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Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 98-06-10

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

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 10/06/1998 (ANA)


MAIN HEADLINES

  • Spata airport on schedule for 2001
  • Teachers stand-off with ministry
  • Ionian Bank strike ruled illegal
  • Government says it will go ahead with sale
  • Red tape only hitch in Olympics planning
  • Children's rights group set up
  • FPA to commemorate George Polk
  • Weather
  • Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

Spata airport on schedule for 2001

Greece will open its new international airport for Athens on March 1, 2001, Public Works Minister Costas Laliotis said. The Eleftherios Venizelos airport at Spata, east of Athens, will replace the existing facility at Hellenikon on the south coast. The project's budget is 658 billion drachmas. "The timescale (for construction) is being strictly adhered to," Laliotis told reporters during a tour of the worksite by Prime Minister Costas Simitis. According to data from Athens International Airport (DAA), the project's superviser, more than 88 percent of earthworks have been completed, and construction of the main terminal, air traffic control centre and control tower is underway.

Teachers stand-off with ministry

Tension between teachers and the education ministry continued to heighten, just two days before 46,500 unemployed teachers sit an exam that will determine whether and when they will be appointed to state school jobs. Teachers' representatives, speaking at a news conference today, warned of "a general rising up" around the country if the ministry persisted in holding the examinations. "Committees have established outside the examination centres to support occupations of the centres, we will protest and march because we believe that the competition is against our interests, " Yiannis Halioris, the president of the supply teachers union said. Teachers last month decided to hold a 48-hour strike on June 11-12, when the Supreme Council for the Selection of Personnel holds the competition for the appointment of teachers.

Ionian Bank strike ruled illegal

An Athens court today ruled as illegal a month-long strike by Ionian Bank employees against government plans to sell a majority stake in the bank rather than merge it with state-owned parent company Commercial Bank. The ruling, the third successively, applies to a walkout from June 6-10 under the umbrella of the General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE). Ionian Bank employees have been on a rolling strike since May 11 to protest the planned sale of a 51 percent majority package in the bank through a bidding process on the Athens Stock Exchange, and the bank's management took striking workers to court for the third time yesterday.

Government says it will go ahead with sale

The government's position on the sale of Ionian is unchanged since the only new element is the court ruling on the strike, government spokesman Dimitris Reppas said later. Reppas condemned "a section of the workers" who were deploying "diversionary tactics" to hinder the normal operation of the bank and complicate the sale process. "These attitudes - working to the detriment of the bank's workers, clients and shareholders - will not prevail," Reppas said. He said that the full operation of the bank was "a matter of days" and the sale process will be completed on the basis of the time frame already announced.

Red tape only hitch in Olympics planning

The organisers of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games today said that the only hitch in progress so far has been dealing with legendary red tape in the Greek state. "Our cooperation with government and opposition parties is at a very good level and we have had no problems, despite reports to the contrary. We have a problem, however, with the 'faceless state'," Stratis Stratigis, the president of the Athens 2004 Organising Committee, which operates as a societe anonyme, said. "They asked us for tax returns and social security coupons for a company that has just been established," he added.

Children's rights group set up

The establishment of Children's Forum 21, an Athens-based international non- governmental organisation "to promote effective change in the situation of children all over the world", was announced today. Inspired by the United Nations' convention of the rights of the child, CF21 was founded "to support the fundamental rights of the children of the world, with the active participation of young people and adults", Executive Council chairperson Isidora Papafragou told a press conference at the FPA.

FPA to commemorate George Polk

The Foreign Press Association of Greece (FPA) today announced it would unveil a commemorative plaque marking the 50th anniversary of the murder of veteran CBS correspondent George W. Polk during a special ceremony at the FPA premises on Friday at 6:45 p.m. Guest speakers on the work of Polk will include Euro-MP and journalist Yannis Roubatis, journalist/author Elias Vlanton, and Professor Edmund Keeley, an author and academic and one of America's first Fulbrighters in Greece. The commemorative ceremony will be attended by Polk's widow, Mrs. Rhea Polk.

WEATHER

Partly cloudy weather is forecast throughout Greece today with scattered showers or storms on the mainland in the afternoon. Winds variable, light to moderate. Athens will be sunny with scattered clouds and temperatures between 19-32C. Same in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 19-31C.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Tuesday's rates (buying) U.S. dollar 298.185 British pound 487.647 Japanese yen(100) 212.804 French franc 50.082 German mark 167.941 Italian lira (100) 17.050 Irish Punt 423.386 Belgian franc 8.141 Finnish mark 55.304 Dutch guilder 148.988 Danish kr. 44.104 Austrian sch. 23.925 Spanish peseta 1.979 Swedish kr. 38.083 Norwegian kr. 39.995 Swiss franc 202.269 Port. Escudo 1.640 Aus. dollar 177.960 Can. dollar 204.610 Cyprus pound 571.392

(M.P.)


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