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Greece re-elected to IMO Council for 2016-2017

In the elections held during the 29th Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Friday, 27 November 2015, in London, Greece was re-elected to the IMO Council for 2016-2017, in category A; that is, the ten member states with the largest merchant fleets.

Greece’s re-election to the IMO Council is a very positive development that reaffirms Greece’s pivotal role in global shipping issues, reflects its active presence, for decades now, in the global shipping sector, and is very important for the promotion of the interests of Greek shipping internationally.

(http://www.mfa.gr)

December 2, 2015
7th Annual Capital Link Invest in Greece Forum

For the 17th year, a major international Forum on Investing in Greece is taking place in New York City on Monday, December 14th, 2015 organized in cooperation with the New York Stock Exchange and major global banks.

We invite you to join the Forum – institutional investors can also request 1×1 meetings with government officials and company management.

There is no charge to attend for qualified attendees. Registration is by Invitation Only.

THE FORUM FEATURES:

Four Greek Government Ministers,

Eight global investment banks, (Senior executives from: Citi, BNP Paribas, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch Bank of America, Mizuho, UBS)

Senior representatives from the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the European Stability Mechanism,

Top US investors including Paulson & Co, WL Ross & Co, York Capital, Calamos Investments,

Corporate CEOs from Greece and the United States including senior executives from the three Greek Banks

There are several panel discussions focusing on the developments and outlook of the Greek Economy and business and investment opportunities in the country. Greece has been going through a time of unprecedented difficulty and change, as the country restructures its economy and strives to embark on a period of renewed growth and stability. A lot of progress has been achieved, but there are still significant challenges ahead. Developments in Greece have far reaching implications for the European Union and the global economy.

To register please click on the link below:

http://forums.capitallink.com/greece/2015/

December 2, 2015
Ancient Wonder of the World the Colossus of Rhodes could be Rebuilt

One of the seven wonders of the world, Colossus of Rhodes could be rebuilt under plans by a team of young scientists including several from the UK.

The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek titan god of the sun Helios, raised at the mouth of the island’s harbour in the city of Rhodes, on the Greek island of the same, name 300 years before the birth of Christ.

The Colossus of Rhodes stood over 30-metres-high (98 feet), making it one of the tallest statues of the ancient world, but was eventually destroyed along with five other wonders including the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Statue of Zeus, with only the Great Pyramid of Giza surviving.

It had originally been raised as a subject in 2000, and although nothing initially came of the idea, it has now been given renewed vigour after it was revealed it would mean thousands of jobs, and probably millions of euros into the local economy when completed. And with all of Greece struggling under the current economic crisis, both would be well received.

The project by a team of young scientists from Greece, Spain, Italy and the UK, have now put forward detailed proposals to finally move things along and ‘rehabilitate an integral piece of the Greek island’s history,’ as they put it. The team includes architects, civil engineers, economists and archaeologists, who want to use 21st century technology while maintaining the grandeur the original statue had when it was completed in 280 BC.

Inside the statue that the team want to see built would be a museum, which would allow hundreds of items currently not on display in Greece because of a lack of space to be included inside. To fit it all inside, the project leaders want to create an even bigger statue than the original, with the plan being to build a 150-metre-high structure.

They also hope to include a library and a cultural centre, along with a light beacon that could be seen 34-miles-away, which would be not just a magnet for ships but also for tourists.

They have done a marketing study indicating that it would bring millions into the local economy when completed.

The structure takes into account the risk of earthquakes and winds, covering the surface of the statue of the man with photovoltaic panels that will ‘provide him 100 percent autonomy as the God of the Sun that feeds exclusively from solar power’.

The project team consists of Aris A. Pallas, an architect specialising in archaeology from Rhodes, Enrique Fernanzes, a civil engineer from Spain, Ombretta Iannone, architect specialising in archaeology from Italy, Matilda Palla, an economist from Spain, Erald Dupi, an engineer from the United Kingdom and Christos Giannas, an archaeologist from Rhodes.

(http://www.dailymail.co.uk)

December 2, 2015
INTERVIEW: First Egyptian candidate ever as astronaut for a NASA-sponsored space mission

Akram Amin Abdullatif may fulfill his childhood dream of becoming the first Egyptian to travel to space, gaining inspiration from the catchphrase of his fictional childhood hero Buzz lightyear from the film Toy Story; “To infinity and beyond!”
Born in Cairo in 1988, Abdullatif was selected in June to compete in the Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere (PoSSUM) research-training programme, which is the first manned suborbital research effort devoted to the observation of the upper atmosphere.

PoSSUM is sponsored by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and aims to study the mesosphere layer, take samples and undergo climate research at an altitude of about 100km from the Earth’s surface.

Abdullatif, who old was the only Arab among 12 candidates to be chosen for the for PoSSUM programme, told Ahram Online he felt “shocked” upon hearing the good news.

If the 27-year-old finsihes PoSSUM in high ranking, he stands a chance to travel on a space mission in 2017.

Starting in 2005, he studied communications engineering at the German University in Cairo for three-and-a-half years before finishing his bachelor’s degree at the University of Ulm in Germany.

He then received a master’s degree in communications engineering from the University of Stuttgart.

A fan of science fiction since his early childhood, Abdullatif decided just four years ago to follow his dream of becoming an astronaut. He studuied NASA’s handbook, finished a second master’s study in the field of space technology at the Technische Universität München (TUM), and joined Astronauts4Hire, a non-profit organisation which recruits and trains qualified scientists and engineers for the rigours of spaceflight.

He has been working for the past five years as an aerospace engineer at the German Aerospace Centre, and studies for a PhD in flight system safety at TUM.

Last year, he was encouraged to apply for the PoSSUM programme following a discussion with NASA’s chief at a space event.

“I met NASA’s chief last year in a SpaceX launch where I was presenting on an Egyptian experiment carried out through the International Space Station (ISS). I talked to him a little, and he just told me that I must keep my dream up and that I will catch it, and then it was just done,” Abdullatif told Ahram Online in an online interview.

Abdullatif and his fellow Egyptian colleague Hanaa Gaber had won in 2014 the ISS’s Space Florida Research Competition last year for a Hepatitis C Egyptian research mission, beating 600 other applicants.

EGAHEP, the first Egyptian microgravity protein crystal growth mission on the ISS, aims to utilise the microgravity environment to crystallise the HCV genome 4 proteins that make up the Hepatitis C virus, seeking to understand the nature and behaviour of the virus and its process of replication.

Egyptians suffer from one of the world’s highest rates of Hepatitis C, with 15 million people – or 22 percent of the population – living with the virus.

In October of 2015, Abdullatif started a one-week advanced PoSSUM training at NASA facilities at Florida’s Embry Riddle University. He will undergo two more trainings in the US in 2016 before waiting for the big decision.

He told Ahram Online his Egyptian nationality was not a barrier in his career, saying he has not faced any discrimination.

“If you work hard and you compete with other colleagues, nationality won’t be considered a barrier in [general]. But in some cases, like working for NASA or the European Space Agency (ESA), nationality might be an issue because both organisations are federal and require local citizenship,” Abdullatif said.

His nationality may indeed affect his bid for space travel in 2017 as the selection process for candidates could be influenced by NASA rules.

NASA offers work opportunities to international astronauts only from countries that have signed space cooperation deals with the US agency, such as Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil and some European countries.

NASA does not have any space agreements with the Egyptian government.

“I’m being pushed forward all the time by my role model, my father, who was a major general in the Egyptian Air Defence Forces; he passed away when I was 14.”

“While there are no guarantees that I’ll be chosen to fly, I’m still dedicated to reaching my goal,” Abdullatif says.

(http://english.ahram.org.eg)

December 2, 2015
Egypt’s 8th Panorama of the European Film

Over 60 films will be screened across Cairo, Alexandria, Tanta and Menya.

This year there is a diverse selection of films that includes 37 feature films, 12 documentaries and 16 shorts. Among them are 7 Greek films using different tons to portray the crisis that Greece is going through.

Check the Panorama sections and a detailed programme of screenings across four Egyptian cities, Cairo, Alexandria, Tanta and Menya:

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/5/1164/169081/Arts–Culture/th-Euro-Film-Panorama/PROGRAMME-Egypts-th-Panorama-of-the-European-Film-.aspx

November 30, 2015
Heads of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece to meet in December presidential summit

The presidents of Egypt, Cyprus and Greece will meet on 9 December in a tripartite summit in Athens to discuss steps to strengthen ties between the three countries, Cyprus government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides stated.

This is the third meeting between the three countries this year, with the two prior meetings taking place in Egypt and Cyprus and involving discussions on ways to combat terrorism, economic projects as well as the global refugee crisis.

Earlier this month, Egypt’s Defence Minister Sedky Sobhi visited Cyprus in an invitation by his Cypriot counterpart to discuss a number of strategic matters.

Last May, Egyptian, Greek and Cypriot naval forces conducted a joint practice drill in the Mediterranean, followed by joint Egyptian-Greek air force exercises.

(http://english.ahram.org.eg)

November 23, 2015
3rd Egyptian, Cypriot, Greek Summit to Be Held in Athens in Dec.

The Third Egyptian-Cypriot-Greek Summit will be held in Athens next month, a senior Cypriot official said. During a meeting with an Egyptian press team on Wednesday, 18/11/2015 Ambassador Leonidas Pantelides, the Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department, said the first summit was held in Cairo and the second in Nicosia.

He lauded the depth of Cypriot-Egyptian ties which he described as “excellent”, especially at the political and economic levels. Pantelides said Egypt and Cyprus are two “neighboring and friendly states.” Cyprus highly appreciates the role played by Egypt in the region, especially in backing the peace process. Pantelides added that without Egypt’s support for the Middle East peace process, there would be no Palestinian-Israeli negotiation. He noted that his country is coordinating efforts with Egypt concerning Middle East issues of mutual concern, underlining the importance of backing a political solution in Syria.

The ambassador said Cyprus backs the Egyptian authority under Abdel Fattah El Sisi. He noted that Cyprus works on encouraging more Egypt-EU dialogue. Pantelides underlined that the dialogue between the EU and Egypt is extremely important. He stressed that Egypt’s stability is very important, noting that all countries must have realized this in the aftermath of terror attacks worldwide. Pantelides noted that Egypt and Cyprus cooperate in the field of combating terror which became an international phenomenon. Meanwhile, he called for an Egyptian-Cypriot-Greek cooperation in the tourism domain, including organizing a tourist package for the three states.

(http://allafrica.com)

November 20, 2015
Egypt’s Pyramids Light Up With Flags of France, Lebanon and Russia

As monuments across the globe changed their colors to red, white, and blue to mourn those killed in the deadly Paris attacks, Egypt’s Pyramids were lit up with the flags of France, Lebanon and Russia. “La solidarite avec la France [solidarity with France],” read big white text that was illuminated on the Pyramids with the flags of Egypt and the three countries. White text also appeared to show solidarity for Lebanon and for Russia. The lighting then changed to highlight each of the countries, with a message written in their native language that translates to “We stand with the people of Lebanon” and “We stand with the people of Russia.” In the shadows of the Pyramids, lit up by the moon and the sound and light show, people held candles in memories of those killed in the past month.

(http://egyptianstreets.com)

November 17, 2015
22 ancient shipwrecks discovered around one Greek island chain of Fourni

Marine archaeologists have made a “once in a lifetime discovery” after finding 22 ancient shipwrecks near the same Greek archipelago. The Greek and British expedition crew uncovered the wrecks, which date back as far as 700BC, around the archipelago of Fourni, which is in the middle of an ancient trade route between Greece, Egypt and Cyprus. Archeologists now believe there could be up to 40 shipwrecks in an area of just 17 square miles.

The Greek director of the expedition, George Koutsouflakis said: “In a typical survey we locate four or five shipwrecks per season in the best cases. “We expected a successful season, but no one was prepared for this. Shipwrecks were found literally everywhere.” The majority of the wrecks date from between 700BC to 600AD but one was found to have sunk in the 16th century. Fourni is a collection of 13 islands between the islands of Samos and Icaria and was an important staging post in the long distance trading routes between the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, Cyprus, the Levant – roughly comprised of modern day Lebanon, Israel and Jordan – and Egypt.

It is the first time the seabed around the islands has been surveyed in the expedition, which was paid for British archaeological charity the Hope Frost Foundation. The discovery now makes up 12 per cent of the known shipwrecks found in Greece and the expedition’s British director Peter Campbell believes it is unlikely to be repeated. He told the Washington Post: “I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance again to come upon 22 shipwrecks in a single season. “It’s really a once in a lifetime discovery.

(http://www.independent.co.uk)

November 13, 2015
Egyptian President in a ‘Surprise Visit’ to Alexandria

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi made a “surprise visit” to Alexandria on Sunday to personally address and follow up on the coastal city’s sewage problems, reported state-run news agency MENA.

Twice in less than a month, the failure of the city’s sewage system to properly drain the intense rain resulted in the flooding of the city and its complete paralysis.

Following his inspection visit to the sewage treatment plant which serves east and the center of Alexandria, Sisi issued an order to upgrade the city’s sewage system within 10 days under military supervision, reported Youm7.

Supplying for the urgent upgrade, the Egyptian president commanded the allocation of EGP 1 billion (approx. $US 124.6 million) from the Tahya Masr (Long Live Egypt) fund to ensure the sewage system upgrade is ready within the designated time frame.

In addition, Sisi sent out his apologies to the farmers whose lands have been flooded, vowing to compensate them for their loss and the damage of their properties.

On October 25, the streets of the coastal city were drastically flooded after a night of heavy rain and hail. Many citizens suffered grave damage to the their personal properties, from homes to shops and cars. In addition, seven Egyptians were reported dead due to electric shock.

Given the recurrence of the crisis over the years, residents of the city expressed their utter outrage at the former governor of Alexandria Hani el-Messiry for failing to efficiently prepare the city for the foreseeable events. Shortly afterwards, el-Messiry resigned from his position, currently leaving Alexandria without a governor.

The crisis was again repeated on November 4 after an intense night of thunderstorms, which left the entire city in complete paralysis.

http://egyptianstreets.com

November 9, 2015