Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-01-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] Simitis: Rio-Antirrio Bridge walkway to be ready in time for Olympic

[02] Minister outlines EU Greek presidency's priorities in culture and

[03] Final judges panel in N17 case to be chosen on February 3

[04] First ATHOC bureau outside Athens in Thessaloniki

[05] Coalition party leader departing for Brazil on Tuesday

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

[07] Weather Forecast: Cloudy, rainy on Tuesday

[08] Greek stocks end to new five-year lows on Monday

[01] Simitis: Rio-Antirrio Bridge walkway to be ready in time for Olympic Torch relay

The Olympic Flame will pass over the new Rio-Antirrio bridge for the Athens Olympics, prime minister Costas Simitis pledged Monday in the western port city of Patra.

Simitis said that the pedestrian walkway of the new bridge will have been completed in time so that the Olympic Flame may be carried across by runners en route to the venue of the 2004 Olympic Games next August.

Simitis made the announcement during an inspection of progress on the bridge, accompanied by environment, town planning and public works minister Vasso Papandreou, transport minister Christos Verelis, ruling PASOK secretary Costas Laliotis and numerous government officials.

Simitis described the Rio-Antirrio bridge as a ''cutting edge technological project for all of Europe'', and referred to its unique technical specifications given that the area was highly seismic, combined with its geological characteristics and great depth.

Under the terms of the contract, the Gephyra consortium building the project is due to complete the project by December 2004, but it is expected that the pedestrian walkway will be completed before August so that the runners carrying the Olympic Torch may cross it on foot.

[02] Minister outlines EU Greek presidency's priorities in culture and sports

BRUSSELS (ANA - V. Demiris) - Culture Minister Evangelos Velizelos on Monday outlined the priorities and initiatives of the European Union's Greek presidency in the cultural, audiovisual and sports sectors, as well as the candidacy of the city of Patra as ''Cultural Capital of Europe-2006'' before the European Parliament's Culture Committee.

He said EU enlargement with the accession of the 10 new countries and the discussion on the future of Europe are the main elements affecting the Greek presidency's priorities.

Referring to the agenda of the next Council of Culture Ministers, due to be held on May 5-6, he said the target is the approval of a resolution on the obligation of all cultural aspects being taken in the remaining EU policies to enable the promotion of European cultural multiformity.

[03] Final judges panel in N17 case to be chosen on February 3

The final choice on the panel of judges and public prosecutors on the Three-Member Criminal Appeals Court that will try the ''November 17'' case, as well as their replacements, will be made on February 3 by drawing lots among 10 chief justices, 30 appeals justices and 10 public prosecutors chosen by their peers at a preliminary stage.

Meanwhile, the 19th suspect arrested in connection with the case, Anestis Papanastasiou, has asked appeals examining magistrate Leonidas Zervobeakos that he be released with conditions instead of being remanded in custody.

[04] First ATHOC bureau outside Athens in Thessaloniki

The first bureau by the Athens 2004 Organising Committee (ATHOC) outside the Greek capital will open in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, it was announced on Monday.

The new 2004 Olympics bureau will operate in cooperation with the local municipality, as part of an initiative to better promote the Games in northern Greece.

ATHOC managing director Ioannis Spanudakis made the announcement from Thessaloniki, following contacts with local municipal and prefectural leaders, as well as with Macedonia-Thrace Minister George Paschalidis.

The bureau will be headquartered in Thessalonikis municipal art gallery.

Meanwhile, in terms of the all-important volunteers programme for the upcoming Games, Spanudakis told reporters that some 55,000 applications have so far been submitted, with a selection and training process set to begin shortly.

[05] Coalition party leader departing for Brazil on Tuesday

Coalition of the Left and Progress party leader Nikos Constantopoulos will leave for Porto Alegre, Brazil, on Tuesday in light of the World Social Forum.

During his stay in Brazil, Constantopoulos is also expected to meet the country's newly-elected President Loula.

Referring to the planned war against Iraq, Constantopoulos called on the government to take initiatives to have the war averted and stressed the need for no Greek force to participate in the military plans and for preventing the European Union from becoming a ''political clone'' of the United States.

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Tuesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.073

Pound sterling 0.668

Danish kroner 7.492

Swedish kroner 9.270

Japanese yen 126.9

Swiss franc 1.472

Norwegian kroner 7.376

Cyprus pound 0.582

Canadian dollar 1.649

Australian dollar 1.820

[07] Weather Forecast: Cloudy, rainy on Tuesday

Cloudy weather is forecast in all parts of the country with showers likely in the Ionian and on the mainland. The southeast can expect rain and storms. Winds variable, light to strong. In the north, temperatures will range from -2C to 10C; on the rest of the mainland from 1C to 14C; and in the Aegean islands from 5C to 15C. Temperatures in Athens between 7C and 14C; and in Thessaloniki from 4C to 10C.

[08] Greek stocks end to new five-year lows on Monday

Greek stocks suffered heavy losses on Monday in the Athens Stock Exchange as investors, worried over developments in international markets, continued liquidating positions in the market.

The general index dropped 1.30 percent to end at 1,667.67 points, with turnover a low 54.2 million euros.

The IT, IT Solutions, Banks, Cement and Construction sectors suffered the heaviest percentage losses of the day (3.15 percent, 2.81 percent, 2.55 percent, 2.38 percent and 2.04 percent, respectively), while the Industrials and Metals sectors suffered the smallest losses (0.39 percent and 0.34 percent, respectively).

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavy traded stocks fell 1.31 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index ended 1.83 percent lower, the FTSE/ASE SmallCap 80 index dropped 1.95 percent and the wider FTSE/ASE 140 index ended 1.47 percent down.

Broadly, decliners led advancers by 253 to 54 with another 42 issues unchanged.

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