Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-05-31

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

CONTENTS

[01] Spokesman: No basic disagreement among coalition partners over anti-racism issue

[02] Eurostat: Greek unemployment rate highest in the EU

[03] Rally Acropolis 2013 starts on Friday

[01] Spokesman: No basic disagreement among coalition partners over anti-racism issue

The spokesman was referring to a controversy over an anti-racism bill, tabled in parliament by the two junior members of the ruling coalition (PASOK and the Democratic Left, or DIM.AR), while main party New Democracy tabled in response an amendment that expands a 1979 law.

"In substantive terms, of fighting neo-Nazism, xenophobia, racism and condemning every violent act based on such criteria, there is no disagreement," Kedikoglou said; "the disagreement lies in terms of the needed tool. ND believes that the existing legal framework - with specific additions, improvements and bringing up to date - is more than adequate. DIM.AR and PASOK have a different opinion."

The discussion in parliament will give the two coalition partners "the opportunity to see objectively which is the most effective tool," he added.

Among other things, the spokesman said that it must not appear that the law is placing the extreme-right Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avghi) party in the position of victim, but it should make clear that certain acts are punishable. "We have a more than adequate legal arsenal, and it is an issue of applying these regulations," he explained.

[02] Eurostat: Greek unemployment rate highest in the EU

The EU executive's statistics service, in a report published here, said that the unemployment data for the EU were for April, while Greek figures were for February.

The unemployment rate in the eurozone rose slightly to 12.2 pct in April, from 12.1 pct in March, while in the EU-27 the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 11.0 pct. The number of unemployed people grew by 104,000 in the EU-27 in one month and by 95,000 in the eurozone, totaling 26.558 million and 19.375 million unemployed, respectively.

Greece (27 pct in February), Spain (26.8 pct) and Portugal (17.8 pct) recorded the highest unemployment rates in the EU, while Austria (4.9 pct), Germany (5.4 pct), Luxembourg (5.6 pct) and Holland (6.5 pct) the lowest rates.

Greece also recorded the biggest percentage increase in the unemployment rate to 27 pct from 21.9 pct in February 2012, followed by Cyprus (11.2 pct/15.6 pct), Spain (24.4 pct/26.8 pct) and Portugal (15.4 pct/17.8 pct).

Youth unemployment remained at record high levels in the EU: 23.5 pct in the EU-27 and 24.4 pct in the eurozone. Greece (62.5 pct), Spain (56.4 pct), Portugal (42.5 pct) and Italy (40.5 pct) recorded the highest unemployment rates, while Germany (7.5 pct), Austria (8 pct) and Holland (10.6 pct) the lowest rates.

The number of unemployed people in Greece reached 1.320 million in February.

[03] Rally Acropolis 2013 starts on Friday

This year the races, whose headquarters are be in Loutraki, by the Gulf of Corinth, have been reduced to 14 from the usual 22 because of the economic crisis.

The longest leg of the race - 47.70 km - will start immediately after the opening ceremony.

There will be one race on Friday night and eight special races on Saturday. The last four special races will take place on Sunday. According to the organisers, the Rally Acropolis will be completed at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

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