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Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-07-28
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 28/07/1999 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- More Russian troops arrive in Thessaloniki
- Improved performance from border guard detachments
- Greenpeace calls for end to crop-dusting in Corfu
- Weather
- Foreign Exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
More Russian troops arrive in Thessaloniki
Two Russian vessels docked in the northern Greek port of Thessaloniki on
Wednesday, bringing equipment and troops destined to participate in the
peacekeeping force in Kosovo. Another two vessels were expected to dock
later in the day. A total of 400 troops and 130 military vehicles will be
disembarked with this second dispatch of equipment of troops. The first
Russian dispatch brought 450 men and 130 vehicles about two weeks ago. Also
expected in Thessaloniki on Wednesday are two vessels bringing mililtary
equipment and vehicles for the 450 soldiers of the United Arab Emirates,
who arrived in the city by air on Tuesday.
Improved performance from border guard detachments
The three special detachments of border guards set up at the beginning of
July in the prefecture of Kilkis, northern Greece to patrol the border with
the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) have so far apprehended
and expelled some 1,000 illegal immigrants, the police said on Wednesday.
The corresponding figure for last month, before the detachments went on
active service, was approximately 600 illegal immigrants. The majority of
the illegal immigrants were Bulgarians, followed by Albanians who preferred
the flat ground in the area of the FYROM-Greek border to the difficult
mountain paths of Pindos.
Greenpeace calls for end to crop-dusting in Corfu
Environmental organisation Greenpeace on Wednesday filed for a suspension
of pesticide-spraying in the prefecture of Corfu and also filed a complaint
against the prefectural authority. The legal action comes after two German
citizens filed a complaint with the authorities, claiming they had been
sprayed by crop-dusters while on holiday in Corfu. The Corfu prefect
however, told reporters that spraying had been targetted at 36,250 acres of
inaccessible and mountainous land and that the pilots of the helicopters
doing the dusting had followed all the guidelines. Crop-dusting, he said,
would continue.
WEATHER
Fair weather is forecast throughout the country on Wednesday with scattered
cloud and possibility of showers in eastern Macedonia, Thrace and the
islands of north and eastern Aegean. Winds will be northerly, northwesterly,
moderate to strong in the seas. Fair weather in Athens, with temperatures
between 23C and 34C. The same for Thessaloniki, with temperatures ranging
from 21C to 31C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Wednesday's rates (buying)
U.S. dollar 303.721
Pound sterling 482.707
Japanese yen (100) 260.291
French franc 49.141
German mark 164.810
Italian lira (100) 16.648
Irish Punt 409.288
Belgian franc 7.991
Finnish mark 54.214
Dutch guilder 146.271
Danish kr. 43.291
Austrian sch. 23.425
Spanish peseta 1.937
Swedish kr. 36.613
Norwegian kr. 38.636
Swiss franc 201.361
Port. Escudo 1.608
Can. dollar 201.019
Aus. dollar 195.265
Cyprus pound 557.484
Euro 323.965
(M.P.)
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