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Wednesday, 4 December 2024 | ||
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-07-07Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Samaras unveils ND plan for crisis exit(ANA-MPA) -- Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras on Wednesday unveiled his party's strategy for Greece's exit from the economic crisis and its fastest possible disengagement from the terms and consequences of the Memorandum signed with the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).Unveiling the strategy during a press conference, Samaras lambasted the government, charging that with its mistakes and omissions it had brought the country to its (ANA-MPA) present condition, and warned that implementation of the Memorandum will not bring the country out of the crisis, proposing instead a different mix of economic policy. Samaras' proposal contains a series of measures, including the introduction of "offset measures to boost the economy" that will "neutralize the recessionist effects of the fiscal adjustment without burdening the process because they are of zero cost". (ANA-MPA) Such measures include unification of the state's collection mechanisms, balancing of debts to the State via a system of monthly clearing of debts, internal transfers in the public sector since hirings cannot be made, restructuring of the Hellenic Rail (OSE), individual cost accounting of the state hospitals, and electronic prescription writing. [02] Konitsa: Gateway for Mt. Smolikas, Dragon Lake and Aoos River rafting(ANA-MPA) -- The mountainous town of Konitsa in Epirus, in northwestern Greece, near the frontier with Albania, and is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful border areas in the country.Fanning out amphitheatrically on the slope of Mt. Smolikas, the second highest mountain in Greece after Mt. Olympus and the highest peak of the Pindus mountain range, and overlooking the valley where the Aoos and Voidomatis Rivers converge, Konitsa is an excellent starting point for visitors who want to explore the Pindus mountains, go rafting in the Aoos, or go parapenting (paraskiing). One of the most beautiful alpine routes in Epirus is the round trip from Konitsa to the Vassilitsa ski centre and back to Konitsa, which passes through the Aoos Gorge, (ANA-MPA) the Smolikas Dragon Lake and through exceptional settlements of stone buildings and offers a majestic view of nearby Mt. Tymfi. Konitsa is built according to the traditional style of Epirote architecture with stone buildings, old mansions dating from the Ottoman period, beautiful churches and monasteries, cobbled roads, stone fountains, traditional stone bridges and countless cultural monuments, in an absolute harmonization of the past and present. It is also a good starting point for visits to the Vikos-Aoos National Park, the Vikos Gorge, the famed Aoos stone bridge, the sulphur baths of Kavasila, the monastery of Stomio in the Aoos Gorge, and the Zagorochoria, a group of small mountain villages, while sights in Konitsa itself include the 17th century church of the St. Apostles (Agioi Apostoloi), the chapel of St. George with 120 icons by hagiographers from Chionades, the local Folk Art Museum, the town library, a 16th century mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, the mansion house of Chamko, mother of Ali Pasha, and the 1412 Byzantine country church of Kokkini Panagia ("red" Virgin Mary, which takes its name from the red colour of the bricks with which it is built) and the 14th century wall paintings in its sanctum. (ANA-MPA) [03] Economy shrinks 2.5Q in Q1BRUSSELS (ANA-MPA / V. Demiris) -- The Greek economy shrank by 1.0 pct in the first quarter of 2010, compared with the fourth quarter of 2009, Eurostat said on Wednesday. The EU executiveâs statistics agency, in its second estimates on GDP in the Eurozone and the EU-27, said Gross Domestic Product grew 0.2 pct in the Eurozone on a quarterly basis in the first quarter of 2010. On an annual basis, the Greek economy shrank by 2.5 pct in the January-March period, while in the Eurozone GDP grew by 0.6 pct and in EU-27 GDP grew by 0.5 pct. (ANA-MPA)Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |