President Costis Stephanopoulos to award prizes to journalists of the diaspora at a ceremony to be held at 7.30 p.m. at Zappeion Hall.

Eurostat team comes to inspect Greece’s budget figures.

Thessaloniki taxi drivers stage a six-hour work stoppage from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. to hold an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the city’s new transport plan.

School custodians stage a 48-hour strike demanding permanent status. Protesters will demonstrate in Klafthmonos Square in the morning.

Emporiki Bank employees stage strike, demanding a collective work agreement.

Communist Party leader Aleka Papariga presents her party’s position on the European Constitution.

Constantine Karamanlis Institute for Democracy holds a conference on the “Post-Olympic Challenge of Greece,” to be held at the Electra Palace Hotel in Thessaloniki starting at 7 p.m. Tourism Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and Deputy Culture Minister Giorgos Orfanos will speak.

Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas to attend EU development ministers meeting in Brussels.

Goulandris Museum of Natural History to present the program “Man and Environment in the 21st Century: Critical Problems” at Zappeion Hall at noon. French philosopher Michel Serres to speak. Tel. 210.801.4813.

National Technical University of Athens holds a conference on “Bio-Medicine,” to be held at the university’s central library at 2.30 p.m. Tel. 210.772.2259 or visit www.ntua.gr.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to speak at a Foreign Press Association luncheon at the Athens Hilton Hotel at 7.30 p.m.

President Costis Stephanopoulos to give a farewell reception for the presidency’s press corps at noon.

School and university student protest in central Athens at noon.

Commemorating International Women’s Day, the General Secretariat for Equality hosts a conference on “Women and Stereotypes in the Mass Media” at the European Parliament offices in Athens, 8 Amalias, at 11.30 a.m.

Representatives of local authorities, hotel workers and school guards stage a protest demanding jobs, in Ethnikis Antistasseos Square outside City Hall at 6 p.m.

Economy and Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis attends Ecofin meeting in Brussels.

Prime Minister Karamanlis to attend an international conference on “Democracy, Terrorism and Security” in Madrid. To Friday.

Representatives of Greece, Russia and Bulgaria to meet in Moscow to review progress ahead of the signing an intergovernmental memorandum on the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline on March 15 in Sofia. To Thursday.

State hospital doctors stage a national 24-hour strike demanding more money and extra staff.

Environment Minister Giorgos Souflias to attend EU environment ministers meeting in Brussels.

Secondary education teachers’ unions (ELME) convene to discuss strike action over financial and institutional demands.

Conference on “The European Directive on Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Challenges and Perspectives,” by Heliotopos conferences, is to be held at 9 a.m. at the National Research Foundation (EIE). Tel. 210.973.0697.

Greek Psychiatric Association exhibition of paintings, “Art Against Stigma,” opens at the Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens. It will run through March 16. Tel. 210.722.3606.

Karolos Papoulias is sworn in as the new president of the republic.

Carnival festivities take place in various parts of Athens.

Grand parade in the Patras Carnival.