USD
JPY
CHF
GBP
ECONOMY
-The wealth gap between the poor and wealthy Greeks widens, an analysis, entitled “Progressivity in Income Taxation in Greece, 2012-2021″ released by the Athens-based Foundation for Economic & Industrial Research (IOBE) showed.
-Greek exports recorded a drop of 9% (in deflated terms) in the quarter November 2023-January 2024 on an annual basis, according to the analysis “Business Trends: Exports (1st quarter 2024)” of the Directorate of Economic Analysis of the National Bank. Almost half of the decline is a result of losses in olive oil and cotton exports.
-Τhe Superfund is proceeding rapidly with the next strategic steps for its transformation into a National Investment Fund, Naftemporiki reported.
POLITICS
Thirty-one Greek political parties will participate in European Parliament elections on June 9, according to the decision of the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Fifteen parties were rejected by the Supreme Court.
TOURISM
The Athens International Airport won top prize at the 2024 “Routes Europe Awards” organized by Aarhus Airport and VisitAarhus and hosted in Aarhus, Denmark. In 2023 a total of 28.17 million passengers were transported through the Athens airport, up 24%.
CULTURE
Italian papyrologist Graziano Ranocchia of the University of Pisa believes he has identified the location of Plato’s burial place in Athens by analyzing papyri from Herculaneum. According to the researcher, Plato is buried in a in a private area in a garden in the Academy, near a sacred shrine to the Muses.
GENERAL
-The extended opening hours of stores for the Greek Orthodox Easter period will start on Thursday (April 25). The hours proposed by Trade Associations are from 9 am to 9 pm and until 5 pm on Saturday, while for Sunday (April 28) small shops will operate from 11 am until 4 in the afternoon. All stores will remain closed on Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and on Tuesday due to the transfer of Labor Day from May 1 to 7.
-Starting on Wednesday (April 24) a pilot project, a Tap & Pay system, for contactless payments via bank cards and digital wallets has been launched on Express bus lines of the Athens International Airport. Equipment installed on selected buses “reads” the card or digital wallet and charges the value of the trip to the passenger’s account.
