The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 08-05-10

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

CONTENTS

[01] Fruitless Meeting

10 May 2008 11:52:00

Sources: ÍÅÔ, ÍÅÔ 105.8

Due to the fuel truck owners strike, car drivers are queuing at petrol stations to fill in their car reservoirs with petrol, which it has run out at some petrol stations. Meanwhile, the meeting held between fuel truck owners and the Transport minister on Friday proved fruitless.

Fuel truck owners insist on further increases on transport pay. Specifically, they demand a 13% rise, while the ministry can offer only 5%. If the strike does not end then petrol stations will run out of petrol in the weekend.

Fruitless Meeting

While petrol stations are running out of petrol due to the continuing strike of fuel truck owners, strikers are also preventing private fuel truck owners to enter oil refineries.

The problem was intensified after yesterdays fruitless meeting between the Minister of Transport and fuel truck owners.

Mr Kostis Hatzidakis accepted to lift the ban for the circulation of fuel trucks in the national roads on Friday afternoons in winter, limiting their circulation by one hour on Fridays in summer.

Translated by John Crystallidis

[02] More Sunflower Oil Withdrawn

Sources: NET

EFET (Hellenic Food Authority) has withdrawn about 356,000 litres of suspected sunflower oil sold by a big supermarket chain. EFET reports that out of the 3,000 tons of sunflower oil sold in Greece, 1,500 tons have been located and confiscated. Minerva and Elais companies, which had imported 935 of the 1.500 tones of Ukrainian sunflower oil, have already withdrawn the product from supermarket shelves. Inspections continue in another 14 food companies.

Specifically, EFET was briefed on the contaminated sunflower oil sold by supermarket chain Lidl Hellas on Friday evening through the Timely Food Warning System. According to the document it regards 356.000 litters with expiration date 30/6/2009 shipped from Belgium. It is believed that the sunflower oil was contaminated during its transfer aboard a ship whose previous shipment was machinery oil. All data will be considered in investigations to attribute penal responsibility For preventive reasons, EFET has confiscated sunflower oil of the following brand names.

Products Withdrawn so far:

Sunflower Heraklis Sunflower oil Eolis Sunflower oil Argolis Sunflower oil Karpi Zis Sunflower oil Chef ARETI FYTIKO GRANELLO ÉONIA ÉONIA-STAR ÊÏÊÏ ÁGROTYP

Translated by John Crystallidis

Read the story on other sources:

ÅÖÅÔ

Related News:

Investigation into Adulterated Sunflower Oil

[03] Greek Musician to the Top

Sources: NET

Greek clarinet player Dionysios Grammenos from Corfu was awarded the Eurovision Young Musician prize for his interpretation of the IV movement from the Concerto pour Clarinette et Orchestre by Jean Fran&#231;aix. Dionysios Grammenos, 18 years old, took his first clarinet lessons at the age of eight at the Corfu Philharmonic. He is currently studying at the Athens Conservatory and will graduate next year. Dionysios has appeared as a soloist with many Greek Orchestras. He has performed in recitals and chamber music concerts all over Greece and was a first prize-winner in numerous Pan-Hellenic clarinet competitions.

The Final Pan-European Contest that signals the opening of the famous Wiener Festwochen concert is held every two years and offers the opportunity to young soloists for an international career.

The Contest was broadcast live from ET1.

Translated by John Crystallidis

[04] Tsipras Strong Criticism

Sources: ÍÅÔ, ÁNA-ÌPA

SYN party president Alexis Tsipras in his speech to open the works of the Central Political Committee launched a strong criticism against the government both in regards expensiveness as well as the OTE issue. He also used strong words to criticize the Education Minister on the grounds of his recent statements about universities while he underlined the need for activation of citizens and the annulment of anti-popular measures promoted by the government.

A. Tsipras: "The Prime-minister Pretends He Does Not Hear "

Mr. Tsipras said that global economic crisis and bankruptcy of casino-capitalism has passed from an inner expectation of some colorful leftists/Marxists to an incontrovertible true, which regardless of individual interpretations, is being generally admitted, underlining "market deification model is going bankrupt and neo-liberalism is being doubted at international level". In reference to the governments policy, SYN president criticized the Prime-minister because as he said "Addressing European bankers, Mr. Karamanlis assured that reforms in other words granting of infrastructure and public wealth to private interests- will continue while among the governments priorities are labor relations and securing excessive profits for banks and big businesses".

Mr. Tsipras added that the Prime-minister pretends he does not hear, as it happened with the president of the Republic speech- delivered at a dinner also attended by the Prime-minister- who referred to the finance systems hunt for excessive profits and called it to be less tough to society. The Prime-minister pretended he did not hear as well as the governor of the Bank of Greece, Nikos Garganas, who had described excessive profits of banks as a myth, underestimating the common sense of society. Mr. Tsipras also blamed the government for doing nothing about expensiveness while he stressed that the sale of OTE should be cancelled following the outcry of employees and society.

Finally, Mr. Tsipras said that the SYN party is fighting for a majority which will lead the country to a new leftist ruling aimed to proceed to radical redistribution of wealth in favour of low-social classes, support low incomes, reclaim public wealth and state control of strategically important and public utility companies and called on PASOK to take a clear stand with regards OTE.

Translated by Chrisanthi Sarantis

[05] A New Page in Relations with Phanar

Sources: ÍÅÔ, ÁNA-ÌPA

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop of Athens Ieronymos, who is paying an official visit to Phanar, will hold bilateral talks in Constantinople. The two men spoke of a new page in the relations between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek Church, without omitting to refer of problems of the past.

Their talks, which commenced at 10:00 Saturday, focused on relations between the two Churches and lasted three hours. After the meeting, the Patriarch stated "all went well."

The two Churches are to issue a relevant communiqu&#233; after 17:00.

In the afternoon, they two men will attend a Mass at Agios Georgios Church at Pyli Andrianoupoleos and in Sunday morning, they will co-officiate at the Zoodochos Pigi Church at Balukli.

Translated by John Crystallidis

Related News:

The Archbishop Visits Phanar

[06] Under the Threat of a New Civil War

By Betty Savourdou

Sources: Reuters, ÁNA-ÌPA

Fears for a fresh civil war in Lebanon have been rekindled after 18 people were killed and dozens injured in clashes between government forces and Hezbollah supporters. The western part of Beirut is under the control of the Shia, while the port and the airport have closed for safety reasons. Western countries are preparing to remove their nationals. Meanwhile, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have appealed to the Arab Foreign Ministers on Friday to hold an extraordinary meeting in Cairo to discuss the political crisis in Lebanon. As per UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon the situation in Lebanon should not deteriorate.

"The Country's Interests Above All"

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit has reported that the Arab officials meeting aims at ending the gunmens dominance in Lebanon streets, adding that the parties which want the crisis to continue in Lebanon would be the ones to benefit from that situation.

Although the Arab League was in the position to verify the date of the meeting, they reported that SG Amr Musa interrupted his visit to the USA and returned to Cairo for deliberations.

A Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry official stated that his county has appealed for prudence, advising all parties to put the countrys interests above everything else.

From its side, Iran has announced that it will exert efforts to end the violence in Lebanon, holding responsible the USA and Israel for the recent tension in Lebanon.

It is worth mentioning that at least 18 people have been killed in clashes by the pro-US government and the Hezbollah, which enjoys the Iran and Syrias support.

Translated by John Crystallidis

Read the story on other sources:

BBC: Cabinet condemns Hezbollah 'coup'

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