The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 06-04-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] In Drama Train Collided With Truck

A passenger train en route from Thessaloniki to Alexandroupoli collided with a truck on Sunday night a few metres before arriving at the train station in Drama. The Fire Brigade and EKAV (National Centre for Emergency Medical Care) ambulances rushed on site to rescue trapped passengers, as two compartments were derailed due to the violent collision. Ambulances from Kavala and Serres were also called to help in the rescue operation. Speaking on NET's central news bulletin, Fire Brigade Chief Andreas Kois said rescue crews estimated there could be dead people in the derailed compartments.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[02] Festivities in Mesolongi 180th Anniversary Since the Exodus

By Mary Lou Tzempelikou

Sources: NET, NET Radio 105.8, ANA

180 years have passed since the heroic Exodus in Mesolongi, the anniversary of which was celebrated in grandeur. On Saturday night, inhabitants revived the explosion of the gunpowder warehouse by Christos Kapsalis, while celebrations culminated on Sunday in the presence of President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias and Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens. Mr Papoulias, who was declared honorary citizen of Mesolongi, underlined the need to shield national morale for the fair solution of Greek issues. On Saturday, Christodoulos visited Etoliko, where he was declared honorary citizen.

On Sunday morning, the President of the Republic attended the Mass at the Metropolitan Church officiated by Archbishop Christodoulos.

Mr Papoulias then laid a wreath at the Tomb of Heroes and visited the Workshop of Special and Professional Training and Rehabilitation "Panagia Eleousa."

Education Minister Marietta Giannakou delivered the official speech, while Defence Minister Vangelis Meimarakis, Deputy Parliament Speaker Sotiris Chatzigakis, Parliamentarians and other officials also attended the festivities.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[03] Harsh Criticism Governance of Abandonment

By Tina Valaoura

Sources: ANA

PASOK President George Papandreou harshly criticised the Government once again, while speaking at the second and final stop of his tour of Ilia Prefecture. During his speech in Chavari, Amaliada Municipality, the leader of the opposition accused the Government once again of breaking its promises. "The Government has disappointed the people," declared the President of PASOK, blaming it of granting privileges to the few and abandoning regional Greece.

"New Democracy and Mr Karamanlis promised a lot before the elections. Instead, however, they abandoned the farmers, as all the measures implemented were against farmers, and their main concern was to discredit PASOK, doing nothing themselves but assisting the few and the rich," noted George Papandreou.

He also accused the PM of promoting a model of cheap labour, in opposition to the rights gained by the Greeks the previous years, while he described New Democracys governance model as one of degradation and abandonment.

Later on, the President of PASOK spoke with the locals, who are mainly farmers producing oil and raisins. He referred to the need for restructuring coops and closing the gap between the price paid to producers and the price paid by consumers. He also announced that PASOKs programme for agriculture will be made public in two months.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

Related News:

Criticism by Papandreou

[04] And Parliamentary Control Prosecutor in the NIS

Sources: ANA - "Typos tis Kyriakis"

In an interview to Sunday paper Typos tis Kyrakis, Public Order Minister Byron Polydoras announced a new bill that will be tabled in Parliament soon. As per the bill, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) will be monitored by a permanent prosecutor, who will be assigned to the agency, and a 9-member parliamentary committee that would guarantee the legality of operations. The committee will be made up of members from all the parties.

"We are providing for the permanent assignment of a prosecutor, who would guarantee the legality of NISs operations, so that the agency is not constantly disputed by everyone," mentioned Polydoras, adding that the secret service would also be monitored by a committee made up of MPs. "The MPs will have rights, as well as obligations, while no one will take advantage of the NISs secrets."

The Public Order Minister also voiced the hope that the other parties would agree to the bill, so as to proceed with the formation of the 9-member committee.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

Related News:

NIS Responds with Lawsuits

[05] 6.2 on the Richter Scale Taiwan Struck by Quake

By Tina Valaoura

Sources: AFP

Taiwan also experienced a quake on Sunday, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale. The epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 6:10am (local time), was located in the sea, NW of Taitung county, on the SW part of the island.

No serious damages or injuries were immediately reported, while no tsunami warning was issued. However, the seismologists are warning of aftershocks with a magnitude of more than 5.0. Earlier the US Geological Survey had put the quakes magnitude at 5.8.

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is regularly shaken by earthquakes. The countrys worst, a magnitude-7.6 quake, killed some 2,400 people in September 1999.

[06] Wave of Violence Sweeps Iraq

By Tina Valaoura

Sources: ANA - MPA - Reuters - BBC

The country remains in the depths of violence, while at the same time talks for the formation of a government of unity are reaching a deed-end once again, as Sunni and Kurd leaders are refusing to participate in a government coalition that will be headed by Shiite Iraqi PM Ibrahim Jafari.

And while all this is happening the police reports about various attacks continue to multiply. On Sunday, an explosion was recorded in a market in the town Mahmudiya, south of Baghdad, resulting in the death of 11 people and the injury of another 23. The reports initially spoke of a blast close to a Shiite mosque, but the information has not been confirmed. A similar attach in Baquba last Friday resulted in the death of four worshippers.

On Saturday, a British soldier, who was a member of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, was killed in a blast in southern Iraq. The explosion occurred near a British army base close to Basra. Three of his colleagues were slightly injured in the attack. British Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram voiced his sorrow for the loss and conveyed his sympathy to the families of the victim and his three colleagues.

Another three Iraqi soldiers were killed on Saturday, while eight were injured, in a roadside explosion in Baghdad. The blast occurred early Sunday in the Dora district, south of Baghdad, which is considered a rebel stronghold.

In the meantime, on Saturday, the US Army announced the death of two US marines and the injury of another 22 in clashes with gunmen in Anbar province, western Iraq, on Thursday. As per official Pentagon figures, over 2,370 US soldiers have been killed since the invasion in Iraq in March 2003.

Moreover, as per an Iraqi security forces source, six police officers were killed, ten were injured and more than 20 are missing following a rebel ambush Friday, south of Baghdad. The police officers, who were all form Najaf, were ambushed in Taji, some 30km south of the capital.

Finally, eleven employees of a construction company were abducted and murdered by unknown gunmen. Their bodies were found Friday in various parts of Basra.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[07] Olympiacos Second Best

By Vasilis Kalpinos

Olympiacos scored an easy win over Aris by 79-66 in the game that completed the 23rd round of the A1 Basketball championship. With this win, Olympiacos now rank second best in the standings for the regular period. Shortsianitis (15 points), Seibutic and Marlos (12 points) did the works for the home team, while Castle scored 24 points for Aris. The score per period: 11-16, 35-30, 60-47, 79-66.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[08] Akratitos Relegated

By Stathis Petropoulos

After loosing 3-1 to Apollon Kalamarias, Akratitos has been officially relegated to Division 2 of the Greek Football Championship. The first half was goalless for both teams. In the rerun however, Fytanidis opened the score with a header in the 61' and Wellington scored the second in the 64' for Apollon Kalamarias. The third goal for the guest was scored in the 72' by Clayton. As for Akratitos, De Francesco scored the only goal in the 88', but it was not enough.

Referee: Paboridis

LINEUPS

AKRATITOS: Billa, Penja, Dieng, Schizas, Pipinis, Sfakianakis, Tzimopoulos, Aravidis, Show (57' Sunsing), De Francesco, Ledesma

APOLLON KALAMARIAS: Kovac, Fytanidis, Amponsah (46' Samouilidis), Koltsis, Murawski (46' Orfanos), Galanopoulos, Karaliopoulos, Pappas, Muzawi, Clayton, Wellington

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[09] Back to Good Old Times for AEK

By Stathis Petropoulos

AEK defeated OFI by 2-0 goals in OAKA and combined to Panathinaikos' defeat now enjoys second place in the standings and qualifies to the Champions League. AEK is only to victories away (in just two remaining rounds) from a dream coming true and its players showed they are determined to win. AEK got off to a good start, as Katsouranis opened the score in the 7'. The match continued in the same intensive pace and Nikos Lymberopoulos scored the second and last goal of the match in the 33'. In the rerun, things slowed down but AEK maintained control and bagged three points.

Referee: Kalopoulos

LINEUPS

AEK: Sorrentino, Georgeas, Moras, Alexopoulos, Tziortziopoulos (73' Malbasa), Emerson, Katsouranis, Ivic (62' Chanko), Lakis, Julio Cesar (77' Soares), Lymberopoulos

OFI: Sifakis, Anastasiadis, Konstantinidis, Belevonis (81' Roubakis), Pitsos, Dentsas (83' Sfakianakis), Dejanov, Ednilson, Nwafor, Samura (63' Oforiqwe), Machlas

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[10] Panathinaikos Lost to Iraklis

By Vasilis Kalpinos

Iraklis claimed victory in the big match in Kaftatzogleio stadium against Panathinaikos. The home team was in great shape and easily prevailed over the guests by 1-0 with Herrera's goal in the 35'. With this win, Iraklis officially qualified to the UEFA Cup and gave Olympiacos the chance to celebrate for winning the championship, although the match with Larissa has not yet started, while AEK holds firm in second place, which leads to the Champions League preliminaries. The only setback of this result is that Panathinaikos dropped to third place. It should be noted that Iraklis has managed to defeat all three major teams when playing on home grounds.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[11] "Caravaggio and the 17th Century" Caravaggio in the Heart of Athens

By Tina Valaoura

On Tuesday 27 April, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Karolos Papoulias, will inaugurate an art exhibition in the Museum of Cycladic Art of the Goulandris Foundation. The exhibition, entitled "Caravaggio and the 17th Century", is being organised by the Italian Embassy in Greece in collaboration with the Goulandris Foundation, under the aegis of Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

Thirteen masterpieces will travel to Athens after Easter, as well as the works "La Resurrezione di Lazzaro" (The Resurrection of Lazarus), "San Giovanni Battista" (Saint John the Baptist) and "Maddalena Addolorata". Out of those three, the first will come from Messina, the second from Galleria Doria Pamphilj in Rome and the third from a private collection.

The three works of art were painted by Caravaggio, the unconventional artist who had a formative influence in the Baroque school, and will compliment another 13 paintings by artists who were deeply influenced by Caravaggios work and followed the so-called "caravaggismo" style of the 17th century. Those artists include Innocenzo Tacconi, Dirck Van Baburen, Gerrit Honthorst, Giovan Battista Caracciolo (also known as Battistello), Frans Wouters, Jusepe De Ribera (also known as Spagnoletto), Francesco Guarino, Andrea Sacchi, Salvator Rosa, Mattia Preti and Luca Giordano, who are all representatives of a significant part of the Italian cultural heritage.

The original works of art come from the Foundation Banca Carime, while the exhibition will remain open for the public until the end of June.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[12] Three Points for Nothing

By Stathis Petropoulos

Kallithea took advantage of Xanthi's bad shape and claimed its fourth victory in the Football Championship, but the three points will do it no good, as the team has already been relegated. Even though Kallithea had no actual motive to win, its players were full of passion and prevailed with 2-1 goals. Koulakiotis opened the score in the 31' with a header. A little before the 40', the home team scored its second goal, when Diamantis got hold of the ball and defeated Xanthi's defensive line. In the rerun, Xanthi tried but failed to gain control of the match, although it did score once in the 75' with Barkoglou.

Referee: Kakos

LINEUPS

KALLITHEA: Bartzokas, Koulakiotis, Mijatovic, Georgiev, Jancev, Bay, Karatzas, Petkovic, Diamantis, Sila, Radovanovic

XANTHI: Pizanowski, Antzas, Sikov, Maghradze, Cikinio (57' De Mattia), Zwella, Barkoglou, Quintana, Delgado (57' Kazakis), Labriakos, Garpozis

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[13] Announced the Mercantile Marine Minister Free Tickets to Border Islanders

By Tina Valaoura

Sources: "Typos tis Kyriakis"

In an interview to Sunday paper Typos tis Kyrakis, Mercantile Marine Minister Manolis Kefalogiannis announced the commencement of a programme for granting tickets free of charge to residents of border islands. The programme is already being implemented for the route Kythira-Neapoli Vion, while the plan is to extend it so as to include the rest of Greeces border islands.

The Minister also announced a programme of free seaplane transfers for remote small islands, starting from Antikythira, Psara and Othonoi. The programme will be funded by the Mercantile Ministry, in collaboration with the Transport Ministry.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[14] Culprit Arrested Kidnapping Averted

By Tina Valaoura

Sources: ANA

A peculiar kidnapping attempt is being investigated by Thessalonikis police. The culprit was a man, 53, who tried to grab an 18-month-old boy, aiming to subsequently demand 1,500,000 euros as ransom for the release of the child.

As per the police, the aspiring kidnapper made a pastry shop employee call the family home on 11 April and tell them he would be delivering a package containing a cake and toys ordered by the husband. He arrived at the house and knocked at the door. As soon as the mother opened the door, he stormed into the house wearing a helmet, and tried to overpower the woman and gag her with duct tape. However, he did not take into consideration the strength of a mother trying to protect her child. The woman started shouting and resisting strongly. As a result the man fled the scene, leaving behind a bag containing the cake, some notes and some personal items.

In the notes recovered by the police, the man had recorded his plan in detail. Moreover, as per the plan, the child was going to be released two days later, after having strictly advised the family not to contact the authorities. The police located the culprit during the preliminary inquiry and the man was arrested on Friday.

"The graphology investigation revealed without a doubt the identity of the specific culprit," stressed the Chief of Thessaloniki Police, Brigadier Stergios Apostolidis. As for the motives, police authorities revealed that he was involved in estate disputes with the family. The 53-year-old will appear before the Thessaloniki Examiner on Monday morning.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

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