Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-01-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] Poll records 10-point slide for two main parties

[02] KKE's Papariga in Berlin

[03] Winter sales begin on Tuesday

[01] Poll records 10-point slide for two main parties

ND is still 2.5 points ahead of PASOK in voter preference with 31.7 percent, while the main opposition is backed by just 29.2 percent of those responding to the opinion poll. Smaller parties have gained in popularity, with the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) backed by 7.9 percent, the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) by 7.7 percent, and the right-wing Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.OS) by 4.8 percent. For the first time, meanwhile, the Ecologists-Green party has marginally overshot the 2.0 percent mark in voter preference, with 2.1 percent.

In replies to the same opinion poll, 73 percent of those asked said that the government's line of "zero tolerance" for corruption had not been observed in practice, 49.5 percent believed that Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis had taken the wrong stance on the Zachopoulos affair and 65 percent said that Karamanlis had "got the message" regarding the way that he chose his aides and associates. According to 47 percent, the media devoted too much time to the Zachopoulos affair.

In foreign affairs issue, 66.4 percent said that Karamanlis should visit Turkey and 47.1 percent said they would prefer the re-election of Tassos Papadopoulos as Cyprus' president.

[02] KKE's Papariga in Berlin

According to German authorities, this year's march had one of the smallest turnouts since 1990, with the number of participants barely exceeding 5,000. Organisers placed the figure closer to 10,000 but this is still a far cry from the record 100,000 that took part in the memorial march in the first years of German unification.

Luxemburg and Liebknecht became symbols of the democratic socialists and Marxists after they were killed in the unsuccessful Berlin revolution of January 1919.

During her visit to Berlin, Papariga addressed the 13th International Meeting in memory of Rosa Luxemburg on Saturday, organised by the Junge Welt daily newspaper and an event hosted by the German Communist Party on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Russian Revolution.

Later on Sunday, Papariga is to speak at a gathering of Berlin's Greek community.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photograph of Communist Party of Greece (KKE) General Secretary Aleka Papariga.

[03] Winter sales begin on Tuesday

KEPKA stresses that retailers are obliged to take back and change goods bought in the sales that are faulty, unless the consumer was aware that the item was offered at a discount because of the specific defect.

It also stresses that shops are obliged to display the prices before and after the sales discount and the percentage of the discount for the items on sale.

Consumers are advised to be wary of shop-front displays advertising discounts because they don't always apply to all the goods on sale. KEPKA additionally advises a visit to shops to scout out prices before the sales begin in order to make sure that the items on sale are really a bargain.

For more information and to report problems or "fake" discounts, consumers can contact KEPKA at the number 2310 233-333 between 9:00 and 14:30 for members and 12:30-14:30 for non-members.

Shop owners are also warned that any promotional activities in the period before the sales are punishable by law, including the advertising of special offers through flyers or letters. They must also ensure that both the old and new prices for the items on sale are clearly displayed and that the discounts advertised are correct. Retailers may incur heavy administrative fines for misleading sale signs, which are paid first and can only be contested afterward.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photograph of sale signs in shop windows at the start of the winter sales in 2007

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