In Brief
COMPETITION FINE
OTE accused of abusing privileged position in leased line market The National Post and Telecommunications Commission (EETT) yesterday fined the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) a total of 2 million euros for violating legislation aimed at ensuring fair competition in the sector. OTE was fined 500,000 euros for refusing to provide its competitors access to leased telephoned lines or unjustifiably delaying access. It was fined another 1.5 million euros for abusing its privilege as a monopoly in the purchase of leased lines. OTE ACTION Workers to strike on Feb. 14 in protest at voluntary redundancy Workers of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE) are to stage a 24-hour strike on February 14 in protest at the voluntary redundancy plan that OTE managers have introduced and at their new recruitment strategy, unionists said yesterday. Unionists, who announced the strike following an emergency meeting, have accused OTE of delaying tactics and violation of workers’ rights. Workers are insisting that OTE renew their contracts rather than recruiting from outside the organization. SEXUAL EQUALITY More working women needed Measures need to be implemented to boost the number of working women in Greece, Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos said yesterday, stressing a large proportion of young female graduates are struggling in the job market. «The existence of constitutional provisions aimed at granting women equal rights is not enough, they have to be implemented,» Pavlopoulos told an Athens conference. Sexual inequality is a problem that «offers no scope for dispute between political parties,» he said. Surveillance satellites Greece is to be the 11th country in the world to have access to military surveillance satellites after an agreement was reached in Athens yesterday between Defense Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos and his French counterpart Michelle Alliot-Marie. By participating in the Helios-2 program, Greece will have access to satellite images of surface areas as small as 40 square centimeters. Greece joins France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium as the sixth «full member» of the program consortium. Debt checks Debts to the state in excess of 500 euros should henceforth be paid by check, according to a new measure announced yesterday by Deputy Economy Minister Adam Regouzas. The measure has been implemented in the wake of the increased circulation of counterfeit euro bills, Regouzas said. Cyprus properties British Foreign Office Minister Denis MacShane yesterday advised British citizens to seek legal advice before purchasing a property on Cyprus after a British couple was taken to court over their purchase of land in Lasithos, in the island’s occupied north. Meletis Apostolidis, the owner of the plot of land on which David and Linda Orams built their house, is demanding that they comply with a Cypriot court order to demolish the building and pay him compensation for every day they fail to comply. Pimping arrest A 45-year-old woman who allegedly offered the sexual services of foreign women from her home in Alimos has been arrested, police in Athens said yesterday. The unnamed suspect used a mobile phone to set up the meetings and «screened» clients using a closed circuit television system, according to police. Three foreign women, aged 26, 28 and 33, were also arrested. Busy burglars Two Georgians, aged 28 and 30, have burgled at least 21 homes in different parts of Athens over the past two months, police said yesterday after arresting them in Kypseli. Police confiscated jewelry, electronic gadgets and mobile telephones. Lemnos helicopter A Super Puma rescue helicopter is to be permanently based on the air force base of the northern Aegean island of Lemnos as of Monday. Apart from its military functions, the helicopter will be available for use in emergency situations, authorities on the island said yesterday.
