Athens News Agency: News in English, 00-08-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] Environment minister - Olympic projects - schedule

[02] Mirage - Fighters - Contract

[03] Dolphin - appeal

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates-Tuesday

[05] Weather Forecast-Tuesday

[06] Stock Market-Close

[01] Environment minister - Olympic projects - schedule

Greece's environment, town planning and public works ministry on Monday presented a schedule for the construction of five major projects for the Athens Olympics in 2004, which it said would make up for the time lost so far.

Environment Minister Costas Laliotis, who described this schedule as "binding", said survey work for all five projects will be completed in the second half of 2001 and construction work will begin in the first quarter of 2002 to end by May 2004.

The environment ministry has taking over construction of these Olympic facilities after the General Secretariat for Sports and private enterprise failed to come across. These include a centre for rowing, canoeing and kayaking in Schinias and the Marathon region, a canoeing and slalom centre in Rizari, Marathon, a sailing centre in Agios Kosmas, beach volley courts in Faliron and baseball, softball, hockey and archery facilities on the grounds of the former Ellinikon airport.

[02] Mirage - Fighters - Contract

The Greek airforce on Monday signed a contract for the purchase of 15 new ?Mirage? 2000-5s and the modernisation of 10 older-model Mirage fighters. Under a separate contract, the country will also acquire 200 Mica air-to-air missiles and 56 Scalp missiles.

The two deals, signed with France's Dassault Aviation, Thomson-SCF Detexis, Snecma and Matra British Aerospace Dynamics, are part of a five-year armaments modernisation programme. They are estimated to cost Greece a total of 554 billion drachmas (1.67 billion euros), while potential offset benefits amount to 115 per cent.

[03] Dolphin - appeal

Efforts to save the sick dolphin that sought refuge last Saturday at Alonaki beach in Nea Aghialos, central Greece, have so far had little success, the Greek Society for the Study and Protection of Cetaceans "Delphis" reported on Monday. The society has made an urgent plea for more volunteers to help keep the ailing animal alive.

According to blood tests and microbiological examinations, the male dolphin is suffering from severe immune-system deficiency caused by a viral infection for which there is no cure.

For the third day running, Delphis staff and volunteers have been making superhuman efforts to treat the dolphin and to help it stay active in order to stop its metabolism from winding down. The volunteers, however, are too few in number and are already exhausted, Delphis reports. Anyone interested in helping out should call the society at the telephone number 422 3305.

[04] Foreign Exchange Rates-Tuesday

Following are indicative rates released by the central bank for the next working day.

Tuesdays rates (buying)

Euro 334.691

U.S. dollar 370.472

German mark 171.125

French franc 051.024

[05] Weather Forecast-Tuesday

Sunny weather is forecast throughout the country on Tuesday. Winds will be northerly, light to strong, turning very strong in parts of the Aegean.

[06] Stock Market-Close

Stocks edged down on the Athens Stock Exchange on Monday with a sharply declining market bolstered at the end of the session by concerted buying in banking blue chips.

The general index fell 0.15 percent to finish at 3,752.16 points. Turnover was 79.32 billion drachmas.

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