Greece Details Plans for Privatization of DEH

Greece released plans to restructure state-controlled Public Power Corp SA (PPC or DEH), the country’s largest electricity producer, before a sale of a 17 percent stake, to meet conditions for international aid. “This is a very important chapter in the liberalization of the energy market so that we increase its competitiveness and efficiency,” government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou said in comments broadcast live on state-run NET TV.

Αccording to Bloomberg, the three-step plan will begin with the sale this year to a strategic investor of a stake of as much as 49 percent in Admie, Greece’s power transmission operator owned by PPC, according to Kedikoglou.

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s government has pledged to speed up state asset sales, a key plank in cutting the country’s debt, which sparked the euro area debt crisis in 2009 and prompted pledges of 240 billion euros ($309 billion) in aid from the euro area and the International Monetary Fund. To keep funds flowing, the government needs to meet commitments ranging from selling state assets to opening up closed professions.

Greece will also carve out a “competitive and viable” power company from PPC that will have around 30 percent of its current total production capacity, Kedikoglou said. The exact amount will be decided with the European Commission by the end of June. The final stage involves the sale of a 17 percent stake in PPC to a strategic investor by the first quarter of 2016 at the latest which will leave the state with a 34 percent holding, the Athens-based Energy Ministry said in an e-mailed statement.

Shares of Public Power rose as much as 6.9 percent to 8.39 euros and were rising 39 cents to 8.24 euros at 13.29 p.m. in Athens, heading for the highest close in almost three months.

“It’s positive that the government has committed to a timetable, which although extends to 2015, should help the stock crystalize value,” said George Doukas, an analyst at Piraeus Securities SA in Athens. The question that remains is whether PPC will get any cash for the spinoffs and whether the valuation will be fair, he said.

The investor in Admie will have a contractual obligation to increase the stake in 2014 to at least 51 percent while the Greek state will maintain a minority holding, Kedikoglou said. This additional state sale is scheduled to be completed by the end of the second quarter next year, he said. While independent in terms of management and operation, Admie is a wholly-owned unit of PPC.

The plan contains provisions for the new power company to withdraw from a number of lignite coal, natural gas and hydro-powered production units currently operated by PPC while the new entity will have access to PPC’s lignite reserves and mines, the Energy Ministry said. This second stage of the plan is due to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2015, according to the statement.

capital

SHOCK - Hotel Employee Stabs 11 year-old 20 Times For Laptop & Phone

A Dutch national, 20, and a hotel animator on Crete, confessed to brutally attacking a Russian boy, 11, and stabbing him up to 20 times to conceal the theft of the youngster's laptop and mobile phone, and leaving him in a pool of blood. The incident occurred last Thursday night local time.

The boy's parents began looking for him when he didn't return to their hotel and alerted local police. Subsequently, the child was found unconscious in as pool of blood in the hotel parking lot, the victim of repeated stabbings to his back, chest and hands.

First responders promptly flew the youngster to an Athens hospital where physicians said there was no internal bleeding or life-threatening damage to internal organs, although a computerized tomography scan will be conducted to confirm this.

COMMENT: Police also found the missing cell phone and laptop in possession of the suspected Dutch national, who later confessed to having attacked the child with a knife, washed the blood from it and concealed the knife in a fire hose before returning to the hotel.

Clearly, the hotel that had employed the assailant should pay for all of the victim's medical expenses, as they obviously did no background check on an assailant who was perfectly prepared to murder a young boy for a laptop and a phone.

One can only hope that the Russian Embassy in Athens puts considerable political pressure on both the hotel and the Greek government to do "the right thing."  

Reportedly, Russian diplomats are examining the options of medically evacuating the victim and his parents back home.

This report will be updated as new information becomes available. 

Sadly, this is also a reminder to all parents that when traveling abroad they must carefully look after the security and welfare of their children, from a multitude of physical threats, as this is obviously a world where youngsters no longer can play without being harmed.

stayingsafeabroad

Flights to Cyprus To Be Affected Thursday by strike in Greece

Eight flights to and from Cyprus' airports are expected to be affected by a strike announced by Greek air traffic controllers on Thursday. The strike, according to a CNA dispatch, which are set to begin at 12 noon (0900 GMT) and last until 4 pm, are expected to affect an estimated 1,200 passengers, from various airliners. According to Cyprus airports Spokesman Adamos Aspris, the strike will affect four arrivals and four departures, between Larnaca and Paphos on the one hand and Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras on the other.

Conspiracy or Truth - Russia Captures CIA Agent Plotting To Kill Obama (VIDEO)

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The Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on Wednesday tht it has captured and arrested an as yet unidentified agent of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) [photos 1-4 left] (since identified as Ryan Fogle, a third secretary at the US Embassy in Moscow) for his clandestine efforts to secure Russian intelligence assets in a plot that could very well be a plan to assassinate President Barack Obama.

Though not confirmed in this report, the Jerusalem Post News Service is reporting that this CIA agent was, also, an employee at the US Embassy in Moscow, which, however, the Americans refused to either confirm or deny.

According to this FSB report, Russian counter intelligence agents began tracking this CIA agent when he first appeared in Moscow in mid April 2011, and even more extensively after he traveled to Benghazi Libya the day following the 11 September 2012 attack on the American consulate which killed the American Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and 3 members of his security detail.

From Libya, this report continues, this CIA agent next appeared in Jordon in late September, 2012, where he was a part of the American intelligence team tasked with supplying Syrian rebels with weapons under a “Secret Order” signed by Obama earlier in the year.

FSB intelligence analysts contributing to this report state that this CIA agents “mission,” both in Libya and Jordon, was to “find and utilize” various arms depots to be used by the al-Qaeda rebel factions seeking to overthrow the Syrian government.

In early January, 2013, this report says, this CIA agent traveled from Jordon to Kazakhstan where he met with two Ukrainian arms dealers, both of whom were subsequently detained by Russian foreign military intelligence main directorate (GRU) assets and “questioned extensively.”

From the information gained by the GRU from these Ukrainian arms dealers, this report continues, “grave concerns” were noted about this CIA agents true motivations as he was seeking to acquire nuclear, chemical and biological offensive weapons manufactured by the former Soviet Union.

As these “grave concerns” mounted over what exactly this CIA agent was doing, this FSB report says, a counterintelligence operation involving both the FSB and GRU was undertaken in both the Middle East and Russia.

Posing as members of the Bratva (brotherhood) faction of the Russian mafia, this FSB report says, GRU counterintelligence agents first contacted this CIA agent in Jordan during the latter part of April, 2013, whereupon he was lured back to Moscow with the “promise” that the weapons he sought could be obtained.

Over the past fortnight, this report says, both FSB and GRU counterintelligence agents acquired a substantial amount of information as to what the true goal of this CIA agents mission actually was, and which, the FSB says, was a claim by this CIA agent that part of the weapons being sought were meant to “neutralize Obama.”

As to exactly what this CIA agent meant by “neutralizing” Obama, this report says, could very well mean a false-flag type attack by Syrian rebels using Soviet nuclear, chemical and/or biological weapons to be blamed on the Assad regime forcing Obama to use American forces in this civil war, or, could also mean a plot is in place to assassinate the American President.

Not knowing what the true intentions of this CIA agent were, or those backing him, this FSB report says, a meeting between him and the GRU counterintelligence agents posing as Bratva members was arranged to take place in Moscow’s Izmailovsky Park last evening where an “exchange” of a “bio-warfare agent” for about $1 million US Dollars had been arranged.

Upon the CIA agent exchanging the $1 million in cash (carried in a green military-type knapsack) for the alleged bio-warfare agent, this report concludes, he was “swiftly apprehended” by FSB and GRU agents [photo top left] and then brought before a Constitutional Court in Moscow where charges of espionage were read against him [photo bottom left] with further charges to be added at a latter date.

Though not mentioned in this report, it is important to note that past captures of US spies for committing crimes in Russia are nearly always handled by the Foreign Ministry which seeks to exchange top level CIA agents for Russian ones currently in American custody. [Subsequent reports state that this CIA agent has been returned to American custody.]

By Sorcha Faal
WhatDoesItMean.Com

Stournaras: Atmosphere for Greece at Eurogroup "Better Than Ever"

"Greece's economy is entering a new phase," Finance minister Yannis Stournaras said earlier this week while commenting on the initial approval by Eurogroup of a dual tranche of financial aid to Greece, totaling 7.5 billion euros, for the months of May and June. He noted that the first tranche of May, of 4.2 billion euros will be disbursed within the next few days, while the next tranche of June, of 3.3 billion euros, was expected to be released in June, provided that Greece fulfilled certain prerequisites associated with the liberalization of the energy market, the implementation of legislation on corruption and the bill for indebted households.

Commenting on Eurogroup's decision, Stournaras pointed out that "it is clearly a confirmation that Greece is doing well", but he did add that this did not mean that "we should rest assured."

He said that the atmosphere at the Eurogroup meeting was "dithyrambic" for Greece and "better than ever."

Asked about a European Commission report released earlier on Monday, according to which additional fiscal measures accounting for 1.8% of GDP in 2015 and 2.2% of GDP in 2016 may be necessary, Stournaras stressed that such measures will not be lowering wages and pensions, but instead the entire effort will focus on cracking down on tax evasion.

He noted however that such measures will depend on the rate of economic growth, which he said was not predictable.

Similarly, EU Commissioner for economic affairs Olli Rehn said developments will depend on Greece's rate of growth in 2015 and 2016 and that any predictions at this time for additional measures was premature. (AMNA)

GOOD - Council of State Declines Temp. Block of "Back-To-Work" Request By Teachers!

The high school teachers' main union (OLME) filed for an annulment of government's order for secondary education teachers' civil mobilisation with the Council of State, (Greece's supreme administrative court), but much to its surprise the it was totally declined!

The filing came on the same day civil mobilisation papers began being handed out to teachers. The mobilisation goes into effect on Wednesday, before the national examinations for university entrance start for high school students on Friday, and have been handed out by the government after teachers threatened to strike over unmet demands.

On its part the Council of State, declined OLME's request to temporarily suspend the civil mobilisation order.

OLME's main case against the government's order is due to be discussed by the Council of State plenum on June 7. The union federation's main argument is that the civil mobilisation of teachers is unconstitutional, a violation of the freedom for trade union action and rights and violates the European Convention of Human Rights and the European Social Charter, as well as international labour laws on requisitioning personal services in times of peace, since there is no 'emergency' as required by legislation for civil mobilisation.

Samaras: Everyone must help prevent, fight summer forest fires

Before leaving for an official trip to China, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras called on all citizens to help fight summer fires, adding that he is going to be "very strict" if he finds lapses in government, both central and local, in dealing with the problem. Following a government-wide meeting earlier in the day - the third since January - on Greece's summer blight, the premier said, "We are facing a difficult and hot summer ahead, but it also happens to be a very fruitful tourist season. We are expecting more than 17 million tourists, from all countries, who have selected Greece as their destination."

Their choice to vacation in Greece, a result of hard preparations and a vote of confidence in Greece is also "a great relief to our economy," and said that "The state has prepared ahead of time to deal with possible fires in Greece that for years have been destroying our natural wealth and undermine our economy."

Samaras said:

     "I will personally be very strict, if I discover any weakness or inactivity by central and local authorities in preventing and dealing with fires."

Appealing to Greeks, he noted:

     "I ask of citizens and every one individually to help in protecting our natural wealth and protect our common home. In a few days, the Civil Protection Secretariat will initiate a campaign for citizens on how they can contribute fundamentally in the prevention and fighting of fires. The state has an obligation and will carry out its duty, and I am sure that the same will happen with every one of you."

Public Order and Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Dendias warned that this summer season was expected to be especially difficult in terms of fire (because of expected high temperatures) and said his ministry will be coordinating all related fire-fighting forces, by order of the premier.

     "We want a calm summer, and the armed forces will always be at the ready," he added. (AMNA)