Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-02-16

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

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

CONTENTS

[01] 'Flame of Hope' for 8th Winter Special Olympics lit in Athens

[02] Greece will be among first to ratify EU Constitution

[03] Executive demand jumped 75 pct in 2004 in Greece

[04] President Stephanopoulos made honourary member of Athens Academy

[01] 'Flame of Hope' for 8th Winter Special Olympics lit in Athens

The torch-lighting ceremony was also attended by members of government, including Health Minister Nikitas Kaklamanis, Alternate Culture Minister Fani Palli-Petralia, Deputy Sports Minister George Orfanos and Deputy Health Minister Thanassis Yiannopoulos.

Among the ranks of the officials at the event were Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyiannis, Special Olympics International Chairman and CEO Timothy Shriver, the head of the Nagano Games organising committee Hideo Morita and the chairwoman of Special Olympics Hellas, Gianna Despotopoulou.

Over 2,500 athletes from 80 countries will be participating in the Nagano Special Olympics World Winter Games. Greece will be sending a team of 45 athletes, who will compete in four events: Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and speed skating.

The flame left Athens for Nagano, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics, Tuesday night.

"Today, here, we all celebrate the lighting of the flame of hope," Bakoyiannis said. "The slogan of these games - let's celebrate together - shows the spirit and the atmosphere that the organizers of the Nagano Special Olympics want to give to the marvelous event."

The games are staged every two years and were held in Salzburg, Austria, in 1993, Toronto in 1997 and Dublin, Ireland, last year. Shanghai, China, will host the Special Olympics in 2007.

The Special Olympics movement includes 150 nations, 20,000 Special Olympics events each year and 1.2 million athletes worldwide.

[02] Greece will be among first to ratify EU Constitution

"Our position is crystal-clear: Greece at the centre of Europe; Greece at the heart of European developments. This is the only way we will be able to guarantee Greek citizens that their interests will be safeguarded, that the opportunities of the 21st century will be capitalised upon," Valinakis said.

He explained that being "at the heart of European developments" means that Greece will participate in all new European institutions involving closer political and other cooperation.

"For all of the above reasons, the Greek government decided that Greece should be among the first countries that ratify the Treaty. We have the political will, the determination, so that Greece is among Europe's protagonists," he added.

In closing, Valinakis said: "Every step forward the Union takes, is a step from which Greece benefits. Greece benefits with the European Constitution."

[03] Executive demand jumped 75 pct in 2004 in Greece

The report said that a total of 3,977 executive ads were published last year from 2,271 in 2003. Demand in the fourth quarter of 2004, however, fell 32 percent compared with the same period in the previous year, reflecting the impact of the Athens Olympic Games. Demand in the fourth quarter of 2004 was up 11 percent compared with the previous quarter, the report said.

The Greek labour market is steadily moving higher since the beginning of 2003, with printing losing out to Internet as a main source of executive ads. The report by Kantor Humanis said that the services sector, the leading sector in the market with a 41 percent share in total ads in early 2003, fell to 31 percent at the end of 2004 but remained the leader in the labour market.

The commerce sector was unstable in the last two years to peak in the summer months of 2004 during the Olympic Games, but losing ground in the last quarter of 2004. The manufacturing sector showed minor fluctuations in 2003 and 2004 with its participation in the executive market ranging from 15 to 22 percent, to jump to 28 percent in the last quarter of 2004.

[04] President Stephanopoulos made honourary member of Athens Academy

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