The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 05-10-21

The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] Seismic Activity in the Aegean Troubling Concerns over the Quakes

By Despina Hristopoulou

Sources: ÍÅÔ, ÍÅÔ 105.8, ÁNA

Greek seismologists appear troubled over the intense seismic activity recorded lately in the Eastern Aegean. An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale was recorded approximately 45 minutes after midnight last night, in the sea between the islands of Samos and Chios, and the Turkish shores, spreading fear and panic among the locals in both countries. The quake was of the same magnitude and had the same epicentre as the tremor recorded last Monday. Speaking on NET TV station, the managing director of the Greek Geophysics Institute, Gerasimos Papadopoulos, stressed that it was an aftershock of the previous quake, while he underlined that it formed part of the expected seismic activity. On the other hand, speaking on radio station NET 105.8, seismologist Vassilis Papazachos noted that no safe conclusions could be drawn for the development of the phenomenon, while he urged the State to implement all the necessary measures in the area. "The phenomenon is evolving," declared Christos Papaioannou, a seismologist at the Thessaloniki Geophysics Lab, adding that no predictions can be made. No damages were reported in Greece, however, the earthquake spread panic among the citizens of Izmir, resulting in the death of a 68-year-old of heart failure. In addition, another 20 people were injured as they either jumped from their balconies to safety, or suffered wounds from broken glass.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

Related News:

Quake in the Aegean

[02] In the Sea between Samos and Chios Quake in the Aegean

By Vivian Papastefanou

A strong earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale was recorded at 00:44 on Friday morning in the Aegean Sea. The quakes epicentre was located in the sea area between Chios and Samos, the same area where another tremor, felt in many areas, had occurred a few days ago. As per NET television reporters Charis Zavoudakis and Thodoris Pyliotis on Samos and Chios respectively, the quakes duration was long, however the people remained calm. What is more, the reporters underlined there have been no reports on damages. Speaking on NETs midnight news bulletin, the Greek Geodynamic Institutes managing director, Gerasimos Papadopoulos, stressed that the tremor was an aftershock, as it occurred in the same area, and such activity is expected. Moreover, on Friday morning, seismologist Vassilis Papazachos told NET 105.8 that no predictions could be made safely over the development of the incident, while he called on the State to implement all the necessary measures in the eastern Aegean.

Injuries and Panic in Izmir

The quake was also felt on the Turkish shores and spread panic among the locals, resulting in the death of a 68-year-old from heart failure. In addition, another 20 people were injured as they either jumped from their balconies to safety, or suffered wounds from broken glass.

Actually, most of the citizens of Izmir decided to spend the night outdoors, even thought the local authorities urged them to return to their homes, while the schools will remain closed today.

The Governor of Izmir mentioned that no major damages were caused by the earthquake, apart from the roofs of five buildings, three of which were uninhabited. Furthermore, four uninhabited houses and a factory chimney collapsed in the neighbouring town of Urla.

The Kandilli earthquake observation centre said the tremor, at 0:40 am, measured 5.9 on the Richter scale and its epicentre was in the Aegean Sea, 40km off the coast of Izmir province.

Seismologist Gulay Barbarosoglu, a spokesperson of the Kandilli earthquake observation centre, urged the citizens to be careful, since aftershocks were expected. He also referred to the intense seismic activity in the area, noting that it would continue for some time.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

Related News:

Aegean was Shaken

[03] Hubner's Contacts in Greece On The Right Track for CSF

By Dimitris Alexopoulos

European Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Hubner had continuous contacts with government executives today for the planned revision of the 3rd CSF and the priorities of the 4th on matters of regional policy. Mrs Hubner met with Deputy Economy Minister Christos Folias in the morning and then with Giorgos Alogoskoufis. Following the meeting, the Economy Minister voiced the need to end negotiations on the 4th Community Support Framework funds as soon as possible, while he also underlined that the Government in cooperation with the Commission is dealing with the problems of the past regarding the 3rd CSF. Mr Alogoskoufis stressed that the reduction of deficit to 2.6% of the GDP would not affect the absorbing of Community funds and development.

Reforms Are Welcomed

As for Mrs Hubner, she voiced the hope that Greece would continue to develop at a quick pace and manage to invest every euro it is entitled to by Community funds.

Lastly, he supported that all reforms in the structure and management of the 3rd CSF are welcomed, as long as they contribute to the better absorbing of funds.

At noon, the Commissioner will meet with the Deputy Foreign Minister, Giannis Valinakis, and Environment Minister Giorgos Souflias, while in the afternoon she will be meeting with PASOK President George Papandreou.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[04] Awake Children, Exhausted Parents Long-Life Babies

By Annita Paschalinou

Sources: Reuters

A survey conducted recently in the USA has confirmed something that millions of parents have known for a while. Nowadays, infants and babies do not sleep as much as they should for their age. The National Sleep Foundation, in collaboration with a popular nappy company, shed light to the sleeping patterns of children up to the age of four. The research showed, among other things, that the older the children, the less they slept.

Sleeping Problems

The survey took place in September and October on a sample of 1,000 parents, who answered to a questionnaire over the phone.

As per the results, 26% of the parents admitted that their children sleep less than they should. In addition, 40% of the parents revealed that their children have sleeping problems, since they have trouble getting to sleep at night, they wake up during the night, or they wake up early in the morning.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[05] With Drug Stockpiles and an Aid Fund EU Implements Measures

By Jenny Charalampidou

Sources: ANA - ERA - NET

The EU Health Ministers, who are discussing the bird flu situation during an informal two-day meeting in the British capital, are putting fears to rest. The UK Health Minister claimed that Europe is not under immense threat from the flu, while the likelihood of a pandemic is extremely small. The ministers also discussed the creation of drug stockpiles and the formation of an aid fund and a European Commission operations centre. Furthermore, a committee of EU veterinary experts in Brussels decided to ban live birds from markets or exhibitions without permission and urged the Member-States to keep wild flocks away from poultry feed. Meanwhile, in Asia, another person died of bird flu in Taiwan, while China described the situation as grave, since the disease has resurfaced.

WHO: Unknown whether Virus has Mutated

A World Health Organisation official declared that the possible bird flu cases among family members in Indonesia do not necessarily mean that the deadly virus has mutated, but it could be caused by close contact normal in families.

In a phone interview to Reuters, Georg Petersen, WHOs Indonesia representative, noted that the cases "do not mean mutation." On Thursday, Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari said the possibility bird flu was infecting more than one member of a family could mean the virus had changed and was possibly spreading from human to human, referring to a father and son being treated in Jakarta who both had symptoms of the virus.

Petersen said preliminary tests showed they had influenza, but the type was unclear.

"What we know is that from one clear case in Thailand and probably in other cases there has been close family contact and this is why it could have gone from one person to another," Petersen said.

Vietnam: Free Medical Care to Diseased

A spokesperson of the Vietnamese Health authorities announced that anyone affected by bird flu in the country would receive free medical care, while the country is preparing for a possible pandemic.

A Health Ministry spokesperson clarified that, apart from free treatment, patients would also be given Tamiflu.

He also added that, currently, Vietnam has 600,000 doses of Tamiflu and is expected to receive another 400,000.

Even Tougher Measures in Taiwan

Fearing a possible bird flu pandemic, the authorities of Taiwan banned passengers carrying birds and poultry from travelling on public transport.

The countrys Transport Ministry announced that the ban included the transfer of poultry on planes, trains and buses, while it added that offenders would face harsh penalties.

In an effort to deal with the threat of a pandemic, many countries have ordered large quantities of Tamiflu, while some of them are planning on commencing its production, once Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche releases the patent to other companies and countries.

Today, Taiwanese Health Minister Hou Sheng-mao stressed that, if Roche refused to allow his country to manufacture the drug, Taipei would still go ahead, since, as per the countrys laws, human lives are more important than patents.

Moscow Bans Imports from Turkey

Russia banned all poultry imports from Turkey, in an effort to curb the spread of bird flu. The ban relates to live poultry, eggs, meat and poultry products. On Wednesday, Russia informed the EU that a strain of the deadly avian flu virus was detected south of Moscow.

The Russian authorities located the H5N1 virus on dead birds found 200km south of Moscow, in the Tula region, close to a lake with many wild ducks. Earlier, the deadly virus was detected in Siberia, but this was the first time that the disease has crossed the Urals westwards.

The Ministry of Georgia announced that 220 birds died for bird flu last week in the village Yandovka, while the authorities blocked off the area and gave an order for the slaughter of some 3,000 birds.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

Related News:

EU Reassures

Turkey Sample Not Infected

[06] Alarm Sounded in Defence Ministry Thriller with Tanker

By Annita Paschalinou

The Maltese-registered Greek-owned tanker San Carlos has not been located yet, after sending a hijack signal late on Thursday night. The ship, which has a Greek captain and 24 foreign sailors, sent out the distress signal while it was sailing 170 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. Right from the start, the Greek Ministry of Defence sounded the alarm in the operations room, while it immediately contacted the Somali and Maltese authorities, which also received a hijack signal, to start searching the area. The ships managing company in Piraeus was the one that received the signal in Greece.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[07] Shock in the USA She Killed her Children

By Annita Paschalinou

A 23-year-old woman has shocked the public opinion in the USA when she dumped her three children, aged 6, 3 and 16 months, off a pier in San Francisco Bay. A passerby witnessed the incident and immediately notified the police. The woman was arrested a little while later. The body of the 16-month-old baby has been recovered, however, the other two bodies are still missing. People close to the mother said that she was suffering from mental problems and recently started hearing voices telling her to dump her children in the sea. She will now appear before the court charged with murder.

Translated by Vicky Ghionis

[08] Boost to Major Ventures Deficit to 2.6%

By Betty Savourdou

During his speech at the Economist Convention on Thursday, Economy Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis said that in the final draft of the new budget, deficit would drop to 2.6% of the GDP instead of 2.8%, as was originally planed, since there will be more public expenditure cuts. At the same time, Giorgos Alogoskoufis described the collaboration between the public and private sector as a major reform. What is more, as per the Prime Ministers written message at the Convention, the present Government is determined to promote investments and remove any anti-motives from the business environment. As Kostas Karamanlis stressed, the Greek Economy reacts positively to the promoted reforms, making special reference to Greeces growth rate in the Eurozone, which has touched 3.6% for the current year.

Reforming the Public Sector

The second wave of reforms in the Economy starts with the Bill on public enterprises and organisations and will focus on the reform of the wider public sector, added Mr Alogoskoufis.

In particular, referring to the Bill over the changes in DEKOs (public enterprises classed as public services), the Minister announced flexible labour relations in public enterprises.

He also referred to the following actions promoted by the Government to put the Economy on a new track:

New generation of denationalisations, which aims not only at increasing the revenues of the state, but also at reinforcing competition to the benefit of enterprises and consumers. Better utilisation of the 3rd Community Support Framework. Complete planning for the National Growth Programme 2007-2013, putting emphasis on competitiveness and regional convergence, innovation and knowledge.

Conditions of Absolute Transparency

Private capitals should constitute the main source of funding public ventures, as they ensure high quality, timely delivery and low budget cost, stressed the Economy Minister.

As Mr Alogoskoufis noted, a Special Secretariat for the Public-Private Sector Collaboration was established a few days ago and will operate "under conditions of complete and total transparency, using the most modern criteria for the evaluation of ventures."

The Secretariat's Purpose Is:

To promote public-private sector ventures, informing local bodies, regional authorities and Ministries on the potentials and chances, which the new framework offers. To support implicated bodies by providing administrative care services. To document using financial studies whether it is worth proceeding with a public-private sector venture or not. To monitor the venture's course and the operation of the infrastructure to see if the terms agreed with the private party are in force.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

Related News:

Meeting over Budget

Invitation to Investors

[09] PAOK Lost in the End

By Vasilis Kalpinos

PAOK did their best playing against Shakhtar in Donetsk, but still lost 1-0 in the Group G match of the UEFA Cup and failed to bag three points. A penalty from Brandao in the 66 earned the Ukrainians victory, but it is worth saying that the penalty has been more than questioned and could give food for debate, as the replay showed it could have not been awarded. In general, PAOK put on a good show and Daniel Fernandes was having a great day. PAOKs goalkeeper was immovable and only lost his pace in the 66. In the other match of the Group, Stuttgart prevailed over Rennes 2-0.

Questioned Penalty

Throughout the first half, PAOK were firmly on the back foot. Shakhtar, on the other hand, were more offensive and lost too many good opportunities, mainly because of Daniel Fernandes' presence. The Portuguese goalkeeper was in a great day and saved Matuzalem's direct kick in the 6', blocked Elano's strong shot in the 7' and made a double effort to save Matuzalem's volley in the 30', while keeping his post pure of goals in many cases. As for PAOK, they had a good moment in the 26', but although Salpingidis and Mieciel both had efforts on target, neither troubled the home team's goalkeeper.

In the rerun, the Ukrainians had not lost their pace and even missed out on two good chances to open the score in the first minutes, but Fernandes had something else in mind and saved the ball in the 48', when Elano came close, while Tymoschuk's powerful kick in the 50' went wide. However, in the 66' the referee awarded a penalty kick on Elano, as Chasiotis brought him down, and Brandao was called on the penalty area to shoot the ball, thus earning Shakhtar a battling win over PAOK. As for the guests, they switched to attack, but their efforts were not enough, not even to help them reach draw.

Referee: Allan Kelly (Ireland)

Yellow Cards: Lewandowski Tymoschuk, Charalambous, Balafas

LINEUPS:

SHAKHTAR: Shutkov, Seyhan, Srna, Rat, Lewandowski, Tymoschuk, Duljaj, Elano, Marica (59' Aghahowa), Matuzalem, Brandao

PAOK: Fernandes, Akyel (88' Hristodoulopoulos), Chasiotis, Udeze, Charalambous, Iliadis, Balafas (71' Sikabala), Zagorakis (86' Engomitis), Mieciel, Salpingidis, Konstantinidis

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

[10] Greek Captain Tanker Hijacked

By Vivian Papastefanou

The Maltese-registered tanker "San Carlos" sent out the special signal for hijacking cases, while sailing 170 nautical miles off the coasts of Somalia. As per the announcement of the Mercantile Marine Ministry, the captain of the ship was Greek, while all of its sailors were foreign.

Translated by Sofia Soulioti

The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article