Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-04-09

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] Egypt bomb attacks: Death toll reaches 47

[02] Greece's president condemns terror attacks in Egypt, urges European action

[03] Cavalcade through central Athens launches documenta14 exhibition

[04] Green light to Canellopoulos Foundation grant for restoring Delos monuments

[05] Events mark addition of Ancient Philippi to UNESCO World Heritage list

[01] Egypt bomb attacks: Death toll reaches 47

According to the latest reports, the attack on Palm Sunday congregations left 29 dead in the city of Tanta and 18 dead in Alexandria, which is also the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Church Pope.

Scores more people have been injured, with reports talking of some 71 injured in Tanta and 66 in Alexandria.

The Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa Theodoros II expressed his horror at the Palm Sunday terrorist strikes, in statements to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA), noting that the events darkened one of the greatest Christian holidays.

"We stand at the side of the Egyptian people," he said.

Two bomb attacks targeting Coptic church took place in Egypt on Sunday, the first at the Church of St. George in the city of Tanta and the second at the Church of St. Mark in the city of Alexandria, relatively near the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa.

[02] Greece's president condemns terror attacks in Egypt, urges European action

"Today we had two truly heinous terrorist strikes in Egypt and we had there, once again, a display of the true face of terrorism's barbarity. First of all, I should like to express my deepest condolences and the grief of the Greek people to the president of Egypt and the Egyptian people," Pavlopoulos said.

Condolences were not enough, however, the Greek president added, highlighted Europe's responsibility to take action.

"Europe especially, based on its history and its culture, has a duty to assume its responsibilities. What is happening in the Middle East, in Syria and elsewhere must end. First of all there must be an end to the underlying cause of all this, which is the war," he said.

"We must all, and especially in Europe, stand up against barbaric jihadist terrorism and all terrorism," Pavlopoulos added.

The Greek president called for "a fitting answer to the criminals that commit crimes against humanity," in which all civilised nations were united.

"Especially we Greeks will not back down even one moment. Our conscience as Greeks will not rest unless terrorism stops undermining the foundations of peace among humanity and does not stop undermining human beings, their worth and personality."

Pavlopoulos made the statement in Missolonghi, while attending events marking the 191st anniversary since the tragic 'Sortie of Missolonghi' of 1826, during Greece's war of independence against Ottoman rule.

[03] Cavalcade through central Athens launches documenta14 exhibition

Photojournalists and hundreds of art lovers, as well as the public going about their daily business, watched as the 11 riders set off on a journey that will cover 3,000 kilometres in three months, back to the city where the documenta14 exhibition is based. This year, for the first time, the exhibition will be "shared" between Athens and Kassel, taking place in the Greek capital between April 8 and July 16 and in Kassel from June 10 until September 17.

Talking about the significance of the horseback journey through Europe, documenta14 artistic director Adam Szymczyk said it was a "line we are drawing that links many European countries."

"We were aware from the start of the complexity and cost of the journey but it is a long and beautiful journey. First of all for the riders and the people in the cities that will experience it and secondly as an allegoric journey through unknown places that strengthens the relationship between horse and human, a two-way relationship of taming and culture that is forgotten. Whatever happens is part of the journey," he said.

The idea was conceived by Scottish artist Ross Birrell and was inspired by the horseback ride that Swiss author Aimé Félix Tschiffely carried out in the 1920s from Buenos Aires to New York. Birrell describes his project as "Hermes' Transition" since the cavalcade includes a Greek thoroughbred 'Aravani' horse from the mountains of Arcadia named Hermes.

[04] Green light to Canellopoulos Foundation grant for restoring Delos monuments

The project will launch a new era for the 'sacred isle' of Delos, which was considered the most important sanctuary of antiquity and the birthplace of the gods Apollo and Artemis. The project will be begin with the Stoa of Philip V, which is one of the first monuments that a visitor comes across but also the hardest to understand, since it is missing its '3rd dimension'.

The Cyclades Antiquities Ephorate, using the 550,000-euro donation from the Kanellopoulos Foundation, will now take action to restore the damage and the result of wear caused by salt water to the various architectural elements on the ground.

According to the head of the Cyclades Antiquities Ephorate Dimitris Athanasoulis, the restoration work on Delos - as in the case of the Philip V Stoa - was essential for the protection of the monuments, not just to help visitors understand them.

"Delos is a small island, where the salt corrodes everything. Architectural elements in such a hostile environment degenerate rapidly. Their restoration on the monument will greatly reduce the wear," he said.

While the urban neighbourhoods on Delos were well-preserved, Athanasoulis said, the same was not true of the sanctuary. He said the Ephorate's strategy was to use EU and state funds on the "emergency" projects and try to find sponsors and grants for the rest. He pointed out that the needs on Delos, due to the special conditions prevailing on the island, were similar to those in Pompeii where millions of euros in European funds were given each year.

[05] Events mark addition of Ancient Philippi to UNESCO World Heritage list

The plaque, situated at the entrance of the ancient theatre of Philippi, explains the significance of the site as an international monument of exceptional importance, not just for its Hellenistic and Roman-era history but also for the history of Christianity and the spread of the gospels by the Apostle Paul. These include the open-air baptism of St. Lydia, the first recorded convert to the Christian faith in Europe, on the shores of the Zygakti River.

In her speech, Koniordou emphasised her satisfaction at this important event for Greece and pledged to make every possible effort to highlight and promote the country's cultural treasures.

The event included readings from the sections of the bible describing the arrival of the Apostle Paul in Philippi and the baptism of Lydia, an extract from the play "Oedipus Rex" that officially launched the Philippi Festival in 1961 and a play put on by local school children based on their experiences living next to an archaeological site called "Growing up in the shadow of the past."

The philharmonic orchestras of the Kavala Municipality and Philippi Municipal Unit played Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' from the 9th Symphony and Manos Hadjidakis' "Street of Dreams".

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article