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.........

Wednesday, March 31, 2010


This blog will remain off, during the week of EASTER
.


Wish every Christian "Xristos Anestei" and to any other of any other
existing and/or non existing God "Good health and peace" .

Sunday, March 28, 2010

India : minister Modi questioned at riots inquiry[ 833 ]

Gujarat minister Modi questioned at riots inquiry

Narendra Modi speaks after questioning by a panel in Gandhinagar,  27 March
Narendra Modi (c) has always denied any wrongdoing over the 2002 riots

BBC,16:48 GMT, Saturday, 27 March 2010

The chief minister of India's Gujerat state, Narendra Modi, has appeared for the first time before a panel investigating deadly riots in 2002.

Gujarat authorities have been criticised for not doing enough to prevent the violence in which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, died.

Mr Modi, a leading member of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), denies any wrongdoing.

The riots took place after 60 Hindus died in a train fire.

The cause of the blaze was never clearly established.

Hindu groups allege the fire was started by Muslim protesters, but an earlier inquiry said the blaze was an accident.

Tight security

Mr Modi told reporters he had been questioned for several hours by the Supreme Court-appointed panel, but gave no details of his testimony.

Gujarat religious riots
The riots left more than 1,000 people dead - most of them Muslims

"I have said before, India's constitution and the law are supreme... no-one is above the law," Mr Modi was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

He was summoned in connection with the murder of a former Congress party MP, Ehsan Jaffrey, who was among dozens of Muslims killed in a residential complex in the state's biggest city, Ahmedabad.

His widow has filed a petition accusing Mr Modi of aiding and abetting his murder, a charge that has been rejected by the chief minister's BJP party.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says security was tight as Mr Modi appeared before the special investigating team.

Few people have been brought to justice for the 2002 riots, which were among the worst outbreaks of violence in decades, our correspondent says.

The Supreme Court set up a panel to investigate the riots two years ago, after allegations that the Gujarat government was doing little to bring those responsible to justice, he adds.

Mr Modi is one of more than 60 people who have been named as co-accused.

In the past, the Supreme Court has criticised the government of Gujarat for failing to protect its Muslim citizens.

Mr Modi's supporters have always said that under the circumstances he could have done little to prevent the violence.

D.R. of Congo: Massacre is uncovered [ 832 ]

DR Congo rebel massacre of hundreds is uncovered

By Martin Plaut
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Advertisement

Locals showed evidence of the massacre

BBC, 00:48 GMT, Sunday, 28 March 2010

Evidence of the massacre of at least 321 people in Democratic Republic of Congo has been uncovered by the BBC.

The killings took place last December but have not previously been reported.

Fighters from the notorious Lord's Resistance Army raided several villages in a remote part of north-eastern DR Congo, killing and abducting children.

Human Rights Watch says this is one of the worst massacres carried out by the LRA, whose fighters roam across several countries after spreading from Uganda.

The rebel leaders initially claimed to be fighting to install a theocracy in Uganda based on the Biblical Ten Commandments, but they now sow terror in Sudan and Central African Republic, as well as DR Congo.

Narrow escape

In the latest attack, the rebels hacked to death villagers and made others carry looted goods.

Jean-Claude Singbatile
He warned me because he is an Azande, like me
Jean-Claude Singbatile

One abductee, 17-year-old Jean-Claude Singbatile, was captured with a group of friends and spent days carrying bags of salt.

"As we marched, the LRA killed people - two at one village, three at the next and then four at the next," he told the BBC.

"They wanted to kill me, but the leader said I should be kept alive, as they needed strong soldiers."

Eventually, one of the rebels warned him that he would also be killed and should take his chance and run for it.

"He warned me because he is an Azande, like me," said Jean-Claude, referring to his ethnic group.

Posing as soldiers

The United Nations had heard rumours that an attack was to be launched around Christmas, and reinforced their troops in the area.

The son of our chief was among them, so we felt we had to give them a burial
Jacques Akoba
Red Cross volunteer

But they were deployed to towns like Dungu and Niangara rather than the remote villages where the killings finally took place.

On 13 December, a contingent of LRA rebels crossed the Uele river, before arriving at a market in the village of Mabanga Ya Talo.

Dressed in military uniforms, they pretended to be Congolese soldiers who had spent months in the forests and asked local people for food and other goods.

They then asked people to carry the goods back to where they had crossed the river, and when the villagers refused, the rebels turned on them.

Adults were attacked, captured, imprisoned in huts, then taken out and made to act as porters.

Anyone who was unable to keep up with the pace of the forced march was "left behind" - a euphemism for being tied up and battered to death with wooden stakes or killed with machetes and axes.

Those who refused or tried to escape were also brutally killed.

It was a pattern repeated in villages all the way to Tapili, some 45km (30 miles) away.

map

Shallow grave

Lt Jeanvier Bahati, a Congolese army commander in the Tapili area, was one of the first to arrive at the massacre site and helped to bury the dead.

"I saw with my own eyes 268 dead bodies, because we buried them - there was no-one else to do it," he said.

LRA MASSACRES
May 2002
Eastern Equatoria, Sudan
450 killed, activists say some villagers forced to walk off a cliff
January 1997
Lamwo, northern Uganda
More than 400 die, roughly 100,000 displaced
December 2009
Makombo, DR Congo
Estimated 312 killed in village raids
December 2008
Doruma area, DR Congo
About 300 die in worst incident of campaign of violence known as "Christmas massacres"

Jacques Akoba, a Red Cross volunteer, said he buried seven bodies in a shallow grave 2km south of Mangada, along with nine skulls he found by the side of the road.

"We were scared as we were burying them, but the son of our chief was among them, so we felt we had to give them a burial," he said.

Human Rights Watch, working with local groups, has verified 321 deaths - but other activists have given far higher estimates.

Witnesses say the stench of death hung over the area for weeks.

Children were a particular target of the LRA.

At least 80 were taken by force - boys to become fighters, girls to be used as sex slaves by LRA combatants.

Quite why they killed so many of their victims is a mystery.

Fear remains

"We don't understand what their strategy really is, but they clearly like killing, like destroying things," said Father Joseph Nzala, the Catholic priest at Tapili.

Jacques Akoba, Red Cross volunteer
Jacques Akoba says he buried bodies after the massacre

Many villagers are still too frightened to go home, and they continue to live in a makeshift camp on the edge of Niangara.

Local people question why the UN, Congolese and Ugandan forces do not co-operate more closely to halt the LRA, who have now returned to their camps north of the Uele river.

Ugandan army commanders claimed they had all but eradicated the LRA after launching a joint operation with South Sudanese and Congolese troops in December 2008.

With logistical and intelligence support from the US, the operation was meant to kill LRA commanders, including its leader, Joseph Kony.

But the attack failed to achieve its aims and the LRA dispersed, attacking churches and villages during Christmas 2008.

Uganda continues to maintain substantial forces on Congolese territory, sometimes conducting joint patrols with the army.

The Congolese soldiers receive support from UN troops who have a number of small peacekeeping bases in the area.

But Anneke van Woudenberg of Human Rights Watch said the massacre provided "clear evidence" of the LRA's ongoing capabilities.

"Rather than ignoring the facts, the governments of the region and UN peacekeepers should co-ordinate their efforts to protect civilians and develop a comprehensive strategy to resolve the LRA problem once and for all," she said.


Chle marks month since earthquake..[ 831 ]

Chile Preisdent Pinera marks month since earthquake

President Pinera at candle-lit vigil
President Pinera has pledged to rebuild damaged areas

(BBC)Sunday, 28 March 2010 03:26 UK

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has attended a vigil to commemorate exactly one month since a massive earthquake struck the south of the country.

Mr Pinera, speaking in the city of Concepcion, repeated his vow to rebuild areas devastated by the earthquake.

The 8.8 magnitude quake and the tsunami it triggered killed nearly 500 people, with thousands more made homeless.

Total damage has been estimated at $30bn (£20bn) with more than 1.5m homes across the country damaged.

Speaking at the vigil in Concepcion's cathedral, Mr Pinera repeated his pledge to rebuild areas hit by the quake.

"We have a debt, a task to rebuild our country," he said.

"As president I will lead that reconstruction process, I'll be the bricklayer, the worker, the carpenter, the engineer and also the architect, representing all Chileans and as we have already said, we will rebuild on stone and not on sand."

Mr Pinera said he also planned to extend the presence of the military in some areas to help speed up the rebuilding process.

'Dry your tears'

Later, he addressed a mass in the square in front of the cathedral, attended by thousands.

He called on people to dry their tears and to start working "in the great task of rebuilding Chile".

Concepcion, the second largest city in Chile, was severely damaged by the quake and hundreds of its residents are still living in tents in parks and gardens.

Tens of thousands who lost their homes in the regions of Bio Bio and Maule and are still waiting for temporary housing.

Mr Pinera took office less than two weeks after the disaster.

A historic British Embassy vacation house [ 830 ]

The Mainichi  Daily News

Historic British Embassy holiday house to be given to Tochigi Prefecture

Ernest Satow
Ernest Satow

NIKKO, Tochigi -(Mainichi Japan) March 28, 2010-

A historic British Embassy vacation house on the shore of Lake Chuzenji in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, will be handed over to the Tochigi Prefectural Government for free, it has been learned.

The residence, built in 1896 by British diplomat Ernest Satow (1843-1929), author of the book "A Diplomat in Japan," is due to be handed over the prefectural government on April 1. The prefecture plans to renovate it, enabling it to be unveiled to the public.

"We are extremely grateful to be handed this historic structure," said Tochigi Gov. Tomikazu Fukuda.

The British Embassy vacation house on the shore of Lake Chuzenji  in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, is pictured in this file photo.  (Mainichi)
The British Embassy vacation house on the shore of Lake Chuzenji in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, is pictured in this file photo. (Mainichi)

Lake Chuzenji is located at an altitude of 1,300 meters, and since the Meiji Era, many embassy vacation homes have been built on the shore of the lake as places to escape the summer heat. Among these, the British structure is the oldest.

The house, which is made of wood, has 495 square meters of floor space. Its outward appearance is Japanese, but there is a fireplace inside, along with other Western furnishings. It is said to have the best view among the four foreign embassy vacation houses on the shore of the lake, and the second floor overlooks Hatcho Dejima Island, which is known for its beautiful autumn scenery.

Kazumi Fukuda, a former Nikko Municipal Government worker who has published books including "Nikko Hishochi Monogatari" (Nikko summer resort story), describing how Nikko emerged as a tourist area during the Meiji Era, says that Satow worked as an interpreter for the British Embassy. He took a liking to the area after renting a home on the shore of the lake, and Emperor Meiji provided him with land to build a villa. Later, the house was used as an embassy retreat.

Recently the villa has deteriorated with age, and for the last two years it has remained unused. In January 2009, the British Embassy approached the prefectural government to discuss the possibility of handing the villa over.

The prefecture plans to open the home to the public once it has been restored, though the exact date has not yet been decided.

NATO chief : Russia relations with Nato: [ 829 ]

Nuclear treaty augers well for Russia relations: NATO chief

Agence France-Presse Published: Saturday, March 27, 2010

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark delivers a  speech at the Russia's Foreign Affairs University in Moscow on Dec. 17,  2009. Aleander Nemenov NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark delivers a speech at the Russia's Foreign Affairs University in Moscow on Dec. 17, 2009.

BRUSSELS -- NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen hailed Saturday a historic new nuclear arms reduction deal between the United States and Russia, saying it augurs well for alliance relations with Moscow.

Mr. Rasmussen told an audience in Brussels that the "welcome news" would not only "contribute to a safer world, it will also give impetus to cooperation with Russia in other fields including with NATO-Russia relations."

U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Friday finalized the agreement to cut long-range nuclear arms, which would see the number of deployed warheads reduced by a third.

The new pact, due to be signed April 8 in Prague, replaces the landmark 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which expired in December.

Mr. Rasmussen told top policymakers at a transatlantic conference that a "security roof" stretching from Vancouver to Vladivostok as sought by Russia should be built on missile defence cooperation between NATO and Moscow.

"I am suggesting nothing less than a radical change in the way we think about European security, about missile defence, and about Russia," he said.

"It would allow Europe to play an active role in a process which, until now, is conducted largely over their heads, by the US and Russia."

Mr. Rasmussen, who said Iran had gone "gone far beyond what is necessary for a purely civilian" nuclear program, pointed to more than "30 countries" that have or are developing missile capabilities at ever greater ranges.

As a result, "we need a missile defence system that includes not just all countries of NATO, but Russia, too," the Dane said.

A NATO summit in November represents a deadline for allies to settle plans, he said, stressing that "we also need a decision from Russia -- a decision to view missile defence as an opportunity, rather than a threat."

Anti-missile defence systems already in place within the NATO alliance fall under a US shield that has missile interceptors in the United States, Greenland and Britain.

Plans for it to be extended into eastern Europe have raised serious concern in Russia.

The Greek Coast Guard parade slogans . [ 828 ]

I Do not agree with the slogans of the Greek coast Guard durring the parade of March 25,2010..,

however
there are lots of previous reasons from the other side ..and hereunder some few... :


  1. Albanian students burn the Greek flag - Topix

    - [ Μετάφραση αυτής της σελίδας ]
  2. YouTube - Greek Flag Burned in Tirana Albania for not recognizing ...

    Greek flag burning on fire in Tirana.United States of Albania 4-ever! Added to. Quicklist0:36 · Greek flag burning on fire in Tirana.United Sta... 367 views ...
    www.youtube.com/watch?v... -
  3. Αποτελέσματα βίντεο για albanians burn greek flag




4.-GUNMEN LOOT, BURN ARMY BASES IN SOUTHERN ALBANIA.(News/National ...
Greek Consulate in Southern Albania Attacked Once Again ....
www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-67654945.html
------------
5.-YouTube - Greek Flag Burned in Tirana Albania
Greek flag burning on fire in Tirana.United States of Albania 4-ever! Added to. Quicklist0:36 -367 views ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v...
----
6.-Albanian Youth Burn Greek Flag ...
They think its cool to burn a country's flag?Our flag there are more than 1.000.000 albanians in Greece
if they don't like our country then they are more ...
www.neos-forum.com/viewtopic.php

Greek coast guard's parade slogans[... 827 ]

StamfordAdvocate

Saturday, March 27, 2010



Greece to punish coast guards over parade slogans

Published: 11:44 a.m., Friday, March 26, 2010
  • Greek coast guard special forces march during a military parade in Athens, on Thursday, March 25, 2010. The Civil Protection Ministry on Friday, March 26, 2010 has suspended the coast guard officer in charge of the parade unit and pledged tough action against unidentified members accused of shouting racist slogans against Albanians during the Independence Day parade. The ministry strongly condemned the incident Friday. Photo: Dimitri Messinis / AP

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities are suspending an officer and pledging tough action against members of a coast guard unit accused of chanting racist slogans during a military parade in Athens.

Video from the parade posted on the Internet shows members of an elite coast guard divers' unit chanting racist slogans against Albanians.

Civil Protection Minister Michalis Chryssochoidis is strongly condemning the incident, which took place at Thursday's Independence Day celebrations, and ordering an investigation.

"These people have no place in the coast guard," Chryssochoidis said Friday. "No brainless person has the right to tarnish his unit ... with racist slogans that convey hatred and xenophobia."

The ministry said further sanctions will follow the investigation.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Visit og Iranian Leader to Brazil.. [ 826 ]




Iranian Leader΄s Visit Takes the Gloss off Lula΄s International Image

By John Fitzpatrick
December 1, 2009

The only good thing to say about the visit to Brazil of Iran΄s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Monday November 23 is that it was mercifully short and lasted less than 24 hours.

Ahmadinejad had his picture taken being hugged by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who gave him a warm welcome and said Iran had every right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

However, Ahmadinejad obviously had more important things to do at home. He was also presumably planning the announcement made on Sunday November 29 that Iran would build 10 new nuclear power stations in response to a resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency two days earlier that was critical of Iran for covering up a uranium enrichment plant.

The visit drew the world΄s attention and has perhaps taken some of the gloss off Lula΄s image on the international stage. Instead of showing some statesmanship and benefiting from the fact that Brazil has never threatened to expand its use of nuclear power, Lula appeared to be defending a tyrant whose election earlier this year is widely believed to have been rigged.

While the security forces in Iran were slaughtering dozens of the thousands of protesters, Lula was supporting Ahmadinejad΄s "victory". Furthermore, he insulted the opposition by comparing them to disappointed football fans who refused to accept that their team had lost a game.

Lula΄s advisers were quick to point out that Lula would be using the visit to try and bring about peace in the Middle East. One of the few requests Brazil did make to the Iranians was that Ahmadinejad should tone down his verbal attacks on Israel and not deny the Holocaust. This he duly did but whether that can be seen as any kind of triumph is debatable. On the very day of the meeting, the Iranian army was testing long-range missiles and threatening to use them if attacked by Israel.

The Brazilian government also mentioned the fact that Lula had met Israel΄s President Shimon Peres and the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, separately during visits they had made to Brazil during the previous two weeks. Just what these meetings achieved is anyone΄s guess. Peres did not even get the chance to take part in a planned public discussion as his security team said the hotel where it was due to take place was not safe enough.

These visits certainly did not make Brazil΄s Jews feel that any breakthrough had been made. Although Lula has made a number of trips to the Middle East, he has not visited Israel in any official capacity during his two mandates. Nor has he given any sign that he intends doing so.

Having said that, Lula probably feels that he has made his point. He wants to be seen as a defender of developing countries and if many of them are unpleasant dictatorships like Iran tant pis. He wants to show the Western powers that their days of telling the rest of the world what to do are over. He believes events like the international financial crisis, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the rise of China and India (along with Brazil) have broken the old model. He has pronounced the G-7 dead and has focused his efforts on trying to build alliances with countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and, of course, Latin America.

At the same time, Brazil has good relations with the developed countries and Lula is not as aggressive as Venezuela΄s maverick Hugo Chavez so he can easily reject any claims of being anti-Western. However, if Lula wants Brazil to be respected more on the international stage, particularly in gaining a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, then cocking a snoot at world opinion is not the right way to go about it.

© John Fitzpatrick 2009

John Fitzpatrick is a Scotsman who first visited Brazil more than 20 years ago and has been based in Sγo Paulo since 1995. He is a journalist by profession and runs his own company, Celtic Comunicaηυes, which provides corporate communications and consultancy services. He can be contacted at johnfitz668@gmail.com.

Courts rule for Leader of Kurdistan Party (PKK) [ 825 ]

Courts rule against PKK leader extradition

Dutch News. nl,, Saturday 27 March 2010

The Netherlands may not extradite a leading light in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) back to Turkey, judges in Roermond said on Friday.

Hasan Adir was arrested near Venlo on January 19 after a car he was in strayed over the border from Germany, where he lives.

Adir, who features on international wanted lists, had fled from Turkey to Germany because of fears for his and his family's safety.

Torture

Turkey asked for his extradition shortly after the arrest.

The Dutch court refused to back the deportation, saying Adir risked being tried a second time for the same offence. The court also said Adir had been tortured in Turkey.

Judges ordered Adir to be returned to Germany where his presence accepted but not officially recognised. The German courts also say there is a real risk he would be tortured if sent back to Turkey.

‘Limpar Portugal’by 100'000 Volunteers[ 824 ]




Read this week's issue online exactly as it appear in print. Click on the image below.



27th March 2010
Edition: 1054


Thousands of tons of rubbish removed in Portugal’s biggest clean-up
27/3/2010

Nearly 100,000 volunteers turned out to participate in last weekend’s nationwide waste-clearing exercise that was ‘Limpar Portugal’; after a day of hard labour more than 70,000 tons of rubbish were gathered from areas including countryside and beaches, and sent on for proper disposal.

“The weather made it a little bit harder, but despite that we managed to achieve the 100,000 volunteers that we were hoping for. Technical opinions are that we managed to gather 70,000 tons of waste”, said Paulo Torres, one of three national coordinators and mentors of the project.

Quarries and recycling entities will confirm the exact amounts of waste that was gathered and forwarded onto the appropriate disposal outlets.

In Braga alone, it is believed the teams of volunteers collected 400 tons of rubbish, “essentially from forest terrain and roads through the middle of thickets”.

“We are quite pleased with the result and we think we managed to pass on the message”, Paulo Torres reiterated.

Unfortunately the project was not without hindrance; one volunteer in Condeixa was accidentally run over while helping clear rubbish and was sent to hospital.

Paulo Torres explained, “It is not a light injury, but I believed the individual is out of danger”.

The mega, nationwide project stemmed from the desire of three off-road vehicle enthusiasts to clear up their local countryside.

Less than 12 months ago the seed was planted when logistics technician Nuno Mendes, 38, uploaded a video on the LandMania Club’s webpage (an association for fans of Land Rovers) about a project carried out in Estonia where the nation united to clear up more than 10,000 tons of rubbish. To the video he added the caption ‘When will this happen in Portugal?’, which immediately grabbed the attention of two other people, Rui Marinho, 43, manager of a chemical product company in Santo Tirso, and Paulo Torres, 50, commercial manager and resident of Braga.

All three men shared the same passion for off-road vehicles and had all noticed on their all-terrain treks that Portugal’s countryside was strewn with large amounts of waste, from old tyres to bumpers, fridges, washing machines and sofas.

Fifteen days after the trio joined forces and decided to try and attempt a similar feat to the Estonian achievement in Portugal, 25 people had pledged their efforts. After three weeks 3,000 volunteers had signed up.

After launching their idea on the Internet the project quickly gained ground and soon caught the interest of the media, local Town Halls, private and public companies, the Environmental Ministry, who offered the project full logistical and promotional support, and even the President of the Republic.

Through the civic movement, which in no way will profit financially, 13,000 garbage ‘hot-spots’ were identified across Portugal and culminated last Saturday in the goal-figure of around 100,000 helping to ‘Clean Portugal’.

Edition: 1054