Athens News Agency: News in English, 00-09-16

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

CONTENTS

[01] Seamen-Ferries-Strike

[02] UK Tourist-Murder-Suspect

[03] Sydney Olympics-Floridis-Olympic Anthem

[04] Public Order Minister-Terrorism-Organised Crime

[05] Athens Bourse-Trading Changes

[06] Papandreou-Cem-Meetings

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates-Monday

[08] Weather Forecast-Sunday

[01] Seamen-Ferries-Strike

Striking seamen refused to ply routes to the Cyclades islands on Saturday, on the third day of a walkout over overtime pay.

Affected were vessels owned by Hellas Ferries and GA Ferries,leaving hundreds of travellers stranded at the port of Piraeus.

The seamen have said they will strike until the overtime pay is received but the companies claim they owe nothing.

[02] UK Tourist-Murder-Suspect

Rhodes police on Saturday arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of a British tourist on the popular holiday island earlier this week.

Arrested in the murder of Wendy Sullivan, 26, was Denis Pavlenko, 22, a Ukrainian national.

Still wanted was a Moldovan national who police believe carried out the attack with Pavlenko. The man appeared to have caught a flight to his homeland on Wednesday, a day after the crime.

Pavlenko reportedly told police during a reconstruction of the crime in woodland in the Kallithea area of Rhodes that he had held Sullivan down while the Moldovan tried to rape her.

When she resisted, the Moldovan strangled her to death, police officials quoted Pavlenko as saying.

The two men are believed to have frequented tourist areas at night, carrying out rapes, police said.

Sullivan was apparently seeking a taxi back to her hotel when the two men offered her a lift. Instead they took her to the islolated spot, where the attempted rape and murder took place, police said.

[03] Sydney Olympics-Floridis-Olympic Anthem

Deputy Sports Minister Yorgos Floridis on Saturday held talks in Sydney with his European counterparts on the sidelines of the Olympic Games.

The officials discussed the future of sports in Europe, initiatives to combat doping, and management for sporting-event companies.

They were speaking at a working dinner hosted by France, the European Union's current rotating president, to outline its position on the sector.

Also attending was Jacques Rogge, a deputy president of the International Olympics Committee.

Floridis is due to have a personal meeting with Rogge in coming days.

Athens will host the 2004 Olympics.

Olympics anthem in Greek

The Olympics anthem was sung in Greek at the opening ceremony of the the Sydney Games on Friday. It was the first time Greek was used for many years.

Performing was the Millennium Choir of the Holy Archbishopric of Australia, which was formed to sing the anthem at the Olympics and other works at millennium celebrations.

[04] Public Order Minister-Terrorism-Organised Crime

Public Order Minister Mihalis Chrysohoidis said that the government would tighten the law in order to improve action against terrorism and organised crime.

Chrysohoidis told the daily Ethnos newspaper published on Saturday that the venue for hearings involving terrorism and organised crime would in future be the Appeals Court, with no jury. Witness protection programmes would also be provided.

Furthermore, a new division to combat organised crime would be created with departments in Athens and Thessaloniki; and specially trained guards would be posted nationwide, the minister said.

[05] Athens Bourse-Trading Changes

The Athens Stock Exchange is to expand the daily price volatility limit to 24 percent either way and lengthen the trading session by about an hour and a half, its president, Panayotis Alexakis said.

In an interview to the Imerissia daily financial newspaper published on Saturday, Alexakis added that both moves were due to take effect by the end of the year. Under the new measure, the bourse would close at about 3.15 pm.

He also said that a team of experts would monitor the trading session on a daily basis, intervening whenever necessary in order to avert speculative play.

[06] Papandreou-Cem-Meetings

NEW YORK (ANA/M.Georgiadou) - Foreign Minister George Papandreou is to meet his Turkish counterpart, Ismail Cem, on Saturday for official talkson the sidelines of a United Nations general assembly meeting.

The two ministers held a preparatory session on Friday evening (Greek time) for about 90 minutes.

"The Turkish foreign minister and I had a useful meeting - we discussed a series of issues," Papandreou told reporters in New York.

"It was preparation for our official meeting tomorrow (Saturday), the working dinner for the two representations, and tomorrow (Saturday) we'll have some specific announcements to make," he added.

Cem told reporters that Friday's talks had been "a global review of matters that interest us."

He also described the talks as "a very friendly - as always -exchange of views."

Replying to a question, Cem said the Cyprus issue was not on the agenda of Saturday's talks.

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates-Monday

Indicative rates released by the central bank for the next working day.

Mondays rates (buying)

Euro 335.941

U.S. dollar 388.755

German mark 171.764

French franc 051.214

Pound sterling 547.763

Irish punt 426.557

Belgian franc 008.328

Luxembourg franc 008.328

Dutch guilder 152.444

Italian lira (100) 017.350

Austrian schilling 024.414

Danish kroner 044.987

Swedish kroner 039.972

Finnish mark 056.501

Spanish peseta 002.019

Portuguese escudo 001.675

Japanese yen (100) 361.366

Swiss franc 219.530

Norwegian kroner 041.785

Cyprus pound 587.264

Canadian dollar 260.856

Australian dollar 214.227

[08] Weather Forecast-Sunday

Sunny weather is forecast throughout the country on Sunday, turning cloudy in the north and west from late afternoon. Early morning mist is expected in the Ionian and on the mainland. Winds westerly, light to moderate. Temperatures in the north will range from 15C to 33C; on the rest of the mainland from 17C to 34C; and in the islands from 21C to 31C. Sunny in Athens, with temperatures between 20C and 33C. Same in Thessaloniki, with temperatures ranging from 17C to 32C.

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