From: gavrila@imhfhp16.epfl.ch (Spyros Gavrilakis)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.greek
Subject: W/E News
Date: 21 Dec 92 11:15:22 GMT
Organization: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne



A collection of stories from the weekend press :

<<ATHENS, Explosion : A strong explosion shook the area of
Kannigos, in the centre of Athens Friday, injuring five. It is
not known if the explosion was produced in a gas pipe or it was
caused by a bomb.>>  (LNQ)

---------------------

<<Greece, New identity card mentions the relegion : Greece, an
Orthodox nation, will, in 1993, be the only country in the EC to
impose on its citizens to write their relegion on their idenity
cards. Mrs Virginia Tsouderou, Secretary of State for foreign
affairs, warned the goverment against "the influence" of
"International Jewish lobby" in particular in the US.>> (LNQ)

---------------------

<<The Greek wine accused of lukewarm nationalism : A call to boycott
the Greek wine Makedoniko was launched by the Greek ultra-nationalist
weekly "Stochos", which accuses the Greek producers of this product
of lukewarm patriotism. "Despite our protestations, the company
Tsantalis still sells its wine under the name Makedoniko, without
proclaiming clearly that this term can only signify a Greek product"
affirms "Stochos", accusing the firm that is looking for clientele in
the ex-republic of Yougoslavia, Macedoine.>> (LNQ)

---------------------

<<Research Slumps : European research did not fare well at the
Endiburgh Summit last week. Planned growth in spending has fallen
victim to pressure from the EC's poorer countries to increase their
funds.
<<Earlier this year,Jacques Delors called for a doubling of the annual
research budget to 4 billion Ecus. But the deal struck at Endiburgh
means that by 1999, spending will have risen to between 2.55 and 3.36
billion Ecus per year.
<<The European Commission's total budget was smaller than predicted because
recession holds most of Europe in its grip. The settlement for research
was smaller than expected partly because the strong lobby for "cohesion"
payments, designed to help bring the poorer countries in line with
the rest of Europe, has won out over other calls on a budget already
hit by recession.
<<Gordon Adam, a British Labour MEP on the European Parliament's research
committee, says it would have made more sense to cut cohesion payments.
"Without a strong research base no amount of handouts for other purposes
are going to increase European prosperity anywhere in the Community,"
he says.>>  (NS)

---------------------

<<Did Archimedes use the Sun to save Syracuse? : In 213 BC, a Roman
fleet besieged the Greek city of Syracuse. Acording to ancient
tradition, Archimedes saved his home town by reflecting the Sun's
rays onto the invader's wooden ships, setting them alight. But did the
bonfire of the triemes really happen, or is the story just a myth?
An analysis by physictis at the University of Leicetser has cast new
light on this old story.>>
...
<<... Alan Mills and Robrt Clift at the University of Leicester have
now carried out an analysis of solar reflections  which shows  that
the tale is improbable (European Journal of Physics, vol 13, p 268).>>
.....
From the New Scientist 19/26 Dec. 1992, No 1852/1853, p 16.

---------------------

sg