The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 05-04-04

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

CONTENTS

[01] Targeted by the government Against Social Prejudice

By Vivian Papastefanou

Sources: NET 105.8

It is the duty of everyone to contribute to the social integration of people with special needs, stated the Prime Minister during a ceremony at the Olympic Sailing Centre in Aghios Kosmas. The government is working to fight against all prejudice, stressed Kostas Karamanlis, who presented part of the Olympic mobile equipment to unions of people with special needs. The presentation concerned 52 vans specially designed to serve people with mobility problems, while this will soon be followed by similar provisions which will cover the entire mobile equipment used during the Games. There are a total of 470 vehicles, and they will be given to 100 bodies of people with special needs and public sector bodies. Alternate Minister of Culture Fani Palli-Petralia noted that the presentation of part of the Olympic equipment was not a gift, but an obligation of the State.

Contacts Between Karamanlis and Business World

In the meantime, the Prime Minister will today have a series of contacts with businessmen, in the context of the governments development policy. This afternoon, Mr Karamanlis will have a meeting with businessman Vardis Vardinogiannis, and later in the afternoon, he will meet with the chairman of EVEA, Dr. Fountoukatos and the chairman of Suppliers, Mr Efthimiou.

Translated by Millie Williams

[02] Room for Two at the Top

By Dimitris Alexopoulos

Olympiacos will be thanking Vangelis Pourliotopoulos lucky stars this week, as Aris goalkeeper kept the score at nil all against Panathinaikos, giving the reigning champions fans something to remember for years to come. Because, just one week before the great rematch between the eternal rivals, and while Panathinaikos was ahead by two points, Pourliotopoulos kept his nets goalless, making the Greens face Olympiacos on equal terms, at least as far as the rankings are concerned. However, what will happen remains to be known and 10 April is not that far off. Fans will be able to see the consequences of this rounds draw in just a week. Up until then, Olympiacos deserves to enjoy the view from the top, although it is sharing it with Panathinaikos, while both are dreaming of staying there all alone, looking at the Championship from a different angle.

AEK Was in on It

On the other hand, AEK should also be thanking Pourliotopoulos, since, following yesterdays draw against Chalkidona, it seemed to be trailing far behind, but Aris goalkeeper kept its hopes alive.

This coming week, AEK will be playing against PAOK in the Olympic Stadium, during a game that hides many traps. Depending on the outcome of the eternal rivals battle, as well as its performance against undefeated, for the last six matches, PAOK, AEK could move closer to the top.

At least it will be a strong contender for one of the places that leads to Champions League.

On the other hand, following its victory over Xanthi, PAOK moved up to 4th spot, saving a season that started off with many dreams, transformed into a nightmare and has now started looking a bit better.

With regard to the spots leading to UEFA Cup, Chalkidona, mainly owing to Edebe who kept the tie after Iliopoulos goal against AEK, is hoping to achieve what it was unable to last season, ie to play in Europe, just two years after entering Division one. Not a bad effort for a newcomer!

Another team that kept its hopes for a place in Europe alive was Egaleo, following its victory over Iraklis. However, if either of these teams plays as badly as they did today, then it would be wiser if they never competed in Europe.

The fans who went to watch todays match between Egaleo and Iraklis should have been prepared for a nap, since the game did not provide much excitement. At least the players should have shown some respect for the people who paid good money to watch their favourite team, especially during these financially hard times.

With regard to the bottom of the rankings, it still remains unclear as to which team will be joining Kerkyra in Division two.

After losing to Panionios by 1-3 last week, todays loss wiped away all hopes Kerkyra had of staying in A Ethniki.

Now, as far as the rest are concerned, following this weeks defeat by OFI, Ergotelis lost some valuable ground and may be facing relegation.

Ionikos is also in the same boat, after losing to Olympiacos.

On the other hand, Kallithea can now breath somewhat easier, following its last minute victory over Apollo Kalamaria.

Results - Scorers

Chalkidona-AEK 1-1 15 Iliopoulos (P) / 67 Katsouranis

PAOK-Xanthi 1-0 62 Foucini

Kerkyra-Panionios 1-3 64 Ioannou / 52 Nalitzis, 55 Kiassos, 60 Sfakianakis (OG)

Egaleo-Iraklis 1-0 45 Barkoglou

Apollo Kalamaria-Kallithea 1-2 44 Pappas / 90 Alexandris, 90+ Petkovic

Ergotelis-OFI 0-1 88 Machlas

Panathinaikos-Aris 0-0

Olympiacos-Ionikos 2-1 49 Castillo, 51 Djordjevic / 23 Gutman

Top Scorers

15 goals: Gekas (Panathinaikos/Kallithea) 12 goals: Luciano (Xanthi) 11 goals: Ogunsoto (Ergotelis), Machlas (OFI) 10 goals: Katsouranis (มลส), Konstantinou (Panathinaikos) 9 goals: Barkoglou (Egaleo), Giovanni (Olympiacos) 8 goals: Soares (มลส), Rivaldo (Olympiacos), Salpiggidis (PAOK), Iliopoulos (Chalkidona) 7 goals: Lyberopoulos (มลส), Makor (Ionikos), Zacharopoulos (Chalkidona)

Next Round (9-10/4/2005)

Xanthi-Ionikos AEK-PAOK Iraklis-Kerkyra OFI-Chalkidona Kallithea-Egaleo Ionikos-Ergotelis Aris-Apollo Kalamaria Panathinaikos-Olympiacos

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[03] By decision of the SAC "Green Light" for Dump in Lachanas

By Betty Savourdou

Sources: NET 105.8

The Supreme Administration Court judged the construction of a landfill site in Kleftika Erythra Kameli in the district of Mavrorachi 2, in the Municipality of Lachanas, Thessalonica to be legal. The high court rejected the appeals by the representative of the Metropolitan Diocese of Langadas, residents and other local bodies, who were calling for the decision by the Ministry of Public Works from 2001 to be cancelled. The decision approved the work, but the appeals were lodged, claiming that settlements and the waterways of the area would suffer, as the decision failed to take into account the frequency of seismic activity in the area.

Translated by Millie Williams

[04] Presidential elections on 26 June Akayev Resigns

By Betty Savourdou

Sources: ANA

The deposed president of Kyrgyzstan, Askar Akayev formally signed his resignation, in a ceremony held in the Russian capital, where he sought refuge after the 24 March coup, as reported by Interfax news agency. Akayevs resignation opens the way for new presidential elections to be held on 26 June. Akayev ruled Kyrgyzstan from 1990 to 24 March 2005, which was when he was forced to flee abroad, after mobilisation by the Opposition.

From Moscow

Akayev signed his resignation after negotiations with Kyrgyz MPs in Moscow. A member of the parliamentary delegation that travelled to Moscow stated that Akayevs presidency officially concludes tomorrow.

Before resigning, Akayev addressed the citizens of the country for the last time, asking them to forgive him if he harmed the nation or some of them and he expressed his wish that the countrys future be as democratic as possible.

Akayev wished to return to Bishkek to sign his resignation, as provided in the Constitution. However, acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, one of the leaders of the Opposition, considered to be a candidate for the presidency in the pending elections, expressed objections, saying that he cannot guarantee Akayevs safety.

Translated by Millie Williams

[05] Wave of Explosions in Thailand

By Betty Savourdou

Sources: ANA

Three bombs exploded on Sunday at almost the same time in an airport, a supermarket and a hotel in the Muslim south of Thailand, resulting in at least one person losing his life and more than 50 being injured. Two of the bombs exploded in the southern commercial city Hat Yai. Security officials stated that Islamic fighters were behind the explosions and that they expect other attacks in the area, which is located north of the three southern provinces Patani, Naratuat and Yala.

"Simmering Fire" in the South

One person was killed in the attack in the airport, while sources indicate that a French tourist is among those injured.

A further eight people were injured when a second bomb exploded in a supermarket, 20 kilometres from the airport.

A third bomb, which was hidden on a motorbike, exploded outside a hotel in the town of Songla, 40 kilometres north of Hat Yai, but no one was killed.

More than 600 people have been killed in the last 15 months in the region, in attacks that the government blames on Muslim separatists.

Translated by Millie Williams

[06] One dead, three injured Bloodbath in German Church

By Betty Savourdou

Sources: ANA

A 43-year-old woman lost her life and a further three members of the congregation were injured when a 25-year-old Tamil attacked with a sword in a church in Stuttgart during the service on Sunday afternoon. All the victims were of the same nationality, as the Sunday afternoon service in the Protestant church is mainly attended by Tamils from Sri Lanka. The attacker also carried another weapon, and was still holding the sword when the police immobilized him. The man was from the Stuttgart area and had previously shown aggressive behaviour in the church. The most likely reason for the attack is thought to be the attackers personal problems.

Translated by Millie Williams

[07] Battling for the Top Four

By Dimitris Alexopoulos

Reigning champion Panathinaikos easily defeated Makedonikos by 92-75, proving its supremacy in Greece, while, combined with Maroussis loss to PAOK, it sealed its place at the top of the A1 rankings. Even though Panagiotis Giannakis team, which played today in Pylaia without Roderick Blackney (as he tested positive to use of cannabis), was eyeing the top, it now trails by two points, but is not in danger of losing the second spot. The battle will take place further down, with Aris, Panionios and PAOK seriously looking for a spot in the final four, and AEK another likely contender, provided it picks up its game.

Another Battle at the Bottom

As expected, Aris had an easy game in Amaliada against Ionikos, which entered the court practically in a mess, as many of its players are facing financial problems, due to the teams administration. Actually, the teams coach handed in his resignation right after the end of the match, as he had announced on Friday that he would be doing.

Panionios game was just as easy, since it did not need to try hard for the victory over Olympia Larissa.

The fourth contender for the top spots, PAOK, defeated Maroussi by playing excellent basketball, clipping Panagiotis Giannakis wings for top spot.

Olympiacos fans left the Peace and Friendship Stadium tonight quite content from their teams performance, as well as the fact that Kazlauskas just signed a new contract and will remain in the team for the next season. So, Olympiacos managed to defeat AEK, which seems to be losing one game after the other.

The big surprise, though, came in Patra, where Panellinios defeated Apollo Patra, playing with their heart and soul and scoring a valuable win, that might even keep them in A1.

So, now Panellinios has equaled Olympia and MENT, which lost to Iraklis, with 30 points each.

Results

Ionikos Amaliada-Aris 68-84 Panionios-Olympia Larissa 83-70 Apollo Patra-Panellinios 75-76 Iraklis-MENT 90-83 Olympiacos-AEK 71-66 Panathinaikos-Makedonikos 92-75 PAOK-Maroussi 78-71

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[08] Salpingidis Optimistic about National Team

By Stathis Petropoulos

Speaking to the Greek Football Association website and referring to the difficult game ahead for the Greek national team against Turkey, Dimitris Salpingidis was optimistic. Salpingidis stressed that Greece has shown that it can make it in difficult situations and so it will also make it against Turkey. "In a few days, the Greek national team managed to get six golden points in its efforts to qualify to the final round of the World Cup in Germany," noted PAOKs international footballer, adding: "Our international players deserve congratulations, along with coach Otto Rehhagel, because they managed to comfortably overcome the obstacles of Germany and Albania and add the two much-wanted victories to their card. The Greek national team has found its pace and is achieving one goal after another. What now concerns Greek fans is the next match in Istanbul. Turkey is a tough opponent and our team must neutralize them to get on. It will be a tough task, but the Greek national team has shown that it does well at tough tasks."

Translated by Millie Williams

[09] Sapanis Joins AEK

By Stathis Petropoulos

The first fruits of AEKs programme for the next football season is known as Miltos Sapanis. According to reports in the Press today, the 29-year-old footballer, who in the summer will be free of his contract with Panathinaikos, has agreed on everything with the administration of AEK and so will be the first transfer for the team. Sapanis was also in Demis Nikolaidis sights last year, but at that time he was tied to a contract with the green team, and so the transfer could not be made.

Translated by Millie Williams

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