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Antenna: News in English (AM), 97-09-09Antenna Radio News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Antenna Radio <http://www.antenna.gr> - email: antenna@compulink.grNews in English, 09/09/97TITLES
OLYMPICS - STOCK EXCHANGEThe Athens stock exchange skyrocketed to one-day record levels Monday, the first day of trading since Athens won its bid to host the 2004 Olympics.With capital expected to pour into Greece to finance infrastructure projects over the next seven years, foreign as well as local investors displayed intense confidence and interest in the Athens market. It was literally an Olympic record day on the Athens stock exchange. Within minutes after opening, the prices of 264 of the 271 listed shares had shot up by 8 per cent - the one-day legal limit - setting a new one-day record. Prices were pushed up with unprecedented speed by the fact that there were few sellers to meet the wave of demand. Dimitris Karagkounis, the small shareholders' president, calls this a new page in the history of the Athens exchange. The Athens stock market average is currently at 1663 points. Investor Kostas Dada-mAnis expects it to reach 2000 in the banking, manufacturing, and metallurgical sectors in the near future. OLYMPICSAthens successful bid to host the 2004 Olympics shows that Greece can successfully compete in the international arena.Those were the words of prime minister Kostas Simitis, who addressed thousands of people in central Athens Sunday night. They had all gone to celebrate the IOC's decision to give the 2004 Games to the Greek capital. Prime minister Kostas Simitis told the thousands of people who gathered from around the country that Athens' success in landing the 2004 games is a great honour for Greeks everywhere. The Games coming to Athens is also a tribute to peace, friendship, cooperation, and the Olympic ideal. The eastern Mediterranean is a troubled region, he explained; the Games are an opportunity for us to get that message of peace and cooperation out to the nations of the region. The Athens Games are also an opportunity and a challenge to Greece, added Simitis. The winning bid shows the country can play a prominent role in the global arena; now it's up to all Greeks to make use of the games to project the country and its values of peace and friendship. "We can now show we can create", said the prime minister. The Olympics will mean infrastructure projects. It will mean developing tourist facilities. And with much work to be done, the Games mean jobs for Greeks. Simitis congratulated the woman who did much to ensure the 2004 Games were given to Athens. Ianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki, head of the Athens 2004 committee, followed the prime minister at the podium. She called the Athens success a victory for the capital, for Greece, and for young people. She said that when the committee set out on its campaign to get the games, it wanted to make everyone proud of Greece. Struggles unite Greeks, and the battle for the games was well worth it. "We live in a beautiful country", she said to applause. "We promise the best Games ever". Athens mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos sees the 2004 games as a sort of homecoming. After a century, the Olympics are coming back to the land where they were born. OLYMPICS - ZAPPIOAfter the speeches, came the fireworks and the music. The VIPs and the five thousand other people at the Zappion Gardens in central Athens Sunday night celebrated the games coming to Greece in festive fashion.Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki, head of the Athens 2004 committee celebrated the success with a folk dance. Then the professionals took over. Giorgos Dalaras, Haris Alexiou, and Christos Nikolopoulos used their music to give voice to the emotion filling the hearts of many Greeks. OLYMPICS - AIRPORTBefore the celebrations in central Athens Sunday night, the Athens 2004 committee members received a hero's welcome at the airport.Hundreds of people were on hand to congratulate them. Committee chair Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalaki and Athens mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos and the rest members of the Athens'bid committee promised the Greek people that Athens will organise the best Olympics ever held. From the airport, the committee members were taken to the prime minister's residence, where they gave Kostas Simitis the official IOC document awarding Athens the 2004 Olympics. Prime minister Simitis and the committee members said the celebrations will be followed up by hard work. OLYMPICS - MITSOTAKISFormer prime minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis called Athens successful Olympic bid a victory for the nation.In Crete, Mitsotakis said that Greece's unsuccessful bid to host the 1996 Olympics, a bid made when he was prime minister in the early 90s, helped this time around. Mitsotakis believes the IOC members felt sorry for not giving Athens the 1996 games, an error they made up for by handing it the 2004 Olympics. Prime minister Kostas Simitis disagrees with that assessment. He says the IOC's decision on 2004 was purely the result of the fact that Athens made the most attractive bid. Whatever their disagreement there, both men agree with Mitstotakis's view that the capital is more ready than ever to host the games. The the new Athens metro and international airport will be open for the games. Mitsotakis also says that Greece's former king, Constantine, an honorary IOC member, did what he could to back the Athens bid this time, just as he had when the 1996 bid was in the works. FAIRMore belt-tightening overall, coupled with more money for health, education, and welfare - that's the government's budgetary game plan for 1998.Prime minister Kostas Simitis gave his annual speech at the outset of the international trade fair in Thessaloniki. The speech is Greece's equivalent of the state of the union address. In his speech inaugurating the 62nd annual trade fair in Thessaloniki, the prime minister outlined for basic axes in his economic policy for next year. The goal of Greek participation in European Union monetary union; the investment and development drive in the Balkans; modernisation; and the strengthening of the welfare state are the guding principles behind his policy thinking. Rejecting the view that deep cuts in state spending amount to more austerity measures, prime minister Simitis pointed out that between 1994 and 1997, real wages rose by 2.7 per cent. That's about the same as the rise in GNP over the same period. His tight economic policies, he continued, have had nothing to do with reducing working people's buying power. Simitis was pleased with the overall performace of the economy last year, even though certain targets were not met. And the drive to reduce the size of the deficit has got to continue. The government, mindful of EU monetary union targets, aims to bring inflation down from its current 5.5 per cent rate to 2 per cent by 1999. "Next year", he said, "we'll be at a critical point. Inflation must come down, and the deficit must be reduced to 3 per cent of GNP. The rate of Growth must increase. These are tough but necessary goals". YIANNOPOULOSThe Greek government says Turkey's failure to get European Union funds because of its refusal to take its claim to the isle of Imia to the International Court, is not a Greek-Turkish issue.The European Union has told Turkey that if it wants closer relations with the EU, it should take its claim on the Greek isle, if it insists on making it, to an arbiter. Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas reacted strongly to Turkish foreign minister Ismail Gem's plea that EU funding of Turkey be quote separated from Greek-Turkish relations, unquote. Reppas corrected Gem, saying that the EU recommendation that Turkey take its Imia claim to court is NOT a Greek-Turkish issue - and if Turkey doesn't abide by the EU request, then it's so much the worse for Turkey in its relations with the EU. Reppas also cited the recent slew of aggressive statements by Turkish officials as proof that Ankara is not adhering to the guidelines set out by the recently-signed Greek-Turkish non-aggression pact. That agreement calls on each side to refrain from words and deeds that could antagonise the other. Prime minister Kostas Simitis has warned that any Turkish move to force a change in the status quo in the Aegean will be taken as an act of war. Greek justice minister Evangelos Yiannopoulos expressed his exasperation over Turkish behaviour in a recent speech. He pointed out that numerous UN resolutions calling for Turkey to get its troops out of Cyprus, have amounted to nothing. MISS EUROPEA 19 year old Greek beauty won another distinction for her country this past weekend winning the title of Miss Europe 1997.After being crowned Greek Woman 1997 in this year's Star Hellas Beauty Pageant, sponsored by Antenna, Isavella DAra entered the European pageant in Kiev, Ukraine. 19 year old beauty Isavela Dara told Antenna after it was all over, "The competition was tough, but the support of the people at Antenna helped me a lot, even in Kiev". The first bouquet of flowers that arrived at Isavella's home were from Antenna president Minos Kyriakou. Arriving in Athens Monday, Isavella was welcomed by her parents, and Antenna public relations director Lola Daifa. Isavella comes from a family of artists. Her mother, who is French, is a sculptor, and her father is a writer and director. Isavela is also quite talented. She is a ballet dancer, an actress, paints, and is active in sports. But her real love is modeling and piano. Being a pianist she also writes her own music. She aspires to be a classical composer and conductor. She told Antenna the jury members heard her playing the piano, and she believes it was her musical abilities that swung the jury in her favour. Daifa agrees, at least partly. She thinks that in Kiev it was a combination of beauty and personal accomplishments that swayed the judges. And what about the future? Dara says she wants to continue to work as a model, and to keep studying music. This is the second time Greece has won the Miss Europe title. Marina Tsindikeedou won it in 1992. SOCCERIn soccer, Greece has taken another step toward qualifying for the 1998 world cup finals in Paris. And it does it with a road win over Slovenia Saturday night.After a scoreless first half, Greece draws first blood in the 54th minute, with a goal from Alexios Alex-andris. With time winding down, that goal seems to be all Greece needs, but it gets some late insurance from a header by Konstan-tinides. That comes in the 90th minute, but there's more... as Nikos Maklas makes it 3-nil with a goal in injury time. With the victory and one match left in the qualifying round, Greece is now tied for first in its world cup qualifying group. There are nine qualifying groups in the European zone altogether. The first-place finishers and the best second- place team all advance autamatically to Paris. The other eight second-place teams will play for Europe's other four slots in the finals. For Greece, much hinges on its final qualifying match, against Denmark. That contest is slated for October 11th. SOCCERAnother crucial match for Greece in its drive for first place and automatic qualification for the world cup, is that between Denmark and Croatia on Wednesday.If Denmark wins that contest at home, then Croatia will be out of the running, and the battle for first will come down to that final match between Denmark and Greece in Athens. CLIMBERAnd finally, a story with a happy end. 30-year-old Dimitris Georigiou was climbing steep rocks on the outskirts of Athens when he got stranded in a gorge.There was no safe way out, either up or down for the climber on this incline, and he sat there, lost for two days. Luckily, special forces put an end to his ordeal, coming to his rescue Monday morning. © ANT1 Radio 1997Antenna Radio News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |