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.

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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.........

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Japan's..leadership survives... [ 1797 ]

Japan PM Naoto Kan survives leadership challenge

Naoto Kan (L) shakes hands with Ichiro Ozawa (R) after the leadership vote on 14 September 2010

Analysts had expected a tight contest between PM Naoto Kan (L) & Ichiro Ozawa (R)

CNN., 14 September 2010 Last updated at 08:39 GMT

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has survived a party leadership challenge from veteran MP Ichiro Ozawa.

Lawmakers and members of the governing Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) elected to retain Mr Kan by a margin of 721 points to 491.

His victory means that Japan will be spared a sixth leadership change in four years.

Mr Kan, who took office in June, has said he wants to rein in spending and curb Japan's massive public debt.

As his victory was confirmed, the yen hit a new 15-year high against the dollar. The strong yen has hit Japanese exporters but Mr Kan has indicated that he is unlikely to intervene in the near future.

Party unity

Analysts had expected a tight contest, with Ichiro Ozawa backed by a large DPJ faction.

In the end, Mr Kan secured a small majority among party lawmakers and was convincingly ahead in the vote from DPJ local lawmakers and party members.

His task now is to secure the support of Mr Ozawa's faction, as well as revitalising Japan's struggling economy.

Speaking after the vote, he appealed for party unity.

"Japan is currently in serious difficulty. We must rebuild Japan to make a healthy Japan again in order to hand it to the next generation, and I will stake my life to do the job and gain support from the people," he said.

Mr Kan has said that he wants to raise consumption tax, restrict government spending and cap borrowing.

He has also said he will honour a controversial deal with the US to relocate the unpopular Futenma US military base from central to northern Okinawa, although many details remain unconfirmed.

But he faces a struggle in parliament, because he does not have a majority in the upper house.

It is not clear what role Mr Ozawa - who is credited with positioning the DPJ for its unprecedented election victory last year - will now play in the party.

Some analysts have suggested he could break away from the DPJ and form his own party

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