Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Dimitris Reppas announced a new contract for the first section of a new addition to the Athens metro on Thursday. The new route will be a u-shaped line linking the city’s western districts with the centre and the east. Implementation will start in the beginning of 2011.
The new line 4 will be 33 kilometres long and will begin in the western Athens district of Galatsi. It will pass through the city centre and the Evangelismos hospital station. It will then turn via Ilioupolis in the east and wrapp around to end at Lykovrisi in the north.
The Minister spoke after a meeting at Attiko Metro headquarters concerning additions to the network.
Reppas said the tender process for the first section of the new line will have ended at the start of 2011. Tenders for further extensions will be concluded by the middle of 2012.
These will be an extension from Veikou park to Perissos to link up with the ISAP overground electric railway. It will also include an extension from the Zografou area toward the districts of Vyronas and Hymettus, up to the borders of Ilioupolis. The main line from the Zografou area will continue on to Lykovrisi.
The total cost of the project is estimated at 3.3 billion euros, with one billion euros in funding from the European Investment Bank. For the remaining cost, efforst are being made to tap into funds available for boosting accessibility.
Reppas said that the new line will include 29 stations along its route and have an ultra modern network in which trains will be driver-less and remote operated.
Concerning other extensions to the existing metro network, the Minister said that outstanding problems with lawsuits will probably be resolved by the end of the year. Work on an extension of the line to Piraeus will be started then. The Agia Paraskevi metro station that is currently under construction is expected to be ready in December.
Athens Metro New U Line!
AHEPA President Issues 2010 Mid-Term Election Statements
AHEPA National President Nicholas A. Karacostas issued the following statements on the outcome of the 2010 mid-term elections:
“We congratulate our fellow Greek Americans and champions of the Greek American community who won re-election to Congress, including Hellenic Caucus Co-Chairs U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis and Carolyn Maloney; and U.S. Representatives John Sarbanes, Shelley Berkley, and Niki Tsongas. We look forward to their continued unwavering support of Greek American issues in the 112th Congress.”
“We regret that U.S. Representatives Zack Space, Dina Titus, and Suzanne Kosmas were not successful in their re-election bids to Congress. They were champions of Greek American issues and their enthusiasm and steadfast support will be sorely missed. We wish them the best in their future endeavors. In addition, we were disappointed that Dean Scontras was not elected to the House of Representatives.”
“We also regret that Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and Florida Governor Charlie Crist were not elected to the U.S. Senate which would have augmented the community’s voice in that hallowed chamber. We look forward to their future endeavors and wish them the best.”
“Moreover, the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues will lose at least 28 members, and depending on the outcome of a few outstanding election results, as many as 32 members. Therefore, we have a lot of work to do to regrow the Caucus to its record number in the 111th Congress and eventually meet our goal to surpass it.”
“Finally, we congratulate all Ahepans who sought public office whether they were successful or not because we commend their dedication to public service.”
Riot Police Use Teargas Against Protesting Firefighters
Riot police in Greece have used tear gas and flash grenades to disperse firefighters protesting outside the Parliament amid the financial crisis.
The clashes between the firefighters and the police turned violent forcing officers to fire tear gas in a bid to disperse the angry crowd.
The firefighters, most of whom are on short-term contracts, were protesting over job and wage cuts.
Firefighters have been camped out in tents on Athens’ main Syntagma Square just opposite Parliament, for more than a week.
In addition to the protesting firefighters, hundreds of shipyard workers headed to the Ministry of Finance to make their voices heard as well. They slammed the government’s decision to sell shipyards, cut jobs and reduce wages.
Former Labor Minister Theophanous Claims Court Victory Over Rape Charge
Former Victorian Government Minister Theo Theophanous claimed a court victory over the woman who accused him of rape, according to the Herald Sun newspaper.
The Melbourne Magistrates Court dismissed the case against Theophanous last year after finding the complainant lacked credibility.
The Melbourne woman who accused the former Labor Minister of rape later moved to Greece with her family.
Theophanous applied to the district attorney in Athens to pursue the case.
He and his wife travelled to Greece to offer a testimony. However the woman did not appear in court, as it is not compulsory for the accused to appear.
In an ABC news report Theophanous said the woman was found guilty of criminal defamation and a two-year jail sentence has been imposed.
“That sentence is probably unlikely to be carried out. There was an immediate appeal launched. That will probably be heard a little later,” he said.
“My whole purpose in this is not to seek revenge. What I’m about is justice, because an enormous crime was committed against me and my family.”
(source: neos kosmos)
Greek Designer Wins 2010 Swiss Textile Award!
The Swiss Textile Award for 2010 has gone to London based Greek designer Mary Katrantzou.
The prize is worth €100,000 or 136,000 Swiss Franks. It was presented during the Zurich Fashion Days on Thursday night. The money is used for the designer’s next collection and for the purchase of Swiss fabrics.
The jury was made up of representatives of top fashion magazines including Vogue and GQ Style. Members said Katrantzou had a talent for working with form and colour and her collections were a: “play on the senses, with unique eye-catching patterns that flatter the feminine silhouette and at the same time express attitude and symmetry”.
The 27-year-old is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.
She has made graphic art her area of expertise and trained under Greek designer Sophia Kokosalaki and the United States fashion house Bill Blass.
Last year’s winner Alexander Wang showed his 2011 summer collection during the Fashion Days. The award has been presented for the past eleven years.
3rd Annual London Greek Film Festival Opens on Monday!
The 3rd annual London Greek Film Festival opens this Monday, Noember 8th. It is a cultural event that has rightfully secured a place in film lovers’ calendars.
This year’s Festival has been upgraded, most notably through its new premises. The week long screenings from the 8th-14th of November will be held at Westbourne Studios in west London. The Studios are located at 242 Acklam Road, Notting Hill, London W10 5JJ. It is an impressive space conveniently situated just a few yards away from Portobello.
This multi-purpose artistic venue has hosted a number of other festivals and events.
The 2010 London Greek Film Festival presents more than 45 short and feature films, documentaries, experimental films and video-art productions in competition. The Festival also emphasizes the importance of networking and features a number of workshops under the guidance of experienced film professionals, networking events for the organisers, participants, and visitors, along with a special social networking party.
The Odysseus Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, the 15th of November and will relocate to Mythopolis. Mythopolis is located at 277 City Road, Islington, London EC1V 1LA. It is a cosy venue and is thought to be the most popular place for Greek music.
For the screenings schedule please visit:
http://www.londongreekfilmfestival.com/program.htm
EU Places Rapid Border Intervention Team on Greek-Turkish Border
European Justice Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom will visit the the Greek-Turkish border tomorrow. Starting on Tuesday, EU “Rapid Border Intervention Team” began to operate and are coordinated by Frontex. This is the first time that the “Rapid Border Intervention Team” (RABIT) mission has been used, after a request made by Greece on October 24th. The area of intervention is a 12.5km strip close to the Greek city of Orestiada, which has seen a spike in illegal immigration from Turkey in recent weeks. The goal of the EU mission, which includes 175 specialised border patrol officers, does not only aim to improve surveillance, but also to provide: “support activity according to onsite needs and the specialisation of the personnel,” explained Commissioner Malmstrom’s spokesperson, Michele Cercone. A meeting with the Turkish authorities has not been scheduled to take place during the visit. “At this time no contacts with Turkish officials are scheduled. This is a visit that will allow the commissioner to get an idea about the mission directly on the ground”, stated Cercone. According to Frontex, 90% of illegal entries into Europe take place through Greece. According to local authoritities, in the first half of 2010 there were 45,000 illegal entries.
Police Bomb Disposal Experts Seize 6 Parcel Bombs Headed to Embassies in Athens
Greek police bomb disposal experts on Thursday detonated a parcel bomb addressed to the French embassy in Athens. This occurred after being alerted by a courier service’s employees in the Kallithea district of Athens about a suspicious package.
Additionally the bomb experts also received calls from another courier service in Markopoulo about five more parcels addressed to embassies.
The first parcel was reported by the ACS courier office in Kallithea and the other five by the UPS courier service in Markopoulo. Another team of bomb disposal experts are on their way to the UPS service.
The suspect package was detonated with a controlled explosion and was found to have contained an explosive device hidden in a book. The device was in a package that had the return address as the Archbishop of Athens.
(source: ana-mpa)
Apogeumatini Newspaper Files for Bankruptcy
Apogeumatini newspaper owner Mr. Sarantopoulos filed for bankruptcy yesterday.
After having submitted the appropriate documents in court and declared bankruptcy, the chairman of the company Mr. Black, announced to its employees that the owners of the newspaper went to court. He notified them about the paper’s appropriate documents submission to stop its publication.
There is confusion and fear among the 130 workers, journalists, and administrative employees due that they might even not be compensated by the company.
Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce Awards Ceremony
Leading figures in the business world of the Greek Diaspora and more were honored by the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce (HACCI). This is the Commerce’s first event after the merger with Hellenic Business Forum. It was held at the luxurious Park Hyatt Hotel.
The event was welcomed with messages by the Prime Minister of Victoria John Brumby, the leader of the opposition Ted Baillieu, the Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle and the Consul General of Greece Christos Salamanis.
HACCI President Nikos Mylonas spoke on the objectives of the organization. They are in collaboration with entrepreneurs of Greek origin with regard to the preservation and promotion of Greek culture.
He also announced that Laiki Bank and the Bank of Cyprus; represented by their directors Michalis Athanasiou and George Taktikos, will be sponsoring HACCI.
The award ceremony followed. The “Chris Chatzistavrou Award for the Greatest Achievement by a Greek Young Person Living Abroad” was awarded to designer Eleni Kontouris by famous chef George Kalombaris.
The award of “Outstanding Professional Performance” was awarded to Jim Vassiliadis by Bank of Cyprus Director George Taktikos.
The award for “Leading Business Performance” was awarded to Gregory Stampoulides and Nikos Athanassopoulos by Laiki Bank Director Michalis Athanasiou.
The “Spyros Stamoulis Award for Lifetime Achievements” was awarded to Nikos Andrianakos by Melina Stamoulis.