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Friday September 5, 2003 - Archive

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05/09/2003

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TOP STORY
N17’s alleged chief: ‘I was framed’ Yotopoulos, facing 963 charges, neither condemns nor approves of terrorist group’s actions Alexandros Yotopoulos, the alleged mastermind behind November 17, yesterday denied that he belonged to the terrorist gang and claimed that he was the victim of a frame-up by American and British agents.

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Olympic’s rocky takeoff toward becoming Airline

Olympic Airways, Greece's national carrier, began the last stage of its tempestuous journey yesterday, with Parliament voting by 52 votes to 46 to break it up and hand over its flight operations to a slimmer company...

Turk-Cypriot opposition unites

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Three Turkish-Cypriot opposition parties said yesterday they were joining forces in a bid to defeat veteran leader Rauf Denktash in parliamentary elections later this year and pave the way for Cyprus's reunification.

Trials loom over asset masking

Dozens of regional governors, mayors, top executives in public companies, journalists and other professional groups obliged by law to provide annual income-source declarations are to be charged with failing to table their declarations or omitting crucial data, court sources said yesterday.

Athens defends Mt Athos ban

Greece yesterday fended off criticism from the European Parliament regarding the ban on women entering the northern monastic community of Mount Athos.

Briton charged with biting off man’s nose

A British tourist at a popular Cretan resort was charged yesterday with grievous bodily harm for allegedly biting off a large chunk of a local barman's nose.

IN BRIEF

Simitis insists government is to exhaust its four-year mandate : Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday dispersed strong rumours of an impending early parliamentary election...

PM to be greeted by thousands of protesters at launch of trade fair : Thousands of protesters are to greet Prime Minister Costas Simitis today...

MPs challenge expansion plans : Two Synaspismos Left Coalition party deputies yesterday demanded an explanation from the government...

Cyprus artifacts : The United States has extended by three years an emergency ban...

Swaying scaffolding : Police stopped traffic on central Academias St for four hours from 11 a.m. yesterday...

Lightning death : A 44-year-old farmer died after being struck by lightning...

Writer dies : Author Ilias Petropoulos died late on Wednesday night...

Car blasts : Explosive devices consisting of dynamite that were planted on a truck and car belonging to a businessman and his wife in Tsikalaria on the outskirts of Hania detonated early yesterday morning...

Migrants : Port Authority officials on Kos yesterday detained 11 Iranian illegal imwho had reached the island...

Tractor death : A 78-year-old farmer was crushed to death yesterday when his tractor overturned in a field in the Cretan municipality of Platanias...


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Former Justice Minister...
EDITORIAL

Free education? Greek families pay the astronomical sum of 400 billion drachmas (1.174 billion euros) per year on all sorts of private tuition courses, despite the supposedly free access to education. More precisely, households pay about 200 billion drachmas (587 million euros) for private, skill-upgrading courses for primary, secondary and senior-high schools. About 150 billion drachmas (440 million euros) is spent on language coaching centers, while nearly 50 billion drachmas (147 million euros) goes to dance schools, music academies and gyms for the children.

COMMENTARY

Simitis’s reformist wand Yielding to the siren song of populism is the rule rather than the exception for governments at pre-election time. But there are some informal limits that the protagonists must respect in order not to undermine the foundations of democracy. The main problem with the government pledges is their blatant and provocative opportunism. What was a threat to the economy just a few months ago is now within limits. With shocking ease, Costas Simitis lied that the «social package» will be funded from a budgetary surplus. In truth, it will widen an already exploding public debt.

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