Athens News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-08-16
NEWS IN ENGLISH
Athens, Greece, 16/08/1998 (ANA)
MAIN HEADLINES
- State Department's Miller on visit to area
- Manhunt after juveniles break out of Avlona prision
- Search and rescue helicopter purchase
- Public transport fares increase
- Holiday weekend road toll
- Weather
- Foreign exchange
NEWS IN DETAIL
State Department's Miller on visit to area
US State Department coordinator for the Cyprus issue Thomas Miller is due
in Ankara on Monday at the start of a tour of Turkey, Greece and Cyprus.
Informed sources said Miller was conveying a package of proposals to defuse
the tension over Nicosia's planned deployment of Russian-made S-300 defence
missiles and Ankara's threats that it would strike the missiles if they
were installed.
Manhunt after juveniles break out of Avlona prision
Athens police have mounted a major manhunt for 27 foreign juvenile inmates
remaining at large after breaking out of the Avlona prison yesterday. Forty-
one inmates -- one Polish and 40 Albanian juveniles prisoners -- escaped
during an exercise break, but 14 of the escapees were apprehended, one of
whom was injured in a brief shoot-out in the northern suburb of Kifissia.
The chief of police has ordered a judicial investigation into the
circumstances of the jailbreak.
Most of the escaped prisoners were serving sentences for drug peddling and
theft, and one for attempted homicide.
Search and rescue helicopter purchase
A contract for the purchase of four search and rescue helicopters, one of
them an all-weather chopper, is to be signed Monday between the Merchant
Marine Ministry and the French-German consortium of manufacturers,
"Eurocopter".
The cost of the purchase is estimated at 18 billion dr.
Public transport fares increase
Most mass transit fares for the greater Athens will increase as of
Monday.
Bus and trolley fares will increase from 100 to 120 drachmas, while the
special rate fare will increase from 50 to 60 drachmas. Airport express-bus
fares will rise from 200 to 250 drachmas from 5 a.m. through midnight and
to 500 drachmas from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
However, the price of bus/trolley frequent user cards will drop from 6,000
to 5,000 drachmas, while the price of bus/trolley/subway combination cards
remains at 8,000 drachmas.
Holiday weekend road toll
The return of weekend holiday makers to the greater Athens area after the
Assumption of the Virgin Mary holiday, is expected to peak this afternoon.
In 226 road accidents reported by Sunday noon, 22 people were killed and
335 injured.
Authorities estimate that more than 110,000 people left by ferry for the
Aegean islands and Crete in the last two days. Traffic police have
announced measures to facilitate increased traffic on the main highways.
WEATHER
Fair weather is forecast throughout the country today and tomorrow with
some cloud expected in northern inland areas later in the day. Northerly
winds, light to moderate reaching strong to very strong in the eastern
Aegean Sea. Athens will be fine with the temperature ranging from 23 to 36
degrees Celcius. Thessaloniki fine with local cloud developing in the
afternoon and temperatures 20 to 33C.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Friday's rates (buying) U.S. dollar 297.183
British pound 483.302 Japanese yen (100) 205.185
French franc 49.600 German mark 166.205
Italian lira (100) 16.850 Irish Punt 417.037
Belgian franc 8.064 Finnish mark 54.659
Dutch guilder 147.471 Danish kr. 43.698
Austrian sch. 23.620 Spanish peseta 1.961
Swedish kr. 36.692 Norwegian kr. 39.115
Swiss franc 199.491 Port. Escudo 1.626
Aus. dollar 177.925 Can. dollar 196.218
Cyprus pound 565.440
(L.G.)
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