NEWS

In Brief

NO MORE BETS

OPAP betting shops closed today as owners protest OPAP gambling outlets will be closed today because their owners are protesting the government’s plans to oblige them to keep accounting books recording all income and expenses. They also want 12 percent commission on takings rather than the current 8 percent. The OPAP owners risk missing out on brisk business today as thousands of bets were expected to be placed on the Champions League final in Madrid this evening. POWER UP PPC workers call off strike The union representing workers at the Public Power Corporation (PPC) yesterday called off its plans to launch 48-hour rolling strikes as of Tuesday, May 25, expressing its satisfaction with pledges by Labor Minister Andreas Loverdos. It was feared that the action would cause power cuts. Unionists said they were happy with the minister’s commitments regarding their pensions but said there were other issues that needed to be discussed. Detention concerns Three MPs of the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) yesterday made an official complaint to Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis about a police decision to detain 98 people as a precautionary measure aimed at preventing violence at the protest in central Athens during Wednesday’s general strike. Bare cheek A 21-year-old man has been arrested in Volos, central Greece, on suspicion of posting nude photos of his former girlfriend on a social networking site. Police said the unnamed man uploaded the pictures because he wanted to force the 31-year-old woman to continue their relationship. MBE awarded The British Embassy in Athens said yesterday that Lesvos Consular Correspondent Mairwen Karydis has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in recognition of her voluntary work since 1991 helping British nationals in distress. British Ambassador Dr David Landsman OBE presented Karydis with the MBE. US Embassy The US Embassy in Athens and its Consular Section, the Consulate General in Thessaloniki and all US government offices in Greece will be closed on Monday 24. The Embassy’s Consular section in Athens will also be closed on Wednesday, May 26. Masts down Municipal officials are to take down nine illegal mobile telephone masts in an operation in central Athens on Tuesday, according to a statement by City Hall. The crackdown, being organized by the Town Planning Department of the City of Athens, is concentrating on major streets including Aristotelous and Lenorman. Soccer shake-ups Panathinaikos soccer president Nikolas Pateras yesterday announced his resignation at the club’s board meeting, citing a «dirty war» against him «by those who cannot tolerate the success of Panathinaikos.» The new president will be elected on Friday, May 28, but sentiment among shareholders makes a Pateras re-election quite likely. The resignation comes a day after archrival Olympiakos called an election for a new board on June 14.

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