The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 09-09-05

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

CONTENTS

[01] FYROM: Tragedy in Lake Ohrid

At least 17 people were drowned Saturday when a tourist boat sank suddenly in FYROM's popular Lake Ohrid, local media said. Two more people are feared drowned. Fifty three people were pulled to safety after the boat capsized some 200 metres from shore.

The captain of the Iliden was among the dead, Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska said, adding that the vessel was carrying "a group of Bulgarian tourists and their guide".

FYROM's state-run television said the boat was licensed to carry up to 43 passengers, however, 53 passengers were on board. The causes of the accident remain sketchy.

The FYROM administration expressed its sorrow over the accident, while the Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister rushed to the site to facilitate the transfer of the dead Bulgarians.

Media in Bulgaria reported that eye witnesses were quoted as saying that everything happened too quickly and that those aboard the boat had little reaction time.

News item: 26419

[02] Afghanistan: In the Aftermath of the NATO Air Strike

In the aftermath of the NATO air strike in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province, the country's electoral authorities put off the scheduled release on Saturday of the latest tranche of results from the 20 August controversial elections. They will probably come out either on Sunday or Monday. Three German soldiers were injured in a suicide bomb blast in northern Afghanistan on Saturday. In the meantime, the US embassy in Kabul fired seven security guards for torturing their colleagues, while two more resigned for the same matter. Furthermore, the UN is prepping to organize a summit in Afghanistan in early 2010, with a view to solving the political and financial problems puzzling the country.

The summit means to bring the next Afghan government and its international partners closer to a common agenda on Afghanistan, commented a UN official.

The same official noted that the summit is likely to take place in Kabul in spring, however, the UN is still working on the summit's details.

In the meantime, the Afghan electoral authorities cancelled the scheduled release of the latest batch of results from the 20 August controversial elections.

The next batch of results from polling stations will be released on either Sunday or Monday, a spokeswoman for the Independent Electoral Commission said. However, the release of the final results will not come out before 17 September.

In northern Afghanistan, three German soldiers were injured Saturday, in a suicide bomb hit, a day after a German officer ordered a NATO air strike that killed scores of people in the same area.

The suicide bomber detonated himself inside a car packed with explosives, said the governor of the Kunduz province. Information on whether civilians have been wounded remains sketchy.

A Taleban spokesman claimed responsibility for the hit, further adding that the suicide bomber came from Kunduz, a Taleban bastion.

In the meantime, the US embassy in Kabul fired seven security guards for torturing their colleagues, while two more guards resigned for the same matter, said the US State Department.

Source: NET 105.8, ANA

Related news: Scores Killed in Afghanistan Explosion

News item: 26414

[03] G20: Road to Recovery Is Long

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 September 2009 15:33

UK Premier Gordon Brown termed cooperation as a prerequisite for economic recovery. Delivering a speech at the G20 meeting, Gordon Brown stressed that world economy had reached a turning point. In a draft proposal agreed in London, the G20 Finance Ministers agreed to go on with their âexpansiveâ fiscal and monetary policy until world recovery is secured, and to give booming economies more say on the world stage.

Gordon Brown: Need for Cooperation

British Premier Gordon Brown opened the G20 meeting opened on Saturday morning in London.

Brown called on the G20 Finance Ministers to act in such a way that no one could blame them for being incapable of reaching a common ground in important issues.

A draft communiqué and a press conference are to wrap up the meeting.

Although the measures have starting yielding results, it is common knowledge that the road to recovery is going to be a long one.

Source: NET, ANA, ReutersOlder news items: News item: 26412

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