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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-10-14Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] First relocation of Syrian refugees from Greece to Luxembourg to take place next week, EU sources saysANA/MPA---The first relocation of Syrian refugees from Greece to Luxembourg will take place next week, according to European sources.According to the same sources, the number of refugees to be relocated has not yet been determined. The same sources said that approximately 3,500 refugees are recorded every day in Greece. Moreover, following the European Commission's talks with the Pakistani authorities, and in cooperation with the Greek authorities, the return of Pakistani migrants who entered illegally in Greece is being prepared. [02] Gov't to offer incentives for use of plastic money, Alexiadis saysANA/MPA---The Greek government's aim is to offer incentives and to boost the use of plastic money in the country, Alternate Finance Minister Tryfon Alexiadis said on Wednesday.Speaking to ANT1 TV station, Alexiadis noted that an increase in the use of plastic money will not lead to a reduction in pension and wages while he stressed that the ministry has not yet reached any final decisions on a scheme to spend part of a monthly pension or wages through the use of a debit card. He said that the ministry planned to create a special corporate account for enterprises that will be protected from seizure for debts towards banks, tax agencies and pension funds and to link the start of a new business from 2016 with the installation of a card payment machine, which will be obligatory for specific business sectors. Alexiadis also announced changes in a car circulation duty while the ministry will issue a new circular on heating oil charges in the next two days. He noted that changes in a special property tax will be made in 2016 with the aim to equalize commercial and objective values. [03] Greece, US, Bulgaria discuss TAP and IGB pipeline projectsANA/MPA---Accelerating procedures for implementation of the TAP and IGB natural gas pipeline projects was the topic of discussions during a meeting on Wednesday between Environment and Energy Minister Panos Skourletis with Amos Hochstein, US special envoy and coordinator for international energy relations with Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.During the meeting, Skoutletis proposed improving the terms of TAP through Greece both for the state and local societies, while regarding the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline project IGB a new meeting -at ministerial level- will be held next week in Sofia. The Greek side raised compensation issues for forest areas and state property and more action by the consortium in the field of corporate social responsibility. Amos Hochstein said there was significant progress regarding the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline and urged the Greek government and TAP to openly discuss pending issues and to find solutions the soonest possible. "The US wants to continue working with Greece for the country's energy security but mostly on the role to be played by Greece as a strategic partner in the region," [04] Concession contract for regional airports to be signed by the end of 2015, HRDAF saysANA/MPA---A concession contract for the country's regional airports is expected to be signed by the end of the year, Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund said on Wednesday and announced a extension for the letter of guarantee of the three groups participating in the tender after a deadline ended today.The three groups participating in the tender are: Fraport AG-Slentel Ltd (preferred investor) and CASA (Corporation America SA)-METKA SA and Vinci Airports SAS-Aktor Concessions SA. [05] Greece 'partner country' of ANUGA food trade show in CologneANA/MPA---"It is in all of our interests that the economic potential of Greece finds its way back on track to a better future," the German Minister of Agriculture, Christian Schmidt, said on Saturday in his opening speech at the world food trade fair Anuga 2015 in Cologne. To this end, Schmidt announced bilateral discussions with his Greek counterpart Evangelos Apostolou that are also due to take place during the trade fair. Greece is this year's partner country of Anuga, which is opening its doors to trade visitors at the Cologne fair grounds again until 14 October.On his part, Apostolou underlined the great importance the agriculture and food sector continues to have for his country in addition to the tourist industry. In his speech at the opening ceremony of Anuga 2015, Apostolou called for foreign investments in this area. The Greek Minister stressed that the government in Athens wants to support the food sector with subsidies of six billion euros in total up until the year 2020. He stated that the regular presence of his country at Anuga complements the efforts of Greek politics, since an important marketing network has been established via the trade fair over the past decades. "Greece has been among the ten largest exhibiting nations at Anuga for many years," underlined Cologne's Mayor Jürgen Roters in his capacity as chairman of the supervisory board of Koelnmesse. "This is good for your country," said Roters. Roters proudly made reference to the new record number of exhibitors Anuga 2015 set this year, namely over 7,000 exhibitors from 108 countries. Exhibitors from Iceland and Qatar took part for the first time ever. Anuga is the world's biggest and most important business platform for the international food industry. With over 7,000 exhibitors from 108 countries, Anuga 2015 once again set a new record number of exhibitors. Around 155,000 trade visitors from all over the world are expected to attend the fair. [06] Replica of Antikythera Mechanism to go on display at National Observatory Museum in ThissioANA-MPA -- A new replica of the famous Antikythera Mechanism, whose remains are currently at Greece's National Archaeological Museum, has been built and put on show in the National Observatory of Athens on Nymphs' Hill in Thissio. Described as the world's first 'analog computer', the intricate Antikythera Mechanism is perhaps the most advanced example of ancient technology to be recovered to date. The new educational model will be on display at the Observatory's Thission Visitors Centre Museum until the end of October. It is the most recent and updated replica of the complex mechanism, which uses nearly all the latest information that archaeologists have discovered about the mechanism using the new scanning techniques. It is built of a 4:1 scale, or four times larger than life size, in order to make its workings more clearly visible and easily understood. Specially trained staff at the observatory will be on hand to provide tours of the museum to visitors from 10:00-14:00 on Monday to Friday. There will also be evening tours on specific dates (October 8, 13, 20, 21 and 22), starting every half hour between 19:30 and 21:00. For more information, contact the phone numbers 210 3490160 and 210 34 90036. The address is Lofos Nymfon, Thiseio, Athens 11810. The Antikythera Mechanism was first discovered more than a century earlier by sponge divers off the island of Antikythera, who recovered it from a shipwreck at a depth of 45 metres under the sea. Its origins and purpose were long shrouded in mystery until carbon dating and modern scanning techniques showed that it was built at some time between 205 and 100 B.C. as a complex clockwork device to predict astronomical and calendrical phenomena. Found housed in a 340 mm × 180 mm × 90 mm wooden box, the device is a complex clockwork mechanism composed of at least 30 meshing bronze gears. Its remains were found as 82 separate fragments, of which only seven contain any gears or significant inscriptions. The largest gear is approximately 140 mm in diameter and originally had 223 teeth. All the original fragments are now kept and displayed at the National Archaeological Museum.Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |