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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 98-11-18Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.BRIEF GREEK NEWS BULLETIN BY THE MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCYThessaloniki, November 18, 1998TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] TEMPERATURES DROP SIGNIFICANTLY IN NORTHERN GREECEThessaloniki, November 18 (MPA)Temperatures have drop significantly in Northern Greece, reaching as low as zero degrees in many regions.According to the National Weather Report, the cold wave is to continue throughout the week in Macedonian and Thrace. Meanwhile, the season's first snowfall made its appearance yesterday in the mountain areas of Kozani, Florina and Kastoria where transportation is feasible with anti-skid chains. [02] ALMOST ALL OF USED TRUCKS HAVE FAKE OWNERSHIP TITLES, SAYS MINISTRYAthens, November 18 (MPA)Ninety-five to 98% of the used trucks in Greece have fraudulent titles of ownership, the Undersecretary of Economy George Drys announced yesterday.He further added that car owners who have paid for vehicles that have not gone through customs check yet, will be able to receive the monetary difference owed to them. Meanwhile, staff at the country's customs checks points are embarking today on a three-day strike. [03] TURKEY WANTS TO BE NAMED AS EU CANDIDATE MEMBERAnkara, November 18 (MPA)Turkish President Suleiman Demirel told his Austrian counterpart that Turkey wants to be named as a candidate member of the European Union during the upcoming Summit Meeting , to be held at Vienna in December.Meanwhile, Ankara is pressuring the Italian government to hand over the leader of the PKK Abdullah Ocalan. [04] GREEK FOREIGN MINISTER TRAVELS TO SOUTH AFRICA TOMORROWAthens, November 18 (MPA)Greece's Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos is to embark on an official two-day visit to South Africa tomorrow.Famous Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis will accompany the FM on his visit and will conduct his musical adaptation of Odysseus Elytis' epic "Axion Esti". Mr. Pangalos has said that proceeds from the concert would be donated to South African President Nelson Mandela's charity to help impoverished children. Mr. Mandela has said he will attend the Greek composer's concert. [05] 1ST BALKAN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EDUCATIONThessaloniki, November 18 (MPA)The First Balkan Conference on "Education and Research Within the Frame of Sustainable Development" will be inaugurated in Thessaloniki tomorrow by the Undersecretary of Education Yiannis Anthopoulos.The three-day Conference's basic idea is to introduce new education systems, like the "Open University or the Selective Studies", as powerful instruments of knowledge within the frame of the social - economical development of any country. Scientists, politicians, reporters, industrial and commerce representatives from Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, and Turkey will participate in the Conference. The event is being held under the auspices of the Ministries of Education and Culture and it is also supported by the Ministry of Macedonia and Thrace. [06] 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF POLYTECHNIC U. UPRISING COMMEMORATED PEACEFULLYThessaloniki, November 18 (MPA)The annual march from the Athens Polytechnic University to the US embassy was held peacefully yesterday, featuring the participation of approximately ten thousand people who commemorated the 25th anniversary of a student occupation of the school's campus in protest against the military dictatorship.In spite of the minor skirmishes between police and self-styled anarchists, this year's march bore no resemblance to years' past that were marked with serious act of vandalism and riots. [07] DEPUTY FM MEETS KRANIDIOTIS WITH CUBAN COUNTERPART ALLIENDEAthens, November 18 (MPA)Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis met with his Cuban counterpart Isabelle Alliende in Athens yesterday whom he briefed on Greek-Turkish relations, the Cyprus problem and developments in the Balkans.In turn, Ms. Alliende briefed Mr. Kranidiotis on Havana's role in Latin American and Caribbean regional integration, as well as Cuba's progress in human rights issues and efforts to combat drug trafficking. Mr. Kranidiotis told Ms Alliende that Greece intended to support Cuba's participation in the European Union - Latin America - Caribbean summit meeting scheduled for June 1999 in Rio de Janeiro. The two officials also discussed bilateral economic and commercial ties in the realm of an air transport agreement which paves the way for a direct air link between the two countries. A shipping agreement is also scheduled which will contain an article on the avoidance of double taxation from shipping profits. [08] GREEKS MAY SMOKE MORE, BUT THEY ARE LESS PRONE TO CANCERBrussels, November 18 (MPA)Greeks may smoke more than the average European, but they are less prone to cancer according to a social profile study conducted by the European Commission throughout the European Union's member- states.According to the other findings, most Greeks are homeowners but live in crowded conditions and show less preference for part- time employment, while they increasingly send their children to universities. The survey revealed that although two out of three Europeans generally stated that they "feel well", official data reflected that one in three men and one in four women were suffering from cancer before they reached the age of 75. [09] CHIEF OF GREEK ARMY ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE UNITED STATESAthens, November 18 (MPA)The chief of the Greek Army, Lt-Gen. Manoussos Paragioudakis, has embarked on an official five-day visit to the United States at the invitation of his counterpart Gen. Dennis Reimer.The two officers are to meet at the US Pentagon today to discuss prospects for the purchase of US-made weapons systems by Greek forces. Lt-Gen. Paragioudakis yesterday had a brief meeting with the US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Henry Shelton, focusing mainly on developments in the Balkans. During his visit, Lt-Gen. Paragioudakis will tour various military facilities in the US and will have talks with top US officers on issues of mutual interest. Additionally, there are planned visits to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and several army commands. Lt-Gen. Paragioudakis has recently been promoted to chief of staff and will be assuming his duties on Feb. 15, 1999. [10] ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS OPPOSED TO HUMAN CLONINGAthens, November 18 (MPA)The Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece Christodoulos is opposed to human cloning as he fears that such scientific progresses would be exceeding the boundaries ordained by nature.Mr. Christodoulos, addressing the Panhellenic Surgeons Conference which was held in Athens during the past weekend, warned that cloning could result in the creation of a race of human copies, amounting to a nightmare worse than Frankenstein's monster. He further added that he shudders at the thought of genetic engineering going so far that it shows a disrespect for the laws of nature which, he warned, avenges itself against those who fail to respect it. "This will create a race of human copies, just as the Nazis and Soviets tried to do. Frankenstein and the Nazi genetics researcher Joseph Mengele would pale by comparison," he stated. He expressed the concern that the moral understanding of those who wield the tools of science may be lacking, inadequate to the task of assessing what kind of research and work is right and what kind is wrong. Nevertheless, he stressed that genetic research has provided many benefits for mankind, albeit adding that there needs to be stricter controls on it, regulated by sound moral and ethical judgment. [11] GREEK NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM IN TIRANA FOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPTirana, November 18 (MPA)Greece's national soccer team is presently in Tirana for today's European championship qualifier against Albania.This will be the first men's international soccer match to be played in Albania since 1996. All international sporting events in Albania were stopped last year, when riots against the government erupted after thousands of families lost their life savings in a huge investment scandal. [12] EVENT TO BE HELD IN COMMEMORATION OF NATIONAL RESISTANCEThessaloniki, November 18 (MPA)The Prefecture of Thessaloniki is organizing an event to be held this Sunday in memory those who lost their lives fighting against the German occupation during the time period of 1941-1944.A doxology will be performed at the city's St. Sophia church, followed by a speech of Prefect Kostas Papadopoulos and a wreath- laying ceremony at the National Resistance Monument. [13] NATIONAL BANK TO UNVEIL AUTHENTIC COPY OF RIGAS' CHARTThessaloniki, November 19 (MPA)The Cultural Center of the National Bank of Greece in Thessaloniki has acquired an authentic copy of the Chart of Rigas, the great Greek revolutionary who envisioned Balkan friendship and unity.The document will be officially presented tomorrow, November 19, and it will be placed on display. The display is of great significance as it coincides with the bicentennial anniversary since Rigas' death. The Chart was printed in 1797 at Vienna and comprises 12 sheets that compose a map of four square meters. [14] 10TH PANHELLENIC AIDS CONFERENCE BEGINS TOMORROW IN ATHENSAthens, November 18 (MPA)The Tenth Panhellenic AIDS conference is to begin in Athens tomorrow until November 21, featuring the participation of physicians, nursing staff and medical school students.According the a relevant news conference, the noted reduction in AIDS outbreaks in developed countries is mostly due to the emergence of new treatments, however new cases continue to appear in groups that were not previously considered prone to the virus. Meanwhile, AIDS continues to run rampant in Eastern European countries, Africa and South-eastern Asia. [15] MEETING FOR PANEUROPEAN X AXIS TO BE HELD IN THESSALONIKI TOMORROWThessaloniki, November 18 (MPA)The first session of the directing committee for the Paneuropean X Axis, chaired by Greece, is to be held in Thessaloniki tomorrow and Friday.The meeting will feature the participation of representatives from all the interested countries, namely Greece, FYROM, the F.R. of Yugoslavia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria. The participants, aside from documenting the present infrastructure situation, are to tackle issues concerning the increase of passenger and freight mobility between Central and South Eastern Europe. The development of the said axis is expected to provide a boost to Greek exports towards Central Europe, thereby increasing Northern Greece's role as a stopover for passenger and freight, especially since the port of Thessaloniki will serve this very purpose. The X Axis begins in Thessaloniki and runs through Skopje, Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubliana to end in Saltzburg, Austria. Sections of the axis are being developed trough Grac, Budapest and Sofia. Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |