China's Cosco in deal to operate Greece's Piraeus portAthens, 8 April 2016 (MIA) - Greece signed an agreement Friday to sell a 67 percent stake in operating its biggest port to China's Cosco group, a significant step in the debt-crippled country's ambitious privatization drive, AP reports.
Dockworkers protesting in central Athens against the sale, which Greece's left-led government had initially opposed, clashed with riot police who responded with tear gas. No arrests or injuries were reported.
Cosco, owned by the Chinese government, was the sole bidder for the stake in Piraeus Port Authority, a listed company that has a concession to operate the port until 2052.
Greece will retain a 7 percent stake in PPA and private investors will hold the remainder. Cosco's 368.5 million euro ($420 million) offer was approved in January. The deal still needs to be approved by Greece's competition commission and Parliament.
Cosco already has a major presence in Greece following a 2008 concession agreement to manage container terminals at Piraeus.
Piraeus, the port of Athens, is the main gateway to the Greek islands and in 2014 handled 16.8 million passengers.
The Greek government is trying to establish closer ties with China. On Friday, it said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who attended the PPA signing ceremony, has accepted an invitation to visit China in June. lk/19:54
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Building collapses in tourist heart of Istanbul
Istanbul, 9 April 2016 (MIA) - A five-storey building collapsed spectacularly in a matter of moments in the heart of Istanbul Friday, sending passers-by fleeing in terror, local media reported.
A video of the incident showed people standing by, phones at the ready as the building near Taksim square -- a popular hub for tourists and shoppers -- began to rumble, AFP reports.
A white truck is seen frantically backing away, appearing to escape just in time as the building crumbles to the ground in one fell swoop, slamming into buildings across the road and scattering the curious bystanders.
The Dogan news agency said the building was empty, and that no-one was believed to be trapped by the debris, however disaster teams were despatched to the site as a precaution.
A similar incident occurred in February when a five-storey building collapsed near Istiklal Caddesi, a shopping street in the heart of Turkey's biggest city.
Residents of the city remain on edge after a suicide bomber killed four people and injured dozens in an attack on Istiklal avenue on March 19.
In 1999 a massive earthquake in the north-western Izmit region which left more than 17,000 dead exposed numerous weaknesses in building construction in the country, such as the use of low-quality cement and the lack of quality control. lk/21:11
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Detention set in Croatia for 13 suspected of laundering EUR 84m through fictitious gold sales
Zagreb, 9 April 2016 (MIA) - The masterminds of a group which according to the USKOK anti-corruption office laundered over HRK 630 million through fictitious gold sales are father and son Ante and Luka Gale whom, alongside another 11, the Zagreb County Court placed in one month's detention on Friday night, Hina news agency reports.
Among them are the fugitives Antonijo and Pejo Ivic, whose names became public after this week's theft of two kilos of gold and EUR 280,000 from the headquarters of Zagreb's criminal police.
Detention was set to prevent them from tampering with witnesses and repeating the crime.
According to a press release on its website on Friday, USKOK claims that the two prime suspects conspired to make illegal gains appear legal and that for that purpose they committed a series of crimes since May 2014 in Croatia and Italy.
USKOK launched an investigation into 15 suspects on Friday, not requesting detention for two.
According to media reports, the clamp-down on this criminal ring intensified after the heist at Zagreb's criminal police headquarters, when the gold and the money were stolen from a safe in the office of a senior police official in the night between April 3 and 4. The heist prompted the resignations of several senior police officials.
Of those 15 suspects, 13 were arrested on Thursday, while the media reported that the two prime suspects were out of the country. After hearing that they were wanted by the Croatian police, they have allegedly said that they will come back to Croatia.
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