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The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 03-09-04The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>CONTENTS[01] Weather ForecastPartly cloudy with a chance of sporadic showers particularly in Thrace. The rest of the country will have pleasant weather with some clouds only in the east. Temperatures in Athens will range from 18-26 C and in Thessaloniki from 14-23 C.(4/9/2003 8:29:00 μμ) [02] PM Simitis meets with cabinetDuring a cabinet meeting today, Prime Minister Kostas Simitis stated that elections would be held in the spring of 2004.Mr. Simitis outlined the basic priorities of the governments work. Among them are, the completion of the announced social measures, the preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games, the controls on the origin of income declared on the income-tax returns, measures against unemployment, materialization of the job positions announced, privatization and the law on the co-financed projects. The Prime Minister pointed out that topics of major priority include the opening of the International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki, the presentation of the 'Charter of Social Cohesion' next week, the preparations for the 2004 Olympic Games, better usage of the 3rd Community Support Framework's funds, and the finalization of the reforms for the modernization of the political system. (4/9/2003 8:31:00 μμ) [03] Pasok MP Evagelos Giannopoulos diesPASOK MP and former Minister Evaggelos Giannopoulos died at 7am this morning. His death was due to heart failure suffered at the hospital where he was being treated for the past few months, due to serious health problems that had been troubling him for the past 5 years. Mr. Giannopoulos was born in 1918 in Arkadia, he was a member of the national resistance, a member of PASOK after the political changeover, served as President of the Athens Bar Association from 1976-1981, and had been elected to Parliament every year since 1981, while he served as Minister of Labor and Justice, the Merchant Marine, Transit and the Aegean in the governments of Andreas Papandreou.Government spokesman Christos Protopapas described Evangelos Giannopoulos, as a fighter with popular roots and a uniting voice in the governing Socialist Party of PASOK. The government spokesman announced that all the cabinet members will attend the funeral that will take place on Monday at the First Cemetery in Athens, at public expense with honors reserved for government ministers. New Democracy president, Konstantinos Karamanlis described Mr. Giannopoulos as a strong politician and political party opponent. (4/9/2003 8:32:00 μμ) [04] ND leader meets with represnetatives of cosumer portection groupsSocial policy is an obligation for every government and should not be used in an opportunist manner, stated right-wing main opposition party of New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis following a meeting with representatives of consumer protection institutes at his party's central offices today.Mr. Karamanlis stated price 'explosion' is one of the major problems faced by the Greek people on a daily basis, and stressed that inflation and high prices constitute a major failure for the government. Mr. Karamanlis underlined Greeks have the lowest per capita income in Europe, with the highest unemployment rate with one out of three people unemployed and pointed out 2.5 million Greeks live below poverty level. (4/9/2003 8:33:00 μμ) [05] Olympic Airways strike causes major disruptions todayThousands of airline passengers were stranded at airports today following a strike by Olympic Airways personnel resulting in the cancellation of many flights.The staff at Olympic Airways launched the 24-hour strike today to protest plans to restructure and sell the indebted airline. Six Olympic flights were cancelled and others delayed indefinitely. The strike was ruled illegal. The Minister of Transport, Christos Verelis announced those responsible for today's chaos would be remanded. In the meantime, the discussion for the creation of the New Olympic Airliens will be tabled in Parliament tonight. (4/9/2003 8:34:00 μμ) [06] Abbas tells lawmakers to back himPrime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, struggling to win more power from Yasser Arafat and push a U.S.-backed plan for peace with Israel, called on Palestinian lawmakers today to back him or sack him.Pledging his commitment to salvage the battered Middle East "road map", Abbas sought new security powers he sees as vital to diplomacy but which the Palestinian president has been reluctant to give him. Abbas, appointed by Arafat in April under international pressure but lacking his rival's grass-roots popularity, stopped short of asking for a vote of confidence. As Arafat supporters staged anti-Abbas protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a parliamentary speaker said 15 out of the 85 lawmakers had filed a petition asking for such a vote. There was no immediate decision on the request. Abbas's removal by parliament, which is dominated by Arafat loyalists, could doom the U.S.-brokered road map already under threat from fresh bloodshed and the cancellation of a ceasefire by Islamic militants. (4/9/2003 8:47:00 μμ) [07] Rumsfeld in Iraq; France, Germany cool on draftU.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld flew into Baghdad today for a closer look at developments as Washington struggled to rally more nations to contribute troops and cash for peacekeeping in Iraq. The United States faced skepticism in the U.N. Security Council over a resolution it has crafted to encourage more nations to send troops and money to support the U.S.-led occupation.French President Jacques Chirac met with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Schroeder, speaking in the eastern German city of Dresden, said the proposals showed movement in the U.S. position but did not go far enough. Iraq needed stability and democracy. The resolution seeks U.N. endorsement of the U.S.-selected Iraqi Governing Council as an interim government. (4/9/2003 8:51:00 μμ) [08] US jobless claims riseFurther signs emerged today suggesting a quickening in the pace of the U.S. recovery, but a rise in applications for jobless benefits showed the economy is not yet firing on all cylinders. Initial claims for unemployment aid rose unexpectedly last week, climbing back above the 400,000 level economists view as dividing improvement from deterioration in the jobs market, a report from the Labor Department showed. But other reports underscored the economy's brightening outlook. A private-sector group said the giant U.S. services sector grew rapidly last month, while government data showed orders for manufactured goods rose more than expected in July.While mounting signs the economy was gathering strength has heartened economists, a weak labor market continues to show the recovery is not yet out of the woods. (4/9/2003 8:53:00 μμ) The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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