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Macedonian Press Agency: Brief News in English, 99-01-11Macedonian 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, January 11, 1999TITLES
NEWS IN DETAIL[01] EDUCATION TO BE DISCUSSED IN PARLIAMENT TODAYAthens, January 11 (MPA)Today is a crucial day for the country's education sector as the crisis plaguing schools throughout Greece will be discussed in Parliament at political leaders level.High school students throughout the country are conducting general assemblies today in order to decide on the fate of their mobilizations which have been held in protest to educational reforms. Their teachers will conduct a two-hour work stoppage. According to the Education Ministry, approximately 96% of the schools operated last Friday, the first day after the Christmas holidays. However, according to the Teachers Federation, the majority of students are planning to continue the sit ins. A.F. [02] STATE PROPOSES A SERIES OF TAX REFORMSAthens, January 11 (MPA)The state is promoting a series of tax reforms, among them the reduction of the tax factors and the abolishment of the objective criteria. Undersecretary of Finance George Drys is to request the relevant plan from minister of National Economy and Finance Yiannos Papantoniou and will embark on a social dialogue within the following months.Moreover, the government plans the gradual abolishment of the special tax of banking processes, which will lead to a significant reduction in loan costs. A.F. [03] PRESIDENT OF CYPRUS TO MEET WITH DAME ANN HERCUSNicosia, January 11 (MPA)The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafcos Clerides is to embark on a new series of talks concerning the island's occupation by Turkish forces.Today, he will meet with the UN Secretary-General's representative Dame Ann Hercus, the first meeting held between them after the National Council's decision not to deploy the S-300 missiles on the island. President Clerides will also meet with the United States Ambassador to Nicosia Kenneth Brill. A.F. [04] WWII COUPLE REUNITES AFTER 56 YEARS, TILL DEATH DOES THEM APARTThessaloniki, January 11 (MPA)It began 57 years ago, when Luigi Surace, an Italian soldier assigned to the Greek city of Patras as part of the WWII occupation forces, met a local girl named Angeliki Stratigou, fell in love with her and vowed to marry her after the war.Indeed, once the war was over, he placed pen in heart and wrote a series of letters to his beloved but received no reply. That's because Angeliki's aunt disapproved of the affair and intercepted her mail. A disheartened Luigi, stopped writing after three years. He did marry another woman but, after she died in 1996, he began searching for his first love. He appealed to the mayor of Patras who discovered Ms. Stratigou living alone, never having married. She was 79 years old and he was 77. After renewing their vows, they planned their wedding for two weeks from now. However, Luigi's bride-to-be died on Saturday after a sudden stroke. As the saying goes, love may conquer all, in this case over half a century, but it cannot conquer death. A.F. [05] ARCHBISHOP SPYRIDON ANNOUNCES INITIATIVE TO RE-OPEN CHALKINew York, January 11 (MPA)The Archbishop of America Spyridon has announced that the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is undertaking an initiative to establish an independent foundation whose task will be to promote efforts to reopen the Halki School of Theology.The Archbishop stressed that apart from the Greek Orthodox faithful in the US, the initiative will expand to garner support from all Orthodox churches of other nationalities. A.F. [06] UKRAINE: COAL MINE EXPLOSION DUE TO NEGLIGENCEKiev, January 11 (MPA)Disregard for safety rules led to the explosion that occurred at a coal mine in the Ukraine, which took the lives of six people, according to a report issued by a member of the investigative committee.The committee member stated that the disconnection of the ventilation system led to the accumulation of methane which caused the explosion. The Ukrainian government plans to provide the victims' families with $166,000. A.F. [07] CENTRAL GREECE'S FARMERS WARN OF MOBILIZATIONSThessaloniki, January 11 (MPA)The farmers of central Greece are expected to repeat last year's eventful road blockades.The Panthessaly Coordinating Committee of Farmers is to conduct a city rally on January 15 at prefectural offices and Agricultural Bank branches, while some local roads will be blockaded. The protests are expected to continue into early February. A.F. [08] FINNISH PREMIER TO OFFICIALLY VISIT GREECE ON SUNDAYAthens, January 11 (MPA)The Prime Minster of Finland Paavo Liponen is to conduct an official visit to Greece between January 17-19, in order to discuss matters related to his country's undertaking of the European Union's rotating presidency as of July 1, 1999.Mr. Liponen will be received by the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos, his Greek counterpart Kostas Simitis and the President of the Hellenic Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis. According to reports, the talks will center on Cyprus's accession to the EU. A.F. [09] BULGARIA'S DEFENSE MINSTER ARRIVES IN ATHENS TODAYSofia, January 11 (MPA)Bulgaria's Defense Minister Georgi Ananiev is to arrive in Athens today in order to attend tomorrow's Southeastern European Defense Ministers meeting.An agreement is expected to be signed at the meeting concerning the formation of a multi-national Balkan peacekeeping force whose headquarters will initially be established in Bulgaria's sister capital city of Plovdiv. A.F. [10] SOFIA-THESSALONIKI MOTOR ROUTE TO BE READY BY THE YEAR 2004Thessaloniki, January 11 (MPA)Greek and Bulgarian experts are to meet in Sofia tomorrow in order to discuss the construction of the new motorway (Strymonas) linking Thessaloniki and Sofia.The motorway will embark from the Kulata-Promahona border station and will cross through the Greek city of Serres before ending in Thessaloniki. Later plans call for the motorway's extension to Athens. The present motor route between Thessaloniki and Sofia takes four hours. The new motorway is expected to be ready by the year 2004, when Athens will host the Olympic Games. The eight-million-ECU project is to be funded through the European Union's PHARE program. A.F. [11] KLA UNYIELDING OVER ITS CAPTURE OF EIGHT SERB SOLDIERSPrishtina, January 11 (MPA)The growing tension that peaked on Friday in Kosovo has subsided according to observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), although rebels from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) continue to hold hostage eight Serb soldiers whom they captured in the village of Stari Trg hoping for a prisoner exchange.The KLA issued an announcement wherein it insists that its prisoners will be released "once an agreement on the release of Kosovo Albanians taken captive by the Serb side has been reached." OSCE monitors allowed to visit the eight hostages have stated that they are in good health and are confident they will be freed. A.F. [12] EUROPEAN COMMISSION FACES CENSURE VOTE BY PARLIAMENTStrasbourg, January 11 (MPA)The European Parliament is to embark on a debate today concerning the censure vote against the European Commission, whose 20 members are faced with dismissal over charges of fraud and mismanagement.The allegations were brought forward by socialist European deputies and concern an array of topics, spanning the funding of humanitarian programs amounting to millions of dollars to favoritism. A successful censure vote requires a two-thirds majority of votes cast and would have drastic consequences as, according to the European Union's treaty, the 20 Commissioners would be forced to step down. European Socialist leader Pauline Green told the BBC that a greater degree of transparency needs to be established in order to restore the Commission's credibility. A.F. [13] SERBS TO CONDUCT PROTEST RALLY IN PRISHTINA TODAYPrishtina, January 11 (MPA)The Serb residents of the province of Kosovo are to gather in a rally signaled by the slogan "End to silence - no more misery", in the center of Prishtina this evening.The event is organized by the Serb party of Kosovo Resistance, with the support of the Serb church. According to the party's leader Momcilo Trikovic, the rally wants to convey a message to Belgrade over the problems faced by the region's Serbs who are forced to abandon their homes. He added that there are many areas resided solely by Albanians. A.F. [14] US MAYOR MOVES FOR RESTORATION OF SYNAGOGUE IN CRETENew York, January 11 (MPA)The Jewish mayor of Great Neck, a suburb in the greater New York area, Bob Rosegarten, has moved for the restoration of the Etz Hayyim synagogue in Chania, Crete, a remarkable monument that attests to the 2,400 year-old Jewish presence on the island.The synagogue, located at the old port of Chania, once was a center of bustling activity for the island's Zedecca community and was destroyed during the course of World War II. It was built as a church during the 15th century and was transformed into a synagogue in the 17th century. In 1944 it housed 269 Jews for two days before they were transported by the German occupation forces on a ship that would take them to Auschwitz. The ship sank a short distance from the island of Milos and only one person survived. Aiding Mr. Rosegarten in his efforts to restore the Jewish synagogue is Greek professor Nikos Hannan- Stavroulakis. A.F. 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