The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 05-05-23

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From: The Hellenic Radio (ERA) <www.ert.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Storm Brews in Iraq

By Tina Valaoura

A nightmare day for Iraq today. A total of 16 people lost their lives today, while at least another 113 were injured in a barrage of bomb attacks in different areas of the strife-torn country. The most recent violent incident was the explosion of a car outside a Shiite mosque in the town of Mahmoudiya, south of Baghdad, along with the cold-blooded murder of a senior member of the Ministry of National Security, coordinator of operations against the insurgents, Wael al Rubaie.

Surge of Violence

General Rubani was the commander of a newly-formed unit charged with coordinating the ministries and the multinational forces in the task of the operations against the Iraqi insurgents.

Both he and his driver lost their lives when fired upon in the car carrying them to the Ministry, in the Mansoor district of the Iraqi capital. Al Qaeda in Iraq posted a statement on the Internet claiming responsibility for the attack.

After the bomb attack in a restaurant in a Shiite district of Baghdad, where four people were killed, a wave of arrests followed. A total of 300 people were arrested today by the army and the police.

A short while beforehand in the town of Mahmoudiya, 40 km south of Baghdad, a bomb attack was made against a Shiite mosque. Eyewitnesses report that the bomnb attack caused a building to collapse, killing the people inside.

The town of Mahmoudiya has recently been the scene of many attacks between various religious and social groups.

In Tuz Khurmatu in northern Iraq, another car packed with explosives blew up, taking five people to their deaths and injuring another 13. The incident occurred near the offices of the municipal council of the town, which is 88 km from Kirkuk.

It is estimated that since the start of the month, more than 550 people have come to an untimely end in the various instances of violence.

Translated by Millie Williams

Related News:

Explosion in Baghdad Restaurant

Bloody Attack in Samara

[02] Funeral Service on Wednesday An Historic Leader Passed Away

Sources: ÍÅÔ 105.8 - ÍÅÔ - ÁNA

The news of Charilaos Florakis death saddened supporters of the Left wing, as well as the entire political world. Charilaos Florakis symbolized the political and social fights of the Left wing. He was one of the people who believed in, fought and developed their activities, while he contributed to the democratic movement. His body will be exposed for public viewing on Tuesday (9:00am to 9:00pm) and Wednesday (9:am to 2:00pm) at KKEs headquarters in Perissos, Athens. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday 25 May at the KKE Central Committees atrium at 18:00. The burial will take place on Thursday 26 May at 16:00 in Paliozoglopi, Municipality of Itamos, Thessaly.

His Farewell Note

In a farewell note, written by Charilaos Florakis in September 1994 and given to Aleka Papariga, he mentioned, "I do not name this note a will, since I have nothing to leave behind.

I gave all my possession to the Party, the KKE Party, with its famous symbols, its Marxist-Leninist ideology, its programme and its principles.

I want to return and be buried at my birthplace, Paliozoglopi, and specifically in the location Ailia [St Ilias] so that I can have a great view. I want a simple grave, but I want it to be fenced in, because I dont want any wild animals to unearth me.

I do not want any speeches or wreaths. These can be translated into aid for the Party.

September 1994

Good-bye

Charilaos Florakis"

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

Related News:

Charilaos Florakis Passed Away

[03] Sinful Parents!

By Vagelis Theodorou

A one-year-old baby was arrested and spent the night in prison in Mexico. The baby was arrested in Puerto Progresso when his father Roger Sagundo was caught trying to rob 6 vodka bottles from a supermarket. Mr Sagundo put the bottles on the baby trolley and tried to leave the supermarket, but was caught by security. The Police spokesperson said: "The policeman who got there first thought it was the right thing to do to list the baby as an accomplice, because the bottles were in his trolley. Father and son were sent to prison but only in the next morning the policeman on duty at prison realised the son was a baby."

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[04] All Eyes on Phanar Panorthodox Synod Tomorrow

By Anna Kourti

Sources: NET 105.8

The Panorthodox Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is scheduled to begin on Tuesday morning in Phanar and will focus on the matter concerning the future of Eirinaios. A series of meetings between Church Hierarchs was concluded earlier in the afternoon. "We discussed everything and listened to the Patriarch Eirinaios of Jerusalem. Things are tough and tomorrow will be a difficult day," said the Archbishop of Athens, Christodoulos, upon departing from Phanar. According to sources, tomorrow, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will aim for unanimity in the decisions of the Synod and defusing the crisis in the interest of the Orthodox Church.

Eirinaios not Willing to Resign

Earlier in the afternoon, Eirinaios met with Bartholomew and the Patriarch of Alexandria and reiterated that he does not intend to resign and will remain in the Patriarchal throne until the end. He is also prepared to call the legality of the renouncement decision by the king of Jordan into question, as well as the jurisdiction of the Synod.

In addition, Archbishop Christodoulos has already arrived in Phanar, accompanied by the Metropolitan Bishops of Filippi and Syros. All three of them also met briefly with the Ecumenical Patriarch. In his statements Christodoulos declared, "We are deeply sorry for the situation in Jerusalem and are hoping for something good for the future of Orthodoxy to emerge from the Panorthodox meeting."

In the meantime, Jordan has asked for the election of a suffragan at the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, after the decision concerning the dethronement of Eirinaios, which has already been validated by king Abdullah.

Related News:

Shortly Before the Synod in Phanar

Eirinaios Renounced

[05] After giving testimony 13 of 18 Arrestees Freed

By Annita Paschalinou

13 of the 19 people arrested in connection with the violent incidents last Thursday in the centre of Athens have been freed on bail. In their testimony, the young people, who face charges of arson, violation of the law on explosives and other crimes of a degree of misdemeanour, denied having taken part in the incidents, stating that they simply took part in the anti-racist events. The remaining arrestees have been given an extension to testify before the magistrate and will appear on Friday.

Translated by Millie Williams

[06] BBC on Strike

By Betty Savourdou

Sources: BBC - ÁNA

On Monday, journalists and technicians working for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) went on a 24-hour strike, protesting against mass job cuts. As a result, many live TV and radio programmes have been disrupted. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and another two unions representing technical staff, decided to go on strike as they are opposing BBC Director General Mark Thompsons decision to proceed with firing 20% of the staff, which translates into approximately 4,000 employees, over a period of three years. As per the unions estimates, approximately 11,000 out of the 27,000 employees are expected to participate in the strike.

Working Conditions Under Threat

NUJs general secretary, Jeremy Dear, invited BBC to comprehend and respond to the rage and concerns prompted by the job cuts, which would undermine quality, threaten the working conditions for staff and deprive BBC from viewers and listeners.

The unions have also scheduled a new 48-hour strike for 31 May and 1 June.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[07] Clashes Escalate Clashes in Colombia

By Anna Kourti

Thirty two people lost their lives, including 5 soldiers and 27 guerrillas, during clashes northwest of Colombia. The clashes were reported in the community of Ituango (480km northwest of Bogot&#225;), where one officer and three soldiers died. One soldier and six guerrillas were killed during clashed in Meta, at the southeast, while six more guerrillas died on Saturday in Tame, near the borders with Venezuela. Clashes between the army and guerrillas have escalated over the past weeks.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[08] Four dead and 113 injured Explosion in Baghdad Restaurant

By Vivian Papastefanou

Four people were killed and 113 were injured in the explosion that occurred in a much-frequented restaurant in the Jamila district in northern Baghdad. As stated by the police, the explosion took place during the lunch hour, which meant that the restaurant was full of workers from the local industrial area. Furthermore, 14 cars were entirely burnt out and another 22 were damaged.

Translated by Millie Williams

[09] 2 Dead Bloody Attack in Samara

By Anna Kourti

Two Iraqi soldiers lost their lives and another one was injured, when bombshells were launched against An Iraqi army and police base north of Baghdad, announced an Iraqi military source. As per captain Sallam Haidi, more than ten bombshells were launched against the base in the city of Samara, resulting in the death of two soldiers and the injury of one. Three booby trapped cars exploded near another military near targeting a US convoy in the same city without any victims however.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[10] Disagreement Over Budget

By Betty Savourdou

The 25 failed to agree upon the budget for the 2007-2013 period on Sunday night. Hence, as Luxemburg supported, despite harsh disagreement and Germany's veto threat, negotiations are likely to come to an agreement during the June Summit Meeting in Brussels. However, a high-ranking official of the European Commission noted that early elections in Germany have caused doubts regarding the kind of economic decisions chancellor Gerhard Schroeder could take in the Summit due for next month.

Two Fronts

Germany, along with 5 more countries that have the largest contribution in EU's budget (U.K., France, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands), wish for the reduction of the Union's expenses to 1% of the GDP.

On the contrary, the countries that are receiving more money than what they are giving for the budget, demand that expenses are set to 1.24% of the GDP, while Luxemburg is suggesting 1.05% to 1.1% as the golden mean.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[11] British Researchers' Study Nicotine Affects Memory

By Vagelis Theodorou

Sources: BBC

It seems that British researchers discovered one more negative effect of smoking, after studying the effects of prolonged, heavy use of nicotine on the brain and particularly memory. Researchers from the Universities of Newcastle, Wales, Northumbria, Westminster and Teeside asked more than 700 people (smokers and non-smokers) to take part in a survey that was carried out via an internet questionnaire and rate their long-term memory. For instance, remembering to send birthday cards or where they had put their things. The main parameter of the questionnaire was smoking habits: a heavy smoker was classed as having more than 15 cigarettes a week and a light smoker between one and four cigarettes a week.

Errors and Memory Impairments

As per the findings that are published in the scientific journal "Drug and Alcohol Dependence," smokers made more errors in their long-term memory than non-smokers with an additional difference between light smokers and heavy smokers.

As Dr Tom Heffernan from the university of Northumbria told BBC, "a typical heavy smoker reported 22% more memory-related problems than a non smoker and around 12% more problems than those who smoked only relatively a small number of cigarettes."

Researchers concluded that chronic, heavy smoking is associated with impairments in everyday memory, although the precise nature of the deficits are as yet unknown.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[12] New Browser With Better Security Standards Netscape Attacks

By Vagelis Theodorou

Netscape launches a new product in the market, trying to surpass the Internet Explorer and the Firefox. The new Netscape 8.0 browser, which was released last Thursday, is combining its competitors best features, offering better security to the Internet user. "The browser is like a hybrid car that combines the usability of Internet Explorer with the security of Firefox," said Andrew Weinstein, a spokesman for America Online/Netscape. Furthermore, the new browser protects cybernauts from dangerous websites by regularly updating a "black list" of dangerous and scam sites. Netscape is preparing to make up for lost ground at a time when the Internet Explorer is still dominating the Web Browser space, although market percentages are in decrease since the Firefox was released. As was expected, the three companies have taken battle positions, while Google seems to follow suit as rumours have it soon developing its own browser.

Aiming for Security

At its larger extent, Netscape 8.0 is based on Firefox, but also supports the Internet Explorer. In this way, the developers of the new browser are aiming to overcome the Firefox problems when users are visiting websites especially designed to run with the Internet Explorer.

At the same time, programmers claim that the new browser offer better security against spyware (software that hacks into your computer and collects personal data) and phishing (tapping for personal and financial information from the recipient).

To reduce the danger of a phishing attack, Netscape 8.0 automatically configures its settings to help protect you based on a list of known suspicious sites. The list in question is updated three times a day and drawn up by big software companies like TRUSTe and America Online.

When the user visits a dangerous website, a red shield appears on the browser window. Other features of the new Netscape 8.0 allow the user to set many websites as their main page and include the RSS (Really Simple Syndication) improved support, while Google has been set a search engine.

You can download the new Netscape 8.0, which was released last February on trial, from Netscape's website http://browser.netscape.com/ns8/.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

Related Links:

Internet Explorer

Firefox

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