Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-03-01

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

CONTENTS

[01] Athens-quoted PPC gets new managing director

[02] Four-hour stoppage in state services March 17

[03] Deputy sports minister lauds athletes as Greece's Special Olympics medals tally rises to 7

[01] Athens-quoted PPC gets new managing director

His appointment was announced on Monday by Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas, who said Maniatis was already a PPC board member.

The corporation's former managing director, Steryios Nezis, resigned recently, citing differences with company chairman Ioannis Paleokrassas.

Nezis, who assumed his post under the previous government, and the rest of PPC's previous board are to stand trial on March 7 for award of construction of an electricity output station in Lavrio in November 2003. The European Union sent a reasoned opinion on the contract in January this year.

Shortly after announcement of Nezis' resignation, Paleokrassas said he had submitted a file to judicial authorities on past workings of the corporation.

"I believe that transparency in operation of the country's largest industrial company is a structural component of its success. I have for a long time been the recipient of complaints and evidence concerning the company's operations. I consider it to be my duty to put this evidence to judicial authorities for further investigation and evaluation," Paleokrassas said at the time.

In a separate statement, Nezis had cited "continuing malfunctioning" of the firm, which he claimed was due to intervention by Paleokrassas in management that ran contrary to corporate statutes.

Since 2001 when the PPC became an SA company and joined the Athens and London stock exchanges, the company had posted spectacular results for four straight years and operated in full transparency in line with corporate governance, reflected in the stock's movement, Nezis said.

[02] Four-hour stoppage in state services March 17

The strike, which local government workers will also join, is to protest against goverment policy affecting incomes, pensions and company restructuring in state-run corporations.

The walkout is expected to disrupt state railways, telecoms, post offices, civil aviation, electricity and water, and other public services. Bank employees are to stage a 24-hour strike on the same day.

In addition, unions will take part in a European demonstration in Brussels on March 19 timed to coincide with a European Union summit on economic and social policy.

[03] Deputy sports minister lauds athletes as Greece's Special Olympics medals tally rises to 7

Orfanos, who is in Japan, rooting on the Greek Special Olympics team, said successes achieved by the country in Nagano prove, following the Greek national team's clinching of the 2004 Euro Soccer Championship and the successful staging of the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games, that good work is being done throughout the entire spectrum of Greek sports.

The deputy minister visited all the areas in Nagano where Greek athletes are participating in the events and congratulated them for the two gold, four silver and one bronze medals won so far.

Orfanos also held talks with the mayor of Nagano in the morning and invited him to visit Greece for cooperation on sports and cultural issues.

Every two years, thousands of Special Olympics athletes from around the world come together to showcase their athletic skills and celebrate the spirit of Special Olympics. The Special Olympics World Games is a world-class sporting event featuring intense competition and inspiring performances by the movement's great athletes.

Since the first Special Olympics World Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, USA in July 1968, the event has grown to become one of the world's leading athletic events.

Some 1,900 athletes from 86 countries and regions are participating in the 2005 Special Olympics Winter Games, which run to March 5 in Nagano, host city of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games

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