Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-04-09

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

CONTENTS

[01] Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny on Wednesday

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

[03] FM expresses Greek EU presidency's solidarity to journalists working in

[04] ESHEA condemns attack on journalists in Baghdad

[01] Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny on Wednesday

Sunshine is forecast in most parts of the country, with scattered cloud in the west and north, and in the eastern Aegean. Winds variable, light to moderate. In the north, temperatures will range from -6C to 12C; in the Ionian and on the rest of the mainland from -1C to 17C; and in the Aegean islands from 7C to 16C. Temperatures in Athens between 4C and 15C; and in Thessaloniki from -1C to 12C.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.074

Pound sterling 0.692

Danish kroner 7.485

Swedish kroner 9.242

Japanese yen 128.9

Swiss franc 1.497

Norwegian kroner 7.835

Cyprus pound 0.590

Canadian dollar 1.588

Australian dollar 1.791

[03] FM expresses Greek EU presidency's solidarity to journalists working in Baghdad

Foreign Minister George Papandreou on Tuesday expressed the Greek European Union presidency's solidarity and support for journalists staying and working under extremely difficult war conditions in Baghdad.

Shortly before leaving for Belgrade, where the summit of southeastern European countries is taking place, Papandreou had a telephone conversation with EU Foreign Policy High Commissioner Javier Solana on the issue of security conditions for correspondents covering U.S. operations in Iraq.

He also contacted U.S. Undersecretary of State Mark Grossman, conveying to him the concern of the EU over the fate of media correspondents in Baghdad.

[04] ESHEA condemns attack on journalists in Baghdad

The Athens Journalists' Union (ESHEA) condemned what it called ''the coordinated, unprovoked and criminal attack of the American and British invaders'' against the ''Palestine'' hotel in Baghdad, the radio and television station of Iraq, the installations of ''Al Jazeera'' and the ''Abu Dhabi TV.''

The same press release called the attack ''a new heavy blow against the right of being informed'' and also condemned the ''murderous attack against information and its functionaries''.

It also denounced the '''logic' of collateral casualties as confirmation of the effort being made in every way for suzerainty, control of energy sources and of the planet.''

''The non-imbedded journalists - war correspondents in Iraq, prove that they are not components in the production of 'news products' at the cost of their lives,'' the press release said.

It further said ''the target of this new attack is, through the killing and terrorising of journalists, to black out the tragedy of the cold-blooded slaughter of non-combatants.''

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