While Credit Agricole is playing with the nerves of the three major Greek banks in connection with the sale of Emporiki Bank, Societe Generale is about to reach an agreement with the fourth largest bank for the sale of Geniki.
Fires in Greece continue, the largest outbreaks being on the islands of Rhodes, Hydra, Zakynthos, and Crete near Chania. A fire in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has crossed the border and spread to Florina.
The ultimate goal of the measure is to minimize the informal economy. Its turnover in Greece is around 20 billion euro and annually deprives the treasury from five to eight billion euro in uncollected taxes.
31 August this year is the date of the phenomenon known as Blue Moon - two full moons in a calendar month, which is coming to inspire a series of music, theatre and other forms of art in Greece.
The arrested has admitted that he caused fourteen fires - eleven of them this year and another three in 2011. The reason for his actions was that the fire department did not admit him in its ranks.