The official poster for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 has been released and it’s clear the beloved Portokalos family are ‘heading to the homeland’ of Greece when the movie hits cinemas on September 8 this year.
Nia Vardalos, as Toula, and John Corbett, as Ian, will venture to Greece with their family in the latest romantic comedy series.
Since the second movie, Toula’s father has passed away and his last wish for the family was to visit his childhood village and reconnect with their roots.
“We’re going to Greece,” Toula says in the official trailer for the movie. “And by we, I mean the whole family!”
Focus Features drops new official poster for My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.
In the official poster released by Focus Features today, the cast can be seen smiling as they head off on the trip of a lifetime.
The right side features Toula and Ian, whilst on the left you can see a bunch of Toula’s family members. The tagline reads “They’re headed to the homeland.”
Seven of the 12 defendants convicted for the murder of 19-year-old Alkis Kampanos in February 2022 have been sentenced to life by the Mixed Jury Court of Thessaloniki, Greece on Thursday.
People placed candles, flowers and notes at Aris sports club in honour of Alkiviadis Kampanos. Photo: Parakalo.
The jury found seven of the 12 youths guilty of manslaughter with possible intent – lowered from an initial charge of premeditated murder – and five guilty of complicity.
People placed candles, flowers and notes at Aris sports club, the site where Alkis was killed, on Tuesday preceding the final sentences.
Southern Europe sweltered under fierce heatwave ‘Cereberus’ on Thursday, with a warning that temperatures could hit record highs for the continent next week.
According to Reuters, weather alerts are in place across Spain’s Canary Islands, Italy, Cyprus and Greece, with the Greek authorities expecting temperatures to reach as high as 43 or 44 Celsius on Friday or Saturday.
Hundreds of people were spotted queuing to see the Acropolis of Athens in the scorching heat on Thursday.
Authorities put an ambulance on standby near the archaeological site, ready to provide first aid to tourists wilting in the heatwave.
Το #ΥΠΠΟ έχει λάβει όλα τα μέτρα για την προστασία των επισκεπτών λόγω του #καύσωνα στον αρχαιολογικό χώρο της Ακρόπολης.
Ο #ΕΕΣ ανταποκρίθηκε άμεσα στην έκκληση του #ΥΠΠΟ και έχει διανείμει έως τώρα 20.000 δωρεάν μπουκάλια νερό καθώς και οδηγίες αντιμετώπισης του καύσωνα. pic.twitter.com/w6JknB5y5N
A number of people queuing for the tourist attraction were sent to hospital as a precaution after rescue workers attended the area.
Greece’s Culture Ministry also took measures to protest tourists at the site during the heatwave, with the Hellenic Red Cross responding to a ministry request to distribute at least 20,000 bottles of water to visitors for free, as well as information on managing the extreme heat.
This heatwave comes as research released this week showed that as many as 61,000 people may have died in Europe’s sweltering heatwaves last summer.
The aim of the bill is to remove the restrictions for Greeks abroad who are registered in the electoral rolls and wish to vote in Greece’s national elections from their place of residence.
Mr Livanios worked in collaboration with the new Minister of the Interior Niki Kerameus to make the proposed bill possible.
Greece’s Deputy Interior Minister.
In an exclusive statement to The Greek Herald, Mr Livanios expressed his optimism for the approval of the bill, while revealing his feelings around how some Greeks in Australia travelled thousands of kilometres to exercise their right to vote.
“In 2019, with Law 4648, we gave for the first time the possibility to Greeks living outside the country to exercise their right to vote wherever they are,” Mr Livanios said in his exclusive statement.
“Thanks to this first but important step, we saw in the recent elections our fellow citizens on all continents participating, at last, in the highest expression of our democratic polity, travelling with a smile even thousands of kilometres, as in Australia, to reach Melbourne or Sydney. It was a particularly moving moment.
Working with Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“Now is the time to take the next step. Let’s make this process easier for everyone. With the draft law, which is already under public consultation, we are putting an end to the criteria that hindered the voting of Greek citizens outside the country.
“We had already committed to doing this in 2019, when the parliamentary conditions allowed it. We are optimistic that we will succeed.
“The goal is to now enable all those who are registered in the electoral rolls, without restrictions, to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right. For all Greeks to come closer to us, wherever they live.”
West Ham United’s pre-season visit to Perth, Western Australia, links the football club with the late Dylan Tombides and the charity founded in his memory, DT38 Foundation.
Tombides was born in Perth in 1994, playing schoolboy football for local sides Perth Soccer Club and Stirling Lions before being scouted by West Ham, moving to London with his family and joining the Academy of Football at the age of 15 in 2009.
A prolific goalscoring record and outstanding all-round game saw the centre-forward quickly move through the ranks, make a Premier League matchday squad at 17 and his senior debut in an EFL Cup tie at the Boleyn Ground at 18.
Tragically, however, Tombides was diagnosed with testicular cancer while representing his country at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup and, despite his immense bravery and resilience and at one stage being given the all-clear, the disease returned and ultimately took his life in April 2014. He was just 20.
Following his death, Tombides’ No38 shirt was retired by the Club – an honour only previously bestowed on the late, great Bobby Moore, who was also diagnosed with testicular cancer as a young man – and his family created the DT38 Foundation in February 2015.
In the ensuring eight years, the charity – led by Dylan’s mother Tracylee and younger brother and fellow Stirling Lion and West Ham Academy player Taylor – has driven self-awareness and education campaigns in both countries to encourage the early detection of testicular cancer.
This year, Taylor will join the West Ham squad as a Club ambassador on their visit to his home city.
“I love coming back to Australia. Obviously, I get a very warm welcome from the football community and going to see the statue at the stadium and the club Dylan and I used to play for, so it’s always a lovely feeling coming home,” Taylor told Perth’s 91.3 SportFM.
West Ham take on A-League side Perth Glory (Saturday 15 July, 6pm AWST/11am BST) and Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur (Tuesday 18 July, 6pm AWST/11am BST) at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
The book will be launched on Monday, July 17 at 7.30pm (Greek time) at the cafe in the garden of the Numismatic Museum of Athens (12 Panepistimiou Street). Entry to the event is free to the public.
The invite.
The book is an overview and analysis of the multiple forms of interest in Greek culture – from ancient times until the present day all over the world.
It considers not only the Hellenic diaspora but also the various cultural networks consisting of people who study Greek civilisation as a form of cultural reference.
Each chapter of the book discusses a continent, and refers to people, legacies and processes that were and remain active in the specific time and geographical space.
Professor Anastasios Tamis launched his book on Philhellenism in Melbourne earlier this year. Photo: The Greek Herald / Giorgos Psomiadis.
During the event, the book will be discussed by George Babiniotis, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; Iakovos Michaelidis, Professor of Modern History at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; and Professor Tamis, the Director of the Australian Institute of Hellenic Research and President of the Australian Institute of Macedonian Studies.
The event is being coordinated by Evanthis Chatzivasileiou, Professor of History of the Postwar World at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. The new Australian Ambassador to Greece Alison Duncan will speak at the event.
A heart-warming social media video that chronicles an 89-year-old Greek American pappou’s first-ever trip to Greece has gone viral on TikTok.
The elderly man’s parents were born in Greece before emigrating to the United States. He has never visited their Greek homeland until recently.
In the TikTok video posted by @AnnaMG24 (the elderly man’s granddaughter), he can be seen going through Greece’s cobblestone pavements with his walking stick in tow and looked to be overcome with feelings ranging from pride to happiness.
The 89-year-old can also be seen driving around the countryside as dusk falls, touring Greece’s well-known historical landmarks, including the Acropolis, visiting Greek Orthodox churches, wandering on islands, and taking sips of ouzo.
The video has been viewed more than 900,000 since it was first shared on the social media platform on June 14.
Efi Achtsioglou has announced her candidacy to replace Alexis Tsipras as leader of Greece’s leftist SYRIZA party, Ekathimerini has reported.
Speaking from the Athens Conservatory, Achtsioglou called for a sober assessment of the reasons behind the SYRIZA party’s dual electoral defeat in May and June this year.
“We need to work diligently and patiently. My candidacy for the position of SYRIZA president goes beyond the party itself. It encompasses Greece, society, the Left, and the progressive movements of our time,” she said.
“Our objective is to place social issues at the forefront of discussions in Europe.”
She further emphasised that her candidacy is centred around the rights to common resources, education, and dignified employment.
“We stand with the majority, advocating for justice,” the 38-year-old said.
Achtsioglou is a lawyer and has been a lawmaker since 2019. Under the leftist Tsipras government, she served as minister for labour, social insurance and social solidarity.
After decades of tension over energy resources, the leaders of Greece and Turkey have pledged to ‘reset’ ties and resume talks between both countries.
This comes after Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held an hourlong meeting on Wednesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
“Our problems have not been magically resolved,” Mitsotakis told reporters after the meeting. “But today’s meeting confirmed my intention and that of President Erdogan to reset Greek-Turkish relations.”
Στο περιθώριο της Συνόδου Κορυφής του ΝΑΤΟ συναντήθηκα με τον Πρόεδρο της Τουρκίας @RTErdogan. Είναι προς όφελος των δύο χωρών το θετικό κλίμα που έχει διαμορφωθεί στις διμερείς σχέσεις τους τελευταίους μήνες, να έχει συνέχεια και συνέπεια. #NATOSummithttps://t.co/NqMpjG5M7Spic.twitter.com/awn0RmDfG1
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) July 12, 2023
Later, an identical but separate statement issued by the leaders’ offices, clarified that “the two sides agreed to build on the positive momentum and activate multiple channels of communication between the two countries in the coming period.”
Mitsotakis and Erdogan also agreed that the next meeting of a High-Level Cooperation Council, a mechanism the two countries set up in 2010 for their rapprochement, will be held in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki in the autumn.
“We are cautiously optimistic we can turn a new page,” Mitsotakis said.
From a young age, George Sioris has always had a very special connection with his yiayia, Georgia Sioris.
“I grew up in a house with both my parents and grandparents who are from the village of Isari in the Peloponnese,” George tells The Greek Herald with a smile.
“My upbringing was full of love and everything Greek. From the food we ate to the language we spoke.”
The Sydney local spent most of his childhood with his grandparents as his parents worked hard six days a week in their shop.
“They always reminded us of the hardship they went through and for us kids not to take anything for granted. The importance of being a good person and what that meant and to always be proud of our roots,” the 38-year-old explains.
101-year-old yiayia Georgia.
Later, when George met the love of his life Lenyia through mutual friends, his yiayia also gave him some honest dating advice.
“From the moment yiayia met Lenyia she knew she was the one for me,” George explains.
“Yiayia’s advice on dating was the importance of being honest, respectful and never to be jealous as jealousy brings out the worst in people.
“She would emphasise the importance of enjoying the simple things in life like taking your partner for a picnic by the water.”
After having such a huge influence on his life, it’s no surprise George couldn’t wait to celebrate his marriage to Lenyia with his now 101-year-old yiayia by his side.
George and Lenyia on their wedding day.
On Saturday, June 24 this year, George, his yiayia and family gathered outside their home to take photographs before the wedding ceremony at St Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Kingsford, Sydney.
In one photograph, yiayia Georgia can be seen standing next to her grandson, holding a black-and-white photo of her late husband George Sioris.
Yiayia Georgia (left) holds the photograph alongside her grandson, George.
“In the photo, her husband is waiting at the front of the house for her with flowers,” George says, while explaining his special bond with his late pappou.
“Me and my pappou are both named George Sioris. We were both born on April 18 and we buried him on April 18, so there is a very deep connection there. In the photo I have his komboloi (worry beads) in one hand and his klitsa in the other.”
Now, with the wedding celebrations over, we ask George what’s next for his relationship with his yiayia. His answer was instant.
“For so many years, like most yiayias, she would ask me when I would be getting married and that she was waiting for the day,” George says.
“We have a little joke between us. I would say, ‘yiayia I’m going to postpone getting married because the longer I postpone it the longer you’re going to live since that’s what you’re waiting for.’ Now we’ve made a new pact and that is she has to wait until I have kids.”
