Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-08-09

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

CONTENTS

[01] Gov't unveils 12-year strategic energy plan

[02] PASOK campaign com't meets

[03] Concern over sea turtle population on Rhodes

[01] Gov't unveils 12-year strategic energy plan

Sioufas told reporters that the report detailed the present and future situation in Greece's energy balance as well as the international developments in energy issues. He added that the report further recorded the energy scenaria with respect to anticipated energy trends both in Greece and around the world up to 2020.

"Based on this report, but also the energy policy followed by the government, we aim at energy supply security and protection of the environment, allowing those propsects to render our economy even more productive and competitive," he said, explaining that regional development, on the basis of the country's energy needs both in the present and the future, were included in this framework.

Sioufas called the report a "very significant tool". He that the second part of the report was slated for completion by the end of December, and would be put to public debate so that proposals of political parties, the business community and social partners would be heard with respect to the energy sector.

Caption: A file photo shows Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis (L) with Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas in a previous Parliament session. ANA-MPA / M. MAROGIANNI.

[02] PASOK campaign com't meets

The committee was formed after a decision by Papandreou and is made up of party secretary Nikos Athanasakis and top PASOK cadres Evangelos Venizelos, Anna Diamantopoulou, Petros Efthimiou, Costas Laliotis, Christos Polyzogopoulos, Dimitris Reppas and Thanasis Tsouras. All of the committee members held top ministerial posts in previous PASOK governments, sans Polyzogopoulos, who served as president of Greece's largest union.

The election committee's meetings will also be attended by PASOK's new general director Rovertos Spyropoulos and the director of Papapndreou's political office Pavlos Geroulanos.

The development comes arid a continuing cascade of press speculation claiming that early elections will be called by the premier in late September or early October. Elections in Greece are normally scheduled for March 2008.

ANA-MPA file photo of George Papandreou.

[03] Concern over sea turtle population on Rhodes

The appeal, by the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research Station of Rhodes, was made in response to the alarmingly high numbers of dead or injured sea turtles spotted on the coasts of the island over the past month.

Since the beginning of the year 16 of the 17 sea turtles found were dead and many of had sustained deep wounds. According to reports, a total of six sea turtles were found dead in July alone, which itself is an unprecedented figure based on available station records.

The Rhodes marine station is not just limited to keeping records of the incidents, but it also operates as a first aid station in the wider Dodecanese region, providing medical attention to injured sea animals, particularly sea turtles.

Caption: A sea turtle, the Caretta- caretta species, is shown at a new water park near Irakleio, Crete in February 2007, where it was temporarily hosted after having a hook removed from its mouth when spotted by volunteers in the sea. The turtle was later returned to its natural marine environment. ANA-MPA / S. RAPANIS.

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