Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-05-08

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

CONTENTS

[01] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

[02] Cosmoline-Fixed Line Phone-Permit

[03] Weather Forecast-Wednesday

[04] ASE-close

[05] Greece-inflation

[01] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

Buying rates for Wednesday

U.S. dollar 381.237

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 546.520

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 45.285

Swedish kroner 37.117

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 312.385

Swiss franc 219.230

Norwegian kroner 41.969

Cyprus pound 584.577

Canadian dollar 247.153

Australian dollar 198.237

[02] Cosmoline-Fixed Line Phone-Permit

Cosmoline Telecoms SA, a subsidiary of the Interamerican Group, announced on Tuesday that it had been awarded a permit to run fixed-line telephone services.

The company said in a statement that it possessed the largest private operating telephone network in the country, which would provide nationwide services.

Cosmoline is linked to four international telecoms corporations and is connecting up with the networks of mobile phone operators and of Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation, which until this year had a monopoly on fixed-line services.

Integrated telecoms packages so far sold to corporate customers and closed user groups would now be available to the public, the statement said.

[03] Weather Forecast-Wednesday

Cloudy weather is forecast throughout the country on Wednesday, turning to showers or storms in the centre and north. Winds northerly, light to moderate, turning strong in the Aegean. Temperatures on the northern mainland will range from 9C to 23C; on the rest of the mainland from 11C to 26C; and in the islands from 15C to 24C. Sunshine and cloud in Athens, with temperatures between 15C and 25C. Same in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 13C to 21C.

[04] ASE-close

Equity prices ended slightly lower on Tuesday in thin trading conditions reflecting investors' reluctance to open new positions in the market ahead of a decision by market authorities to implement a margin account system.

Traders said stock prices moved higher initially only to reverse this trend later in the day because of lack of follow-through buying.

The general index ended 0.02 percent lower at 3,155.52 points, holding above the 3,150 support level for one more session. Turnover was a low 106.02 million euros, or 36.13 billion drachmas.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 0.10 percent higher at 1,858.48 points, and the FTSE/ASE 40 index eased 0.30 percent to 356.95 points.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks ended at 309.71 points, up 0.28 percent.

[05] Greece-inflation

Greece's annual inflation rate, measured by the consumer price index, jumped to 3.5 percent in April from 3.0 percent the previous month, the National Statistics Service said on Tuesday.

The consumer price index rose by 0.9 percent in April from March. The NSS said the year-on-year CPI rise reflected price increases in transport, hotel, restaurants and services.

The harmonised consumer price index was 3.2 percent in April, year-on-year.

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