Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-04-24

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

CONTENTS

[01] EU Commission forecasts higher growth, inflation in Greece

[02] Greece wins three gold, three silver medals in Weightlifting

[03] New case of pericarditis on Crete

[04] Rally outside Turkish embassy in Athens marks 1915 Armenian genocide

[05] Justice minister presents bill on trafficking of people

[06] Conference on return of Parthenon Marbles to be held at Missouri

[07] ATHOC and local administration bodies sign agreements

[08] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

[09] InfoQuest subsidiary to offer fixed-line, mobile phone services

[10] Weather Forecast: Showers, storms on Thursday

[11] Greek stocks end higher on Wednesday

[01] EU Commission forecasts higher growth, inflation in Greece

Greek economy is growing at a significant rate and the country is showing improvement in the employment sector, the European Commission said on Wednesday, although it warned over the course of the inflation in 2002.

According to the EU's executive's spring forecasts, Greek economic growth is expected to reach 3.7 percent in 2002, from a 3.5 percent forecast made last November, more than double the EU average growth rate (1.5 percent in the EU-15 and 1.4 percent in the eurozone). Growth rate is expected to accelerate to 4.2 percent in 2003, still the highest rate in the European Union. The growth rate in the EU-15 will be 2.9 percent in 2003, the report said.

[02] Greece wins three gold, three silver medals in Weightlifting Championship

ANTALYA (ANA) - Greece won three gold and three silver medals in the European Weightlifting Championship in Antalya, Turkey on Wednesday.

Leonidas Sambanis won two gold and one silver in the men's 62-kilo category and Natasa Tsakiri won one gold and two silver in the women's 63-kilo category.

Sambanis won gold in the Snatch with a lift of 140 kg. and in the total with 305 kg. and silver in the Clean and Jerk with 165 kg.

Tsakiri won gold in the Snatch with a lift of 105 kg. and silver in the Clean and Jerk with 125 kg. and in the total with 230 kg.

[03] New case of pericarditis on Crete

Yet another case of pericarditis was reported on the island of Crete on Wednesday, though doctors have not yet determined whether the woman admitted to the intensive care ward at Iraklion University Hospital has been infected by the lethal virus that affects the heart.

In addition to the woman from Sitia, another man and a woman with symptoms of pericarditis are currently being treated in the hospital's cardiology clinic while tests are being carried out to determine whether the killer virus is to blame.

Two of the three deaths definitely linked to the virus occured on Crete.

On Tuesday, the health ministry ordered that all schools and universities in the country should close for Easter from Wednesday, three days earlier than usual, in order to limit the spread of a potential epidemic of viral-linked pericarditis and myocarditis.

The three-day closure will run into the 15-day Easter break that would have started on Monday.

[04] Rally outside Turkish embassy in Athens marks 1915 Armenian genocide

The Armenian communities of Athens and Thessaloniki both held protest rallies outside the Turkish embassy and consulate, respectively, on Wednesday to mark the 87th anniversary of what Armenians around the world refer to as the 1915 genocide of 1.5 million of their brethren by Ottoman troops in eastern Asia Minor.

Organisers at both rallies, mostly members of Armenian youth groups in Greece, demanded that Ankara recognise the 1915 genocide; immediately lift a blockade against the Republic of Armenia in the Caucasus, as well as to contribute to a just and final resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

[05] Justice minister presents bill on trafficking of people

Justice Minister Filippos Petsalnikos on Wednesday presented a bill on ''combatting the trafficking of people, crimes against sexual freedom, child pornography and in general the economic exploitation of sex life and assistance for victims of these acts.''

The bill was prepared in cooperation with the public order ministry and brings about amendments and additions to clauses contained in the penal code.

[06] Conference on return of Parthenon Marbles to be held at Missouri University

SAINT LOUIS (ANA) - The University of Missouri's Greek Studies Department will hold here from April 26-28 an international conference for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.

Taking part in the conference will be archaeologists and experts from Greece, the U.S., Britain and Canada who will discuss the Greek request for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece from the British Museum in london.

Also taking part in the conference will be representatives of the American, Canadian and British committees for the return of the Parthenon Marbles who will discuss coordinated joint action on an international level.

The conference, which is open to the public, is financed by the Uniniversity of Missouri's Greek Studies Department and the Greek Culture Ministry.

[07] ATHOC and local administration bodies sign agreements

The Athens 2004 Organising Committee (ATHOC) and the Union of Prefectural Administrations of Greece (ENAE) and the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities of Greece (KEDKE) signed cooperation agreements on Wednesday.

The agreements were signed by ATHOC President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, ENAE President Theodoros Katrivanos and KEDKE President Paris Koukoulopoulos.

Among others, the agreement signed with ENAE anticipates that prefectures are committed, in cooperation with ATHOC, to providing information on the course of the Olympiad's preparation in infrastructure works being carried out in the country's prefectures.

The agreement signed with KEDKE indicates that the country's municipalities, in cooperation with ATHOC, will prepare interventions concerning traffic settlements, transport and hospitality services and secure access for people with special needs.

[08] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

Indicative tourist buying rates per euro

U.S. dollar 0.896

Pound sterling 0.619

Danish kroner 7.492

Swedish kroner 9.244

Japanese yen 116.3

Swiss franc 1.477

Norwegian kroner 7.684

Cyprus pound 0.580

Canadian dollar 1.407

Australian dollar 1.660

[09] InfoQuest subsidiary to offer fixed-line, mobile phone services

Q-Telecom, a subsidiary of Athens-quoted InfoQuest, is to launch fixed-line and mobile services in June, company executives told a news conference on Wednesday.

The investment totals 125 million euros and Q-Telecom's network will cover the entire county from the first day of operation due to a roaming agreement made with mobile operator Vodafone, the executives said.

Setting up the company had created 200 jobs for skilled personnel, they added.

Q-Telecom holds the country's fourth licence to operate a mobile phone network, following Telestet, Vodafone and Cosmote.

[10] Weather Forecast: Showers, storms on Thursday

The day will be cloudy in all parts of the country, turning to showers and storms on the mainland and the northern Aegean islands, mainly from late afternoon. Winds variable, light, turning moderate at sea. In the north, temperatures will range from 7C to 17C; on the rest of the mainland from 10C to 20C; and in the islands from 13C to 19C. Rain or storms may occur from early evening, with temperatures between 12C and 20C. Same in Thessaloniki, with temperatures from 9C to 19C.

[11] Greek stocks end higher on Wednesday

Greek equities ended Wednesday's session higher in the Athens Stock Exchange with the general index remaining above the 2,200 support level for the sixth consecutive session.

The index rose 0.76 percent to end at 2,216.80 points, with turnover an improved 86.7 million euros.

The Insurance sector was the only one to suffer losses (1.06 percent), while the Publication, Textile and Wholesale sectors scored the biggest percentage gains of the day (3.26 percent, 3.20 percent and 2.70 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks rose 1.26 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 1.15 percent higher and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index rose 0.82 percent.

Broadly, advancers led decliners by 243 to 75 with another 47 issues unchanged.

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