‘Free hugs’…

Actors from the popular television series ‘Singles’ hold up signs advertising ‘free hugs’ on Saturday in Thiseion, central Athens, to mark AIDS Awareness Day. The event was one of several initiatives around the capital. One of the most arresting displays was a huge plastic reproduction of the curled red ribbon, worn by AIDS awareness campaigners, in front of the Panathenaic Stadium. The spread of AIDS in Greece has leveled off after a 25 percent increase in infections between 2002 and 2005. But figures show a rise in new cases of AIDS infections among gay men.