Hailiti, who was born and raised in war-torn Kosovo, arrived in Australia as a refugee at 14 years of age, with his playing career taking off at Sydney Olympic.
It was there that former head coach Frank Arok and former Socceroo Peter Raskopoulos, and later, Sam Krslovic at Sydney United, took him under their wing.
The forward then went on to join the Newcastle Jets in 2005, in the A-League’s first season.
With brief stints playing in Albania and Poland from 2007 to 2009, he then returned to the Jets before joining the Western Sydney Wanderers in 2011.
Labinot Haliti won the Premier’s Plate and the Asian Champions League as a Wanderers player.
Haliti starred in the Wanderers’ 2014 Asian Champions League final success and played in every match of their successful campaign. They became the first Australian team to be crowned Asian Champions, an achievement they reached in only their first attempt in the Asian tournament.
In 2015, he signed a two-year deal with Newcastle Jets where he finished his playing career.
Haliti as a coach with the Newcastle Jets. Photo: Max Mason-Hubers
He began coaching at Newcastle as team assistant, before being appointed head coach in 2017 of the youth squad.
In 2019, he returned to the Wanderers as an assistant football coach.
The European Commission has proposed another set of emergency measures to tackle high energy prices and low fuel supply affecting Europe since Russia cut gas flows.
The measures did not include an immediate gas price cap, instead proposed the setting of a temporary “maximum dynamic price” on trades at the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) Dutch gas hub, which serves as a benchmark price for European gas trading, Reuters reported.
If agreed, the proposals would also see the creation of a joint gas-buying scheme requiring EU countries to jointly purchase 15% of the volume needed to fill gas storage by November 2023.
Russia's war on Ukraine has triggered an energy crisis
We have been working hard to protect Europe against the fall-out on the energy markets.
“We know that we are strong when we act together… The member states and the energy companies should leverage their joint purchasing power,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
The measures would also redirect nearly 40 billion euros of unspent EU budget funds to help vulnerable citizens and businesses affected by high energy prices.
The proposals, which are to be discussed by leaders at a summit on Thursday and Friday, have been welcomed by the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
In a tweet posted this morning, he wrote: “I welcome the comprehensive package proposed by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and especially the inclusion of two proposals Greece has long called for: a price correction mechanism at TTF and circuit breakers in energy derivative markets.”
I welcome the comprehensive package proposed by the President of the European Commission @vonderleyen and especially the inclusion of two proposals Greece has long called for: a price correction mechanism at TTF and circuit breakers in energy derivative markets.
In a subsequent tweet, he added: “The upcoming European Council is an opportunity to reestablish control over our energy markets by placing a limit on prices and reducing extreme volatility.”
“This can be a decisive step in our effort to lower energy prices for European citizens and businesses.”
Germany delivered the first six of 40 Marder tanks to Greece on Tuesday.
The Greek Armed Forces announced the delivery in a press release, noting it was part of a swap deal between the two countries announced earlier this year.
Under the ‘Ringtausch Scheme’, Greece has agreed to send its Soviet-era armed combat vehicles to Ukraine, receiving modern German tanks as replacements.
Photo: GEETHA
“The arrival of Marder 1A3 will continue in the next period according to schedule aiming at the upgrading of the army’s strength in battle and the strengthening of the army’s interoperability,” the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (GEETHA) said in the press release.
Germany is set to hand over a further 34 Marder IFVs to Greece while Greece will pass on 40 of its Soviet-built BMP-1 IFVs to Ukraine.
Euractiv reported on Tuesday that another 14 tanks are due to arrive in Greece by October 21.
German officials have argued the tank swap is advantageous because Ukraine will receive identical tank models its soldiers and mechanics are familiar with, while NATO partners like Greece can upgrade their military gear.
Members of the Presidential Hellenic Guard are set to visit Adelaide, South Australia from October 25 for eight days of events to commemorate Greece’s National Day (OXI Day).
Here is a rundown of the Evzones’ schedule when they are in SA. Everyone is welcome to attend these events, except where the event is marked as ‘private.’
Tuesday, October 25 at 4.55pm: Hellenic Presidential Guard arrives at Adelaide International Airport.
Wednesday, October 26, 9am – 11.30am: St Dimitrios’ Day. The Guard will attend church service at St Dimitrios Church, 27 Saints Rd, Salisbury to commemorate the Saint’s Day. Public are welcome to attend.
Wednesday, October 26, 3pm – 4pm: Courtesy visit to the Consulate Office of the Hellenic Republic, Grenfell Street, Adelaide. This is a private event.
Thursday, October 27, 10am – 11am: Visit to St Basil’s Aged Care, St Peters. Due to COVID management practices this event will be a private event.
Thursday, October 27, 6.30pm for 7.15pm – 11pm: John William Perry Oration, Hellenic Australian Lawyers, SA Chapter, held at the Adelaide Pavilion. The oration is held annually to honour the contribution made to the law by the first Supreme Court Justice in South Australia of Hellenic background. Members of the Guard will be present in ceremonial uniform at the commencement of the evening and during a short presentation at the commencement of the event when an explanation will be given by the Group Leader to attendees about the role played by the Guard. This is a dinner event and will be ticketed. For tickets, contact Peter Tantalos on 0456 703 999 or on tantalos.peter@gmail.com.
Friday, October 28, 9am – 11.30am: ‘OXI’ Day. The Guard will attend church service at St George Church, 60 Rose St, Thebarton to commemorate ‘OXI’ Day. There will also be an unveiling of a Memorial in honour of the 200 year anniversary of the Independence of the Greek State. Public are welcome to attend.
Saturday, October 29, 8.30am – 9am: March to War Memorial, North Terrace from Hotel on Frome Street. Guards will begin their march from The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Frome Street. Public are welcome to attend.
Saturday, October 29, 9am – 12.30pm: Service of Remembrance – ‘OXI’ Day – War Memorial – Members of the Guard will stand in honour of the ultimate sacrifice made by many in various wars. There will be a Trisagion and then wreath laying ceremony with dignitaries and the public invited to attend. There will a changing of the Guard at 10am, 11am and 12 noon. Public are welcome to attend.
Saturday, October 29, 4pm – Late: East End Dinner. A celebration of Greek culture where guests will enjoy a sit down 3-course dinner presented by East End Cellars in Vardon Avenue. The dinner event will commence with the Presidential Guard marching from their hotel down Frome Street, Rundle Street, East Terrace through to Vardon Street. They will stand at attention at the intersection of East Terrace and Vardon Street for photo opportunities and whilst a ‘Welcome to Country’ service is performed by an Aboriginal Elder. During this ceremony two or four guards will stand close to the Elder whilst the ceremony is performed. At the conclusion of the ‘Welcome to Country’ all guards will march back to their hotel. Entertainment will be provided after the guards return to their hotel by Oneiro and DJ NYK. The event will start formally at 6.30pm.
The dinner event is a ticketed event although there will be areas for public to attend also. For ticketing enquiries go to https://www.trybooking.com/CBESI.
After the conclusion of the dinner there will be an opportunity for the party to continue at the Stag Hotel – 10.30pm until the early hours.
Sunday, October 30: Free Day.
Monday, October 31, 9.30am – 10.30am: Adelaide High School Assembly in honour of visit to SA of the Hellenic Presidential Guard. This is a school event. To discuss attendance, please contact dimitra.rozaklis144@schools.sa.edu.au.
Monday, October 31, 1.30pm – 2.30pm: St George College Assembly in honour of visit to SA of the Hellenic Presidential Guard. This is a school event. To discuss attendance, please contact pkaramoshos@sgc.sa.edu.au.
Tuesday, November 1, 12pm – 3pm: Melbourne Cup Luncheonat George’s on Waymouth. This is a private event.
Tuesday, November 1, 7:30pm: Hellenic Presidential Guard leaves Adelaide on Qantas flight QF 889 for Perth arriving there at 8.20pm.
The celebratory event was originally planned for last year to mark the Association’s 50th anniversary, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions.
On November 26, guests will enjoy live music, a 3-course meal and a night full of dancing, celebration and fun.
The Association’s President, Stavros Karantanis, encouraged everyone to attend the event and acknowledged the support of friends, members, committee members, sponsors and contributors over the last 50 years.
“We look forward to celebrating this milestone event on Saturday, November 26 at the Pan Arcadian Club, Ashbury where friends and families are all welcome,” Mr Karantanis said.
“The dance allows us to thank those who have contributed to this success as we look forward to the current and future generations.”
Tickets to the event are $75 for adults and $25 for kids, children under 12 are free. To secure your booking please email nswlerianassociation@outlook.com.
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, formally inaugurated on Monday the Ellinikon investment project on the site of the former Athens airport.
During the event, Mitsotakis said the project signalled the start of a new era for Athens’ coastal front and for Attica.
“We are now turning towards the future,” Mitsotakis said, adding that “economic prosperity must proceed in step with social cohesion, so that the benefit spreads” to the entire Athens-Piraeus metropolitan area.
Mitsotakis noted that the Ellinikon project will create wealth, over 70,000 new job openings, and provide an impetus to dozens of Greek production sectors.
“All these confirm the resilience of the Greek economy in the midst of a globally uncertain landscape, with the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis. Despite obstacles, large projects in Greece are moving ahead,” the Greek Prime Minister said.
Πριν από 27 μήνες βρέθηκα στο Ελληνικό για την έναρξη των πρόδρομων εργασιών. Σήμερα, με τις αλλαγές να είναι ήδη εμφανείς, ξεκινά και τυπικά το κύριο μέρος της ανάπλασης. Μία από τις μεγαλύτερες πολεοδομικές παρεμβάσεις στην Ευρώπη και ένα έργο χωρίς προηγούμενο στην Ελλάδα. pic.twitter.com/moJyoYLO8E
Lamda Development’s Ellinikon project is a planned city of 2.3 square miles on the outskirts of Athens situated between Mount Hymettus and the beaches of the Athenian Riviera.
It was ten years ago that John Tritsaris was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“I was just standing there and I started shaking,” John tells The Greek Herald.
“My big left toe was aching and was lifting upwards like it wanted to come out of my shoe.”
Convinced he was just experiencing muscle spasms, John visited his General Practitioner and was referred to a neurologist who diagnosed him with the brain disease.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks,” the 68-year-old Sydneysider recounts.
“Was I going to end up in a vegetative state? Was I going to forget who I was? All those questions and fears entered my mind.”
They are questions that the grandfather of two still doesn’t have answers for.
John with his grandchildren Daniel and Lana. Photo: Supplied to TGH
“The problem with this disease is that it’s progressive and the symptoms aren’t all the same. Some people struggle to hold items, whilst others completely lose their ability to walk or talk,” John says.
“There are so many unknowns and that’s exactly why I joined the study.
“There’s somebody out there who wants to study my brain, let’s see if they can find one in there.”
John is currently taking part in the Australian Parkinson’s Genetics Study (APGS), a nationwide research project aiming to identify the genetic factors that influence a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease and its various symptoms.
Speaking with The Greek Herald, project researcher, Dr Miguel Renteria, says he is hopeful the study “will not only help unravel the causes of the disease but also help find a cure.”
More than 160,000 Australians have been prescribed Parkinson’s medications in the last couple of years and the APGS is calling on Australians of all languages and cultural backgrounds diagnosed with and medically treated for Parkinson’s to take part in the study.
“Worldwide, our current knowledge about Parkinson’s disease is coming from a handful of populations, which represent around 10% of the world’s population,” Dr Renteria says.
APGS researcher, Dr Miguel Renteria.
“Some preliminary research suggests that the genetic basis of disease risk is different among individuals of different ethnicities and that this also impacts how the disease symptoms manifest and how people respond to treatment.
“We want to encourage participation from groups that have been underrepresented in the past. This is the only way to ensure that findings will be meaningful for patients of all backgrounds, and eventually translate into better clinical outcomes for all.”
A pilot study by the APGS involving 1,500 participants found that 65% of participants were men and 16% reported having a previous traumatic brain injury.
Dr Renteria says participants also experienced a number of comorbidities, with the most common being constipation (36%), depression (34%), anxiety (17%), melanoma (16%) and diabetes (10%).
The research and findings of the APGS will contribute towards the world’s largest study of Parkinson’s genetics ever undertaken, theGlobal Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2), which involves more than 150,000 volunteers worldwide.
Founder and CEO of Shake it Up Australia, Clyde Campbell, describes the Australian research project as “a real opportunity for us to find a better tomorrow.”
Founder and CEO of Shake it Up Australia Foundation, Clyde Campbell.
“The opportunity to contribute at a local Australian level whilst contributing to the GP2 study internationally was a real attraction to get involved with the APGS,” he tells The Greek Herald.
Clyde, like John, lives with Parkinson’s after being diagnosed at 44 years of age.
“Parkinson’s has brought many challenges and learnings, massively restricting in many ways but also providing an opportunity to reflect on how fortunate we really are,” the CEO says.
Now in his tenth year of diagnosis, John says the challenges of the disease are more pronounced.
“It gets worse as I go but at this stage I have trouble getting in and out of bed, getting dressed and putting on socks is a nightmare,” he says.
“I can’t walk downhill because the control of the muscles isn’t there, so I’ll take off like a rabbit. I used to play the guitar and I struggle with that now because my fingers just don’t want to move sometimes.
John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease ten years ago. Photo: Supplied to TGH
“My family have all been very supportive but I try to be as independent as I can.
“I’ve got to keep moving otherwise it’ll get worse. I’ll accept help when I need it, but for as long as I can do things by myself, I’ll stick it out.”
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) has called for an urgent investigation into the discovery of 92 naked refugees on Greece’s land border with Turkey.
Greece’s Migration Minister, Notis Mitarakis, tweeted a photo on Saturday of the naked refugees, some with bodily harm, accusing Turkey of pushing them into Greece and stripping them before doing so.
In a statement, Greek police said the men had testified they had been brought to the land border in three Turkish military vehicles, before being ordered to remove their clothes and boarding the inflatable boats.
The UNHCR said on Twitter on Sunday: “We condemn such cruel and degrading treatment and call for a full investigation into this incident.”
UNHCR is deeply distressed by the shocking reports and images of 92 people, who were reported to have been found at the Greek-Turkish land border, stripped of their clothes.
We condemn such cruel and degrading treatment and call for a full investigation into this incident.
This condemnation comes as Greece and Turkey have traded accusations about the refugee situation over the past few days.
Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, accused Greece of generating “fake news” and “violating International Law” over the 92 refugees. He also took aim at European Union nations, accusing them of encouraging EU-member Greece to “slander” Turkey.
On Monday, Greece’s Citizen Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos said the evidence is incontrovertible as Frontex, the EU’s border agency, was present during the incident and statements provided by the migrants.
#Έβρος: Προκαλεί τεράστια εντύπωση, γιατί το περιστατικό με τους 92 συνέβη σε έδαφος της Τουρκίας ενώ βάσει των καταθέσεων, οδηγήθηκαν στα σύνορα με οχήματα της τουρκικής στρατοχωροφυλακής.
Η πολιτική της Τουρκίας αντιβαίνει το Διεθνές Δίκαιο και το τονίζουμε σε ΟΗΕ και ΕΕ. pic.twitter.com/3kFOlza8Cw
— Νότης Μηταράκης – Notis Mitarachi (@nmitarakis) October 17, 2022
“Turkish officials have some nerve to criticise Greece for the barbaric, medieval-like behaviour of the Turkish side to 92 migrants at Evros. The events have been recorded by Frontex officers and are indisputable,” Theodorikakos said.
Theodorikakos also said he had informed European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and his 27 EU counterpart ministers of the incident in a letter.
Lambrou is no stranger to the song contest, having enteredEurovision – Australia Decides earlier this year with the electro-banger Electrify.
Written by Lambrou, as well as Joseph, Nick and Timm de la Hoyde, the song featured English and Spanish lyrics.
At the time, Lambrou said he chose to make Electrify a bilingual entry because he loves “singing in different languages.”
No song details have been released as yet for Lambrou’s appearance at Eurovision 2023.
Cyprus entered the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 1981. As of 2022, Cyprus holds the unenviable record for the most times participating in the competition without winning.
The best placing for the country came in 2018 when Eleni Foureira finished second with her epic banger Fuego.
Despite the loss, the Greek team made history at Eco-Power Stadium in Doncaster, the United Kingdom, when they first came out onto the field and proudly sang the Greek national anthem.
The first half was tense for the Greek team with the French side opening up a 20-0 half time lead.
But Greece’s second half efforts saw history in the making when captain, Jordan Meads, put in a perfect grubber and Siteni Taukomo latched on to it to score Greece’s first ever World Cup try in the 57th match minute. The try was converted by Lachlan Ilias.
🇬🇷 The first ever try for Greece at a Rugby League World Cup, historic!
France were then penalised for a shot clock violation off a drop out as they wobbled.
In the final minute of the match, Meads picked out Nick Mougios down the left and he weaved in and out to race in from 40 metres to claim Greece’s second try.
“You saw how much it meant to them to play for Greece, they love playing the game and now they can. I think it’s only up from here.”
The next match for France is against the hosts, England, at University of Bolton Stadium in Bolton on October 23 (3.00 am AEDT), while Greece face Samoa in Doncaster on October 24 (3.00 am AEDT).
