Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-12-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] Weather Forecast: Overcast, rainy on Saturday

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

[03] Postage stamps to be issued on Athens 2004 Olympic Games

[04] Greek government receives letter on ABM issue

[05] Budget revenue rises 9.9 pct in November

[06] Schools get chance of internet access from January

[07] ATHOC, farm ministry agreement

[08] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

[09] No breakthrough in Simitis-Verhofstadt talks about European army

[10] Weather Forecast: Rain and snow on Saturday

[11] Foreign Exchange Rates - Friday

[12] Weather Forecast: Rain, storms, snow on Friday

[01] Weather Forecast: Overcast, rainy on Saturday

Rain and snow are expected in many parts of the country on Saturday with snow in the north and storms in the west. The eastern Aegean and Dodecanese islands will be cloudy. The weather is likely to worsen overnight. Winds variable, moderate to very strong. In the west, temperatures will range from 5C to 12C; in the north from -5C to 6C; on the rest of the mainland from 0C to 12C; and in the islands from 6C to 16C. Cloud, sunny spells and possibly showers in Athens with snow on high ground. Temperatures between 5C and 12C. Cloud and sleet in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 1C to 5C.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

Indicative tourist buying rates until Monday

U.S. dollar 374.903

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 543.712

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 045.387

Swedish kroner 035.716

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 293.800

Swiss franc 229.368

Norwegian kroner 042.105

Cyprus pound 587.986

Canadian dollar 239.055

Australian dollar 194.292

[03] Postage stamps to be issued on Athens 2004 Olympic Games

Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos and Transport and Communications Deputy Minister Spyros Vougias attended an event in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on Friday on the occasion of the Day of Greek Philatelism which had as its theme the "Athens 2004 Olympic Games".

It was announced at the event that the Greek Post Office (ELTA) will issue every year, until 2004, two series of postage stamps dedicated to the Olympic Games.

In his address, Venizelos said that postage stamps were also a symbol of culture and peace which can convey the message of the Olympic Games and the Cultural Olympiad.

The series "Ancient Greece: Olympia and Ilida" and "Olympic Medallists 1896-1912" will circulate in 2002, "Coins of Ancient Greece" and "Contemporary Art" in 2003 and "Ancient Olympic Spirit" and "The Olympic Games through the eyes of children" in 2004.

[04] Greek government receives letter on ABM issue

The Greek government has received a letter in which the U.S. administration informs Greece on its decision to pull out of the 1972 ABM Treaty on anti-ballistic missiles.

The letter, signed by U.S. President George W. Bush and addressed to Prime Minister Costas Simitis, was delivered by U.S. Ambassador to Greece Thomas Miller to Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Mangriotis.

Mangriotis stressed the need for strengthening relations between the European Union with the U.S. and Russia as a basic precondition for safeguarding international peace, cooperation and stability.

[05] Budget revenue rises 9.9 pct in November

Budget revenue rose by 9.9 percent in November against the same month of last year, the finance ministry said in a statement on Friday.

In January to November, budget revenue showed an 8.5 percent rate of increase against the same 11-month period a year earlier, the statement said.

The target set in the budget is growth of 7.9 percent, it added.

[06] Schools get chance of internet access from January

Schools around the country are to have the opportunity of internet access from January, the special secretary for the information society of the national economy and finance ministry, George Papakonstantinou, said on Friday.

"Under implementation of the information society operational programme, we are currently meeting 3,000 requests from the same number of schools that wish to open an information technology workshop," Papakonstantinou said.

He was speaking on the sidelines of an e-business forum in Thessaloniki.

[07] ATHOC, farm ministry agreement

An agreement between the Athens 2004 organising committee (ATHOC) and the agriculture ministry was signed on Friday, one that foresees cooperation in the areas of landscaping, nutrition, managing strays, equestrian care etc. for the 2001-2004 period.

The agreement was signed by ATHOC chief Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki and Agriculture Minister George Drys.

[08] Foreign Exchange Rates - Monday

Indicative tourist buying rates until Monday

U.S. dollar 374.903

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 543.712

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 045.387

Swedish kroner 035.716

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 293.800

Swiss franc 229.368

Norwegian kroner 042.105

Cyprus pound 587.986

Canadian dollar 239.055

Australian dollar 194.292

[09] No breakthrough in Simitis-Verhofstadt talks about European army

LAEKEN (ANA - A. Podimata) No breakthrough was achieved in talks between Greece and the European Union's Belgian presidency regarding a proposed formula regulating relations between an embryonic EU rapid reaction force and NATO member-states not in the EU, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis told reporters on Friday.

The Greek premier said that Athens had examined the formula proposed by Britain but continued to have serious reservations, believing that it was a departure from standing principles concerning European defence, such as European autonomy in decision-making, consistency with the prospects of European political integration and cooperation on an equal basis with NATO.

Meanwhile, Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel announced on Friday that EU leaders at Laeken had decided to go ahead with declaring the EU force operational, while leaving the question of EU-NATO relations open due to Greece's reservations.

The UK-brokered deal with Turkey was examined in depth on Thursday night during marathon talks lasting nearly five hours at the residence of Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. Apart from Simitis and the Belgian premier, the meeting was also attended by Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou and his Belgian counterpart, EU Foreign Policy and Defence chief Javier Solana and NATO Secretary-General Lord George Robertson.

The agreement sought to ensure access to NATO planning for the 60,000-strong European force, which Greece's arch-rival Turkey had threatened to block unless it had a say in how this would be used.

[10] Weather Forecast: Rain and snow on Saturday

Rain and snow are expected in many parts of the country on Saturday with snow in the north and storms in the west. The eastern Aegean and Dodecanese islands will be cloudy. The weather is likely to worsen overnight. Winds variable, moderate to very strong. In the west, temperatures will range from 5C to 12C; in the north from -5C to 6C; on the rest of the mainland from 0C to 12C; and in the islands from 6C to 16C. Cloud and possibly showers in Athens with snow on high ground. Temperatures between 5C and 12C. Cloud and sleet in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 1C to 5C.

[11] Foreign Exchange Rates - Friday

Indicative tourist buying rates

U.S. dollar 376.644

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 544.407

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 045.384

Swedish kroner 036.118

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 298.380

Swiss franc 229.476

Norwegian kroner 042.129

Cyprus pound 588.088

Canadian dollar 240.320

Australian dollar 196.058

[12] Weather Forecast: Rain, storms, snow on Friday

Rain and storms are forecast in most parts of the country on Friday with snow in the north, mainly in the morning. Winds variable, moderate to very strong. In the north, temperatures will range from -5C to 4C; on the rest of the mainland from 0C to 9C; and in the islands from 6C to 12C. Cloudy and showers in Athens with snow on high ground. Temperatures between 5C and 9C. Cloud, sleet and snow in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 0C to 4C.

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