Athens News Agency: News in English, 01-08-17

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

CONTENTS

[01] Highest administrative court rules for continuation of Athens 2004

[02] Hunting season opens on Monday

[03] Munitions discovered near lake in Kozani, northwestern Greece region

[04] Foreign exchange rates - Monday

[05] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Saturday

[06] Parthenon - Madrid seminar

[07] Greek stocks end lower on ASE

[01] Highest administrative court rules for continuation of Athens 2004 rowing center

The Council of State (CoS), Greece's highest administrative court, on Friday turned down a petition tabled by the Greek Archaeological Society and three ecology organizations to place on hold a governmental decision approving the environmental study for the construction site of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games rowing center.

The petition requested that a joint decision of the environment town planning and public works ministry, the culture ministry, the transport ministry and the agriculture ministry allowing the construction at a site near the ancient battlefield where the Athenians defeated the forces of the Persian empire in the 5th century AD.

The Archaeological society and the ecology organizations claimed in their petition that the graves discovered near the site, during the construction of the fence for the rowing center, was of great archaeological value.

The committee of the CoS ruled that as there were no antiquities in the immediate area of the construction for the rowing center and as the construction has already progressed markedly - per statement of the culture ministry and the Athens 2004 Olympic Games Organizing Committee.

The committee of the CoS also based its ruling on the fact that the area of the rowing center was not declared as a possible site of archaeological significance, while the site of the ancient grave site was of limited significance and will be preserved as part of the architectural design of the rowing center.

[02] Hunting season opens on Monday

The Agriculture Ministry announced on Friday that the hunting season will begin on Monday and end on February 20, but with many restrictions imposed on hunters regarding locations where hunting will be allowed.

The ministry said it was taking into account certain objections put forward by ecology movements and animal rights activist.

Hunting will be forbidden at the permanent areas set aside as wild animals refuges, in zones 500 metres from the country's mainland borders, in sea zones 300 metres from the shore and in burnt forest areas.

[03] Munitions discovered near lake in Kozani, northwestern Greece region

Armed Forces bomb disposal experts on Friday destroyed munitions discovered by a sheepherder in the shallow receding waters of a lake near Kozani, northern Greece.

The munitions included three mortar shells, five handgrenades, smoke canisters and other explosive devices, local police reported.

[04] Foreign exchange rates - Monday

Indicative buying rates until Monday

U.S. dollar 369.898

German mark 172.829

French franc 051.531

Pound sterling 534.258

Irish punt 429.202

Belgian franc 008.379

Luxembourg franc 008.379

Dutch guilder 153.389

Italian lira (100) 017.457

Austrian schilling 024.565

Danish kroner 45.401

Swedish kroner 36.210

Finnish mark 056.852

Spanish peseta 002.032

Portuguese escudo 001.686

Japanese yen (100) 306.347

Swiss franc 222.639

Norwegian kroner 041.564

Cyprus pound 588.901

Canadian dollar 240.540

Australian dollar 197.444

[05] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Saturday

Sunshine is forecast in all parts of the country on Saturday with scattered cloud on the mainland from evening that may lead to storms or showers, mainly on high ground. Winds northerly, light to strong, turning very strong over the Aegean. On the mainland and in the Ionian, temperatures will range from 19C to 35C; and in the Aegean islands from 24C to 31C. In Athens, the weather will be sunny, with temperatures between 24C and 34C. Scattered cloud in Thessaloniki, with a storm likely from evening. Temperatures from 22C to 33C.

[06] Parthenon - Madrid seminar

A seminar focusing on the incomparable main temple atop Athens Acropolis, entitled ?The Parthenon as Part of Europes Roots?, will take place in Madrid between Aug. 20-24.

Speakers at the seminar will include, among others, the curator of Madrids Archaeological Museum, Miguel Angel Elvira; Byzantologist Antonio Bravo; historian Domingo Placido, and University of Barcelona professor Carles Miralles. On the Greek side, the director of on-going works to restore the Parthenon, Nikos Toganidis, will also participate.

Besides the scientific aspects related to the Classical Era temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, the Parthenons presence in art, literature, politics and philosophy will be discussed.

Finally, the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum to Greece will be the main theme of an address by Prof. Rodriguez Adradow, entitled ?Lord Elgin and the Spoiling of the Acropolis?.

The seminar is set to take place at the El Escorial palace.

[07] Greek stocks end lower on ASE

Equity prices ended the last trading session of the week moderately on the Athens Stock Exchange, hit by a wave of selling in blue chip stocks, particularily banks and telecoms, following the closing of positions in the Athens Derivatives Exchange.

The Greek bourse was moving cautiously higher during most part of the session, supported by initial gains in National Bank.

The general index ended 0.50 percent lower at 2,693.17 points, off the day's highs of 2,735.46 points. Turnover was a low 115.83 million euros, or 39.47 billion drachmas.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks ended at 1,499.04 points, off 0.78 percent, the FTSE/ASE 40 index rose 0.14 percent to end at 309.73 points, and the FTSE/ASE SMALLCAP 80 index ended at 899.25 points, off 0.15 percent.

The parallel market index for smaller capitalisation stocks ended at 263.90 points, up 0.18 percent.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 198 to 109 with another 47 issues unchanged.

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