Piraeus

 Gov't confident enough to return to money markets, where interest is strong Piraeus Bank saw its bonds of 500 million euros snapped up, with the issue oversubscribed six times and the interest at just over 5 percent.

By Sotiris Nikas & Yiannis Papadoyiannis

 Banks encouraged by international interest in plans to cover capital requirements; National set to follow

By Yiannis Papadoyiannis

The Piraeus Group will likely launch its 500-million-euro bond issue on Monday, while bank officials who have been busy promoting the issue at events in London and New York are reporting major investor interest.

Piraeus Bank’s planned bond issue will be the first public debt sale from a Greek lender since 2009 when the first cracks started to appear in the nation’s finances, according to UBS AG.

The Greek port of Piraeus could become one of Europe’s top five container-shipping hubs as the government spurs logistics activities in a bid to kick-start economic growth, said Development Minister Kostis Hatzidakis.

A 47-year-old Georgian national sustained injuries after being shot by unknown assailants late on Monday in the district of Nikaia in Piraeus.

The victim was transferred to a local hospital, while a police investigation was underway to determine the motive behind the attack.

Giorgos Spanos, the president of the ETEKA fuel company and the Atromitos soccer club, was jailed pending trial on Monday along with another four suspected members of a huge fuel smuggling racket.

Police on Monday arrested three men for trying to throw a parcel into the yard of the capital’s Korydallos Prison.

The parcel, which was flung from the roof of a nearby apartment building, contained contraband, including 119 grams of cannabis, 54 grams of heroin, three cell phones, a SIM card and two USB cables.

Inmates held in Greece's only prison hospital are refusing food and medication as part of a protest campaign against what they see as dire conditions in the institution.