Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 05-08-09

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

CONTENTS

[01] PETROL PRICES HIT NEW RECORD

[02] PAPADOPOULOS-TALAT MEETING

[03] EVROS RIVER WATER LEVEL RISES

[04] "DISCOVERY" RETURNS SAFELY TO EARTH

[05] "DISCOVERY" TO LAND IN CALIFORNIA

[01] PETROL PRICES HIT NEW RECORD

The uncontrollable course of petrol prices continues. A new record was broken on Monday evening when petrol price was at 64 US dollars a barrel just before the end of the Wall Street session in New York finally closing at 63.94 US dollars as a result of the threat for terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia.

Petrol prices exceeded the 64-dollar mark in Singapore as well.

Greece is directly affected. Last week, the average petrol price had reached 94 cents a litre matching last July's record after the continuous price hikes in the international market.

According to figures provided by the Ministry of Development, the unleaded is 0.7 cents more expensive compared to 93.3 euros last week, super unleaded is at 1.056 euros, super at 99.1 cents and diesel at 92.2 cents.

Petrol and gasoline prices vary in the 12 Greek prefectures and Minister of Development Mr. Sioufas called on the Competitiveness Committee to conduct an investigation.

[02] PAPADOPOULOS-TALAT MEETING

I have no dogmatic objection to a meeting of social nature with Mehmet Ali Talat, stated Cypriot Republic President Tassos Papadopoulos, confirming information concerning lunch with Mr. Talat at the house of Cypriot Parliament President Dimitris Christofias. However, I must know the subject matter of the meeting, clarified the Cypriot President.

The US delegation, which arrived at the illegal airport of the Turkish Cypriots on board a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul and not with a direct flight from the United States, is in the occupied territories.

The US State Department stated that the US government personnel have the right to use the Timpos airport.

[03] EVROS RIVER WATER LEVEL RISES

The Evros River (north-eastern Greece) water level has risen to 4.44 m at Pithion Water Level Count Station, while earlier today waters were at 4.20 m with the flood risk watch level being at 4.70 m and the flood alert level at 5.70 m.

Several hundred acres of arable land, producing mostly cotton and sugar-beet, have flooded in the region of Dikeon.

Meanwhile, the railway lines at the area of Dilofos continue to be underwater as a result of the floods and the Orestiada-Dikea train service is interrupted. Train passengers transfer to Greek Railway Organization, OSE, buses to reach their destination.

[04] "DISCOVERY" RETURNS SAFELY TO EARTH

The safe return to earth of space shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew was received with great enthusiasm around the world marking NASA's successful return to the manned space flights 2 ½ years after the Columbia tragedy.

Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California a little after noon today completing a 14-day space mission that included a visit to the International Space Station and very impressive spacewalks that people back on earth had the opportunity to watch live.

Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base after bad weather forced a change to the intended Florida landing site.

[05] "DISCOVERY" TO LAND IN CALIFORNIA

NASA announced changes in the landing plans of space shuttle Discovery choosing California as the landing site given the adverse weather conditions in Cape Canaveral, Florida where the space shuttle was scheduled to land.

The change in the plans will raise the cost by $ 1m.

The crucial moment will be when Discovery will re-enter into the earth's atmosphere. That was the time of the explosion in Columbia. The Discovery mission in space lasted 13 days.

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