Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-05-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] Papandreou addresses Beijing seminar

[02] Art Athina on May 21-24

[03] FM spokesman : Athens not aware of U.S. initiative for name issue

[04] ANA-MPA among recipients of 2009 Botsis Awards for journalism

[05] Unique museum of citrus fruits on the island of Chios

[06] FM on euroelections

[07] Health Minister honoured

[08] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] Papandreou addresses Beijing seminar

Papandreou, in statements on the sidelines of the seminar, said that the need for such a developmental model had been jointly ascertained by SI and the Communist Party of China.

He said that for this to be accomplished, "we need to break out of the rationale that the market will solve everything". A new planning for protection of the environment is needed, he added, stressing that green economy was a guarantee for sustainable development, for new jobs, quality of life and prosperity for all.

Earlier, in an opening address to the seminar, Papandreou referred to the great importance of cooperation between SI and the Communist Party of China on the two timely issues of the global financial crisis and climate change, and stressed SI's will for further upgrading of those relations, noting that the seminar was proof of that desire.

The new areas proposed by Papandreou for expansion of cooperation are of a strategic nature and concern peace and disarmament while, referring to the global financial crisis, the PASOK leader said that it has brought to the surface all the disadvantages and imbalances of what he called the "fundamentalism" of the free market.

"It is our duty to adopt a new model of growth, that of green development, and a new model of governance," Papandreou stressed, adding that the upcoming global conference on the environment and climate change to take place in Copenhagen in the autumn was a "very big challenge", particularly on how the governments will handle the issue of sustainable growth.

Papandreou said that green development was a "conditio sine qua non" for the prosperity of all, noting that, if adopted, everyone would benefit.

He further noted the problems that could arise due to lack of sufficient oil and natural gas reserves in the world, stressing that this rendered mandatory a turn to renewable energy sources (RES). In this way, he added, armed clashes and conflagrations could be averted in the future.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou

[02] Art Athina on May 21-24

Among the highlights are a photography exhibition and another linking modern art with traditional shadow theater, organised by the Benaki Museum. Associated events on performance art will also be held in Bios, on Piraeus street.

[03] FM spokesman : Athens not aware of U.S. initiative for name issue

He was replying to a question about whether Athens expected some U.S. initiative for resolving the name dispute between Greece and fYRoM in view of a visit by U.S Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg to Athens on Friday, followed by a visit to Skopje.

"There are no indications that some specific American initiative is expected. Apart from that, Washington's position is that the U.S. side will respect and implement the result - if there is one, which is something Greece desires. It is a position that has not changed. The discussion with Steinberg in Athens, however, will not be restricted to this issue; there will be a broader discussion on issues of regional and international interest," the spokesman said.

Commenting on recent statements by FYROM's newly elected president regarding "constructive" efforts for a solution, Koumoutsakos said that these "are being evaluated" but pointed out that they would have to be evaluated in the context of past attitudes.

"We hope for a different atmosphere in the talks and negotiations that will take place, a more constructive stance, without attempts to divert the negotiations from their object and focused on the essence of the negotiations, as this has been defined by the resolutions of the UN Security Council," he said, stressing that Greece would continue to participate in the process with a constructive attitude with a view to achieving a mutually acceptable solution.

Asked about a massive statue of Alexander the Great that will be erected in Skopje's central square, Koumoutsakos noted only the following:

"Both the size and the height but also the cost of this statue are in inverse proportion to seriousness and historical truth".

[04] ANA-MPA among recipients of 2009 Botsis Awards for journalism

Opening the ceremony, Foundation president Panos Karayiannis outlined the Foundation's activities and its future plans.

In a brief greeting, parliament president Dimitris Sioufas said that everyone had the duty to protect the quality and freedom of the press for a democratic country, while deputy interior minister for media issues Costas Giulekas announced that Greece will soon acquire a Greek Press Museum.

Government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros spoke of the role played by the mass media and the problems it faced, while main opposition PASOK press officer George Papaconstantinou referred to the crisis in the media.

The gathering was also addressed by Athens Journalists' Union (ESIEA) president Panos Sombolos and Union of Periodical and Electronic Press Journalists (ESPIT) president Yiannis Plachouris.

The President of the Republic presented the awards to journalists: Costas Laskarelias, George Vlachos and Demos Verikios for bringing to light the Vatopedi Monastery land transactions affair; Olga Laopodi-Ioannou for her reporting in the periodical press; George Sarigiannis for his contribution to upgrading of reporting on the arts in the daily press; ANA-MPA president and general director George Tambakopoulos for the national news agency's introduction and operation of the first news website in Greece; and Maria Houkli for her exemplary first television interview with former education minister Marietta Yannakou after her health ordeal which resulted in the loss of a leg and for her objectivity in reporting on television news programs.

Papoulias further presented a special award to Paul Kotrotsios, publisher of the daily "Hellenic News of America", for its projection and promotion of Hellenic culture in the United States; the Foundation's National Resistance award, which is sponsored by the ESPIT, to Lazaros Arseniou; and a special award post-humously to George Kiliaris, a journalist for state ERT television, who had been seriously injured in the neck in October 2008 while covering the events in Afghanistan and succumbed to his wounds one month later in an Athens hospital.

Also, parliament vice-president Anastasios Nerantzis presented the "Yannis Fatsis" award for parliamentary reporting, sponsored by parliament, to Nikos Roussis; parliament president Dimitris Sioufas presented the "Christos Passalaris" award for political columns, sponsored by parliament, to George Lakopoulos and Nikos Xydakis; Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBEA) president Costas Michalos presented the financial reporting prize, sponsored by the EBEA, to George Nikolopoulos; Hellenic Red Cross (EES) chairman Andreas Martinis presented the humanitarian reporting award, sponsored by the EES, to Michalis Kefaloyannis; General Secretariat for Equality representative Evgenia Zika presented the secretariat-sponsored award for gender equality reporting to Lina Drouga; the local government reporting award was presented to Marianna Galanopoulou by Athens mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis' representative Gerassimos Yiobazolias; the ESPIT-sponsored "Apostolos Magganaris" award was presented by the union's president Plachouris to Stephanos Dandalos; and the "Costas Tsatsaronis" award for the foreign press was presented to Kerin Hope by Giulekas.

Honorable distinctions were further presented to the Susie Lapa Foundation, Iason Moschovitis, Minas Papazoglou, Maria Antoniadou, Zissis Angelopoulos, the Istanbul-based newspaper Icho (Echo), and to the Naftemboriki.gr online financial newspaper.

[05] Unique museum of citrus fruits on the island of Chios

One of the rare wrapping papers, dating back to the 1920s, is on display at the Citrus Fruits Museum in the city of Chios, among the three museums of this kind in the world (the other two are in Spain and California), established in 2008 to promote local products and the history of the citrus fruit trade on the island of Chios since 1500.

Also on display are orange juice bottles from the 1950s, plate marks, 1900s scales and payroll books belonging to a farm operating in the 1940 when a day's wage was 30 drachmas and a single orange cost 1 drachma.

Original gravures dating back to the 15th century are on display in a special section of the museum.

[06] FM on euroelections

Bakoyannis added that ND will inform all the Greek women and all the Greek men and referred to the students elections, saying that the results were extremely encouraging.

"DAP (the ND-affiliated students group) is once again the leading force and this shows that young people trust the work that we are doing," she added.

Caption: Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis arrives at New Democracy party headquarters in Athens to take part to the Euroelections Central Committee on Thursday 13 May 2009. ANA-MPA/MARIA MAROYANNI

[07] Health Minister honoured

The awarding ceremony will be taking place in the framework of the annual symposium held in memory of the prominent Greek scientist George Papanikolaou. The symposium is being organised by the Greek Medical Society of New York, the Medical School of the Cornell University and the Panevoikos Society of New York.

According to officials of the Medical Society, Avramopoulos is expected to announce the formal conclusion of the awarding of the Greek Medical Society of New York of an observer post at the Greek Central Health Council.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos

[08] Athens Newspaper Headlines

Parties' activities ahead of European Parliament elections, the commencement of university entry exams, the new rise in unemployment and planned measures to combat tax evasion, dominated the headlines on Friday in Athens' newspapers.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "University entry exams begin with Modern Greek language".

APOGEVMATINI: "Tax Bureau teams and policemen will stop luxurious cars and check whether the drivers have paid their taxes".

AVGHI: "450,997 registered unemployed in February - Major leap to 9.1 percent from 8 percent last year."

AVRIANI: "The Siemens affair will be a major factor for the election result - Political side-effects from the gigantic scandal".

ELEFTHEROS: "Ruling New Democracy a volcano ready to erupt - Citizens are disgusted from the non- implementation of ND's motto of 'modesty and humbleness'."

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Tax test for vehicles - Policemen and tax bureau employees' common teams in the streets".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Government's ridiculous idea on combating tax evasion via the Laiko lottery ticket".

ESTIA: "Everything being sacrificed on the altar of the two-party system".

ETHNOS: "Tax bureau employees and policemen begin safari".

KATHIMERINI: "EU threatens action against Greece again for refusing to recognise certificates of franchise colleges affiliated with EU universities".

LOGOS: "One of four young people unemployed - Unemployment rate reached 9.1 percent in February".

NIKI: "Unemployment a noose for the youth ".

RIZOSPASTIS: "Counterattack on the crisis by the labour and working class movement".

TA NEA: "Tax ambush on luxury vehicles".

TO VIMA: "Tax bureau employees' ambush on luxury cars".

VRADYNI: "Unemployment ravages the youth".

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