiota Roupa in Kalyvia had been leased under the name Vasiliki Paraskevopoulou.

They asked members of the public to contact authorities at the telephone numbers 170, 1014 and 1964 with any information concerning the group, especially in connection with the leasing of homes or other properties in any of the above names.

[05] Greek Press Review

The repercussions of Greece resorting to an IMF loan and its impact on private and public-sector workers and terrorism were the main front-page items in Athens' newspapers on Sunday.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Civil servant in the morning, 'boss' at night". [article claims many employed in public sector will be forced to choose between their not-so-secure public-sector day jobs and the second private-sector job that many already have].

APOGEVMATINI: "New municipalities throughout the country".

ARTHRO: "Country under occupation". [on IMF loan and repercussions]

AVGHI: "IMF! Your money or your life".

AVRIANI: "IMF to turn the country into a hell".

CHORA: "IMF to govern Greece from tomorrow".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Alone with the IMF". [Claims government now entering into direct negotiations with the IMF over a loan after the EU 'backed away' from coordinating role]

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Private sector now on the operating table". [claims IMF will demand austerity measures extending to the private sector]

EPOCHI: "Our lives in hock..." [on IMF loan]

ETHNOS: "The three-year 'tunnel' under IMF and Euro-supervision that changes everything".

KATHIMERINI: "IMF to bring upheavals everywhere".

LOGOS: "IMF: 'Raise the gates' [quotes scripture, from Good Friday when Jesus orders that the gates of hell be opened] Everything changing in the economy from tomorrow".

NIKI: "IMF means political bankruptcy also".

PARON: "Under a new occupation" [article on IMF loan]

PROTO THEMA: "Document about Maziotis at New Democracy since 2005". [claims former ND ministers had been alerted to links between Maziotis and the Amanatidis murder by classified counter-terrorism squad document]

REAL NEWS: "Who will get the axe in the coming months. 250,000 to be laid off! Pogrom in public sector and organisations".

RIZOSPASTIS: "With self-sacrifice until the last moment. Everyone 'to arms' for the strike on April 21-22".

VETO: "70 million for George's man". [Claims scandal dating back to Simitis era that involves 'representatives' of ruling PASOK's current economic policy]

TO VIMA: "The documents of terrorism".

VRADYNI: "Barrage of public-sector layoffs. Between 200,000 to 300,000 mostly contract workers to be shown the door".

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