Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-05-02

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

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

CONTENTS

[01] Athens Olympics-Bus Lanes

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

[03] Weather Forecast-Thursday

[04] ASE-close

[01] Athens Olympics-Bus Lanes

Transport and Communications Minister Christos Verelis told reporters on Wednesday that bus lanes in main Athens streets would be extended by 100 kilometres throughout the duration of the 2004 Olympic Games to be hosted by Athens, easing congestion.

Verelis was speaking after a meeting with Jacques Rogge, deputy president of the International Olympic Committee, who is visiting Athens to monitor preparations for the Games.

Rogge told reporters he welcomed a briefing from the minister on a plan to build a suburban railway for Athens.

He also asked the public to try to use public transport during the Games in another move to ease congestion, as more than a million visitors would flood the capital.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

Buying rates for Thursday

U.S. dollar 379.496

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 543.010

Irish punt 429.202

Belgian franc 008.379

Luxembourg franc 008.379

Dutch guilder 153.389

Italian lira (100) 017.457

Austrian schilling 024.565

Danish kroner 45.284

Swedish kroner 36.951

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 310.648

Swiss franc 219.272

Norwegian kroner 41.716

Cyprus pound 584.306

Canadian dollar 247.800

Australian dollar 197.010

[03] Weather Forecast-Thursday

Sunshine is forecast in most parts of the country on Thursday, with scattered cloud in the west and south. Winds variable, light to moderate, turning strong in parts of the Aegean. Temperatures on the northern mainland will range from 11C to 26C; on the rest of the mainland and in the Ionian from 15C to 29C; and in the Aegean from 17C to 24C. Sunshine in Athens, with temperatures between 17C and 28C. Same in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 16C to 27C.

[04] ASE-close

Equity prices ended slightly lower on the Athens Stock Exchange on Wednesday hit by investors' disappointment over the inability of the market to break the 3,300 technical resistance level.

Traders said that a negative climate in other European bourses also discouraged sentiment on ASE.

The general index rose to 3,307.86 points initially to end at 3,267.30 points, down 0.59 percent from Monday's close, but off the day's lows of 3,259.43 points.

Turnover was a moderate 179.918 million euros, or 61.307 billion drachmas.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 0.81 percent lower at 1,906.85 points, and the FTSE/ASE 40 index eased 0.67 percent to 376.61 points.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks ended at 324.70 points, off 0.58 percent.

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