Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-08-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] Car registrations 39.3 pct down

[02] FinMin: Greece will make a 'superhuman effort'

[03] Fires on Crete and Thesprotia prefecture

[04] Two earthquakes reported

[05] One killed in collision involving inter-city bus

[01] Car registrations 39.3 pct down

The statistics service, in a report, said car registrations were down 25.2 pct in the January-July period in 2010.ana-mpa

Motorcycle registrations totaled 32,345 units in the seven-month period, from 41,714 in 2010, for a decline of 22.5 pct and after recording a 12.8 pct drop in the January-July period last year. registrations fell 39.3 pct in the January-July period this year, totaling 84,676 vehicles (new or used ones), compared with the corresponding period in 2010, Hellenic Statistical Authority said on Friday.

[02] FinMin: Greece will make a 'superhuman effort'

"It's very important for us to act on our commitments to the EU and IMF. And, we will be true to our word," Venizelos said in an interview with the London-based newspaper "The Guardian" published on Friday.ana-mpa

In this, the Greek minister promised to deliver on a fiscal consolidation programme that cuts state spending by 28 billion euro, further austerity measures and tax increases, as well as an ambitious and controversial privatisation programme to raise an additional 50 billion euro in state revenues.

His optimism was not shared by main opposition New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras, however, whose interview to 'The Guardian' was also published the same day.

"The medicine Greece has been given, doesn't work," he said, stressing that a barrage of tax increases, wage cuts and pension drops demanded by Greece's EU and IMF creditors for the bailout loans were crippling Greece's economy and actually making the crisis worse.ana-mpa

"The austerity measures aren't working; the sacrifices that are being made aren't paying off. The treatment is simply so strong that there is a risk we will kill the economy before we kill the deficit," he said

[03] Fires on Crete and Thesprotia prefecture

The fires in Rethymno had broken out at the locations Kato Valsamonero and Adraktos and were burning through pasture. A team of 12 firemen, five fire engines and a helicopter were fighting the first and another 12 firemen, eight fire engines, an eight-man team on foot and a helicopter were trying to extinguish the second.

The fire at Tsamantas in Thesprotia had two sources that were closely spaced, indicating that deliberate arson might be involved. Eight firemen and four fire-engines, an 18-man team on foot and two water-bombing aircraft were sent to put out the blaze.

[04] Two earthquakes reported

The earthquake, was strongly felt in Patras and other areas in Achaia prefecture and neighboring Aetoloakarnania prefecture.

Local residents rushed out of their homes and shops as the quake struck, but no damages were reported.

The area has been shaken by a string of small quakes emanating from the region of Rio since late June.

A mild earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale shook the northern Greek peninsula of Halkidiki at 12:15 on Sunday. The epicentre of the quake was 80 kilometres south of Thessaloniki and eight kilometres west of Poseidio in Halkidiki at an estimated depth of 10 kilometres.

[05] One killed in collision involving inter-city bus

The 26-year-old driver of the car was killed while the bus overturned as a result of the impact and 15 of its 36 passengers were taken to Alexandroupolis hospital with minor injuries.

Three of the injured passengers were kept in the hospital for observation.

An inquiry into the causes of the accident are being carried out by the Alexandroupolis traffic police.

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