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Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-02-17
CONTENTS
[01] Rain ushers in Clean Monday weekend
[02] Book by late author A. Samarakis
[01] Rain ushers in Clean Monday weekend
Thick cloud cover and intermittent rain greeted motorists leaving Greek
cities on Friday and Saturday for the long weekend that marks the end
of the Carnival and the start of Orthodox Lent on Clean Monday.
According to the Greek weather service, wet weather is expected to
continue during the weekend, with a slight improvement expected from
Monday. Traffic police throughout the country were on standby to assist
excursionists leaving urban centres for the countryside. Measures to
assist the flow of cars and commuters have been taken at particularly
busy spots in central Athens and the suburbs, such as shopping centres,
ports, train stations, bus depots and airports.
Police have been stationed at all the main junctions on national
highways to direct traffic, backed up by frequent car and motorbike
patrols on key roads in Attica to prevent road accidents.
Teams of officers have been deployed round the clock to carry out
traffic inspections and hand out tickets to motorists seen to commit
dangerous traffic violations, such as speeding, drunk driving,
dangerous driving, failure to observe traffic lights and not wearing
seatbelts and helmets. The last offence is considered largely
responsible for fatal accidents on Greek roads.
Traffic police also have orders to be extraordinarily strict in dealing
with trucks and lorries, in particular, and to order them off the road
if they are seen driving dangerously or do not meet safety rules.
Caption: ANA-MPA file photo showing the main national highway from
Athens packed with cars heading out for a major holiday. A similarly
busy 'exodus' from Greek cities is usual on the Clean Monday holiday,
which Greeks traditionally celebrate outdoors with picnics and
kite-flying.
[02] Book by late author A. Samarakis
The English edition of "The Passport and other selected small stories",
by late author Antonis Samarakis, was presented on Saturday at New
Yorkâs Greek Press Office. The book, which is published by "Cosmos
Publishing", comes three-and-a-half years after his death and 34 years
after the Greek edition "The Passport".
(ANA-MPA file photo of late author Antonis Samarakis)
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