The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 10-04-18

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

CONTENTS

[01] Terror Probe Surfaces New Finds

The terror probe has surfaced important finds. The anti-terrorist squad located bottles with an explosive material called ANFO and motorcycles with fake slates at an underground garage in Kareas district. Police said the explosive material found was used in a blast outside the building housing the Stock Market last September. Authorities are waiting for the prosecutor to give them the green light to get DNA samples from the arrestees, since they refused to do so.

The garage lease was on the name of Dimosthenis Mandalozis, a name used by the defendants in their fake ID cards, police said.

It was also found that the house where alleged guerrilla group leaders Nikolaos Maziotis and Panagiota Roupa lived had been leased on the name of Vassiliki Paraskevopoulou.

Source: NET, NET 105.8 News item: 35553

[02] China: Death Toll from Earthquake Exceeds 600

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit SW China has risen to 617, while more are fear dead, since another 313 people have gone missing. In the meantime, as many as 10,000 people have been injured, however, medical care is a great headache for the authorities, since there is a shortage of basic medical supplies. Rescue workers keep searching for survivors in the rubble.

Looking for Survivors

About 5,000 troops, including 700 policemen, have been deployed in the area.

The Chinese President urged rescue teams to make haste so as to rescue as many survivors as possible. So far, more than 2000 people have been pulled to safety.

However, the bad weather conditions, the high altitude and the damage caused to the road network are giving rescue workers a hard time.

The lethal quake leveled dozens of schools, claiming 56 students and five teachers.

Dozens of children remain trapped in the rubble of their schools and their chances of surviving are getting slimmer and slimmer. News item: 35451

[03] EU, ECB and IMF Experts Due in Athens

The technical details of the rescue plan for Greece will be running high on the agenda of the talks to be held Monday in Athens between the Greek Finance Ministry and experts from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. In his interview with Newsweek magazine, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou underlined that Greece will decide in the coming weeks whether to ask the EU-IMF support mechanism to be activated. He then reiterated that it is not a bailout. Everything is ready in case Greece needs help, commented Financial Minister Giorgos Papakonstantinou, after the Ecofin meeting, while he rest everyone assured that the Greek lenders have no liquidity problems.

Greece wants to make it on its own, Education Minister Anna Diamantopoulou told NET. She then dismissed press reports whereby new measures are on the way and stressed that dismissals in the public sector are not an issue.

Defence Minister Evangelos Venizelos feared the crisis could have an adverse influence on the country's political system, further stressing that what matters the most is the consistent and effective implementation of the already taken measures.

A Pulse RC survey suggested that the overwhelming majority of the citizens believed that news measures will be taken if Greece goes to the International Monetary Fund. Some 57% of the respondents said that the country can overcome the crisis on its own if the proper policy is followed, while half of those surveyed hold both the Socialist and the Conservative administrations responsible for the current situation.

In the meantime, main opposition New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras dismissed the possibility of Greece's going to the International Monetary Fund and blasted the government for being indecisive. In his interview with Vima paper, Antonis Samaras noted that PASOK turned a deficit crisis into a borrowing one. He then went on to accuse the Karamanlis administration of lacking the boldness to take measures, stressing, though, that the former Prime Minister had come up against a denial wall. Touching on his party, he claimed that he won't tolerate introversion and that he has no problem cooperating with Dora Bakoyannis.

Source: NET, NET 105.8, ANA/MPA News item: 35562

[04] Renowned Greek Actress Anna Kalouta Passed Away

Renowned Greek actress Anna Kalouta breathed her last after a health problem. She was 92. She will be laid to rest Tuesday at the Athens First Cemetery. Her death marked the end of an era. Born in Athens in 1918, she graduated the Ionian School. However, it was the theatre that she put her heart and soul to, numbering several appearance s in Greek movies. She also took up choreography and direction. She was only four years old when, along with her sister Maria (she died in 2006) landed their first role at the Marika Kotopouli theatre.

She had been touring Europe, America, Australia, Africa and New Zealand for 15 years, while she played on almost all important theaters worldwide.

Along with her sister, she recorded several albums both in Greece and beyond. Her last role was in a movie by Pantelis Voulgaris entitled "Eleftherios Venizelos."

She was a member of the Greek Actors Association. Anna Kalouta was awarded by the Greek embassies for her tours. She was also awarded by the Greek army for the troops' entertainment during the 1940 war.

The Culture Ministry issued an announcement reading: "The Culture Ministry's leadership has to express its most heartfelt sorrow over the death of Anna Kalouta, a leading figure of the Greek theatre, who passed away yesterday [Saturday]. Anna Kalouta lived her entirely life on stage and her name was associated with the theatre. Born in Athens in 1918, she first appeared on stage at the age of 4, and along with her sister Mary they were the prodigies of the interwar period. As a woman living in tough times, she was a symbol of emancipation. Her versatile talent, her energy, her mentality, courtesy, ethos shining even a few hours before dying will be forever etched in memory."

LAOS (Popular Orthodox Rally) Giorgos Karatzaferis said: "The death of such a great Greek actress is a great loss not only for the world of theatre but a great loss for our culture."

Source: ANA/MPA News item: 35557

[05] Sushi Served in Space

Japanese astronauts at the International Space Station offered their colleagues a true earthly delicacy -sushi- said Kyodo, the Japanese news agency. A NASA photo depicted Naoko Yamazaki having put on a pink kimono to prepare the rice and seaweed rolls in zero gravity and Soichi Noguchi catching the celestial snacks in his mouth as they floated free.

Noguchi had promised his colleagues to make sushi for them before the blastoff in December. He had packed frozen scallops and tuna for the purpose.

News item: 35459

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