Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 05-11-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] THE EU CONSIDERS SUGAR REFORMS

[02] CURFEW IN PARIS

[03] ALL OLYMPIC AIRLINES FLIGHTS TO BE CANCELLED ON THURSDAY

[04] GREEK ACTOR ALEKOS ALEXANDRAKIS IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION

[05] PUBLIC REVENUES INCREASED 12.8% IN OCTOBER

[06] THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON TURKEY

[07] YOUNG KURD SET HIMSELF ABLAZE FOR OCALAN

[01] THE EU CONSIDERS SUGAR REFORMS

The state of the economy and the course of inflation as well as statistical governance are on the daily agenda of the Eurozone Finance Ministers Council meeting in Brussels held in parallel with the Finance and Economy Ministers Council of the "25" EU member states.

ECOFIN examines issues concerning the EU budget, the compromise proposal submitted by the British EU Presidency on VAT and the European Commission proposal on the community reforms on sugar.

[02] CURFEW IN PARIS

The French government imposed curfew in Paris, according to Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin within the framework of the measures aimed at putting down the social unrest in the French capital and other cities.

A sixty-year-old man, the victim of an assault in a north Paris suburb last Friday night, died yesterday and his widow was received by Minister of Interior Nicolas Sarkozy.

This was the first casualty in the French suburb unrest that broke out on October 27 and since then an estimated 3,500 cars were set ablaze and about 800 people were arrested.

The French authorities believe that drug dealers and Islamist fanatics have incited the riots.

Five cars were set on fire in a poor Berlin suburb on Sunday night, according to the German police.

[03] ALL OLYMPIC AIRLINES FLIGHTS TO BE CANCELLED ON THURSDAY

Greek national airline Olympic Airlines (OA) notified the public that all domestic and foreign flights scheduled for Thursday, November 10 will be cancelled due to the 24-hour strike announced to take place on that day by the Greek Association of Air Traffic Controllers and the Federation of Civil Aviation Agency Unions within the framework of the strike mobilizations by the public employees unions, ADEDY.

The strike will begin at 00.01 (local time) and will end at 23.59 (local time) on November 10. A total of 107 OA flights are being cancelled because of the air traffic controllers' participation in the strike.

[04] GREEK ACTOR ALEKOS ALEXANDRAKIS IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION

Famous Greek actor Alekos Alexandrakis is in Sotiria Hospital in Athens in a critical condition.

According to a medical bulletin issued earlier, his condition is characterized as very critical and the patient is on life support.

Alekos Alexandrakis is suffering from an infection of the respiratory system and is hospitalized since October 9.

[05] PUBLIC REVENUES INCREASED 12.8% IN OCTOBER

Public revenues increased 12.8% in October compared to last year, based on temporary figures on the course of revenues given to publicity by the Ministry of Finance.

Tax offices' revenues recorded a 13.1% increase and customs offices' revenues increased 9.8%, while public revenues from other sources recorded a 22% rise.

Also, notable recovery was recorded in the VAT revenues during the month of October. The overall such revenues recorded a 9.3% increase in October compared to the same period last year.

[06] THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN ON TURKEY

Government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos, responding to a question by a reporter on the Turkish threat of casus belli, pointed out that such positions do not favor the good neighborly relations and are not compatible with Turkey's European prospect.

On the Turkish progress report to be approved by the European Commission tomorrow and the reference to the need for a comprehensive solution to the difference in the Aegean - even though the Greek government just recently has stated that only one is the difference (between Greece and Turkey) referring to the continental shelf - the government spokesman reiterated that the difference is one and observed that the text to which the question refers mentions only one difference as well.

[07] YOUNG KURD SET HIMSELF ABLAZE FOR OCALAN

A young Kurd set himself ablaze this morning in front of the EU offices in Nicosia while protesting with other 500 Kurds in support of their jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan.

His fellow protesters managed to put the fire out and the young man was taken to hospital suffering superficial burns.

The Kurds were protesting because the Turkish authorities do not allow Ocalan's lawyers to visit him in jail.

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