Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 97-04-27
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 27/04/1997 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- Gunmen kill Greek coastguard officer off Corfu
- Premier awarded honorary doctorate
- Defence Minister to go to Albania after meeting in the Hague
- Easter exodus claims 25 lives in road accidents
- Earthquake causes minor damage
- Ancient skull returned to Greece
- Shops closed on Easter Sunday and Monday
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
Gunmen kill Greek coastguard officer off Corfu
A 22-year-old coastguard officer was shot and killed today when his patrol
boat came under fire from what police believe were Albanian gunmen
travelling 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, estimating that 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 participating in
the multinational protection force in Albania.
Easter exodus claims 25 lives in road accidents
Twenty-five people have been killed and 261 injured in 190 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.
Demand for train, ferry and air tickets rose by more than 50 per cent
compared to last year.
Earthquake causes minor damage
An earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale was recorded at 0119 this
morning, 210 km south-southwest of Athens. The epicentre of the tremor,
which was felt throughout the prefecture of Messinia, was the Gulf of
Kyparissia. Although no injuries have been reported, two houses and a
warehouse sustained structural damage.
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. 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 today and tomorrow. The
post offices at Athens international airport and the port of Piraeus will
however be open throughout the entire Easter holiday. Bakeries will reopen
on Tuesday.
WEATHER
Sunny weather will prevail in most parts of the country today, becoming
cloudy in mainland and northern Greece in the afternoon. Winds will be
westerly, light to moderate. Mostly fair in Athens where temperatures will
range between 7-20C. Cloudy in the afternoon in Thessaloniki where
temperatures will be from 5-19C.
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
(S.S.)
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