Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-08-22

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Theophilos elected new Jerusalem patriarch, Greek political leadership congratulates

[02] Initial findings point to cabin decompression as cause of Cypriot jetliner crash

[01] Theophilos elected new Jerusalem patriarch, Greek political leadership congratulates

Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantini and Metropolitan Alexius of Tver who had been short-listed along with Theophilos, withdrew from the final election round.

Theophilos, from Messinia, Greece, is 55 years old.

President Karolos Papoulias sent a telegram of congratulations to newly elected Jerusalem Patriarch Theophilos, who was elected earlier in the day to succed deposed patriarch Irineos.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has also conveyed his congratulations to newly elected Jerusalem Patriarch Theophilos, the government spokesman noted during his regular press briefing.

Other telegrams expressing their congratulations were also issued by Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Christodoulos, main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou, Education Minister Marietta Yiannakou and Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyanni.

In a related development, Deputy Foreign Minister Panayiotis Skandalakis called the entire procedure to elect a new Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy Land "flawless".

He also conveyed his congratulations to Theophilos and to the entire Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher for the "moderation and wisdom in which they faced the provocations of the past few months."

[02] Initial findings point to cabin decompression as cause of Cypriot jetliner crash

Chief investigator and head of the Greek airline safety committee Akrivos Tsolakis provided Transport and Communications Minister Michalis Liapis with a progress report on the investigation on Monday.

Tsolakis said that if there was a problem with the cabin's pressure system this would affect passengers' physical condition and would also explain why the co-pilot seemed to be unconscious in the cockpit.

According to investigators' findings so far, Tsolakis said that the plane went down when it ran out of fuel.

He also said that there are indications that the communications system receiver was functioning during the last 30 minutes of the flight.

As for the person seen in the cockpit by the two F-16 fighter jet pilots who approached the Cypriot jetliner after repeated attempts failed to establish contact with the plane, Tsolakis said that the person tried twice to send out an SOS but was unable to. However, the person's voice is heard sounding weak and exhausted on the voice recorder of the second black box.

In his progress report, Tsolakis emphasises other factors of the investigation that must be examined in-depth before conclusions can be ruled as definitive. These include medical examiners' toxicological reports, examination of the plane manufacturer's findings, testimony of all involved parties, maintenance records and data from the two black boxes.

Finally, the findings reported by Tsolakis on Monday are based on evidence gathered from the crash site, Cyprus, Greek and international authorities, as well as data contained in the plane's two black boxes.

Helios Airways flight ZU 522 crashed into a mountainous region near Athens last Sunday, flying to Prague from Larnaca via Athens.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article