Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-03-18

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

CONTENTS

[01] Helicopter crashes, crew killed

[02] 24h general strike on Wed.

[03] Athens Newspaper Headlines

[01] Helicopter crashes, crew killed

Eyewitnesses said they saw the helicopter flying low and heard an explosion.

One of the eyewitnesses, Koronia deputy mayor Pavlos Papageridis, said he saw flames erupting where the helicopter crashed, and that firefighters and police were alerted and immediately rushed to the area.

According to initial reports, the helicopter, a Huey, crashed just before 10:38 a.m.. and had taken off earlier from the military helicopter base in Alexandria, Imathia prefecture, for Redina, where it was to take party in an Army training exercise.

The causes of the accident were unknown.

The bodies of the three crew members were recovered, and taken to the 424 Military Hospital in Thessaloniki.

Koronia deputy mayor Papageridis, one of the first people to arrive at the site of the crash, told ANA-MPA that the scene was "shocking", with heavy smoke covering the area.

Caption: Firefighters search the debris of the military helicopter after the crash on Tuesday 18 March 2008 near the village Vassiloudi, Thessaloniki (northern Greece). ANA-MPA/NIKOS ARVANITIDIS

[02] 24h general strike on Wed.

The strike will cripple commuter services, while also joining GSEE and ADEDY in the strike will be engineers, lawyers, doctors, pharmacists, teachers and journalists.

No news services will be transmitted by ANA-MPA from 6:00 a.m. Wednesday to 6:00 a.m. Thursday.

Banks remained closed on Tuesday as employees continued their ongoing strike, and will also participate in Wednesday's general nationwide strike, while courts remained closed with lawyers and judicial employees continuing their strike up until Friday.

Municipal sanitation employees and employees at the Public Power Corporation (PPC) will also continue their ongoing strikes on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Athens Metro and ISAP electricity-powered trains were holding a 24-hour strike on Tuesday, while the two transport organisations would operate only from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday during the general strike, but the Metro will not be operating services to Athens' 'Eleftherios Venizelos' International Airport (AIA). Employees at the Proastiako suburban train will be holding repetitive two-hour strikes throughout Tuesday to Thursday, with only one Piraeus-Kiato route running at 11:38 and the return Kiato-Piraeus route at 7:14 p.m. on all three days. The urban ('blue') buses and tram services will also be on strike Wednesday, while the trolley buses will hold a work-stoppage from 10:20 am. to 3:00 p.m. Further, the Express bus lines to and from the AIA will be on strike from 4:25 a.m. to midnight Wednesday. The OSE railway will not be running Tuesday to Thursday, due to participation in Wednesday's strike and two additional 24-hour strikes called by its employees for Tuesday and Thursday.

Further, no flights to and from Greek airports will take place from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, due to a four-hour work stoppage called by Air Traffic controllers, causing cancellations and rescheduling of flights by national carrier Olympic Airlines and Aegean throughout the rest of the day.

Also, all schools (public and private), in all levels of education, will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, due to a 48-hour strike called by teachers' federations.

Hospitals will also be closed, with only an emergency staff on hand.

Petrol stations, too, will be closed on Wednesday throughout the country, while port employees will hold a five-hour work stoppage.

Debate of the bill on the "Administrative and Organisational Reform of the Social Security System" began in the parliament plenary on Monday afternoon, and will culminate with a vote on Thursday.

[03] Athens Newspaper Headlines

The reforms foreseen by the new social security draft law, debate on which began in the parliament plenary on Monday afternoon, the labour unions' and professionals' severe reactions, the Church's opposition to the introduction of co-habitation agreements in Greece, and MIG's (Marfin Investment Group) decision to sell its OTE shares to Deutsche Telekom dominated the headlines on Tuesday in Athens' newspapers.

ADESMEFTOS TYPOS: Employment Minister Fani Palli-Petralia interview with the newspaper: "We are solving the social security problem for the next decades".

APOGEVMATINI: "Church says 'no' to the co-habitation agreement - Clash in the Holy Synod between conservative and moderate hierarchs".

AVGHI: "Two million workers in the vise of the new social security bill - Up to 40% reduction in pensions".

AVRIANI: " German sweep on OTE - Deutsche Telekom becomes strategic partner in OTE and very soon it will overtake the management".

CHORA: "The Balkans on fire - All fronts are open".

ELEFTHERI ORA: "Karamanlis crosses the Rubicon - The government must cross the strike avalanche to pass the social security draft law".

ELEFTHEROS: "According to the new social security draft law the new pensioners will lose up to 500 euros (per month)".

ELEFTHEROS TYPOS: "PPC's (Public Power Corporation) strange decision in Siemens' favour - The PPC Board will discuss on Tuesday a recommendation that has been submitted to it for the PPC waive its rights, under delay clauses, to 3.3 million euros for breach of contract (by Siemens)" over contracted upgrades to two power stations.

ELEFTHEROTYPIA: "10% - 40% reductions in early retirement pensions - The social security reforms 'put a hand' in the pockets of 1.2 million workers".

ESTIA: "Main opposition PASOK takes extreme positions - Adopts Marxist slogans".

ETHNOS: "Gravestone to early retirements - The social security draft law brings reductions of up to 40% in pensions".

KATHIMERINI: "Deutsche Telekom gains entry to OTE via MIG - The German company acquired the 20% (share package in OTE held by MIG) and rumours claim that it will acquire another 8% from the state".

LOGOS: "The state of the global economy worsens - International Monetary Fund (IMF) sounds warning bell".

NIKI: "Greece in a coma - Clash over social security peaks".

RIZOSPASTIS: "Production must come to a stand-still on Wednesday - Everyone together in Wednesday's nationwide strike against the anti-social security draft law".

TA NEA: "498 euros reduction in pensions in 10 large social security/pension funds - Government's trick with pensions".

TO VIMA: "Bankers in a panic - Global alarm over the markets' crisis".

VRADYNI: "Mobilisations cyclone- The strike wave over social security reforms peaks on Wednesday".

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