Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-04-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] Papandreou: ND led us to IMF

[02] Samaras: 'IMF gun' was PM's idea

[03] 'Myrtis' puts a face to antiquity in Goulandris Museum exhibition

[04] Credit conditions worsen

[05] ASE opening: Small decline

[06] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] Papandreou: ND led us to IMF

"Let's not fool ourselves. the IMF has already entered the process, it is the excessive deficit process, to which we have been led twice by (previous government) New Democracy. It already supervises us. But what does IMF involvement not mean? It does not mean that the country has defaulted. We can still borrow, but the assessment and approval goes through the IMF. The mechanism also means that we will not be left to sink, as many had predicted. And that risk was the result of the specific policy of the previous five-years," Papandreou said in parliament, during the Hour of the Prime Minister, in reply to a current question tabled by the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) parliamentary alliance.

He added that as much as ND and its present leader Antonis Samaras shout that they don't want IMF involvement, "it is you who have led us there and, if ND was still in government today, you would have gone immediately to the IMF".

Papandreou said that the European support mechanism, albeit with IMF participation, had been a success, but the essential success will be for Greece to make the necessary changes.

[02] Samaras: 'IMF gun' was PM's idea

ND, he stressed, has from the outset been opposed to IMF involvement, and called on the prime minister to assume his blame and stop seeking

[03] 'Myrtis' puts a face to antiquity in Goulandris Museum exhibition

The entire exhibition is centred on the reconstruction by scientists of an 11-year-old Athenian girl that lived and died in ancient Athens during the 5th century BC, a victim of a plague that also killed the ancient Athenian statesman Pericles and roughly one third of all people living in the city at that time.

Her bones were discovered in 1994-1995, in a mass grave with another 150 bodies, during work to build the metro station in Kerameikos. Her skull was in an unusually good condition and this inspired Athens University orthodontics professor Manolis Papagrigorakis to enlist the help of specialist scientists from Sweden to recreate her features, using the 'Manchester' facial reconstruction technique.

The final result, wearing a linen dress made especially for the purpose by Greek fashion designer Sophia Kokosalaki based on images of clothing styles of that time, forms the backbone of an exhibition that explores both the various stages of a facial reconstruction. It also exhibits the finds uncovered by archaeologists at Kerameikos, which date around 430-426 B.C. and are linked with the plague that contributed to Athens' defeat from Sparta during the Peloponnesian Wars.

Scientists decided to give 'Myrtis' brown eyes and brown hair, arranged in a Classical era style, like the majority of Athenians at that time. They clarified, however, that there would have to carry out additional DNA test to determine other features more accurately.

The exhibition also shows how scientists, using genetic material from pulp found in the teeth of three skulls - including that of 'Myrtis' - discovered that the historic plague that decimated ancient Athens was actually typhoid fever.

It has been designed as a 'travelling exhibition' that can be easily dismantled and set up again in any museum that has the available space.

[04] Credit conditions worsen

The number of unpaid bills totaled 12,640 worth 20.108 million euros in March, up 150.27 pct from the previous month, and 9.56 pct higher compared with March 2009. Unpaid bank bills totaled 31,584 in volume and 55.5 million euros in value so far in 2010.

[05] ASE opening: Small decline

Individual sector indices were moving mostly downward with the biggest gains in Health, up 1.79 percent; and Financial Services, up 1.22 percent.

The biggest losses were in Chemicals, down 1.20 percent; and Public Utilities, down 0.79 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was down 0.26 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was down 0.33 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was down 0.17 percent.

Of the stocks traded, 38 were up, 60 were down, and 30 were unchanged.

[06] Athens Newspaper Headlines

The possibility of immediate activation of the EU-IMF support mechanism following Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou's letter to the ECB, EU and IMF to start deliberations, police's findings on the Revolutionary Struggle terror group and changes in the social security system, were the main front-page items on Friday in Athens' newspapers.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "Changes in social security and denationalisations to be accelerated".

APOGEVMATINI: "Goodmorning IMF, goodbye pensions - Government to activate the support mechanism and announce shocking changes in social security".

AVGHI: "Colony of the IMF - IMF-ECB-EU 'supervisors' group starts work on Monday in Athens".

AVRIANI: "Prime Minister George Papandreou pushed the IMF button - Greece's new bosses will arrive on Monday".

ELEFTHEROS: "Papandreou-Samaras secret agreement - The behind-the-scenes of their discussion that led main opposition ND leader Samaras to make a U-turn".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Government delivers the country's keys to IMF - The request for activation of the support mechanism will probably be announced on Monday".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "Tell us what measures you want - Papaconstantinou's letter brings us one step before the IMF".

ESTIA: "While the country is at the risk of bankruptcy, the number of MPs (300) is a luxury".

ETHNOS: "Tell us the measures and...we will come - Papaconstantinou's letter to EU, IMF and ECB".

IMERISSIA: "Our life with the EU and IMF - What is the government negotiating now?".

KATHIMERINI: "Recourse to IMF measures - Papaconstantinou's letter the first step for activation of the support mechanism".

LOGOS: We have sent an SOS for the support mechanism - One step closer to the activation - Papaconstantinou's letter points at IMF".

NAFTEMPORIKI: "Start of negotiations on the support mechanism".

NIKI: "The patricians and the plebeians of pensions - Royal pensions for the MPs and starvation pensions for the masses".

RIZOSPASTIS: "They're massacring the social security system - (Call for) General uprising in the April 21 and 22 strike".

TA NEA: "The nightmare package- Cutbacks in salaries and pensions - On Monday all issues on the table".

TO VIMA: "Hit lists include prominent persons - The prime minister was among the terrorists' targets".

VRADYNI: "Ideal suicide - Finance Ministry's letter to IMF, EU and ECB on the 'rescue' conditions".

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