Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-01-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] Gov't on Stability and Growth plan

[02] Exhibition on Antikythera mechanism in Athens

[03] Centre against juvenile delinquency

[04] ASE opening: Rise

[01] Gov't on Stability and Growth plan

He stressed that the programme highlights the government's will to promote major changes in public finances, in taxation, budget drafting and all the radical reforms promoted in the public sector and the economy's production model.

Meanwhile, ministry officials were adamant that the government was not examining a hike in VAT rates, while stressing that the government also rejects calls for a freeze in civil servants' pay or abolition of the so-called "14th" monthly salary, paid as an end-of-the-year holiday bonus. Instead, they said the government was examining plans to offer incentives for the repatriation of capital, while he said plans were made to open the services market and liberalise so-called "closed professions".

Greece's updated Stability and Growth Programme would include two scenarios over the country's public finances, a basic and a more pessimistic one. Under the basic scenario, the country's public debt will begin falling as of 2012.

According to government spokesman George Petalotis, the envisaged three-year stability and growth programme will be made up of "fair measures of a permanent nature for restructuring the state, stimulating the economy, reducing the deficit and public debt".

He predicted that the next three years would prove one of changes benefiting the average Greek, which would provide support to small and middle incomes.

The spokesman went on to announce that the entire Cabinet will convene next Sunday afternoon in this framework, to discuss a draft bill being prepared by the interior ministry for a new "architecture" to regional and local government authorities.

Regarding the meeting between a team of European Commission and European Central Bank officials with staff at the finance ministry in Athens earlier the same day, Petalotis said that this had been "very constructive" and said it had not been a form of "inspection" but a collaboration between the two sides.

On the meeting with Economy, Competition and Shipping Minister Louka Katseli, the spokesman said the minister had focused on a series of initiatives designed to boost liquidity for businesses, support investment, improve competitiveness and make the Greek economy more outward-looking.

[02] Exhibition on Antikythera mechanism in Athens

The visitors of the exhibition, which will run until January 25, will learn about the history of the mechanism and prevailing opinions on ancient astronomy and technology which are necessary for the understanding of the the function of the mechanism as well as 3D pictures from the interior of the mechanism via the use of modern technology.

The Antikythera mechanism is believed to be an ancient mechanical calculator (also described as a "mechanical computer") designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was discovered in the Antikythera wreck off the Greek island of Antikythera, between Kythera and Crete, and has been dated to about 150-100 BC. Technological artifacts of similar complexity appeared a thousand years later.

Sometime before Easter 1900, Elias Stadiatis, a Greek sponge diver, discovered the wreck of an ancient cargo ship off Antikythera Island at a depth of 42 m (138 ft). Sponge divers retrieved several statues and other artifacts from the site. The mechanism itself was discovered on May 17, 1901, when archaeologist Valerios Stais noticed that a piece of rock recovered from the site had a gear wheel embedded in it. Examination revealed that the "rock" was in fact a heavily encrusted and corroded mechanism that had survived the shipwreck in three main parts and dozens of smaller fragments. The device itself was surprisingly thin, about 33 cm (13 in) high, 17 cm (6.7 in) wide, and 9 cm (3.5 in) thick, made of bronze and originally mounted in a wooden frame. It was inscribed with a text of over 2,000 characters, many of which have only just recently been deciphered.

[03] Centre against juvenile delinquency

The meeting focused on the establishment of a national protection network for abused and abandoned children as well as under-age delinquents.

Finally, according to a Justice Ministry announcement, the foundation of the autonomous entity will be accompanied by a reform of the juvenile correction law and the activation of new correctional measures.

[04] ASE opening: Rise

The biggest gains were in Financial Services, up 2.06 percent and Banks, up 1.91 percent.

The biggest losses were in Media, down 3.01 percent and Commerce, down 0.71 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was up 0.76 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was up 0.29 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was up 0.52 percent.

Of the stocks moved, 67 were up, 12 were down, and 14 were unchanged.

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