Athens News Agency: News in English, 04-04-13

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Karamanlis confers with FM Molyviatis on Cyprus developments

[02] ATHOC: 75 percent of Olympic ticket sales target achieved

[03] Turkish warplanes infringe Athens FIR, violate national airspace

[04] Cardinal conveys Catholic Church's remorse for 4th Crusade

[05] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud, showers on Wednesday

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates: Wednesday

[07] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks rise, tracking Europe

[08] PM Karamanlis confers with FM Molyviatis on Cyprus developments

[01] PM Karamanlis confers with FM Molyviatis on Cyprus developments

Prime minister Costas Karamanlis on Tuesday met with foreign minister Petros Molyviatis and discussed developments in the Cyprus issue.

The prime minister is due to meet Wednesday morning separately with the Cyprus ambassador in Athens, and with US ambassador Thomas Miller, ahead of a noon meeting of the Inner Cabinet, where Karamanlis is expected to indicate the position the Greek government will take vis-a-vis the Annan plan.

According to sources, the prime minister will take into consideration all the parameters, as well as the situation prevailing in Nicosia, before announcing his decision, which will be revealed on Thursday at the meeting of the council of political party leaders.

[02] ATHOC: 75 percent of Olympic ticket sales target achieved

Athens organisers (ATHOC) on Tuesday announced that they have met their ticket sales goal by 75 percent, four months before the highly anticipated ?Olympic homecoming? brings the Games back to Greece.

?The second phase concludes on April 16, because until June 1 when sales recommence, we will have to distribute the purchased tickets for the numbered seats in the stadiums. Seventy-five percent of this goal has been covered, representing 136 million euros out of a budget of 183 million euros,? ATHOC Executive Director Marton Simitsek told reporters.

He added that the figure is a record for Olympic organising committees, and roughly 22 percent higher than the figure for the Sydney 2000 Games during the same time period before the Games.

[03] Turkish warplanes infringe Athens FIR, violate national airspace

Four formations of Turkish warplanes made an equal number of air traffic regulation infringements in the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR) on Tuesday which developed into eight violations of national airspace in the area between the islands of Limnos and Lesvos, press reports said.

In all cases the 12 Turkish aircraft were recognised and intercepted by Greek air force jets, while in three cases the interception process developed into an engagement.

Three of the Turkish warplanes were armed, the reports said.

[04] Cardinal conveys Catholic Church's remorse for 4th Crusade

ISTANBUL (ANA A. Kourkoulas) Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos received a Roman Catholic Church delegation here on Tuesday, headed by Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the Archbishop of Lyon, and Cardinal Gerard Daucourt, on a day marking the dour 800-year anniversary of Constantinoples sacking during the Fourth Crusade.

?We remember this day after exactly 800 years with the presence of a new cardinal of the Catholic Church, Philippe Barbarin ... who with the approval of his ecclesiastical superiors (Vatican) arrived for the 800th anniversary of that abominable day to express with his presence and words the remorse that our brothers in the West feel; their sorrow for the things that occurred, and to request forgiveness, stressing that this evil example they gave should not be imitated or followed by anyone,? Vartholomeos said after receiving the Catholic delegation at the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Earlier, at the cathedral of Aghios Georgios (St. George), Cardinal Barbarin said the Fourth Crusade was a ?deep wound? that the Christians of the West inflicted upon their brothers in the City (Constantinople). ?We must entrust this irrevocable insult to the mercy of God,? he added.

[05] Weather Forecast: Scattered cloud, showers on Wednesday

Scattered cloud is forecast in all parts of the country, turning to showers in the west and the north. The weather will be cooler. Winds westerly, moderate to strong. Temperatures in Athens from 14C to 21C and in Thessaloniki between 11C and 16C.

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates: Wednesday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.207

Pound sterling 0.660

Danish kroner 7.504

Swedish kroner 9.209

Japanese yen 127.9

Swiss franc 1.561

Norwegian kroner 8.374

Cyprus pound 0.590

Canadian dollar 1.614

Australian dollar 1.590

[07] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks rise, tracking Europe

The Athens bourse finished higher on Tuesday, tracking robust sentiment in other European markets, traders said.

The general share index gained 0.97 per cent to end at 2,475.59 points. Turnover was 91.8 million euros.

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 1.05 per cent up; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalisation paper 0.82 per cent higher; and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities gained 0.67 per cent.

Of stocks traded, advances led declines at 209 to 95 with 53 issues remaining unchanged.

[08] PM Karamanlis confers with FM Molyviatis on Cyprus developments

Prime minister Costas Karamanlis on Tuesday met with foreign minister Petros Molyviatis and discussed developments in the Cyprus issue.

The prime minister is due to meet Wednesday morning separately with the Cyprus ambassador in Athens, and with US ambassador Thomas Miller, ahead of a noon meeting of the Inner Cabinet, where Karamanlis is expected to indicate the position the Greek government will take vis-a-vis the Annan plan.

According to sources, the prime minister will take into consideration all the parameters, as well as the situation prevailing in Nicosia, before announcing his decision, which will be revealed on Thursday at the meeting of the council of political party leaders.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article