Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-07-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] Activists stage anti-globalisation march in Athens

[02] Athens expresses sorrow over deaths of 3 EU observers in FYROM

[03] Labor, healt ministers meet with IKA doctors' union reps

[04] Lefkas marina to open on Saturday

[05] Delta to make public offer for Goody's buyout Jul 25-Aug 23

[06] Thessaloniki light industry workers back G-8 protest

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates-Monday

[08] Bill for Balkan reconstruction ready soon, minister says

[09] Portfolio investment firms show drop in asset value

[10] Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny on Saturday

[11] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks slump in wake of sharp rises

[12] Summer measures for weekend traffic on national highways

[13] Simitis inaugurates Evinos Dam

[14] Human chain by Greek-Australians commemorating Cyprus invasion

[01] Activists stage anti-globalisation march in Athens

An anti-globalisation march was staged in Athens on Friday evening by members of leftist organisations at the initiative of the ?Greek Committee for Genoa.?

Some 1.000 activists taking part in the march gathered in central Athens and began shouting slogans against globalisation and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, while a further 500 protestors assembled outside the Italian Embassy.

Shortly afterwards, activists outside the Italian Embassy clashed with police deployed in front of the European Union's offices in Vassilisis Sofias avenue.

One officer was slightly injured when the protestors began hurling stones and other objects.

In central Athens, activists attempted to join the other protestors at the Italian Embassy but were prevented by police.

[02] Athens expresses sorrow over deaths of 3 EU observers in FYROM

The Greek government on Friday expressed its sorrow over the death of three European Union observers in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM.

"We express our profound sorrow and our condolences over the tragic death of three EU observers in the region of Tetovo," foreign ministry spokesman Panagiotis Beglitis said.

"This tragic event proves the difficult and dangerous conditions under which EU missions are working, as well as the important work they are carrying out with the purpose of achieving a peaceful solution to problems and the prevention of a generalised confrontation," he added.

[03] Labor, healt ministers meet with IKA doctors' union reps

The Ministers of Labour Tassos Yiannitsis and Health and Welfare Alekos Papadoupoulos on Friday met with the Social Security Foundation (IKA) doctors' unions of Athens and Piraeus and arrived at a five point agreement to end problems that led to a strike.

They decided to establish a committee, which will include representatives of the two ministries, the doctors' union and the IKA management, which will have to draft a report on labor relations by Sept. 20 that will follow the guidelines of the new medical care system and ways to secure the jobs of all doctors who work for the foundation.

Following the meeting Yiannitsis said that an open and constructive dialogue will begin immediately to resolve all pending issues.

The federation of IKA doctors' union did not participate in the meeting as it called for a 48-hour strike for Thursday and Friday, which it did not recall when the meeting with the ministers was planned, thus the ministers barred its participation, calling the strike a blackmail.

[04] Lefkas marina to open on Saturday

A marina complex worth 9.35 billion drachmas built on the Ionian island of Lefkas is to begin operating on Saturday.

The marina, which has a capacity of 500 ships, includes a marine control tower, shipping club, stores, a hotel and a ship repair unit.

It was built by a consortium comprising engineering contractors ATE Gnomon, Archimedes, GEKAT and Kyriakoulis.

Local authorities are to receive an index-linked lease of 180 million drachmas a year from the operator, Lefkas Marina SA, plus 13 percent of turnover.

[05] Delta to make public offer for Goody's buyout Jul 25-Aug 23

Delta Holding SA is to make a public offer on July 25-August 23 for the acquisition of a 50-60 percent stake in Goody's SA, a fast food restaurant chain.

Delta Holding, which includes Delta Dairy, said in a statement on Friday that it would make the offer at 18.50 euros per share, applying to all stockholders.

The offer has a floor of 4,003,582 stocks and ceiling of 5,631,631 shares, with the latter representing 34.5 percent of Goody's. It already owns 25.4 percent of the fast food chain.

A share purchase at the ceiling figure would give Delta a 60 percent stake in Goody's, and at the floor 50 percent plus one share, both including the existing stake.

Delta said that shareholders of Goody's who wished to take up the offer should make the statement in writing at any Alpha Bank branch.

[06] Thessaloniki light industry workers back G-8 protest

The Federation of Thessaloniki Light Industry Unions said on Friday that it backed protests against a summit in Genoa of the G-8 industrialised nations.

In a statment, the federation also decried a comment made to the Le Figaro newspaper in France by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in which he reportedly called the protesters "street anarchists."

[07] Foreign Exchange Rates-Monday

Indicative buying rates until Monday

U.S. dollar 385.158

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 552.510

Irish punt 429.202

Belgian franc 008.379

Luxembourg franc 008.379

Dutch guilder 153.389

Italian lira (100) 017.457

Austrian schilling 024.565

Danish kroner 45.381

Swedish kroner 36.491

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 311.956

Swiss franc 224.177

Norwegian kroner 042.163

Cyprus pound 588.799

Canadian dollar 249.816

Australian dollar 197.547

[08] Bill for Balkan reconstruction ready soon, minister says

Macedonia-Thrace Minister George Paschalidis said on Friday that a bill containing Greece's 180-billion-drachma reconstruction plan for the Balkans would be ready soon.

The bill had been sent to the foreign and national economy ministries for signature, Paschalidis told reporters.

He was speaking in the northern port city of Thessaloniki after a meeting with the Serbian public works minister.

Serbia will be one of the beneficiaries of the reconstruction plan, which aims to aid areas hit in the Balkan crisis.

[09] Portfolio investment firms show drop in asset value

The country's 17 portfolio investment firms showed a decline in their net asset value to 746.7 billion drachmas on June 29, 2001 from 766.1 billion drachmas on June 15, posting a loss of 19.4 billion drachmas in the second half of the month.

The Union of Institutional Investors said on Friday that the index for portfolio investment firms showed a drop of 8.8 percent in the same period, against a 4.1 percent decline in the Athens Stock Exchange's general share index, the union said in a statement.

[10] Weather Forecast: Mostly sunny on Saturday

Hot, sunny weather is forecast throughout the country on Saturday, later clouding over in the north. Macedonia and Thrace can expect isolated showers or storms, that may also erupt in Epirus and Thessaly. Winds variable, moderate to very strong. In the north and west, temperatures will range from 19C to 32C; on the rest of the mainland from 22C to 36C; and in the Aegean islands from 24C to 35C. Sunshine in Athens with temperatures between 24C and 36C. Same in Thessaloniki, with temperatures from 20C to 32C.

[11] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks slump in wake of sharp rises

Equities on the Athens bourse dropped sharply on Friday in the wake of three rises that followed a plunge at the start of the week, traders said.

Buyers became sellers in the second half of the session, reversing gains of up to 2.0 percent.

Jolting the market was conflicting talk about the rumoured acquisition by BNP Paribas of a stake in Alpha Bank, a domestic blue chip private sector bank. The French bank's president told the bourse the rumour was untrue.

On Wednesday and Thursday, players had scooped up high capitalisation paper, including blue chip banks, after fighting shy of quality stocks on Monday and Tuesday.

The Athens general index closed at 2,507.28 points to lose 3.12 percent. Turnover was higher at 206.53 million euros (70.37 billion drachmas).

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 3.91 percent lower; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalisation paper 1.99 percent down; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities lost 4.30 percent.

Decliners led advancers at 278 to 64 with 19 issues remaining unchanged.

On Monday the bourse had shed nearly five percent as part of a lasting slump after buyers resolutely stayed out of the market with small capitalisation shares the worst hit.

[12] Summer measures for weekend traffic on national highways

The Kakia Skala section of the Athens-Corinth national highway will become one-way every Friday during the summer, between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., to ease the exodus of holiday-makers from the capital.

At the same times, motorists leaving Athens will also have an additional lane on the Athens-Corinth Highway between Dafni and the Elefsina toll posts and, if necessary, on the Athens-Lamia highway up to Malakasa.

Police announced that similar measures would be taken on Sundays between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. when Athenians returned to the capital.

[13] Simitis inaugurates Evinos Dam

"Greece in 2004 will be completely different from Greece in 2000 ... and this is our answer to those who would apply the solutions of the past to the present," Prime Minister Costas Simitis said on Friday while inaugurating the Evinos Dam, a project that is expected to ensure Attica's water supply for the next 30 years.

Simitis said the dam was a historic project that would solve the water-supply problems of the 3.5 millions living in Attica while simultaneously allowing the development of the Aitoloakarnania highlands.

[14] Human chain by Greek-Australians commemorating Cyprus invasion

MELBOURNE (ANA - S. Hatzimanolis) Hundreds of Greek-Australians dressed in black and carrying candles formed a human chain around the Victoria State Parliament on Friday, to commemorate the Turkish invasion of Cyprus 27 years ago and bring the continued occupation of the island to the attention of public opinion.

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