Athens News Agency: News in English (PM), 99-06-27

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

NEWS IN ENGLISH

Athens, Greece, 27/06/1999 (ANA)

MAIN HEADLINES

• Former dictator Papadopoulos dies
• Youths attack police station with fire bombs
• Thessaloniki rattled by third tremor in a day
• Bulgarian woman detained for pandering
• Two arrested for transporting immigrants
• More NATO troops expected in Thessaloniki
• Tsohatzopoulos to visit Iran
• Weather
• Foreign Exchange

NEWS IN DETAIL

George Papadopoulos, the Greek colonel who led the infamous 1967 military coup, died in hospital on Sunday at the age of 80. Papadopoulos led a group of Greek military officers in overturning the Greek government on April 21, 1967. In 1973, a year before the junta fell, he became President of Greece. With the return of democratic rule to Greece in 1974, he was arrested and sentenced to death for treason. The death sentence was never carried out, on decision of the government of Constantine Karamanlis but Papadopoulos was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Korydallos Prison. In August 1996, he was transferred to hospital for health reasons and remained there under police guard until his death on Sunday.

Youths attack police station with fire bombs

A group of 20 youths threw up to 15 firebombs at the Zografou police station early on Sunday morning, but no injuries or damage were reported. The attack by the youths, who sought sanctuary in the grounds of the neighbouring university halls of residence, was claimed by the group "Anarchist Cells" in a phone call to a local radio station. The anonymous caller said the attack was to press for the release of anarchist Nikos Maziotis, who is being held by police on suspicion of involvement in a number of bomb attacks.

Thessaloniki rattled by third tremor in a day

A third weak tremor hitting the Thessaloniki area in the past 15 hours have put seismologists on alert although they continue to say that they are not overly concerned by the seismic activity. The latest tremor, measuring 3.1 on the Richter scale, was recorded at 12.58 p.m. on Sunday, with an epicentre 10 kms from the city. An earlier tremor measuring 3.1 was recorded at 10.36 on Sunday morning, and the first, at 3.3, at 9.35 p.m. on Saturday evening. No damage or injuries were reported although all three were felt by residents of the city. On Monday, seismologists recorded a tremor of 3.5 in the region. Another minor quake, measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale, was recorded in the same area in May 1996.

Bulgarian woman detained for pandering

Police in Thessaloniki arrested a Bulgarian woman and were seeking her two accomplices for keeping young women from eastern Europe against their will and forcing them to work as prostitutes. Bulgarian national Rossitsa Tabakova, 30, was arrested after a young woman from Ukraine, Lesya Lazar, 34, complained to authorities after first injuring herself and appealing to passersby from the balcony to be taken to hospital. Lazar said she and Halyna Fedyshyn, 29, had crossed the Greek-Bulgarian border illegally on Thursday with the help of a man identified only as "Dimitris" who handed both women over to Tabakova. Tabakova kept the two women locked in her Thessaloniki apartment, which also housed another two unnamed Bulgarian women, who Tabakova handled assignations for.

Two arrested for transporting immigrants

Police in Kavala said on Sunday they had arrested two men for transporting seven Iraqi illegal immigrants after police chased and stopped a lorry being driven by a Xanthi man. The driver, Mustafa Hussni, 30, told police he had let off the group of illegal immigrants shortly before police stopped him. He and his accomplice, Petros Bariotakis, 27, also from Xanthi, had received 500,000 drachmas to take the group to Thessaloniki. The seven immigrants and the new driver are being sought.

More NATO troops expected in Thessaloniki

US transport aircraft and vessels carrying NATO troops headed for peacekeeping duties in Kosovo are scheduled to arrive in Thessaloniki on Saturday and Sunday. By Saturday evening, eight US C-17 aircraft will have landed at Thessaloniki airport with approximately 150 US troops and 15 jeeps. The force will escort to the war-torn Serb province a US mechanised brigade which arrived in Thessaloniki on Friday night aboard a troop carrier. The brigade's mission is to set up Alliance army camps in the province. On Sunday, five troop carriers - one German, one British and three Spanish - are expected to arrive in Thessaloniki, while two German and two British transport aircraft will land at the port city's international airport.

Tsohatzopoulos to visit Iran

Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos is due to arrive in Tehran on Monday for an official visit, the first to Iran by a European Union defence minister since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Iranian news agency IRNA said on Saturday. Tsohatzopoulos was invited by his Iranian counterpart, Vice-Admiral Ali Shamkhani. During his four-day visit, Tsohatzopoulos was expected to have talks with the leadership of Iran's armed forces.

WEATHER

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Friday's rates (buying)
U.S. dollar          311.002
Pound sterling       491.258
Japanese yen (100)   254.865
French franc          49.058
German mark          164.536
Italian lira (100)    16.620
Irish Punt           408.608
Belgian franc          7.977
Finnish mark          54.124
Dutch guilder        146.028
Danish kr.            43.348
Austrian sch.         23.386
Spanish peseta         1.934
Swedish kr.           36.817
Norwegian kr.         39.630
Swiss franc          201.431
Port. Escudo           1.605
Can. dollar          211.276
Aus. dollar          204.660
Cyprus pound         556.730
Euro                 321.805

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