Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-03-02

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

CONTENTS

[01] Drugs remain a major problem for Greece, US govt report says

[02] IMF sees strong Greek growth but stubbornly high unemployment

[03] One dead, 29 injured in coach-truck collision near Serres

[04] Weather Forecast: Hot and humid on Sunday

[01] Drugs remain a major problem for Greece, US govt report says

WASHINGTON (ANA - A. Ellis) Drug trafficking and money laundering remain serious problems in Greece, according to an annual report submitted by the US State Department to the American Congress on Saturday.

According to the report, which recommended that Greece remain in the 'primary concern' category for the drug trade, narcotics use in Greece is still on the rise, users are for the first time becoming younger and Greece has the second-highest percentage of deaths due to drug overdoses in Europe.

In addition, the number of drug dealers and the size of their operations has also increased dramatically.

Greece is also seen as a major portal for drugs headed for western Europe due to its extensive coastline and land borders.

[02] IMF sees strong Greek growth but stubbornly high unemployment

WASHINGTON (ANA - A. Ellis) Greece achieved a strong rate of growth in 2001, with GDP increasing 4 percent, but without this having any significant impact on rates of employment, an annual report by the International Monetary Fund found.

The report released late on Friday in the United States was compiled by an IMF delegation that recently visited Greece.

It stressed that Greek unemployment remained the second-highest among European Union countries and that core inflation was above the EU average, but noted that efforts for fiscal reform were continuing and that a budget surplus, albeit smaller than originally estimated, had been achieved for the first time in decades.

[03] One dead, 29 injured in coach-truck collision near Serres

One person was killed and another 29 were injured on Saturday when a tourist coach collided with a truck on the Thessaloniki-Serres national highway near the village of Strymoniko and came off the road.

The accident took place at around 10:00 am, while four of the injured were reported to be in a serious condition and had to undergo surgery on arriving in hospital.

The dead man was identified as Archmandrite Epifanios Garakis, 30, whose body has been transferred to the hospital in Serres. Most of the injured were also taken to the Serres prefectural hospital, while some were taken to hospital in Thessaloniki.

The coach belonged to a tour operator in Katerini and was carrying between 33 to 34 passengers on a pilgrimage to the Aghios Ioannis Prodromos monastery in Sidirokastro, Serres.

[04] Weather Forecast: Hot and humid on Sunday

Hot and humid weather is forecast in all parts of the country, with scattered cloud in the west and north. Winds south, southwesterly, light to moderate. In the north, temperatures will range from 7C to 23C; on the rest of the mainland from 9C to 24C; and in the islands from 12C to 22C. Sunshine in Athens with temperatures between 10C and 24C. Scattered cloud in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 7C to 22C.

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