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Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-09-23Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Weather Forecast: Sunshine on Tuesday23/09/2003 10:00:44All parts of the country will be warm and sunny. Early morning visibility will be restricted in some areas. Winds northerly, light to moderate. On the mainland temperatures will range from 12C to 31C; and in the islands from 18C to 28C. Temperatures in Athens between 18C and 30C; and in Thessaloniki from 15C to 28C. [02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Ôuesday23/09/2003 10:00:06Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank U.S. dollar 1.156 Pound sterling 0.702 Danish kroner 7.486 Swedish kroner 9.135 Japanese yen 129.3 Swiss franc 1.565 Norwegian kroner 8.235 Cyprus pound 0.588 Canadian dollar 1.550 Australian dollar 1.703 [03] Gov't welcomes falling jobless rate, forges 2003-2006 strategy22/09/2003 23:39:59Labour and Social Insurance Minister Dimitris Reppas on Monday welcomed a decline in unemployment but pledged that the government would not fall victim to complacency. ''The government will continue its endeavour to meet its target of a radical reduction in unemployment,'' Reppas told a meeting of the National Employment Commission which is forging a national employment action plan for 2003-2006. The government would recruit 25,000 jobless for part-time work in social services at the start of 2004, converting unemployment benefit into employment subsidies. Under the measure, the jobless recruited by companies would continue to receive unemployment benefit; and the employer would pay the difference between the benefit and the minimum wage plus social insurance contributions. Among other measures in the employment action plan are the following: Reppas added that the Social Protection Commission would meet on September 30 to discuss the social budget. [04] Gas stations announce end of strike late on Monday22/09/2003 23:33:53Petrol station owners late on Monday announced the end of an indefinite strike that had begun at midnight. The decision was taken and announced formally after a meeting of the union federation's board late on Monday, after an agreement was reached earlier in the evening between the president of the Federation of Gas Station Owners of Greece, Dimitris Makryvelias and Deputy Finance Minister Apostolos Fotiadis. The strike had been ordained after a breakdown of talks with the government on the mandatory issue of receipts for gasoline. Electronic cash registers are to be installed at the pumps to record gasoline sales in a move to streamline taxation. Makryvelias said that under the terms of the agreement with the government, manufacturers of electronic cash registers will have until October 1 to apply for the project. [05] FM to depart for UN General Assemby on Wed.; Cyprus tops agenda22/09/2003 23:28:59NEW YORK (ANA) Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou will head for the annual United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, where he is expected to meet on the sidelines with several of his counterparts from other countries, as well as with UN Chief Kofi Annan. The long-standing Cyprus issue, the situation in strife-ridden Iraq as well as the ?Olympic Truce? initiative being vigorously co-promoted by the Greek foreign ministry, are the issues expected to dominate talks Papandreou will have with Annan, as well as with US Secretary of State Colin Powell. It was also officially announced on Monday that Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will visit Athens on Oct. 21. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |