Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 97-04-26
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 26/04/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Albanian gunmen kill Greek coastguard officer off Corfu
- Premier awarded honorary doctorate
- Defence Minister to go to Albania after meeting in The Hague
- Easter mass exodus claims 18 lives in road accidents
- Ancient skull returned to Greece
- Shops closed on Easter Sunday and Monday
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Albanian gunmen kill Greek coastgurad officer off Corfu
A 22-year-old coastguard officer was shot and killed today when his patrol
boat came under fire from unidentified Albanian gunmen in a speedboat off
the coast of Corfu. Instead of stopping for a check, as ordered, the
speedboat headed for the Albanian coast, its passengers firing automatic
weapons at the Greek patrol boat.
The coastguard officers returned the fire, and according to Greek police at
least three of the speedboat passengers were injured.
Premier awarded honorary doctorate
Prime Minister Costas Simitis, currently on a visit to Germany, yesterday
addressed an audience at Marburg University where he was awarded an
honorary doctorate for his contribution to law. Simitis' address focused on
the Greek government's European perspective. The economic convergence
programme being implemented by the government since 1996, he said, would
gradually lead Greece by 1998 to the fulfilment of conditions for the
country's accession to EMU. The official part of Simitis' visit to Germany
ended on Thursday.
Defence Minister to go to Albania after meeting in the Hague
National Defence Minister and Vice President of the European Socialist
Party Akis Tsohatzopoulos is to participate in the meeting of European
socialist party leaders in the Hague today.
From The Hague Mr. Tsohatzopoulos will go to Tirana to spend Easter Monday
with Greek troops on a peace-keeping mission in Albania.
Easter mass exodus claims 18 lives in road accidents
Eighteen people were killed and 172 injured in road accidents since last
Thursday as thousands of city dwellers left for the provinces to spend the
Orthodox Easter. Police say the mass exodus was one of the biggest in
recent years, with buses, trains and ships booked to capacity. Demnad for
train, ferry and air tickets rose by more than 50 per cent compared to last
year.
Ancient skull returned to Greece
An ancient skull of great archaeological significance which has been stored
for many years in Vienna for research purposes was returned to Greece
yesterday.
The ''Minoan Microcephalus'' was handed to Greece's Ambassador in Vienna on
Thursday. According to researchers, the skull, discovered during excavations
on Crete in 1962, proves that the Minoan dynasty in Crete was indigenous.
After returning to Greece, the skull will most probably be put on display
at the Archaeological Museum of Athens.
Shops closed on Easter Sunday and Monday
Shops will remain closed throughout the country on Easter Sunday and
Monday. The post offices at Athens international airport and the port of
Piraeus will be open throughout the entire Easter holiday. Bakeries will
malso remain closed on Easter Sunday and Monday.
WEATHER
The weather will gradually improve as of tonight in most parts of Greece
apart from scattered showers in Epirus. Winds northerly light to moderate,
getting stronger in some parts of the southern Aegean Sea. Athens will be
partly cloudy with possible drizzle and temperatures between 10-18C. Same
in Thessaloniki with temperatures between 7-15.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Thursday's closing rates - buying US dlr. 270.717
Pound sterling 438.325 Cyprus pd 529.113
French franc 46.719 Swiss franc 184.631
German mark 157.500 Italian lira (100) 15.881
Yen (100) 214.609 Canadian dlr. 193.896
Australian dlr. 209.957 Irish Punt 418.128
Belgian franc 7.640 Finnish mark 52.467
Dutch guilder 140.060 Danish kr. 41.319
Swedish kr. 35.315 Norwegian kr. 38.321
Austrian sch. 22.382 Spanish peseta 1.871
Portuguese escudo 1.570
(C.E.)
(C.E.)
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