Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 99-01-01
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 01/01/1999 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Taxi fare set at minimum Dr 500
- Winter sales to start Jan 7
- Gov't says deploying Cyprus missiles on Crete is legitimate
- Search still underway for 10 missing after boat sinks
- Drachma locked into euro
- Prime minister's New Year message
- Fog, ice make Thessaloniki roads treacherous
- Two rob motorist on national highway
- New Year babies to get car restraint
- Cars damaged in french fries mishap
- Stocks post gains in last 1998 session
- WEATHER
- FOREIGN EXCHANGE
NEWS IN DETAIL
Taxi fare set at minimum Dr 500
The minimum taxi fare has been set at 500 drachmas throughout the country,
starting on Friday. The extra 150-drachma Christmas and New Year holiday
bonus for cab drivers will remain in force until January 7.
Winter sales to start Jan 7
The winter sales throughout the country will begin on January 7 and last
seven weeks until the end of February, according to an announcement by the
Commercial Association. Shopowners hope the extended sales period will help
to revive the market, which showed a decline in December, the statement
said.
Gov't says deploying Cyprus missiles on Crete is legitimate
Monday's decision by Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides to deploy Russian S-
300 missiles on the Greek island of Crete instead of Cyprus is within the
framework of the Greek-Cyprus joint defence pact, National Defence Minister
Akis Tsohatzopoulos said on Thursday. Speaking in Thessaloniki, Tsohatzopoulos
said that the decision was in no way an indication of backtracking. He
called threats from neighbouring Turkey over the decision groundless and
noted that "Turkey is facing significant domestic problems ...its slide
into threats simply confirms its weakness".
Search still underway for 10 missing after boat sinks
A rescue operation was still underway on Friday after a sailboat ferrying
an unknown number of illegal immigrants from the Turkish coast to Greece
sank early Thursday off the coast of Nissyros island in the Aegean. Twenty-
two people have been rescued by nearby boats, while the bodies of two more
have been recovered. Ten people are still unaccounted for. Coast guard
officials said navy and patrol boats were sent to the vicinity and nearby
vessels alerted after an SOS call was received at dawn today from an
unidentified boat that had taken on water and was sinking. Three of the
four crew - two Greeks and a Yugoslav - were among those rescued while
their companion, another Greek, was missing.
Drachma locked into euro
European Union finance ministers have set central rates for the Danish
crown and the Greek drachma against the euro within the European Exchange
Rate Mechanism. The drachma's locking rate is slightly lower against the
euro compared with its rate against the Ecu. EU ministers set locking rates
for the 11 currencies of economic and monetary union against the euro and a
standard fluctuation band of plus or minus 15 percent around the drachma
from its central rate of 353.109 drachmas per euro. That means that
monetary authorities will have to intervene when the drachma's rate against
the euro reaches a limit up of 406.075 drachmas and a limit down of
300.143 drachmas.
Prime minister's New Year message
1999 will be the year that Greece realises the goals it has set, Prime
Minister Costas Simitis said in a message to mark New Year. "The sacrifices
and efforts of the previous year are taking root and the first results of
the economy are tangible in the thousands of large and small projects being
undertaken through Greece, in the increase in the real incomes of the Greek
people and in the role Greece is playing in the Balkans and the European
Union," Simitis said. He said 1998 had been a good year, noting that
the international financial crisis had not harmed the Greek economy.
Fog, ice make Thessaloniki roads treacherous
Ice and fog in the region of northern Greece caused two traffic accidents
on Thursday involving a total of 25 cars, but no injuries. Fog and limited
visibility caused a 15-car pile-up on the Thessaloniki-Moudanion national
road and icy roads were cited as the cause of a 10-car pile up on the
Thessaloniki-Peraias road. Fog also caused delays in flights at Thessaloniki's
Macedonia Airport. Fog shut down the airport on Wednesday for the second
time this week.
Two rob motorist on national highway
Two masked armed men bailed up a motorist on the Thessaloniki coastal road
on Thursday and robbed him of 40 million drachmas before making their
getaway on a high-speed motorbike. The highway robbery occured at around
9.30 a.m. The two men on the motorbike approached the car, whose driver has
not been identified, while it was stopped at the corner of Edison St on
Alexander the Great Avenue, in the area of Stratigiou. Shooting in the air
twice with a hunting rifle, they then grabbed a bag containing the money
from the car and disappeared. Police said the victim was a local businessman
and have launched a manhunt to find the two men.
New Year babies to get car restraint
The public order ministry said on Thursday that the first babies born in
Athens and Thessaloniki in the New Year would receive a baby car restraint
as a present. The present is part of an ongoing campaign to urge Greek
parents to use seat belts and car seats to reduce the number of road
deaths. Greece has one of the worst road death records in Europe. Some 1,
500 Greeks are estimated to have died over the past five years as a result
of not using seatbelts.
Cars damaged in french fries mishap
Three cars were damaged and the windows blown out of an apartment in
suburban Athens when a absent-minded young Italian tried to fry some chips
on Wednesday night. Giovanni Albano, 21, forgot that he had left dinner on
the stove and compounded his mistake when the pan caught fire by throwing
water on the electric stove. The resulting explosion blew out all the
windows of the apartment in suburban Petralona. The broken glass caused
damage to three cars parked outside the apartment. Albano was unhurt.
Stocks post gains in last 1998 session
Equities ended the last trading session of 1998 on Thursday with substantial
gains reflecting the market's optimism over the new year's prospects and
euphoria following news that the government would abolish tax on bond
interest for non-residents. The general index ended 1.05 percent higher at
2,737.55 points, to post a spectacular 85.02 percent gain in 1998. Turnover
was 70.4 billion drachmas. Annual turnover totalled 14 trillion drachmas.
Thursday's volume was 15,756,000 shares. The parallel market index for
small cap companies ended 0.78 percent up, while the FTSE/ASE 20 index
rose 1.31 percent to 1,724.24.
WEATHER
The weather on Saturday will be overcast with scattered showers likely to
turn to storms in the west by evening. Winds southeasterly, moderate to
very strong. Athens will be cloudy with rain likely from afternoon, and
temperatures will range from 9C to 14C. The same is forecast for Thessaloniki,
which will be foggy in the morning. Temperatures to range from 4C to
9C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
U.S. dollar 280.309 British pound 464.137
Japanese yen (100) 245.907 French franc 49.866
German mark 167.152 Italian lira (100) 16.895
Irish Punt 415.747 Belgian franc 8.107
Finnish mark 55.006 Dutch guilder 148.418
Danish kr. 43.928 Austrian sch. 23.776
Spanish peseta 1.967 Swedish kr. 34.522
Norwegian kr. 36.831 Swiss franc 203.320
Port. Escudo 1.634 Aus. dollar 171.616
Can. dollar 179.850 Cyprus pound 561.770
(C.S.)
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