Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-04-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM: Program has produced positive results

[02] 'Heracles to Alexander the Great' exhibition at Oxford

[03] Pampoukis in China

[04] Pirated freighter released

[05] ASE opening: Decline

[06] Ancient Minoan 'computer' 

[01] PM: Program has produced positive results

"We are not swept up by the sirens of destruction we hear on occasion," Papandreou said, and noted the existence of "the substantial solidarity of the European Union in this area".(ANA-MPA)

During a visit to the capital of Poland, which assumes the rotating EU presidency for the second half of 2011, Papandreou said that Europe is facing many challenges, from the situation in Libya to the crisis in the eurozone, which "indicates the need and abilities that Europe has to work collectively to tackle the major issues which we, as countries individually, would not be able to face".(ANA-MPA)

The two prime ministers discussed the situation in North Africa and the need to contribute to an integrated and coordinated European policy so as to assist the countries that are on a track of democratisation, but also to strengthen EU security..(ANA-MPA)

They further discussed the Balkan countries EU accession prospects, which Greece strongly backs, as well as EU-Turkey relations, in the context of which, Papandreou stressed, "we always refer to a resolution of the Cyprus problem".(ANA-MPA)

The Greek premier was also received by the President of Poland.(ANA-MPA)

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[02] 'Heracles to Alexander the Great' exhibition at Oxford

This major exhibition showcasse the treasures of Aegae, the royal capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedon. (ANA-MPA)

More than 500 extraordinary new discoveries from the royal tombs of Aegae are on display for the very first time at the Ashmolean. These magnificent objects trace the rise of power of the governing Temenids, descendants of mythical Heracles (Hercules) and the ruling dynasty of Alexander the Great, and focus on the roles of the kings and queens, and their immediate court, according to the museum. (ANA-MPA)

Aegae was unknown before its discovery at the modern village of Vergina, in northern Greece, 30 years ago. Since then, excavations have revealed a startling wealth of objects, from intricately crafted gold jewellery to glass perfume bottles and clay busts. This exhibition will feature the reconstruction of four burial tombs, displaying the recent finds of gold and silver treasure for the first time anywhere in the world, the Ashmolean added.

The main goal of the exhibition is to promote the evolution of the Macedonian kingdom and the era of Alexander the Great.

The exhibition is co-organised with theGreek ministry of culture and tourism and the 17th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities.

The exhibition will run through August 29.

(Photo by ANA-MPA/STR)

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[03] Pampoukis in China

Pampoukis opened the visit with meetings with COSCO president and managing director Captain Wei Jiafou in Beijing, and the president of the China Industrial Overseas Development and Planning Association Fan Chunyong.

On Tuesday, he is scheduled to meet with China's vice foreign minister for policy planning Zhang Zhijun, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) chairman Zhang Ping, Commerce vice minister Jiang Yaoping, and China Investment Corporation chairman and CEO Lou Jiwai.

On Wednesday he will have meetings with vice foreign minister for Europe Fu Ying, State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) vice-chairwoman Huang Danhua, and China Development Bank chairman Jian Chaoliang, while on Thursday he will have talks with Chinese vice-premier Li Keqiang.

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[04] Pirated freighter released

The Greek-owned and Greek-flagged VLCC (very large crude carrier) "Irene SL" was pirated on February 9 approximately 350 nautical miles southeast of Muscat in the North Arabian Sea, carrying a load of 266 tons for oil products from the Gulf to the Gulf of Mexico.

The 25 crew members -- from Greece, Georgia and the Philippines -- are all safe and in good health, and the vessel was headed to afe port in Durban, S. Africa.

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[05] ASE opening: Decline

Individual sector indices were moving mostly downward, with the biggest gains in Telecoms, up 0.65 percent; Travel & Recreation, up 0.63 percent; and Commerce, up 0.41 percent.

The biggest losses were in Food & Beverage, down 2.16 percent; and Banks, down 1.56 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was down 1.02 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was down 0.05 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was down 1.23 percent.

Of the stocks traded, 21 were up, 38 were down, and 21 were unchanged.

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[06] Ancient Minoan 'computer'

Tsikritsis, who also hails from Crete -- where the Bronze Age Minoan civilization flourished from approximately 2700 BC to 1500 century BC -- maintains that the Minoan Age object discovered in 1898 in Paleokastro site, in the Sitia district of western Crete, preceded the heralded "Antikythera Mechanism" by 1,400 years, and was the first analog and "portable computer" in history.

"While searching in the Archaeological Museum of Iraklion for Minoan Age findings with astronomical images on them we came across a stone-made matrix unearthed in the region of Paleokastro, Sitia. In the past, archaeologists had expressed the view that the carved symbols on its surface are related with the Sun and the Moon," Tsikritsis said.

The Cretan researcher and university professor told ANA-MPA that after the relief image of a spoked disc on the right side of the matrix was analysed it was established that it served as a cast to build a mechanism that functioned as an analog computer to calculate solar and lunar eclipses. The mechanism was also used as sundial and as an instrument calculating the geographical latitude. (ANA-MPA)

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