NEWS IN DETAIL

Environment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis stressed yesterday that work was proceeding apace on providing housing for an estimated 50,000 people left homeless by the devastating Sept. 7 earthquake in the greater Athens area.

The minister said 130 settlements would be established in the Metamorphosi region in some 15 days for use by the area's homeless. In eight to 10 weeks, he added, the ministry will have established 4,000 settlements of pre- fabricated dwellings in all the areas hit by the quake. The Sept. 7 quake measured 5.9 on the Richter scale and killed 139 people; most of whom were killed when three concrete factory/offices and several apartment houses in west and northwest Athens collapsed completely.

Of the 126,000 homes and buildings inspected in 43 municipalities so far, 9, 000 have been deemed unfit for habitation and require demolition; 38,000 require repairs before being fit for habitation and 74,000 are fit for habitation.

Mr. Laliotis also had harsh words for landlords who have been accused in recent days of hiking up rental quotes.

EU Commission on quake aid to Greece

The new European Commission on Saturday held its initial official meeting in Brussels, following Friday's inauguration, with discussions, among others, focusing on conditions in earthquake-stricken Athens.

The issue was tabled by Greece's new Commissioner (Employment and Social Affairs) Anna Diamatopoulou, who briefed her colleagues on the problems created by the Sept. 7 tremor.

She told the Commission that initial estimates of damage caused by the quake indicate the need for funding to the tune of 600 million euros, proposing that the European Union should provide aid of 600 million euros, adding that the Union should overcome the legal problems so the funding may be released.

Dimitrios enthroned as new Archbishop of America

In a glittering ecclesiastical ceremony in New York on Saturday, before religious leaders from around the world, political leaders and hundreds of faithful, Archbishop Dimitrios was enthroned as the sixth Archbishop of America since the establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in 1922.

The 71-year-old Dimitrios was lauded by Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Grigoris Niotis and Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides, among others. US First Lady Hillary Clinton also attended the ceremony.

In an address, Dimitrios said that cultivating the Orthodox faith, extending love, charity and care for his fellow human beings and working for unity and concord among the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese are his top goals.

Metropolitan Dimitrios of Vrasthena was unanimously elected Archbishop of America during a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on Aug. 19 to succeed Archbishop Spyridon, who had resigned a day earlier.

Greece and Cyprus discuss defence ties

Greece and Cyprus re-confirmed their joint defence policy on Saturday, during talks in Athens between National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos and his newly appointed Cypriot counterpart Socrates Hasikos.

The two ministers focused on the further support of existing security and defence policies and the island republic's European Union prospects, while they also discussed cooperation in the fields of military training and equipment.

Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said Athens steadfastly supports Nicosia's accession to the Union, independent of the timetable for the solution of the long- standing Cyprus problem.

"Turkey's European prospects pass through the acceptance by the neighbouring country of the rules of international law and UN resolutions," Mr. Tsohatzopoulos said.

Mr. Hasikos noted that the October military exercise "Nikifiros-Toxotis" on the island republic will take place as scheduled.

Istanbul mayor arrvives for visit

The mayor of Istanbul began a two-day visit to Athens yesterday, repaying a historic visit paid to the ancient city by his Athenian counterpart, Dimitris Avramopoulos, in the wake of the devastating Aug. 17 earthquake.

Istanbul Mayor Ali Mufit Gurduna leads a delegation on his visit, set to hold talks in Athens with municipal officials. He will also call on President Kostis Stephanopoulos today.

"This visit by the mayor of Istanbul is symbolic but also has substantial consequences, if we take into consideration the messages that the citizens of both countries are sending to their political leaders these days," Mr. Avramopoulos said on receiving his counterpart at Athens airport.

"A bridge has already been created by the earthquakes. We want to consolidate and create a better principle. We want peace to prevail in our region. I believe that Istanbul and Athens will achieve this," Mr. Gurduna said.

First call on the mayor's visit was a tour of the collapsed Ricomex factory, in which 40 people were crushed to death during the earthquake.

Mr. Avramopoulos visited Istanbul a week after the devastating earthquake, to coordinate an earthquake relief initiative undertaken by Greece's five largest municipalities.

Thessaloniki area development the focus of 2-day conference

Development Minister Evangelos Venizelos yesterday outlined the efforts of his ministry in developing industrial, technological, trade and tourism initiatives in the greater Thessaloniki area and northern Greece.

Speaking at a two-day conference entitled "Development and Thessaloniki", he stressed the importance of industrial development in northern Greece with the creation of two new hi-tech units.

Mr. Venizelos said the BOPP-film unit in Komotini will be operational in December 2000 and will provide much needed employment opportunities in the region, while the Hellenic Petroleum (EL.PE) refinery in western Thessaloniki will begin operations on Oc t. 10, following repairs from a fire last February.

Mr. Venizelos said efforts are already underway for the creation in Thessaloniki of a new national research centre, a maritime research facility, and a regional office of Renewable Energy Sources Centre, among others.

Couple charged in 'Internet dating' scam

Police on Saturday arrested a couple on charges of defrauding local and foreign men by promising them "serious relationships" with women through newspaper and Internet ads, in what is believed to be one of the first arrests in Greece over false advertisin g on the Internet.

Constantinos Chryssagis and Chryssoula Bourgouli, both residents of the Ano Glyfada districts, faced a magistrate on Saturday. Police allege the couple, through advertising on an Internet site and in Greek and foreign newspapers, claimed they could prov ide men seeking relationships with videotapes of potential partners for 15,000 drachmas.

Some clients were provided with the mobile phone numbers of women seeking partners, one of which police discovered belonged to Bourgouli. The others were disconnected.

For clients from outside Greece, an annual subscription of 150 euros was demanded.

Papademos cautions against over-optimistic bourse outlook

Greece's central bank governor was quoted as expressing certain reservations regarding the recent surge of stock prices on the Athens Stock Exchange

Lucas Papademos' statements were published in yesterday's Kathimerini edition.

Mr. Papademos said he was concerned about the continuing rise of share prices of firms "with limited or non-existent profits, without worthy fixed assets and with uncertain economic prospects."

"The upward trend of share prices of the Athens Stock Exchange over the past two years reflects, to a great degree, the significant degree of improvement in the Greek economy's performance and the profitability of companies as well as favourable prospec ts of entry into the European (Economic and Monetary) Union," he was quoted as saying.

Mr. Papademos warned investors to take into account fundamental economic indicators of companies they wanted to invest in and not to be swayed by rumours and hopes of unrealistic earnings.

Seventh passenger of fateful Falcon dies from injuries

A cameraman seriously injured in the plane accident that claimed the life of Alternate FM Yannos Kranidiotis and five other people last week succumbed to his injuries yesterday. Panayiotis Poulos, 50, a cameraman with Greek state television (ERT ), died of heart failure shortly before 1 p.m., doctors at an Athens hospital said.

Poulos had been listed in critical condition since the accident on Tuesday evening, which occured as the prime ministerial Falcon approached Bucharest.

For reasons as yet not clear, the plane plummeted thousands of feet, killing six people immediately -- Kranidiotis and his 23-year-old son, a bodyguard, two reporters and a flight engineer. Poulos, the father of three, was the most seriously injured of the other seven people on the plane and his transfer to an Athens hospital was delayed a day because of his serious chest injuries.

Still hospitalised and listed in critical condition is Kranidiotis' diplomatic office director, Grigoris Papadopoulos, who suffered head injuries in the accident.

Study weighs in negatively on obesity among Greek youth

Greek children are among the most obese in the world, according to results of a survey presented at a pan-European conference on obesity, hosted in Thessaloniki.

According to the study, 13-year-old teens from eight countries around the world, including Greek children, and particularly girls, had the highest body mass of all.

They were followed by children from Kuwait, the United States, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, Kenya and Thailand.

A Greek-based study, meanwhile, showed that four in 10 Greek children below the age of 10 were overweight, with girls more obese than boys in the same age group.

Trade fair highlights rise in organic farm products` popularity

Organic farming in Greece may only take up 0.47 per cent of arable land but growing consumer awareness and wariness has tapped it as a growing market, according to speakers at the opening day of the 2nd Hellenic Organic Products Fair.

The fair, held at Zappeion Hall and organised by the agriculture ministry and Athens municipality, showcases methods and products employed in organic farming, a developing field dominated by the view that humans, plants and the ecosystem work in harmony to produce products untainted by chemical or toxic substances.

Recent food scares, such as dioxin contamination in chickens and the "mad cow" scare, as well as concerns about the effect of genetically modified foods has provided a firm base of support for organic farming.

More than 10,000 hectares in Greece are currently used for a wide variety of organically grown goods, while over the past three years, organic farming has grown at an annual rate of more than 70 per cent, according to the agriculture ministry. This is still, however, only 0.47 per cent of total arable farm land in Greece, making the country the very last in the European Union in cultivating this form of agriculture.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Monday's rates (buying)
U.S. dollar          310.962
Pound sterling       503.638
Japanese yen (100)   289.902
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.            43.547
Austrian sch.         23.527
Spanish peseta         1.945
Swedish kr.           37.412
Norwegian kr.         39.313
Swiss franc          201.927
Port. Escudo           1.615
Can. dollar          210.899
Aus. dollar          201.817
Cyprus pound         560.976
Euro                 323.739

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