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Angelo Pandeli named in Australian cartel responsible for $1.5 billion drug imports

The Greek Herald
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Angelo Pandeli named in Australian cartel responsible for $1.5 billion drug imports

An exclusive story by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes aired last night, revealing how some of Australia’s most dangerous crime bosses have organised themselves into a cartel earning an estimated $1.5 billion a year by smuggling drugs past the nation’s border with the help of corrupt government officials and border insiders.

This intel comes from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission which says nine Australian men, drawn mostly from Australian bikie gangs and Middle Eastern crime syndicates, make up what the agency has named the “Aussie cartel.”

The CEO of the Commission, Michael Phelan, told the media outlets that the cartel’s members are “the baddest of the bad” and estimated they were responsible for “about one-third of the drug importations into our country.”

CEO of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Michael Phelan.

The nine crime bosses have also developed extensive methods of penetrating border security, known as “doors,” giving them an unrivalled capacity to meet Australia’s market for drugs, Mr Phelan said.

“They share supply routes, they share logistic supply chains. They share among themselves the doors or the way into Australia. They share any corrupt networks they may have here to swap information to each other,” Mr Phelan said in the interview.

While Mr Phelan declined to identify the members of the cartel, state and federal policing agency sources told the media outlets they include: Comanchero boss Mark Buddle (who lives in the United Arab Emirates), Hells Angels boss Angelo Pandeli (in Greece and UAE), Triad-linked figure Michael Tu (Hong Kong), George Dib (Lebanon) and Hakan Arif (Turkey). An Adelaide bikie boss recently deported from Singapore and a Sydney logistics, port and transportation expert are also cartel members.

Some official sources have confirmed that two members of the cartel in particular are believed to have government insiders in Australia and overseas in their networks.

Some members of the Aussie Cartel: Hakan Ayik (centre), Mark Buddle (left) and Angelo Pandeli.

The cartel’s founding member and Australia’s most wanted priority target is Hakan Ayik, whom The Age, the Herald and 60 Minutes tracked down to Turkey, where he lives under a new name, Hakan Reis.

Ayik is suspected of co-operating with Pandeli and Buddle, formerly warring bikies who are now working together as part of the cartel to arrange importations, including a $1 billion methamphetamine shipment into Western Australia in 2017 and a January 2020 importation into Melbourne.

Why is the Commission seeking to find these cartel members now more than ever before?

“At this particular point in time, Australia is facing a very serious threat from [offshore] serious and organised crime,” Mr Phelan said.

“I don’t care about playing fair either… Absolutely, we’re hunting them and we make no apology for that.”

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

Shock on Corfu: Local man allegedly kills two, then himself, over eviction threat

The Greek Herald
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Shock on Corfu: Local man allegedly kills two, then himself, over eviction threat

Police on the Greek island of Corfu said on Sunday that a Greek man facing eviction killed his landlady and another man who came to her rescue and then committed suicide.

The deaths occurred shortly before noon Sunday, in the resort town of Dassia, in the island’s northeast.

The victims were the Greek landlady and a Greek-French man, both in their 60s; the man divided his time equally between Greece and France and also rented an apartment from the woman, police said.

Initial incorrect reports said that the two victims were married and reversed their nationalities, a police spokesman told AP News, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk about a case still under investigation.

Police said the 67-year-old alleged attacker was having a heated argument with the landlady outside the house when the other man, who also had problems with the perpetrator, came to her defense.

The attacker retrieved a hunting rifle from his apartment and killed them both, before going back to the apartment and turning the rifle on himself.

The reason for the threat of eviction was not immediately clear.

A coroner will perform autopsies later on Sunday.

Source: AP News.

Stefanos Tsitsipas storms into quarter finals of the French Open

The Greek Herald
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Stefanos Tsitsipas storms into quarter finals of the French Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas recorded a Tour-leading 37th victory of the season on Sunday as he cruised past Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 to advance to the Roland Garros quarter-finals.

“My performance was good. I was very mentally there in every single game,” Tsitsipas said. “Whether I was serving or not, I was very concentrated in the procedure, in the process.”

The FedEx ATP Race to Turin leader hit 41 winners and only made 17 unforced errors in an impressive display to improve to 3-0 in his ATP Head2Head against Carreno Busta.

Tsitsipas, who reached the semi-finals in Paris last year, prevailed in two hours and six minutes and has dropped just one set through four matches.

“I think every single match that I had against him was a learning experience. I had high expectations for him, and that’s a good thing, going into the match having high expectations [for] your opponent,” Tsitsipas said.

“I think I also had a great start, very good start, where I didn’t let him attack a lot. I actually gave him not that much space to get going.”

It was the Greeks’ 20th clay-court victory of 2021, with a maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Rublev) a high point. He will face second seed Daniil Medvedev for a spot in the semi-finals. The Russian leads their ATP Head2Head series 6-1.

The fifth seed made a roaring start on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion showcased a mixture of power and precision on his backhand and found consistent depth on his forehand return to move 4-1 ahead.

While Carreno Busta worked his way into the contest, stepping into the court to fire away winners on Tsitispas’ second serve, the Greek held firm to fend off two break points at 4-2. He then sealed the set with one of the six aces he hit.

Tsitsipas (right) with Pablo Carreno Busta. Source: Abied / Twitter.

Tsitsipas continued to open his shoulders and strike the ball aggressively at the start of the second, breaking in the first game with an impressive crosscourt forehand winner. The 22-year-old reeled off the next three games to lead 4-0 as he controlled proceedings.

The Spaniard’s level had dropped from the first set, as he won just 30 percent of points on Tsitsipas’ second serve, a decline from 55 per cent in the opener.

Momentum changed at the start of the third though, with Carreno Busta breaking for the first time to lead 3-0 as he began to dictate proceedings on his forehand. However, he could not sustain his level with Tsitsipas closing to 3-4 when the Spaniard fired wide on the backhand.

The Greek, who won 75 per cent of points on his first serve (47/63), then claimed four of the final five games to advance.

Carreno Busta is a two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist, and he only dropped one set on his way to the fourth round this year. However, the 29-year-old’s seventh defeat of the season (17-7) means the Spaniard’s focus will move to the grass.

Source: ATP.

Greek Australian Fitness Trainer selected to keynote first ever ‘Greek Fitness Conference’

The Greek Herald
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Greek Australian Fitness Trainer selected to keynote first ever ‘Greek Fitness Conference’

Jono Petrohilos was recently announced as a keynote speaker for the first ever Greek Fitness Conference and will look to educate some of the world’s most passionate fitness trainers.

The founder of Fitness Education Online, Petrohilos has worked in the fitness industry for eight years. He created the online program as a global “go-to” for all fitness up-skilling and training needs. The courses are recognised by leading fitness course providers in Australia, including high profile institutions like Fitness Australia, FitRec, and in New Zealand, REPs New Zealand.

The conference will discuss the catalytic role of new technologies in the future, with well-known Greek and international speakers, specialised scientists and professionals speaking about the new challenges of the field.

“My topic is how to run a hybrid challenge, combining face to face with online,” Jono Petrohilos said to The Greek Herald.

Jono Petrohilos with Influencer Gary Vee.

“I’ve sort of always done both. Even before covid, I always said ‘I’m going to run a fitness boot camp’, but there’s only so much you can do with someone in one hour a day.”

“I thought, what are the other little things that I can do or that people can do when they’re not actually with me. What are some fun little challenges people can do that are that are easy to do, that are fun to implement for the trainer and give and give more accountability and give the client a better result.”

In 2020, the Greek Australian was named the national winner of Fitness Australia’s Educator of the Year award. The Awards are held each year by Fitness Australia, with this last year’s virtual event attracting a record 2000 nominations across 11 categories.

“I’ve sort of got a reputation to uphold now…and I’m pretty proud of my Greek Australian heritage too.”

Some of the topics to be discussed at the conference include the creation of digital services based on international standards, the importance of digital reform in the field of Fitness and the expansion of the digital fitness market.

Along with rest of the world, Greece is slowly returning to the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions with the implementation of the vaccine. However, Petrohilos says the online resources and tools will “always still be there”, therefore giving people alternative options in the future.

“I think it’s cool that the Greek fitness industry is doing this, because it’s the first ever time they’re doing it,” Petrohilos added.

“We’ve had them in Australia for years… so I think it’s really cool that they’re doing it. And I think it’ll help their industry, which will in turn help the health and fitness of the country.”

Petrohilos will be the only Australian presenting at the conference. Due to COVID restrictions, the conference will be streamed online to fitness professionals across Greece and Cyprus.

Geoffrey Robertson QC holds Australian launch for book on the return for the Parthenon Marbles

The Greek Herald
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Geoffrey Robertson QC holds Australian launch for book on the return for the Parthenon Marbles

Greek Sydneysiders flocked to the Governors Centre at Moore Park on Saturday night to attend the book launch of ‘Who Owns History? Elgin’s Loot and the Case for Returning Plundered Treasure‘, written by Geoffrey Robertson QC.

The evening celebrated the launch of the book in Australia and was hosted by Jim Tsolakis, Secretary of the Athenian Association of NSW.

For his book, Robertson focuses his razor-sharp mind on one of the greatest contemporary issues in the worlds of art and culture: the return of cultural property taken from its country of creation. Specifically, Robertson observes the British Museums withholding of the Parthenon Marbles; A treasured piece of Greek history that is being kept in a foreign land.

“…What is undoubtedly the greatest survivor of the ancient world. The Parthenon Marbles. To see them together, reunified under a blue, Attic sky,” Robertson said.

  • Geoffrey Robertson. Photo: The Greek Herald
  • Jim Tsolakis. Photo: The Greek Herald

Robertson says the naming of the ‘Duveen gallery’ in the British Museum, which currently holds the Parthenon Marbles, is representative of the way Duveen stole the cultural history of the ancient Greeks.

“He bought the Duveen gallery and do you know the first thing he did? He said ‘I want those marbles whiter than white’. And of course they weren’t white! In Greece they were a riot of colour, that was what made them stand out.”

“But, he paid for workman to use crowbars and chisels to get all the original paint off the marbles so they could be Hellenistically white.”

Geoffrey Robertson has had a distinguished career as a barrister and human rights advocate, serving as a UN war crimes judge, counsel in many notable Old Bailey trials, and has won landmark rulings on civil liberty in courts in Britain, Europe and the Commonwealth. 

  • David Hill. Photo: The Greek Herald.

“At the end of the day, the British will accept a court judgement which tells the truth, which the British museum has tried so long to cover up. That the marbles were stolen, that they belong in Athens, so that the world can see not just the glory of Greece but the glorious beginning of democracy,” Robertson concluded.

David Hill, who has lobbied and campaign for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures for year, also spoke at the event. Hill spoke highly of Gough Whitlam, who was a patron of Australians for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures.

“He was a constant source of guidance and support for me, as Chairman of the Australian organisation, and about 20 years ago I went to visit him… I remember he said to me, ‘Comrade, when next you’re in London, talk to Geoffrey’. And I did and I’m glad I did,” Hill said.

Honourable dignitaries attending the event included Mr Christos Karras, Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Katia Gkikiza, Trade commissioner of Greece in Sydney, Kathy Valis, President of the Athenian Association of NSW Inc, David Hill, Chair of the Australians for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures, Bill Skandalakis, President of AHEPA NSW Inc, Stergitsa Zamagias-Hill, CEO of the Hellenic Initiative Australia, Mrs Liana Vertzayias, President of the Hellenic Lyceum Sydney, Maria Anthony, President of Pontoxeniteas NSW, and Professor Vrasidas Karalis, Chair of the Modern Greek Department at the University of Sydney.

Traditional Greek Recipes: Dakos

The Greek Herald
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Traditional Greek Recipes: Dakos

A traditional veggie dish from the island of Crete, perfect for a light dinner! The secret behind the perfect Dakos is to use juicy, fresh, organic, on the vine tomatoes as they are the key ingredient that brings this dish to life.

My Greek Dish shows how you can make this traditional Cretan rusks with tomatoes and feta cheese dish.

Ingredients

  • 4 large round barley rusks
  • 3 large mature tomatoes (pilled and mashed)
  • 8 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
  • 150 g feta cheese (5.5 ounces)
  • 50g myzithra or ricotta cheese
  • 10–15 black olives
  • 1–2 tbsps capers
  • oregano
  • salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

  1. Moisten the rusks (paximadia), with 4 tbsps of water each, and drizzle with the olive oil.
  2. Use a grater to grate the tomatoes, into a colander and leave for 5 minutes to drain.
  3. Crumble the feta cheese and myzithra (soft cheese) with a fork, or grate it with a grater.
  4. To put the dish together, spread the grated tomato on the rusks and add the crumbled cheese. Top with the olive oil and capers. Sprinkle with the oregano and drizzle with some extra olive oil.

Kali Orexi!

Sakkari defeats Mertens to reach French Open Round of 16

The Greek Herald
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Sakkari defeats Mertens to reach French Open Round of 16

Maria Sakkari has advanced to the French Open Round of 16 after defeating Elise Mertens of Belgium in 2-1 sets on Saturday.

Sakkari hit nine aces in a match where she truly showed her class as a potential world great. Her athleticism and technique seemed a level above of her opponent who still was able to deliver strong returns at Sakkari.

The Greek lost the second set on a tie-break, yet that only drove her to dominate Mertens in the final set, winning 6-2.

Sakkari finished the game 7-5, 6-7, 6-2 on the third round of Roland Garros and will play 2020 runner up Sofia Kenin in the next round. The match was Sakkari’s best ever result at the Roland Garros.

Sakkari has said previously that it’s her Spartan heritage which brings a fighting mindset and pushes her to reach a high level.

“In Sparta, individuals develop up with that mentality, they know tips on how to survive, they know tips on how to struggle for every little thing. It’s in my blood, I’m gonna take it with me all over the place I am going,” Sakkari said to Telegraph Sport.

“I labored rather a lot on my mentality with Tom and with a specialist, and then I beat all these gamers again to again. I noticed that I additionally belong there due to my outcomes and I simply gained confidence. I have never misplaced it but.“

Sakkari and Tsitsipas will hope to reach the Roland Garros finals.

Party police: Greece introduces ‘special teams’ to crack down on corona parties

The Greek Herald
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Party police: Greece introduces ‘special teams’ to crack down on corona parties

Stricter inspections and fines were announced Friday by Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias as part of the effort to crack down on parties that risk becoming coronavirus super-spreading events.

To this end, he announced the deployment of special teams, as epidemiological indicators remain high and the wall of immunity through vaccinations is still far away. 

“Dispersal has not been contained yet, even though there is a recession,” he stressed and referred to the new interactive epidemiological map which showed that, at the moment, there are 28 orange regions in Greece and no red ones.

Photo: DMarge

In August last year, Greece fell victim to many outbreaks caused by blowout parties on Greece’s islands.

Mykonos Police one night broke up a party with up to 500 guests, one day after authorities imposed emergency restriction measures.

The Mykonos police force was previously enlarged with a total of 100 officers from the Attica region in order to maintain proper restriction protocol. Officials at the ELAS also informed the press that there are a number of plainclothes policemen on Mykonos as well to handle problems that might occur as a result of the imposition of the stricter measures.

In another instance the same month, a group of British tourists felt “stupid” after they were diagnosed with coronavirus from a massive boat party on the island of Kakynthos.

Exclusive footage emerged from the Daily Mail of hundreds of British tourists crowded together on a boat, ignoring social distancing measures.

“It’s really bad out there. Something like this could start a second wave of coronavirus. I don’t think people should go,” Jamie Raine, who tested positive for coronavirus, told Mail Online.

“I guess the message is, don’t go on holiday and if you have to, have a more chilled out holiday with no night clubs.”

First post-COVID cruise ship from Venice sets sail for Greece under protest

The Greek Herald
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First post-COVID cruise ship from Venice sets sail for Greece under protest

The first cruise ship to leave Venice since coronavirus restrictions were eased set sail on Saturday, but some local residents protested over the return to normal, unhappy about the passage of giant liners through the historic lagoon city.

Hundreds of people rallied on land and small boats fluttering flags saying “No big ships” surrounded and followed the 92,000-tonne MSC Orchestra as it departed Venice port en route for Croatia and Greece.

“We are here because we are against this passage but also against a model of tourism that is destroying the city, pushing out residents, destroying the planet, the cities, and polluting,” said Marta Sottoriva, a 29-year old teacher and Venice resident.

But port authorities, workers and the city government welcomed the departure of the Orchestra, operated by MSC Cruises, seeing it as a symbol of business kicking off after the health crisis that hit hard at the cruise industry and the wider travel sector.

“We are happy to be back… to restart the engines. We care a lot about Venice and we’ve been asking for a stable and manageable solution for ships for many years,” said Francesco Galietti, national director for the trade group Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Some residents have been urging governments for years to ban large cruise ships and other big vessels from passing through the lagoon and docking not far from the famed St. Mark’s Square.

Campaigners worry about safety and the environment, including pollution and underwater erosion in a city already in peril from rising sea waters.

“The struggle is very long, I think we are against very big financial interests,” Marco Baravalle, a 42-year old researcher, and member of the No Grandi Navi (No big ships) group.

He and other protesters were worried that “everything will go back to what we had before the pandemic”, he added.

The 16-deck ship can carry over 3,000 passengers and 1,000 crew but for this voyage will be sailing at only half capacity due to COVID-19 social distancing rules.

“It’s an important day for us, for 4,000 workers and many others who work in this sector. We are starting again after over 17 months, finally there is light at the end of the tunnel,” said Alessandro Santi, chairman of the Federlogistica business group.

Source: Reuters

The Hellenic Initiative joins the Athens Partnership’s anti-graffiti campaign

The Greek Herald
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The Hellenic Initiative joins the Athens Partnership’s anti-graffiti campaign

The Athens Partnership (AP) has worked with the Athens municipality to bring palpable, positive change to the city’s environs in recent years and now. 

The Hellenic Initiative (THI) is donating kick-off capital and launching a global fundraising effort to boost AP’s anti-graffiti campaign, in the picturesque historic Plaka District. 

Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis said: “Step by step, with well-thought out initiatives that include public-private sector collaborations through “Adopt the City” program, we are restoring the charm and glory of the great city Athenians and visitors remember and introducing it to new friends from all over the world. We thank THI for its love for our city and its generous support.” 

AP is a nonprofit organization that promotes partnerships between the private and public sector and leverages donations to support the city of Athens. Places like Plaka are becoming much nicer and cleaner areas for Athenians and tourists to experience thanks to the city of Athens efforts. 

Almost completely reliant on tourists, the pandemic has hit the historic district hard, but with Greece’s vaccination program reopening the tourism gateways, Plaka, as a top destination for tourists from across the globe needs to look perfect as Athens welcomes back the world. 

“Plaka is the showplace of ancient Athens and in many ways the heart of the city.  It is a monument that belongs not just to Greece and Greeks but to all of us.  We are proud to join in sponsoring this program and hope to encourage others to participate,” Drake Behrakis, THI Board Member, stated.

By cleaning the streets and treating the walls with anti-graffiti materials that resist new illegal posters and make cleaning new graffiti easy, Plaka will become even more lovely.

The City of Athens has completed 40 cleaning and anti-graffiti projects in the past year, restoring the appeal of areas like Omonia Square, Patision and Panepistimiou avenues, and the popular Thision and Monastiraki districts. 

“As a life-long visitor to Athens, and resident since 2007, I am very impressed with the progress this administration has made in caring for and beautifying the city. THI is delighted to work with AP on this important project,” Peter Poulos, THI’s Executive Director, said.

Donations to the campaign can be made here

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