Athens News Agency: News in English, 00-07-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greece - Forest fires - (recasts - 2)

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates-Saturday

[03] Weather Forecast-Saturday

[04] Greece - Putin - Russia

[05] Greece-advertising spending

[06] Sound & Vision-network

[07] Greece-inflation-June figures

[08] Greece-Internet users

[09] ASE-close

[01] Greece - Forest fires - (recasts - 2)

Fire-fighters said that one of two fronts of a forest fire that broke out near Oraiokastron, Thessaloniki was under control on Friday evening, while efforts were being made to contain a second.

In statements to the ANA, a fire brigade spokesman said that the blaze had earlier threatened homes before coming under control.

The second front continued to burn pine forest, he added, but was not threatening inhabited areas.

Meanwhile, a second blaze had broken out near the village of Askos in the Thessaloniki district on Friday afternoon and was burning scrubland near an army shooting range.

In other areas of the country, fires continued to rage, while the blaze near the village of Gargalianoi, Messinia had been reduced to two fronts by Friday afternoon. A third front in Maniaki was now completely under control, fire-fighters said, but fire-fighting units remained in the area in case it flared up again.

Infantry units had been brought in to help fight the other two fronts in Messinia, they added, while no inhabited areas were under threat on Friday evening.

A major forest fire was also sweeping the eastern Aegean island of Samos on Friday afternoon, with 200 firefighters, 30 fire engines, fire-fighting planes and helicopters brought in to fight the blaze.

Meanwhile, other fires were reported on Mount Kissavos in central Greece, at Gerolimena, Lakonia and in the Achaia prefecture.

A blaze was also reported in the greater Athens area, at Souli near Marathon, Attica, while another forest fire was reported on the Ionian island of Corfu.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates-Saturday

Following are indicative foreign exchange rates released by the central bank for the next working day.

Mondays rates (buying)

Euro 334.096

U.S. dollar 351.783

German mark 170.820

[03] Weather Forecast-Saturday

Temperatures will be slightly lower on Saturday although they are expected to rise again next week. Winds northerly, moderate to very strong, turning gale force in parts of the southern Aegean.

[04] Greece - Putin - Russia

MOSCOW (ANA) Greek Defence Minister Akis Tsohatzopoulos on Friday began his official visit here by meeting with new Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Following his more than one-hour talks with Putin, the Greek minister cited what he called common views over issues ranging from stability in southeast Europe, the Cyprus problem and maritime transport rights in the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea, to Europe-Russia and NATO-Russia relations.

Tsohatzopoulos also underlined that Athens was reassured of Russias support for a fair and viable solution to the long-standing Cyprus problem as well as maintenance of the status quo in the Aegean. Other subjects broached included the problem of terrorism and agreement over the need to maintain the principle of borders inviolability in the greater region.

[05] Greece-advertising spending

Advertisting spending in Greece rose 14.8 percent in June compared with the same month last year to 54.7 billion drachmas, Media Services said on Friday.

A report said that television ads exceeded 26.2 billion, for a 12.8 pct increase, followed by magazine ads at 15.8 billion (up 20.3 pct), newspapers at 10 billion (up 19 pct) and radio ads at 4.6 billion drachmas (off 7.0 pct).

Antenna TV topped the list of advertising income with seven billion drachmas, followed by Mega with 6.9 billion, Star Channel with 4.9 bln, Alpha with 3.9 bln and ET-1 with 2.4 billion drachmas.

In the radio station sector, Sky was ahead with 508 million drachmas, followed by Antenna, Flash, Melody and Love radio.

Bodyline, Hyundai, Telestet, Skoka Fabia and Germanos were the biggest advertising spenders in June.

[06] Sound & Vision-network

Sound & Vision SA, a listed electronics and electric appliances chain, on Friday announced the opening of a new retail store in Serres, Northern Greece.

The company's network now expands to 14 stores.

[07] Greece-inflation-June figures

Greece's consumer price inflation slowed to 2.5 percent in June from 2.9 percent in May year-on-year, the National Statistics Services said on Friday.

The NSS said that the consumer price index fell 0.4 percent in June from the previous month compared with an unchanged figure in June 1999 and a 0.3 percent rise in June 1998.

The inflation rate was 2.1 percent in June 1999 on a year-on-year basis.

The monthly fall in the CPI was the result of a 3.2 percent fall in food and non-alcoholic beverages prices' index, and a 2.0 percent fall in the hotel-restaurant index. The clothing-footwear, transport, housing and durable goods indices rose 0.8 pct, 2.1 pct, 0.3 pct and 0.4 pct, respectively.

[08] Greece-Internet users

Internet users in Greece are expected to total 3.5 million by 2004 from an estimated 800,000 by the end of this year, an ICAP-Focus-Bari survey said.

The survey, published in Alpha Bank's monthly economic bulletin, attributed the country's low Internet penetration rate to the high prices paid for computers in Greece, to limited technological infrastructure and to high access costs paid by Internet users in the country.

The average penetration rate in the Internet was 6.0 percent in March 1999.

The survey said that an expected significant growth in Internet use in the next few years would be the result of the creation of Greek portals offering a wide range of information applications in the Greek language and the development of the wireless technology.

The survey expects that Greek portals in the Internet would be raised from three to 10 next year.

Greek Internet users were focusing on obtaining information and news, with only a small percentage using its electronic commerce services.

Greece lags the other European advanced countries in information technology and telecommunications spending and ranked at the bottom of the table with 567 euros per capita in 1999.

The United States topped the list of tech-spending countries with 2,023 euros per capita, followed by Sweden (1,837), Denmark (1,768), Norway (1,730, the UK (1,432) and Japan (1,349).

[09] ASE-close

Equity prices remained under pressure to end lower on Friday with the market testing the 3,900 support level sooner than many analysts had throught.

The general index plunged 1.38 percent to end at 3,914.03 points, its lowest closing since June 24, 1999. Turnover was a low 68 billion drachmas. The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended at 2,163.61 points, off 1.20 percent, and the FTSE/ASE 40 index fell 1.25 percent to 564.42 points.

Analysts said the next support level for the market was 3,750 points.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks ended at 748.81 points, off 3.20 percent.

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