Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-11-13

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

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

CONTENTS

[01] One in two Greeks has mobile phone, survey shows

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

[03] Terna, Impregilo win tender to build Athens tram lines

[04] The election system will not change for next elections, Hytiris says

[05] Weather Forecast: Cloudy, showery on Wednesday

[06] Greek stocks follow foreign markets higher

[07] We are not afraid of Turkey, Simitis says from Slovakia

[01] One in two Greeks has mobile phone, survey shows

One in two Greeks has a mobile phone, one in five uses a personal computer, and one in 10 has access to the internet, a survey released on Tuesday said.

The survey by VPRC and the National Research and Technology Network was based on a questionnaire given to 6,095 people around the country over 15 years of age.

For the first time, internet users topped 10 percent of the population over 15 in the first half of 2001, which was forecast to rise to around 12 percent at the end of the year, the survey said.

Growth in use of the new technology was especially strong among youth aged 15-24 years, with one in two using a personal computer and one in four the internet, it noted.

Compared with the average in the rest of the European Union, Greece lagged in the use of computers and the internet but neared the EU average in digital phone use, the survey said.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

Indicative tourist buying rates

U.S. dollar 382.306

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 551.875

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 045.378

Swedish kroner 036.115

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 315.509

Swiss franc 230.657

Norwegian kroner 042.874

Cyprus pound 589.522

Canadian dollar 239.509

Australian dollar 198.375

[03] Terna, Impregilo win tender to build Athens tram lines

Terna SA with Impregilo are the winners of a tender for construction of two Athens tram lines worth a total of 76.3 billion drachmas in a project classed as necessary infrastructure for the 2004 Olympics to be hosted by the Greek capital.

For construction are 24 kilometres of track and three kilometres of ancillary lines leading to tram depots and maintenance yards, Terna said in a statement on Tuesday.

One tram line will link the Zappion Hall in central Athens to the southern suburbs of Neos Kosmos, Paleo Phaliro and Neo Phaliro; and the other will run between Neo Phaliro, Paleo Phaliro, Aghios Kosmas and Glyfada.

The project, which is be part-funded under the European Union's Third Community Support Framework, is due for completion within 820 calendar days of signature of a contract, the statement said.

[04] The election system will not change for next elections, Hytiris says

The existing election system will be used for the next elections, acting government spokesman Telemahos Hytiris said on Tuesday, when asked to clarify statements made by Interior Minister Costas Skandalidis on Monday.

Hytiris noted that Skandalidis called the political parties to a dialogue, which he called a national dialogue that aims at a national understanding for the development and modernization of public administration and the election system.

He added that the result of this dialogue will be tabled in Parliament and any changes to the election system will be in force beginning the elections after the next ones.

[05] Weather Forecast: Cloudy, showery on Wednesday

The weather will be rainy and stormy in western central and northern Greece and in the eastern Aegean and Dodecanese islands on Wednesday, easing off from evening. The rest of the country will see scattered cloud, with the possibility of showers in the morning. Winds southwesterly, strong to very strong, turning gale force in parts of the Aegean. In the north, temperatures will range from 11C to 18C; in the Ionian and rest of the mainland from 14C to 22C; and in the rest of the country from 16C to 25C. Scattered cloud over Athens, possibly turning to showers in the morning, with temperatures from 17C and 22C. Same in Thessaloniki, with temperatures from 13C to 18C.

[06] Greek stocks follow foreign markets higher

Equity prices ended Tuesday's session higher in nervous trade, with market sentiment encouraged by a positive climate in international bourses.

The general index ended 1.0 percent higher at 2,631.43 points, with turnover a moderate 48.2 billion drachmas, or 141.5 million euros.

The Holding, Wholesale and Construction sectors scored the biggest percentage gains (4.20 percent, 2.55 percent and 2.48 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended 0.78 percent up, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index rose 1.76 percent and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index increased 1.34 percent.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 273 to 56 with another 33 issues unchanged.

[07] We are not afraid of Turkey, Simitis says from Slovakia

BRATISLAVA (ANA - G. Papachristos) We are not afraid of Turkey, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis said here on Tuesday, the second day of an official visit by the Greek premier to Slovakia.

Simitis accused Turkey of exercising a policy of intimidation and said it had employed similar tactics prior to the European Union Summit in Helsinki and over the EU-Turkey partnership agreement.

"We, however, are not going to pay any attention because this is [Turkey's] policy and we are not afraid of it," he said.

Regarding the reasoning put forward by the Turkish side, Simitis reiterated that the EU had unanimously decided that the Cyprus issue could not become a precondition that might bar Cyprus' entry into the Community.

He ruled out a visit to Ankara in the immediate future, but announced that he would be embarking on a tour of Balkan countries after January to promote the Balkan Stability Pact, beginning with Albania, Bulgaria and Romania.

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