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Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 99-01-01

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, 01/01/1999 (ANA)


MAIN HEADLINES

  • Taxi fare set at minimum Dr 500
  • Winter sales to start Jan 7
  • Gov't says deploying Cyprus missiles on Crete is legitimate
  • Search still underway for 10 missing after boat sinks
  • Drachma locked into euro
  • Prime minister's New Year message
  • Fog, ice make Thessaloniki roads treacherous
  • Two rob motorist on national highway
  • New Year babies to get car restraint
  • Cars damaged in french fries mishap
  • Stocks post gains in last 1998 session
  • WEATHER
  • FOREIGN EXCHANGE

NEWS IN DETAIL

Taxi fare set at minimum Dr 500

The minimum taxi fare has been set at 500 drachmas throughout the country, starting on Friday. The extra 150-drachma Christmas and New Year holiday bonus for cab drivers will remain in force until January 7.

Winter sales to start Jan 7

The winter sales throughout the country will begin on January 7 and last seven weeks until the end of February, according to an announcement by the Commercial Association. Shopowners hope the extended sales period will help to revive the market, which showed a decline in December, the statement said.

Gov't says deploying Cyprus missiles on Crete is legitimate

Monday's decision by Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides to deploy Russian S- 300 missiles on the Greek island of Crete instead of Cyprus is within the framework of the Greek-Cyprus joint defence pact, National Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos said on Thursday. Speaking in Thessaloniki, Tsohatzopoulos said that the decision was in no way an indication of backtracking. He called threats from neighbouring Turkey over the decision groundless and noted that "Turkey is facing significant domestic problems ...its slide into threats simply confirms its weakness".

Search still underway for 10 missing after boat sinks

A rescue operation was still underway on Friday after a sailboat ferrying an unknown number of illegal immigrants from the Turkish coast to Greece sank early Thursday off the coast of Nissyros island in the Aegean. Twenty- two people have been rescued by nearby boats, while the bodies of two more have been recovered. Ten people are still unaccounted for. Coast guard officials said navy and patrol boats were sent to the vicinity and nearby vessels alerted after an SOS call was received at dawn today from an unidentified boat that had taken on water and was sinking. Three of the four crew - two Greeks and a Yugoslav - were among those rescued while their companion, another Greek, was missing.

Drachma locked into euro

European Union finance ministers have set central rates for the Danish crown and the Greek drachma against the euro within the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. The drachma's locking rate is slightly lower against the euro compared with its rate against the Ecu. EU ministers set locking rates for the 11 currencies of economic and monetary union against the euro and a standard fluctuation band of plus or minus 15 percent around the drachma from its central rate of 353.109 drachmas per euro. That means that monetary authorities will have to intervene when the drachma's rate against the euro reaches a limit up of 406.075 drachmas and a limit down of 300.143 drachmas.

Prime minister's New Year message

1999 will be the year that Greece realises the goals it has set, Prime Minister Costas Simitis said in a message to mark New Year. "The sacrifices and efforts of the previous year are taking root and the first results of the economy are tangible in the thousands of large and small projects being undertaken through Greece, in the increase in the real incomes of the Greek people and in the role Greece is playing in the Balkans and the European Union," Simitis said. He said 1998 had been a good year, noting that the international financial crisis had not harmed the Greek economy.

Fog, ice make Thessaloniki roads treacherous

Ice and fog in the region of northern Greece caused two traffic accidents on Thursday involving a total of 25 cars, but no injuries. Fog and limited visibility caused a 15-car pile-up on the Thessaloniki-Moudanion national road and icy roads were cited as the cause of a 10-car pile up on the Thessaloniki-Peraias road. Fog also caused delays in flights at Thessaloniki's Macedonia Airport. Fog shut down the airport on Wednesday for the second time this week.

Two rob motorist on national highway

Two masked armed men bailed up a motorist on the Thessaloniki coastal road on Thursday and robbed him of 40 million drachmas before making their getaway on a high-speed motorbike. The highway robbery occured at around 9.30 a.m. The two men on the motorbike approached the car, whose driver has not been identified, while it was stopped at the corner of Edison St on Alexander the Great Avenue, in the area of Stratigiou. Shooting in the air twice with a hunting rifle, they then grabbed a bag containing the money from the car and disappeared. Police said the victim was a local businessman and have launched a manhunt to find the two men.

New Year babies to get car restraint

The public order ministry said on Thursday that the first babies born in Athens and Thessaloniki in the New Year would receive a baby car restraint as a present. The present is part of an ongoing campaign to urge Greek parents to use seat belts and car seats to reduce the number of road deaths. Greece has one of the worst road death records in Europe. Some 1, 500 Greeks are estimated to have died over the past five years as a result of not using seatbelts.

Cars damaged in french fries mishap

Three cars were damaged and the windows blown out of an apartment in suburban Athens when a absent-minded young Italian tried to fry some chips on Wednesday night. Giovanni Albano, 21, forgot that he had left dinner on the stove and compounded his mistake when the pan caught fire by throwing water on the electric stove. The resulting explosion blew out all the windows of the apartment in suburban Petralona. The broken glass caused damage to three cars parked outside the apartment. Albano was unhurt.

Stocks post gains in last 1998 session

Equities ended the last trading session of 1998 on Thursday with substantial gains reflecting the market's optimism over the new year's prospects and euphoria following news that the government would abolish tax on bond interest for non-residents. The general index ended 1.05 percent higher at 2,737.55 points, to post a spectacular 85.02 percent gain in 1998. Turnover was 70.4 billion drachmas. Annual turnover totalled 14 trillion drachmas. Thursday's volume was 15,756,000 shares. The parallel market index for small cap companies ended 0.78 percent up, while the FTSE/ASE 20 index rose 1.31 percent to 1,724.24.

WEATHER

The weather on Saturday will be overcast with scattered showers likely to turn to storms in the west by evening. Winds southeasterly, moderate to very strong. Athens will be cloudy with rain likely from afternoon, and temperatures will range from 9C to 14C. The same is forecast for Thessaloniki, which will be foggy in the morning. Temperatures to range from 4C to 9C.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

U.S. dollar 280.309 British pound 464.137 Japanese yen (100) 245.907 French franc 49.866 German mark 167.152 Italian lira (100) 16.895 Irish Punt 415.747 Belgian franc 8.107 Finnish mark 55.006 Dutch guilder 148.418 Danish kr. 43.928 Austrian sch. 23.776 Spanish peseta 1.967 Swedish kr. 34.522 Norwegian kr. 36.831 Swiss franc 203.320 Port. Escudo 1.634 Aus. dollar 171.616 Can. dollar 179.850 Cyprus pound 561.770

(C.S.)


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