Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 2000-11-20
MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Thessaloniki, November 20, 2000
SECTIONS
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
TITLES
[01] HUNDREDS OF HOUSES WERE FLOODED IN THE REGION OF ATHENS
[02] ALEXANDER DIMITROV WILL BE IN ATHENS ON WEDNESDAY
[03] BUSINESSMEN TALK ABOUT THE TURKISH MARKET ON THE MPA
[04] NEW NEGATIVE RECORD IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
05] REPPAS: HOPES FOR AN EU MINISTERS OF AGRICULTURE DECISION ON
THE "MAD COW" DISEASE
[06] EXTRAORDINARY TECHNOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES
[07] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN COMMENTED ON A "LONDON TIMES"
REPORT
[08] REPPAS ON THE REMOVAL OF MR. PANGALOS FROM THE MINISTRY OF
CULTURE
[09] THESSALONIKI'S 41ST FILM FESTIVAL PRIZES
[10] IMF: PRAISES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE GREEK ECONOMY
[[11] PIONEER SYSTEM LOCATES CD AND DVD THAT ARE THE PRODUCTS OF
PIRACY
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
NEWS IN DETAIL
[A] NATIONAL NEWS
[01] HUNDREDS OF HOUSES WERE FLOODED IN THE REGION OF ATHENS
Hundreds of houses were flooded in the region of Athens as a
result of yesterday's heavy rainfall. The municipalities that
suffered most damages are Kamatero, Liosia, Haidari and
Petroupolis while serious problems are faced by other regions as
well.
The Fire Department received 350 calls for help and 15 people
were rescued. The rain has stopped in Athens but the Fire
Department remains in a state of readiness to deal with any
emergency.
[02] ALEXANDER DIMITROV WILL BE IN ATHENS ON WEDNESDAY
FYROM foreign minister Alexander Dimitrov will be in Athens
on Wednesday for talks with his Greek counterpart Giorgos
Papandreou.
The talks will focus on the cooperation of the Balkan
countries and the preparations for the summit meeting of the
European Union with the south eastern European countries that will
be held in Zagreb on November 24.
In view of the Zagreb summit, the political directors of the
foreign ministries of the Stability Pact countries will meet in
Skopje tomorrow.
[03] BUSINESSMEN TALK ABOUT THE TURKISH MARKET ON THE MPA
The investment interest of the Greek businessmen in the
Turkish market is expected to materialize relatively soon, while
the Turkish companies need a similar period of time for their
investments in Greece.
Representatives of 6 Greek companies, that participated in
the 1st Exhibition of Greek Companies in Turkey spoke to MPA on
the first impression they got from the business contacts they had
in the country.
The common conclusion reached by those who participated in
the exhibition was that Turkey offers significant investment
opportunities which will acquire a more concrete character in the
next few years.
Thessaloniki's Port Authority organization president
Apostolos Genitsaris had exploratory contacts with the management
of Istanbul's Port for the development of cooperation in the
education and the exchange of information fields, but there were
no specific conclusions reached.
Aluminum company Alumyl Milonas is expected to enter the
Turkish market very soon through the development of cooperation
with other companies in the country.
Market research in Turkey will be made by the Euro-Advisers
company on behalf of two Greek companies. The Euro-advisers have
formed a consortium of advisers with the Turkish MERKAT SA and the
Greek EXERGIA Ltd. under the name "EUROGROUP".
The dairy industry MEVGAL aims at approaching the big Turkish
market in an indirect way according to company general director
Dimitris Simeonidis, who said that the MEVGAL products will be
sold to Turkish businessmen outside Turkey. He also reminded that
MEVGAL exports its products to 23 countries.
Wood and metal processing equipment industry Vasos Rafailidis
Ltd. plans to invest in Turkey and already Turkish companies have
made proposals for cooperation.
The 1st Exhibition of Greek Companies in Turkey coincided
with the opening of the EKSANDAS subsidiary in Istanbul. The new
company of advisers under the name EKSANDAS Istanbul SA was
founded recently in cooperation with the Turkish companies Epsilon
and Erzen. It should be reminded that EKSANDAS belongs to the
construction company Themeliodomi in northern Greece.
[04] NEW NEGATIVE RECORD IN THE ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE
A new negative record was broken in the Athens Stock Exchange
today. The losses recorded were 2.16% and the general index
dropped to 3.340 points, while the predictions of analysts
according to which, the general index will drop to the 3.000
points mark and even lower appear to come true. The volume of
transactions was disappointing at 50.4 billion drachmas.
Of the stocks trading today, 310 recorded losses, 31 had
gains and 38 remained unchanged.
[05] REPPAS: HOPES FOR AN EU MINISTERS OF AGRICULTURE DECISION ON
THE "MAD COW" DISEASE
The hope that the ministers of agriculture will reach a
common framework to deal with the situation that has been created
as a result of the "mad cow" disease, was expressed by Greek
government spokesman Dimitris Reppas.
Mr. Reppas pointed out that Greece has intensified the
inspections for the protection of consumers and when he was asked
why Greece does not take any additional measures, he responded
that the implementation of measures on imports from other
countries can lead to countermeasures and for this reason, every
factor must be taken under consideration. The Greek government
spokesman also stated that Greece is ready to take more measures
if necessary.
[06] EXTRAORDINARY TECHNOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES
A serious problem faced by the car manufacturers and the
scientists, who specialize on safe driving, is the operation of
airbags in case of a traffic accident given the fact that there is
a problem in their use by small-sized people and children. The
airbags are made for average-sized people and therefore, in the
case of children they cover their face when they inflate causing
asphyxiation.
This problem is now solved with a microchip made by the
Boston University MIT Media Lab. This microchip can detect the
presence of small children in the car and adjusts the airbags to
their bodies.
This is one of the latest technological breakthroughs that
were the result of the research conducted by the Media Lab,
directed by Greek-American Michalis Bletsas, who will be one of
the main speakers in the 6th Inter-Balkan Journalist Conference
that will take place in Thessaloniki on November 24-25 organized
by MPA.
The Media Lab was founded 15 years ago in 1985 when
professors Nicholas Negrepontis and Jerry Wiesner, who served as
MIT president and scientific adviser to president Kennedy, created
it inaugurating a new form of university scientific research.
According to Michalis Bletsas, the main idea behind the
foundation of the lab was the prediction that the convergence of
computers, publishing activities and radio-television broadcasts
was imminent.
The lab's annual budget is USD35 million, while it has a
permanent staff of 110 people, 170 post-graduate students and 150
undergraduate. A 95% of its budget is covered by private
companies. A European branch of the Media Lab was launched in
Dublin, Ireland last summer in cooperation with the Irish
government and a number of sponsors.
[07] THE GREEK GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN COMMENTED ON A "LONDON TIMES"
REPORT
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas referred to the
statement by International Olympic Committee, IOC, president Juan
Antonio Samaranch that the 2004 Olympic Games will be held in
Athens and will be successful when he was called to comment on an
old "London Times" report concerning the security problems that
will allegedly arise during the Olympic Games that will take place
in Greece.
Mr. Reppas stated that Greece cooperates with specialists
from other countries on security issues, adding that a plan has
been drawn up on security issues that has been submitted to the
IOC and has received positive comments.
Also, the Greek government spokesman stated that such
publications serve special interests.
[08] REPPAS ON THE REMOVAL OF MR. PANGALOS FROM THE MINISTRY OF
CULTURE
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Reppas, when asked to
comment on the replacement of Theodoros Pangalos by Evangelos
Venizelos, who was appointed minister of culture, stated that the
ministers as members of the government have an obligation to move
within the framework of the policy that has been decided by the
responsible bodies, adding that different views on an already
decided policy can not be accepted.
Mr. Reppas also pointed out that it is the prime minister who
decides on the composition of the government.
Finally, when he was asked to comment on the controversial
labor relations draft bill, the Greek government spokesman stated
that the government wants it to be voted through in parliament as
soon as possible. Mr. Reppas also pointed out that the government
is concerned over the problem of unemployment and has to act now.
[09] THESSALONIKI'S 41ST FILM FESTIVAL PRIZES
The British film "Last Shelter" by Pavel Pavlikowski is the
big winner in Thessaloniki's 41st Film Festival and in a special
ceremony that was held yesterday its creator received the Golden
Alexander prize and the sum of 12.5 million drachmas.
The Silver Alexander, the special prize awarded by the Film
Festival Committee, and the sum of 7.5 million drachmas, was
received by Dito Cintance's "Lost Killers".
The best director prize was won by Marzei Meskini for his
film "The day I became a woman", while the best scenario prize was
given to Christian Pedzolt for the screenplay of the film "An
unusual situation".
The best performance prizes were given to the "Last Shelter"
actors Dina Korzun and Paddy Conniestein, who shared the prize
with Michel Matisevic, the leading man in the film "Lost Killers".
[10] IMF: PRAISES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE GREEK ECONOMY
The International Monetary Fund, IMF, includes praises in its
draft report concerning the performance of the Greek economy in
the area of the basic macro-economic indexes as well as,
recommendations for the maintenance of the achievements that were
made with an emphasis on the structural changes and the course of
inflation.
The IMF calls on the government economic staff to focus its
attention on inflation, the privatization process and the freeing
of the markets.
In the draft report that was delivered today are included
recommendations for the speedy liberalization of the electric
energy and telecommunications markets, the reform of the social
security system and the promotion of the attempted reforms in the
job market.
[11] PIONEER SYSTEM LOCATES CD AND DVD THAT ARE THE PRODUCTS OF
PIRACY
The CD and video production companies that lose billions of
dollars every year because of the piracy practice will be happy to
hear that an innovative program has been developed by Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki locating CDs, DVDs, photographs and
television images that are the products of piracy.
The program was developed by the Aristotle University
computer science department and constitutes an innovation in the
area of the protection of copyright. This new program will be
presented in the international conference on "The new technologies
in the mass media for the development of Inter-Balkan cooperation"
that will take place in Thessaloniki on November 24-25 organized
by MPA.
[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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