The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 09-08-26

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

CONTENTS

[01] LARKO Blast Kills One, Injures Three

A new blast that occurred at the facilities of LARKO plant, a few weeks after a tragedy that claimed a life, killed one worker and injured another three.

According to information, shortly after 1200 hours, a blast occurred killing an employee and injuring another three. The causes of the blast remain sketchy.

Firefighters rushed to the site and put out the fire using a special foam.

A similar blast took place in the same plant in the first fortnight of August, killing one person.

Source: NET

News item: 26133

[02] Papandreou's Contacts Ahead of TIF

Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 August 2009 17:33

PASOK (Panhellenic Socialist Movement) President George Papandreou is meeting with the board of the National Confederation of Greek Trade (ESEE), as part of his contacts ahead of the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF). Earlier, he met with the head of the General Confederation of Greek Small Businesses and Trades (GSEVEE), while a meeting with the reps of the Federation of Unions of Workers in Greek Agriculture Associations (PASEGES) is pending.

After his meeting with the PASOK leader, GSEVEE head Dimitris Asimakopoulos underlined there would be an unemployment flare-up and focused his attention to the lack of liquidity and the reduction in consumption.

News item: 26130

[03] Metro Services Run to Athens Airport, New Station near Mint

The new station near the Mint is expected to facilitate as many as 30,000 passengers on a daily basis and become a breather for Attica's two key road axes, the avenues of Messogeion and Kifisias.

Source: NET

News item: 26129

[04] China Overwhelmed by Death Row Organ Donor Scandal

More than 65% of the organ transplants in China come from death row inmates after their executions, a situation branded as inappropriate and perilous by the country's Health Minister, read English-speaking paper China Daily.

The press report is a rare acceptance of the role death convicts play in China's transplant industry.

Therefore, China inaugurated its first voluntary organ-donor program on Tuesday, hoping to overhaul a system that now harvests the vast majority of its organs from black-market sellers and executed prisoners.

The goal of the program is to put an end to the organ trafficking, which allows rich patient to get organ transplants sidestepping the waiting list, irrespective of the emergency of their situation.

Amnesty International said that China executes more death row inmates than any other country in the world, yet the number of the people executed is a state secret in Beijing.

Following accusations whereby organs were taken by death convicts without their consent, China set up certain rules in 2007. However, nothing changed, commented China Daily.

Some just defy the legal procedures regarding organ transplants taken from death row inmates and make a lot of money, continued the paper.

About 1.5 million Chinese people are estimated to require organ transplant on an annual basis, however, only 10,000 such surgeries take place every year, due to the lack of organ donors, reported Xinhua.

News item: 26124

[05] Democrat Fundraiser Accused of Bank Fraud

Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 August 2009 09:50

A major fundraiser for the Democrats and national financial chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign last year Hassan Nemazee has been charged with attempted bank fraud. Nemazee is accused of inducing Citigroup to lend him up to $74 million by using fake documents.

Source: ANA

News item: 26121

[06] Edward Kennedy Died

Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 August 2009 10:25

The âPatriarchâ of the US Senate, Edward Kennedy died at 77 late on Tuesday, after a long battle with brain tumour. The brother of former President John F Kennedy was a dominant figure in the US Politics for almost 50 years. Also known as âTeddy,â he was the youngest of the Kennedy brothers, after President John F Kennedy, Senator Robert F Kennedy, and Jo, a pilot killed in World War II.

Born on 22 February 1932 in Boston, Edward Kennedy was the last of nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy, a prominent businessman and Democrat, and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy.

He launched his political career in 1962, when he was elected to finish the unexpired Senate term of his brother, who became president in 1960. He won his first full term in 1964.

Having studied law at Harvard and Virginia, Edward Kennedy remained at the shadow of his two elder brothers until Robert's assassination in 1968. After that, he was the one to represent the Kennedy family to the country's political life.

However, a car crash in 1969, in which his partner got killed, ended his presidential ambitions

The only surviving Kennedy son was never nominated to run for President.

During his term as a Senate, he occupied himself with social issues, placing emphasis on education and health.

After the US invasion in Iraq in 2003, Ted Kennedy openly blasted George W. Bush for exaggerating the Iraqi threat to justify the war. He paralleled Bush with Nixon and Iraq with Vietnam, speaking of the worst blunder in the history of the US diplomacy.

He got married twice and had three children from his first marriage.

News item: 26119

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