Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 08-02-05

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PM briefed by transport minister on OA

[02] President Papoulias attends Greek Jewish Martyrs Memory event

[03] Papoulias, PM meet European Jewish Congress delegation

[04] Valinakis at regional witness protection conference

[05] Government comments on weekend violence in Athens

[06] PASOK spokesman Ragoussis on developments in country

[07] Government spokesman responds to Ragoussis statements

[08] PASOK seeks Parliamentary probe into phone-tapping scandal

[09] PASOK leader Papandreou to visit Chios island

[10] KKE leader Papariga speaks on environment, political developments

[11] Kouvelis: Political handling of corruption

[12] MPs to discuss Siemens probe next Tuesday

[13] Nikoloutsopoulos asks magistrate to call new witness in Zachopoulos case

[14] Bank of Greece raises penalty ceilings

[15] European Territorial Cooperation programmes budget amounting to 8.7 billion euros

[16] Employment Minister meets ESHEA board

[17] IKA board holds meeting with GSEE presidium

[18] Merchant Marine Minister Voulgarakis visiting New York

[19] Thessaloniki Small Industries Chamber to participate in 21 exhibitions

[20] Committee convenes on 'Burgas-Alexandroupolis Oil Pipeline' project

[21] Intrasoft Int'l signs supply contract with European Commission

[22] Millennium Bank reports 46.5 pct rise in after tax profits in 2007

[23] National Youth Council hosts event in Money Show

[24] EFG Eurobank top securities firm in ASE in January

[25] Greek stocks end 1.22 pct higher

[26] ADEX closing report

[27] Greek bond market closing report

[28] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

[29] 'Digital Greece' programmes for students, pupils

[30] One in three Greeks have access to Internet, survey

[31] Worker killed in labor accident at PPC plant in Megalopolis

[32] Armed robbers target Best Oil truck, take 255,000 euros

[33] Two arrests for illicit trade in antiquities

[34] Police in southern Greece arrest two on drug charges

[35] Macedonia-Thrace minister inaugurates exhibition of art by Black Sea Greeks

[36] Earth tremor near Patra

[37] Tourism minister at draw for Euroleague Top 16

[38] Cloudy, scattered showers on Tuesday

[39] President: new Cyprus must be an evolution of the Republic Politics

[01] PM briefed by transport minister on OA

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Hatzidakis said that the establishment of a coordinating inter-ministerial committee, chaired by himself, and the hiring of a privatization advisor for OA, would be announced within the week.

The target, he said, was to find a viable solution by the end of the year, adding that "we all want the circles (the OA emblem representing the continents of the world) and the name (Olympic), but we don't want the debts".

He said he further briefed the prime minister on the planned expansions in the public transport routes in the major cities, and chiefly Athens.

Hatzigakis said that the tram's extension to Piraeus would be completed by 2010, while the expansion of the suburban railway (proastiakos) to Keratea and Lavrio would be completed by 2012, and the ISAP train's expansion from the Kifissia terminal to the National Highway would be completed by 2014.

Regarding the pilot extension of the Athens Metro's running hours to 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, Hatzidakis said that the government insisted on a two-month trial period. He noted that the government had held dialogue with the relevant unions, adding that the measure had been applied with success during the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, "and there's no reason why it shouldn't be applied again".

The minister called on the unions to participate in the committee that will appraise the pilot application of the extended hours, warning that it would be a mistake for them to isolate themselves from the social whole.

In every democratic country, it is the government that decides, Hatzigakis continued, referring to the expanded Metro hours.

The minister said that he further briefed Karamanlis on the so-called "green transports" (introduction of bio-fuels, hybrid taxis, etc.).

On the prospect of offering incentives for the withdrawal of old-technology cars from circulation, Hatzigakis said that the issue was currently under discussion and examination, and also concerned the environment and finance ministries, but added that there was no such prospect for the next few months.

[02] President Papoulias attends Greek Jewish Martyrs Memory event

The event was organised by the Athens Prefecture, the Central Israelite Council of Greece and the Israelite communities of Athens and Thessaloniki.

Greek Jewry paid tribute to the memory of the six million Jews of Europe, including 67,000 Greek Jews, meaning 86 percent of the total Jewish population of Greece, who lost their lives in Nazi concentration camps. People contributing to the rescuing of Jews were also honoured.

Also honoured during the event, through their representatives, were the consuls of Spain and Italy at the time, who saved Jews in Thessaloniki and Athens.

Representing the Greek government, Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis referred to all that the Jews had suffered as a result of the racial and nationalist insensitivity of the '40s.

She also stressed the need for a struggle to achieve open societies, prospering societies and societies of equality, justice and brotherhood.

[03] Papoulias, PM meet European Jewish Congress delegation

Greeting the delegation, Papoulias expressed his pleasure at the meeting and harked back to the thriving Jewish community in his native city of Ioannina that was almost entirely wiped out in the Nazi concentration camps of WWII, underlining the personal loss that this entailed.

"You understand that my childhood years I spent with classmates and friends, girls and boys, from the Jewish community and that cannot be forgotten," he stressed.

The Greek president also expressed fervent support for the peace process in the Middle East, and hope that it would "finally reach a happy conclusion." At the same time, he said that this would require a "certain bravery and a great compromise, a historic compromise; Both the state of Israel must exist in safe borders and a Palestinian state, which has much to gain from its cooperation with the state of Israel."

According to an announcement regarding the EJC visit, it aims to persuade Greece's leadership to introduce stiffer penalties for hate crimes and to voice concern over the rise of the right-wing, nationalist Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.OS) that has now entered the Greek Parliament. The delegation will also call for the country to become more involved in promoting education about the Holocaust and to "stem the growing tide of anti-Semitism and xenophobia".

[04] Valinakis at regional witness protection conference

"Today we are facing a new reality that forces us to re-examine our policies. Organized crime is a danger to the world community and a threat to social stability, while it threatens our system of values," Valinakis stressed.

Referring to the further consequences of organized crime, Valinakis pointed to serious political repercussions that demanded recognizing and dealing with the factors at the heart of the problem.

"Inequality between states, underdevelopment and the weakness of states are the basic problems. Only if we are open, active and united can we deal effectively with a threat that affects us all," the deputy minister said, stressing the need to accelerate the response to the problems.

"Cooperation at a slow rate and fruitless theories divert us from our target. On the contrary, in order for words to become actions there must be substantive and constructive dialogue to boost cross-border cooperation, to finalize and at last implement the legal framework in order to deal with organized crime at its roots," he said.

He underlined the need to implement Witness Protection Programs as a auxiliary tool for justice.

Referring to the spread of organized crime in southeastern Europe and the Caucasus, he called for political reforms leading to greater democracy and development and stated that "the European continent as a whole must be converted to a safe political and economic reference point for the rest of the world".

[05] Government comments on weekend violence in Athens

"The only thing that the government has to say is that there never was nor will be cooperation of this kind," Roussopoulos stressed.

He also underlined that the government's full confidence in the chief of the Greek Police Anastasios Dimoschakis.

Roussopoulos said he had contacted the leadership of the interior ministry, which is now in charge of keeping law and order, and was informed that successive platoons of riot police had inserted themselves between 'Golden Dawn' supporters and leftist anti-establishment groups in order to prevent them coming into contact and fighting.

"The work of the police was fully occupied with this effort, nothing more," he stressed, adding that some 100 or 101 people were detained, the evidence against them collected and then set free.

According to the spokesman, the fact that these individuals had been identified was important in itself and, asked whether the government was satisfied with the efficiency of the police, he replied that the "enemy of what's good is that which is better".

He denied that the police had been aware that the rallies programmed by the groups from rival political areas on Saturday had been known to the police in advance, claiming that there had been five rallies in total and that the police had only been alerted about the one at the biotechnology conference at Zappion.

"Even so, the police had taken measures and deployed a strong force," he added. At the same time, he admitted that the government was not satisfied with the scenes that had been played out in the city centre on Saturday, which led to the injury of at least three people.

"No Greek citizen can feel satisfied when a few people shut down the centre, smash or attempt to destroy property and placed the lives of citizens at risk," he said.

[06] PASOK spokesman Ragoussis on developments in country

Ragoussis added that every day that passes one is experiencing a situation in Greece that "resembles the theatre of the absurd" and referred to Pieria Deputy Costas Koukodimos declaring himself an independent who, as he said, "made this move since he had involved himself in an illegal transaction effort."

Also referring to the Siemens issue, Ragoussis said that there is no excuse that the government can invoke not to accept the creation of a factfinding committee that PASOK has requested.

Ragoussis further mentioned the election of a new Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, due to take place on Thursday, calling on the government "to stop its daily interventions and to respect the autonomy of the Church."

In another development, PASOK's justice and public administration rapporteur Dinos Rovlias, referring to the disturbances that occurred in downtown Athens last Saturday, said that "the responsibilities for the duration and the way with which Saturday's disturbances developed lie with the Interior ministry and the leadership of the Police. They could, but they did not wish to prevent the incidents."

[07] Government spokesman responds to Ragoussis statements

"Let Mr. Ragoussis stop admonitions to the government and mind his own affairs. And particularly when, upon hearing of the Siemens issue alone, two former members of PASOK governments have already begun to accuse each other," Roussopoulos said.

[08] PASOK seeks Parliamentary probe into phone-tapping scandal

In the proposal, the main opposition party referred to "grave and major political responsibilities within the government, that evidently reach up to the prime minister".

It further claimed that the judicial investigation into the phone-tapping affair was finally shelved because of "government choices and practices".

[09] PASOK leader Papandreou to visit Chios island

At 7 in the evening, Papandreou will address the pre-congress procedure of the party's prefectural congress organizing committee at the Omirio Cultural Centre.

Speaking at PASOK's meeting of the coordinating political body on Monday, Papandreou said that the country "cannot proceed with a prime minister held hostage and it is necessary that it be rid both of the policies of the (Prime Minister Costas) Karamanlis government and of the Karamanlis government itself."

The PASOK leader further said that all of the party's cadres, members and friends must respond to this struggle, as well as the Greek people themselves, while the rest of the political forces must state their case and assume their responsibilities.

Lastly, Papandreou stressed that PASOK's positions and proposals for the country to come out of the crisis are known and are included both in the memorandum submitted by himself to the President of the Republic on a crackdown on corruption and in the proposal that he tabled in Parliament on a change in the political system that concerns, among other things, the changing of the electoral law and the revision of the constitution.

[10] KKE leader Papariga speaks on environment, political developments

She called on the citizens of Elefsina's Thriasio industrial district "not to show any confidence in the government and the entrepreneurs who claim that there is no danger of an industrial accident."

Papariga added, "maybe theoretically the possibility is small, but the consequences will be tragic, for example, if a military plane falls or some earthquake happens or a toxic leak occurs."

She said that the KKE is struggling unyielding for "a barrier to be placed in the new environmental burdening of Thriasio, which the government plans with the extension of 'Petrola', the agreement between the Public Power Corporation (PPC) and the landfill of dangerous industrial waste at Meletaki."

On political developments, she said "there is plenty of philology regarding the reduction of the prestige and strength of bipartisanship, of a great change for the people, or that the time has come for the Left or centre-right."

Papariga said that the KKE's position is that "the time has come for every party, all the parties, to speak openly and clearly to the people, what a new government's program will be, a government of change, as each person means it. Let the (ruling) New Democracy (ND) party to fall once and twice, but this is not enough, because the issue is for its policy not to return by the window."

[11] Kouvelis: Political handling of corruption

Kouvelis said that corruption undermined politics and rendered it vulnerable to manipulation "guardianship", while it also harms the cohesion of society, which is also burdened by the problems accumulated from the government's neo-liberal policy.

Corruption, he continued, has become a structural element of the political system, and therefore its confrontation must be primarily political.

He said that the Siemens scandal has been added to the Zachopoulos affair, calling for political confrontation of both the issues, adding that political confrontation could not be substituted by judicial confrontation "which the government invokes in order to justify its refusal to accept the establishment of a fact-finding commission or parliamentary investigation by parliament's institutions and transparency committee".

Turning to his candidacy for the SYN leadership and the policy that needed to be followed by the party, Kouvelis said that SYN needed to proceed immediately to policy renewal. A modern radical and renovative Left must be a protagonist, through a strengthening of its presence, in the formulation of a new social and political majority, he said.

It did not suffice for SYN to criticize the New Democracy and PASOK governments. Rather, SYN must propose central policy priorities for the country, he said.

It was of central importance that SYN take advantage of its rising popularity, as manifested in the last general elections and was continuing, Kouvelis said, adding that the citizens demanded a reply to the country's political problem, and the answer was a progressive alternative solution removed from the bipartisanism and neo-liberalism.

[12] MPs to discuss Siemens probe next Tuesday

PASOK wants the Parliamentary investigating committee to look into whether "specific government officials and state officials were possibly involved in Siemens' activities in ways that were detrimental to the public interest".

Commenting on the government's refusal to agree to PASOK's request, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos referred to an announcement issued on January 30 that cited the government's policy of not initiating Parliamentary investigations running parallel to inquiries by justice.

He also noted that when politicians holding office were implicated in such cases, public prosecutors were obliged to cut short their investigation and send the case to Parliament for consideration, at which point the judicial inquiry was suspended.

[13] Nikoloutsopoulos asks magistrate to call new witness in Zachopoulos case

Asked why Nikoloutsopoulos' considered her testimony important, Tzifras said that she could "shed light on certain aspects of the case, particularly the relations between 35-year-old [Evi Tsekou], Nikoloutsopoulos, MEGA [TV channel] and 'Proto Thema' [newspaper]".

According to Tzifras, meanwhile, Nikoloutsopoulos also denied ever asking, negotiating for or receiving either money or anything else from former culture ministry secretary general Christos Zachopoulos on either his own account or on behalf of Tsekou.

"Regarding the issue of personal data, Mr. Nikoloutsopoulos never took the 35-year-old to MEGA, never asked and at no time agreed to the public display of the visual material from the private life of Mr. Zachopoulos. This also applies to their visit to 'Proto Thema'. No one can convince us that Mr. Nikoloutsopoulos attempted to make public via Mega or via [journalist Olga Tremi] the personal data of Mr. Zachopoulos," he added.

The magistrate is currently conducting an inquiry into the alleged blackmail of Zachopoulos by Tsekou, with whom he was having an affair, and the visits paid by Tsekou to a nationwide private television channel and a newspaper with one of the highest circulations armed with a DVD of some of her private moments with the ministry general secretary. She was accompanied on these visits by Nikoloutsopoulos, a well known lawyer specializing in labor law.

Financial News

[14] Bank of Greece raises penalty ceilings

The central bank said penalties could be imposed in combination with administrative sanctions, according to the Greek legislation. The Bank of Greece said the decision to raise penalty ceilings was aiming to harmonize penalties in view of the growth of banking figures and transactions.

[15] European Territorial Cooperation programmes budget amounting to 8.7 billion euros

The European Commission is expected to approve in March the program texts that have been submitted, while in April the Monitoring Committees for the Projects will be created, Papathanasiou said.

The deputy minister added that the appointment of a new general director at the managing authority of the Special Interreg Service, headquartered in Thessaloniki, is a matter of days.

As regards the new period lasting until 2013, Greece is participating in a total of six Cross-border Cooperation programmes, budgeted at over 320 million euros and holds the managing authority.

[16] Employment Minister meets ESHEA board

The minister reiterated the government's intention for a "substantial reform aiming at a just system which would lift the structural inadequacies of the existing system."

"We are entering the final stage, since the basic principles of the reform will be outlined by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis during the off-the-agenda parliamentary debate on February 15," Palli-Petralia added.

She also promised to take into serious consideration the proposals tabled by journalists and other workers in the press.

ESHEA President Panos Sombolos said that there was no change in government policy, since the minister "insists on unifying the journalists' pension funds with those of scientists."

"After this new development, our unions will continue labor action," he said.

[17] IKA board holds meeting with GSEE presidium

The talks were described as constructive, both by the foundation's board and the GSEE presidium and the need was stressed for closer cooperation between the two sides, with the submittal of proposals and the joint study of the foundation's problems, aiming at finding viable solutions.

[18] Merchant Marine Minister Voulgarakis visiting New York

Merchant Marine, Aegean and Island Policy Minister George Voulgarakis is visiting New York where he will be having a series of contacts.

Voulgarakis will be addressing an international conference on shipping on Tuesday, which is being organized by the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce on the theme of "Maritime markets, stock exchange bubble or unique opportunities."

In the morning of the same day, Voulgarakis will visit the New York and New Jersey Port Organization and will be briefed by the Organization's leadership on operational issues.

During his visit to New York, the minister will also be meeting with expatriate shipowners and members of maritime companies, as well as with officials of the Greek American community.

Lastly, a reception was to be given in his honor at Greece's General Consulate on Monday night.

[19] Thessaloniki Small Industries Chamber to participate in 21 exhibitions

The Chamber will be participating in a business mission organized by OPE in Morocco on February 10-13 and in Poland on March 2-5. Moreover, the Chamber will be taking part in the Alimentaria Food-Beverages-Equipment International Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain, on March 10-13 and in the Foodex Japan 2008 exhibition organised by the Federation of Exporters of Northern Greece in Tokyo, Japan, on March 11-14.

In May, the Chamber will also be participating in business missions in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan on May 17-22.

[20] Committee convenes on 'Burgas-Alexandroupolis Oil Pipeline' project

"The Committee will observe and assess the implementation course of the inter-state agreement of the construction and exploitation of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline and will interevene through the institutionalized procedures of the Prefectural Council, with positions, views and proposals for the safeguarding of Evros' local society. We shall be present at every stage of the project, from the planning, construction and up to the operation of the oil pipeline transportation, safeguarding n every way the harmless flow of the pipeline with terms and conditions viable to the natural and human environment. In this direction is moving the preliminary study which we formulated, for the measures of handling the repercussions from the operation of the oil pipeline," the Evros Prefect said at the end of the committee's session.

[21] Intrasoft Int'l signs supply contract with European Commission

Intrasoft International said it budget of the project totaled 4.2 million euros. The company reported a 30 percent increase in its 2007 turnover .

[22] Millennium Bank reports 46.5 pct rise in after tax profits in 2007

The bank said 2007 signalled the launch of its wealthier private customers service network and the expansion of its branch network with 17 new units. Millennium Bank said its customer base totaled 435,000 in 2007, attracting 61,000 new customers.

Its loan portfolio rose 37 percent to 4.01 billion euros last year, with loans to enterprises rising 61 pct and time deposits up 54 pct. Mortgage loans totaled 654 million euros, the highest in the bank's history, for an increase of 41 percent. Millennium Bank said its branch network totaled 165 around the country.

George Taniskidis, the bank's chairman and chief executive, said the bank aimed at boosting its profits and focusing on a stronger presence around the country by 2010.

[23] National Youth Council hosts event in Money Show

Honesty, boldness and integrity were highlighted as top qualities while a reference was made to arrogance as an element that can destroy a young leader.

The National Youth Council President George Stasinos underlined that the younger generation abhors politics and politicians, stressing that the country needs the guidance of a young leader not only age-wise but in terms of new ideas as well.

An event on "Mass media and the limits of journalism" was hosted by ruling New Democracy youth movement, ONNED, on Sunday evening.

[24] EFG Eurobank top securities firm in ASE in January

Investment Bank of Greece (18.76 pct), National P&K (17.86 pct), Piraeus Securities (7.03 pct), Alpha Finance (6.84 pct), Kappa Securities (5.04 pct), Eurocorp (3.65 pct), Proton Securities (3.32 pct), Euroxx (2.87 pct) and HSBC (2.51 pct) followed in January's rankings.

The Greek stock market maintained its high rate of consolidation with the top 10 securities firms accounting for 87.26 percent of total turnover in January.

[25] Greek stocks end 1.22 pct higher

Most sectors ended higher, with the Telecommunications (3.98 pct), Travel (2.87 pct), Food/Beverage (2.27 pct) and Commerce (1.44 pct) scoring the biggest percentage gains of the day, while Personal/Home Products (1.05 pct), Technology (0.64 pct) and Utilities (0.51 pct) suffered losses.

The Big Cap index rose 1.22 pct, the Mid Cap index ended 0.22 pct up and the Small Cap index rose 0.29 pct. United Textiles (20.0 pct), Klonatex (12.0 pct) and Newsphone Hellas (9.20 pct) were top gainers, while Crown Hellas Can (9.58 pct), Euroline (9.31 pct) and Daios (9.06 pct) were top losers. Broadly, advancers narrowly outnumbered decliners by 116 to 113 with another 62 issues unchanged.

Sector indices ended as follows:

Insurance: +0.95%

Industrials: +0.89%

Commercial: +1.44%

Construction: +0.03%

Media: +1.04%

Oil & Gas: +1.02%

Personal & Household: -1.05%

Raw Materials: +0.96%

Travel & Leisure: +2.87%

Technology: -0.64%

Telecoms: +3.98%

Banks: +0.79%

Food & Beverages: +2.27%

Health: +0.55%

Utilities: -0.51%

Chemicals: -0.16%

Financial Services: -0.09%

The stocks with the highest turnover were OTE, National Bank, Eurobank and Alpha Bank.

Selected shares from the FTSE/ASE-20 index closed in euros as follows:

Alpha Bank: 22.00

ATEbank: 3.60

Public Power Corp (PPC): 30.80

HBC Coca Cola: 29.42

Hellenic Petroleum: 10.00

National Bank of Greece: 42.84

EFG Eurobank Ergasias: 18.80

Intralot: 11.90

OPAP: 24.40

OTE: 21.78

Titan Cement Company: 31.30

[26] ADEX closing report

Volume in futures contracts on the Big Cap index totaled 7,815 contracts worth 92.400 million euros, with 26,541 open positions in the market, while on the Mid Cap index volume was 159 contracts worth 4.287 million euros with 500 open positions.

Volume in futures contracts on equities totaled 6,528 contracts worth 10.361 million euros, with investment interest focusing on Eurobank's contracts (1,611), followed by National Bank (629), Alpha Bank (403), Marfin Popular Bank (458) and Postal Savings Bank (750).

[27] Greek bond market closing report

In the domestic interbank market, interest rates were mixed. National Bank's overnight rate was 4.08 pct, the two-day rate was 4.12 pct, the one-month rate 4.20 pct and the 12-month rate 4.37 pct.

[28] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

U.S. dollar 1.494

Pound sterling 0.756

Danish kroner 7.512

Swedish kroner 9.485

Japanese yen 159.77

Swiss franc 1.628

Norwegian kroner 8.093

Canadian dollar 1.494

Australian dollar 1.646

General News

[29] 'Digital Greece' programmes for students, pupils

The program "Un-Blog", addressed to primary and secondary education schoolchildren, promotes new media and blogs. Applications can be filed between Feb. 11 and May 16 and winners will receive money prizes. For more information visit the website: www.kseblogare.gr.

The program "Portable pcs for all schoolchildren" promotes the use of PCs in the education process as tools in the hands of the students.

According to Alogoskoufis, this is a very crucial initiative for education while the selection and supply of student portable pcs will be done through an open international tender.

Alogoskoufis stated that university and college freshmen who were admitted to higher education institutions with honors will take advantage of the 12.5-million-euro "Go digital" program. A 500-euro subsidy will be granted to eligible students for the purchase of a personal computer. The program concerns roughly 14,800 students admitted into higher education institutions in 2007.

For the first time this year, it will also concern students who suffer from serious disabilities -- some 3 percent of new admittances (5,000 students). They will receive subsidies of up to 1,000 euros for specialized equipment.

Stylianidis stated that the specific cooperation with the ministry of finance can set an example, adding that "smart schooling" is a threefold objective comprising modern building-human factor-modern means. He also said that a total of 163 books have already been uploaded on the internet and schoolchildren can have access to them even before they reach the bookshelves.

Regarding the recent agreement between the Greek government and Microsoft, Alogoskoufis termed it as a framework agreement, adding that the goal is to put Greece on the digital map as part of the information society.

[30] One in three Greeks have access to Internet, survey

The statistics service, in a survey conducted on a sample of 5,099 households with 5,134 members around the country, said the percentage of Greeks -aged 16-74- that has never used the Internet fell by 4.5 percentage points in the first three months of 2007.

The survey showed that the main reasons of navigating through the Internet was: search for information and on-line services (96.7 pct), search for information on products and services (84.6 pct), communication (65.9 pct), e-mail services (63.7 pct), search for information on travel (48.3 pct), newspaper and magazine reading (47.5 pct), music-games (45.5 pct).

The statistics service said 71.5 pct of young people aged 16-19 used the Internet for music and games, while Greek households with access to the Internet grew to 25.4 pct in 2007, from 23.1 pct in 2006.

The statistics service said 61.2 pct of e-trade was made by people aged 16-34, with products or services ordered through the Internet were mainly travel, tickets, hotel reservations (29.7 pct), while books, magazines, newspapers and e-learning was 21.2 pct.

[31] Worker killed in labor accident at PPC plant in Megalopolis

The 39-year-old worker was employed on the plant's lignite operation system.

The local police department was conducting a preliminary investigation, while the PPC was also investigating the causes of the accident.

[32] Armed robbers target Best Oil truck, take 255,000 euros

The robbers were driving two BMWs stolen from Alimos and Ilioupolis, which they used to force the Best Oil car driven by two employees to stop. One of the two robbers held them at gunpoint and forced them to hand over a bag containing the money and cheques.

The two robbers then boarded a large motorbike driven by a third man and sped off.

[33] Two arrests for illicit trade in antiquities

A number of ancient objects were also confiscated following a police search in two houses used by the detainees in the wider Trikala region.

[34] Police in southern Greece arrest two on drug charges

In a separate incident in Amfithea, Messinia Prefecture, a man was arrested in a police stakeout while he was retrieving roughly 2 kilos of hashish he and an accomplice had hidden earlier under a bush.

[35] Macedonia-Thrace minister inaugurates exhibition of art by Black Sea Greeks

[36] Earth tremor near Patra

The tremor was felt in Patra and in the wider region, as well as in the prefecture of Etoloakarnania.

Seismologists of the Geodynamic Institute said in their initial statements that they are monitoring the phenomenon.

Basketball

[37] Tourism minister at draw for Euroleague Top 16

Greek Tourism Minister Aris Spiliotopoulos wrapped up his visit to Spain on Monday by taking part in the draw for the Top 16 of the Euroleague basketball championship in Madrid. The Greek National Tourism Organisation (EOT) is one of the main sponsors.

"We believe that the Euroleage and all the important sports events help promote a country, help promote brotherhood and peaceful cooperation between two peoples," he said in comments at the event.

Earlier, Greece's tourism minister had been received by the regional president of Madrid Esperanza Aguirre.

Weather Forecast

[38] Cloudy, scattered showers on Tuesday

Cyprus Affairs

[39] President: new Cyprus must be an evolution of the Republic

The new state which will emerge from an agreed negotiated settlement will be a development from the present state and not a new state, Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos stressed here Monday.

His comments came in response to remarks by the Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat that the new state in Cyprus must not be a continuation of the Republic of Cyprus and must comply with the provisions of a UN-proposed solution plan (the Annan plan) which the Greek Cypriots rejected in their overwhelming majority and the Turkish Cypriots approved by majority vote.

Papadopoulos reiterated that the new state to be established in Cyprus after a negotiated settlement, to reunite the country which has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion, must evolve from the Republic of Cyprus and must not be "the virgin birth" of a new state.

The president pointed out that this has been a long-standing position of the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey.

Referring to the Annan plan, Papadopoulos said that while the UN, the five permanent members of the Security Council and the EU consider that the Annan plan is history, Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots remain attached to it.

In separate referenda in April 2004, the Turkish Cypriots accepted the Annan plan by 65 per cent and the Greek Cypriots rejected it by 76 per cent, saying it did not serve the interests of the country nor did it reunify the island, its institutions, society and the economy.

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