Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-05-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] Weather Forecast: Sunny start on Wednesday

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

[03] PM briefed on business closures, gov't action for redundant workforce

[04] EU meeting of police chiefs concludes on Crete

[01] Weather Forecast: Sunny start on Wednesday

The day will start sunny in all parts of the country, with showers and storms in the northern Ionian, Epirus and Macedonia, and possibly the western central mainland. Winds west-northwesterly, light to moderate. In the north, temperatures will range from 12C to 28C; in the west from 14C to 30C; and in the rest of the country from 16C to 29C. Temperatures in Athens between 17C and 27C; and in Thessaloniki from 14C to 27C.

[02] Foreign Exchange Rates - Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.173

Pound sterling 0.718

Danish kroner 7.483

Swedish kroner 9.243

Japanese yen 137.4

Swiss franc 1.524

Norwegian kroner 7.993

Cyprus pound 0.591

Canadian dollar 1.590

Australian dollar 1.789

[03] PM briefed on business closures, gov't action for redundant workforce

The government's response to the closure of a series of businesses through bankruptcy or relocation and measures to support workers that suddenly face the prospect of unemployment occupied talks between Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Labour Minister Dimitris Reppas on Tuesday.

Later on Tuesday, a committee comprised of labour ministry staff, the workforce and the management of the companies in question met for three-way negotiations on averting the closures.

The labour ministry on Monday pledged to ''go to the very limits of the support it can give to workers at risk of losing their jobs due to the relocation, bankruptcy or closure of businesses.''

The first blow to workers came from Schiesser of Switzerland, which has said it will close its Athens plant at the end of the month and relocate to Bulgaria due to losses. Five hundred redundancies are anticipated.

Last week, the Yvonni cosmetics retailing chain filed for bankruptcy along with Antonopoulos, a supermarket chain.

Two other chain operations - the Musses cocktail snacks chain and Beauty and Diet beauty parlours - are reportedly in jeopardy of bankruptcy.

[04] EU meeting of police chiefs concludes on Crete

European Union Chiefs of Police concluded their seventh meeting at the seaside resort of Aghia Pelaghia on Crete, on Tuesday, a meeting described as historic by Greek Police Chief Fotis Nasiakos, given that it was the first such meeting after the Unions enlargement.

Under high security, police chiefs discussed ways to further improve law enforcement cooperation in the Union and develop a system for collaborating in trans-national police operations.

The meeting reaffirmed the need for closer cooperation on fighting terrorism, illegal immigration, organised crime, forgery, Olympic Games security, etc.

Nasiakos, who chaired the two-day meeting, said in statements that such meetings regarded the present and future in EU security, a security that was an inalienable right of all EU citizens, and which the chiefs of police viewed as their utmost duty to provide.

He added he believed the time was not far when EU police chiefs would have a telephone hot line in order to facilitate coordination in resolving critical security situations.

Attendants included delegations from the EU, Europol, Eurojust, the European Commission, the European Police Academy (CEPOL), the new EU partners, candidate-states Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, as well as Norway and Iceland.

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