Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-08-09

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

CONTENTS

[01] Man tries to set police officer on fire

[02] Four arrested in migrant-smuggling operation

[03] Weather Forecast: Sunny, windy on Monday

[04] Diving tourism: The mysterious allure of the deep

[05] Euro-Med seminar in Halkidiki

[06] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] Man tries to set police officer on fire

The man doused the police officer with gasoline, and was arrested as he tried to set fire to the officer with rags and a lighter.

The man was arrested before he managed to set the officer on fire by police who arrived on the scene after being alerted earlier that the man had attacked and lightly injured a 45-year-old man on a moped with an iron crowbar and had also damaged a car.

The detainee is due to be taken before a public prosecutor.

[02] Four arrested in migrant-smuggling operation

The people-traffickers, three foreign nationals aged 27-29, were arrested in Xirokrini, near Thessaloniki, as they prepared to pick up a group of 25 illegal migrants, including five minors, who were arriving in Xirokrini from an agricultural area in Soufli, Evros prefecture, near the Greek-Turkish frontier.

Authorities have also arrested a 19-year-old man involved in the same ring.

Investigations were continuing to locate other possible accomplices.

[03] Weather Forecast: Sunny, windy on Monday

Sunny and windy in Athens, with 5-7 beaufort winds, and temperatures ranging from 22 C to 32 C.

Overcast, with local showrers and chance of local storms throughout the day in Thessaloniki, improving in the evening, and winds of 3-5 beaufort, with temperatures ranging from 20 C to 27 C.

Overcast with local showers and scattered storms in western and central Macedonia, Thessaly, Evia and the eastern Peloponese, and overcast in eastern Macedonia and Thrace, and western Greece, with chance of scattered showers.

Sunny and windy in the Cyclades, Crete, the Dodecanese and the islands of the eastern Aegean.

[04] Diving tourism: The mysterious allure of the deep

The Greek seas are rich in such photographic material, and underwater photography in Greece was permitted, through legislation, just a few years ago, according to the president of the Kavala-based Panhellenic Center for Underwater Photography Research and Technology, Ioannis Stamatiadis.

Taking advantage of the 2005 legislation allowing recreational diving throughout the country, with the exception of designated archaeological areas, the local government administrations in Northern Greece have launched a campaign to attract "diving tourists".

The local government of Kavala, northern Greece's second largest city and the principle seaport of eastern Macedonia, is organising the 1st International Underwater Photography Competition, with the top four entrants overall winning a week-long, all expenses paid diving holiday in the town of Limenaria on the nearby island of Thassos.

The competition is open to divers over the age of 18, who must submit three entries to the Center by August 26.

The photographs are separated into three categories: Man and the Sea, Microphotography, and Landscapes in the Sea.

The entries will be judged by a committee of experts, and the winning entries will be announced on September 8.

The winners will enjoy a series of diving events in various areas of the island for underwater photography, as well as excursions for photography on land.

Caption: The Nautilus Museum in the village of Agiokampos in Evia, which opened July 28, hosting thousands of finds collected from the sea over a period of 40 years from all over the world, (ANA-MPA).

[05] Euro-Med seminar in Halkidiki

The seminar, to be held in the primary school in the town of Kalandra, on Kassandra, the first of the three 'fingers' of the Halkidiki Peninsula, will be opened by Thessaloniki Aristotle University (AUTH) rector Anastasios Manthos.

[06] Athens Newspaper Headlines

The political situation, the economy and election speculations were the main front-page items in Athens' newspapers on Sunday.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Seven 'angels' unwanted - 'Adoptions' file: Bureaucracy aids the illegal trade in infants".

APOGEVMATINI: "Nine categories of encroached land to acquire deeds - The landscape clearing up due to the National Land Registry".

AVGHI: "Government playing its last cards".

AVRIANI: "100,000 contract civil servants on PASOK's black list - PASOK announced it would dismiss them when it becomes government".

CHORA (weekly): "Upsets in taxation, social security, labor relations".

ELEFTHERI ORA: "The clash over the party's future leadership becoming increasingly visible in PASOK".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Winter as of...August - Storm of economic measures being prepared by government, after the piecemeal benefits, in view of the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF, where the prime minister traditionally unveils economic policy for the following year), under the pressure of the EU".

ETHNOS; " 'Secret' hirings planned in Security Corps, Army and Rural Police - They're throwing the...Army into the elections battle, too".

KATHIMERINI: "The deficit a catalyst for political developments - Speculation of (early general) elections in the autumn, if ruling ND recovers popularity, or in March due to (non) election of President".

LOGOS: "This year's TIF 'basket' (of benefits) will be a small one - Trade unions preparing their reactions".

NIKI: "The benefits a veil for the new economic measures - The 2010 budget an unsolved riddle for the government".

PARON (weekly): "George (PASOK leader Papandreou) wants (current environment, town planning and public works minister) Souflias (for President of the Republic, in order to gain inroads with ruling New Democracy voters) -That's why he's 'pressing' for Papoulias (current President) to step down".

RIZOSPASTIS: "Preparation for counter-attack against the anti-popular plans".

TO VIMA: " 'Big Brother' for all the ministers - Government leadership sending observers (to each ministry), in the face of the picture of dissolution and confusion of authorities", adding that prime minister Costas Karamanlis is planning to reorganise the government's General Secretariat by staffing it with specialised personnel and sub-teams of experts to each ministry. The teams, although formally accountable to the ministers, will in fact be coordinated and monitored by the government headquarters.

VRADYNI: "All the changes in salaries, pensions, taxes - The new measures being advanced by the government.

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