Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-12-24

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, 24/12/1999 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Police arrest suspected terrorist
• Greece, Albania sign tourism pact
• Torrential rain beats down on Crete
• Russian woman killed in balcony jump
• Greek equities recover, but still pressured
• Central bank cuts Lombard rate
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Suspected terrorist Avraam Lesperoglou, one of the most wanted men in Greece, was arrested by security police shortly after landing at Athens Airport with a forged passport, police said Friday. Lesperoglou, 44, arrived on an Air France flight from Amsterdam via Paris with a passport under the name Emmanuil Britzolakis, 36, from Iraklion, Crete, and a resident of Athens. He has been on the run since 1985. Charges were drawn up against Lesperoglou for forgery, and he will be arraigned before an investigating magistrate later today. Lesperoglou is believed to be the closest associate of convicted terrorist and Anti-State Struggle member, George Balafas.

Greece, Albania sign tourism pact

The tourism boards of Greece and Albania on Friday signed a cooperation agreement in Athens in a bid to boost bilateral economic relations and further improve the good-neighbourly climate between the two countries. The accord, signed by National Tourism Organisation of Greece (EOT) president Yannis Stephanidis and Albanian ambassador to Greece Kastriot Robo. Albania's national economy and privatisation minister Zef Preci was also in Athens for the signing. The accord provides for exchanges of information and statistics,and promotion of advertising programmes.

Torrential rain beats down on Crete

Torrential rain early on Friday caused serious problems to various regions in Iraklion, Crete. Subsidence was noted on the Iraklion-Rethymno road at two junctions, while the fire department was called in to a number of incidents of rain flooding basement apartments in the Cretan city. The swirling waters swept away a number of cars on the roads but no person was reported injured. Flooding of roads and homes in the neighbourhood of Hanioportas was also reported, due in part to the waters overflowing at works under way by the municipal sewage company.

Russian woman killed in balcony jump

A 60-year-old Russian woman was fatally injured when she jumped from a 4th floor apartment to escape a fire that broke out in the Athens flat, police said Friday. They said Kalina Sabrilina panicked when the fire broke out at 3:00 a.m. in the 4th floor home in the Ano Patisia residential district of Athens, where she was employed as a live-in domestic helper, and jumped off the balcony. Sabrilina was rushed to hospital in critical condition, but doctors were unable to save her. The Fire Department is investigating the causes of the blaze.

Greek equities recover, but still pressured

Greek stocks remained under strong pressure on the last session before Christmas although some selective buying in blue chip stocks in the bank sector helped the general index to a slight recovery on Friday. The index ended 0.26 percent higher at 4,801.76 points, off the day's lows of 4,646 points. Turnover was 300 billion drachmas reflecting block trades worth 133 billion drachmas. The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks plunged 7.75 pct to 1,200.46 points, while the FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks rose 2.04 percent to 2,605.75 points. The FTSE/ASE MID 40 index fell 4.30 percent to 785.64 points.

Central bank cuts Lombard rate

In an unexpected Christmas Eve move, the Bank of Greece on Friday announced a 0.75 percentage point reduction in its Lombard rate, from the current 12.25 percent to 11.50 percent. The central bank had cut intervention rates by the same amount on December 15. The bank said its move on Friday aimed at facilitating commercial banks in any possible liquidity problems they may face in the wake of the millennium bug problem, such as consumers withdrawing large amounts of cash for fear of possible malfunctions in their accounts. It said that the reduction also aimed at minimising the fluctuations in short-term rates on the interbank market.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Friday's rates (buying)
U.S. dollar          325.118
Pound sterling       523.439
Japanese yen (100)   320.287
French franc          49.998
German mark          167.686
Italian lira (100)    16.938
Irish Punt           416.430
Belgian franc          8.130
Finnish mark          55.160
Dutch guilder        148.824
Danish kr.            44.112
Austrian sch.         23.834
Spanish peseta         1.971
Swedish kr.           38.331
Norwegian kr.         40.763
Swiss franc          205.046
Port. Escudo           1.636
Can. dollar          219.768
Aus. dollar          208.836
Cyprus pound         570.579
Euro                 327.965

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