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 14, 2009

Arctic Sea Located[ 327 ]

BBC Friday, 14 August 2009 21:18 UK
Breaking News
The missing ship "Arctic Sea" was found.
The Arctic Sea (file image)
The Arctic Sea went missing in mysterious circumstances last month

A missing merchant ship with 15 Russian crew members on board has been spotted off the coast of West Africa, unconfirmed reports say.

The Arctic Sea had last been sighted in the Bay of Biscay on 30 July.

Reports citing local coastguards now suggest it has been seen some 400 nautical miles (740km) north of the Cape Verde islands.

Russian navy ships have been searching for the 4,000-tonne Maltese-flagged vessel, which had been carrying timber.

Observers have suggested the ship was hijacked, possibly because of a Russian commercial dispute.

Following the reported sighting, a spokesman for the French defence ministry told the BBC that the Arctic Sea was thought to be in international waters.

The spokesman said his information came from the Cape Verde coastguard, who said the ship was outside their jurisdiction. He was unable to confirm the coastguard's report.

It would seem that these acts, such as they have been reported, have nothing in common with 'traditional' acts of piracy or armed robbery at sea.
Martin Selmayr
EU Commission

However, the spokesman said there was a "high possibility" that the ship had been located. French intelligence officials also believe they have found the ship in the same area, he said.

There has been no confirmation yet from Russian authorities that of any sighting of the Cape Verde.

The Russian ambassador to Cape Verde, Alexander Karpushin, said a Russian frigate was heading to the area but had no information on the Arctic Sea's location, Associated Press reported, quoting Russian radio.

Five Russian warships and other vessels have been searching the Atlantic for the vessel.

Attack reports

Carrying timber reportedly worth $1.8m (£1.1m), the Arctic Sea sailed from Finland and had been scheduled to dock in the Algerian port of Bejaia on 4 August.

The ship had reportedly been attacked twice during its journey - once off the Swedish coast, and then off the Portuguese coast.

The crew reported being boarded by up to 10 armed men as it sailed through the Baltic Sea on 24 July, but the intruders were reported to have left the vessel on an inflatable boat after 12 hours.

On Friday, the European Union Commission spokesman Martin Selmayr said: "From information currently available it would seem that these acts, such as they have been reported, have nothing in common with 'traditional' acts of piracy or armed robbery at sea."

Nato was monitoring the situation due to the unusual nature and location of the attacks, but was not directly involved in the search.

Journey of the Arctic Sea


Sahara Desert, Aorounga Impact Crater [ 326 ]

Earth Observatory
Aorounga Impact Crater, Chad
Posted August 10, 2009

Aorounga Impact Crater, Chad

Aorounga Impact Crater is located in the Sahara Desert, in north-central Chad, and is one of the best-preserved impact structures in the world. The crater is thought to be middle or upper Devonian to lower Mississippian (approximately 345–370 million years old) based on the age of the sedimentary rocks deformed by the impact. Spaceborne Imaging Radar (SIR) data collected in 1994 suggests that Aorounga is one of a set of three craters formed by the same impact event. The other two suggested impact structures are buried by sand deposits.

The concentric ring structure of the Aorounga crater—renamed Aorounga South in the multiple-crater interpretation of SIR data—is clearly visible in this detailed astronaut photograph. The central highland, or peak, of the crater is surrounded by a small sand-filled trough; this in turn is surrounded by a larger circular trough. Linear rock ridges alternating with light orange sand deposits cross the image from upper left to lower right; these are called yardangs by geomorphologists. Yardangs form by wind erosion of exposed rock layers in a unidirectional wind field. The wind blows from the northeast at Aorounga, and sand dunes formed between the yardangs are actively migrating to the southwest.

Astronaut photograph ISS020-E-26195 was acquired on July 25, 2009, with a Nikon D3 digital camera fitted with an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image was taken by the Expedition 20 crew. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. The International Space Station Program supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. Caption by William L. Stefanov, NASA-JSC.

Instrument:
ISS - Digital Camera

Μυστήριo με το πλοίο-φάντασμα[ 325 ]

Breaking News -see #[327]

Συνεχίζεται το μυστήριo με το πλοίο-φάντασμα

Το ρωσικό πολεμικό ναυτικό σαρώνει τον Ατλαντικό Ωκεανό

Η ΝΑΥΤΕΜΠΟΡΙΚΗ Παρασκευή, 14 Αυγούστου 2009 07:00


Το υπό σημαία Μάλτας πλοίο μετέφερε ξυλεία συνολικής αξίας 1,4 εκατ. ευρώ
από την Φινλανδία με προορισμό την Αλγερία.


Σαρώνει τις ανατολικές ακτές του Ατλαντικού το ρωσικό πολεμικό ναυτικό μαζί με άλλα πλοία για την ανεύρεση του εμπορικού πλοίου Arctic Sea (3.988 gt) το οποίο έχει εξαφανιστεί από τις 28 Ιουλίου. Το υπό σημαία Μάλτας πλοίο μετέφερε ξυλεία συνολικής αξίας 1,4 εκατ. ευρώ από τη Φινλανδία με προορισμό την Αλγερία όπου επρόκειτο να αφιχθεί στις 4 Αυγούστου.

Ομως μετά τις 28 Ιουλίου και ενώ πέρασε τα στενά της Μάγχης, σύμφωνα με τα ρωσικά μέσα ενημέρωσης, δεν έδωσε σημεία ζωής.

Σημειώνεται ότι διαχειρίστρια εταιρεία του πλοίου είναι η Solchart Arkhangelsk με έδρα το Arkhangelsk, ενώ η έδρα της πλοιοκτήτριας εταιρείας είναι στη Μάλτα. Ο διευθυντής της εταιρείας, Nikolai Karpenkov δήλωσε χθες στο πρακτορείο Itar-Tass ότι δεν έχουν κανένα νέο από το πλοίο και από το 15μελές πλήρωμά του (όλοι Ρώσοι) το οποίο αγνοείται από τις 28 Ιουλίου.

Επίσης σύμφωνα με το BBC διαψεύσθηκαν και ορισμένες αναφορές που έλεγαν ότι το πλοίο είχε εντοπισθεί τις προηγούμενες ημέρες από ένα πορτογαλικό περιπολικό αεροσκάφος.

Αίσθηση έχει προκαλέσει η πληροφορία ότι στις 24 Ιουλίου επιβιβάστηκαν στο πλοίο και ενώ αυτό έπλεε στη Βαλτική θάλασσα 10 ένοπλοι άνδρες. Ωστόσο ύστερα από 12 ώρες οι άνδρες αυτοί φέρονται να εγκατέλειψαν το πλοίο με μία φουσκωτή βάρκα.

Επίσης οι ναυτικές αρχές της Μάλτας ανακοίνωσαν ότι το πλοίο δεν προσέγγισε τα Στενά του Γιβραλτάρ, γεγονός που σημαίνει ότι παραμένει στον Ατλαντικό Ωκεανό. Σύμφωνα με τον Ρώσο ναύαρχο Vladimir Vysotsky, έπειτα από εντολή του προέδρου Ντμίτρι Μεντβέντεφ, ρωσικά πολεμικά συμμετέχουν από την Τετάρτη στις διεθνείς έρευνες που έχουν ξεκινήσει για την ανεύρεση του πλοίου.

«Εμείς δεν έχουμε συγκεκριμένα στοιχεία για τη θέση του σκάφους», δήλωσε ο Ρώσος αξιωματούχος στο ρωσικό πρακτορείο ειδήσεων ITAR-TASS.

Αναλυτές ανέφεραν στο BBC ότι το πλοίο-φάντασμα μπορεί να έπεσε θύμα πειρατείας, η οποία οφείλεται σε εμπορικές διαφορές μεταξύ ρωσικών επιχειρηματικών συμφερόντων.

Άλλοι αναλυτές εκτιμούν ότι το πλοίο είναι πιθανόν να έχει καταληφθεί από πειρατές, αλλά τονίζουν παράλληλα ότι είναι μια πολύ ασυνήθιστη περίπτωση, η οποία φαίνεται να έχει συμβεί σε μία περιοχή όπου δεν υπάρχουν κανονικά πειρατικές επιθέσεις και ειδικά για σχετικά μικρές αξίες φορτίου.

Ο John Osler, αναλυτής της εφημερίδας Lloyds List, δήλωσε ότι η σουηδική αστυνομία διερευνά κατά πόσον η εξαφάνιση του πλοίου είναι αποτέλεσμα της διαφοράς μεταξύ του ιδιοκτήτη του πλοίου και ενός άλλου.

Όσο ο χρόνος περνά, τόσο περισσότερο μοιάζει με κάποιο είδος της διαφοράς μεταξύ ρωσικών συμφερόντων, πρόσθεσε ο ίδιος στο BBC.

Τέλος ένα από τα σενάρια που διατυπώθηκαν έκαναν αναφορά σε «μυστικό φορτίο» που μεταφέρει το πλοίο. Ωστόσο ο εκπρόσωπος της εταιρείας Νικολάι Karpenkov, απέρριψε τις εικασίες αυτές λέγοντας ότι το πλοίο ελέγχθηκε τόσο μετά την έξοδο του από ναυπηγείο του Καλίνινγκραντ όπου υπέστη ορισμένες επισκευές όσο και στη Φινλανδία όπου φόρτωσε την ξυλεία.

Τι συζήτησαν Μέρκελ-Μεντβέντεφ ; [ 324 ]

Οικονομία και ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα

συζήτησαν Μέρκελ-Μεντβέντεφ

NAFTEMPORIKI.GR Παρασκευή, 14 Αυγούστου 2009 18:53
Τελευταία Ενημέρωση : 14/08/2009 19:00

Στην ενίσχυση των διμερών οικονομικών σχέσεων και στα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα επικεντρώθηκαν οι συζητήσεις μεταξύ της Γερμανίδας καγκελαρίου Άγγελα Μέρκελ και του Ρώσου προέδρου Ντμίτρι Μεντβέντεφ στο θέρετρο Σότσι της Μαύρης Θάλασσας.

Ήταν η τρίτη συνάντηση των δύο ηγετών αυτό το έτος και η δεύτερη σε λιγότερο από ένα μήνα.

Η κ. Μέρκελ καταδίκασε με σκληρή γλώσσα τις πρόσφατες δολοφονίες υπαλλήλων ανθρωπιστικών οργανώσεων στο ρωσικό Καύκασο, χαρακτηρίζοντάς τις «απολύτως απαράδεκτες». Από την πλευρά του, ο Ρώσος πρόεδρος δήλωσε ότι οι δολοφονίες ήταν «πολιτικές» και είχαν στόχο την αποσταθεροποίηση της περιοχής. [Βλέπε άρθρο]

Οι δύο ηγέτες συζήτησαν επίσης την προσφορά της καναδικής Magna και της ρωσικής Sberbank να εξαγοράσουν μερίδιο στην Opel. Η κ. Μέρκελ διευκρίνισε ότι εξέφρασε την «ισχυρή προτίμησή» της για την προσφορά της Magna.

Παράλληλα, ο κ. Μεντβέντεφ υπογράμμισε την ανάγκη για τη Ρωσία να επενδύσει στις βιομηχανίες υψηλής τεχνολογίας στη Γερμανία, ακόμη και σε περίοδο κρίσης, προκειμένου να καταστεί δυνατή η διαφοροποίηση της οικονομίας της χώρας, η οποία εξαρτάται από τους υδρογονάνθρακες.

«Γιατί έχουμε ανάγκη τέτοιες επενδύσεις τώρα, ακόμη και όταν η οικονομία είναι σε στενωπό; Ακριβώς για να εξέλθουμε από αυτή τη δύσκολη κατάσταση», όπως δήλωσε.

Σχετικά με τις σχέσεις της Μόσχας με το Κίεβο, ο Ρώσος πρόεδρος απέκλεισε, στην κοινή συνέντευξη Τύπου με τη Γερμανίδα καγκελάριο, κάθε προοπτική βελτίωσης των τεταμένων σχέσεων της Μόσχας με τη γειτονική Ουκρανία υπό την ηγεσία του προέδρου Βίκτορ Γιούσενκο.

«Δεν βλέπω προοπτική αποκατάστασης ομαλών σχέσεων με τους νυν κυβερνώντες» την Ουκρανία, είπε.

Πηγές: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ, BBC

Taiwan,massive mudslide and floods ....[ 323 ]

BBC - Friday, 14 August 2009 12:54 UK

Taiwan mudslide death toll rises

Advertisement

More troops are being drafted in to help the rescue effort

Taiwan's president says the number of people killed in mudslides and floods caused by a typhoon could exceed 500, almost 400 of them in a single village.

Hsiaolin was hit by a massive mudslide that covered all but two houses - and officials say they have given up hope of finding any of those missing alive.

The official death toll has already climbed to 118 but is set to go higher.

The military hopes on Friday to airlift out the nearly 2,000 people who remain stranded in the surrounding area.

Last weekend's typhoon caused Taiwan's worst flooding for 50 years.

In central and southern Taiwan, roads have been washed out, bridges swept away and low-rise buildings sent crashing into rivers. Many mountain villages can only be accessed by air now.

AT THE SCENE
Cindy Sui
Cindy Sui
BBC News, Hsiaolin

Having seen Hsiaolin with my own eyes, I finally understand the magnitude of what happened. It looks like a river bed with nothing on it - the houses are all gone and a 17m bridge that was there can't be seen any more.

Nearly 400 people are buried under a 20-30m deep avalanche of mud.

The authorities don't know where to begin - if they start digging through the mud, it's not stable ground so it could cost lives.

The mud is so deep that even if the rescue crews had been here in time, they wouldn't have been able to dig through.

Hundreds had been feared dead in the wake of Typhoon Morakot, but the government had not previously given an estimated total figure for those killed.

Speaking at a national security meeting on Friday, President Ma Ying-jeou said that with the deaths already confirmed "and some 380 people feared buried by mudslides in Hsiaolin village, Taiwan's death toll could rise to more than 500".

Over the past few days, thousands of people have been airlifted to safety from the settlements cut off by the mudslides and flooding, some 2,000 on Thursday alone.

The BBC's Cindy Sui, in Kaohsiung county, says the authorities are confident they can bring out the remaining 1,900 people thought to be stranded in the area on Friday.

The military has enough helicopters now, she says, and the weather has improved. Troops are being sent on foot into some steep valleys that are hard to search from the air, she adds.

Many of the worst-affected villages are inhabited by aborigines, who farm the mountainous terrain.

Thousands more people are believed to be stranded in remote settlements elsewhere in southern and central Taiwan.

Help on way?

Taiwan's government says it has received offers of help from the international community, including the European Union and the US.

But it has stressed the need for very specific technical assistance - namely giant cargo helicopters that can carry large earth diggers and other machinery into remote mountain areas to help re-open roads.

A home damaged by mudslides and flooding, Hsinfa, 14 August

The government has also requested prefabricated buildings to help house those left homeless by the flooding and supplies of disinfectant, to try to prevent the spread of disease.

The families of those stranded and of the hundreds feared dead have urged the government to speed up rescue efforts.

Many have been waiting for days at the rescue operation centre in Qishan for news of relatives missing since the typhoon struck.

Critics say the authorities were too slow to realise the magnitude of the disaster. Some of those stranded say they have received no help for days and are short of food and water.

The government says it is doing everything it can and that rescue efforts earlier in the week were hampered by bad weather and limited access to the affected areas.

More than 14,000 people have been evacuated by air. Others have been carried to safety over ravines where bridges have collapsed by soldiers using makeshift ziplines.

Military helicopters have been dropping provisions for those still stranded, but poor weather earlier this week hampered their work.

The flooding has destroyed 34 bridges and severed 253 sections of road in Taiwan, Reuters news agency quotes the transportation ministry as saying, with repairs likely to take up to three years in the worst-affected areas.

Officials in the island's south-eastern Taitung county estimated that nearly 3,700 people remained cut off as of Friday morning, the AFP news agency reports, while in central Chiayi county some 9,000 were thought to be stranded.

Typhoon Morakot, which lashed Taiwan with at least 200cm (80in) of rain last weekend, has caused at least $910m (£550m) in damages to agriculture and infrastructure, Reuters reports.

Reconstruction is expected to cost some $3.65bn (£2.2bn).

TAIWAN'S WORST-AFFECTED AREAS
Map of area of Taiwan
Qishan - rescue operation centre established here, thousands of troops drafted in to help.
Liukuei - 200 people awaiting rescue from hot spring resort as of Thursday, with another 700 survivors in the area.
Hsinfa - 32 people reported dead, survivors pulled to safety using ropes thrown across river.
Hsiaolin - hundreds feared dead following mudslides the morning after Taiwan's Father's Day.
Taoyuan - residents told to run to higher ground as embankment holding back lake gave way.