Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-01-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM-Papariga clash on foreign policy

[02] Samaras discussion with EU Commissioner

[03] 'Myrtis' moves to Thessaloniki

[04] Seminar on Greek-Israeli ties

[05] ASE opening: Decline

[06] Athens Newspaper Headlines 

[01] PM-Papariga clash on foreign policy

The clash came during a discussion, during the "Hour of the Prime Minister", of a current question tabled by Papariga, addressed to the premier, concerning his recent visit to Erzurum, Turkey and government policy on Greek-Turkish relations.

Papandreou called the KKE leader a "common slanderer", accusing her of "adopting conspiracy theories and harmful speculation" and of "having become the best propagandist of the most extreme Kemalist general of the deep state in Turkey".

He denied charges of secret diplomacy with Turkey, explaining that he believes in building a sincere relationship with the neighboring country.

Papariga said that the KKE has no confidence in the foreign policy being followed by the PASOK government.

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[02] Samaras discussion with EU Commissioner

Samaras outlined ND's positions on how Greece can exit the crisis, and told Barnier that the Memorandum was not the only option, adding that specific measures that will lead to growth are needed. (ANA-MPA)

"We discussed the EU internal market and our own (Greece's) problem," Samaras told reporters after the meeting, reiterating that "this crisis has proved that the Memorandum was not the only option, and it was not a solution. The only road to exit the crisis an hour earlier is the road of development," he stressed. (ANA-MPA)

Replying to press questions, Samaras said unemployment in Greece is a "big weight", and stressed that two in five shops have gone out of business. (ANA-MPA)

Caption: ND leader Antonis Samaras (L) with visiting European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services Michel Barnier (R). (ANA-MPA/G. Antoniou)

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[03] 'Myrtis' moves to Thessaloniki

The name 'Myrtis' is borrowed, given to her by scientists that worked on the reconstruction of her features. Following her 'resurrection' nearly 2,500 years after she died of typhoid fever - the plague that also struck down the statesman Pericles and one third of all Athenians at that time - she has now also been made a "Millennium Friend" and her picture posted on a website supporting the UN Millennium Goals as a message to the world about disease prevention.

"My death was inevitable. In the 5th century BC we had neither the knowledge nor the means to fight deadly illnesses. However, you, the people of the 21st century, have no excuse. You possess all the necessary means and resources to save the lives of millions of people. To save the lives of millions of children like me who are dying of preventable and curable diseases.

2,500 years after my death, I hope that my message will engage and inspire more people to work and make the Millennium Development Goals a reality," a letter posted next to her picture says.

Orthodontics professor Manolis Papagrigorakis, the man who first conceived the project of reconstructing Myrtis, said his team has already begun working on reconstructions of the faces of a man and woman found in the same mass grave in Kerameikos.

The exhibition "Myrtis: Face to face with the past" is centred on the facial reconstruction by scientists of an 11-year-old Athenian girl that lived and died in ancient Athens during the 5th century BC.

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 Professor 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 but stressed that her true colors could only be discovered by expensive DNA analysis that has not yet been carried out.

DNA analysis techniques have, however, found that Myrtis and two other bodies in the mass grave had died of typhoid fever, confirming theories about the historic plague.

(Photo: ANA-MPA/PIXEL)

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[04] Seminar on Greek-Israeli ties

Beginning his address in Greek before a packed hall in downtown Athens, noted Israeli academic Amikam Nachmani cited a number of sectors where Greece and Israel have common goals, interests and increased prospects for cooperation, particularly in already growing trade ties and economic relations.

The Bar Ilan University professor, nevertheless, directly commented on the closely watched geopolitical implications stemming from the very public souring of relations between the Israeli and Turkish governments over the past few years, warning that Greek-Israeli ties -- as well as Turkish-Israeli ties -- should be independent of each other and not imply an "either/or" dilemma for any of the parties.

Bilateral trade ties have significantly increased between the countries over the years, nearing the half-billion-dollar mark, with roughly a half a million Israelis visiting Greece last year, whereas Israel now serves as Greeceâs biggest export market in the Middle East. (ANA-MPA)

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[05] ASE opening: Decline

Individual sector indices were moving mostly downward, with the biggest gains Travel & Recreation, up 1.33 percent, and Telecoms, up 0.86 percent.

The biggest losses were in Food & Beverage, down 1.59 percent, and Banks, down 1.50 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was down 0.60 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was down 0.45 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was down 0.39 percent.

Of the stocks traded, 22 were up, 35 were down, and 15 were unchanged.

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[06] Athens Newspaper Headlines

The bill on 'opening' closed-shop professions, the rise in unemployment and other economic issues were the main front-page items in Athens' dailies on Friday.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "The speculation on early general elections with 'candidates lists' increasing".

AVGHI: "56,332 more unemployed in October".

AVRIANI: "All the new pensions".

DIMOKRATIA: "Papandreou's delay of many months in taking measures against the danger of Greece's bankruptcy cost the country 90 billion euros".

ELEFTHEROS: "Low-interest loans-subsidies for 'face lift' of old homes".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "New mutiny in PASOK against Papaconstantinou (finance minister)".

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "The costs entailed for the new, obligatory, energy-efficiency certificate for buildings".

ESTIA: "Newspaper edition of January 14, 1901 contained as insert: The profession of pharmacists was a 'closed' one back then, too".

ETHNOS: "The Memorandum for engineers and lawyers".

IMERISSIA: "Dangerous explosion of unemployment to 13.5 percent".

KATHIMERINI: "What terrifies the Greeks".

LOGOS: "Balance 'exercises' on Siemens scandal".

NAFTEMPORIKI: "System of contributions (payments) to IKA (Social Security Foundation) changing completely".

NIKI: "700,000 unemployed bringing OAED (state-run Manpower Employment Organisation) to its knees".

RIZOSPASTIS: "PAME, PASEVE, PASY, OGE, MAS will open the tolls on the roads throughout the country today".

TA NEA: "Engineers, lawyers take to the trenches".

VRADYNI: "Shock: Report predicts unemployment will near 30 percent".

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