OTE

Greece's biggest telecoms operator OTE posted a 9.4 percent rise in fourth-quarter core profit on Wednesday thanks to growing business at its home market.

Greek stocks suffered a significant drop on Friday, wiping out almost all the gains registered by the bourse benchmark over the course of the week. The decline was led by the banks index, which posted a 4.42 percent weekly loss.

Members of the anarchist group Rouvikonas on Saturday morning scattered flyers outside the home of the Australian Ambassador to Greece Arthur Spyrou in a bid to protest the Australian authorities' handling of fatal wildfires that have been ravaging the country in recent weeks.
The incident did not result in any vandalism as is frequently the case with stunts by the group.

Members of anarchist group Rouvikonas sprayed slogans on the wall of the house of the chairman and chief executive officer of Greek telecoms operator OTE Michael Tsamaz in the northern suburb of Melissia, late Wednesday night.

On the first day of the year, the European emergency number 112 became fully operational in Greece, the General Secretariat for Civil Protection, which will be responsible for the service, has said.

The last bourse session before Christmas at Athinon Avenue brought most listed companies a welcome festive gift, as sellers stood out for their absence, leaving buyers to have a field day on reduced turnover.

The clash between the management of telecommunications giant OTE and its employees has reached boiling point: After the company decided not to refill eight security positions following dismissals, the workers' union called a strike for all working days from December 21 to January 12.

Fourteen years after a judicial inquiry was first launched, the trial into the 1997 Siemens bribery scandal concluded on Tuesday with an Athens court finding 22 of the original 64 defendants guilty of a range of crimes, including money laundering. The sentences are expected to be announced on Friday.

Bank stocks staged a full recovery on Thursday to take the benchmark higher for the first time this month, in line with the rise recorded in international markets. The credit sector closed near the day's high, although turnover was lower than in previous days.

Greece's biggest telecoms operator OTE posted a 3.8 percent rise in third-quarter core profit on Thursday thanks to growing business in its home market.