Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-11-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] More than 50,000 turned out for 34th Athens Authentic Marathon

[02] 'Our aim is to reverse a climate of divestment,' Charitsis tells ANA

[03] FM Kotzias to attend extraordinary EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels

[01] More than 50,000 turned out for 34th Athens Authentic Marathon

Spotted among them were many politicians and MPs attempting the shorter 5km run, including Potami Party leader Stavros Theodorakis, Democratic Alliance MP and former minister Andreas Loverdos and New Democracy MP and former minister Adonis Georgiadis.

The runners were greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of some 20,000 people when they arrived at the finishing line at the Kallimarmaron Stadium in central Athens at the end of the race. First to cross was Kenya's Luka Rotich Lobuwan with a time of 2:12:49, while Christoforos Merousis was the first Greek to finish the men's race, coming in 10th with a time of 2:24:58.

The first woman across the line was Kenya's Nancy Jebichi Arusei, with a time of 2:38:13, while Greece's Ourania Rebouli came third with a time of 2:49:23.

Shortly before the race finished, the Greek athletics federation SEGAS and the Hellenic Olympic Committee had received Greece's entire Olympic team at the stadium as part of an event held to mark the 120th anniversary since the first modern Olympic Games, which had also included the first-ever Marathon race.

The head of the team Lefteris Petrounias entered, carrying the Olympic flag, surrounded by fellow medallists Anna Korakaki, Spyros Gianniotis and other members of the team as soprano Sonia Theodoridou sung the Olympic Hymn.

This year's marathon also included a marriage proposal, between a couple from Belgium that both ran the race together. Just minutes after they had both crossed the finish line, he pulled out a diamond ring, knelt down and popped the question, to enthusiastic applause from onlookers when she said 'yes'. The couple later revealed that they already have three children but hadn't made up their minds to "make it official" before this.

[02] 'Our aim is to reverse a climate of divestment,' Charitsis tells ANA

He said the effort will employ new financing tools for enterprises and strive for an optimal use of available resources, in the hopes that these will be leveraged for a multiple effect on the Greek economy, as well as legislative measures to improve business conditions.

Charitsis said the goal was to encourage the formation and development of dynamic and innovative small- and medium-sized enterprises.

"We are aiming at investments, public and private, that will be financially and environmentally sustainable and create good-quality jobs," the minister said.

Questioned about the findings of the latest opinion polls, Charitsis said that his own impression from both opinion polls and from direct contact with society was not that voters were turning toward the main opposition but that people continued to have high expectations from the present government "and for this reason - and rightly so - they judge us using strict criteria."

[03] FM Kotzias to attend extraordinary EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels

On Monday, Kotzias will attend the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC), at which he will present Greece's positions during an exchange of views on the recent developments in Turkey.

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