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Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English, 11-07-11Athens News Agency: Daily News Bulletin in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>Monday, 11 July 2011 Issue No: 3834CONTENTS
[01] Papoulias begins official visit to IsraelGreek President Karolos Papoulias began a three-day official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Sunday.During his visit Papoulias will meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres, before travelling to Ramallah to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He will also visit the Jerusalem Patriarchate and Patriarch Theophilos. Papoulias will be received by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and opposition leader Tzipi Livni. According to the official itinerary, President Papoulias will tour the Holocaust Museum, participate in a symbolic tree planting in the Forest of Nations and receive Greece-born survivors of the Holocaust. His official programme will be concluded on Tuesday afternoon with an address to the Greek-Israeli Business Forum for Investments and Trade. Papoulias will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis, Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos and Deputy Environment Minister Yiannis Maniatis. [02] IMF OKs 5th tranche of loan to GreeceThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on Friday that it is releasing the fifth tranche of the loan to Greece amounting to 3.2 billion euros.The IMF stressed in a relevant announcement that its board approved this amount being made available for Athens in the framework of the loan for 30 billion euros that had been agreed in May 2010. This loan is part of the agreement between Greece, the IMF, the European Union and the European Central Bank, totalling 110 billion euros. New IMF chief Christine Lagarde said progress is being achieved in Greece, adding at the same time that more reforms are necessary. Lagarde further said that the Greek government is achieving progress in the fiscal sector, promoting measures that are necessary to decrease the general governance deficit to less than 3 percent of GDP by 2014 and praised the privatisations programme. [03] Development minister: Talk of elections of 'no help'Development, Competitiveness & Shipping Minister Mihalis Chryssohoidis, speaking in an interview with Sunday's edition of the newspaper "Real News", stressed that talk of elections is of no help."The easing of tension will come when the country's final rescue comes and when the recovery of the economy becomes a reality," the minister added. Chryssohoidis also stressed that the state must change radically and soon and agrees to the referendum being held in September and says that "it will concern the Fourth Greek Republic and the otherwise endless post-junta era will be ending." [04] KKE leader Papariga on debt crisisCommunist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary General Aleka Papariga, who addressed on Saturday the events of the party-affiliated KNE youth group's 20th anti-imperialist two-day events that are taking place this year at EOT's camping in Kamena Vourla, said that "we have a crisis of the social, economic and political system of capitalism" and not a "debt crisis."Papariga added that the debt is a consequence and if the people do not react "then after 50 years as well loans will be incurred and we shall be paying unbearable debts." [05] Citizen's Protection ministry on safe use of the InternetThe Citizen's Protection ministry and the Electronic Crime Department have organised seminars and issued electronic and printed material with the aim of sensitising people over the dangers entailed in the use of the Internet.More and more Greeks are using the Internet and the more experienced are aware of its "dark" side, but most have no idea and electronic crime is increasing rapidly. Informative material provided by the ministry stresses that the Internet is a useful tool, provided that its users use it safely since it can turn into a "trap" for both adults and, mainly, children. [06] ND leads PASOK by 1.3 %, pollAn opinion poll carried out by a local opinion poll firm for an Athens weekly gives the main opposition New Democracy party a 1.3-percentage point lead over the ruling PASOK.According to the poll, ND received 17.8 percent of respondents' preference; PASOK 16.5 percent; the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) 7.5; the Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.O.S) 5.7 and the Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) 3.6. Meanwhile, the newly formed Democratic Left party received 3.1, as well as new Panhellenic Citizens Movement showed support of 3.1 percent. Moreover, 67.6 percent favour early elections if the government fails to achieve its targets by September. The opinion poll was conducted by the Athens firm Kappa Research and published in the weekly "Vima". Financial News [07] 1.5 trillion cubic metres of natural gas south of Crete, geology professor claimsGeology professor and honorary professor of the Polytechnic of Crete Antonis Foskolos assesses that deposits of natural gas in the sea region between Plakia and Frangokastelo, south of the island of Crete, amount to 1.5 trillion cubic metres.Speaking also on the occasion of government announcements on the immediate promotion of procedures to exploit Greece's mineral wealth.. General News [08] Archdiocese of America Youth Choir to give concert in IliaNEW YORK (ANA-MPA/P. Panagiotou)The Youth Choir of the Archdiocese of America will be giving a concert at the "Ionian Village" in the prefecture of Ilia on Tuesday July 12 at 8 in the evening, as part of its tour of Turkey, Cyprus and Greece. The choir will be accompanied by Archbishop of America Dimitrios. The concert will be taking place on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the "Ionian Village" operating as a "Golden Bridge" between the Greek American community and Greece. [09] Man arrested for trafficking child pornPolice have arrested a 36-year-old man in the northern city of Kavala on charges of trafficking child porn material.The arrest took place after police ascertained that the man was providing two child porn archives for other internet users with the use of a specialised programme. A search of the man's home in Kavala on Friday revealed an electronic computer and DVDs that contained more than 100 child porn videos. [10] Cypriot man released after ransom paidA 27-year-old Cypriot abducted outside his home in Athens on June 24 was released in the Menidi district of northwest Athens on Sunday, after a ransom was reportedly paid to kidnappers.According to reports, the perpetrators led the man to an unknown safehouse before demanding money from relatives on Cyprus for his release. Authorities did not provide a ransom figure. The 27-year-old notified police after his release. [11] Bevy of wildfires reportedA wildfire broke out on Sunday at the Balta site in the Keratea district of eastern Attica prefecture. The wildfire was burning brush and grassland in the late afternoon.Another wildfire was reported in northern Evia island, with sizeable fire brigade forces, backed by 13 fire-fighting aircraft and helicopters, combating the blaze. A third wildfire was reported near the disused quarries of Asvestohori, outside Thessaloniki in northern Greece. Lastly, a wildfire reportedly started by a lighted cigarette in a gypsy settlement outside Thessaloniki was extinguished after burning nearby brushland and garbage heaps. Meanwhile, fire brigade officials are examining the possibility of arson at the Balta site. According to officials, the wildfire broke out simultaneously at three different locations at about a distance of 200 metres from each other. The fire burned about four hectares of brushland. [12] Shells found in rocky area of Rethimno commercial portAn unspecified number of shells were found Friday by an underwater fisherman in a rocky area of the commercial port of Rethimno on the northern side of the Fortetza fort, on the island of Crete.They are very old shells and are located at a depth of about 10 metres and according to a port official they are in a state of rust, while their size is about 40 centimetres. The wider region was being patrolled and the port authorities did not allow fishermen or swimmers to approach since the shells are scattered over a large area (about 100 metres). [13] Hefty sentences for migrant traffickersA court on the Dodecanese island of Rhodes imposed hefty sentences on five Turkish nationals arrested last September for carrying 123 immigrants in a sailing boat to the island of Tilos. Three of them were sentenced to a total prison term of 625 years and 6 months each and with a fine amounting to 631,000 euros.The same court sentenced another Turkish trafficker to serve a prison term of 350 years and 6 months and pay a fine of 3.5 million euros for carrying 68 immigrants to the island of Leros last year. [14] Three crime gangs detected in LarissaLarissa police dismantled on Friday three criminal gangs. Forty-six people have been arrested.The members of the three groups are involved in drug, arms and women trafficking. As police said, the three gangs operated in parallel, while their heads had contacts between them. Weather forecast [15] Fair on MondayFair weather and northerly winds are forecast in most parts of the country on Monday, with wind velocity reaching 2-7 beaufort. Temperatures will range between 21C and 38C. Fair in Athens, with northerly 4-7 beaufort winds and temperatures ranging from 24C to 37C. Same in Thessaloniki, with temperatures ranging from 22C to 35C.[16] Athens' Sunday newspapers at a glanceRepercussions of the ongoing economic and debt crisis in tandem with the bailout terms as foreseen by Greece's international lenders mostly dominated the main front-page items in Athens' Sunday newspapers.AVGHI: "A country caught between troika and banks". AVRIANI: "Express sale of public utilities, organisations". ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "Berlin-Beijing 'war' over Greek state's best assets". ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "10 billion euros of Community funds being held up". EPOCHI (weekly): "They're (government) beholden only to markets". ETHNOS: "Civil servants to be docked one monthly wage per year (until 2014)". KATHIMERINI: "Hot summer for debt, banks" LOGOS: "Black September ... for our pocketbook". NIKI: "This is how (public sector) firings will happen". PARON (weekly): "They are leading us towards a coordinated bankruptcy". PROTO THEMA (weekly): "New movement: 'I won't pay tax bureau anymore'." REAL NEWS (weekly): "Akis (a reference to onetime PASOK minister Tsohatzopoulos), is it (money) yours? Millions of euros in suspicious overseas bank deposits." RIZOSPASTIS: "Popular (i.e. working class) organisation, alliance," is the headline of the communist party's official newspaper. VIMA (weekly): "Loan shark techniques with Greek debt". VRADYNI: "Hidden spending cuts in the public sector: Wages slashed; firings coming".
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