Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-05-24

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

CONTENTS

[01] Deacon, foreign collector arrested on antiquities smuggling charges

[02] The people or the plutocrcy

[03] End to decay phenomena

[04] Philippi, Thassos Museums reopen

[01] Deacon, foreign collector arrested on antiquities smuggling charges

The deacon was arrested on Saturday after the Swiss collector was found at Thessaloniki's Macedonia airport with human bones in his luggage as he was preparing to fly to Germany.

A police investigation turned up approximately 200 bones in a silver reliquary in the collector's luggage, which were seized, and an examination of the bones found them to be well-preserved and scented with myrrh, while the name of a Saint was written on each.

The bones and reliquary were picked up by the collector from the deacon at Sidirokastro, in order to hand them over to a high-ranking cleric of the German Church, according to the collector in questioning by police.

A search of the deacon's home on Monday by Thessaloniki Security police turned up 10 narcotic pills, 505 bones and 15 skulls on which names of saints were written, as well as a 19th century Byzantine icon, a 19th century Byzantine cross, two Byzantine rings, and five ancient and Byzantine coins which are protected under antiquities laws.

The two men were arrested on charges of violation of the law on antiquities, the law on desecration of the dead, of grand theft, of accepting and disposal of the product of a crime, and on drug charges.

The investigation is continuing into the activities of the two detainees and the origin of the bones, which are being examined by an Archaeology Service anthropologist.

The two were taken before a Thessaloniki prosecutor.

[02] The people or the plutocrcy

Replying to a question on the unity of the Left, she said that "I represent the Communist Party and not some left. As far as we are concerned, we have our minds primarily on the movement and not the ballot box."

Commenting on the checking of parties' finances, Papariga stressed categorically that "we are not going to deliver the list of our members to anyone. It is a matter of principle. The same applies to whoever backs KKE financially and does not want his name to become known."

[03] End to decay phenomena

Tsipras, leader of the Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (SYN) and parliamentary group leader of the SYN-led SYRIZA parliamentary coalition, speaking in an interview with the newspaper Avghi, sent a strict message that he will not allow any other phenomena of decay in the sector of SYN, as well as competitive political plans that are developing within SYRIZA.

Two weeks before a crucial SYN Congress, Tsipras expressed his faith in SYN's unity and continuation and also belief that the government will not hold out for long.

[04] Philippi, Thassos Museums reopen

The Archaeological Museum of Philippi is housed in a 1962 building which was closed to the public in the mid '90s for restoration works. The project cost 760,000 euros and was financed by "Interreg IIIA/ Greece-Bulgaria" community initiative programme.

On display are archaeological findings that present the region�s history from the Prehistoric Times to the end of the ancient world.

The two-storey Archaeological Museum of Thassos is located in Limenas and consists of two sections, one built in 1932 and a recent wing that was completed in 2000. The museum remained closed during the extension works and only a small section of the building opened to the public in 2004. The extension project was financed by the 3rd Community Support Framework with over one million euros.

Touring its 16 halls visitors can learn about the northern Aegean island�s history starting from the Prehistoric Times up to the Byzantine Era.

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