The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 05-02-03

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From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Serious Problems Due to Snowy Weather Greece in the Freezer

By Betty Savourdou

A new wave of bad weather with snowfalls and rain has covered Greece. Heavy snow falling until Thursday afternoon in Macedonia, Epirus, central Greece and the Peloponnese in combination to low temperatures has caused several problems to transportations. Snow chains are imperative on the entire mountainous regional road network, while dozens of mountainous villages are snowbound. In Attica, vehicles are not allowed to travel towards Mt Parnitha, from the cable-car up, from the Palea Penteli Square towards Dionysos and Nea Makri and on the old Athens-Elefsina national highway from Villia to Kantza. On Thursday, schools remained closed in several areas, even in Attica, while ships have docked in Piraeus and Rafina because of the very strong winds. In Fthiotida, two 90yearolds were found dead in their home, probably because of the very low temperature.

Snowfalls in Attica

Snow is covering the northern suburbs of Attica, while vehicles are not allowed to travel on Parnitha Avenue, from the cable-car up, and from the Kleiston Monastery to Dervenochoria, as well as on the old Athens-Thebes national highway from Inoe to Thebes. Until Inoe, snow chains are imperative.

In Attica, the priority is to preserve the national highway open, especially in Malakassa, and authorities so far are doing their best.

Two Senior Citizens Dead

A couple of senior citizens died a tragic death in the village of Pugkakia, Fthiotida, because of the heavy cold. The two 90yearolds were found dead in their home, probably because of the polar temperatures in the area.

Schools remained closed in the prefectures of Fthiotida, Thessaloniki, Ioannina, Trikala, Evros and Rodopi, while vehicles are not allowed to travel on Egnatia Odos. In Thrace, almost 30 villages have been cut-off because of the snow, while Thessaloniki is also dressed in white.

The municipality of Oraiokastro has used fifty tones of salt in order to keep roads open. Still though, the Agios Vasileios-Chortiatis regional road remained closed for the second day in a row. The lowest temperatures are expected in Western Macedonia with thermometer dropping to 5oC in Kastoria and Florina. Ioannina is besieged by snow for the ninth consecutive day with temperature not exceeding 5oC, while in Katara it dropped to 12oC. Only lorries were allowed to use the Egnatia Odos, in order to avoid the difficult passage of Kastania. Dozens of villages in western Fthiotida and Domokos are cut-off because of the heavy and continuous snowfall. In Martino, crews tried very hard to maintain the national highway open. Lorries without snow chains were forced to stop. Serious problems are located on the entire mountainous network of the Peloponnese, where 45 villages remain snowbound in Kalavryta and Egialeia, as well as in Chalandritsa, Akrata and Egira.

Transportation Problems

Ships have docked in the ports of Piraeus and Rafina due to gales blowing in the seas, while only closed ships are allowed to sail towards the islands of Argosaronikos. What is more, domestic flights are also performed with difficulties due to the aggravating weather conditions.

Olympic Airlines morning domestic flights from Athens to Alexandroupoli, Kasos-Karpathos, Leros and Samos have been cancelled, while Aegean Airlines cancelled their morning flight from Athens to Alexandroupoli. On the contrary, all international flights are performed as per normal.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

Related News:

Heavy Winter

[02] Explanations from Panteleimonas - Theoklitos Tough Decisions from Hierarchy

By Vagelis Theodorou

Under the shadow of the shocking revelations of the involvement of church leaders in circles of corruption and in a bleak climate, the Continuous Holy Synod of the Church of Greece met at Petraki Monastery. By unanimous decision of the Synod, the Metropolitan Bishop of Attica, Panteleimonas is called to give explanations tomorrow morning before the Hierarchy. If his explanations are judged insufficient, he will be withdrawn from duties, forbidden to perform ecclesiastical duties, for six months, according to the dictates of the law. Written explanations, to arrive by Tuesday, have also been required of the Metropolitan Bishop of Thessaliotida, Theoklitos, while Archimandrite Iakovos Giosakis has been suspended. At the same time, the Synod asked the state to amend the law regarding ecclesiastic courts. In the meantime, a charge of passive bribery is expected to be served next week against the Justice Leonidas Stathis.

Immediate Legislative Measures

The Holy Synod asked the state for a committee of clergy and laity to be formed to draft legislation in order to modernize the charter of the Church of Greece and amend the law on ecclesiastic courts. Until then, the Synod asks Parliament to pass a Bill which would give the Holy Synod the possibility to intervene ex officio in cases similar to that of Giosakis, in order to facilitate catharsis amongst ecclesiastic circles.

Furthermore, the Synod demands that the Metropolitan Bishop of Attica suspend Archimandrite Giosakis from today and charge him. The Prosecutor of Piraeus yesterday issued an arrest warrant against him, expressing fears that he might flee abroad, while his lawyer confirmed that he will not flee and will appear tomorrow in order to be examined.

The spokesman of the Holy Synod, Metropolitan Bishop of Syros, Dorotheos, who read out the announcement with the decisions, noted that the Hierarchy is aware of the crucial circumstances and is sad about the atmosphere created against it, due to the activities of some members of the clergy. A the same time, he called on all those he possess legal evidence to submit it to the relevant ecclesiastic body "in order to shed light onto rumours and information regarding the honour and reputation of the Church."

Leonidas Stathis Testifies

In the meantime, the High Court today heard the testimony of First Instance Court Justice Leonidas Stathis, who has been referred on the matter of dismissal. Mr Stathis is accused of passive bribery, as he is alleged to have asked for 5000 euros in order to issue a favourable verdict in the case of a road accident, and it cannot be ruled out that in the next few days he may face formal charges. Nine further Justices are at the heart of the High Court inquiries.

"Mr Papaligouras submitted twelve clear improvements regarding the Justice situation, which will be implemented," underlined the alternate government spokesman, Evangelos Antonaros, when asked about the developments in the Justice sector.

"The unpleasant odour rising from the Justice sector, the Church and the Press reflects the deep crisis of basic institutions," KKE reports in their statement.

Translated by Millie Williams

Related News:

Bleak Atmosphere in Holy Synod

Nine More Justices in Tight Spot

Arrest Warrant for Giosakis

[03] Music Versus Insomnia 1-0 A Bit of Jazz and Sweet Dreams!

By Annita Paschalinou

Sources: BBC

If you are having trouble dropping off to sleep, forget counting sheep and drinking hot beverages. Taiwanese researchers support they have found the solution for insomnia problems, which is in fact completely harmless. Just put on relaxing music and there you have it! 45 minutes of jazz or classical music before bedtime are more than enough for sweet and trouble-free dreams.

Restful Sleep Thanks to Music

Researchers from Taiwan studied the sleeping patterns of o60 elderly people with sleep problems.

Half of the study participants were given a choice of listening to relaxing music before going to bed, while the other half were given nothing at all.

The music group reported a 26% overall improvement in the first week and this figure continued to rise, reaching 35%, as they mastered the technique of relaxing into sedative music

The elderly people managed to get better and longer night-time sleep and less dysfunction during the day.

The Taiwanese researchers' study is published in the February issue of the "Journal of Advanced Nursing."

Other Ways of Treatment

Insomnia is a phenomenon mostly appearing in Western societies and has various forms. There are people complaining for not being able to sleep easily at nights, while others say they wake up to early in the morning.

There are even cases of people waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to go back to sleep.

Apart from music and something hot to drink, other ways of treating insomnia are:

A warm bath that will help your body relax Exercise in the afternoon or evening Avoid drinking coffee or tea especially in the afternoon or evening Proper room temperature (not too warm and not too cold) Calm and quiet environment

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[04] National Handball Team Committed Suicide

By Dimitris Alexopoulos

Throwing one of its worst performances in the World Championship held in Tunisia, the Greek men's handball team lost to the indifferent Czech Republic with 31-29 and were thus disqualified from the semifinals. The Greek team will now have to wait for the rest of today's matches to see if they will go after 5th or 7th place on Saturday.

Stressed Greek Players

The Greek men's handball team saw the dream of qualification to the semifinals of the Tunisia World Championship turn into a nightmare of defeat. Full of stress, the players failed to claim victory against indifferent, but rather passionate today, Czech Republic, and were finally defeated with 31-29 at the last match of the second round.

The Greek team entered the pitch with a lot of stress because they felt obliged to win, but failed to impose their own pace. During the first half, none of the two teams managed to take the lead with more than a two-goal difference, although the Greeks players took the lead once or twice but could not preserve it.

In the rerun, the Czech Republic took advantage of the Greek offensive problems and turned the 17-17 score to 20-17 and 23-18 in their favour. The Greek counterattack was translated into 6 amazing consecutive goals between the 41' and the 47', but despite having the lead in score (24-23, 25-24), the Czechs managed to regroup themselves in the last ten minutes and the final score was 31-29 to the Greeks' great disappointment. The Greek team will play their last match on Saturday for the final ranking. In combination to the rest of today's results, the best-case scenario for the Greek team is 5th place, and the worst-case scenario is 7th place overall.

Ten-minute periods (Greece first): 5-5, 10-10, 16-16 (half time), 18-22, 25-26, 29-31.

GREECE (Schefvert): Kafatos, Chrysopoulos, Voglis 1, Vasilakis, Zaravinas 1, Samaras 1, Balomenos 5, Kokolodimitrakis 2, Grammatikos 6, Zivulovic 1, Chalkidis, Sanikis 1, Alvanos 9, Karypidis 2.

CZECH REPUBLIC (Myka): Stohl, Galia, Nochar 1, Bruna 2, Chrimb, Lachlvik 2, Phillip 7, Farrar 5, Pischkach 4, Rachenko 2, Juriczek 6, Hinnek, Renicek, Simanski 2.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[05] In Parliamentary Plenary Session Swords Cross on Recruitment

By Vagelis Theodorou

Heavy accusations were exchanged by the government and the Opposition during the start of the discussion of a Bill regarding the recruitment of personnel in the public sector and Local Government Organisations. A point of contention is the clause that institutes a personal interview as one of the criteria in recruitment. The president of PASOK, Giorgos Papandreou accused the government of establishing as rightwing state, of nepotism and lack of transparency in the public sector. This triggered an intense reaction from the Minister of the Interior, Prokopis Pavlopoulos. "You judge others by your own standards," stressed Mr Pavlopoulos, noting that for the government there are neither blue nor green (NB party colours) children. Both KKE and SYN opposed the introduction of the interview and called for all contract workers to be given permanent positions, with no terms and conditions.

Friction Over the Interview

The president of PASOK described the amendment regarding the oral interview for candidates as a parody of meritocracy. Mr Papandreou spoke of subjectivity, total nepotism and accused the government of hypocrisy, asking for the article in question to be removed, saying that PASOK would do so in government.

"ASEP itself guarantees the reliability of the interview," stressed Mr Pavlopoulos, and he alleged that with no arguments to offer, Mr Papandreou spoke of a right-wing state, "assuming that he can maintain the party interest nepotism that his party introduced, filling the public sector with unmeritocratic appointments."

At the same time, the Minister clarified that the oral interview is to be introduced in order for the candidates personality to be assessed, only in competitions using the points system, provided that ASEP and the relevant body desire it. He also stressed that ND received ASEP in a terrible condition, and will strengthen it.

Commenting on the speech by the Minister of the Interior, PASOKs parliamentary representative, Charis Kastanidis stated "the interviews instituted by PASOK concerned sectors in which Act 2190 did not apply, or concerned highly specialised scientific personnel, while you apply the measure from a plumber to a specialist employee." He observed that a large number of contract workers are in the local government sector, especially in the three large municipalities governed by New Democracy.

Mr Kastanidis was answered by Vyron Polydoras, as NDs parliamentary representative, saying "as for the points-system, we wont find any of our own. From beginning to end, we find ourselves sorting out PASOK supporters."

In the meantime, the parliamentary spokesperson for SYN, Fotis Kouvelis, stated that his party will vote against the Bill, "because it is based on dated and ineffective reasoning and does not contribute to the modern operation of public administration and an effective state." Referring to the interview, he said that Pandoras box would be opened for recruitment through nepotism, and he called on ND MPs to consider the pressure they would be under if they voted in the Bill in its current form.

ADEDY expressed its opposition to the legislation on contract workers who do not come under the presidential decree, claiming that the interview opens the door to suppressing objective procedures in the public sector. At the same time, ADEDY asks for the Bill to be withdrawn and for proposals from syndicates to be adopted in order to deal with the problem of contract workers.

Translated by Millie Williams

Related News:

Interview Causes Obstacles

[06] Including the Greek captain Concern for the Crew of Vigla

By Vivian Papastefanou

A sea disaster took place last night off Malta. The Greek-owned cargo ship "Vigla", under a Honduras flag, with a Greek captain and six other foreign sailors aboard, sent out a distress signal while sailing 212 nautical miles west of Pylos, and sank shortly afterwards. Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of three dead sailors, while they are continuing the operation to locate the remaining four, including the Greek captain. The rescue operation is being conducted in adverse weather conditions, and a Greek and a British tanker are participating, as well as two helicopters, one Maltese and one British. The ship had set out from Tunisia, heading for Slovenia, and carried salt. The Ministry of Mercantile Marine announced that the Vigla was taking on water.

Translated by Millie Williams

Related News:

Greek Ship Sinks

[07] Clear warnings in tough language Bush Looks Sideways at Iran-Syria

By Athina Saloustrou

American President George Bush is now setting his sights on Iran and Syria, sending clear warnings from the podium of Congress in his State of the Union Address. Using harsh criticism, Mr Bush described the two countries as "the basic enemies of the US in our effort to strengthen democracy and fight against terrorism in the Middle East." He was harshest against the Government of Tehran, expressing clear support for the Opposition, as he did not hesitate in saying "to the people of Iran tonight I say: you who want your freedom, America is at your side," adding that Iran "remains the main state who supports terrorism. At the same time, he accused Tehran of "trying to acquire nuclear weapons, depriving its people of the freedom they seek and which they deserve." At the same time, he made accusations against Damascus, saying "it continues to allow its territory to be used, along with certain areas of the Lebanon, by terrorists who want to dissolve all hope for peace in the region," and he called on the government to stop supporting terrorism and "open the door to liberty." Besides this, he also referred to Iraq, nevertheless refusing to announce a timeline for the withdrawal of American troops, as such a thing would "encourage the terrorists and make them believe that the Americans are losing their patience."

"We'll Continue the War on Terror"

"The new political situation in Iraq opens up a new stage in our duty in the country. we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces - forces with skilled officers, and an effective command structure. We will defend the freedom of our Iraqi friends and freedom in Iraq will make America safer for generations to come," stressed Bush, adding that: "we will succeed because the Iraqi love their freedom, as they showed last Sunday."

"The US will continue the war against terrorism until the battle is won," stressed the American President, claiming that "our country remains a target for terrorists and they want to kill many of us and frighten us all."

"The terrorist organisation of Al Qaeda that attacked our country still has its leaders, although many of its chiefs have been neutralized. There are still governments that sponsor and harbour terrorists - but their number has declined. There are still regimes seeking weapons of mass destruction - but no longer without attention and without consequence," warned Bush.

" Pursuing our enemies is a vital commitment of the war on terror," he said, adding; "During this time of war, we must continue to support our military and give them the tools for victory."

Interventions Towards Saudi Arabia and Egypt

In his speech, Mr Bush also called on Saudi Arabia and Egypt to make democratic reforms, as part of the American efforts to "promote peace and stability in the wider Middle East."

"The government of Saudi Arabia can take on a leading role in the region, increasing the role of the people in determining its future. And the great and proud nation of Egypt, that showed the way to peace in the Middle East, can now show the way to democracy," he said, underlining that "promising reforms" have already started to take place from "Morocco to Jordan and Bahrain."

Despite this, he stressed that Washington does not aim to impose the American system of government on other countries, but only to spread freedom.

"Our policy does not aim to impose the American system of government on other countries, but only to spread freedom. The United States have neither the right, nor the wish nor the intention of imposing their own form of government on any others," concluded President Bush.

As was expected, Bush confirmed that he will ask Congress to approve the sum of 350 million dollars in aid for the Palestinians, and he stated that the new Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is today to start her tour in the Middle East, in order to meet with the Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"The aim of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, which will live peacefully side by side is very close, and America will assist in achieving this aim," he underlined.

Translated by Millie Williams

[08] Remaining in the Media Sector Bobolas Withdraws from Construction

By Vagelis Theodorou

In a letter to the administration of the Athens Stock Exchange, Leonidas Bobolas announced his intention to sell 12.9% of the company Elliniki Technodomiki TEB. According to a statement from the company, "Mr Bobolas, shareholder with 17.876% of the capital of the company Elliniki Technodomiki TEB S.A. and holder of 22,950,571 shares, is prepared from 7/2/2005 to 6/5/2005 to sell 16,562,072 shares (amounting to 12.9%) The Stock Exchange broker who will handle the dealings is EFG Eurobank." With this move, the Bobolas family chooses to stay in the Media sector, in order to conform to the provisions of the Main Shareholder Act. The end of May marks the end of the four-month deadline to conform provided by the law, while if this is not kept to, the Elliniki Technodomiki group will not fulfill the legal requirements in order to compete for contracts for public works.

Translated by Millie Williams

[09] Die-Hard AEK

By Vasilis Kalpinos

In what was a very beautiful match, AEK celebrated their great victory-qualification against Panathinaikos with an easy score of 3-1. More of a team on the turf, AEK playing versus a Panathinaikos, who were clearly better than in the first match, took an early lead at the 3 after Katsouranis was awarded a free-kick. PAO momentarily tied the score with Konstantinou (51), but Santos team seemed to be in grated need of the qualification and with two goals by Soares (53) and Ivic (77), they claimed victory and their ticket to the Greek Cup round of 8. At the next match, AEK will play versus Panionios.

Taking the Lead

The match got off on a dynamic start for both teams. Just at the 3' AEK came close to scoring with Julio Cesar, whose kick hit on Kotsolis' horizontal bar. Panathinaikos answered back one minute later, but Chiotis stopped Basinas' strong shot. After two good opportunities, the guests finally got their chance to open the score.

Gkoumas received the yellow card for a foul on Cesar and the referee awarded Katsouranis with a free-kick which landed inside Kotsolis' post, thus opening the score for AEK.

The Greens reacted immediately and came very close to the draw at the 11'. Gonzalez and Papadopoulos joined forces but Chiotis repelled the latter's kick. Things slowed down as AEK had got what they wanted and focused on defence. This allowed Panathinaikos to take the lead, without any successful attempts however. Nothing changed and the first half ended with 0-1.

Immediate Response

In the rerun, the home team entered the pitch determined to reverse the score. Their start was amazing. Gkekas replaced Haralambides and PAO tied the score with Konstantinou's header at the 51'. And while everything showed that Panathinaikos would recover, Soares felt otherwise and two minutes later he scored a second goal in favour of AEK with a header. In just two-minute time, Panathinaikos' task was once again very difficult.

The match acquires a wild beauty with attempts by both sides. However, AEK had the better half of the deal. At the 68' Soares was one-on-one with Kotsolis, but the Greek goalkeeper stopped the ball. At the 77' qualification-case was closed in favour of AEK.

In a foul outside the area, Ivic received the ball and sent it right at the heart of the green post, thus making 3-1. Until the end of the match nothing changed, despite the fact that both teams had their share of opportunities, and AEK celebrated their victory-qualification inside Leoforos.

Referee: Terovitsas

Yellow cards: Goumas, Basinas, Konstantinou, Vintra, Russev, Katsouranis, Kontis, Soares, Lymperopoulos

PANATHINAIKOS: Kotsolis, Vintra, Goumas, Morris, Andric (74' Wooter), Basinas, Konstantinidis (82' Soares), Charalambidis (46' Gekas), Gonzalez, Papadopoulos, Konstantinou.

AEK: Chiotis, Bourmos, Alves, Morras, Katsouranis, Kyriakidis, Russev (52' Krassas), Julio Cesar (74' Ivic), Soares (82' Konstantinidis), Lymperopoulos.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[10] Same Score Qualification

By Vasilis Kalpinos

Giorgos Chatzaras' team had a hard time but eventually claimed victory and qualified to the quarterfinals of the Greek Cup. Aris defeated Ethnikos with 1-2 in Kesariani and in combination to the 2-1 of the first match they qualified to the next round. On the other hand, Ethnikos really tried to win and qualify, in fact they even had the lead for a while, but Aris' immediate answer and clever play did not allow them to qualify after all. The home team opened the score at the 49' with de Soouza, Nebegleras tied the match at the 58' and Kuemaha scored the victorious goal during the extra time. Aris will play versus Kalamaria in the round of 8.

Ethnikos Came on Strong

The home team got off to a very good start and took the lead. Besides, the 2-1 defeat in the first match imposed such an attitude. At the 14' and after Dagounakis' centre kick from the right, de Soouza found himself in a very favourable spot but failed to threaten Lymperopoulos' post. As for Aris, Sanjurjo missed out on two good opportunities to score at the 39' and the 44'.

It All Happened in the Rerun

The rerun started with a goal. At the 49' Ethnikos opened the score, when Vidalis passed the ball to de Soouza, who sent the ball to the nets with a fine kick, thus giving the home team the lead and the feeling of qualifying. However, cheering did not last long enough, as Aris' reaction was immediate and tied the score at the 58'. Lazanas passed to Nebegleras, who being all alone opposite Thomopoulos did not have a hard time scoring (1-1). From then onwards, the home team (Ethnikos) tried to score a second goal, but that never happened. At the extra time, Kuemaha made an impressive attempt with a long kick and sealed qualification for Aris.

Referee: Briakos (Epirus)

Yellow cards: A. Papadopoulos, Gogolos, de Soouza

ETHNIKOS: Thomopoulos, Dagounakis, Stratakis, Koulis, Maniatis, de Soouza, Prodan, Dovas (78' Kontodimos), Kouboulis, Vidalis, Tsimas

ARIS: Lymperopoulos, Sanjurjo, Papadopoulos, Beniskos (23' Markomichalis), Lazanas (90' Passalis), Naidos, Gogolos, Inongue (50' Kuemaha), Kalimanis, Nebegleras, Murawski.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[11] In the Grip of the Law

By Ilias Papaioannou

The First Instance Court Prosecutor has charged 14 people with misdemeanours regarding serious violations of the sports law. The people were recognized from video footage or photographs, where they were shown participating in the violence at Panionios Stadium in Nea Smirni, shortly before the match between Panionios and Olympiacos. The Prosecutors long list included the following crimes, which were described as serious: Possession and use of objects that could cause bodily harm, violence against others, unjustifiable invasion of the pitch, launching objects at other people, affray, unprovoked grievous bodily harm, disturbance of the peace, illegal possession of weapons, attempted release of people in custody and bodily harm. The Prosecutor is continuing investigations to locate other people involved.

Translated by Millie Williams

[12] What you should think of before the big step Women Beware of Marriage

By Viki Keleri

The opinion that marriage is good for the health is given a knock by a new study, that claims that long life tends to go with an avoidance of saying "I do." Researchers at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia have evidence to back up their claim. They studied a sample of 2300 Australian women over the age of 60 and saw that the health of divorcees, widows and those who had never married was in a better condition that their married counterparts.

Double Dilemma

The director of the research, Belinda Hewitt justified the findings, saying that married women always have to care for their husbands, which has an adverse effect on their health.

"Most probably, marriage forces you to stay at home more with your partner," she adds.

Are the findings right or wrong? Seeking the answer to the question brings us to a double dilemma should we remain sworn enemies of marriage, or should we move forward into the camp of marriage.

In any case, both cases have their risks. What would you choose?

Translated by Millie Williams

[13] Research on the Dissemination of New Technologies Greeks Stick to Mobiles

By Vagelis Theodorou

It appears that Greeks are addicted to mobile telephony, according to a VPRC research for the dissemination of New Technologies, conducted for the Greek Research and Technology Network. According to the findings, the use of personal computers and the Internet has decreased significantly in 2004, while the purchase and use of mobile phones has increased. In particular, 25.9% of Greeks use personal computers (instead of 27.1% in 2003) and 19.7% surf the Internet (instead of 19.9% last year). On the contrary, 69.4% of the Greek population owns a mobile phone (64.7% in 2003). The main reason for the use of computers is electronic mail, while the overwhelming majority of people asked, said mobile phones are a necessity.

Young Internet Users

The dissemination of New Technologies appears to be greater amongst younger ages (15-34 years) in cities, and mainly among the higher educated population, and greater for men than women.

In particular, 50.8% of Internet users are 15-17 years old, 38.5% are 18-24 years old, while for ages between 45-54 the percentage drops to 12.4% and only to 1.9% for over 65.

Greeks with a higher education surf the Internet at a percentage of 50.9%. These percentages drop to 21.7% for Greeks with secondary education and to 0.9% for lower educated people. At the same time, the use of Internet in cities reaches 25.7% instead of 10.9% in rural areas.

Men are more familiarized to New Technologies, as they use them at a percentage of 24.6%, while women using the Internet reach 14.9%.

Electronic mail constitutes the main use of the Internet (21.5%), followed by information search (17.7%) and news briefing (11.7%). 18.7% of Internet users have made at least one electronic purchase, while the feeling of lack of safety constitutes a stopper for Internet transactions.

Mobile Phones Steal Hearts

Mobile telephony has conquered the Greek market, as almost 70% of the population owns a mobile phone and states it has become a necessity.

According to the research findings, mobiles are men's necessary "accessories" (76.4%) and sell like hot cakes amongst the youth aged 18-24 (96.1%). Mobile owners are of higher education (88%) and mostly live in cities (75%).

However, services offered by mobile telephony companies are not so widespread, since only 2.9% of people owning a mobile use WAP services. At the same time, interest for other offered services (MMS, PC link, videoconference) is not so great, as the majority of people asked, said they are not at all interested in using them.

What is more, 31.2% think the mobile phone is very important, 33.6% said it is quite important, while 22.2% do not think mobiles are important.

The research was conducted from 7 November to 7 December 2004 throughout Greece, in a total of 2.084 people aged over 15, using the method personal interviews and questionnaires.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

Related Links:

Detailed Research Results

National Research and Technology Network

VPRC

[14] Growing Chairs

By Vagelis Theodorou

So far people were used to growing vegetables and fruits and buying chairs from furniture stores. A 60year-old Chinese from the town of Liaoning has changed these simple facts of life, as he has patented his technique for growing his own wooden chairs! Mr Wu moulds branches into shape while the tree is still growing. He uses elm trees which are pliant and do not break easily. As the 'chair' grows, he constantly trims and guides it into shape before it is finally harvested. Mr Wu has one tree chair in his home, which he harvested last September, and six more growing in his field. He hopes that one day people will be able to grow all of their furniture instead of having to buy it from a store.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[15] A 72-year-old man is arrested for trafficking mate New Case of Internet Child Porn

By Vivian Papastefanou

Child porn over the Internet has recently taking on terrifying dimensions. Attica Police Electronic Crime Unit yesterday arrested a 72-year-old man who used the Internet to traffic in photographs and videos showing babies, toddlers and small children aged from 2-7 in sexual activity with adults. At the mans house in Kifissia the police also found a central computer, three high resolution cameras, ten credit cards, two deposit books and a large number of CD ROMs. They also discovered handwritten documents noting clients and a record of profits. It transpired from the investigation that a large number of photographs and video material was not on the Internet, which means that it is likely they were produced in Greece. The man will today face the Public Prosecutor, while the authorities are examining the possibility that other people are involved in the case.

Translated by Millie Williams

[16] No Civil War in Top Four

By Ilias Papaioannou

The European Volleyball Federation today took steps to ensure that there would be no "civil war" battles in the semi-finals between Greek and Italian teams playing in the final four of the mens Champions League. The Federation today announced the pairs for the final matches of the to European tournament, which will be held in Thessaloniki from 26-27 March 2005 at Alexandreio Melathro.

The Final Four Pairs

Host team Iraklis will wait for the final four to cross swords with the winner of the pair Dinamo Moscow (Russia) Lokomotiv Belgorod (Russia) /Sisley Trevviso (Italy) Hotvolley Vienna (Austria) B.

If it first gets past German team Friedrichshafen, and following this the winner from Jastrzebski (Poland) Nolico (Belgium), in the semi-finals in Thessaloniki, Panathinaikos will face the team that triumphs from the pairs Piacenza (Italy) Tours (France) Berlin (Germany) Paris (France) A.

On the last day of the games, Sunday 27 March, the teams defeated in A and B will play each other for third place, while the two winners will play for the final.

Translated by Millie Williams

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