Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-02-14

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Working Group to promote access to fast internet

[02] Author Tatiana Gritsi-Milliex dies at age of 84

[03] Main opposition PASOK leader Papandreou, Cypriot EDEK leader Omirou discuss Cyprus issue

[04] Five hikers killed in avalanche on Mt. Mainalos

[01] Working Group to promote access to fast internet

In an announcement Sunday, it is said that the Working Group will prepare proposals on necessary measures to be taken that will facilitate a continuous, fast and economical access of students and scientists of Greek universities to the various services offered by the internet.

[02] Author Tatiana Gritsi-Milliex dies at age of 84

Tatiana Gritsi-Milliex, the daughter of Michalis Gritsis and Eleni Salari, was born in Athens on October 20, 1920 and finished highschool with lessons at home.

In 1942 she was enrolled in the University of Athens, but abandoned studies there to learn French, at the French Institute of Athens, and took voice lessons at the Greek Conservatory.

In 1939 she married French writer, intellectual and philhellene Roger Milliex, whom she met at the French Institute, and had two children with him. During the German occupation in Greece in WWII, she joined the National Liberation Front, and became a volunteer with the Hellenic Red Cross.

Between 1945 and 1975, she travelled among France, Cyprus and Italy, with in-between returns to Greece. The Milliex couple continued their activities for Greece in France in 1945-46, and Tatiana studied Art History and Aesthetics at the Louvre during that time. during that same period she took part in the 1st International Conference of Women in Paris, on the theme of the resistance activities of Greek women.

After Milliex assumed the post of durector of studies at the French Institute of Athens in 1947, the couple returned to Athens, where they remained until 1959. during that period she worked at the Centre for Asia Minor Studies, took part in several painting exhibitions throughout Greece, and devoted much time to her writing.

The couple then went to Cyprus, where the remained from 1959 to 1971, and where Roger worked at the French Educational Centre there while Tatiana involved herself in the cultural upgrading of the island.

From there the couple went to Genoa, Italy, where they worked for the establishment of a Modern Greek Studies chair at the university, and against the colonels' dictatorship that had taken over in Greece, which stripped Tatiana of her Greek citizenship. Following the restoration of democracy in Greece, the couple returned to Athens and Tatiana worked at National Radio Foundation (EIR) in 1974-75, 1983-84, and at the Greek radio/television station ERT-2.

As a journalist and critic, Tatiana worked with several newspapers, including Anexartytos Typos, Anendotos, Avghi (1974-77), the Sunday Eleftherotypia (1976-84), Ta Nea (Cyprus, 1964-70), and others, as well as numerous magazines.

She was a member of the Racine Academy in Paris, a founding member of the Hellenic Writers Society, the Pen Club, the Greek Literary and Historical Archive, the Society of Critics and Visual Arts, etc.

She received several state and other awards for her short stories and novels. She made her first appearance in the Greek literary field in 1945, with the publication of her short stories in the magazine Elefthera Grammata, and also translated theatrical plays into Greek, while part of her personal archive that survived seizure by the dictatorship was published by the Kedros publishing firm in 1973, under the title Sparagmata.

The Coalition of the Left (SYN) praised her contribution to literature and her work in the resistance, and expressed its deepest condolences to her husband, Roger Milliex.

[03] Main opposition PASOK leader Papandreou, Cypriot EDEK leader Omirou discuss Cyprus issue

After the one-hour meeting, Papandreou told reporters they had assessed the developments in the Cyprus issue, "particularly now that Cyprus is a member of the EU".

He said they also evaluated Turkey's course towards EU membership and how that could be utiliesed towards resolving the Cyprus problem.

Papandreou said the meeting with Omirou had been "fruitful".

Omirou, in turn, said that "PASOK has identified its life and action with the struggles of Cyprus", and noted the contributions of the late PASOK founder and former premier Andreas Papandreou (George Papandreou's father), former prime minister and preceding PASOK leader Costas Simitis, and George Papandreou.

"We remain firmly oriented towards the need for resolving the Cyprus problem as soon as possible, and hope that initiatives will be undertaken for the achievement of this great goal," the EDEK leader said.

He clarified, however, that the solution must "confront, in a satisfactory manner, the concerns, just rights and rational demands of the Cypriot Hellenism, and naturally, also consolidate the rights and privileges of our Turkish Cypriot compatrots".

[04] Five hikers killed in avalanche on Mt. Mainalos

The bodies of the five hikers -- initially reported as missing on Sunday after an avalanche struck a section of the ski centre at Ostrakina, some 30 kilometres outside Tripolis, on Mt. Mainalon in the Peloponnese -- were recovered in the early afternoon, while six others were lightly injured, rescue workers reported.

The leader of a group of hikers, speaking to fire brigade officers by cell phone, had initially reported that at least five of the 32 members of the group were missing after the avalanche struck at 1:35 p.m. at Ostrakina on Mt. Mainalos. He also said he feared two of the missing trekkers were dead.

Three fire trucks and a ground division of 50 firefighters from Tripolis rushed to the region, as well as a 15-member team of the EMAK emergency rescue squad from Elefsina, with specially trained dogs, and a group of volunteer rescuers from Patras with a special vehicle equipped with trackers capable of tracing persons in the snow, assisted by a Super Puma all-weather helicopter.

The site of the avalanche was at a large distance from the Mt. Mainalon ski centre, and snowfall and heavy fog in the area were obstructing the efforts of rescue crews.

According to later reports, the bodies of the five missing hikers were found by rescue workers under the snow.

The 32-member group, belonging to the Greek Hiking Club of Athens, was on a visit to the Mainalos Ski Centre, and were on the peak of Profitis Ilias when the avalanche hit.

Three of the casualties are men, and two are women. The six injured hikers were taken to the Panarkadiko Hospital for first aid, and five were released shortly afterwards.

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