Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 00-04-15

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

CONTENTS

[01] THESSALONIKI'S OLD WATERFRONT IS SLOWLY SINKING

[02] A 25% OF THE VOTERS DECIDED AT THE LAST MINUTE WHICH PARTY THEY WOULD

[03] THE YOUNG GREEKS ABANDON CIGARETTE SMOKING IN FAVOR OF ALCOHOL

[04] ITALIAN DESIGNER FENDI VISITED KASTORIA

[05] EFES PILSEN IS EXPECTED IN THESSALONIKI

[06] LARGE PART OF KFOR REINFORCEMENTS WILL PASS THROUGH THESSALONIKI

[07] SIMON PERES WILL VISIT GREECE

[08] HUMAN RIGHTS IN TURKEY ARE A PRE-CONDITION FOR THE GERMAN ARMORED TANKS

[09] INCREASE IN THE CAR SALES IN EUROPE

[10] STRESS SLOWS DOWN THE HEALING OF WOUNDS

[01] THESSALONIKI'S OLD WATERFRONT IS SLOWLY SINKING

Thessaloniki's old waterfront is at risk of sinking as the sea water has caused extensive erosion creating underground "caves" which in certain cases reach the foundations of apartment buildings along Niki Avenue.

The problem is especially intense in the area between the old US consulate building and the White Tower and the situation becomes worse because of the increased traffic mainly at noon.

The extensive ground erosion suffered in that area was known to the municipality of Thessaloniki and Thessaloniki's Port Authority since the beginning of the year, according to a report on the Thessaloniki newspaper "Macedonia" but due to the seriousness of the situation it was not announced to the public.

Meanwhile, the responsible agencies of the municipality of Thessaloniki and the Port Authority have been mobilized and on Monday the support work will be underway.

[02] A 25% OF THE VOTERS DECIDED AT THE LAST MINUTE WHICH PARTY THEY WOULD VOTE FOR

The big forest fire in the Aegean island of Samos and not the parliamentary elections was the issue that concerned most the Greeks last week, according to an opinion poll conducted by the polling company "Focus" on behalf of the Athens radio station "Alpha News 98.7".

Three out of four voters stated that they decided which party they would vote for long before the pre-election campaign period had started, 1 out of 4 during that period and a 9.1% stated that they had made up their minds at the last minute.

One out 4 voters thought hard before ending up voting for the party they were always supporting, while 1 in 10 also thought hard and did not vote for the party they used to.

[03] THE YOUNG GREEKS ABANDON CIGARETTE SMOKING IN FAVOR OF ALCOHOL

The young Greeks abandon cigarette smoking in favor of alcohol consumption, according to a research conducted on a sample of 2.131 young people aged between 17-21, 56.3% boys and 43.7% girls.

On the occasion of a one-day cardiology conference in Thessaloniki, organized by the local military hospital, it was pointed out that young people today smoke less than the young people in 1985 and the number of non smokers today has more than doubled compared to past years. However, the young people today consume more alcohol compared to past years.

Based on research figures, men are more prone to heart attack than women because they smoke more and consume more meet compared to women. However, women are at risk of a heart attack too if they are overweight and do not exercise. Significant factors that contribute to the creation of cardiovascular problems are the lack of physical exercise and obesity.

[04] ITALIAN DESIGNER FENDI VISITED KASTORIA

Italian fashion designer Simona Saracino Fendi, who visited the fur exhibition in Kastoria north-western Greece, stated that she was impressed by the high quality of furs presented in the 25th International Fur Exhibition.

Ms. Fendi left open the likelihood for a future cooperation with the furriers in Kastoria.

[05] EFES PILSEN IS EXPECTED IN THESSALONIKI

The Turkish basketball team Efes Pilsen is expected to arrive in Thessaloniki today for the final four games of the European League. This afternoon, the Turkish team will practice at the newly built stadium of the local team of PAOK where the games of the final phase of the event will be held next Tuesday to Thursday.

On Sunday, the teams of Barcelona and Macambi of Tel Aviv are expected to arrive in Thessaloniki, while on Monday is expected the Athens team of Panathinaikos.

[06] LARGE PART OF KFOR REINFORCEMENTS WILL PASS THROUGH THESSALONIKI

The port of Thessaloniki will play a significant role in the passage of KFOR forces destined for Kosovo during the month of May.

An agreement signed between the United Nations and Yugoslavia provides that the KFOR will be 50.000 men strong but the force never reached that number. Now, a year after the signing of the agreement, an attempt is made to send over 5.000 soldiers from NATO member-states to Kosovo for the force to reach the agreed number of men. For this reason, there will be increased traffic in the port of Thessaloniki until the month of August.

[07] SIMON PERES WILL VISIT GREECE

Former prime minister of Israel and current minister of regional cooperation Simon Peres will be in Greece on April 17-19 to attend the conference on Reconstruction, Development and Security in south-eastern Europe and eastern Mediterranean that will be held in Athens. Mr. Peres will be one of the main speakers in the event.

During his visit to Greece he will meet with president Kostis Stephanopoulos, foreign minister Giorgos Papandreou and mayor of Athens Dimitris Avramopoulos.

[08] HUMAN RIGHTS IN TURKEY ARE A PRE-CONDITION FOR THE GERMAN ARMORED TANKS

German chancellor Gerhard Schreder stated that Turkey did not manage to improve its human rights situation and open the way for the purchase of German armored tanks.

Mr. Schreder said in an interview with the state television station ARD that Germany has linked the sale of the "Leopard II" armored tanks with the real improvement of human rights in Turkey.

[09] INCREASE IN THE CAR SALES IN EUROPE

According to figures given to publicity by the Association of European Car Builders (ACEA), car sales in the EU member-states had an increase of 0.9%.

The biggest increase is recorded in Ireland 33%, followed by Greece 16.4%, Belgium 14.6%, Holland 9.5% and Britain 8.6%.

The biggest drop in car sales is recorded in Denmark 31.4%, followed by Portugal 14.7% and Germany 10.4%.

[10] STRESS SLOWS DOWN THE HEALING OF WOUNDS

Stress can slow down the recovery process of humans and in particular the healing of wounds, as it reduces the levels of important chemical substances in the immunity system which help in this process, according to American scientists.

As it was announced in the British Society of Psychology conference in Winchester, the people who are under stress need up to 24% more time to heal compared to the rest of the patients. Also, it was pointed out that the relaxation methods help in reducing stress and improving the immunity system reaction.

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