Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-05-06

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM says Greek people will renew their trust in PASOK in 2004 general

[02] PM Simitis congratulates Chirac

[03] Fifty-four people killed in traffic accidents during Easter period

[04] Panathinaikos crowned Euroleague basketball champion

[05] Weather Forecast: Partly cloudy on Tuesday

[01] PM says Greek people will renew their trust in PASOK in 2004 general elections

Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Monday evening expressed the conviction that the Greek people will renew their trust in the ruling PASOK party in the 2004 general elections.

Speaking at a meeting organised by PASOK's Prefectural Committee at a hotel in Rhodes, Simitis also launched a stinging attack against the main opposition New Democracy (ND) party, saying it was void of any programmes, positions and proposals. He said the ND was attempting to conceal its lack of a programme through insults and that was why it identified itself ''with devergence and not with convergence.''

Simitis also said that unemployment decreased by 1.5 per cent these past two years, while through the new taxation system, for which proposals will soon be submitted, things will change for the better. ''The taxation matters are changing in the country with a system which consolidates the feeling of justice in society, benefits the lower and middle incomes and encourages the development of small and medium-size enterprises,'' he said.

The prime minister added that the improvement of education was proceeding at a fast rate while reform in the sector of health, which began in 2000, will be completed in 2006 with the new decentralised administrative model of the national health service.

[02] PM Simitis congratulates Chirac

Prime Minister Costas Simitis on Sunday night sent a telegram of congratulations to French President Jacques Chirac after his landslide victory in Sunday's French presidential election runoff vote.

[03] Fifty-four people killed in traffic accidents during Easter period

Fifty-four people lost their lives in 429 traffic accidents throughout Greece from April 27 to Easter Monday, the Public Order Ministry announced.

On Easter Monday alone, seven people were killed, 75 seriously injured and 486 slightly injured.

From Thursday to Easter Monday, 199 traffic accidents occurred, in which 34 people were killed and 266 injured, 44 seriously.

Easter traffic was up 15 per cent compared to last year's exodus from the cities, with 800,000 cars leaving Athens.

Most of the fatal traffic accidents occurred on Easter Sunday with 11 killed and 91 injured.

[04] Panathinaikos crowned Euroleague basketball champion

Panathinaikos Athens beat Kinder Bologna of Italy 89-83 in the final of the Euroleague basketball championship which was held in Bologna on Sunday night.

It is the third time that Panathinaikos has won the European trophy.

The 10-minute scores were: 23-23, 40-48, 66-61, 89-83.

[05] Weather Forecast: Partly cloudy on Tuesday

Partly cloudy weather is forecast throughout Greece on Tuesday with the possibility of brief rain in the Ionian, Peloponnese and Crete. Winds variable, moderate to very strong. Temperatures of 10 to 25 C in the north, 11-27 C in the rest of the mainland, and 14-25 C on the islands.

Athens will be partly cloudy, with temperatures of 14-27 C. Same in Thessaloniki with temperatures of 11-25 C.

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