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Thursday, 10 Αυγούστου 2017

Sharp reaction to appointment of top minister’s father as president of recently nationalized bus company

The surprise appointment of a top minister’s retired father as the head of the recently nationalized Thessaloniki area’s urban bus company stirred more summertime opprobrium on the part of the…

Figures show tourism-related spending by Greeks in the country shrunk by two-thirds between 2008-2015

Domestic tourism spending in Greece has shrunk by two-thirds during the ongoing eight-year economic crisis, reaching its lowest point in 2015 – the recession’s annus horribilis – according to figures…

More delays, bureaucratic obstacles bedevil gold mining concession in northern Greece

By L. Kalamara [email protected] Yet another legal clash is apparently looming between the leftist Greek government and mining multinational El Dorado Gold’s subsidiary in Greece, Hellas Gold, over the latter’s…

Wednesday, 09 Αυγούστου 2017

Greek shipping interests invest nearly 3 bln€ in vessels over Jan-Jul 2017 period

By L. Karageorgos [email protected] The second hand market for ocean-going vessels recorded a turnover of 12.5 billion US dollars over the first seven months of 2017, with Greek shipping interests…

FT article over Greek FM’s defamation suit generates sharp reaction; opposition criticises Kotzias

Financial Times’ latest Greece-themed article, entitled “Minister’s court win intensifies fears for rule of law in Greece,” which points to allegations of judicial interference and “thin-skinned” leftist ministers, generated a…

Greek inflation rate steady at 0.9% in July 2017; CPI at 1% yoy

Greece’s annual EU-harmonized inflation rate was steady in July 2017, according to figures announced by the national statistical authority (EL.STAT) on Wednesday.   The figure for July 2017 was 0.9…

Suspended surplus value tax on real estate transactions set for re-imposition next year

A suspended surplus value tax on property transactions is scheduled to resume as of Jan. 1, 2018, a negative development for Greece’s still depressed real estate market. The re-imposition of…

Tuesday, 08 Αυγούστου 2017

FAZ: 11K asylum seekers left Greece in first half of 2017; Athens promises to take back ‘small number’ of migrants from Germany

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) on Tuesday reported that roughly 11,000 asylum seekers have abandoned Greece in the first half of 2017 for their home countries, with the German mass daily…

Stepped up inspections of daycruisers, foreign-registered yachts conducting excursions

The coast guard in Greece, in cooperation with the newly established independent authority for public revenues, has reportedly stepped up checks of yachts and tourist vessels this summer in an…

August full moon over Greece on Monday evening coincides with partial lunar eclipse

August’s full moon over Greece – billed as the largest and most luminous of the calendar year – on Monday marked a rare coincidence, as a partial lunar eclipse also…

Greek exports up in H1 2017

By J. Kanoupakis [email protected] Greek exports posted a positive first-half in 2017, with figures supplied by the national statistical agency showing total exports – including fuel products – up by…

Attica Bank sells NPL porfolio to overseas investment fund

Non-systemic Greek lender Attica Bank on Monday announced the sale of a non-performing loan (NPL) portfolio, a development that was approved by the Bank of Greece (BoG), its regulatory overseer.…

Moderate quake shakes Kos again on Tues. morning

An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale was recorded off the eastern Aegean island of  Kos on Tuesday morning, with an epicenter 38 kilometers northeast of the holiday island. The…

Monday, 07 Αυγούστου 2017

Privatization fund: Six expressions of interest submitted for Greece’s natgas system operator (DES.FA)

Greece’s privatization fund on Monday announced that six different investment schemes have expressed an interest to acquire a 66-percent stake in the Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator’s (DESFA’s) share capital.…

Major Chinese presence at next month’s Thessaloniki int’l fair

By V. Vegiri [email protected] China is expected to have a significant presence at the upcoming 82nd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) next month in the northern Greece metropolis of Thessaloniki. The…

FT on Georgiou case: ‘A legal farce calls Greek reform into question’

FT this week again visited the unending legal woes of Greece’s former statistician, a week after he was slapped with a suspended two-year sentence for failing to convene a board…

Statistical service: Greece’s GDP shrunk by 26% since 2010

By G. Palaitsakis [email protected]   Greece’s GDP shrunk by 61.6 billion euros (26 percent) since 2010, the time span when three bailout memorandums with institutional creditors were signed and implemented,…

Kythira wildfire abating after weekend of major damages

A three-front wildfire on the southwestern Aegean island of Kythira was finally abating on Monday morning after an entire weekend of efforts by firefighters and local residents to extinguish the…

Friday, 04 Αυγούστου 2017

Leftist govt tables draft amendment to exempt Mt. Athos monasteries from property taxes

The government on Friday tabled a draft amendment in Parliament that exempts Orthodox monasteries on the all-male monastic community of Mount Athos from paying property taxes. The amendment, in fact,…

Govt cites approval of tourism-related investment worth 408 mln€ in eastern Crete

A relevant inter-ministerial committee tasked with overseeing “strategic projects” on Friday approved a foreign direct investment worth 408 million euros for the Aghios Nikolaos district of eastern Crete, following a…

Weightlifting legend Pyrros Dimas: SYRIZA essentially caused me to leave Greece

Three-time gold medal weightlifter Pyrros Dimas, one of modern Greece’s most distinguished athletes, generated one of a handful of political “cat fights” in the country this week, charging that ruling…

Latsis grandson eyes entry into bulk carrier sector with new int’l partnership

By A. Tsimplakis [email protected] A scion of one of Greece’s best-known shipping and business dynasties, Paris Kasidokostas-Latsis, has partnered with two international investors in creating a new consortium aimed at…

Further loosening of 2015-era capital controls in Greece announced

By Th. Adamopoulos [email protected] A further loosening of capital controls in Greece is envisioned as of Sept. 1, as a relevant decision was published in the government gazette this week.…

Thursday, 03 Αυγούστου 2017

Minister: Arbitration would be best to resolve pending issues related to Skouries investment

Greece’s relevant economy and environment minister on Thursday said recourse to arbitration would be the best solution to resolve all pending issues related to the Hellas Gold investment in northern…

Long-delayed out-of-court settlement framework for arrears owed by Greek businesses debuts online

The Greek state on Thursday launched a long-awaited online platform for the out-of-court settlement of arrears owed by private businesses, a memorandum-mandated obligation. According to figures supplied by the economy…

Wednesday, 02 Αυγούστου 2017

Εurobarometer: Greeks most pessimistic in EU

The latest Εuroarometer results gauging public opinion in the European Union – as late as last spring – shows Greek respondents as the most pessimistic in the Union (69 percent), whereas…

Previous high-ed reforms overturned; blowback from govt edict abolishing top pupils’ right to be school flag-bearer

A bill passed by a slim margin through Parliament on Wednesday, which rolls back previous reforms in Greece’s higher education system, was just the “warm up” to sharp criticism against…

Latest study on Ikaria residents’ high life expectancy, quality of life unveiled next month

Results of yet another study focusing on the high life expectancy and high health quality enjoyed by residents on the eastern Aegean island of Ikaria will be unveiled next month…

Georgiou to FT: In Europe we don’t put statistical results up for a vote by board members

The former head of Greece’s national statistical service (EL.STAT) was quoted by Financial Times on Wednesday as saying he was convicted of a misdemeanor count of breaching his duty for…

NBG study: 22 bln€ in tourism-related investment over 5 years would translate into five bln€ annually in extra revenue

A National Bank of Greece study, released this week, states that up to 22 billion euros worth of investment in Greece’s tourism sector over a five-year span will yield an…