Athens - Greek state carrier Olympic Airlines will cancel around 100 domestic and international flights on Thursday as air traffic controllers and flight crews launch a
24-hour strike in protest against government plans to privatize the airline.

The cancellations will cover approximately 100 flights to European destinations such as London, Rome, Brussels and Frankfurt, reports said. Some domestic flights would also be canceled.

Last month, the Greek government launched a tender to sell off the ailing airline, saying it would find new public sector jobs for its workers.

Officials have said Qatar Airways is among the investors interested in the sale but union leaders have pledged to halt the privatization.

Athens - Greek government spokesman Theodoros Rousopoulos resigned on Thursday over a real-estate scandal that has linked the conservative government with a monastery in northern Greece.

Rousopoulos reportedly handed in his resignation to Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and the prime minister accepted it, thanking him for his support to the party over the past eight years.

Brussels - Greece's budget deficit surged to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007, according to revised figures published on Wednesday by the European Union's statistical office, Eurostat.

The figure is well above previous estimates and exceeds the 3-per cent limit by which countries which share the euro need to abide to.

The EU's executive arm, the European Commission, had earlier warned that it would open infringement procedures against Greece if its excessive deficit was confirmed.

However, national governments agree on the need to relax the strict rules governing the EU's Stability and Growth Pact in light of the "exceptional circumstances" resulting from the current financial crisis.

Athens - All flights to and from Greece will be suspended for several hours on Tuesday during the latest nationwide strike which will also shut down banks, schools, public transport and enforce a news blackout to protest drastic economic policies.

Air traffic controllers were due to stop work for four hours, as of noon, as part of the strike called by Greece's two largest unions, private sector federation GSEE and public sector ADEDY, representing more than half of the country's 5 million workforce.

Athens - Greek state carrier Olympic Airlines will cancel more than 70 domestic and international flights on Tuesday as air traffic controllers and flight crews join a nationwide 24-hour strike against government plans to privatize the airline.

The cancellations, which will affect Olympic and Aegean Airlines, will cover a total of 100 flights to European destinations such as London, Rome, Paris and Frankfurt, reports said. Some domestic flights would also be canceled.

Officials at Athens International Airport said that no aircraft will be allowed to land or depart for four hours starting at noon Tuesday, due to the strike.

Athens - Nearly half of all Greeks believe that there is nothing much people can do to reduce one's chances of contracting cancer, according to a recent study.

The study, carried out by the Athens Medical School and the Centre for Health Service Studies, found that nearly half of the 1,490 respondents interviewed were passive about cancer, saying there is nothing they can do to avert the threat of contracting cancer.

The findings, which were published in the Greek daily Kathimerini newspaper, came as researchers indicated a 25 per cent increase in the diagnosis of cancer over the past 10 years.