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.........

Friday, August 20, 2010

Australia Election..[ 1672 ]

     Australia election rivals neck and neck    


Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott 
Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott are heading for a photo-finish in the national elections

BBC.,20 August 2010 Last updated at 06:26 GMT
 
The election campaign in Australia has reached its final day with the two main parties neck and neck.
An opinion poll suggested the governing Labor Party had lost its narrow lead to be tied with the opposition coalition.
Julia Gillard, Australia's first female prime minister, is facing a fight to the finish with centre-right coalition leader Tony Abbott.
Ms Gillard became prime minister in June after ousting her predecessor, Kevin Rudd.


But correspondents say she faces a backlash at the ballot box over a range of issues including the way she replaced Mr Rudd and her policy direction on climate change.
According to the survey by Newspoll for The Australian newspaper on Friday, voters were split 50-50 between the two main parties.
A Newspoll survey on Monday had put Labor at 52% and the Liberals at 48%.
However, most analysts still expect Labor to hang on to power for a second three-year term with a narrow majority.

Analysis

Nick Bryant BBC News, Sydney
Tony Abbott is an iron man triathlete and he has turned these final days of campaigning into a test of endurance by going 36 hours without sleep.
Nicknamed the mad monk, he didn't even lead his party this time last year and few expected him to come close in this race, let alone turn it into a photo-finish.
There is nervousness in Labor ranks and the decision to replace a once-popular leader, Kevin Rudd, with his deputy Julia Gillard has bedevilled its campaign.
Recriminations continued for weeks afterwards, and Ms Gillard even had to enlist Mr Rudd's help when she slumped in the polls.
In the run-up to Saturday's poll, Mr Abbott - who leads the Liberal Party - vowed to campaign non-stop for 36 hours to woo more voters away from Labor.
"I am running for the biggest job in the country, and if you're running for a big job, you've got to make a big effort," he said.
Welsh-born Ms Gillard has warned that the election will be "a real cliffhanger" and urged voters to turn out.
"There is a very, very real risk that (voters) will wake up on Sunday and Mr Abbott will be prime minister," she said. "So, tomorrow is the day for choosing."
Ms Gillard has been hit by a series of damaging - apparently internal - leaks during the campaign, something that Tony Abbott has cited as evidence of disarray with the Labor ranks.
Before taking office, she had been Kevin Rudd's deputy and her sudden leadership challenge in June stunned many Australians.
The challenge came as the Labor Party's popularity was sliding in opinion polls.
Mr Rudd surrendered without a fight after realising his support among government colleagues had collapsed.
Αναρτήθηκε από στις
Ετικέτες

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)