Praxiteles > exhibition in honor of the ancient Greek sculptor July 25, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Arts Exhibitions Greece, Arts Museums.comments closed
A sculpture by Praxiteles, part of an exhibition in honor of the ancient Greek sculptor, is pictured at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens yesterday.
The Athens show, which was inaugurated by Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis yesterday, follows a similar exhibition at the Louvre in Paris.
Athens City rates too high for stores July 25, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Business & Economy.comments closed
A court ruled yesterday that a shop owner should not have to pay a City of Athens fine for using the public space outside his store, which could lead to hundreds of cafe and taverna owners who pay for the right to place tables and chairs on sidewalks claiming money back from the Municipality.
Judges ruled that the capital’s recent dramatic rises in charges for using public space were not enforceable and went beyond the authority that the City of Athens had to increase the rates.
The Municipality changed its rates in 2001 so, for example, a store owner using 36 square meters of public space would have to pay almost 6,500 euros a year for the privilege. The fine for non-payment was double this amount. Before the change in rates, the same amount of space cost store owners under 700 euros a year.
Alexis Anagnostakis, the lawyer representing the businessmen that brought the case, said the ruling means that the City of Athens has to return any money that it gained through the unenforceable rate rises.
Zantino wins Aegean Sailing Rally July 25, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Aquatics.comments closed
Zantino Wind was the winning boat in this year’s Aegean Sailing Rally, organized by the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (HORC) and which ended on Sunday.
The winning crew consisted of eight women with Panayiotis Strouzas as their skipper. Second was Alpha Private Bank, with Pavlos Kourkoulos as skipper, followed by Superfast Racing of Periklis Livas and Nikos Lazos.
The 44th version of Greece’s oldest open sea race once again attracted international interest and was conducted in particularly demanding conditions, given the strong winds for most of the Rally. However, the last leg of the race lasted more than 20 hours, with the wind stopping completely at some point.
The prize presentation ceremony after the 450-nautical mile race was held on Monday.
Related Links > http://www.aegeanrally.gr/indexeng.htm
Major Greek road concession signed July 25, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Architecture Infrastructure.comments closed
Northwestern Peloponnese highway Corinth-Patras-Pyrgos-Tsakona is set for delivery by 2014
The Public Works Ministry yesterday signed a 30-year concession contract with the Apion Kleos consortium for the construction and operation of the National road along the northern and western coast of the Peloponnese.
The cost of the project comes to 2.8 billion euro, which is more than that of the Attiki Odos and Rio-Antirio bridge combined. The state will put up 550 million euro, just under 20 percent. The road will stretch for 365.4 kilometers, of which 283.7 km will be new, while the remaining 81.7 km correspond to part of the existing network that is to be improved.
The Apion Kleos consortium comprises the following companies > Vinci SA, Hellenic Technodomiki-TEV SA, Aktor SA, J&P-Avax SA, Hochtief Projektentwicklung GMBH and Athena SA. The project will be delivered gradually and completed within six years. The busy northern part from Corinth to Patras will be delivered by summer 2011.
“This is a very important day for the Ministry,” said Public Works Minister Giorgos Souflias, “firstly because we are signing the contract for perhaps the most ambitious of the major projects using the concession method and secondly because this project marks the completion of all the tenders for key expressways.”
“The ‘Development Roads’ project, relating to 1,417 km of modern and safe highways, is finally changing the development pattern of the country. New modern infrastructures are being created, facilitating rapid growth and putting an end to the isolation of many parts of the country,” he added.
Construction work on the new highway will begin as soon as the project has been approved by Parliament, probably this coming December. “This is a project of strategic importance for the development of the Peloponnese, Western Greece and Epirus, which has been expected for decades,” added Souflias.
The Corinth-Patras section, stretching 120 kilometers, will have three lanes of traffic in each direction. It will include tunnels with a total length of 10.3 km, as well as 61 bridges, 13 new junctions and 135 overpasses.
The western section will start from Patras, bypass Pyrgos and end at Tsakona, covering 163.7 km. It will have two lanes in each direction, 1.4 km of tunnels and 55 bridges. The contract also envisages improvements to the existing Elefsis-Corinth section (63.4 km) of the Athens-Corinth National road and of the Patras bypass (18.3 km). Although these sections were delivered as recently as 2003, a number of problems have arisen.
The timetable also provides for safety improvements to the Corinth-Patras section. Toll fares will be calculated on the same basis as today (0.04 euro per km) with the first increases anticipated in early 2008. The new expressway is expected to serve up to three times the number of vehicles as at present.
IKEA opening in Cyprus July 25, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Business & Economy, Shopping.comments closed
Swedish home-furnishing company IKEA will open its first outlet in Cyprus on September 6, Greek franchise owner Fourlis said on Monday.
The 20,000-square-meter store is nearing completion on the outskirts of Nicosia. “We aspire to be one of the biggest investors in Cyprus, with an investment of 40 million euros and the employment of between 300 and 350 people,” Chairman Vassilis Fourlis said at a presentation here.
Greek Soltech’s turkey photovoltaic order July 25, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Business & Economy, Energy.comments closed
GT Solar International Inc said its GT Solar Inc unit received a $40.7 million order from Patras, Greece-based Soltech SA for a turnkey line of equipment capable of making 30 megawatts of solar wafers, cells and modules annually.
GT Solar International, Inc.’s wholly owned subsidiary, GT Solar Inc., has received a $40,700,000 order from Soltech, S.A. in Patras, Greece, for a turnkey line of equipment capable of making 30 megawatts (MW) of solar wafers, cells and modules annually.
The equipment includes GT Solar’s new DSS450 furnace, which produces 400 kilograms (kg) to 450 kg silicon ingots, and Atlas tabber/stringers, which arrange rows of solar cells for placement in solar modules.
“This order represents GT’s first sale of an integrated factory,” said GT Solar President and CEO, Thomas Zarrella, “and underscores GT’s value as an enabler of companies that are interested in the solar (PV) business.”
Soltech, S.A. President, Dimitrios Panagakos, said, “We are purchasing a technologically advanced line of equipment and technology that will make us competitive in the fast-growing photovoltaic marketplace.” Soltech, S.A. will become a fully integrated solar PV player in the Southern European market.
Soltech, S.A. of Patras, is positioned to be Greece’s leading supplier of solar wafers, cells and modules. It will be distinctly positioned as the first fully integrated solar PV player in the Southern European market. Soltech, S.A.’s unique production platform translates into concrete advantages for its customers, including higher efficiency, faster service and a broader range of deliverable solutions.
Metka wins PPC’s power plant contract July 25, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Business & Economy, Energy.comments closed
The Public Power Corporation (PPC) awarded Greek construction company Metka a contract to build a power plant after an appeal by a competing bidder was rejected, PPC said yesterday.
Metka was named preferred bidder for the contract earlier this year and offered to build a 427-megawatt natural gas-powered plant on the island of Evia for 219 million euros. The project in the town of Aliveri is due to be completed within 27 months, PPC said in a statement.
Metka, a subsidiary of Greek metals and engineering Group Mytilineos, beat out a rival bid by Damco Energy. Metka has said it planned to use new technology provided by France’s Alstom to build the generator, the largest natural gas-powered plant in Greece in terms of power.
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