Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-10-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM: Investment in Greece, investment in the future

[02] FinMin's new round of talks with troika

[03] 6th BC tombs of people buried with domesticated animals unearthed

[04] Suspects detained in Athens Airport bank robbery

[05] State to auction 6-month T-bills

[06] Greek tourism to lead employment growth

[01] PM: Investment in Greece, investment in the future

Papandreou also noted the sacrifices being made by the Greek people and the maturity displayed by the latter in order to stabilise the battered Greek economy. Roesler expressed admiration for the effort, and discussed all aspects of the developments in the debt crisis in Europe with Papandreou.

A government press release said the two men discussed developments and the political climate prevailing in Europe, as well as the situation in Greece and the course of the local economy.amna

Roesler added that Greece will emerge stronger from the crisis, while he also noted the effort being made to promote investments in the country.

[02] FinMin's new round of talks with troika

According to ministry officials, the meeting was focusing on the European Commission's memorandum, meaning the measures for the 2011-2012 period. The officials also mentioned that the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) corresponding memorandum was finalised on Thursday.amna

After the government's agreement with the troika on the measures for the 2011-2012 period, a new cycle of negotiations is expected to start on the measures for the 2013-2014 period and the revision of the Medium-Term Framework. According to reports, the negotiations with the heads of the troika may be completed in the middle of next week at the latest.

[03] 6th BC tombs of people buried with domesticated animals unearthed

The finds, unearthed over a period of one month, are considered to be of major importance as it is the first time that humans buried together with animals have been discovered in Greece on such a scale.

"The tombs of 11 humans and bones of 16 animals, namely horses, dogs, cows, a buffalo and a pig were found, while there are also partial remains of deer, ship and goats," the director of the 30th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, Georgia Karamitrou, told AMNA.

Karamitrou, who presented the finds on Thursday in Mavropigi, said that the uniqueness of the cemetery unearthed is the entombment of a large number of animals with the dead.amna

She said that similar isolated finds have been unearthed in several areas of the country, the most characteristic being the entombment of small children with dogs, dolphins and turtles on the Dodecanese islands and Samothraki.

Archaeological studies have been ongoing for years in the Mavropigi area, financed by the PPC in the context of its "Actions for Society" programme that includes the conservation of cultural wealth in the areas it is active in.

[04] Suspects detained in Athens Airport bank robbery

According to reports, one of the individuals is a 25 year-old employee of the specific Alpha bank branch. The man's father also works in the bank network's security department. Authorities are reportedly examining whether 25-year-old provided details about the premises security and the safe.

The second man is identified only as a bar owner. amna

Police discovered 293,880 euros in cash in the two suspects' possession and also recovered a replica handgun.

A day earlier, police arrested three suspects, a couple and an Albanian national, the latter allegedly the mastermind of the caper. amna

A search of the foreign national's residence in central Athens and the couple's home netted 739,530 euros, 8,990 UK pounds, 31,000 US dollars, two handguns, 802 cartridges, a bullet-proof vest and 50 banknote tapes.

[05] State to auction 6-month T-bills

The auction will be made through competitive bids by the market’s primary dealers. The Organization will also accept non-competitive bids up to 30 pct of the asked sum. Oct. 11, seeking to raise 1.0 billion euros from the market, the Organisation of Public Debt Management said on Friday.amnaGreece will pay no commission for the issue.

[06] Greek tourism to lead employment growth

The report, conducted for the Federation of Hellenic Enterprises and the Hellenic Bank Association, said that the tourism sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP will surpass 20 pct, an estimate bringing the tourism sector’s director gross added value to 50 billion euros by 2021. These figures represent 44 pct of total new job positions in the next decade and 36 pct of the estimated economic growth of the country.amna

The tourism sector’s workforce totaled 746,000 in 2010, according to data by World Travel & Tourism Council, or 17.9 pct of total employment in the country, while the industry contributed more than 16 pct of GDP, covering 1/3 of the country’s trade deficit.

Greek tourism officials recently said that the country could service around 20 million arrivals by 2014, 20 pct up from this year’s record of 16.5 million arrivals.

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