Konstantinos Adraktas, the Greek man who invented the first electric car to enter production worldwide, has died.
Adraktas invented the Enfield 8000, a small electric car model that was manufactured in Greece in the early 1970s.
The news of Adraktas’ death was made public by Vassilis Apostolopoulos, the managing director of the Athens Medical Group, in a Facebook post.
“Konstantinos Adraktas… was a friend of my father and mine, and a neighbour in London during my student years. We had a great relationship and appreciation of each other,” Apostolopoulos wrote.
“A graduate of MIT in astronomy and astronautics, he worked for NASA and I personally rate him as the man with the highest IQ I have ever known. Rest in Peace.”
The history of the Enfield 8000:
Enfield Automotive, based in the Isle of Wight, UK, had won a major contract to produce around 100 cars, following proposals from Ford and Leyland.
Shortly before the production started, the owner of the company, the shipowner Giannis Goulandris, decided to move the factory to Syros.
Presentation for the promotion of electric mobility in Greece in front of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Photo: Eurokinissi.
Adraktas came on board and invented an electric car which had an 8.2-horsepower electric motor, a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour and an autonomy of 80 kilometres. It was very small in size – just 2.7 metres.
A total of 123 cars were built and they are now considered collectibles.
The car was last seen on display next to Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as he held an event last June around the government’s ‘Green Agreement and the Promotion of Electricity.’
10-year-old, Jonathan Loukas, is among seven students who have been recognised as part of the Westpac Youth Impact Challenge for developing innovative ideas to help solve issues facing Australian communities.
Launched in May 2020 by social enterprise Fiftysix Creations, in partnership with Westpac’s financial education specialists The Davidson Institute, the challenge invited Australian students to submit innovative solutions for issues they care about, while also contributing to one of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Jonathan, who was born in Athens in 2010 and moved to Australia when he was 2 years old, chose to utilise his biggest passion – preserving languages and sharing cultural knowledge between generations.
Jonathan Loukas won the Westpac Youth Impact Challenge. Photo supplied.
His winning project is a community skills exchange program which invites kids, who have a non-English speaking background and are good with technology, to go to community clubs and cultural groups to teach their skills to the elderly. In exchange, the elderly will help teach kids the language of their cultural background.
The McCallums High Public School student tells The Greek Herald his project was inspired by his yiayia who always asks him to help her with technology.
“I spend a lot of time with my yiayia because my parents work long hours and she always asks me to help her with technology since she doesn’t know how to use it. Every day she would ask me to show her village on Google Earth and she would get so excited,” Jonathan, who is in Year 4, tells The Greek Herald.
“She also likes to contact her family and friends in Greece using Messenger but didn’t know how to do it until I showed her. In return, she would help me with my Greek homework (we do two hours of Greek each week at my school at McCallums Hill). It was good for both of us.”
To enter the challenge, Jonathan had to submit an application form, film two pitch videos, do two live panel interviews and attend one online workshop which was 7 hours long.
The winners of the prize each receive a Microsoft Surface laptop, a $3,000 scholarship to attend SingularityU Australia Summit: A Future By Design in Sydney, a 12-month membership to ‘The Entrepreneurship Lab,’ and a 12-month mentorship package from the Australian School of Entrepreneurship and Westpac’s Davidson Institute.
Jonathan with his dad Themistoklis. Photo supplied.
Jonathan cheekily says these prizes were another motivation for him to enter the challenge, later adding that he feels extremely proud he won first prize.
“When I heard about the Westpac Youth Impact competition, I’m not going to lie, a small part of my motivation to apply was the 1st prize, which was a new laptop,” Jonathan says.
“But (winning) makes me feel proud of myself… I never thought I’d make it this far and it feels good to have won.
“I just want to thank my Yiayia for inspiring this project. I know she gets frustrated when I can’t communicate in Greek with her very well so hopefully if this project takes off and becomes big enough, we can save dying languages across Australia and the rest of the world.”
An inspirational message from a young Greek Australian who clearly has a bright future ahead of him as an entrepreneur.
A Turkish court sentenced hundreds of military and civilian personnel at an air base to life prison sentences Thursday, proclaiming them guilty of involvement in the 2016 failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government.
A total of 475 defendants, including some generals and fighter jet pilots at the Akinci air base, on the outskirts of the capital, Ankara, had been on trial for the past three years, accused of directing the coup and bombing key government buildings, including a section of Turkey’s parliament.
The massive trial was one of two main trials against suspected members of a network led by U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating the failed attempt.
Gulen, who was also named among the defendants, has denied involvement in the coup that resulted in around 250 deaths and injured thousands. About 30 coup-plotters were also killed.
In one of the biggest cases related to the plot to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 337 ex-pilots and other suspects have been sentenced to life.
The court convicted four men — civilians accused of liaising between Gulen’s movement and some military officers — of crimes against the state, attempts to kill the president as well as 77 counts of murder, and sentenced them to 79 separate “aggravated” life sentences without the possibility of parole. Fifteen officers, including one-star generals, were also sentenced to the same term.
All 19 were held responsible for the deaths of nine people who were killed by gunshots and 68 people who died in aerial attacks on the parliament building, a police special operations headquarters, the Ankara police department and an area close to Erdogan’s presidential complex.
A total of 318 other defendants were also sentenced to life prison terms. The court acquitted 70 of the defendants of all charges. Other defendants received prison terms ranging between six and 16 years.
The court ruled that Gulen, an alleged top operative in his movement and four other defendants still wanted by the Turkish authorities, should be tried separately over the charges.
The defendants are expected to appeal Thursday’s verdicts, which were welcomed by members of Erdogan’s ruling party.
Police officers stand guard at the entrance of the Sincan penal institution at the 4th heavy penal court near Ankara. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images.
“We are experiencing the joy of seeing the defendants, who were already put on trial by the public’s conscience, receive their punishment,” the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Leyla Sahin Usta, a deputy chairman of the ruling party as saying. “This is the end of the era of coups in Turkey.”
Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul tweeted: “the Turkish justice system is continuing to bring the treacherous coup-plotters to account.”
Busra Taskiran insisted that her fiance, Yunus Kilicaslan, who was a trainee F-16 pilot at the time of the coup, was wrongly accused.
Kilicaslan and other trainee pilots were “convicted today for life despite not taking part in the coup attempt, despite not taking part in any activity that night, despite fighting (against the coup) by locking themselves in a room,” she told The Associated Press.
Taskiran said: “They are very young, when they were thrown in prison, they were 24 and 25, now they are convicted for life? How do you explain this in the spirit of justice?”
The father of another convicted trainee pilot, Alper Kalin, said the court had failed to consider evidence that pointed at some trainee pilots’ innocence.
“We are not happy with this verdict. We will carry this to the appropriate places,” said Ali Kalin.
Prosecutors accused the coup-plotters of using Akinci air base as their headquarters. Turkey’s military chief at the time, Gen. Hulusi Akar, who is the current defense minister, and other commanders were held captive for several hours at the base on the night of the coup.
The prosecutors charged the defendants with attempts against the state and constitutional order, an attempt to assassinate the president, leading a terrorist organization and murder, among other charges.
The trial, which opened on Aug. 1, 2017, was part of a post-coup crackdown that has imprisoned tens of thousands of people and seen another 130,000 fired from their government jobs.
On the opening day, dozens of the defendants were paraded into the courthouse handcuffed, with two paramilitary police officers on each arm, as some protesters threw stones and shouted “Murderers!”
Greece’s government spokesman on Thursday announced a week-long extension to the country’s current lockdown due to the continued spread of the coronavirus.
Stelios Petas said the lockdown, which was due to end on November 30, would be extended to the morning of December 7.
“The decision is necessary as the epidemiological load continues to be high,” Petsas said. “In particular, in some areas it is a source of concern.”
Greek health authorities said there were 2,018 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours. There were also 99 deaths, raising the total to 2,001. A record 608 patients are on ventilators.
The number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic has reached 99,306.
24-hour strike by civil servants:
The lockdown announcement came amid a 24-hour strike by civil servants on a variety of demands, including better workplace protection against the coronavirus.
The strike disrupted public transport and services, while several hundred people defied a ban on gatherings imposed due to the pandemic, holding protests in Athens and the northern city of Thessaloniki.
Hospital staff wearing face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 take part in a rally at Evangelismos hospital during a 24-hour strike, on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
About 400 people gathered in central Athens for the protest march, while about 150 striking workers also gathered briefly for a protest rally in Thessaloniki.
Ferries to the islands were halted and the Athens metro system and tram were shut for Thursday’s strike, although buses continued to run in the capital.
Flights that had been canceled or rescheduled went ahead however, as air traffic controllers called off their strike after a court ruled their participation illegal.
Greek journalists were also participating with a two-hour work stoppage between 11 am and 1 pm, during which no news broadcasts were aired.
For the first time, the European Parliament, by a large majority, voted in favor of the imposition of strict sanctions on Turkey.
The result of the vote was 440 votes in favor, 193 against and 53 abstentions.
The vote was focused on an amendment tabled by Greek and Cypriot MEP’s regarding Turkey’s partial reopening of the Cypriot coastal town of Varosha, which violates UN Security Council resolutions.
The results of the vote in the European Parliament.
The amendment states that the European Council must “maintain its unified position vis-à-vis unilateral and illegal actions by Turkey” and “take action and impose tough sanctions” on Turkey, “in response to [its] illegal actions.”
The resolution, titled Escalating tensions in Varosha following the illegal actions by Turkey and the urgent need for the resumption of talks,’ states that further sanctions “can only be avoided through dialogue, sincere cooperation and concrete progress on the ground.”
Επικοινώνησα τηλεφωνικά με τον επικεφαλής της ομάδας των Ε/βουλευτών ΝΔ στο ΕΛΚ @v_meimarakis για να τον συγχαρώ. Με δική του πρωτοβουλία & των @LefChristoforou@loucas_fourlas υπήρξε αυτή η σημαντική επιτυχία. Συγχαρητήρια σε όλη την Ελληνική και Κυπριακή Αντιπροσωπεία στο ΕΛΚ. https://t.co/DWcAnbVHjU
Greece’s Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, congratulated the Greek and Cypriot MEP’s on their success via Twitter.
“On the initiative of Lefteris Christoforou and Loukas Fourlasere, there has been this significant success. Congratulations to the entire Greek and Cypriot Delegation to the EPP,” Dendias wrote.
On the grounds of Lalor North Primary School in Melbourne, students have been immersing themselves in the Greek language and culture for 43 years. They are taking part in Australia’s only Greek Bilingual Program, which was founded by Mr Jim Polites in 1977.
In the program, primary school students are taught Greek, for a minimum of 10 hours per week, alongside English. From prep to Grade 6, they do basic reading and writing in Greek, as well as developing their oral language.
This is something which many of the young students love. In fact, three students tell The Greek Herald exclusively that learning Greek through the bilingual program makes it easier for them to communicate with their families.
“I get to learn more stuff like the Greek letters and counting in Greek. My dad speaks Greek and so do my sisters, brother and yiayia and pappou and I want to understand them,” Chrysoula, who is in prep school, explains.
“I get to do Greek work because it is special to me, as my family speaks Greek and I want to be able to speak with them,” Alexi, who is in Grade 1, says.
Alexi, a Grade 1 student, learning maths in Greek. Photo supplied.
Prep student, Thano, also cheekily adds that he “likes learning a lot of Greek like writing sentences about elephants.”
Exposing students to Greek history and traditions:
But Ana Koutsouroupas, who is the Coordinator of the Greek Bilingual Program, adds that Greek literacy and language isn’t all that is taught by the program.
“From prep to Grade 2, primary school students are taught maths in Greek, then in Grades 3-6 it is in English. All of the maths which is taught follows the Victorian curriculum,” Mrs Koutsouroupas tells The Greek Herald.
“From there we also have ‘Inquiry Subjects’ which incorporate geography, history and science. They are currently taught in Greek for Grades 3-6, with some English support.
“Students are also exposed to Greek history, including Greek Independence Day and OXI day, Greek dancing and cooking, traditional Easter activities and learning Greek Christmas carols.”
With such a packed schedule, some people might be worried the program could be overwhelming at times. But that’s definitely not the case. Some other students we spoke to couldn’t praise the Greek Bilingual Program enough.
Christos from Grade 1 says maths in Greek is his “favourite subject.” Electra, who is in Grade 4, explains how she loves to “learn new things such as Greek myths.”
Catherine from Grade 3 says she “loves learning the Greek dances and all the friends I get to speak Greek to,” and finally, Grade 5 student, Cassandra, says she loves being in the bilingual program “because it is good to speak another language and helps your mind grow.”
‘We wanted our son to be educated in two languages’:
The parents of all these students were also eager to add their own voice to why they chose to enrol their children in the Greek Bilingual Program. Let’s just say that a single message became clear – they wanted their children to have an understanding of their Greek heritage.
“We chose Lalor North Greek Bilingual Program because we wanted our son to be educated in two languages, gain knowledge of the Greek and Australian culture, way of life and values,” Alexi’s dad, Phil, tells The Greek Herald.
“Our Greek language and vibrant culture is so important to us. We wanted to pass this onto our children, who will all learn the importance of our Greek heritage,” Helen, who is Electra, Christo and Thano’s mum, says.
Chris, who is the dad of Cassandra, Catherine and Chrysoula, also added that it was important to him that his children were “able to communicate with relatives in Greek.”
Back (left-right) – Christos, Electra, Cassandra and Catherine. Front (left-right) – Thano and Chrysoula. Photo supplied.
“Since it is hard to speak Greek at home because my wife isn’t Greek, sending them to this school was a must to have the language spoken often,” Chris says.
“Being immersed in the language on a daily basis helps them to understand and speak it comfortably and if they ever travel back to Greece they could communicate easily. This also keeps them connected to their roots.”
‘If we don’t pass on the Greek language, we will lose it’:
Mrs Koutsouroupas couldn’t agree more. She says the bilingual program not only gives students a better understanding of both English and Greek, but they also have a “higher vocabulary range, exhibit more creativity and generally perform at a higher level academically.”
“But apart from the many benefits of bilingualism and the benefits to the brain, we have a Greek heritage and we should maintain it,” Mrs Koutsouroupas says.
“We should pass our culture and language on to the next generation because if we don’t, we’re just going to lose it.”
And that’s exactly why Mrs Koutsouroupas remains committed to Australia’s only Greek Bilingual Program and hopes to see it continue expanding for many more decades to come.
With students from all backgrounds who wish to learn Greek also welcome to enrol in the program, it’s clear that the future is bright.
The Greek community raised $250,000 to support missionary work in Africa and Asia during a charity dinner held by the Holy Archdiocese of Australia on November 22 at the Agia Paraskevi Parish event hall in Blacktown, Sydney.
The fundraising event was held in support of the ‘Share with the World’ initiative, which was initially called ‘Share with Africa’ when it was established by the late Archbishop Stylianos.
Archbishop Makarios renamed the initiative to incorporate the missionary work of the Dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as they are the most similar to the Archdiocese of Australia.
The Greek community raised $250,000 to support missionary work in Africa and Asia.
The $250,000 is three times the amount collected in previous years.
The dinner was attended by a limited number of guests due to coronavirus restrictions, but that didn’t put a dampener on the mood as event coordinator and host, Mr Asterios Zouriakas, kept people entertained.
Guests were shown a video presentation of the charitable work done by the Archdiocese in Asia and Africa, followed by a number of speeches from His Grace Bishop Emilianos of Meloa and Father Konstantinos Varypatis, who has been a pioneer of the initiative for many years.
The $250,000 is three times the amount collected in previous years.
In a statement after the event, the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and Archbishop Makarios thanked those who donated to the initiative.
“All the people who helped in the midst of a pandemic and financial hardship are commendable. This shows the quality and dynamics of our flock,” Archbishop Makarios said in a statement.
“This proves the sensitivity of our people, but also the trust they have in us. May God repay them a hundredfold.”
Nine activists were detained in downtown Athens on Wednesday for raising banners on the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The women stood at the stairs of Syntagma Square opposite the Parliament, wearing masks and maintaining their social distance.
Their banner read: “They don’t silence us. The quarantine does not protect us from the pandemic of violence against women.”
Nine activists were detained in downtown Athens on Wednesday for raising banners on the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. Photo: lolos marios / Twitter.
Several police officers gathered around the activists and ultimately detained the women, taking them to the police station.
Charges are expected to be laid which has angered many as small gatherings are not banned during the lockdown restrictions. Protests and rallies were banned only around the days of November 17.
Greek President and Prime Minister mark the international day:
The protest came after Greece’s first female President, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, called for action towards adopting a zero-tolerance policy on all violence against women, while ensuring support for the victims of domestic abuse.
In a message marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Sakellaropoulou underlined the need for “a change in family and societal paradigm” through education and counselling.
“It will take time to debunk the stereotypes that originate in gender inequality and which ideologically underpin the phenomenon, often stigmatising the victim instead of the culprit, nourishing a collective tolerance toward actions that are immoral and reprehensible,” she said, adding the law must be strictly enforced in prosecuting cases of domestic abuse.
Δυστυχώς υπάρχουν ακόμα αρκετές γυναίκες που δεν γνωρίζουν τη διαδικασία με την οποία μπορούν να ξεφύγουν από τον εφιάλτη της βίας. Σίγουρα είναι ένα μακρύ ταξίδι. Όμως συνήθως ξεκινάει με ένα τηλεφώνημα. Και θέλει θάρρος να κάνεις αυτό το πρώτο βήμα. https://t.co/BBbZzmhwnG
Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, also added his voice to the conversation, saying on Twitter: “Unfortunately, there are still many women who do not know the process by which they can escape the nightmare of violence.”
“It is definitely a long journey. But it usually starts with a phone call. And it takes courage to take that first step,” Mitsotakis wrote.
To end the day, the Greek Parliament building was also lit up in orange with the slogan “No to Violence.”
Maria Moscholiou, the legendary High Priestess of the Olympic Flame ceremony at Ancient Olympia, has died in Athens, local media reported on Wednesday.
Moscholiou born in Athens and studied the art of drama at the National Theatre, where she performed for many years.
She supervised the dramatic Olympic Lighting Ceremonies four times in total — in 1968, 1972, 1976 and 1980.
Maria Moscholiou, the legendary High Priestess of the Olympic Flame ceremony at Ancient Olympia, has died in Athens.
She was presented with the City of Athens Medal in recognition of her extensive contribution to the dissemination of the Olympic Ideal.
“Creating the Olympic Light is an unbelievable feeling. Watching what happens next in the countries where the Olympic Flame is travelling is unbelievable,” Moscholiou said in a rare interview.
Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, will tonight meet with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, for the first European Union (EU) – Australia Leaders’ Meeting.
During the meeting, the leaders will share perspectives on Australia’s health and economic response to COVID-19, developments in the Indo-Pacific, and the development of new technologies to reduce global emissions.
“Australia and the EU share a vision for a stable, prosperous, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific. We are both supporting international efforts to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in the region, including by supporting the COVAX Facility,” Mr Morrison says in a statement this morning.
The EU, with its 27 member states, is Australia’s second largest trading partner and the largest source of foreign investment. Mr Morrison says he hopes the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with the EU will conclude in 2021.
“We launched Free Trade Agreement negotiations in 2018 and our aim is a high quality, ambitious and comprehensive agreement,” Mr Morrison says.
“An EU FTA will contribute to our economic recovery and market diversification. The Agreement will send a strong signal to the world on the value of open markets and trade based on clear and transparent rules. Supporting open, rules-based trade is vital as the world emerges from the pandemic recession.”
Australia’s longstanding diplomatic relationship with the EU of almost six decades is now evolving into new areas of cooperation such as digital transformation, low emissions technology partnerships, cyber security, transport and space.
“The Annual Leaders’ Meeting is a big step with a partner that is becoming even more important to Australia and the Indo-Pacific,” Mr Morrison says.
“This Meeting follows through on the commitment to annual dialogue that we agreed to at our meeting last year. I look forward to deepening our cooperation further.”
