The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 05-08-13

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

CONTENTS

[01] Traffic Increased But Smooth Exodus Escalates

By Vivian Papastefanou

The departure of the excursionists escalated on Saturday on the occasion of the traditional August 15 holiday. As of Saturday morning, the traffic in both national highways has been rather increased, though no problems have been recorded. This years exodus form the city centres has been one of the greatest, since those who had remained also left for the countryside to enjoy the August 15 holiday. Eleftherios Venizelos facilitated more than 240,000 passengers, while around 200,000 people travelled these days with KTELs regional buses and OSE (Hellenic Railways Association). The ports in Piraeus and Rafina once more played a leading role in this years exodus. On Saturday, 34 routes were scheduled to depart from Piraeus port and 14 from Rafina, including three extra ones en route to Tinos. By Monday, 130 routes are expected to have departed from the Piraeus port and 75 from Rafinas port. The Mercantile Marine Ministry urges the travellers to ask for information regarding the exact hour of departure before reaching the ports.

Delays in Shipping Routes

Despite the extra measures taken, considerable delays have been reported in some routes from the Piraeus Port. In particular, Express Pigasos en route to Syros-Mykonos-Evdilos-Karlovasi-Vathy is expected to dock at Piraeus with a four-hour delay. The ship was scheduled to set sail for the Piraeus Port at 8pm, however, it is not expected to reach Piraeus until 8:15pm. Panagia Paros returning from Paros-Naxos also docked at Piraeus with a minor delay, while its departure had been set at 4pm. Finally, Speed Runner 1 arrived in Piraeus at 3:30 pm and it was to leave for Kythnos-Seriphos-Siphnos-Milos at 4pm.

Translated by Areti Christou

[02] Crude Oil at 67 Dollars a Barrel Worldwide Concern

By Anna Kourti

Analysts do not rule out the possibility that the oil prices will exceed 70 dollars per barrel. On Friday, in New Yorks market crude oil hit a new record high closing at 66.70 dollars per barrel, while in London Brent reached 66.70 dollars per barrel. On its part, the Greek Economy Ministry is considering taking all necessary measures to reduce the appreciations and the profiteering phenomena sparked by the meteoric rise in oil prices worldwide. Unleaded has exceeded 1 euro per litre in the Greek islands. "Should any unjustifiable differences in fuel prices be recorded, the sanctions are to be ruthless," argued the Deputy Development Minister Giorgos Salagoudis on Friday exiting his meeting with the representatives of the fuel market. The involved bodies, on the other hand, pledged to try to squeeze the margins of their profits lest the rise should fall upon the consumers.

Greek Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas called the rise in the international prices of the black gold unprecedented, while responding to PASOKs criticism about the high inflation, he pointed out that the issue should not be subject to unworthy oppositional practices.

"Mr Sioufas is deliberately ignoring the high prices that the Greek people has to suffer," PASOK answered back.

KKE requested indirect taxation on fuels be immediately abolished and SYN spoke of heavy taxes implemented at the expense of the Greek people.

Translated by Areti Christou

Related News:

Emergency Meeting

[03] With Festivities A Year After 2004 Games

By Vivian Papastefanou

A year has passed since the opening day of the Athens Olympic Games and numerous festivities have been held since Saturday morning to mark the first anniversary. All the stadiums and the Olympic venues opened their gates to welcome everyone who wishes to participate. The first birthday cake of the 2004 Olympic Games was cut in the Athens Olympic Stadium (OAKA) by Deputy Culture Ministry Fani Palli-Petralia along with many children. More than 150 children from Atticas campsites spread their liveliness in OAKA and made a large cake in tribune of the last years opening day of the Games that made all Greeks proud. The concert to be given by the famous Greek singer Elena Paparizou at the Beach Volley Olympic Complex in Faliro will close the festivities in the best possible way.

Dreamy Games Sponsored by GreekTaxpayers

Deputy Culture Minister said that the time has finally come to exploit the benefits and the legacy of the 2004 Olympic Games adding that she is pretty optimistic with regard to the second birthday. Mrs Petralia noted that the Athens Games were dreamy and that they were sponsored only by the Greek taxpayers, therefore it is time the benefits return to the Greek people.

At the same time, she cited that todays festivities will be repeated next year with the participation of children from all schools, not just from the Attica basin.

On the occasion of the anniversary, PASOK leader Giorgos Papandreou lashed out an attack against the government and the Prime Minister accusing him of failing to make the best of the new prospects the successful Olympic games earned Greece. He called on Costas Karamanlis to quit his position as the Culture Minister as a token of self-criticism over the lost time during NDs rule. In respond to Mr Papandreous accusations, Mrs Petralia argued that PASOK leader "Handles the issue in an unworthy political fashion."

PASOK released and announcement claiming that the Deputy Culture Minister is trying to conceal the reality that the Greek people witness by displaying loquacity and complacency. The governments policy has diminished the value of the vision and failed to live up to the peoples expectations, and promises nothing but worse days, concluded PASOKs announcement.

Translated by Areti Christou

[04] After the Assassination Tension Builds Up in Sri Lanka

By Vivian Papastefanou

Sri Lankas President has declared a state of emergency following the assassination of the countrys Foreign Minister by sniper fires near his residence in Colombo. The army has asked the civilians to stay indoors lest they should obstruct the massive manhunt for the killers. So far, two suspects have been arrested. As per flash estimations, the perpetrators are believed to belong to the Tamil separatists, who have denied any involvement. They have actually urged the government to look inwards for the assassins. "The government had better look for the assassins among those who wish to sabotage the cease-fire agreement which have been halted since April 2003," cited an announcement posted on the groups website.On his part, the government spokesperson Nimal Siripala de Silva underscored that Lakshman Kadirgamars assassination constitutes a serious retreat in the peace process in Sri Lanka. He also claimed that the Tamil separatists are to be held accountable for the killing although they denied it.

It should be noted that the countrys government signed a ceasefire agreement with the Tamil rebels in February 2002.

EU Condemns the Assassination

In the meantime, European Commissioner responsible for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner condemned the slaying of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister and described it as an "act of terror". She further added that the EU detects "a clear attempt on the part of the assassins to revive the conflict and deprive the Sri Lankans of peace, national unity and prosperity that are rightfully theirs after the long-lasting civil war and the destructive tsunamis that hit the island in December 2004."

Translated by Areti Christou

Related News:

Minister Assassinated in Sri Lanka

[05] Horror Memories Evoked Documents Have Been Aired

By Anna Kourti

Sources: REUTERS, New York Times

"Im trapped. I cant breathe much longer. Save me. I dont have much air. Please help me. I can barely breathe," said a desperate civilian the moment of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Following a lawsuit filed by New York Times, New Yorks authorities were forced to air the documents in relation to the transmissions recorded between the firefighters and the Fire Departments headquarters as well as the testimonies of the rescue teams. Audiotapes, dispatchers tapes, phone logs and oral histories after the attacks describe the tormenting and depressing moments thousands of people suffered when they were trapped and died in the flames and ruins of the twin towers.

Dramatic HIstories

Firefighter Maureen McArdle-Schulman said she saw a constant stream of bodies falling from the towers. "I felt like I was intruding on a sacrament. They were choosing to die, and I was watching them and shouldn't have been, so me and another guy turned away and looked at the wall and we could still hear them hit," she said.

Rescue worker Lonnie Penn said he found body parts, including a little girl's foot. "It was like a pink sneaker," he added. Approximately 15 hours of radio transmissions and oral histories from more than 500 firefighters and paramedics have been aired so far by New York's Fire Department. The radio transmissions were recorded after the attacks that resulted in the death of 3,000 people in the towers. 343 firefighters were among the fatalities.

Families of the victims expressed their optimism that the documents would help to clarify whether the doomed firefighters were not able to hear the orders to evacuate the building or chose to keep saving people in the ruins irrespective of the fatal consequences.

New York's authorities opposed the release of the audiotape documents, claiming that some of the oral histories were confidential and that certain details could upset the families of the victims.

Following a lawsuit lodged by New York Times and many victims' families, the state's Court of Appeal ordered the bulk of the information be aired. Some tapes have recorded the desperate efforts made by the rescue teams. A dispute has been triggered over the incompetence displayed by the police and the fire departments to communicate with each other and the possible problems the rescuers encountered with their radios.

"I'm getting four different chiefs giving me four different command posts. Somebody at the scene has got to help me out and consolidate this," said a voice in a dispatch almost three hours after the first attack. Another voice said, "Right now we are all alone. The second building came down. I cant's see, so we have no contact with anybody at this time.'

Calls to other units are met with an eerie silence, while anyone can hear the voices of the firefighters who climb the 110-storey buildings in the moments before the towers collapsed. The men said they were out of breath and that they started taking off their heavy coats in the unbearable heat.

Firefighter Robert Dorritie spoke of a woman who leaped from a tower and landed on a firefighter. "A lady in a blue dress came down. She went through the skylight and she hit this guy and she crushed him," he said.

Sally Regenhard, whose firefighter son Christian was killed, said of the release: "It's gratifying that after nearly four years, I'm finally learning some information about what happened to my son. It's very sad to go through this, to relive it, to hear the calls and to read the descriptions," she stated. Mrs Regenhard along with other family members accuse the city of what they believe were faulty radios.Retired Fire Department Captain Al Fuentes, who contributed to the rescuing of people from a nearby hotel, said: "We had to resort to hand signals to get the last people out."

Translated by Areti Christou

[06] Until Democracy Prevails US Troops Remain

By Vivian Papastefanou

In his weekly radio speech, US President George Bush said that the USA has no intention of pulling out its army forces from Iraq, especially now that the countrys leadership is drafting the Constitution. He further noted that an early withdrawal would betray the Iraqi people and would give the opportunity to other parties to question the USAs commitment to spreading freedom and to securing the victorious outcome in the war against terror. "The terrorists cannot defeat us in the battlefield. The only way to take us down is to make us lose our peace of mind. This will not happen as long as I stand guard," pointed out George Bush. At the same time, opinion polls indicate that the Americans who support Bushs handlings are fewer and fewer, since American casualties in Iraq keep increasing.

Translated by Areti Christou

[07] Olympiakos Conquers Mestalla

By Stathis Petropoulos

Valencias players proved too small before Olympiakos superiority on Friday night. The game between the two teams was the first of the two friendly games the Greek team is to play at a tournament held in Spain. Sollieds boys entered the football pitch looking quite determined and managed to open the score in the 6. The newly acquired Olympiakos striker Michalis Konstantinou scored his first goal for his new team. The hosts answer never came. They tried to balance the game, but they failed although Toure and Stoltidis seemed to be tired and prone to mistakes. Olympiakos defenders along with the teams front line kept giving the Spaniards a hard time by not allowing them to counterattack.

Toure Made the Difference

In the second half, Valencia did its best, and since the Spaniards had launched infinite efforts to break the offside trap performed by Olympiakos in the first half, in the second they appeared to have got the picture and improved. In 69 Mista managed to equalize following a successful attack. However, that was not enough to change the course of the game in favour of Valencia. Toure of Olympiakos took over and made things much easier for the Greek team. In 77 minutes he crossed the ball forward getting past five opponents and gave Olympiakos the lead with 2-1. A few minutes later, he created the 3-1 by passing the ball to the young Nigerian Babaginda who did not miss the goal.

Valencia: Butelle, Ayala (72 Navarro), Carboni, Pedro Lopez, Moretti, Albiol (85 Di Vaio), Angulo, Villa (72 Kluivert), Edu (63 Baraja), Mista (70 Aimar), Reguerio (74 Fabio Aurelio)

Olympiakos: Nikopolidis, Mavrogenidis (71 Koulocheris), Kostoulas, Anatolakis (90 Vallas), Georgatos, Toure, Stoltidis (84 Maric), Kafes (78 Babaginda), Rivaldo (84 Bulut), Djordjevic, Konstantinou (84 Okkas)

Translated by Areti Christou

[08] Available Men Hard to Find Where Did Men Go?

By Vivian Papastefanou

Life is tough for New Zealand women who have a hard time trying to tie the knot. As per Australian researcher Bernard Salt, who has conducted surveys on the demographic statistic data, women in New Zealand outnumbered the men by 24,000 last year. Salt argued that a 34-year-old New Zealand woman has as many opportunities to find a husband as an 85-year-old one. The reason behind this man drought is that men and women leave their country at their early twenties to work abroad. The women tend to come back. The men, on the other hand, either remain abroad and get married or they return to New Zealand already "taken". However, counsellor Hilary Smith from New Zealand denies the problem. She claimed that people not always choose their better halves with regard to their age and advised women to stop ruining the life by being in quest of Mr Perfect.

Translated by Areti Christou

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