Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2001-04-24
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, April 24, 2001
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[Á] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
[02] THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN DENIED THE INFORMATION ON THE
RESIGNATION OF THE LABOR MINISTER
[03] LIMITED INCIDENTS ERUPTED OUTSIDE THE TURKISH CONSULATE IN
THESSALONIKI
[04] THE GREEK PRIME MINISTER MET WITH HIS UKRAINIAN COUNTERPART
[05] NO NEWS IN GREECE NEXT THURSDAY
[06] GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS HELD A PROTEST IN A CHEMICAL PLANT IN
THESSALONIKI
[07] THE GREEN CARDS MUST BEAR THE NAMES OF FAMILY MEMBERS
ACCOMPANYING IMMIGRANTS TO GREECE
[08] THE RADIATION THREAT STILL EXISTS 15 YEARS AFTER THE
CHERNOBYL DISASTER
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] LOSSES IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
Loses were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange today. The
general index dropped to -0.99% at 3.230,75 points, while the
volume of transactions was small at 129.94 million Euro or 44.27
billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 48 recorded gains and 283 had
losses, while the value of 43 stocks remained stable.
[02] THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN DENIED THE INFORMATION ON THE
RESIGNATION OF THE LABOR MINISTER
The information on the resignation of labor minister Tasos
Yiannitsis was denied today by government spokesman Dimitris
Reppas saying characteristically that they has no relation with
reality and such an issue was never raised.
When he was asked to comment on the statements made by
undersecretary of labor Nikos Farmakis according to which, the
labor ministry feels alone in the effort to reform the social
security system, he responded that the government backs all its
members at the front line, within the framework of the decisions
reached in the joint meeting of the governmental committee and the
governing socialist party of PASOK Executive Bureau.
Mr. Reppas stated that the government and party officials
actively participate in the effort aimed at completing the social
dialogue process achieving a desirable result.
[03] LIMITED INCIDENTS ERUPTED OUTSIDE THE TURKISH CONSULATE IN
THESSALONIKI
Limited incidents erupted outside the Turkish consulate in
Thessaloniki where a march of tens of Armenians ended up, held on
the occasion of the 86th anniversary of the Armenian genocide that
was committed by the Ottoman Turks.
A police force outside the consulate stopped the protesters
in their attempt to approach the building and clashes erupted when
they tried to break the police line.
One protester was slightly injured.
A rally was also held by Armenians outside the Turkish
embassy in Athens this morning.
[04] THE GREEK PRIME MINISTER MET WITH HIS UKRAINIAN COUNTERPART
Ukrainian prime minister Victor Yusenko, who is on a visit to
Athens, met today with his Greek counterpart Kostas Simitis.
Mr. Simitis assured the Ukrainian prime minister that
bilateral economic and trade relations will be strengthened. He
also stated that the study on the Odessa-Piraeus sea line will
start soon. Mr. Yusenko appeared very satisfied with those
assurances.
Tomorrow, the Ukrainian prime minister will visit
Thessaloniki.
[05] NO NEWS IN GREECE NEXT THURSDAY
The mass media offices will be closed in Greece on April 26
as the journalists' unions will participate actively in the 24hour
general strike that will be held in the country in response to
certain points of the social security system reforms proposed by
the government.
The Greek journalists call for meaningful dialogue for the
improvement of the social security system.
[06] GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS HELD A PROTEST IN A CHEMICAL PLANT IN
THESSALONIKI
Members of the Greek office of the ecological organization
GREENPEACE held a protest in the facilities of the Phosphoric
Fertilizers Industry chemical plant in Thessaloniki reacting to
its operation.
The activists entered the plant's facilities and four of them
were tied with ropes to a large storage tank containing
hydrochloric acid, while a sign wrote "Stop climate-ozone
killers".
In the operation participated about 20 GREENPEACE activists
from Greece, Germany and Slovakia. No incidents were reported.
According to GREENPEACE, the specific plant produces 3% of
the gas emissions that are responsible for the "greenhouse effect"
in Greece and the only one that continues to produce substances
that destroy the ozone layer.
[07] THE GREEN CARDS MUST BEAR THE NAMES OF FAMILY MEMBERS
ACCOMPANYING IMMIGRANTS TO GREECE
A new population of illegal-legal immigrants is being created
in the country as a result of the fact that the names of the
family members accompanying immigrants with green cards in Greece
are not written on them.
The above are mentioned in a letter by Greek Euro-deputy Anna
Karamanou, of the governing socialist party of PASOK, addressed to
labor minister Tasos Yiannitsis, about two weeks before the
opening of the process for the legalization of the illegal
immigrants in Greece based on the latest legislation.
Ms. Karamanou points out that the deportation of the family
members accompanying green card holders is forbidden but their
names are not mentioned on any formal document and therefore, they
can have no transactions with state agencies thus limiting their
rights.
Ms. Karamanou calls on the labor minister to reconsider the
regulation forbidding to write on the green cards the names of the
family members of their holders in order to avoid placing their
wives and children outside the law and on the fringe of society.
[08] THE RADIATION THREAT STILL EXISTS 15 YEARS AFTER THE
CHERNOBYL DISASTER
The radiation threat is still real 15 years after the
Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine and will continue to be present for
many years to come at 20% of the Belarus territory, a country that
never had nuclear reactors.
However, the country's regime tries to hide the fact that
there is a risk for the 2,2 million people living in the forbidden
zone, which is fenced in. An equal threat face the rest of the
Belarusians as well, as polluted with radiation products from that
region are being illegally distributed for consumption.
The above were mentioned in the presentation of a book
written by Belarussian journalist Svetlana Alexievic with the
title "Chernobyl, a chronicle of the future". The book has been
published in 20 countries and was honored with 10 international
awards. In Belarus it is a forbidden book as its author has been
characterized as a dissenter.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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