TA NEA

European elections as a referendum

Inauguration of EU Presidency has pre-election flavour

Samaras: The dilemma is yes or no to Europe

The inauguration of the Greek EU Presidency amounted to a debut of the pre-election campaigns in the run up to the European Parliament elections. Antonis Samaras posed the dilemma, “Europe or not?” describing Alexis Tsipras’s decision to not attend the event “anti-European and anti-West.” At the same time Mr Stournaras stated that Greece hopes to return to the markets in the second half of 2014.
 

Syriza: These are exercises in submission to Merkel

The leader of the opposition was missing from the inaugural ceremony for the Greek EU Presidency. Syriza officials talked of a ‘symbolic gesture’ in protest over the policies of austerity imposed by the European Union. There was a pre-election air to comments from the Syriza press office which said that “Mr Samaras is taking exams on voluntary submission to Mrs Merkel and her allies.”

ELEFTHEROTYPIA

Prescription for bloodletting

The latest bloodletting of patients is expected to net more than 60 million euros annually as they will pay one euro per prescription which can include up to three medicines.

KATHIMERINI

Arrest warrants issued over Hellenic Postbank loans

Former executives of the Hellenic Postbank and well-known businessmen face serious, criminal charges of wrongdoing over loans issued with exceptionally low interest rates in the 2007-09 period. According to sources, 15 warrants have been issued for the arrests of former administrators and members of the board of the bank and businessmen, one of whom is already imprisoned in Korydallos jail accused of other offences. The police of the Organised Crime Unit were working until the early hours of the morning for the execution of the warrants with sources reporting of at least one arrest having been made.

EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON

Ten new suspects

Ten new suspects, the majority of them high or top-ranking Navy and Army officers, were named by former intermediary Panos Efstathiou as people he had given bribes to over procurement contracts for the ASRAD weapons system and submarines, and are due to appear before magistrates next week. 

DIMOKRATIA

The revenue service does not forget

1,645,000 failed to pay the new property tax and have until the end of January to pay at the latest.