Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 05-06-17

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

CONTENTS

[01] RATIFICATIONS AFTER 2006

[02] ANOTHER 48-HOUR BANK STRIKE

[03] ATTEMPT TO INVADE THE PATRIARCHATE BUILDING

[04] ΚΑΤΑΤΕΘΗΚΕ ΣΗΜΕΡΑ Ο ΦΑΚΕΛΟΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΟ ΝΕΟ ΓΗΠΕΔΟ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΝΑΘΗΝΑΪΚΟΥ

[05] THE AMAZING ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM

[06] NEW STRIKE ON JUNE 24

[07] LEADING HELLENIC ORGANIZATIONS HOSTED THE 2005 CYPRUS CONFERENCE

[01] RATIFICATIONS AFTER 2006

The EU Summit decided yesterday to continue the European Constitutional Treaty ratification process during the Austrian EU Presidency in July 2006. The EU Summit proceedings continue today to discuss the 2007-2013 EU budget while concession tendencies appear likely. The Prime Minister characterized the undertaking as difficult.

It is estimated that the funds allocated to Greece for the specific period of time will be no less than 12 billion euros.

Government officials maintain that negotiations are hard, while PASOK accused the government of having too small expectations.

The government spokesman accused PASOK of expedience.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso proposed to the EU member states to adopt Plan D for dialogue and democracy.

Denmark, the Czech Republic and Ireland have postponed the referendums for the ratification of the European Constitution.

[02] ANOTHER 48-HOUR BANK STRIKE

The confrontation concerning the social security reforms affecting bank employees escalates as the bank employees' union, OTOE, announced another 48-hour strike for today and Tuesday, June 21.

A big rally was held in front of the OTOE building in Athens organized by OTOE, the General Confederation of Labor Unions, the public employees' union and the public service companies' federations.

Rallies were held in Thessaloniki today.

In favor of the reforms is Association of Greek Industries President Odysseas Kyriakopoulos who accused the General Confederation of Labor Unions of operating under a political party hat.

[03] ATTEMPT TO INVADE THE PATRIARCHATE BUILDING

The atmosphere in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem continues to be tense after the late last night attempt by private police officers hired by Irenaeus to invade the Patriarchate building.

The Holy Sepulture monks maintained that the goal of the team in question was to occupy the building.

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem Holy Synod Court had decided earlier to dethrone Irenaeus and reduce him to the rank of a monk.

Irenaeus did not appear before the Holy Synod Court refusing to recognize its authority.

[04] ΚΑΤΑΤΕΘΗΚΕ ΣΗΜΕΡΑ Ο ΦΑΚΕΛΟΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΟ ΝΕΟ ΓΗΠΕΔΟ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΝΑΘΗΝΑΪΚΟΥ

Σύμφωνα με τις οδηγίες που είχε δώσει ο Υφυπουργός Πολιτισμού, αρμόδιος για θέματα Αθλητισμού Γιώργος Ορφανός, το φάκελο για το γήπεδο του Παναθηναϊκού παρέλαβε σήμερα, από τον Αντιδήμαρχο Αθηναίων Χρόνη Ακριτίδη, ο Γενικός Διευθυντής Υποστήριξης Αθλητισμού της Γενικής Γραμματείας Αθλητισμού Θωμάς Στάμου.

Ο τίτλος που αναγράφεται στο φάκελο είναι: «Δημοτικό Στάδιο Αθηνών Παναθηναϊκός Α.Ο.» και περιέχει: Χάρτες χωροθέτησης των εγκαταστάσεων, με τις προσβάσεις, που δείχνουν τις σημερινές δυνατότητες, αλλά και τις μελλοντικές (Μετρό κλπ).

Ο κ. Στάμου ήδη παρέδωσε το φάκελο στην Επιτροπή, που ασχολείται με την προετοιμασία του φακέλου υποψηφιότητας της χώρας μας για τη διεκδίκηση της διοργάνωσης του EURO 2012.

Η Επιτροπή θα εξετάσει την πληρότητα των στοιχείων, με βάση τις προδιαγραφές της UEFA, και στη συνέχεια θα υποβάλει σχετική έκθεση, στον Υφυπουργό Αθλητισμού Γιώργο Ορφανό.

[05] THE AMAZING ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM

London Science Museum curator Michael Wright characterized as invaluable the Antikythera Mechanism, an extremely complex astronomy instrument. The device dates back to the 1st century BC and according to Mr. Wright, overturns the myth that ancient Greeks were philosophers and had no interest in technology.

For the first time in the history of the findings that come from the specific period of time, something so complex has been discovered, underlined Mr. Wright speaking to MPA within the framework of an open lecture in Thessaloniki yesterday.

Mr. Wright pointed out that for the first time, based on the study of the mechanism itself, (he has constructed a replica to be able to understand how it works) is made widely known that this was a lunar calendar able to predict lunar eclipses. He said that this is a very important fact because people back then planted their crops based on the lunar circle. He added that the most important fact is that the specific mechanism displayed not only the position of the Moon and the Sun in the sky but all the known planets today as well, Saturn included.

The device, stressed Mr. Wright, proves that it was not the first one made during that time, while he underlined that the scenarios that question the fact that its origin is Greece are groundless.

For the record, the specific finding was discovered in an ancient shipwreck at a depth of 42 meters that was located by sponge-divers from the Aegean island of Simi in 1900. They were coming from Tunisia and because of heavy seas they were forced to stop at the island of Antikythera. A year later, the Archaeological Agency launched a series of systematic seabed excavations during which important findings were discovered now displayed at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

[06] NEW STRIKE ON JUNE 24

The public service companies, DEKO, and the General Confederation of Labor Unions announced that they will hold a 24-hour strike on June 24. The bank employees' strike will continue until June 21, while it is not unlikely for the strike action to continue until next Friday.

Association of Greek Industries President Odysseas Kyriakopoulos is in favor of the reforms.

[07] LEADING HELLENIC ORGANIZATIONS HOSTED THE 2005 CYPRUS CONFERENCE

The 2005 Cyprus Conference, hosted by four leading Hellenic organizations, ended in Washington, DC, after three days of meetings with more than 35 Senators and House Representatives who pledged to help reverse the effect of recent actions that promote the government of the northern occupied part of the island as a legitimate entity.

World SAE President Andrew A. Athens, who is also National Chairman of UHAC, was presented last night with the Golden Eagle of St. Mamas award by Great Britain's Morfu District Association for his work on behalf of Cyprus for more than 30 years.

The 16th Annual Cyprus Conference was hosted by the international Cypriot group PSEKA, the World Council of Hellenes (SAE), the United Hellenic American Congress (UHAC) and the National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes (CEH).

The participants focused their presentations on recent visits by U.S. Congressmen and businessmen to the pseudo government at the Turkish occupied part of the island that is recognized only by Turkey.

"With such visits directly to the occupied northern part of the island, they are trying to provide informal recognition", said Mr. Athens. "Also, friends of Turkey in the U.S. and in Europe are attempting to punish Hellene Cypriots for exercising their democratic right to vote against the Anan plan which was openly unjust and overwhelmingly against the people of the Republic of Cyprus. But we are going to work to defeat the impression they are trying to give that instead of victims Hellene Cypriots are the aggressors.

"Many also forget that not only the Hellene Cypriots rejected the plan with a huge majority, but many Turks also voted against the Anan plan. If you take the combined Hellenic and Turkish vote, even then 68 per cent of the total vote is against the plan."

Determination to mobilize the community to defeat Turkish propaganda was also voiced by PSEKA President Philip Christopher, CEH President Andrew A. Manatos and the representatives from more than 15 Cypriot federations around the world.

Among more than 35 American political leaders at the conference were Congressmen Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Mike Bilirakis (R-FL) co-chairmen of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL); Nita Lowey (D-NY); Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Eliot Engel (D-NY), and Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME); Paul Sarbanes (D-MD); Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Lincoln Chafee (R-RI).

The participants included Cypriot Ambassador Euripides Evriviades who hosted the welcoming reception at his residence; Eugene Haitidis, chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee for Hellenes Abroad, and Grigoris Niotis, vice chairman of the same committee; former Secretary General for Hellenes Abroad Demetri Dollis; Panicos Papanikolaou, president, Cyprus Federation of America; Nikos Mouyiaris, executive vice president, Pancyprian Association of America; alternate president, PSEKA, Savas Tsivicos; and Chris Tomaras, vice president SAE of North and South America.

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