Compact version |
|
Thursday, 7 November 2024 | ||
|
Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-11-05Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr>NEWS IN ENGLISHAthens, Greece, 05/11/1999 (ANA)MAIN HEADLINES
NEWS IN DETAILInflation rises to 2.2 percent in OctoberThe Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.3 percent in October from the previous month pushing the year-on-year inflation rate to 2.2 percent, up from 2.0 percent in September, National Statistics Service said today. The NSS attributed the CPI increase to a 1.1 percent rise in clothing and footwear and a 0.6 percent rise in food and beverages. The annual inflation rate was 4.7 percent in October 1998. Bomb experts detonate explosive device Police bomb disposal experts today neutralised a home-made explosive device that was found in a metal box inside a NIKE sports goods shop in the Nea Smyrni residential suburb of Athens, police said. They said the metal box containing the home-made bomb had been planted next to the ventilation system in the shop, located on the corner of Eleftheriou Venizelou and Makariou streets. Police were alerted after unidentified callers phoned the Athens afternoon daily Eleftherotypia and private radio station Alpha warning of an impending explosion. The bomb was neutralised by exploding it in a "controlled environment", police said. Nine Kurds buried in Patras Nine of the 14 illegal immigrants who died in a ferry fire on Monday night were buried in the Patras Municipal Cemetery on Friday in a common grave. The funerals of the nine - all Kurds - were attended by deputy mayor Petros Rigatos, municipal councillors and friends of the Kurdish community in the Peloponese port city. Dozens of Kurds attended the funerals, arriving in coaches hired by the municipality. A representative read an excerpt from the Koran at the service. The municipality has pledged that the graves will not be opened in the future - as is the custom in Greece - as this is contrary to Moslem tradition. Another two of the dead were identified by relatives as an Albanian couple and will be buried in Albania. Progress noted on Burgas-Alexandroupolis project Prime Minister Costas Simitis's meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Ivan Kostov on Friday resulted in significant progress on the construction of a Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, sources told the ANA in Sofia. The one- hour meeting - shortened due to Simitis's scheduled meetings with political party leaders in Athens ahead of U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit - saw the Bulgarian premier expressing interest in the project, a marked change from the government's past stance. The sources said that Kostov estimated that a pipeline to bring Caspian Sea oil to the Turkish port of Ceyhan would likely not go ahead. Cypriot House Speaker in Athens Cypriot House of Representatives Speaker Spyros Kyprianos on Friday met with President of the Republic Costis Stephanopoulos on developments in the Cyprus problem. No statements were made after the meeting. Kyprianou, who is in Athens to participate in a conference on the continuing Turkish occupation of Cyprus, had earlier met with his Greek counterpart, Apostolos Kaklamanis. Greeks not entirely untouched by suicide Renowned for living hard and dying late, Greeks nevertheless do suffer from depression and some do take their lives, although in much smaller numbers than Europeans. According to experts speaking at a news conference on Friday, some 500 suicides are recorded in Greece annually. The majority of these occur in the countryside among the farming population. The figures were announced at the news conference to announce the holding of an international conference on suicide prevention in Athens November 7- 10. Eurofighter in Greece The spearhead of the European defence industry's hopes, the Eurofighter, roared into Greece for a publicity tour on Thursday evening, landing at the Tanagra air base. "I feel lucky to be the first pilot to fly the Eurofighter over Greece," pilot Chris Warning said, drinking champagne with the commander of the Tanagra air base. "The view of the Acropolis and Sounio from the air was unbelievable. I am very happy that the Greek public will be able to see up close the airplane which will the spearhead of European defence in the new century". The Eurofighter is in Greece to mark celebrations for the Hellenic Air Force. It will be on display for the public at Tanagra until Sunday. On Sunday, it will conduct an aerial display. Greek stocks end the week sharply higher Equity prices ended the last trading session of a subdued week sharply higher pushing the market above the 5,600 level on the Athens Stock Exchange. Positive developments in the domestic bond market and renewed buying activity for smaller capitalisation stocks were the main reasons for the recovery of the market. The general index ended 1.57 percent higher at 5,617.65 points. Turnover was a moderate 317 billion drachmas. WEATHERScattered clouds, but mostly sunny in western and northern Greece today. The rest of the country will be cloudy with local showers. Scattered storms in the southeastern Aegean sea early in the day. Few showers in Athens with temperatures from 10-19C. Partly cloudy in Thessaloniki with temperatures between 8-20C.FOREIGN EXCHANGEFriday's rates (buying) U.S. dollar 310.972 Pound sterling 510.602 Japanese yen (100) 296.033 French franc 49.701 German mark 166.692 Italian lira (100) 16.837 Irish Punt 413.961 Belgian franc 8.082 Finnish mark 54.833 Dutch guilder 147.942 Danish kr. 43.852 Austrian sch. 23.693 Spanish peseta 1.959 Swedish kr. 37.502 Norwegian kr. 39.505 Swiss franc 202.790 Port. Escudo 1.626 Can. dollar 211.574 Aus. dollar 197.606 Cyprus pound 563.516 Euro 326.021(M.P.) Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |