Athens News Agency: News in English, 02-08-06

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

CONTENTS

[01] 156 US congressmen request the recognition of the Jerusalem Patriarch

[02] Unemployment drops to 9.6 pct in the second quarter (ADDS minister)

[03] Gov't asks tourism firms to keep prices down

[04] Unemployment drops to 9.6 pct in the second quarter

[05] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

[06] Four Afghani undocumented immigrants arrested on Lesvos

[07] Weather Forecast: Rain in north, sunny elsewhere Wednesday

[08] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks nose up in cautious trade

[01] 156 US congressmen request the recognition of the Jerusalem Patriarch

WASHINGTON, D.C. (���) - U.S. President George Bush on Tuesday was strongly encouraged by 156 Members of the U.S. Congress to look into the withholding of the recognition of the Patriarch of Jerusalem Irineos, the National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes (SAE) President Andrew E. Manatos and SAE Chairman Andrew A. Athens said.

By tradition, the Synod of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem elects the Patriarch, as it did Patriarch Irineos in August of 2001. The governments of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, again by tradition, confirm the election.

However, the appropriate Israeli officials have withheld official recognition, limiting the full functioning of Patriarch Irineos, a press release of SAE said.

''This letter to President Bush notes that Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Demetrios of America have been working tirelessly for peace, with even greater intensity since September 11,'' the press release added.

''As you know, both of these outstanding religious leaders have expressed great interest in the proper recognition of Patriarch Irineos so that he can make a significant contribution to peace in the Middle East, and carry out his other important responsibilities,? it concluded.

[02] Unemployment drops to 9.6 pct in the second quarter (ADDS minister)

Unemployment fell to 9.6 percent in the second quarter of 2002 from 10.2 percent in the same period a year earlier, and 10.9 percent in the first quarter of this year, the National Statistics Service (NSS) said on Tuesday.

The total number of jobless in the second quarter was 420,100, with unemployment among men falling to 6.2 percent from 6.7 percent in the same period of 2001; and among women to 14.6 percent from 15.4 percent, the NSS said.

Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis told reporters that the decline in joblessness was major, but no reason for complacency.

''The battle against unemployment must continue,'' the minister added.

The number of jobless youth who have never previously been employed fell by 18.7 percent in the second quarter against same-period 2001, and the long-term unemployed dropped by 4.8 percent.

Jobless youth totalled 168,700 in the second quarter of the year, and the long-term unemployed 229,800 people.

The lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Crete (6.0 percent), the Ionian islands (6.0 percent), and the Peloponnese (7.2 percent), the statement said.

Finally, in the second quarter of 2002 employment rose by 0.8 percent with salaried employment up 1.9 percent.

Part-time joblessness rose to 4.5 percent from 4.1 percent in first-quarter 2001, the NSS said.

[03] Gov't asks tourism firms to keep prices down

Finance Minister Nikos Christodoulakis on Tuesday asked tourism enterprises to exercise price restraint.

After a meeting with the Panhellenic Federaton of Hoteliers and representatives of travel agencies, Christodoulakis also expressed concern over stubborn inflation, whose failure to decline was hurting competitiveness of the economy.

He forecast growth of 3.8 percent in 2002, as anticipated.

[04] Unemployment drops to 9.6 pct in the second quarter

Unemployment fell to 9.6 percent in the second quarter of 2002 from 10.2 percent in the same period a year earlier, and 10.9 percent in the first quarter of this year, the National Statistics Service (NSS) said on Tuesday.

The total number of jobless in the second quarter was 420,100, with unemployment among men falling to 6.2 percent from 6.7 percent in the same period of 2001; and among women to 14.6 percent from 15.4 percent, the NSS said.

The number of jobless youth who have never previously been employed fell by 18.7 percent in the second quarter against same-period 2001, and the long-term unemployed dropped by 4.8 percent.

Jobless youth totalled 168,700 in the second quarter of the year, and the long-term unemployed 229,800 people.

The lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Crete (6.0 percent), the Ionian islands (6.0 percent), and the Peloponnese (7.2 percent), the statement said.

Finally, in the second quarter of 2002 employment rose by 0.8 percent with salaried employment up 1.9 percent.

Part-time joblessness rose to 4.5 percent from 4.1 percent in first-quarter 2001, the NSS said.

[05] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank.

U.S. dollar 0.976

Pound sterling 0.632

Danish kroner 7.486

Swedish kroner 9.431

Japanese yen 118.0

Swiss franc 1.466

Norwegian kroner 7.560

Cyprus pound 0.578

Canadian dollar 1.561

Australian dollar 1.853

[06] Four Afghani undocumented immigrants arrested on Lesvos

The Greek coast guard on Tuesday arrested four Afghani nationals on the Northeastern Aegean island of Lesvos, authorities said.

The four said that they entered the country illegally from Turkey, using a rowboat, authorities said.

[07] Weather Forecast: Rain in north, sunny elsewhere Wednesday

Hot, sunny weather is forecast in most parts of the country, with scattered cloud in the north, west and centre, turning to showers and isolated storms in the northern Ionian, Epirus, the western mainland, Macedonia, Thrace and Thessaly. Winds westerly, light to moderate. In the north, temperatures will range from 20C to 34C; on the rest of the mainland from 24C to 35C; and in the islands from 24C to 35C. Temperatures in Athens between 26C and 39C. Same in Thessaloniki with temperatures from 24C to 34C.

[08] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks nose up in cautious trade

The Athens bourse finished slightly higher in cautious trade on Tuesday, despite sharply rising markets elsewhere in Europe.

The general share index gained 0.30 percent to end at 2,093.79 points. Turnover was 53.4 million euros.

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 0.20 percent up; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalisation paper 0.16 percent higher; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities 0.11 percent up.

Of 356 stocks traded, advances led declines at 155 to 139 with 62 issues remaining unchanged.

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