The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The G8 summit in Italy [ 183 ]

Japanese prime minister Taro Aso greets Silvio Berlusconi
Japanese prime minister Taro Aso greets Silvio Berlusconi

Chaotic start to Berlusconi's G8 Summit

08.07.09

The G8 summit got off to a chaotic start today with its host Silvio Berlusconi being accused of failing to fulfil his pledges on overseas aid.
The fears of an earthquake, the departure of Chinese president Hu Jintao and the absence of French First Lady Carla Bruni all overshadowed the beginning of the three-day meeting.

Gordon Brown wants to use the summit, held in the earthquake-hit town of L'Aquila in Italy, to get leaders to publish timetables setting out whether they are meeting their commitments to double aid to Africa by next year.
The pledge, which was made at the Gleneagles summit four years ago, has still not been set in motion by many nations. Italy is the biggest culprit and this week Bob Geldof lambasted Mr Berlusconi over his plans to cut his overseas budget.

Adrian Lovett, from charity Save the Children, pointed out that Italy will cut aid by 10 per cent on top of a 56 per cent reduction last year. “It's a disgrace. Coming from the host of the G8, this raises serious questions about the credibility of the summit,” he said.
Mr Brown will also call for action to reduce oil price volatility, warning that the global economy is not returning to better health as quickly as some had thought.

Preparations for the G8 have been described as “chaotic” by diplomats and President Barack Obama is expected to have to lead most discussions to hammer out agreements on the biggest issues.
Mr Hu decided to abandon the summit hours before it began, flying back to Beijing amid continuing unrest in China's western province of Xinjiang. Mr Berlusconi shifted the summit from Sardinia to L'Aquila in a show of solidarity with the town after 300 people died and 50,000 were forced to flee their homes in an earthquake in April.

It emerged today the G8 organisers have drafted an emergency evacuation plan that involves flying leaders out by helicopter. The region has continued to suffer aftershocks, including one of magnitude 4.1 last week.

Although the G8 has no official figures, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development estimates that the rich nations' club will fall $23 billion (£14 billion) short of its pledge to raise aid by $50 billion (£31 billion) by next year.

The leaders' agenda also includes the global financial crisis, food security, climate change and Iran.
The first item for discussion today was the global financial crisis and how economic stimulus packages are used to defy the credit crunch. Mr Brown wants to see progress on the £682 billion stimulus agreed at the London summit in April, but he aims to get a £9 billion food security package to developing countries.
He is also keen to ensure that global temperatures do not rise by more than two degrees centigrade.

Yesterday, police in Rome arrested 36 people after masked protesters blocked roads and set fire to tyres.
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