An explosion damaged a Greek-managed tanker at a Saudi Arabian terminal on the Red Sea just north of the Yemeni border, the ship’s manager said on Wednesday, in an attack confirmed by Saudi Arabia.
In a statement published by state media, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said a commercial vessel suffered minor damage from shrapnel in what it described as a foiled terrorist attack.
Athens-based TMS Tankers said the Maltese-flagged vessel it managed was “attacked by an unknown source” while at berth in Shuqaiq in Saudi Arabia after it had completed discharging and was preparing to depart.
“The Agrari was struck about one meter above the waterline and has suffered a breach,” TMS Tankers said in a statement.
“It has been confirmed that the crew are safe and there have been no injuries. No pollution has been reported. The vessel is in ballast condition and stable,” the company said, adding that an investigation was underway.
The blast follows a number of recent security incidents concerning Saudi oil infrastructure.
Argentina football legend, Diego Maradona, has died of a heart attack at age 60, his lawyer has confirmed.
The former midfielder and national coach had recently battled health problems and underwent successful surgery earlier this month for a blood clot on his brain.
He suffered a heart attack at his home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires on Wednesday, Argentinian media and acquaintances of the former player said.
Diego Maradona of Argentina holds the World Cup trophy after defeating West Germany 3-2 during the 1986 FIFA World Cup Final match. Photo by Archivo El Grafico/Getty Images.
Beloved in his homeland after leading Argentina to win the 1986 World Cup and adored in Italy after taking Napoli to two Series A titles, Maradona was a uniquely gifted player and charismatic figure.
Although his reputation was tarnished by drug problems, off-field indiscretions and an ill-fated spell in charge of the national team, he remained idolised in football-mad Argentina as the ‘Pibe de Oro’ or ‘Golden Boy.’
In Buenos Aires, people began pouring onto the streets to mourn the nation’s favourite son, gathering in the San Andres neighbourhood where he lived and also in La Plata where he had lately been technical director for local team, Gimnasia y Esgrima.
The Argentine government has declared three days of mourning.
The Greek sporting community has also reacted to news of Maradona’s death, with Twitter posts from both Panathinaikos FC and Olympiakos BC.
“Irreplaceable. Unstoppable. Unforgettable. Immortal. A true legend of the game has passed away. Love for football came from you. Thanks for the memories. Rest in Peace, Diego Armando,” Panathinaikos FC wrote.
Irreplaceable. Unstoppable. Unforgettable. Immortal. A true legend of the game has passed away. Love for football came from you. Thanks for the memories. Rest in Peace, Diego Armando #Maradona. #Panathinaikospic.twitter.com/ZI0mUSJFPh
“The colour of the ball may be different, but the feeling is the same. The world of sports grieves today the loss of a legend. R. I. P. Diego,” Olympiakos BC wrote.
The colour of the ball may be different, but the feeling is the same. The world of sports grieves today the loss of a legend. R. I. P. Diego 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/VkrKBn9kUW
Thanasi Kokkinakis has spent this year rebuilding his fitness and form following a severe bout of glandular fever.
The 24-year-old has been training in Melbourne for the past few months and hitting regularly with two-time Australian Davis Cup champion Mark Philippoussis.
“Mark’s been great for me. He is a super nice guy,” Kokkinakis said.
“I couldn’t get my coaches over from Adelaide just yet. Obviously with the year kind of in limbo, I didn’t want to get them over when I wasn’t sure what I was doing tournament wise.
“But Mark is in Melbourne and ever since I was younger, he has always been willing to help and never asks for anything in return. He’s just a super good guy and I really appreciate him.”
Kokkinakis described Philippoussis, who is a former world No.8 and two-time Grand Slam finalist, as a great support.
“It is not even about the tennis, it’s just good to have a relationship with him,” Kokkinakis said.
“Mark always has my best interests in mind. Anything I can get from him tennis wise is a bonus, he obviously has a lot of experience.
“He’s been through a lot of injuries himself and I think we have similar personalities, so he gets me and knows what makes me tick. He is just a really good guy to have around.”
Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has also been helping Kokkinakis in his comeback.
“I’ve hit with Lleyton a little bit as well,” Kokkinakis said. “He’s always been good to practise with.”
Photo: EDDIE JIM/The Age
In an interview with the AAP, Kokkinakis revealed his shocking health battle with glandular fever and muscle injuries.
Standing 193cm, Kokkinakis’s weight dropped to just 68kg after he was diagnosed with glandular fever and ended up in hospital for a week, having his tonsils and adenoids removed.
It was the latest blow in a cruel series of injuries for the former Australian Davis Cup hero, which has included shoulder, elbow and knee injuries, lingering osteitis pubis, pectoral issues and torn oblique and abdominal muscles.
Western Sydney Wanderers defender Tass Mourdoukoutas recently spoke with NSW Football Media Manager Mark Stavroulakis to discuss his proud Greek heritage, along with his Olyroos and club goals for 2021.
The two kicked off the conversation by talking about Tass’ last name, Mourdoukoutas. More specifically, the two Greeks joked about the way other commentators and players tend to mispronounce the complicated surname.
“The way you (Mark) pronounced it was right, but ‘Moudakoutas’ is fine for a lot of the Aussies,” Tass jokingly said on NSW Football series ‘Pitch Side with Stav’.
Tass was part of the Socceroos’ U-23 friendly squad against Sydney FC and new A-League contenders Macarthur FC. While the match against Sydney FC was one to forget, letting three goals slip past the defence in the opening 20′ of the match, Tass’ defensive efforts in the second match helped them secure a 2-1 win against Macarthur.
“We’ve set new goals for the Olympics and it’s time to kick on and hopefully have a really good A-League campaign and year for the boys who want to push to make the (U-23) side.
“That’s pivotal in your selection and success of the team.”
With the final squad not yet announced for the upcoming 2021 Olympics, Tass says having the opportunity to represent the green and gold would be ‘incredible’.
“It’s not something you even think about when you’re younger… But when the opportunity came to push into the national team setup and play for the Olyroos, qualifying because we haven’t qualified the last four times, it was massive to do so. Historic and I’m really proud to be a part of that,” Tass said.
“A lot of work needs to be put in between now and then, and I just need to put my best foot forward.”
While speaking very highly of his time at the Football Institute of NSW, Tass went on to talk discuss the formation of his career at Sydney Olympic FC. Entering the Men’s first team at a young age, Tass said he was “thankful” for the opportunity that many young players aren’t lucky enough to receive.
“It’s not easy to break in from the U-20s into the first grade and get a few games, and I was able to do that under the guidance of not only the coaching staff but the players at the time as well,” Tass said.
Tass Mourdoukoutas on ‘Pitch Side with Stav’. Photo: Football NSW
“I played with some really talented players at the time, including club legend Paul Henderson, who was a great role model for professionalism and attitude.”
“And Max Burgess was there at the time, what a player back then and even now, going strength to strength in the A-League.”
“It was a good time there at Olympic.”
Speaking about his transfer from Olympic to the Wanderers, Tass gave credit to former WSW NYL Coach Arthur Diles, who has now joined Sydney Olympic directors Bill Papas and Damon Hanlin, along with head coach Tony Popovic, at Greek Super League II side Xanthi FC.
Arthur Diles.
Tass said Arthur tried to recruit him for the NYL team the year prior to him leaving, yet chose to stay to focus on his HSC and final year of schooling.
“I took a lot of pride in my schooling and education so I had to make a big decision at that point to not join the Wanderers.”
“It was a good decision in the end because I got to play some first grade men’s games and develop in ways that I may not of done if I was just playing in the youth team at Western Sydney.”
“That year gave me a lot of time to develop mentally and physically.”
Tass added to his extended thanks for Arthur Diles, saying he “owed a lot to him” for his development and coaching at Western Sydney Wanderers.
Tass Mourdoukoutas and his Greek father, Kon. Photo: Western Sydney Wanderers Twitter
Concluding his interview with Tass, Mark Stavroulakis said he’s proud to see another Greek Australian player rise up through the ranks, asking him how important it was for him and his family.
“It’s such a strong Greek community here in Australia… there’s quite a few young Greek players scattered around the league and it’s good to see because we’re very passionate about the game and there’s a lot of culture there from even the old days in the NSL,” Tass concluded.
“I’d honoured to be Greek Australian and play for a country that supports us and we’ll continue to thrive I’m sure.”
The NBA MVP continues to give back to his home town of Sepolia in Athens, this time distributing food packages in the church of Agios Meletios.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was spotted with his mother and brothers handing out food and supplies to the poor on the streets of Sepolia.
Prior to arriving at the church, Giannis and his family went to a nearby supermarket and “emptied” it for their humanitarian action.
Photo: Keep Talking Greece
Giannis and his brothers Thanasis, Kostas and Alexis grew up in poverty in their early days in Greece, where their parents had arrived from Nigeria as immigrants.
There were no cameras or reporters at the church, however bystanders took pictures and posted them on social media.
“Just a while ago, Giannis distributed food boxes at the church of Agios Meletios. Unbelievable amounts and without inviting any camera. Human,” wrote Alexia Koziona.
In April 2020, Giannis and his family donated 10,000 surgical masks to the Athens suburb of Zografou.
“I’d like to thank the Antetokounmpo brothers for their generous donation that becomes even greater since it takes place in difficult times for the whole planet,” Mayor of Zografou, Vassilis Thodas, said.
The Battle of Gorgopotamos, also known as Operation Harling, was a pivotal event within World War II. It was one of the first major sabotage acts in Axis – occupied Europe and the beginning of a permanent British involvement with the Greek resistance.
Background
Operation Harling was a result of collaborative action between the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) in cooperation with the Greek resistance groups EDES and ELAS. The groups met late summer 1942, to discuss their tactical plan. The plan consisted of blowing up one of the three bridges Papadia, Asopou and Gorgopotamos (all three are located in the mountain range of Brallo), over which passes the railway line from Thessaloniki to Athens.
The strategic benefits of destroying the railway lines which connect Thessaloniki to Athens would immensely help both Greek and British operation, as it would cause the supply of Rommel’s German army to be cut off in North Africa.
In the following days, British officers Colonel Eddie Myers and Captain Hamson spotted all three possible sabotage areas and deemed the Gorgopotamos bridge to be the easiest target.
The Mission
In the few days leading up to the operation, all party leaders arrived and the area was inspected by a joint guerrilla group. By November 22nd, the final plan was drawn up and the operation was set for the night of November 25th.
The Gorgopotamos Bridge was guarded by over 100 Italian and German soldiers who each held heavy machine guns. Little did they know, they had over 150 SOE, EDES and ELAS soldiers coming their way. The plan was to neutralize or harass the guard by the guerrillas, while the commandos would place the explosives to blow up the bridge.
Finally, at 11:07pm on November 25th, the attacks took place and everything went according to plan. By the next morning, two sections of the bridge had been blown up, putting the railway out of operation.
(Greek and British Troops preparing for the operation)
Aftermath
The victory for Britain and Greece in the Battle of Gorgopotamos was a great reward to the tried Greek people and turned out to be one of the largest, successful acts of sabotage in World War II.
Out of the 150 men who undertook the operation, only four soldiers were injured. However, a few days later, in retaliation, 9 Greek patriots were executed in the area of the damaged bridge. Whilst Operation Harling was an extremely successful operation, its impact was unfortunately limited, as it was carried after a holiday, causing its two month delay. By this point, Rommel’s forces had already moved further west, and thus the supply through Greece played no role.
In 1964, thousands of people gathered in Gorgopotamos to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the bombing of the bridge.
The Greek government tabled on Tuesday a draft bill in Parliament offering tax incentives to attract foreign taxpayers in Greece. The incentives include generous tax cuts and tax exemptions for homes and vehicles.
Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said that the government begun this process with the law 4646/2019, introducing the Non-Dom institution to attract foreign taxpayers who make significant investments in Greece, taking advantage of the alternative taxation status of their global income.
The Minister added that the government introduced the law 4714/2020, expanding the status of alternate taxation to foreign pensioners transferring their tax base to Greece.
He noted that the latest draft legislation introduces tax incentives to attract foreign workers and self-employed, along with Greeks who left the country during the economic crisis, to transfer their tax base in Greece.
The incentives offer exemption from income tax and the special solidarity contribution for 50 percent of the income raised in Greece for a period of seven years and exemption of the annual tax objective spending criteria for homes and vehicles.
The head of the Greek delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Marietta Giannakou, has been elected vice president of the consultative inter-parliamentary organisation for the North Atlantic Alliance, making her the first Greek MP to be appointed to the position.
Andreas Loverdos, a Greek MP, was also elected vice-chairman of the subcommittee on the Alliance’s Future Security and Defense Capabilities.
Following Ms Giannakou’s election, the newly elected VP said she is confident the assembly will achieve its three goals set out by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“I believe that we will work according to our expectation for the Alliance, for NATO 2030, based on the three goals set by the Secretary General, Mr. Stoltenberg.
“That is, a militarily strong Alliance, the strengthening of its political character and its global role.
“I believe that these criteria will guide us in our work in the future and in the framework of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, men and women will work to meet these three goals.”
Earlier, the Secretary General addressed members of the Parliamentary Assembly, speaking in detail about the goals of the Alliance for 2030.
Referring to NATO’s role in the Eastern Mediterranean, he spoke of “creating a mechanism to prevent conflict and decompression, which can prevent dangerous accidents in the region and create the opportunity for political discussions and diplomatic solutions.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
“We must not forget that what unites us is stronger than what divides us, that we are ultimately NATO allies, committed to their main mission, to protect and defend each other,” he said.
This year’s Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly adopted a series of Resolutions on the following topics:
A transatlantic strategy for China.
Continuation of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Financial resilience and pandemic.
Defense innovation.
Maintaining investment in the defense sector after the Covid-19 pandemic.
State Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis appeared in news headlines on Tuesday morning after making a controversial claim that an increase in supply of ICU beds would lead to more hospital deaths from COVID-19.
Speaking to state broadcaster ERT, Gerapetritis’ claims were made after it was found that 50 percent of Covid-19 patients in ICU do not survive.
“If we had 5,000 ICUs, this would mean in the normal course of events that we would have a much higher number of dead,” Gerapatritis said.
These seemingly outrageous claims have been compared with those of US President Donald Trump, who said earlier this year that the reason the US has the most cases is because they do the most testing.
Gerapatritis speaks following the death of a COVID-19 infectious man who was in need of an ICU, as there was no bed available in Trikala, and later died of cardiac arrest.
“Obviously we would like to have two, three and five thousand ICUs. But keep in mind that ICUs are not the solution, we must first take care of ourselves so that we do not have to resort to these Units,” Gerapatritis said.
“Assuming we had 5,000 ICUs this would mean we would have a much higher number of deaths. Because mortality in ICUs is halved.
“The aim is not to increase those who enter but to reduce the phenomenon by observing the measures and having as much social distance as possible.”
Everyone is friendly in the SA Parliament building.
From the security guards to the receptionist, to Irene Pnevmatikos’ assistant who welcomed me and lead me to her office.
The Member of the Legislative Council offers to make me a Greek coffee while we discuss the current situation with the pandemic in Europe.
There is something unique in speaking your language with a Member of Parliament.
Especially one like Pnevmatikos, the daughter of migrants, who came to Australia without knowing a word of English and whose career unfolded in a rather unusual way.
I ask her what were some of the additional challenges she faced this year due to the pandemic and she replies boldly.
“There were no additional challenges that I faced, because at the end of the day I had a job, I had security of income and I could maintain my lifestyle,” Pnevmatikos says.
“On a political level it meant that you needed to find new ways of communicating with people and interacting with them and that’s been a learning process for all of us. It’s not the same as direct contact with people. That is an important aspect of our job.”
‘Political life is more than the parliamentary system’:
Despite the adversities and the change of circumstances due to the pandemic, Ms Pnevmatikos remains focused on supporting workers and disadvantaged groups and continues to work towards improving the representation of women from non-English speaking backgrounds in the community, workplace and the South Australian government.
“I’ve always been involved in politics. Being a member of parliament is just one aspect of political life. Political life is more than the parliamentary system,”she says.
“Being in parliament means that you become more visible, there are opportunities for you to be able to promote particular issues and concerns and there are also opportunities to hear more broadly from the community in our society and this state. So, you become a conduit -on one level- for others.”
Reaching milestones in an unconventional way:
When asked about the milestones in her career, Pnevmatikos talks with excitement about her service as a delegate of the Federal Government to the United Nations in New York and Beijing for the Fourth World Conference for Women.
With equal excitement, she talks about the unconventional path she followed to become who she is today.
“My father passed away when I was in my last year of high school. So I dropped out of school to help my mother and support our family. I got married a few years later and I think I was one of the first women here to go back to school and study after being married. That was a milestone. There was a lot of antagonism in my community about that,” says Pnevmatikos, talking proudly about her two daughters.
“There is no set path for anyone. Man or woman. And I think the more we are able to promote that the healthier our community will be.”
Since her election in 2018, Pnevmatikos has chaired the Wage Theft Committee, co-sponsored the Free Menstrual Hygiene Products Pilot Program Bill and has been a strong advocate for abortion law reform and the decriminalisation of sex work.
‘Voices are heard but not listened to’:
One would expect that in a democratic country like Australia, every person’s voice and those of community groups would be heard. Sadly, this is not always the case.
“Voices are heard but they are not listened to. There are many who don’t have an opportunity to express their concerns for lots of reasons. Because they don’t know how the process works and how they can get across their issues. This is a multifactorial problem,” Pnevmatikos says.
“But there are enough people out there who can help and support those voices and it’s important that we get to hear them, because often they are the people who are most affected by decisions that we make, by laws that we pass.
“They are the most vulnerable and if we are not listening to them, then who are we listening to at the end of the day?”
‘Politics is life’:
I ask her what she would advise young people from diverse backgrounds who would like to enter politics.
“They should,” she says.
“Politics is life. We make political decisions, all of us, every single day of our lives and we need to be involved in our society if we feel strongly about something. Otherwise decisions are made for us and we don’t have a say, in what goes on and that’s part of a democratic process.
“If we believe in a democratic process, then we have to encourage involvement and participation,” Ms Pnevmatikos concludes.
