Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-09-17

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

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 17/09/1999 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Alternate foreign minister, son buried today
• Plane injured still in critical condition
• Government denies minister's job at risk
• Shipping figure Hadzipateras dies
• Culture ministry retrieves stolen wreath
• Equities end historic week on high note
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Alternate Foreign Minister Yannos Kranidiotis and his son Nikola, killed along with another four people in a freak air accident over Bucharest earlier in the week, were on Friday laid to rest with full state honours. Athenians gathered at the city church where Kranidiotis's body lay in state and then followed family members, government members led by Prime Minister Costas Simitis and a crowd of mourners to the Athens First Cemetery for the funeral.

Plane injured still in critical condition

Two people seriously injured during Tuesday's freak air accident which cost the lives of six, including Alternate Foreign Minister Yannos Kranidiotis, continue to be listed as being in an extremely critical condition at Athens General State Hospital. The hospital said on Friday that Grigoris Papadopoulos, Kranidiotis's diplomatic director, was suffering from serious cranial injuries, was still in a comatose condition and required respiratory support. They said they were "extremely concerned" about the course of Papadopoulos's condition. Greek Television cameraman Panayiotis Poulos, who was transported to Athens on Thursday from Bucharest, is also listed as being in an extremely critical condition. Doctors said he had serious respiratory problems as a result of serious of chest injuries during the plane's thousand-feet plunge.

Government denies minister's job at risk

Greece said on Friday there was no issue of Transport and Communications Minister Tassos Mandelis resigning over the tragic air accident which cost the lives of six people, including Alternate Foreign Minister Yannos Kranidiotis. "No such issue has been raised or will be raised," government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said in response to the rumours. Mandelis's presence is imperative for the completion of the investigation into the circumstances of the accident, he added. Reppas said documents related to the technical condition of the airplane released last night by Mandelis was part of efforts to ensure full transparency of the investigation and that additional documents would be released shortly.

Shipping figure Hadzipateras dies

John Hadzipateras, chairman of the London-based Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee, died of heart failure in Athens' Hygeia Hospital early today at the age of 73. Hadzipateras came to Athens last Monday for a brief meeting with merchant marine minister Stavros Soumakis and was due to chair a joint meeting between the Committee and the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) in Piraeus next Tuesday. Hadzipateras was a few months ago re-elected to the Committee chairmanship for the fourth consecutive term and was a prominent figure in world shipping. Married to Maro Patera of the Pateras shipping family, he managed the London offices of the Hadzipateras Shipping company and Pateras Shipbrokers.

Culture ministry retrieves stolen wreath

Culture Minister Elizabeth Papazoi on Friday announced the return of a priceless golden wreath stolen from a regional museum earlier this year, the second time this week that stolen Greek artefacts have been returned. Papazoi said the Hellenistic-era wreath was now in the hands of the authorities on the island of Evia. The wreath was stolen on June 25 this year from the island's Halkida Archaeological Museum. According to police, the wreath was stolen by a 23-year-old unemployed man who had hidden the object in his home in Politika on the island while he negotiated with prospective buyers. On Tuesday, Papazoi announced that U.S. authorities had found most of the artefacts stolen from one of Greece's most important archaeological museums almost a decade ago and were preparing to return them.

Equities end historic week on high note

Equity prices ended an historic week to new records on the Athens Stock Exchange led by strong gains in the banks sector, although some late profit taking slowed an initial rally. The general index ended 0.53 percent higher at 6,355.04 points, sharply off the day's highs of 6,484.38 points. It was its 53rd record closing this year and the sixth in a row. Turnover was a massive 550 billion drachmas. The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks ended 1.69 percent off, while the FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks rose 0.65 percent to 3,270.85 points.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Friday's rates (buying)
U.S. dollar          311.468
Pound sterling       503.380
Japanese yen (100)   299.376
French franc          49.354
German mark          165.525
Italian lira (100)    16.720
Irish Punt           411.064
Belgian franc          8.025
Finnish mark          54.449
Dutch guilder        146.906
Danish kr.            43.559
Austrian sch.         23.527
Spanish peseta         1.945
Swedish kr.           37.458
Norwegian kr.         39.367
Swiss franc          201.996
Port. Escudo           1.615
Can. dollar          210.403
Aus. dollar          201.629
Cyprus pound         561.174
Euro                 323.739

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