Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-10-23

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM: The crisis is not a Greek but a European one

[02] Orionids meteor showers over the weekend

[03] Samaras reiterates call for jump-starting Greek economy

[04] Tsipras demands apology from Merkel for 'lazy Greeks' statement

[05] Judicial probe into KKE claims of 'link' between anti-state hooligans, police

[01] PM: The crisis is not a Greek but a European one

Papandreou reiterated that Greece has repeatedly proved that it is taking the necessary measures to render its economy viable and the country more just.

"We are a proud people that deserve respect," Papandreou stressed, adding that the Greek people, on their part, have shouldered their responsibilities with great pain.

"The crisis is not Greek, but European. As Europeans we must act decisively and effectively," he added.amna

Papandreou had a meeting with European Council president Herman van Rompuy before the opening of the summit, while on Saturday night he held talks with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.

After the meeting with Barroso, the premier said that Greece is continuing a tough and difficult negotiation aimed at lightening the burden born by the Greek people with respect to the country's debt, but also at the country's exiting the crisis and entering a developmental course.

"Greece's strong negotiating weapon is the sacrifices of the Greek people over the past two years," Papandreou said, adding that "now it is Europe's time", while also noting that the European citizens' in the EU institutions and function is diminishing daily, as is the social cohesion of Europe.amna

That is why the decisions taken must be decisive in order to evolve into a "Europe of solidarity".amna

Papandreou stressed that Greece has made decisive moves in order to implement its fiscal consolidation programme and put the economy on viable foundations. amna

"Now, it is the hour for comprehensive decisions for Europe," he said, adding that "the decisions that will be taken over the coming days will be historic."

[02] Orionids meteor showers over the weekend

The Orionids are the most prolific meteor shower associated with Halley's Comet.

They are called so because the point they appear to come from (radiant) lies in the constellation Orion.

The meteoroids are actually debris left behind by Halley's Comet that enter earth's atmosphere, where they burn, causing the spectacle that resembles a shower of shooting stars.

They occur at rates of approximately 25-35 meteors per hour, and leave strong traces in the sky. The meteor movement has been increasing over the past days, reaching a peak over the weekend. The Orionids take place every year from early October to mid-November. The best hours for observation are soon after midnight and before sunrise if the sky is clear of clouds. this year just before dawn on Saturday, visible in the northern hemisphere including Greece.

[03] Samaras reiterates call for jump-starting Greek economy

Samaras said that latest figures indicate that Greece is in a deep recession, and consequently the necessary actions should be taken to jump-start the Greek economy, in tandem with the fiscal adjustment.amna

He added that re-starting the economy is a necessary condition for maintaining social cohesion.

Earlier, Samaras warned of major hazards for Greece but also for the European and global economy in the event of a revision of the July 21 eurozone summit decision on the Greek debt.amna

He also said that the manageability of the Greek debt, apart from whatever 'haircut', requires high growth rates and large and consistent primary surpluses, and that is why a jump-start of the Greek economy is required so that the country can enter an orbit of a viable solution of its problems, in the framework of the eurozone.amna

[04] Tsipras demands apology from Merkel for 'lazy Greeks' statement

Tsipras demanded the immediate withdrawal of the so-called Eureka plan, which he warned would mean sell-off of Greece's state property. He also called for the reversal of the Troika policy and Memorandum, which he said is sinking Greek society into despair.

It is noted that an open letter by the European Left Party to Merkel, copies of which were also sent to French president Nicolas Sarkozy, European Council president Herman van Rompuy and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, with a similar content, was made public on Friday.amna

Tsipras further said that at the Die Linke congress "we united our voices from all over Europe to send a strong message to the leaders of the European Union, who are meeting in Brussels, that if they do not abandon the policy of austerity, they will never find a solution".

[05] Judicial probe into KKE claims of 'link' between anti-state hooligans, police

ΚΚΕ has charged and has supplied what it called photographic evidence that hooded youths -- long described as self-styled anarchists or anti-state thugs -- are linked with police.

Meanwhile, in a related development, a 53-year-old man who suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday during clashes in central Athens between communist-affiliated labour groups and the hooded youths, was buried on Saturday in an east Athens cemetery. The man was identified as a construction worker and a member of the KKE-affiliated labour grouping PAME.

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