Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-11-15

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

CONTENTS

[01] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Sunday

[02] Taxi drivers, lawyers to stage strikes next week

[03] Two men confess to spate of bank robberies in Athens, police say

[04] Three-day commemoration begins of student uprising against junta

[05] Greece condemns car bomb attack on Istanbul synagogues (ADDS)

[06] Greece condemns car bomb attack on Istanbul synagogues

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates: Monday

[01] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud on Sunday

Scattered cloud is forecast in all parts of the country, likely to turn to light showers in the south. Temperatures are expected to rise slightly. Winds east-northeasterly, light to moderate. Temperatures in Athens between 11C and 18C; and in Thessaloniki 9C and 15C.

[02] Taxi drivers, lawyers to stage strikes next week

Taxi drivers will stage a 24-hour strike on November 22 to seek extension of a government deadline for fitting their vehicles with electronic cash registers, the SATA union said on Saturday.

Lawyers have called a 48-hour strike for November 18-19 to protest against the state's alleged witholding of 120 billion drachmas since 1998 of money that belongs to the profession's ailing pension fund.

[03] Two men confess to spate of bank robberies in Athens, police say

Attica police said on Saturday that two men are due to hear charges for a string of bank robberies they confessed to perpetrating mainly in the capital's southern suburbs.

The identity of the suspects was not released, although police said one of the men was was a 37-year-old drug addict who used spoils from the robberies to finance his habit; and the other, aged 24, had deposited his loot in bank accounts.

Following arrest, the men confessed to reaping 149,000 euros from 11 robberies in March to October this year, including Alpha Bank, Emporiki Bank, Egnatia Bank, Aspis Bank, Citibank, Post Office Savings Bank, the Public Power Corporation, and Hellenic Post Offices.

Among items confiscated from their home were 9,600 euros, two pistols, and hoods.

Under police surveillance for several days, the two were arrested after reportedly staking out branches of EFG Eurobank Ergasias and Alpha Bank.

[04] Three-day commemoration begins of student uprising against junta

The gates of the National Technical University, known as the Athens Polytechnic, opened on Saturday for the start of three days of anniversary events to commemorate a student uprising on November 17, 1973 against the military junta ruling Greece at the time.

Policing the event are around 7,000 officers to ensure that the anniversary runs peacefully - especially its climax, a march to the US embassy on Monday, when 48 squads of riot police will be stationed along a route that includes embassies, ministries and banks.

Events marking the Polytechnic uprising are traditionally the scene of violent incidents between police and masked youths who penetrate the march.

[05] Greece condemns car bomb attack on Istanbul synagogues (ADDS)

The government on Saturday condemned car bomb attacks on two synagogues in Istanbul that killed at least seventeen people and wounded more than 200 as worshippers celebrated the Sabbath.

Prime Minister Costas Simitis send a telegram of condolence to his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan for the victims in the attack, government officials said.

Foreign Minister George Papandreou also deplored the bombing.

''This was a barbaric and repugnant move, an act of wanton violence that resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians,'' Papandreou said in a statement.

''We send our condolences to the people and government of Turkey, the victims' families, and the Jewish community in Istanbul. We must continually strive against the forces of hate, violence, terrorism, racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism,'' he said.

The minister added that striving for human rights and civilised values cut across religious and political boundaries.

Government spokesman Christos Protopappas stressed that the government strongly deplored the attack and sent its condolences to the families of victims, the people of Turkey and their government.

The leader of the main opposition New Democracy party, Costas Karamanlis, sent a telegram of condolence to Turkey's prime minister saying that Greeks strongly opposed any act of violence.

''The bomb attack in Istanbul is the expression of a global problem that must be rooted out,'' Karamanlis underlined.

[06] Greece condemns car bomb attack on Istanbul synagogues

The government on Saturday condemned car bomb attacks on two synagogues in Istanbul that killed at least seventeen people and wounded more than 200 as worshippers celebrated the Sabbath.

''This was a barbaric and repugnant move, an act of wanton violence that resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians,'' Foreign Minister George Papandreou said.

''We send our condolences to the people and government of Turkey, the victims' families, and the Jewish community in Istanbul. We must continually strive against the forces of hate, violence, terrorism, racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism,'' Papandreou said in a statement.

He added that striving for human rights and civilised values cut across religious and political boundaries.

Government spokesman Christos Protopappas said that the government strongly deplored the attack and sent its condolences to the families of victims, the people of Turkey and their government.

The leader of the main opposition New Democracy party, Costas Karamanlis, sent a telegram of condolence to Turkey's prime minister saying that Greeks strongly opposed any act of violence.

''The bomb attack in Istanbul is the expression of a global problem that must be rooted out,'' Karamanlis underlined.

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates: Monday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.185

Pound sterling 0.702

Danish kroner 7.499

Swedish kroner 9.028

Japanese yen 128.4

Swiss franc 1.579

Norwegian kroner 8.280

Cyprus pound 0.587

Canadian dollar 1.541

Australian dollar 1.648

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