The Hellenic Radio (ERA): News in English, 04-01-30

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

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

CONTENTS

[01] Bomb explodes in Baghdad

A roadside bomb exploded at an intersection in central Baghdad today, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

[02] Search for 14 missing illegal immigrants proves fruitless

Continued search and rescue efforts to find 14 missing illegal immigrants whose boat sank yesterday off the island of Evia proved fruitless today. In the meantime, authorities are searching for two people, possibly of Greek nationality, who are believed to be behind the people-trafficking operation.

[03] No bird 'flu in Greece saysAgriculture ministry

Agriculture Undersecretary Fotis Hatzimichalis gave assurances today that Greece had no suspicious cases of influenza related to the bird flu virus. He stressed that the country was in constant cooperation with European Union health services on the issue, and also had an approved plan for any future emergencies. The first case of this strain of influenza was in Thailand

[04] Athens intensifying airport checks for Olympics

Athens will intensify checks on departing airline passengers to help ensure that no 9/11-styled hijackers force a plane to crash into a site for the summer Olympic Games. Airport security boss Anastasios Papanicolaou said the checks, including screening for explosives and body searches, would begin six weeks before the August 13 opening ceremony.

[05] UN chief still mulling Cyprus peace talks

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today that further consultations were needed before the world body decided on a new round of Cyprus peace talks, but speculation grew that negotiations could start by mid-February. Annan appeared to be holding out for the sides to meet his conditions for re-engagement in the process, at a standstill after talks broke down early last year.

[06] Communist and DIKKI parties meet the press

Greek Communist party General Secretary Aleka Papariga began a pre-election tour of Crete today and is giving a press conference this evening in Hania. In the meantime, the leader of the DIKKI party, Dimitris Tsovolas, at a press conference in Athens this afternoon, maintained there was a serious crisis on a political level, emerging from vested interests and corruption.

[07] ND starts efforts for party rejuvenation

In the rival ND camp, senior deputy Yannis Varvitsiotis will head the conservative partys European candidacy list, rather than stand in the domestic elections. The move is seen by political analysts as an effort on the part of ND leader Costas Karamanlis to rejuvenate the party by urging older politicians to make way for a younger generation

[08] Papandreou accuses ND of imitating government's programs

Foreign Minister George Papandreou pledged today to boost alternative energy sources and better protect the environment, in an effort to woo younger voters ahead of March elections. He also strongly criticized the main opposition New Democracy party and its leader Costas Karamanlis, within the framework of his pre-election tour of northern Greece, saying that the agricultural program that ND announced was being implemented by the government for the past 10 years.

[09] Weather forecast

A cold day is forecast, with bad weather gradually receding in the southern and eastern Greece, and occasional rain and snow in the rest of the country. Temperatures in Athens will range from 1 to 8 degrees centigrade, and in Thessaloniki from 1 to 7 degrees.

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