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, August 24, 2014

UK close to identifying jihadist..[ 4546 ]


James Foley beheading: UK close to identifying jihadist


James Foley

James Foley was reporting in Syria when he was captured in 2012

The UK is close to identifying a suspected British jihadist from the footage of the killing of a journalist, the ambassador to the US has said. The Islamic State (IS) militant with an English accent appears in the extremist group's video of the killing of American journalist James Foley.
"I do know from my colleagues at home that we are close," Peter Westmacott told CNN's State of the Union show.
The Foreign Office and Home Office refused to comment on the remarks.
"We do not comment on security matters," an FCO spokesman said.
'Sophisticated technologies' Mr Westmacott said: "We're not far away from that [finding Foley's killer]. We're putting a lot into it."
He added that some "very sophisticated" voice recognition technology was being used in the hunt, which is being led by the FBI.
"I can't say more than this at the moment, but I do know from my colleagues at home that we are close," he added.
Earlier this month, extremist group IS published a video of the moments before and after the apparent beheading of Mr Foley, 40, who was seized in Syria in 2012.
Jihadist shown in James Foley beheading video
The man shown in the video spoke with an English accent
 
Referring to the 500-plus British citizens who are thought to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight in the past few years, Mr Westmacott said: "It goes beyond one horrendous criminal... It's a betrayal of all our values."
His comments come after Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond wrote in the Sunday Times that the government was investing "significant resources" to tackle "a barbaric ideology".
Mr Hammond also warned the threat from conflicts in Syria and Iraq could last a generation.
Philip Hammond
Philip Hammond said the conflicts in Iraq and Syria could last a generation
 Downing Street earlier announced the appointment of a new security convoy to Iraq.
Lt Gen Sir Simon Mayall, the government's senior defence advisor for the Middle East, will travel to the country next week to meet political leaders.
Work is also under way to supply "non-lethal equipment" to Kurdish forces who are battling IS, including night vision equipment and body armour, a No 10 spokesman added.
Domestic threat Home Secretary Theresa May has said the government is looking at new powers to tackle the threat of extremism in Britain.
But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called for a stronger domestic response.
"More must be done to stop British citizens joining the barbarism and to keep the country safe if they return," she wrote in the Sunday Times.
Isis fighters in Anbar province (file photo)
Islamic State was formed out of al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2013
 She called for more action "to disrupt the travel plans of those planning go out to fight through better monitoring of the borders' watch list as well as access to passports".
The Home Office insisted it would take the "strongest possible action" against people travelling to fight in Iraq and Syria.
A spokesman said: "The police, security services and Border Force are actively working to identify, detect and disrupt terrorist threats, including from British fighters attempting to return to the UK.
"They use a wide range of powers including those which allow them to detain and interview individuals at the UK border suspected of being involved in terrorism."
Senior Conservative MP David Davis, meanwhile, said TPims - used to restrict movement, the use of computers and mobile phones and meetings with others - were "completely useless".
"What happens with them is that all the dangerous villains get away - they leave the country, go off back to Pakistan or now to Iraq," he told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend.

No comments: