In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, the editor of Forbes magazine, Steve Forbes expresses the opinion that the Greek situation is hopeless.
After suggesting some ideas so that Greece can stop having to ask for financial support, he concludes: “Please prove all of us who question your choices wrong by resolutely converting your country into a Hong Kong, a Singapore, a Switzerland of the Mediterranean, as success will be your best revenge. "
In an interview to MSNBC Christine Lagarde stated that “it remains to see in practice how reforms are implemented”.
TheUnionofGreekIndustrialists (SEV) andregionalIndustrialAssociationsissuedastatement, welcomingtheeffortsofthegovernmenttokeepthecountryintheeurozone, toreconstructtheGreekproductionbase, torestoresocialcohesion, toreformandtocorrectattitudesandinstitutions .
Representatives of the Finance Ministry’s cleaners who had been suspended and later dismissed under the previous government, appeared to be satisfied after a meeting with Minister of FinancesYanis Varoufakis . “Our reinstatement is now a matter of time, as we are waiting for our statutory employment, which had been abolished, to be recognised by law” . She added that after 303 days protesting in the tents in front of the Ministry of Finance the cleaners intend to remain there until they are accepted back to work.
Alternate Minister for Citizens' Protection and Public Order Yiannis Panoussis appeared in a press conference today followingcontroversycausedbyasupposedimmigrationdocument.
Mr Panoussis was outraged by the way the media had presented a circular concerning illegal migration issued by a Major police officer without political authorization, as if it expressed the new government’s policy. “This text came out of nowhere. The government has not yet announced its policy on immigration,” Panoussis said.He said that the document was made up of a mixture of miscellaneous directives already in effect and that the government is still examining the way in which the undocumented migrants will be evacuated from detention centres.
An official inquiry would be launched into the issue. And it has been made clear that high resignations ranking officials of the Ministry for Citizens' Protection and Public Order will be required.
SYRIZA MP Tassos Kourakis stated that “Detention centres such as the one in Amygdaleza should be shut down. We cannot imprison immigrants indefinitely”.
The recent instances of football-related violence have prompted a series of debates within the government in an effort to take the necessary measures to eradicate violence and corruption from the sport. Deputy Minister of SportStavros Kontonis is expected to meet with UEFA PresidentMichel Platiniand FIFA representatives on Monday to discuss matters related to Greekfootball.
Deputy Minister of Finance Nadia Valavani announced an amendment providing for the repayment of old tax debts which will be included in the Government’s draft Humanitarian Aid draft bill that was tabled in the parliament on Tuesday. The amendment provides for the complete elimination of surcharges once the original debt has been fully repaid. This amendment is not connected to the bill concerning the repayment of tax debts in 100 instalments, to be tabled over this weekend .
The 40-year old paedophile who was arrested yesterday in Peristeri was brought to the interrogators office accused for the offenses of rape, seduction of a minor, attempted seduction of a minor and attempted minor attraction. The total number of his victims is yet unknown. In the meantime, authorities are concerned, since the same man had recently been captured for another assault and subsequently set free. An official disciplinary inquiry will be held into the causes of the actions that should have been taken in order to have the perpetrator arrested earlier.
Employees sacked from Metropolis record stores three years ago are gathering at 7.30 p.m. outside the ENASTRON Concert Hall where at the Greek Eurovision finals are being held, in order to protest against businessman Andreas Kouris . The sacked workers have yet to be disbursed the salaries and compensation packages as required by the law. It is estimated that Mr Kouris owes a total 600,000 euros to the workers as well as a large amount of unpaid taxes to the state. They complain that Andreas Kouris who owns the MAD group was handed through obscure arrangements the screening the popular Eurovision finals by NERIT, at the same time that he owes the state and his own former employees millions of euros.
INTERNATIONAL
Omar Trevino Morales, leader of the Zetas drugs cartel in Mexico, was captured by security forces. His brother, Miguel who was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday in the city of Monterrey in the northern state of Nuevo Leon.
Servando Gomez, leader of the Knights Templar drug cartel in Michoacan state, was also captured recently.
WEATHER
The weather is expected to gradually deteriorate tomorrow, with local rains and storms in northwestern Greece. Southern winds growing stronger up to 6 or 7 beauforts first in the Ionian sea, later on in the Aegean. Limited visibility locally in the morning. Clouds transferring dust mostly in southern Greece. In Attica temperatures will range from 8 to 16 degrees Celsius, in Thessalonica from 7 to 14 degrees.
