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Turkey to continue illegal survey activities near Kastellorizo until November 29

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Turkey has issued another navigational telex, or NAVTEX, for the continuation of survey activities of the Oruc Reis vessel in the Eastern Mediterranean through to November 29.

The NAVTEX, which was released on Saturday by the Antalya station, reserves an area extending just beyond six nautical miles south of the island of Kastellorizo. 

The Oruc Reis will continue its activity along with two other ships, the Ataman and Cengiz Han, the NAVTEX said.

The Oruc Reis had been expected to finish its work by November 23.

Greece issues counter-Navtex:

In response, Greece has issued a counter-NAVTEX to the advisory published by Turkey.

Turkey has extended its illegal NAVTEX until November 29.

The NAVTEX, issued by the Iraklio station in Crete, said that an “unauthorised station” had broadcast a NAVTEX message in the Greek NAVTEX service area, referring to “illegal activity in an area including Greek territorial sea.”

It added that the area designated by the Turkish advisory overlaps Greece’s continental shelf.

READ MORE: Pompeo condemns Turkey’s unilateral actions in East Med in letter to Greek counterpart.

Greece’s Foreign Ministry also responsed on Saturday, saying in a statement that the Turkish NAVTEX had reserved an area overlapping Greece’s continental shelf in violation of the international law of the sea.

Turkey’s moves, the Ministry said, undermine peace, security and stability in the region.

The Ministry warned that Turkey was once again disregarding calls by the international community and the European Council to refrain from illegal actions that fuel tensions in the region.

Erdogan calls on EU for dialogue:

Turkey’s Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, and President Erdogan both made comments days before the NAVTEX was extended. Credit: simsek hb – hakar/Wikipedia.

Hours before Turkey issued their illegal NAVTEX, the country’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called on the European Union for dialogue, warning the bloc not to become a “tool for enmities” during escalating tensions over the Eastern Mediterranean.

“We expect the EU to keep its promises, not to discriminate against us or at least not to become a tool to open enmities targeting our country,” Erdogan said in a video address to his ruling party congress on Saturday.

READ MORE: Turkey-Greece feud escalates as Turkey plays military games in East Med.

“We don’t see ourselves elsewhere but in Europe,” he added. “We envisage building our future together with Europe.”

These comments came in the face of statements by Turkey’s Defense Minister, Hulusi Akara, who again raised the issue of “gray zones” in the Aegean, claiming that there are islands the sovereignty of which was never given to Greece.

“We are researching openly, it is obvious. We are not hiding anything. We do scientific and technical work. Our ships continue their work. It is immoral to present these tasks as provocation or as raising tension,” the Turkish Defense Minister said, according to Ekathimerini.

“This is not about ethics. They ignore moves and actions which they carry out around islands, which are by no means under Greek sovereignty.”

EU leaders are to decide in a December summit whether to impose further sanctions over Turkey’s recent activity.

George and Sarah Bragias receive incredible $4 million bid in The Block 2020 grand final

George and Sarah Bragias have walked away with $650,002 after receiving an incredible $4,000,002 bid for their Brighton property on The Block 2020.

All contestants were told prior to the bidding that Cypriot father-daughter duo Harry and Tash’s property had been the ‘most viewed’ on the popular real-estate website, The Domain. Meanwhile, Sarah and George’s house was voted the ‘people’s favourite’ by Channel 9 audiences.

Both teams, Harry and Tash along with Sarah and George, shared a reserve house price of $3.5 million dollars. A noticeably high price tag, every contestant entered the bidding with fearful looks in their eyes.

Photo: Supplied

Once the bidding started, however, there was no stopping, with the reserve price looking like pocket money to the bidders. Daniel and Jade were the first contestants to go through the Brighton bidding showdown, receiving $506,000 profit for an astounding $3.856 million bid.

While that sounds like a lot, however, Jimmy and Tam managed to make an incredible $950,000 profit. An inspirational feat, the team received a top bid of $4.256 million dollars.

An impressive number to beat, Sarah and George seemed up to the task with enthusiasm gleaming from the Greeks’ faces.

Anticipation was high as they waited for the massive $4,000,000 bid, hoping it to be from the man who made a similar bid last auction, yet walked away empty handed.

Photo: Channel Nine

Once the bid arrived, cheers erupted as they found themselves with $650,002 profit.

“I’m laughing and crying at the same time,” says Sarah.

Harry and Tash kept their spirits high as they became the final team to put their house for sale. The Cypriot pair sat on the couch in anticipation with host Scott Cam, with hopes of simply reaching over their reserve of $3.350 million.

To the father and daughter’s surprise, they smashed their reserve with a bid of $4 million, also receiving $650,000 profit.

Photo: Channel Nine

The family embraced each other with tears as their 18-week journey came to a satisfying conclusion.

Sarah and George: 362B New Street, Brighton

Sarah and George’s property blends a striking 1940s period charm with a modern day design that puts quality, style, and considered attention to the detail at the forefront, The Domain states. The utterly breathtaking 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom + studio residence delivers outstanding family living in a popular Brighton location.

The couple have crafted an exquisite bayside dwelling that retains much of its original detail while introducing high end fittings and fixtures to create “breathtaking spaces both inside and out”.

Harry and Tash: 364 New Street, Brighton

According to The Domain, Harry and Tash’s home is a beautiful 1920s, two-storey home, taking cues from the heritage archways, cathedral ceilings, and spectacular Peppercorn tree that occupies the side yard.

This five-bedroom, four-bathroom residence has been brought back to life, featuring all the comforts that lend themselves for people to lead a good one. The kitchen is also an “entertainer’s dream”.

READ MORE: Greek and Cypriot contestants on The Block 2020 reveal their strong bond
READ MORE: Greek and Cypriot contestants battle it out on The Block 2020

Speaking with The Greek Herald in an earlier interview, George Bragias says he considers himself a proud Greek Australian with a deep joy in his Harley-Davidson. He and his wife, Sarah, have been together for eight years and married for three. It’s this strong connection which they say has helped them navigate every challenge The Block threw at them this year.

57-year-old Harry Pavlou was born in Cyprus and came to Australia when he was four. He says he chose to go on the show with his daughter, Tash, because they ‘get along really well and are very similar.’

“We’ve never really worked together on a project before. I’ve done renovations but Tash has never been involved in that. So it was a challenge at the very beginning, but we got our rhythm and we found our strengths and weaknesses and… did a great job,” Harry says to The Greek Herald.

The Gift Herald: Be a part of The Greek Herald’s Special Christmas Giveaway!

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Good riddance and farewell 2020!

Given we were unable to go to Greece this year, The Greek Herald thought it would be fun to bring a bit of Greece to your Christmas holidays!

The Greek Herald is bringing Christmas cheer in the form of a hamper with many of our much loved products.

So what do you need to do to win these magnificent prizes? It’s super simple!

  1. Head to The Greek Herald’s Facebook comment section and tag your best friend or family member that you want to share this special hamper with!
  2. Go on The Greek Herald and give the Facebook page a Like.

A total of five winners will be announced, with entries eligible from any state across Australia.

Winners will be announced every week on Friday in the lead-up to Christmas, with the final winner announced on Christmas Day!

Go ahead and comment on our Facebook post and we’ll be contacting you in the next few weeks to let you know if you’ve been successful (be sure to check your Facebook inbox!)

Good luck and Merry Christmas!

UPDATE: Congratulations to our three competition winners so far!

  • Andrew Antoniou
  • Maria Iero
  • Penny Georgiadis

Still two up for grabs!

Why Greek migrants to Australia are facing an increased risk of diabetes

Greek and Italian migrants to Australia have a more than three times greater incidence of type 2 diabetes than Australian-born individuals.

Type 2 diabetes develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin or when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin. Exactly why this happens is unknown, yet genetics and environmental factors, such as being overweight and inactive, appear to be contributing factors.

Endocrinologist Dr Katherine Samaras says there are many plausible reasons why Greek migrants are more susceptible to diabetes, including genetics and increased obesity, yet clarified that excess weight gain is a vital issue regardless.

“We should be frank. Carrying an extra 5kg is not okay. Carrying a extra 20kg is a health tragedy,” Dr Samaras says to The Greek Herald.

The ‘Mediterranean diet’ or ‘Greek diet’ is globally considered one of the healthiest diets for nutrient balance. Yet, as Dr Samaras explains, the idolised Mediterranean diet is not comprised of souvlaki or other meats. Something that appears to have been lost in translation through health education.

“It is the peasant diet, not the feast or special occasions diet,” Dr Samaras says.

“More commonly, the traditional Greek diet consists of seasonal vegetables, legumes, fish and cheese. All in smaller quantities than Greeks serve in Australia today.”

The situation is not isolated in Australia, however, with a lack of physical activity and an unbalanced diet also leading to people in Greece having greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study conducted by the National School of Public Health’s Department of Health Economics and the Federation of Cooperative Pharmacists of Greece in 2018.

For the many Greek migrants faced with diabetes, there are multiple ways they can maintain a good quality of life.

Dr Samaras says that most modern scientific breakthroughs show fasting as a valuable method to extending life and preventing ageing.

“The best management strategy for diabetes is to reduce the amount of food on the plate by one third – not eating more of any food,” Dr Samaras adds.

“Five kilos weight loss can improve diabetes more than some medications.”

While it may be a ‘big step’, Dr Samaras recommended people with diabetes and obesity consider bariatric surgery, saying it’s “better than having a heart attack”.

“And the best thing good Greek grandparents can do (since diabetes runs in families) is to not overfeed their children or grandchildren,” Dr Samaras concludes.

“Otherwise one would be killing them with kindness.”

*To find out more about diabetes and its early signs and symptoms visit: https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au

Insight or Perspective: If we lose the language we lose everything!

By Eleni Elefterias.

(PART 4)

Many of us worry about when children should start to learn Greek.

What if their English skills are not established yet?

What if they can speak Greek quite well as they have had lots of interaction with grandma and grandad who speak fluent Greek but not much English?

One parent wants the child to start Greek school and the other insists that it will slow them down at school There is really no good reason for this attitude. Children are very capable of learning many languages and being bilingual or multilingual is a great asset to have at any age.

If children are exposed to languages from young age neurones, form in their brain, potentially making them smarter and better problem solvers than many other children.

The younger they start to hear other languages the better. Children and even babies recognise very quickly that different adults speak different languages, and they can discern this difference. This is called coding.

They may have one grandmother who speaks to them in Greek and another in Thai, while one parent may talk to them in English and one in Greek. They may mix the languages up at first, but eventually, they will be able to translate for others in the family.

When they start school, their language skills in English may seem slower than the other children; however, their language acquisition is the same if not more. This following analogy with the glasses is a good one. Monolingual children may have a glass full of words by the end of Kindergarten.

Bilingual children may have two glasses half full of two languages. All together they too have a whole glass full of vocabulary. Eventually, they will catch up and exceed the monolingual group. 

So when should you teach them the Greek alphabet? Next week I will tell you why you should not bother with the alphabet.

READ MORE: Insight or Perspective: If we lose the language we lose everything (Part Three)

*Eleni Elefterias-Kostakidis is a teacher of Modern Greek and University lecturer. 

Read Eleni Elefterias’ column ‘Insight or Perspective’ in Greek, every Saturday in The Greek Herald’s print edition or get your subscription here.

Coronavirus deaths jump to daily record in Greece, hospitals pressured

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Greece reported 108 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, a daily record, with hospitals in the north of the country under pressure as available intensive care beds filled up from the surge in COVID-19 infections.

After a two-month lockdown in March, which helped contain the spread of infections, a spike since October forced the government to impose a second nationwide lockdown this month that officially expires at the end of the month.

However, this could be in doubt.

“Lifting the lockdown on Dec. 1 does not seem realistic right now,” government spokesman Stelios Petsas told state TV ERT on Friday.

The government’s committee of experts will evaluate new data next week to assess whether a partial lifting of the lockdown early next month is feasible.

Health authorities reported 2,311 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total since the first case was detected in February to 90,121. The death toll is 1,527.

The case load in Thessaloniki in the north of the country remained nearly double that of Athens.

“The seeming stabilisation of infections in Athens is fragile, the improvement is not sufficient to relieve pressure on the hospital system,” infectious disease expert Gikas Magiorkinis told reporters on Friday.

Sourced By: Reuters

Traditional Greek Recipes: Spanakopita (Spinach and Feta Pie)

By Victoria Loutas

Spanakopita is a popular Greek pie made with filo pastry and cheese and spinach filling. 

Made with fresh ingredients and herbs, Spanakopita is a versatile and delicious dish suitable for every time of the day. 

Follow this simple recipe to make your own spanakopita at home; 

Ingredients

2 large bunches of spinach 

1 bunch shallots

1 bunch parsley

250g feta cheese

3 eggs lightly beaten

50g unsalted butter, melted

Filo pastry

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees celsius
  2. Finely chop the spinach, shallots and parsley
  3. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, shallots, parsley, beaten eggs and feta cheese. Mix well 
  4. Lay a sheet of filo pastry into a baking dish and brush with melted butter. Repeat this 5 times to create a thick base layer of pastry
  5. Pour the spinach mixture on top of filo pastry
  6. Lay 6 or more sheets of filo on top of the filling, continually brushing with melted butter
  7. Tuck the filo pastry into the sides of the baking dish and brush more butter on top
  8. Using a knife, cut 2-3 slits on the top of the spanakopita to help it cook through
  9. Bake the spanakopita at 160 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes or until golden 
  10. Once removed, let the spanakopita cool before cutting and enjoy!

Kali oreksi! 

Program for 2021 seminar series announced by Greek Community of Melbourne

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The program for the Greek Community of Melbourne’s Greek History and Culture Seminar Series for 2021 has just been released.

As 2021 coincides with the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence, it’s probably the most ambitious series attempted so far. More than half the program has been dedicated to 1821 themes. Delivering 30 seminars, and this may even grow, and a crash course aimed at students is a massive undertaking.

According to the program’s convenor and Board member, Dr Nick Dallas, “Yes there will be coordination challenges, but we feel very confident we can pull it off, as we have many dedicated people supporting us”.

The impact of Covid has been an interesting one for the seminar series. Initially the series was suspended but then resumed online after a few months. During this period, it also acquired a modified audience base, one which was younger and more diverse geographically. Every week there are interstate and overseas people following. Even in its communications, an Athens start time is stipulated for those in Europe who may be interested. Furthermore it’s been possible to access a greater range of speakers, everyone is simply a Zoom click away no matter where they’re located. It also means a greater range of topics for the audience to be exposed to.

Despite these positive developments, the major downside has been the loss of the social dimension and the interaction that follows when the seminars were held at the Greek Centre. The challenge in the future when semi-normality returns, would be to get the balance right and getting the best features of both approaches or combining the two.

The program will kick off with Sydney University’s enigmatic Professor Vrasidas Karalis on Thursday 4th March 2021. However the two Thursday evenings before that a crash course on the main themes of 1821 will be rolled out for the benefit of NUGAS (National Union of Greek Australian Students) members and other students.

According to NUGAS president, Denise Sardenes, many younger adults don’t have sufficient historical knowledge on the Greek Revolution. The aim of this crash course is to put them in a better position to appreciate the more specific seminars with 1821-linked themes.

An attempt has been made to deal with events associated with 1821 from a variety of angles. Some of the topics include the pivotal Battle of Navarino, Ottoman perceptions of the Revolution and Mando Mavrogenous, a female heroine not as well known as Bouboulina.

The program has a strong international flavour with eight overseas-based academics having accepted invitations to participate. Harvard-based Professor Alexander Kitroeff will examine the 1821 Revolution as an international event, while the closing seminar to be given by award-winning Greek historian Antonis Liakos on the international resonance of 1821. 

Paschalis Kitromilides.

Different people and divergent sectors of society had dissimilar expectations and visions of what the revolution should entail but also what type of nation-state should follow. Professors Paschalis Kitromilides and Thanos Veremis, along with Dean Kalimniou will examine themes along these lines.

Moreover, the organisers hope that the almost year long program complimented by other related events will promote introspection, debate, increase awareness and dispel myths, and encourage people to do further research and reading on topics of interest.

The link below contains the program:

https://bit.ly/3kBkAUE

Vasili’s Taxidi: With the Award Winning Hair Appeal & Beauty Connection

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By Vasilis Vasilas 

An amazing theme of small business is definitely coming across the dynamic duo of husband and wife teams. Working alongside each other by day, and resting together at home by night; their lives are intertwined 24/7! But what wonderful chemistry drives husbands and wives to become business partners, and to work side-by-side? Over the years, it is admirable to see their relationship grow, parallel to the growth of their business too… 

One of the dynamic duos- of husband and wife- in small business is George and Lucy (nee Petrou) of the award-winning Hair Appeal and Beauty Connection, Revesby; George and Lucy’s story is simply great angles whether their important role they play in servicing the local community or the continual recognition they receive for their high-quality work and service. 

George, with his parents, Stavros and Maria, and siblings, Magdalene, Katina and Angela, migrated from Rhodes, Greece, in 1961, when George was only two years old. Lucy, with her parents, Kyriakos and Despina, and siblings, Angela, Georgia, Andrew and Maria, migrated from Cyprus in 1972, when Lucy was ten years old.

After finishing school and working a couple of jobs, George got an opportunity to commence his apprenticeship as a barber at his uncle’s barber shop, Terry Trippis Barber, at Lindfield. With his growing reputation, George becomes the journeyman of barbers, working for the Cordoni family and studying for another two years at TAFE for hairdressing. His first business experience was with Mario Parisis when they opened a hairdressing salon, Hairem International, in Dulwich Hill; after two years, George moves on.

It is when George found work in John Kostakis’ Compass Hair Salon, Bankstown where, between perms and colouring hair, he met the love of his life, Lucy Petrou, a hairdresser there… George continued working in various hair salons from Castle Hill to Parramatta.

After marrying Lucy, another business opportunity arose, to take over a barber shop in Burwood; unfortunately, it did not work out. But fate does reward good people; it was Lucy’s father, Kyriakos, who found a vacant shop on River Road, Revesby, and George and Lucy take the chance to start up- from scratch- their own business, Hair Appeal, in 1988.

George recounts how difficult the early years were, as Lucy and he balanced raising a young young family and running a business, ‘In the early days of our business, we had a shed in the rear of the property; we transformed it into a nursery and our sons, Stephen and Kieran, practically grew up there. My mother-in-law, Despina, nurtured and raised them in our nursery! Our sons played with a toy dinosaur and that toy dinosaur is still around. Today, we have children who play with the same toy dinosaur while their parents are getting their hair cut or styled, and we explain to them our children used to play with it too…when they were young.’ 

Over the years, Hair Appeal has grown from strength to strength, to the point where they introduced the beauty salon section to their business 11 years ago. Hair Appeal has continued to grow….

Business names and buildings are just that; it is the shop-owners who make them successful, as George pays tribute to Lucy’s love and support in their business, ‘We could not have been so successful and happy, without Lucy. I know I would have been totally lost without her! Our salon is not a salon… without her! At the end of the day, our customers ring up for either Lucy or me, or both of us. This business may be called Hair Appeal but for our customers, Lucy and I (with our dedicated staff), make up Hair Appeal. This business is about people…’

And what does it mean to run a small business in the same area for over thirty years? George is ever-so-grateful for the local community’s enormous support and attributes Hair Appeal and Beauty Connections’s success to this, ‘In Revesby, we have been lucky to work in such a local community. People here are welcoming; they are loyal and true. If I walk down to Revesby shops, so many people will greet me. I feel that Lucy and I are part of Revesby’s community! 

‘We have customers like Connie Trutwein (nee: Iofrida) who have been coming here from the day we opened. Her sister, Sylvana, worked for us for over 15 years. People like Connie are not customers; they are like family! 

‘So many people have moved out of the area, yet they still come here to get their hair cut and styled. We get customers coming from as far as Canberra, Sussex Inlet and Port Macquarie!’

Over thirty years with Hair Appeal and Beauty Connection, George and Lucy have grown together and so has their business… alongside the Revesby community… 

Sydney councillor Angela Vithoulkas threatens to resign after exclusion from ‘post-pandemic vision’

An email by City of Sydney councillor Angela Vithoulkas, obtained by the Sydney Sentinel, has exposed Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore for excluding her in a “post-pandemic vision” project that she believes should have been included in.

Copied to all eight other councillors, as well as City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone, Small Business Party founder Vithoulkas slammed the Lord Mayor for not inviting her to a joint City of Sydney–NSW Government summit, which was billed as an initiative “to ensure retailers, cafes, bars and restaurants had the best opportunities possible across the Christmas and summer trading period”.

While Vithoulkas has since decided to stay on as a councillor, the councillor says the lack of an invitation brought her to the end of her tether after repeated instances of exclusion and political partisanship.

“Lord Mayor, this is the most difficult email I have written in my eight years as a councillor,” Vithoulkas began.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore at a 31 December, 2019 press conference. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP Image.

“I have finally reached the end of the line when it comes to thinking for even a moment there might be a form of democracy or respect within our council,” she wrote.

“I have always been very transparent with my views [and] most councillors know that I say what I think, and if I give my word, it stands.

“What I won’t stand for anymore is the disrespect I feel has been delivered yet again to myself and the small business community within the City of Sydney.”

Vithoulkas possesses decades of hospitality experience, previously running the award-winning Vivo Cafe on George Street, which she ran with her brother Con for 16 years until its closure in August 2018.

Angela Vithoulkas.

Vithoulkas alleged that if the summit had pertained to town planning matters, the Lord Mayor would have sought the involvement of Councillor Philip Thalis, a town planner; and that if it had related to the arts, Moore would have called upon Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Scully, an art curator and former arts festival director. 

“Of course I know I am not on your team,” Vithoulkas wrote. “But I think it’s fairly safe to say I have more hospitality business experience than any other councillor and in fact most likely any staff at the City.” 

She continued: “You should have included me. You should have done it because it was the right thing to do. It shouldn’t have been political and you know very well I would not have made it that.

“I am disappointed and frankly disgusted … with a structure that holds political media point scoring in higher regard than actually fixing a problem.”

In her missive, Vithoulkas said she was “looking into the process of resignation … because I am not sure how I could continue to be part of a council that I have lost faith in”.