Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-05-06

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM: State will retain share in certain utilities

[02] OTE group net profits 54.1 pct down in Q1

[03] ND on Austrian Parliament snub of composer Theodorakis

[04] Population census on May 10-24

[05] Arrests in officers' killings

[06] Stocks down 4.5% in week 

[01] PM: State will retain share in certain utilities

In a tabled question to the prime minister, the head of the left-wing Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) parliamentary group, Alexis Tsipras, accused Papandreou of "selling-off" state assets and of placing the country under the control of the EC-ECB-IMF 'troika'.

In answer to the criticism, Papandreou said that despite selling its majority share, the state will not relinquish control of strategically important public utilities, such as the Public Power Corp. (PPC) and the Athens water and sewage company EYDAP.

He stressed that the government aims at "strategic alliances" that will benefit the country and its citizens rather than small, privileged groups.

Papandreou was also replying to a questions tabled by Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) leader George Karatzaferis. (ANA-MPA)

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[02] OTE group net profits 54.1 pct down in Q1

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[03] ND on Austrian Parliament snub of composer Theodorakis

ND spokesman Yiannis Mihelakis called on the government to take a stand, characterising its silence as absolutely incomprehensible.

On an unrelated issue, Mihelakis described as inconceivable an education ministry decision to limit to three the examination centres for students with disabilities in view of the imminent nationwide university entrance exams. He accused the government of being thoughtless and of displaying social indifference.

According to an ANA-MPA dispatch from Vienna on Thursday, the Austrian Parliament dropped a scheduled performance of the song trilogy 'Mauthausen' by Theodorakis from a memorial event commemorating the 66th anniversary since the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp, held at the Austrian Parliament.

Austria's National Council President Barbara Prammer cancelled the performance on the grounds that the octogenarian composer had made "repeated anti-Semitic statements in past years". (ANA-MPA)

The song cycle was one of the composer's influential 'meta-symphonic' compositions of the mid-1960s and set to music the works of Greek writer and playwright Iakovos Kambanellis, a personal friend of Theodorakis, in which the former recounted his own experiences as a survivor of Mauthausen.

The memorial service, which has been held at the Austrian Parliament each year on May 5 since 1997, took place on Thursday in the presence of Austrian President Heinz Fischer.

Memorial services are also scheduled to take place next Sunday at the site of the former concentration camp, where 122,000 people were killed by the Nazis, including 3,700 Greek citizens. Prammer will head an Austrian delegation at these events, which will include dozens of delegations from other European countries whose citizens were victims of the camp.

These will include a delegation from Greece, which plans to lay wreaths and present Theodorakis' 'Mauthausen' performed by a Vienna musical group.

The composer, accompanied at the time by Kambanellis, had first performed 'Mauthausen' at the site of the former concentration camp in 1988, in a historic concert featuring performer Maria Farantouri and attended by then Austrian chancellor Franz Vranitzky. (ANA-MPA)

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[04] Population census on May 10-24

A total of 55,000 census-takers will participate in the procedure aimed at putting together demographic, economic and social characteristics of the population which are necessary in decision-making and in planning the country's economic and social policy.

The duration of the procedure will be under 25 minutes and citizens will have to respond to simple questions concerning their residence, the people living in it, their age, profession, education and their employment status. The information that will be collected will be confidential.

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[05] Arrests in officers' killings

Another two motorcycle officers were injured during car chase, when fleeing suspects opened fire on police in pursuit.

Authorities said they cracked the case in cooperation with the counter-terrorism unit and even assistance from the intelligence service.

According to initial reports, four main suspects -- two Albanian nationals and two repatriated Greeks from the former Soviet Union -- are considered as the perpetrators in the double homicide. (ANA-MPA)

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[06] Stocks down 4.5% in week

The Media (2.22 pct), Insurance (1.75 pct) and Travel (1.62 pct) sectors scored gains, while Food (3.10 pct), Constructions (2.76 pct) and Banks (1.34 pct) suffered losses. Broadly, decliners led advancers by 66 to 56 with another 60 issues unchanged. Unibios (16.67 pct), Mohlos (10 pct) and PC Systems (9.09 pct) were top gainers, while Altec (16.67 pct), Moda Bagno (14.29 pct) and Vovos (12.79 pct) were top losers.

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