Athens News Agency: News in English, 00-05-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] Turkey - Cappadocia - Patriarch - Mass

[02] May Day - March - PAME

[03] Illegals - Turks - Arrests

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates-Monday

[05] Weather Forecast-Monday

[01] Turkey - Cappadocia - Patriarch - Mass

AVANOS, Turkey (ANA - A. Kourkoulas) -- Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos on Sunday officiated at an open-air mass at the historic Avanos site in the southeastern Asia Minor region of Cappadocia, a centuries-old centre for Orthodox monastic activity abandoned after the 1923 exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey.

A crowd of worshippers hailing from Greece, Mount Athos, Germany, Montenegro as well as the Orthodox community of Istanbul attended the ecclesiastical service, the first celebrated among the several disbanded monasteries and churches sculpted into the surrounding soft-stone formations of the ancient district.

On their part, mayors from nearby townships expressed their satisfaction with the service, including Avanos Mayor Seihan Dourou, who stated: ?I always wanted to organise the ceremony, and I hope it will be established once a year.?

Both the Greek and Bulgarian ambassadors to Ankara attended the service.

The Patriarch, in the presence of several Turkish television crews, later touched on the pilgrimages significance, while noting that the event was tied to the recent improvement in Greek-Turkish relations.

[02] May Day - March - PAME

Members of a pro-Communist Party of Greece labour movement, PAME, held a rally march in Athens on Sunday in honour of May Day.

According to KKE Secretary General Aleka Papariga, ?? workers must from today begin organising their readiness to obstruct the overturn of the social security system? This battle cannot be justifiably lost, especially in terms of obstructing anti-popular measures.?

PAME officials, in a resolution, also criticised the two major labour union organisations in Greece, GSEE and ADEDY, as exercising ?pro-government? and ?pro-management? trade unionism.

Demands included a safeguarding of the social security system and state-run enterprises, a 35-hour work week and unemployment benefits equal to 80 percent of an unskilled workers daily wages on a monthly basis, among others.

The march began at Kotzias square and ended at the US embassy in Athens.

A similar PAME rally was held in Thessaloniki, with the local leadership fielding the same demands, along with accompanying anti-NATO slogans.

[03] Illegals - Turks - Arrests

Three Turkish nationals were arrested in the NE Greece town of Xanthi on Sunday on charges of attempting to ferry 10 illegal immigrants into Germany.

According to reports, the suspects were travelling aboard a tourist coach that had legally crossed the Greek frontier at the Kipoi border post on its way to Munich.

Instead of picking up tourists in the Thracian town, however, the trio allegedly loaded 10 illegal aliens onto the bus, police said.

A brief chase ended with the three suspects' arrest. The vehicle was also confiscated.

The three Turks were identified as Kintol Entir, 40, Yassar Setin, 60, and his son, Hatif, 28.

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates-Monday

Following are indicative foreign exchange rates for commercial banks released by the central bank for the next working day.

Monday's rates (buying)

Euro 333.500

U.S. dollar 370.780

[05] Weather Forecast-Monday

Partly cloudy weather is forecast throughout the country on Monday.

Winds will be variable, light to moderate.

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