Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-04-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] Weather Forecast: Cloud on Tuesday

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

[03] Imathia plunged into mourning as it buries 21 teenagers killed at Tempi

[04] Papandreou, Powell hold telephone conversation on Middle East, Iraq

[01] Weather Forecast: Cloud on Tuesday

Cloudy weather is forecast in all parts of the country, with showers likely in the east, Cyclades islands, eastern Peloponnese, and northern Crete. Winds northerly, moderate to very strong. In the north, temperatures will range from 6C to 17C; in the west from 8C to 20C; and in the rest of the country from 9C to 19C. Temperatures in Athens between 11C and 18C; and in Thessaloniki from 9C to 17C.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.082

Pound sterling 0.688

Danish kroner 7.485

Swedish kroner 9.200

Japanese yen 130.7

Swiss franc 1.508

Norwegian kroner 7.939

Cyprus pound 0.591

Canadian dollar 1.578

Australian dollar 1.796

[03] Imathia plunged into mourning as it buries 21 teenagers killed at Tempi

The final act in the weekend tragedy that cut short the lives of 21 highschool students as they were returning home from a three-day school trip reached its climax on Monday as grief-struck Imathia buried its dead.

The coach carrying the 49 teenagers, aged 15 to 16, was an hour from home as an oncoming truck swerved out of control on the winding narrow roads near Tempi on Sunday night, spilling its load of particle board onto the side of the coach, virtually slicing off the roof and killing its occupants. As particle board sheets scattered over the road, three more cars smashed into the wreckage and burst into flames, setting the coach on fire.

The accident -- the worst on the roads in post-war Greece -- has cast the municipalities of Apostolos Pavlos and Antigonidon in mourning, as all the pupils on the bus were from the 1st Lyceum (highschool) of Makryhori, which is attended by the children from some six surrounding villages.

Apart from the 21 teenagers killed outright, another 17 were still being treated in hospital on Monday afternoon and at least four of them are considered to be in a serious condition.

[04] Papandreou, Powell hold telephone conversation on Middle East, Iraq

Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, whose country currently holds the rotating European Union presidency, on Monday had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Colin Powell central to developments with the Middle East question in view of the upcoming visit of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to Washington, diplomatic sources said.

Papandreou reiterated to his US counterpart the EU position regarding expeditious publication of the ?road map?. On his part, the US official requested his mediation to the Palestinian side in order to expedite the new ministerial council under Abu Mazen, the sources said.

The two men also discussed recent developments in Iraq with emphasis on the humanitarian issue. Papandreou pointed to his US counterpart the need for action on the US side to permit the flow of humanitarian aid by non-governmental organisations already in Iraq and, prompted by recently reported looting at Baghdads museum, he stressed the need for the protection of that countrys cultural legacy.

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