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.........

Monday, September 21, 2009

Το σκάνδαλο του Χρηματιστηρίου του 1999..[ 470 ]

Παραπομπή 67 ατόμων για την υπόθεση του Χρηματιστηρίου.

21-09-09
Οι κατηγορίες αφορούν τα αδικήματα της απάτης, της υπεξαίρεσης και της νομιμοποίησης εσόδων από παράνομη δραστηριότητα.

Την παραπομπή συνολικά 67 προσώπων για κακουργηματικές πράξεις, αποφάσισε με βούλευμα του το Συμβούλιο Πλημμελειοδικών για την υπόθεση του λεγόμενου σκανδάλου του Χρηματιστηρίου του 1999 με τις «μετοχές-φούσκες».

Οκτώ χρόνια μετά τον πρώτο σχηματισμό δικογραφίας για την υπόθεση, οι δικαστές παραπέμπουν ενώπιον του Τριμελούς Εφετείου Κακουργημάτων γνωστούς επιχειρηματίες, χρηματιστές, τραπεζικούς υπαλλήλους αλλά και 49 επενδυτές που φέρονται να διευκόλυναν τους συγκατηγορούμενους τους να νομιμοποιήσουν κέρδη από χρηματικές συναλλαγές.

Οι βασικές κατηγορίες που αποδίδονται στους «πρωταγωνιστές» της μεγάλης υπόθεσης αφορούν τα αδικήματα της απάτης, της υπεξαίρεσης και της νομιμοποίησης εσόδων από παράνομη δραστηριότητα.

www.kathimerini.gr με πληροφορίες από ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ

US and the president of Honduras[ 469 ]

US confirms ousted president back in Honduras


by FREDDY CUEVAS Associated Press Writer, 21 Sept. 2009

The U.S. State Department confirms that deposed President Manuel Zelaya has returned home to Honduras to reclaim his presidency.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly says in Washington that U.S. officials have confirmed that Zelaya is in Honduras. But Kelly adds: "Where exactly he is, I don't know, and we're just trying to find out more details."
Officials of the interim government that ousted Zelaya earlier denied his claims that he had returned to Tegucigalpa. And a U.N. official denied that he was at the United Nations office he said he was speaking from in an interview with a local television station.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Deposed President Manuel Zelaya told a local television station Monday that he has returned home to Honduras to reclaim his presidency, defying threats of arrest.

"I cannot give details, but I'm here," Zelaya told the local TV Channel 36. His voice, but not his image, were transmitted. He said he was at the United Nation's headquarters in his homeland.

But a spokeswoman at the United Nation's offices in Tegucigalpa told The Associated Press he wasn't in the offices.

"I have no idea where that story came from," said spokeswoman Ana Elsy Mendoza.

Interim government officials who have held power for three months also denied that Zelaya was in the country, calling the reports a lie.

Zelaya, who said he would hold a news conference Monday afternoon in Tegucigalpa, was forced out of the country at gunpoint on June 28. Interim leader Roberto Micheletti has repeatedly said a jail cell awaits Zelaya if he comes back.

Since then most international leaders have condemned Micheletti, terminating aid and demanding Zelaya's return. Micheletti has said he will step aside after presidential elections are held as scheduled in November.

Leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also insisted on Monday that his ally Zelaya had indeed returned.

"President Manuel Zelaya, along with four companions, traveled for two days overland, crossing mountains and rivers, risking their lives. They have made it to Honduras," Chavez said.

And Elisabeth Sierra, a spokeswoman for the Honduran Embassy in Nicaragua, where Zelaya had been exiled, reiterated that the ousted president returned to his country Monday and was at U.N. offices in Tegucigalpa.

"He is in Honduras and calling the resistance to gather in front of the United Nations and protect the constitutional president of Honduras," she said.

If the current administration attempts to imprison Zelaya, protesters who have demonstrated against his ouster could turn violent, said Vicki Gass at the Washington Office on Latin America.

"There's a saying about Honduras that people can argue in the morning and have dinner in the evening, but I'm not sure this will happen in this case," said Gass. "It's been 86 days since the coup. Something had to break and this might be it."

Associated Press reporters Catherine E. Shoichet, Martha Mendoza and Alex Olson in Mexico City and Fabiola Sanchez in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report

The global recession,...[ 468 ]

Recession and policies cut carbon

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website

Mew York protest
Climate protestors in New York are demanding further cuts

The global recession and a range of government policies are likely to bring the biggest annual fall in the world's carbon dioxide emissions in 40 years.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that global CO2 emissions will fall by more than 2% during 2009.

Measures such as emissions trading have complemented the drop in emissions as economic activity has declined.

The news comes as leaders gather at the UN for a day of climate talks convened by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The anticipated fall in emissions is larger than that seen during the recession of the early 1980s.

Policy measures

The close relationship between GDP and carbon emissions is well documented, so many commentators were expecting that the recession might cause emissions to drop.

But the size of the fall has come as something of a surprise.

The IEA estimates that the recession is responsible for about three-quarters of the fall.

As well as curtailing the business sector's energy use by applying a general economic brake, the straitened circumstances have reportedly led to deferments on investment in new fossil fuel plants.

The remaining quarter of the reduction comes from policies designed to curb CO2 production, according to the IEA.

The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme is one cited by the agency; others are improvements to vehicle fuel efficiency in the US, and China's economy-wide drive to increase energy efficiency.

The full findings will be documented in the IEA's annual World Energy Outlook, to be published in November.

This week sees two significant summits - a special session for heads of government at the UN in New York, and a G20 meeting in Pittsburgh that may unlock new proposals on financing poorer countries' transitions to a low-carbon economy.

One of the main stumbling blocks in the process of trying to agree a new UN climate treaty has been the reluctance of some industrialised countries, in particular the US, to pledge emission cuts big enough to placate developing countries.

The IEA suggests its findings show that emissions can be cut more easily than some governments have assumed.

Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

Missiles: Russia is following the U.S. move 467]

Russia could scrap Baltic missile plans following U.S. move

 Russia could scrap Baltic missile plans following U.S. move

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russia could abandon plans to deploy tactical missiles in its Baltic exclave in response to the U.S. decision to drop its missile shield plans for Central Europe, a high-ranking military source said on Friday.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Thursday that Washington would not deploy missile defense elements in the Czech Republic and Poland, due to a re-assessment of the threat from Iran.

"In response to the U.S. intention to drop its missile shield plans in Europe, the Russian General Staff could decide not to deploy a reinforced group of Iskander missiles in the country's west [Kaliningrad Region]," the source told RIA Novosti.

The George W. Bush administration sought to deploy a radar station in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland as defense against potential strikes from Iran. Russia consistently opposed the plans as a threat to its security and the strategic balance of forces in Europe.

In response to Bush administration's plans, President Dmitry Medvedev said last November that Russia would deploy Iskander-M missiles in Kaliningrad, which borders NATO members Poland and Lithuania, if the shield was put into operation.

Και ο σεισμος της.... ημερας [ 466 ]

Μπουτάν: Τουλάχιστον 10 νεκροί από το σεισμό

NAFTEMPORIKI.GR Δευτέρα, 21 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009 17:01

Τουλάχιστον 10 άνθρωποι έχασαν τη ζωή τους και δεκάδες τραυματίστηκαν από την ισχυρή σεισμική δόνηση μεγέθους 6,3 βαθμών της κλίμακας Ρίχτερ που σημειώθηκε στο Μπουτάν.

Σύμφωνα με το Αμερικανικό Ινστιτούτο Γεωφυσικής, το επίκεντρο του σεισμού εντοπίσθηκε 180 χλμ. ανατολικά της πρωτεύουσας του βασιλείου αυτού των Ιμαλαΐων, Τιμπού, σε βάθος περίπου 7,2 χλμ.

Τουλάχιστον πέντε άνθρωποι σκοτώθηκαν στην περιοφέρεια Μονγκάρ, όπου εντοπίστηκε το επίκεντρο, ενώ οι υπόλοιποι έχασαν τη ζωή τους από κατολισθήσεις σε απομακρυσμένες ορεινές περιοχές.

«Σπίτια, μοναστήρια και δρόμοι καταστράφηκαν, ενώ οι υπηρεσίες κινητής τηλεφωνίας έχουν προσωρινά καταρρεύσει», δήλωσε ο κυβερνήτης της ανατολικής περιφέρειας Τρασιγκάνγκ.

Δεκάδες άνθρωποι εξακολουθούν να βρίσκονται στους δρόμους, καθώς τα σπίτια τους έχουν δονηθεί μέχρι στιγμής από τουλάχιστον έξι μετασεισμούς.