Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-08-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] Forthnet second firm to get phone licence after deregulation

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates: Monday

[03] Weather Forecast: Sunny skies on Saturday

[04] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks rise again, retaking 2,800 pts

[05] Newborn found in Halandri may be 'baby trade' victim

[06] Fire in Halkidiki forests

[01] Forthnet second firm to get phone licence after deregulation

Forthnet SA, an internet provider, on Friday became the second company to receive a fixed-line wireless operating licence since the domestic market was deregulated recently.

On Thursday, Quest Wireless SA was the first company to receive authorisation from the government to link up to exising fixed-line telecoms infrastructure.

The two companies have each signed contracts with Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE), which formerly held a monopoly in telecoms, that gives them access to the state firm's network.

The telecoms monopoly was abolished in line with European Union rules.

OTE is a heavily traded stock on the Athens Stock Exchange.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates: Monday

Indicative buying rates

U.S. dollar 383.857

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 548.385

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 45.386

Swedish kroner 36.853

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 309.970

Swiss franc 224.207

Norwegian kroner 042.419

Cyprus pound 589.033

Canadian dollar 250.091

Australian dollar 198.607

[03] Weather Forecast: Sunny skies on Saturday

Sunshine is forecast throughout the country on Saturday. Winds northerly, light to strong, turning very strong in the Aegean. In the west and north, temperatures will range from 22C to 37C; on the rest of the mainland from 24C to 35C; and in the Aegean islands from 25C to 32C. Sunny in Athens with temperatures between 26C and 35C. Same in Thessaloniki, with temperatures from 25C to 35C.

[04] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks rise again, retaking 2,800 pts

The Athens bourse rose on Friday for a fourth straight session with players focusing on medium capitalisation paper but also buying into blue chips and heavily traded stocks.

The general share index gained 0.54 percent to end at 2,806.18 points. Turnover was 169.2 million euros.

The market retook 2,800 points in a bid to consolidate after breaking through key resistance at 2,640 points last week.

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 0.75 percent higher; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalisation paper 0.90 percent up; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities gained 0.56 percent.

[05] Newborn found in Halandri may be 'baby trade' victim

Police are investigating possible links between a newborn abandoned on the doorstep of the Halandri IKA surgeries on Friday and the baby trade.

Investigating officers quickly discovered the mother of the baby boy found outside the IKA building at 6:00 a.m., because she had reported the baby as missing on Thursday night at a police station in Agia Paraskevi.

According to Attica police headquarters, the boy's mother was 18-year-old Stavroula Vassilopoulou, who lived in a gypsy settlement in Spata.

The girl had initially filed charges against an unknown woman who she said had snatched the child from her arms. Under questioning, however, Vassilopoulou admitted that she had actually given birth to triplets, one of which she had kept, while she had given the other two up for illegal adoption.

One baby had been given to a family in Thessaloniki and the second, the one found in Halandri, was given to a woman whose identity has not been revealed.

The baby was taken to Aglaia Kyriakou children's hospital in Athens, where doctors said it was in excellent health, while the 18-year-old mother will probably be arraigned by a public prosecutor.

[06] Fire in Halkidiki forests

A wildfire broke out in forest near Paliouri, Halkidiki on Friday shortly after 11:00 a.m.

The fire department has deployed 12 fire-engines and four fire-fighting planes to battle the blaze, and sent men from the Thessaloniki Fire Department and the Halkidiki Forestry Department.

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