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Turkish administrative court repeals 1934 decree that turned Hagia Sophia into museum

Turkey’s top administrative court on Friday annulled the 1934 government decree that turned Hagia Sophia into museum.

The Council of State, Turkey’s highest administrative court, received the case July 1 and was expected to make a ruling by July 16. On Friday afternoon, the court annulled the 1934 government decree, paving the way for Hagia Sophia to become a mosque.

Only one hour after the decree was signed, Erdogan ordered the conversion of one of the world’s most treasured cultural sites into a Muslim house of worship.

READ MORE: Iconic Hagia Sophia to be turned back into a mosque

Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Turkey’s most visited monuments. Finished in the year 537 with futuristic building techniques in what was then Constantinople, it was the main cathedral in Christendom for 900 years before becoming an Ottoman mosque in 1453.

It was converted into a museum in 1934 under the secular founder of the modern Turkish republic, Kemal Ataturk, but the July 2 case before the court challenges the legality of this step.

READ MORE: Greece has no rights on Hagia Sophia, says Turkish Foreign Minister.

Since last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has backed the idea of returning the building’s mosque status in several speeches, in an attempt to satisfy his conservative Muslim base, which has always seen Ataturk’s decision as catastrophic.

Following the court’s ruling, Erdogan’s government still needs to take the actual steps to make the necessary changes in the building to open it for public prayers.

Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was a Byzantine cathedral before being converted into a mosque and is now a museum in Turkey’s capital Istanbul.Murad Sezer / Reuters

UNESCO warned that it must be notified of any change in the status of Istanbul’s sixth-century museum and the changes may have to be reviewed by its World Heritage committee, the United Nation’s cultural body told Reuters late on Thursday.

UNESCO told Reuters that the Hagia Sophia was on its list of World Heritage Sites as a museum, and as such had certain commitments and legal obligations.

“Thus, a state must make sure that no modification undermines the outstanding universal value of a site listed on its territory,” UNESCO said.

“Any modification must be notified beforehand by the state to UNESCO and be reviewed if need be by the World Heritage Committee,” it added.

UNESCO said it had expressed its concerns to Turkish authorities in several letters and conveyed the message to Turkey’s ambassador to the institution on Thursday.

“We urge Turkish authorities to start a dialog before any decision is taken that could undermine the universal value of the site,” UNESCO said.

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios, the spiritual head of some 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide and based in Constantinople where the Orthodox church stands, said making it a mosque would disappoint Christians and “fracture” East and West, setting up a potential clash of religions.

“The potential conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque will turn millions of Christians around the world against Islam,” Vartholomaios warned prior to the court ruling.

More to come.

Walk Down Memory Lane: Sydney Greek Schools in the 1970s

Back in the 1970s, for many children of migrant parents, going to Greek school wasn’t an option. It was a way of life. It was a chance to learn the Greek language, history and culture of their parents and in turn, find a place of belonging where they could express their Hellenic identity proudly.

This expression of Greekness usually occurred three times a week at Greek schools across Sydney including Marrickville, Belmore, Dulwich Hill and Newtown. Most Greek children already spoke Greek at home and so although language and grammar lessons were taught at Greek school, there were also classes on religion, geography, ancient and even modern history. Something which Terri Elefteria Dakis, who provided one of the many photos in this article, says made her feel proud of her heritage.

“Greek School was the place where I was not called a “wog” and therefore, I felt more at ease with my Hellenic identity. It was at Greek school that I could mingle with children of the same cultural background and could freely speak to them in Greek,” Ms Dakis, who went to Greek school at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Parish in Marrickville in the 1970s, tells The Greek Herald.

Christina Tsatsoulis, who is one of the students in the Dulwich Hill Greek school photo, agrees with Ms Dakis. She says that as a “studious child,” she loved her experience at Greek school because it gave her a “real flair for the Greek language.”

“Greek schools were a drag for many but if you had a good teacher it was so much fun,” Mrs Tsatsoulis says.

Greek School Teachers:

Teachers were the centre of every Greek school. They were the main source of discipline, education and in most cases, fun. They encouraged their students to perform Greek poems for OXI Day celebrations and some even taught Greek dancing.

I have many fond memories from that part of my life and lifelong friendships were formed. I was also very lucky to have had an extraordinary Greek school teacher by the name of Mrs Aliki Ellis… She taught us with great passion and was indeed a true inspiration to all of us,” Ms Dakis says.

In the interest of thorough research for this walk down memory lane, we tracked down Mrs Ellis and found out what she thought of her time as a teacher at the Greek school of St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Parish in Marrickville.

“My time teaching the beautiful Greek language and culture for many years at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox church school a few decades ago remains a highlight of my life. They were some of the best years I’ve ever had,” Mrs Ellis tells The Greek Herald.

“The students inspired me as I tried to instil in them a love of everything Greek. My reward was seeing young Greek-Australians tap into their Greek roots to keep our beautiful language and culture alive and to pass on to future generations.”

The same can be said for other teachers across Sydney as well, including Mrs Voula Xanthoudakis who taught at the Greek school of St Constantine and Helen in Newtown back in the 1970s.

“The little kids were beautiful. I loved teaching them. They would come after school and most were really tired, but they still wanted to learn. Those were the best years and I wish we could get them back,” Mrs Xanthoudakis says.

Although we might not be able to actually go back to those days as they used to be, we can at least take a trip down memory lane. And what amazing days they clearly were, filled with Greek culture, history, language and most importantly, strong friendships. Many of which remain as strong as ever.

Winners announced for Battle of Thermopylae 2500 Year Anniversary Competition

Today we announce the winners for the Battle of Thermopylae 2500 Year Anniversary Competition, each of whom will be receiving a $500 cash prize and will be featured in Wednesday’s edition of The Greek Herald!

First we would like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who submitted an entry for the competition. We were overwhelmed with responses, receiving works from schools and universities across the country.

The competition was launched to commemorate the 2500 year anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. It required people to submit any piece of writing or artwork, which was then be selected by the team at The Greek Herald.

People truly activated their creative minds. We received a variety of colourful artworks and paintings, along with beautiful pieces of poetry and historical recounts.

We are happy to announce that the winners of the competition for each category are:

Year 7-9: Vaios Tioulis

Year 10-12: Elaina Kazouris

University: Franco Veri

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who sent in a piece of work for the competition!

We would also like to send a special thanks to the runners up for each category:

Year 7-9: Peter Winnel

Year 10-12: Zack Stephens

University: Jordan Mides

Both the winners and runners up pieces of work will be featured next week online.

Kytherian World Heritage Fund works to preserve almost 100 year Kytherian legacy in Australia

The Kytherian World Heritage Fund (KWHF), operating since 2003, has been preserving the Kytherian heritage for 17 years, publishing books on the Kytherian legacy.

The fund was initially founded by George Poulos and the late Angelo Notaras OAM, along with Angelo’s business partner and brother John Notaras.

“They wanted to preserve Kytherian heritage and capture the knowledge through publishing books in both Greek and English,” committee chair member Matina Zervos says to The Greek Herald.

“The publishing of the books, most if not all of the projects, are also supported by the estate of the late Nicholas A. Aroney.”

“It’s not possible to do the projects without their support.”

George and Angelo published books in both English and Greek. Now acting as a sub-committee of the Kytherian Association of Australia, the fund sets out with the objective to preserve the Kytherian heritage, culture and realia, for the benefit of Kytherians worldwide.

“Since its inception there have been a number of Kytherians who have generously supported the mission of the KWHF and provided both financial and logistical support,” Matina adds.

The fund has amassed over 100 titles including Australians & Greeks, Kytherian Migrants and their Associations and Life in Australia 1916. With such a large collection, the fund now donates these books to various organisations in an effort to spread the cultural message.

“We donated to the Consulate, we’ve donated a beautiful bible sets to a number of parishes, and we’ve donated books to the Greek welfare centre to their library,” Matina says.

The KWHF committee is currently made up of three volunteers; Matina Zervos (Chair), Barbara Zantiotis and George Preneas, who all donate their time to carry on the legacy of George and Angelo.

“There are a number of projects currently being undertaken… including a Kytherian dialect book, working in collaboration the Society of Kytherian Studies in Athens.”

The fund is currently holding a 50% off RRP sale of all the Greek language books, CDs and DVDs, with the fund looking to broaden their reach to Greek-Australian audiences.

“We’ve got lots of stock we would love to move and importantly, all of the funds generated from the books goes back into future publishing projects.”

A full list of titles can be found on their website: https://www.kytherianassociation.com.au/books.html

Greek researchers say close to launching own, cheaper COVID-19 test

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Researchers in Greece say they are close to launching a molecular test to detect COVID-19 which could provide a cheaper alternative to imported kits and uninterrupted access to supplies.

Greece currently uses diagnostic kits imported from a variety of suppliers abroad. The potential new test would use nasal swab samples, two researchers said, and could be available “in the coming future”.

Both researchers requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the project.

Generally, tests both for the virus itself and for the antibodies the immune system produces to fight the infection are becoming more widely available, but they are not perfect. The tests can come back with false positives, false negatives or confoundingly ambiguous results.

A significant number of people may be reluctant to take a test for COVID-19, for various different reasons. Image from Shutterstock

The researchers said their test had a more than a 90 percent accuracy rate. Research centres and at least two publicly-funded Greek universities are involved in the project, launched in February, they said.

In an interview this week, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the research “great work’.

“We won’t be depending on tests from abroad, and I believe we will be in a position to make some significant announcements on research into therapy protocols,” Mitsotakis told Skai radio.

Greece moved swiftly to contain the virus outbreak by initiating a broad lockdown in March, recording less than 4000 cases, and less than 200 deaths.

Researchers said they had also developed a test with ‘more than 90 percent accuracy’ which can detect COVID-19 antibodies, a sign that someone had contracted the virus.

Research was also underway into how antibodies could be used in a potential cure, they said.

Sourced By: Reuters

Widow of murder victim John Macris thankful his accused killers were arrested

The widow of slain Sydney underworld figure John Macris has given evidence in a Greek court saying she is relieved the Bulgarian brothers accused of his murder were arrested, 9 News reports.

The businessman, 46, who had links to organised crime, was shot dead outside his home in the Athens seaside suburb of Glyfada on October 31, 2018.

Read More: ‘I’m devastated’: John Macris’ widow breaks silence as alleged killers front court in Greece

CCTV from the night of the murder showed a man in a baseball cap firing a 9mm handgun through the side window of Macris’ car before unloading more shots as he attempted to flee the fire. Mr Macris, a father-of-two, died at the scene.

His wife, Viktoria Karida, a former Playboy model and television star, told the Athens court she recognised one of the alleged killers from the footage.

Yuliyanov J Raychev Serafim and his brother Milen Raychevhas were both charged with first degree murder, with the brothers having links to organised crime in Sydney before Macris moved to Greece in 2013.

Viktoria Karida, widow of slain Sydney gangster John Macris, arrives in court in Greece. Picture: Spyros Bakalis.

The brothers have denied the charges saying they could not be hitmen because professionals would not have used their own names to check into hotels and their own passports.

However, CCTV of the shooting shows a man wearing clothes similar to those found in Serafim’s hotel room, along with a receipt.

Overnight the court heard claims the men had been stalking Mr Macris before he was shot dead.

“That day my husband told his friend that Serafim and his brother were in the same cafeteria as John was,” Ms Karida told the court, according to a translation of her evidence.

Milen Raychev, who is accused of being an accessory to the murder of John Macris, is lead into court in Athens by police. Picture: Spyros Bakalis.

Ms Karida spoke of her relief at her husband’s alleged killers being taken into custody.

“Thank god they got arrested and couldn’t kill another one as they did with John,” she said.

Ms Karida identified Serafim from footage taken from the security cameras outside her home.

“I am a person of detail, I am sure that he is the guy. He runs and walks in the same way. The car they rented has been recorded by the CCTV of the house.

Lawyers for the brothers previously told 9News they deny the charges and knowing Mr Macris.

“From the very beginning they have denied the charges,” defence lawyer Alexandros Lykourezos said last week when the murder trial began.

“They insist they are innocent. They insist. We hope and believe we can prove that.”

Sourced By: Nine News

Forest fire in Corinth leads to evacuation of children’s camp

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Hundreds of children were being evacuated from a summer camp in Greece as a precaution after a forest fire broke out near Corinth and strong winds fanned the blaze.

The fire department said more than 80 firefighters, two water-dropping planes and one helicopter were sent to tackle the fire near Corinth in south-central Greece on Thursday.

Strong winds were blowing in the area, hampering efforts to extinguish the blaze.

Authorities said the summer camp with around 400 children was being evacuated. Mayor Vassilis Nanopoulos said the children were transferred to accommodation in nearby Xylokeriza.

Wildfires fires are common in Greece during the country’s hot, dry summers. In 2018, more than 100 people died when a fast-moving forest fire swept through the seaside settlement of Mati, northeast of the Greek capital, Athens.

The fire department said it would be carrying out patrols by aircraft on Friday as well as joint ground patrols with the police and army in areas where the fire risk was elevated due to weather conditions. The areas include the wider Athens region, other parts of mainland Greece and several Greek islands.

Sourced By: Associated Press

Eight-year-old Greek piano prodigy lights up Temple of Olympian Zeus

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Eight-year-old Greek piano prodigy Stelios Kerasidis has dazzled guests once again, this time in front of Athenians at Temple of Olympian Zeus in celebration of Greece taking over presidency of the Council of Europe.

The piano wonder child started performing in public at the age of five. At age six, he became the youngest Greek musician to perform a Chopin waltz at Carnegie Hall.

The talented performer then penned an “isolation waltz” inspired by the coronavirus pandemic. The composition is a moving piece of music dedicated to all the people who continue to suffer across the world from the disease, as well as those who are forced to stay at home in isolation.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis congratulated Kerasidis for his performance.

President Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Wednesday evening addressed the event inaugurating Greece’s presidency of the Council of Europe at the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens.

The president hailed a “special opportunity” for a country that suffered during the economic crisis and came through due to the sacrifices of its people as well as its membership of the European Union.

Photo: Greek Reporter

Greece has since become “an international example for managing a health crisis,” Sakellaropoulou added, referring to the country’s relative success to date in containing the spread of the coronavirus. 

The event was opened by Alternate Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, who is the chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Following the ceremony, the Temple of Olympian Zeus was illuminated red, marking Greece’s take over of the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

The ancient temple of Zeus is illuminated with red light in front of the ancient Acropolis hill during a ceremony in Athens tonight to mark Greece taking over the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. @apnews/@PGiannakouris

Violence erupts at rally in Greece against new protest law

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Violence has broken out in Athens during a mass demonstration against plans to curb public protests. A group of protesters hurled gasoline bombs at riot police outside parliament, while police responded with tear gas and flash grenades.

The demonstrations were being held in Athens and around 40 other Greek cities and towns to oppose the plans by the center-right government.

More than 10,000 peaceful protesters had gathered in central Athens, many supporting a labor union backed by the Greek Communist Party. A separate group of several dozen youths was involved in the violence that sent other demonstrators, including families with young children, scrambling to move away from the clouds of tear gas.

Protesters throw patrol bombs at riot police outside the Greek Parliament during a protest against new protest law in Athens, on Thursday, July 9, 2020. AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ year-old conservative government says it is determined to stop small protest gatherings from disrupting traffic and commercial activity.

“The right to hold peaceful gatherings must be protected … but it must be done in a way that will not interrupt the activity of an entire city,” Mitsotakis told parliament on the second and final day of debate.

Critics of the proposed reforms include the Athens Bar Association and parliament’s own legislative review committee. They argue that plans to prosecute protesters attending unsanctioned rallies and to hold protest organizers responsible for damage caused if rallies turn violent are legally troublesome.

The government said it had added several clarifications to the bill to address those concerns. The bill is expected to be approved later Thursday.

School teachers dressed in black take part in a demonstration against new protest law in Athens, on Thursday, July 9, 2020. AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris

Opposition leader Alexis Tsipras, who was prime minister in 2015-2019, accused the government of introducing the measures to allow heavy-handed policing. He predicted the pandemic-driven recession would trigger large labor protests in the fall.

“You fear what is coming — the reaction of society, the anger of society — and that is why you are preparing to give us repression,” Tsipras told parliament.

Greece is expected to suffer a major recession this year due to the impact of the pandemic, losing 9% of its annual output, according to European Union projections.

Sourced By: Associated Press

‘The Spartan’, Andreas Michailidis, looking to fight his way onto UFC podium

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Andreas Michailidis. Remember the name.

Michailidis will make his first appearance in the UFC on July 15, becoming the first Greek athlete to enter the United States MMA competition.

“I am the second Greece-born athlete, but I am the first guy to actually make it to the UFC from Greece,” Michailidis told BJPENN.com.

“I didn’t move somewhere else to make it to the UFC, like the United States. Over the years, I have traveled to the Allstars Training Centre in Sweden for my camps but day-to-day I live and train in Greece at EFL MMA.

“Now that Greece is on the map of the MMA world, I think in the near future you will see that there are many competitive fighters in Greece.”

The 31-year-old fighter stepped in on just 10 days’ notice to fight former Cage Warriors light heavyweight belt-holder Modestas Bukauskas, after the English-Lithuanian fighter’s original opponent was forced off due to a positive COVID-19 test.

The Greek fighter was initially supposed to compete for the Cage Warriors middleweight strap this past April. As COVID-19 entered the arena, the event was cancelled, delaying his debut for the UFC.

“My fight for the Cage Warriors middleweight championship belt which was canceled this year due to COVID–19 was actually the second Cage Warriors fight I’ve had fall through. I was previously supposed to fight Jack Marshman for the middleweight championship belt but he was signed to the UFC and our fight was dropped.

Photo: TS Production

“After those two cancellations, my management team organized the Contender Series fight in September, and shortly after we were offered the chance to fight in the UFC, which we couldn’t pass up.”

Before reaching the UFC, Michailidis fought all around the world for multiple promotions, in the likes of Bellator, Fight Nights Global, King of the Cage, and Titan Fighting Championship. He’s now only the second Greece-born athlete to compete in the UFC.

Before him, there was American-Greek lightweight Anthony Christodoulou, who racked up two losses and no victories during his time with the promotion.

“There are a number of reasons that MMA is not currently thriving in Greece,” the proud Hellenic concluded.

“Most kids need to work for money and make the time commitment needed to train. MMA is also a relatively young sport in Greece and has only been around for the last ten years. The path that me and my team have made to the UFC wasn’t available before. We’ve had to travel a lot to find a way to get to the UFC and the time and cost of this is an insurmountable hurdle for most Greeks.

“Now that we’ve made it, I think that this will encourage and open the doors to many more Greek fighters to join the UFC.”