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Thursday, 26 November 2020

Reports: Cosco seeks to activate clause to purchase another 16% of Piraeus port authority; delays plague foreseen projects

A. Tsimplakis [email protected] Chinese multinational Cosco has initiated action to acquire another 16 percent of the Piraeus Port Authority (PPA), which would raise its total of shares to 67 percent,…

Athens announces four ‘axes’ of actions to absorb billions of euros in emergency EU funding

By T. Tsiros [email protected]   The Greek government’s plan to absorb pandemic-related emergency Community funding is based on four axes and 18 different sectors, including a so-called “Green transition”, budgeted…

Covid-19 outbreak: Number of intubated patients exceeds 600 in Greece; lockdown extended by a week

The number of acute Covid-19 cases being treated in Greek hospitals’ ICUs exceeded 600 on Thursday, for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Along with 608 intubated…

Covid-19 outbreak: Nationwide lockdown in Greece to continue for another week until Dec. 7

The Greek government on Thursday announced a one-week extension – until Dec. 7 – of a Covid-19 “lockdown”, which was set to expire on Nov. 30, given that the number…

Tuesday, 24 November 2020

Ankara ups provocations with 3 new Navtexes demanding demilitarization of Greek isles; all previously threated by Turkey

Official Turkey on Tuesday issued another three Navtexes (notifications to mariners, aviators) demanding the demilitarization of several Greek islands in the eastern Aegean, something that Athens considers as a provocation…

Covid-19 outbreak: Number of intubated patients in Greece continue to rise, with 562 reported on Tues.

Acute Covid-19 cases being treated in hospital ICUs continued to increase on Tuesday, rising to 562 from 549 a day earlier, as the “second wave” of the coronavirus pandemic in…

Monday, 23 November 2020

Pandemic-battered Aegean Airlines in final talks with Greek govt to receive state support

Aegean Airlines, Greece’s flag carrier, confirmed on Monday that it was in the final stages of talks with the Greek government in order to receive urgent state support, as the…

Greek govt deflects opposition criticism, says health ministry spending up 20% in 2020 due to pandemic

The Greek government on Monday announced that spending by the relevant health ministry increased by 788 million euros in 2020, compared to 2019, or roughly 20 percent. The finance ministry,…

Deadline for EOI for state-run Larco on Jan. 8, 2021

A special liquidator for debt-laden and loss-making Larco, a large state-run ferro-nickel producer, has set a deadline of Jan. 8, 2021 for Expressions of Interest (EOI). A tender for Larco’s…

Covid-19 outbreak: Intubated patients continue to rise, slighly; new cases now 50% since last week into 3rd week of lockdown

Single-day coronavirus-related fatalities eased on Monday, to a reported 84, while the number of patients suffering from the virus in hospital ICUs again rising, with the number at 549 on…

898 tax exemptions, breaks result in 9.6 bln€ in less revenues for Greek state; companies with properties holdings the big winners

By G. Palaitsakis [email protected] The number of individual tax breaks and reductions/discounts implemented or set for implementation by the Greek government tally an eyebrow-raising 898, with the impact on state…

Covid-19 outbreak: Single-day fatalities again above 100 on Sun.; confirmed infections fall, ICU patients rise

Single-day coronavirus-related fatalities again exceeded 100 on Sunday, reaching 103, while the number of acute Covid-19 cases being treated in hospital ICUs again posted another ominous record, at 540. Nevertheless,…

Friday, 20 November 2020

Extra welfare benefit calculated for 256K families in Greece at end of Dec.

Only distressed households in Greece, as defined by objective economic criteria, will be eligible for an extra end-of-the-year monthly welfare payment. At last estimate, eligible households are calculated at more…

Marathon Venture Capital to offer up to 40mln€ in funding to start-up ecosystem

Funding of up to 40 million euros is earmarked for Greece’s start-up ecosystem Marathon Venture Capital, especially in the hi-tech sectors, and in particular software designers. The Marathon Fund II…

Ergose announces rail network projects worth 133.5 mln€

Ergose, the construction arm of Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE), Greece’s state-run  railway infrastructure owner and manager, this week announced contracts worth 133.5 million euros for upgrades in various patches of…

Covid-19 outbreak: Single-day fatalities, intubated patients in Greece reach new pandemic highs on Friday

Single-day fatalities linked with Covid-19 as well as the highest number of afflicted patients in ICUs both posted morbid records on Friday in Greece, with 72 related deaths over the…

Thursday, 19 November 2020

Krystallopigi border crossing ordered closed due to pandemic

Greece on Thursday announced the closing of one of the country’s northern border crossings, part of emergency measures to contain the ‘second wave’ of the coronavirus pandemic in the east…

Greek FM to EU counterparts: Turkey’s recent actions show there’s no room for ‘positive dialogue’

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on Thursday briefed EU counterparts on the Foreign Affairs Council  – via teleconference – over what Athens charges are continuing Turkish provocations and belligerence in…

Church of Greece Primate tests positive for Covid-19; condition stable in hospital ICU

Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos was admitted to a central Athens hospital early Thursday morning after being diagnosed with Covid-19, with the Archdiocese saying his transfer to an…

Gov’t threatens to requisition private clinics’ facilities in case of refusal to hand over beds for Covid-19 cases

The relevant health ministry on Thursday issued a same-day ultimatum – which expired at 9 p.m. local time – to private clinics in the Thessaloniki area to immediately make available…

Asylum-seeking Syrian man, 27, arrested in Athens and charged with crimes committed while serving with ISIS

A 27-year-old Syrian national was arrested by the anti-terrorism squad in central Athens on Thursday morning on charges of joining and participating in a terrorism group, in the case the…

Covid-19 outbreak: Number of intubated patients in Greece steadily up, now 499

The worrying rise in the number of Covid-19 patients being treated in hospital ICUs reached another serious milestone on Thursday, one shy of 500, as the “second wave” of the…

Wednesday, 18 November 2020

Mitsotakis to NATO Parliamentary assembly regarding Turkey: Allies cannot cooperate with jihadist groups, or deploy S-400 missiles

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis used the NATO venue on Wednesday to directly point at neighboring Turkey as an unreliable ally for Athens and even as an undermining force within…

Greek health minister: 1,018 centers with total capacity for 2.1 million vaccinations – once vaccine delivered

The relevant Greek health minister on Wednesday announce the establishment of 1,018 vaccination centers with a total capacity of vaccinating more than 2.1 million people for the Covid-19 virus –…

Covid-19 outbreak: Number of intubated patients continues to rise in consecutive days, now at 480

The number of coronavirus-afflicted patients being treated in hospital ICUs continued to climb on Wednesday, reaching another peak for Greece at 480. Meanwhile, the single-day death toll reached 60, slightly…

Tuesday, 17 November 2020

Draft bill envisions sizeable 3% point cut in social security contributions paid by private sector employees, employers

Greece’s labor and social insurances ministry on Tuesday tabled a draft bill foreseeing a 3-percentage point cut in the hefty monthly social security and healthcare fund contributions paid by wage-earners…

Street violence in Athens on Tues.; annual students’ uprising anniversary marches defy Covid-10 lockdown

Tuesday witnessed street violence in Athens and other cities around Greece on the occasion of the anniversary of a 1973 students’ uprising, with left-wing parties organizing rallies and commemorations and…

Covid-19 outbreak: Number of intubated patients continues to rise, now at 443

Greek public health authorities on Tuesday announced another 63 related coronavirus deaths, and just as ominously, the number of acute Covid-19 cases being treated in hospital ICUs posted another record,…

Monday, 16 November 2020

Reports: Greece conveys a Letter of Request to US for squadron F-35s

Greece’s national defense ministry has reportedly conveyed a Letter of Request (LOR), dated Nov. 6, to the US administration requesting the purchase of a squadron (18 to 24) of US-made…

Covid-19 outbreak: Highest figure yet in Greece for number of cases being treated in ICUs, at 400

The number of Covid-19 patients intubated with acute cases of the virus reached an all-time high in Greece on Monday, at 400, while related single-day fatalities reported totaled 59. The…