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.........

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Bangladesh election violence...[ 3310 ]

At least 18 killed in Bangladesh election violence

Bangladesh's opposition has called a new 48-hour general strike to protest at the killing of its supporters by police during a violence-plagued general election

Bangladesh's opposition called a new 48-hour general strike Sunday to protest at the killing of its supporters by police during a violence-plagued general election
Bangladeshi police detain a suspect following an attack on a polling station in the northern town of Bogra  Photo: AFP/Getty Images
.
More than eighteen protesters have been shot dead in polling day violence through Bangladesh as security forces clashed with opposition groups boycotting the general election.
More than 100 polling stations — most of them in local schools - were set on fire on the eve of the election and voting was suspended in 161 voting centres. 
.
Police said they had opened fire on opposition activists launching arson attacks on the election and attempting to sabotage the poll by stealing ballot papers. One auxillary police officer was also beaten to death by opposition supporters.

People help an injured man in Shatkaniya, on the outskirts of Chittagong, Bangladesh (AP) 
.
The violence is likely to continue after the opposition announced it will continue its general strike for a further 48 hours.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party and 20 other other opposition parties boycotted the election in protest at the government’s 2011 decision not to hand over to a neutral caretaker administration — a break with long-standing practice.
Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government has resisted international pressure to delay the election and find a compromise to allow all opposition parties to participate. The European Union and other international organisations declined to monitor the election because of the scale of the boycott. 
 


 









 .






Army soldiers stand guard on a street during parliamentary elections in Dhaka (Reuters)
..
Despite the violence and sabotage, elections were held in 147 of the countries 300 constituencies but the government was already guaranteed victory because its candidates were unopposed in a majority of them.
Badiul Majumdar, secretary of Sujan, a civil society governance movement told the Daily Telegraph the election was “unacceptable.” 'This is an unacceptable election and the government’s moral authority will never be lower. Either the government can initiate dialogue with opposition for another election [or] try and stay in power and then the government will have to apply force and history shows that nobody can stay in power long when their moral position is weak. 
.
This will only complicate situation, make the violence more widespread,” he said.
Tofail Ahmed, a senior Awami League figure, said the party was satisfied with the election and would now form a new government.

No comments: