Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-06-29

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Grounded ferry at Oinousses

[02] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] Grounded ferry at Oinousses

None of the passengers or crew were injured, even though the impact was described as powerful, but it caused a breach in excess of 20 metres on the port side of the ship's stern so that one of the two watertight compartments was flooded and the 'Theophilos' developed a list.

The ship was originally bound for the island of Chios when it ran aground and diverted its course to nearby Oinousses. It arrived under its own steam but trailing leaked fuel from the breach in its hull right beneath its fuel tanks. After the ship developed a list of about 3 degrees, an order was given to transfer the passengers to smaller vessels and they were successfully taken to shore in life boats.

The list was corrected by Sunday morning, however, after the ship's own pumps were reinforced with three additional pumps provided by the Chios fire brigade.

In the meantime, the breach under the fuel tanks has allowed fuel-contaminated water to escape and spread over an area of 1.5 miles around the island, while a small quantity of oil residues have been trapped using special booms.

A private clean-up vessel has been called in, as well as a team of technicians who are to inspect the breach and decide if it can be repaired.

A meeting will be held on Sunday evening under Marine, Aegean and Island Policy Minister George Voulgarakis to assess the situation created by the accident. The "Theophilos" was built in 1975.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photograph of people disembarking from a ferry.

[02] Athens Newspaper Headlines

The Siemens investigation, a Kapa Research opinion poll, the pass marks for universities, the legalisation of buildings lacking planning permission and collection of revenues dominated the headlines on Sunday.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: "We did it! Tell the truth, comrades...Tsoukatos begs his 'most honourable' friends in PASOK to courageously confess". Former PASOK official insists he did not take one million marks from Siemens for himself and says he was betrayed by party.

APOGEVMATINI: "Pass marks for 170 university departments - The first estimates of the Federation of Teachers and Tutors of Greece".

AVGHI: "SYRIZA throws down the glove - Siemens reveals the structural problems of the two-party system".

AVRIANI: "Mr. Prosecutor, make sure you don't let 'General' Tsoukatos get away!". Paper notes that the former PASOK official, who started off as a pharmacist for a social insurance fund, had managed to buy a luxury apartment in chic Kolonaki and rub shoulders with the very rich through his senior post in the party.

CHORA: "The Siemens El Dorado with 18 banks and 29 offshore companies".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "PASOK on a knife edge, Siemens the catalyst of new developments."

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "The 'Who's Who' of a scandal - Siemens case: The time for prosecutions has come, a new wave of revelations about political slush funds on the way".

ETHNOS: "The underground routes that linked three scandals - Where the judicial investigation into the Siemens case is leading".

FREE SUNDAY: "Alexis Tsipras: Corruption belongs to PASOK and ND"

KATHIMERINI: "Insatiable party funds and kickbacks degrade the political system".

LOGOS: "The political repercussions of the Siemens case - government on hold, PASOK in a difficult position".

NIKI: "Karamanlis using catenaccio tactics, continuing to hide behind his own finger." Claims the government is attempting an effective cover-up of the Siemens scandal by passing the case to justice but not providing the public prosecutor in charge with the assistance he need to deal with the hugely intricate case.

PARON: "Siemens finished by orders from above..." The article claims a "majestic' cover-up in the Siemens case involving all sides within and outside Greece.

PROTO THEMA: "The U.S. now ratting ND as well - American reprisals for Putin within and without". Claims the existence of bribes and kickbacks to ruling ND officials for the C4I programme.

RIZOSPASTIS: "NATO programmes being sold to Greek universities".

TO VIMA: "No to everyone! ND and PASOK below 30 percent - what the latest opinion poll by Vima shows".

VRADYNI: "100,000 unauthorised buildings made legal - Who can increase their property and how".

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