FM in Doha for Libya Contact Group Meeting

---

• FM in Doha for Libya Contact Group Meeting
• FinMin on Economy
• Greek Museums (Re)visited
• Greek Gymnastics Continued Success
• Hungarian Nat'l day Celebrated @ Corinth Canal
• The Culture Agenda

FM in Doha for Libya Contact Group Meeting Posted: 14 Apr 2011 02:17 AM PDT Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas was in Doha yesterday to take part in the first meeting of the International Contact Group on Libya, which was set up following a meeting in London on March 29. Droutsas spoke of the need to find a political solution to the Libyan crisis and expressed support for an increased coordinating role by the UN in this process. As regards the issue of humanitarian aid, the Foreign Minister stressed that Crete can become an ideal hub for the transfer of this aid, due to its proximity and suitable infrastructure. On the sidelines of the meeting, Droutsas met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as well as a representative of the "National Transitional Council of Libya" and the UN special envoy to Libya, Abdul Ilah al-Khatib.

FinMin on Economy Posted: 14 Apr 2011 02:18 AM PDT Greece's medium-term fiscal adjustment plan for 2012-2015 will reach € 23 billion, Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said, yesterday addressing a conference on Asset management and Private Banking. He added that the targets can be met by a combination of restricting state payroll costs, limiting state enterprise deficits, better targeting of social welfare and cracking down on tax evasion and on the avoidance of social security contributions. Speaking about the broader picture of the Greek economy, Papaconstantinou insisted the country's economy had been through the worst and that growth may return in the second half of this year.

Greek Museums (Re)visited Posted: 14 Apr 2011 02:21 AM PDT The Hellenic Statistical Authority (EL.STAT) reports an 11% increase in the total number of visitors strolling through Greek archaeological museums throughout 2010, as well as a 31% jump in terms of the museums' revenue (all figures are compared with the respective ones for 2009). The main boost was given by the Acropolis Museum, which has been visited by two million people since June 2009, year of its inauguration. The National Archaeological Museum in Athens recorded a drop by 200,000 visitors, which accounts for a loss of one fourth of its annual attendance rate. This is expected to change, once the Museum overcomes the problem of lack of space. In the countryside, EL.STAT reports that two significant tourist attractions, the Acropolis of Lindos on Rhodes and Knossos on Crete, have seen their visiting rates drop by 6% and 7% respectively. In total, Greek archaeological sites, monuments and museums are visited by approximately 8 million people every year. Ministry of Culture & Tourism: culture.gr; Greek News Agenda: Tourism? It's a matter of culture

Greek Gymnastics Continued Success Posted: 14 Apr 2011 02:26 AM PDT Greek gymnasts Vasileios Tsolakidis and Eleftherios Petrounias (photo) secured two bronze medals at the Artistic Gymnastics European Championships, held in Berlin on April 4-10. Tsolakidis, with 15.075 points won bronze medal at the parallel bars apparatus, while Petrounias, with 15.675 points won bronze medal at the rings apparatus.

Hungarian Nat'l day Celebrated @ Corinth Canal Posted: 14 Apr 2011 02:26 AM PDT Hungary's National Day was commemorated in Greece at the Corinth Canal on April 10. Around 250 people attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument honouring the two pioneering Hungarian engineers, István Türr and Béla Gerster, who oversaw the construction of the Corinth Canal at the end of the 19th century. The event was organised by the Hungarian embassy in Greece and the Canal's operator, in collaboration with the municipality of Loutraki and the Club Hotel Casino Loutraki.

The Culture Agenda Posted: 14 Apr 2011 02:55 AM PDT E X H I B I T I O N S Spyros Vassileiou and Theatre @ Benaki Museum The Benaki Museum (Pireos Street Annexe) is hosting until May 15 an exhibition of works by painter Spyros Vassileiou (1903-1985). The aim of the exhibition is to highlight the most important moments in the artist's long career in theatre featuring sculptural and painted set designs, costumes and photographic material, introductory texts, posters and theatre programmes, shedding thus light into Vassileiou's work in relation to the cultural and aesthetic trends of his time.   The Ark @ Benaki Museum Until May 22, visitors to the Benaki Museum (also at the Pireos Annexe) have the opportunity to view the installation The Ark: Old seeds for new cultures, which was the Greek entry to the 12th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale. The project seeks to reintroduce into contemporary architectural practices the space of culture in its double meaning, that of agriculture and of civilization. M U S I C Mulatu Astatke @ Fuzz Club Mulatu Astatke, the 'father of Ethio-jazz' –known worldwide by the soundtrack of Jim Jarmusch's film Broken Flowers – is coming to Athens Fuzz Club (16.4) and the Principal Club Theater (15.4) in Thessaloniki. He will be presenting his latest album Mulatu Steps Ahead, a mix of jazz, latin and traditional Ethiopian music.  Viennese musicians @ Megaron The Wiener Mozartisten ensemble is coming to Athens for a spring concert, on May 5, at the Athens Concert Hall, with works by Schubert, Dvorak and of course.... Mozart! P U B L IC  D I S C U S S I O N  Megaron Plus Lectures Disincentives to development and particularly to the attracting of foreign investment is the title of a panel discussion which is taking place today at the Athens Concert Hall, as part of the Megaron Plus Lecture series.

You are subscribed to email updates from GREEK NEWS AGENDA To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610