Greek Bouzouki Sounds Αt London Olympic Games

Stella Tsolakidou
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Greek Bouzouki Sounds Αt London Olympic Games

The Greek Bouzouki School of Yiannis Polykandriotis in the UK will represent Greece and its traditional music in the artistic programme of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The fifty-member orchestra is made up of male and female bouzouki players, aged between10 and 32, has a strong presence in the British capital, and was chosen after a relevant competition amidst several Greek bands.

The orchestra will perform at 15 cultural and athletic events, including the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Yiannis Polykandriotis has been employed by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Cyprus in order to teach the bouzouki and traditional Greek music to the students of the Greek and Greek-Cypriot communities in the UK.

Second Volume of Iakovos Kambanellis’ Plays Translated into Persian

Stella Tsolakidou
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Second Volume of Iakovos Kambanellis’ Plays Translated into Persian

Τhe second volume of Iakovos Kambanellis’s plays, including two new plays, will soon reach Iran. Iranian playwright, director and translator Reza Shirmarz saw his four plays all published one week ago in his homeland by major Ghatreh Publications and is now moving on to his next project, which will be the translation of the The Complete Plays of Iakovos Kambanellis into the Persian language.

“Two Modern Greek One-Act Plays: Letter to Orestes and Thebes Sidestreets” is yet another aspect of Greek literature that is being introduced to Iran by Reza Shirmarz.

Born in Teheran but having lived in Greece for the past few years, Mr. Shirmarz began translating the ancient Greek plays into Persian about fourteen years ago. He has translated the complete plays of Aristophanes (11 Comedies / Father of Old Comedy) and Menander (Father of New Comedy), while Aristophanes’ The Birds became a bestseller in Iran a couple of years ago.

Mr. Shirmarz has a long history of translating theatrical works behind him, including more than 100 plays from different playwrights from around the world, such as George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, Evanjelin Machlin and others.

Government Publishes List of Thousands of Tax Evaders

A. Makris
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Government Publishes List of Thousands of Tax Evaders

The Greek government published a list of the country’s worst tax evaders on Sunday, after months of warning those same evaders to pay up or risk being named and shamed.
The list comprises 4,152 debtors who each owe more than 150,000 euros to the state, with a total debt of 14.877 billion euros.
The list only includes individuals who have not yet entered into any payment arrangement. Although the list was compiled in November 2011 the authorities required clearance from the Hellenic Data Protection authority before they could make the information public.
Topping the list with a tax debt of 952 million euros is Thessaloniki accountant Nikos Kassimatis, whom Ta Nea reports is convicted of illegal VAT refunds.
In a related development, a 65-year-old clothing retailer was detained in the western port city of Patra on Saturday, on charges of withholding more than 600,000 euros in taxes from the state.
(source: DPA)

Troika Extends Deadlines, Waits for Results of 'Social Dialogue'

A. Makris
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Troika Extends Deadlines, Waits for Results of 'Social Dialogue'

The seven member EU-IMF Troika mission currently in Greece held a meeting with labour ministry officials on Saturday, after which they decided to extend a deadline for completing talks until the end of the week, so that final decisions might be made concerning collective labour agreements and supplementary pensions.
Sources said the three-hour meeting was held in a pleasant climate, with the Troika clarifying that the next meeting on Thursday or Friday was not a deadline for the social partners (employer and trade union organisations) to finalise a collective agreement.
Nonetheless, the deadlines are getting tighter because all issues considered to be preconditions for signing a new loan contract must be settled within the week.
The issues raised by the Troika mission once again included a reduction in the minimum wage and the reduction of the 13th and 14th salaries in the private sector, stressing that a reduction in labour costs was a condition for boosting competitiveness.
The ministry countered that any horizontal reduction in wages would further deepen the depression and the living standards of wage-earners, whose incomes had sustained average reductions of around 12 percent since 2009. They pointed to alternatives for reducing labour costs and cited a recent report by the labour inspectors showing an increase in company contracts and forms of flexible employment.
Ministry officials also presented a plan to give employers a 10 percent discount in social insurance contributions if they paid wages and contributions via banks, and were prompt in paying contributions.
(source: ana-mpa)

01/22/2012: Latest Greek Super League Results with Video

A. Makris
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01/22/2012: Latest Greek Super League Results with Video

Panathinaikos took full advantage of a rare defeat for Greek champion Olympiakos on Sunday, beating Atromitos 1-0 to go top of the league by two points.
A 72nd-minute winner by former Arsenal winger Quincy Owusu-Abeyie was all Panathinaikos needed after Olympiakos had earlier lost 1-0 at Xanthi (video), only its second defeat of the season.
In other action:
Asteras Tripolis – PAS Giannina     2 – 1 (video)
Ergotelis – AEK Athens     1 – 1  (video)
PAOK – Panionios    1 – 0   (video)
Doxa Dramas – Aris    1 – 3   (video)
Panaitolikos – Kerkyra    1 – 1   (video)
Levadiakos – OFI   0 – 2

Standings
1. Panathinaikos   42
2. Olympiakos Piraeus   40
3. AEK Athens   34
4. PAOK   32
5. Xanthi   29
6. Atromitos   27
7. OFI    26
8. Aris   22
9. Ergotelis    22
10. Panionios   19
11. Asteras Tripolis   19
12. Panaitolikos   17
13. Kerkyra   12
14. PAS Giannina   11
15. Levadiakos   10
16. Doxa Dramas  3

Dallara Remains Hopeful on Greek Debt Deal

A. Makris
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Dallara Remains Hopeful on Greek Debt Deal

Charles Dallara

Greece’s private creditors are working closely with Athens on a debt swap deal, their chief negotiator said on Sunday, adding that he was confident a deal could be reached.
“We are at a crossroads and I remain quite hopeful,” International Institute of Finance chief Charles Dallara told Antenna TV on Sunday.
Greece and its private creditors are converging towards a deal but many details are still unresolved, sources close to the negotiations said during the weekend. Much of the attention will now turn to a meeting of euro zone finance ministers on Monday, and to how EU states and the IMF view the progress in the debt swap talks.
(source: Reuters)

Simitis Says 'Memorandum Was Drawn Up Without Preparation by Papandreou Government'

Fani Toli
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Simitis Says 'Memorandum Was Drawn Up Without Preparation by Papandreou Government'

The former PM Mr. Costas Simitis plans to discuss the current economic crisis and Memorandum signed by the Papandreou Government during his speech on January 23rd in Berlin. The conference is titled: “Greece in crisis. Prospects for the European path,” and is organizes by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Freïe Universität.
The political office of former prime minister Costas Simitis released excerpts from the speech Simitis will deliver at this conference.
“The agreement between the EMU and Greece over policies which must be implemented by Greece in order for it to be granted the last installment of the agreed loan, known as the memorandum, was drafted without adequate preparation and functioned in a way that exacerbated the situation. The authors of the Memorandum failed to attach goals to actual developments, i.e. predicting that if there is a recession, the timing of goals will automatically be extended. It was a politically fatal mistake”.
According to Mr. Simitis, the Greek problem was not a misfortune in the state of the Union, a diversion which overthrew a well-designed project; it was the catalyst that revealed the shortcomings of past economic governance, as well as the need for a restructuring of it.
Finally, Mr. Simitis will indicate that “solidarity is a term that is not liked in some EU countries. They suggest that a commitment to support from others who do not meet their obligations, implies a unilateral commitment. But things require collaboration and mutual support. In the dominant view of the EMU’s practice, the solution of problems concerning the levels of competitiveness between the north and the south requires mainly the promotion of changes in labor markets and structural reforms”.

Greek Zaira Riga Designs European Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle Neuron

Fani Toli
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Greek Zaira Riga Designs European Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle Neuron

Neuron is the European unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator for the development, integration and validation of UCAV technologies, and is not for military operational deployment.
By the end of 2005, the governments of France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland had agreed to invest in the Neuron programme.
The coordinator and head of Neuron’s design process is the Greek Zaira Riga, who coordinated the construction of the Greek parts of Neuron.
The main aim of the Neuron programme is to sustain and develop European manufacturers’ aeronautic and other technologies for next-generation combat aircraft and UAVs.
In March 2004, the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) and Dassault signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the Dassault UCAV programme, which became the Neuron programme. Under the terms of the MoU, HAI is responsible for the engine exhaust, the rear fuselage section and the test rig. The rear fuselage section was delivered to Dassault Aviation in January 2011.
The air vehicle fuselage length and the wingspan are approximately 10 meters. The empty weight of the air vehicle is around 4,500kg, and with a full payload the weight will be about 6,000kg. The air vehicle has tricycle-type landing gear for runway take-off and landing.

Farmers Riot in Greece

Fani Toli
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Farmers Riot in Greece

Greek farmers have announced they will protest on Monday the 23rd of January, and demand that the Greek Agricultural Insurance Organization become a government entity.
Greek farmers also want the Greek Agricultural Insurance Organization to provide an allocation to farmers that can cover the expenses of any production damages.
The farmers’ protest will include, among other planned forms of demonstration, blockades of toll roads and highways. On the 4th of February, a rally will also take place in Thessaloniki on the occasion of the ‘Agrotika’ Exhibition.

Greek Language Presentation of Athens 2011 Special Olympic Games in Sydney

Fani Toli
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Greek Language Presentation of Athens 2011 Special Olympic Games in Sydney

The official Greek language presentation of the Athens 2011 Special Olympic Games occurred this Sunday, January 22nd, organized by the Centre for Greek Literature and Poetry Kostis Palamas of Sydney.

The Greek language presentation included a tour of the Games, their history, and a video-based presentation of the opening of the Athens Special Olympics held in June last year, among other events.

Dimitrios Kametopoulos was the main speaker of the event that was held at AHEPA Hall, 394-396 Princess Highway, Rockdale, on Sunday, January 22, at 7:00 pm.

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