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FRONT PAGE NEWS |
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 Patriarch says gates open |
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In a sermon that had some of the congregation in tears, Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios yesterday welcomed the first Greek Cypriots to visit Istanbul since a 40-year ban on their entering Turkey was lifted.
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| Oracle of Dionysus found in Bulgaria? |
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| KARDJALI, Bulgaria (AFP) - Bulgarian archeologists believe they may have found one of the most famous oracles of antiquity, a Thracian temple of Dionysus, in the mountains of southern Bulgaria.
“Since we began our research in 2000, archaeological evidence that we may have found Dionysus’ sanctuary has mounted,” said Nikolaï Ovtcharov...
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| Olympic ire over language exam |
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| Athens 2004 Olympics organizers yesterday took the unprecedented step of attacking a foreign cultural institution for appearing to criticize, in a language exam question, the selection of the Greek capital as host for next summer's Games.
The tirade followed reports in the Greek press that one of the subjects for discussion in the oral section of the French Institute's DELF1 exam was the proposition that «it is ridiculous to hold the 2004 Olympics in Athens.»
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| Holocaust Day set for January 18 |
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| Following repeated appeals by Jewish leaders in Greece, Athens is to declare January 18 a national day of remembrance to mark the extermination of Greek Jews in World War II concentration camps, sources said yesterday.
The decision, taken by Education Minister Petros Efthymiou following consultations with Foreign Minister George Papandreou, is expected to be officially announced soon.
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Hundreds of Kosovo Gypsy refugees...
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EDITORIAL |
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Electoral prospects
PASOK is heading for the joint Central Committee and Parliamentary Group session but few are upbeat about the future. Only Maximos Mansion, the prime minister's office, does not seem worried. Apparently, the premier and his close aides have found comfort in delusions.
The results of recent opinion polls have not been released but sources say that New Democracy has extended its lead. |
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COMMENTARY |
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Bankrupt system
If there is one message coming from the political and social tumult caused by the recent spate of bankruptcies and layoffs, it is that our system is too old, too inept, and too heavily based on outdated protectionist models to meet contemporary needs.
When a company's troubles come to a head, our system proves too inflexible. The firm is either billed as problematic, kept alive with ineffectual subsidies, or else declared bankrupt, hence leading the employer and staff to the unemployment office. There is no intermediate mechanism, like the one in the USA, which spares a problematic business from being automatically shut down. A company there first files for protection against creditors and undertakes the obligation to restructure itself by cutting its spending and workforce, and by perhaps selling some of its assets. |
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