Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-07-16

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

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greece hails Bosnian, Yugoslav and Croatian presidents meeting

[02] Two brothers of alleged terrorist released

[03] ND leader meets Yugoslav President Kostunica

[04] Special photographic edition of Athens.04 published shortly

[05] Palestinian children hosted at camping sites in Halkidiki

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

[07] Weather Forecast: Rain likely in north, sunny elsewhere Weds

[08] Greek stocks drop to new 2002 lows in ASE

[09] Weather Forecast: Temperature may hit 42C Tuesday

[10] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

[11] Greece closely monitoring developments in Turkey, gov't says

[12] ND leader to visit Belgrade and Tirana

[13] 'Theban Cycle' plays to be staged at Epidaurus within Cultural Olympiad

[14] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

[15] Weather Forecast: Temperature may hit 42C Tuesday

[16] Greek stocks end moderately up on Monday

[01] Greece hails Bosnian, Yugoslav and Croatian presidents meeting

Greece on Tuesday welcomed the meeting between the presidents of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Yugoslavia and Croatia to discuss the situation in the Balkans.

''The meeting between the Presidents of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Yugoslavia and Croatia constitutes a particularly positive development for the stability, cooperation and security of the wider Balkan region,'' Greek foreign ministry spokesman Panayiotis Beglitis said.

Beglitis said the meeting is of historic significance and opens new prospects of peace and cooperation between peoples and countries in the Balkans.

''We hail this meeting and reconfirm Greece's will to support the effort of reconstructing Balkan countries and the prospect of their accession to Euro-Atlantic institutions,'' Beglitis added.

[02] Two brothers of alleged terrorist released

Two of the four brothers of alleged terrorist Savvas Xiros who were questioned by the Counter-Terrorism Service in Thessaloniki, were released on Tuesday night.

Nikos and Dimitris were released while Vassilis was still being questioned.

A fourth brother, Christodoulos, was being questioned in Athens.

A C-130 transport plane which arrived in Thessaloniki on Tuesday night was, according to initial reports, due to transport the three Xiros brothers to Athens. However, latest reports said that the brothers would not finally be transported to Athens but two other people instead, whose identities were not revealed.

[03] ND leader meets Yugoslav President Kostunica

BELGRADE (ANA) - Main opposition New Democracy (ND) party leader Costas Karamanlis met here on Tuesday with Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica as part of a two-day visit to Yugoslavia and Albania by a European Peoples Party (EPP) delegation including EPP President Wilfried Martens.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Karamanlis said President Kostunica's contribution to the region's stabilisation is recognised by all, adding that he has made great efforts to have wounds left in the country by the adventures of the past decade healed.

[04] Special photographic edition of Athens.04 published shortly

A special edition of the periodical ''Athens.04'' featuring a series of photographs from sites throughout Greece will be published shortly by the Athens 2004 Olympics Organising Committee.

The work of Greek and foreign photographers, this special edition will contain 120 illustrations and will be separated into 11 chapters, each of them with a selection of poems written by renowned Greek poets.

[05] Palestinian children hosted at camping sites in Halkidiki

Children from the Palestinian territories arrived in Greece on Tuesday to spend a few days at camping sites in Halkidiki, northern Greece.

The 132 Palestinian children, who arrived at ''Macedonia'' airport in Thessaloniki, stepped out of the plane holding Greek and Palestinian flags.

The initiative to host the children was taken by the Central Union of Municipalities and Communities (KEDKE).

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

Indicative tourist buying rates per euro

U.S. dollar 1.020

Pound sterling 0.648

Danish kroner 7.488

Swedish kroner 9.378

Japanese yen 118.1

Swiss franc 1.479

Norwegian kroner 7.431

Cyprus pound 0.582

Canadian dollar 1.569

Australian dollar 1.819

[07] Weather Forecast: Rain likely in north, sunny elsewhere Weds

Rain or storms are likely from late afternoon in the northern Ionian, Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace, which will see scattered cloud earlier in the day. The rest of the country will be hot and sunny. Winds west-northwesterly, light to moderate, turning strong in parts of the south. In the west and north, temperatures will range from 21C to 34C; on the rest of the mainland from 23C to 38C; and in the islands from 24C to 39C. Temperatures in Athens between 26C and 38C; and in Thessaloniki from 24C to 33C.

[08] Greek stocks drop to new 2002 lows in ASE

Greek stocks plunged to their lowest levels this year in the Athens Stock Exchange on Tuesday, hit by a wave of selling that pushed other European bourses to their lowest levels in the last six years.

The general index dropped 1.05 percent to end at 2,124.21 points, with turnover an improved 86.3 million euros.

The Textile, Wholesale and Insurance sectors suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day (2.66 percent, 2.29 percent and 2.14 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks dropped 1.29 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 1.31 percent lower and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index fell 1.60 percent.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 286 to 34 with another 31 issues unchanged.

[09] Weather Forecast: Temperature may hit 42C Tuesday

Hot sunny weather is forecast in all parts of the country, with isolated storms likely in the northwest from early evening. Winds variable, light to moderate. In the west, temperatures will range from 22C to 38C; on the rest of the mainland from 23C to 41C or 42C; and in the southern islands from 24C to 39C. Temperatures in Athens between 25C and 41C; and in Thessaloniki from 24C to 39C.

[10] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

Indicative tourist buying rates per euro

U.S. dollar 1.010

Pound sterling 0.646

Danish kroner 7.488

Swedish kroner 9.313

Japanese yen 117.1

Swiss franc 1.481

Norwegian kroner 7.415

Cyprus pound 0.582

Canadian dollar 1.549

Australian dollar 1.798

[11] Greece closely monitoring developments in Turkey, gov't says

The Greek government was closely monitoring developments in neighbouring Turkey but neither could nor wanted to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries, government spokesman Christos Protopapas announced on Monday.

He was responding to questions regarding the political upheaval within Turkey had how this might affect its relations with Greece.

According to the ANA correspondent from Ankara, meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has for the first time openly admitted that he may be forced to resign in an interview with the Turkish daily ''Milliyet''.

Ecevit, whose visibly ailing health has prompted seven cabinet minister to leave his government, said that he might have to resign if he could not persuade far-right Nationalist Action Party partners that finance minister Kemal Dervis should remain in the government.

There are also strong signs that Ecevit may have lost his majority in Parliament before the week is out, again forcing his resignation. Some 48 MPs have quit his party at the latest count, with just 11 to go before reaching the cut-off point of 276 seats that will spell the end of his government.

[12] ND leader to visit Belgrade and Tirana

Main opposition New Democracy party leader Costas Karamanlis will visit Belgrade and Tirana on Tuesday and Wednesday as part of the European Peoples' Party's Initiative for Democracy in the Western Balkans, which he is heading.

During his visits, Karamanlis will be meeting Yugoslav Federal President Vojislav Kostunica, Archbishop of Albania Anastasios and former Albanian Prime Minister Ilir Meta.

[13] 'Theban Cycle' plays to be staged at Epidaurus within Cultural Olympiad

Four noted directors will join forces to stage a series of ancient Greek tragedies entitled the 'Theban Cycle' at the renowned ancient theatre of Epidaurus on July 19-20, using sets created by top sculptor Yiannis Kounellis.

The four directors will present the plays ''Bacches'', ''Oedipus Rex,'' ''Seven in Thebes,'' and ''Antigone'' under the auspices of the Cultural Olympiad.They include Tadashi Suzuki, director of the Shizuoka Performing Arts Centre (SPAC), Valery Fokin of Moscow's Meyerhold Centre, Anna Badora of the National Theatre in Dusseldorf and Theodoros Terzopoulos, president of the International Committee of the Theatrical Olympiad.

[14] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

Indicative tourist buying rates per euro

U.S. dollar 1.010

Pound sterling 0.646

Danish kroner 7.488

Swedish kroner 9.313

Japanese yen 117.1

Swiss franc 1.481

Norwegian kroner 7.415

Cyprus pound 0.582

Canadian dollar 1.549

Australian dollar 1.798

[15] Weather Forecast: Temperature may hit 42C Tuesday

Hot sunny weather is forecast in all parts of the country, with isolated storms likely in the northwest from early evening. Winds variable, light to moderate. In the west, temperatures will range from 22C to 38C; on the rest of the mainland from 23C to 41C or 42C; and in the southern islands from 24C to 39C. Temperatures in Athens between 25C and 41C; and in Thessaloniki from 24C to 39C.

[16] Greek stocks end moderately up on Monday

Greek stocks ended Monday's session moderately higher in the Athens Stock Exchange, following a pattern in other European bourses.

The general index rose 0.44 percent to end at 2,146.71 points, with turnover a low 67.8 million euros.

The Retail, Construction and Textile sectors scored the biggest percentage gains of the day (2.85 percent, 1.17 percent and 0.90 percent, respectively), while the Metal, Holding and Insurance sectors suffered the heaviest percentage losses (1.02 percent, 1.01 percent and 0.83 percent).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks eased 0.31 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 0.35 percent higher and the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index ended 0.01 percent up.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 177 to 117 with another 56 issues unchanged.

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