The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 05-12-17

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

CONTENTS

[01] For the British Presidency Positive Conclusion

By Anna Kourti

Tony Blair described the conclusion of the six months of the British Presidency as positive. "We started accession negotiations with Turkey and Croatia, a fact which constitutes important progress, we have a budget and an agreement in a series of reforms on the operation of the EU. All this was achieved in such a way that the image of Great Britain in the EU was not distorted, but improved," noted the British Prime Minister in an interview on BBC radio. Moreover, explaining his decision for the cut by 10.4 billion euros of the British rebate in the next seven years, underlined "If our country did not participate in the funding for the EU enlargement, it would cause great damage to the national interest of Great Britain; giving up a part of its rebates. Similarly, we would destroy our relationship with the new EU Member-States, as well as the new government of Germany." In Paris, French Foreign Minister Phillipe Douste-Blazy hailed Tony Blairs "bravery" to decrease British rebates in order to achieve an agreement on the budget.

Translated by Eirene Nisiriou

Read the story on other sources:

BBC: Deal moves EU forward, says Blair

Related News:

Deal Achieved in Brussels

[02] Reception to Honour the Journalists

By Vicky Keleri

Sources: NET

President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias held a reception at the Presidential Mansion in the journalists honour. Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis escorted by his wife, PASOK leader George Papandreou also accompanied by his wife, SYN President Alekos Alavanos, LAOS head Giorgos Karatzaferis, Athens Mayor Dora Bakogianni, ND parliamentarian Miltiadis Evert, Mr Mitsotakis and several other Cabinet members also attended the reception. The outcome of the EU Summit in Brussels topped the talks among the guests. In his statements, the President of the Hellenic Republic described the EU deal achieved in Brussels as a "kiss of life," and added that the Prime Minister "did his best," given the climate created.

The EU Deal in Brussels at the Focus

On his part, Economy Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis spoke of a great Greek success, while George Papandreou called the deal a minor boost and underlined that a great crisis is looming. He also criticized the government, arguing that fell short of the past decisions taken by PASOKs governments on agricultural issues.

Former Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis also commented on the outcome of the EU Summit. He said that he did not expect so much and went on to claim, "We achieved more than we had expected, it is an undeniable success and I feel deeply distressed over the pettiness of our political opponents."

Athens Mayor Dora Bakogianni congratulated Mr Karamanlis.

In the meantime, at the unofficial talks held at the Presidential Mansion between the journalists and the politicians, former ND leader Miltiadis Evert was asked as to when he foresees a cabinet reshuffle and he voiced his belief that it may take place either in February or in March.

Translated by Areti Christou

[03] Focusing on Combating Corruption

By Vicky Keleri

Addressing the annual assembly of the Association of Judges and Prosecutors, Justice Minister Anastasis Papaligouras reiterated the governments strong will to fully restore the credibility of Justice that has much been affected by the corruption phenomena. On her part, Speaker of Greek Parliament Anna Psarouda Benaki underlined that for the first time officially coordinated steps are taken in the open to uproot the corruption phenomena. Supreme Court President Pomylos Kedikoglou noted that the responsibility is personal and not collective. Supreme Court Prosecutor Dimitris Linos spoke of an unprecedented project. Former Speaker of Parliament Apostolos Kaklamanis launched an attack against the government. Representatives of all political parties, of the Athens Archbishop, presidents of major bar associations and a large number of judges and lawyers attended the general assembly.

Translated by Areti Christou

[04] Of Public Administration Upgrading Human Resources

By Vicky Keleri

Sources: NET, ANA

Greek Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos marked the opening of the 35 vocational programmes titled "First Degree Health Care in IKA, Organisation-Prospects," addressing IKAs doctors. Mr Pavlopoulos voiced the governments determination to proceed with upgrading the human resources of the public administration so that it can meet the modern demands and better serve the citizens. The Minister pointed out that the Ministry of the Interior has already taken a string of initiatives to enhance the vocational training of the public servants.

He also described the cooperation between the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research, the National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government and the IKA-ETAM Unified Fund for Employees as a pivotal initiative.

He went on to express his certainty that the vocational programmes will contribute not only to the improvement of the working conditions of 8,000 IKA doctors , but also to the smooth running of the health services and the better service of the insured.

Translated by Areti Christou

[05] Secret Spying Ordered by Bush

By Vicky Keleri

At a time when the renewal of the US anti-terror law, better known as Patriot Act, seems a tedious task, US President George W. Bush had to admit that following the 9/11 attacks he signed a top secret order authorising the National Security Agency (NSA) to intercept international communications of people known for their association with Al Qaeda. This disclosure was New York Times success, yet the Bush government declined to confirm the information, arguing that the countrys security would be at stake. In his weekly address, the US President underlined that this action was fully consistent with the Constitution, it was meticulously examined by the countrys legal authorities, and the Congressmen were informed, while he called the disclosure a mistake. At the same time, he claimed that it is a highly classified programme of major importance to the USA national security. In fact, he went on to reveal that he had renewed the order on the programme 30 times since the 9/11 attacks and that he intends to do so "for as long as our nation faces a continuing threat from Al Qaeda and related groups."

Battle for the Patriot Act

In the meantime, the Congress has reached a deadlock with regard to the possibility of expanding the power of the Patriot Act.

A group of Congressmen, consisting of Democrats and a few Republicans, halted the renewal of the Act on Friday, by asking for an increased protection of civil rights.

On his part, George Bush described the decision of the Congressmen as irresponsible, since, as he argued, the USA is still running the danger of other attacks.

"The key provisions of the Act are to expire in two weeks time. The terror threat against our country does not expire in two weeks time. The terrorists want to attack America again and to cause an even greater damage than that on 9/11," underscored Mr Bush.

Translated by Areti Christou

[06] New Threats After Iraqi Elections

By Vicky Keleri

Al-Qaeda in Iraq posted an announcement on an Islamic website addressing the Sunnis. In the announcement, Al-Qaeda described last Thursdays parliamentary elections as "the propaganda of the crusaders." The terrorist group also warned of new attacks, arguing that the coming days will witness the "luck of the democratic marriages." "Military forces will be of no use. Bear in mind that the crusaders have already decided to pull out from Iraq," read the announcement. Furthermore, Al-Qaeda pointed out that the tight security during the elections did not deter its attacks. "Mujahideens managed to strike heavy blows against the crusaders and the apostates government," concluded the announcement.

It is noted that on the eve of the election day, Al-Qaeda in Iraq had announced large-scale attacks against the "apostates strongholds."

However, the number of the attacks on the election day was rather limited.

Translated by Areti Christou

[07] Olympiakos Wins the Derby

By Vasilis Kalpinos

Olympiakos claimed a great victory, after prevailing over Panathinaikos with 84-77 on match day nine for A1 basketball championship. Todays victory earned Olympiakos a first place in the scoreboard along with Panathinaikos, but they are atop the scoreboard due to their win at the Peace and Friendship Stadium. On the other hand, this was the first defeat for the reigning champions. Olympiakos performed much better, especially at the fourth period, and took good advantage of Panathinaikos defence turnovers, which were quite many due to the absence of three key players. The score per period: 22-27, 44-36, 60-60, 84-77.

Translated by Areti Christou

[08] Total Recall for Olympia

By Vasilis Kalpinos

An 18-3 streak in the last minutes of the encounter signalled the total recall for Olympia in the game against Aris, which seemed to have everything under control up until the forth period. Aris finished the third period enjoying a nine-point lead, while five minutes before the final buzzer, the score was 70-80 for Aris. However, the passion and the remarkable offensive streak displayed by Olympias players in the last minutes of the game earned Olympia a great victory. The score per period: 19-21, 37-42, 59-68, 88-83.

Translated by Areti Christou

[09] Iraklis Win But Coach Resigns

By Vasilis Kalpinos

Iraklis claimed an important win, after prevailing over GS Larissa with 65-47 on match day nine for the A1 basketball championship. This was just the second win for Iraklis. However, no sooner had the encounter ended than the coach, Dragan Raca, resigned citing discrepancies with the owners of the team. The score per period: 13-5, 30-24, 52-39, 65-47.

Translated by Areti Christou

[10] Hard-Won Victory for AEK

By Stathis Petropoulos

Fernando Santos squad offered a nail-biting game to their fans once again. The 2-1 victory came as late as in the 89, when Alexopoulos goal earned AEK the victory and the three points. Liberopoulos opened the score for AEK in the 79, yet Apollon managed to equalise the score in the very next minute. Alexopoulos victorious goal freed both the players and the fans from the stress.

Referee: Vasilis Paboridis (Kilkis) Yellow Cards: Katsouranis (63;), Papadopoulos (76)

AEK (Fernando Santos): Sorrentino, Cirillo, Dellas (46` Malbasa), Alexopoulos, Georgeas, Katsouranis, Sapanis (68` Venglinskyi), Ivic, Lakis (46` Julio Cezar), Soares, Liberopoulos.

APOLLON KALAMARIAS (Dragan Kokotovic): Kovac, Karaliopoulos (89` Wellington), Ioannou, Papadopoulos, Petkakis, Fitanidis, Murawski, Cleyton, Orfanos, Mouzaoui (74` Karamanlis), Pappas.

Translated by Areti Christou

[11] Carefree Xmas Vacations for Olympiakos!

By Stathis Petropoulos

The 1-0 victory Olympiakos achieved over Levadiakos was not impressive, no doubt about that. However, it was not at all indicative of the encounter, since Olympiakos players could well have scored more goals unless there was an exceptional Zafiropoulos against them. The 1-0 resulted from a penalty kick in the 9 performed by Dhjordjevic, who has scored nine goals in the championship so far. The next great chance for Olympiakos to double their lead was created by Okkas in the 13. However, his final effort was not successful, since Levadiakos goalie Zafiropoulos saved his nets in an excellent fashion. Olympiakos had several other chances to score, but Zafiropoulos saved Levadiakos from suffering a heavy defeat.

Referee: Fermanakos (Athens) Yellow Cards: Dimitropoulos

OLYMPIAKOS (Sollied): Nikopolidis, Pantos, Anatolakis, Schurrer, Bulut, Stoltidis, Toure, Rivaldo (66` Kafes), Babaginda (66` Dani), Okkas (83` Castillo), Djordjevic. LEVADIAKOS (Takis Lemonis): Zafiropoulos, Kallimanis, Masara (71 Chrisafis), Theodosiadis (85 Topoliatis), Dimou, Dimitropoulos, Zisopoulos, Bassala, Alex (46 Gourma), Karakatsanis, Rusev.

Translated by Areti Christou

[12] Kolossos' First Win

By Vasilis Kalpinos

Kolossos, the squad from Rhodes, achieved their first victory in the A1 championship after claiming a 66-65 away victory thanks to a shot by Trevon Bryant at the buzzer. The encounter was a nail-biting one from the very beginning to the very end, something which is reflected on the final score. The score per period: 19-22, 31-40, 53-52, 66-65.

Translated by Areti Christou

[13] Panellinios Prevails Over Makedonikos

By Vasilis Kalpinos

With Damir Mulaomerovic leading his team-mates (4/4 one-point shots, 2/3 two-point shots, 5/5 three pointers), Panellinios achieved a 98-82 victory over Makedonikos on match day nine for the A1 basketball championship. This was the forth victory for Panellinios that earned them a place in the first six of the scoreboard for this years championship. The score per period: 30-22, 51-36, 71-58, 98-82.

Translated by Areti Christou

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