Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-02-11

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

CONTENTS

[01] Tourism Minister inaugurates painting exhibition in London

[02] WWF lauds green energy plans

[03] ASE : Sharp decline

[01] Tourism Minister inaugurates painting exhibition in London

The exhibition showcases the works of 16 noted Greek painters and aims to promote Greek tourism and Modern Greece.

"Though this exhibition you will meet modern Greece and become acquainted with works by modern Greek painters. I call on all of you to combine these pictures of art with your knowledge of Ancient Greece and democracy. That's the message of this exhibition," stressed Markopoulos

[02] WWF lauds green energy plans

According to a WWF-Hellas announcement, the organization also considered «very positive" the minister's statement putting an end to talk about the use of nuclear energy in Greece.

"We must laud Mr. Hatzidakis' stance, which puts a definitive end to the coal drama and the rumors of introducing nuclear energy. With his statements, Mr. Hatzidakis proved that he shares the view of WWF Hellas and the entire society of the citizens, which consider that coal would be a blow to the public health and the environment and would perpetuate today's polluting and dead-end model of development and energy production," said WWF Hellas director Dimitris Karavellas.

WWF Hellas last November published a report titled "Solutions for climate change: vision of viability for Greece in 2050", in effect a low carbon energy vision for the country, proposing reduction of CO2 emissions of close to 70 percent by 2050, outlining specific ways to achieve the reduction.

The report recommended an energy combination and measures that need to be taken in electricity production over the next 40 years so that the country may meet its needs in electricity while at the same time limiting its energy dependence and adequately reducing greenhouse gas emissions. According to the energy model proposed by WWF Hellas, electricity demand in Greece could be contained to just 69,000 GWh by 2020, with Renewable Energy Sources (RES) covering 35 percent of that demand, 29 percent coming from lignite and 32 percent from natural gas, without requiring the use of coal or nuclear energy.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Hatzidakis said that a new dialogue would begin with the country's Energy Strategy Council in light of the fact that the use of coal in the country's energy combination would be terminated, adding that the political parties and environmental organizations would also be invited to take part in the dialogue.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of an electricity coal-powered plant in Kozani, northwestern Greece.

[03] ASE : Sharp decline

Individual sector indices were moving mostly downward, with the biggest losses in Travel and Recreation, down 3.25 percent; Financial Services, down 2.82 percent; Banks, down 2.65 percent; Industrial Products, down 2.29 percent; and Raw Materials, down 2.24 percent.

The biggest gains were in Public Utilities, up 2.41 percent.

The FTSE/ASE 20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks was down 2.31 percent, the FTSE/ASE MID 40 index was down 1.28 percent, and the FTSE/ASE-80 small cap index was down 1.20 percent.

Of the stocks moved, 27 were up, 114 were down, and 24 were unchanged.

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