Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis joined over 100 world leaders at a summit organised by US President Joe Biden on Thursday.
Mitsotakis cautioned against authoritarianism and populism at the inaugural Summit for Democracy.
He said Greece has experienced “the divisive politics, failed promises and empty rhetoric of both far-left and far-right populism – and has rejected both.”
After a decade of financial crisis, “Greeks understood the need for true change, backing a reform agenda that was patriotic rather than nationalistic.”
He said investments, new jobs and growth must be prioritised, along with improving the efficiency of the public sector by combating bureaucracy.
He proposed digitising the state as a way of reducing inequality and promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.
The sleepy seaside town of Shoal Bay in New South Wales has recently received a shake up with the opening of Atmos at the Shoal Bay Country Club.
The restaurant promises to transport people to the Greek islands through its traditional architecture, relaxing atmosphere and cuisine, and it definitely doesn’t disappoint.
In fact, Atmos caught our eye so much we just had to speak with the mastermind behind it all and it turned out to be Greek Australian and Director of the Shoal Bay Country Club, Peter Lazarus.
A project close to Peter’s heart:
Atmos restaurant. Photo supplied.
Speaking exclusively with The Greek Herald, Mr Lazarus says he’s been immersed in the Australian hospitality industry from a young age.
“I’m a third-generation publican. My grandparents started working in hospitality. They started their careers in the mid-60s with a few pubs in Sydney and naturally, the pub industry has been a part of our family ever since,” Mr Lazarus says.
“My parents have [also] been operating pubs for the better part of the last 30 years and then I entered the business. As a fresh 18-year-old I came straight into the family business. So now we currently own and operate six venues across Newcastle, Port Stephens and Western Sydney.”
Of course, the latest offering out of all these venues is Atmos and Mr Lazarus says he wanted to open this restaurant in Shoal Bay to pay homage to his Greek heritage.
Peter’s Greek heritage was the inspiration for Atmos.
Team Atmos.
“Being Greek, we wanted to celebrate our heritage and our background. We frequently travelled to Greece over the last few years, whether it be visiting our home island of Kastellorizo or just holidaying on Greek islands like Mykonos and Santorini,” the now 28-year-old says.
“So obviously, this project is pretty close to our hearts. Essentially, we wanted to deliver what we think is a truly authentic Greek dining experience, whether it be the food or the design and the décor to the experience and the atmosphere.”
Authentic architecture and cuisine:
To make this dream a reality, Mr Lazarus had to think outside the box.
Interior of the restaurant.
He decided to have Atmos designed entirely in Greece by Athenian architects, Karagianni Karamali. Many aspects of the fit-out, including the traditional render, wooden furniture and joinery, was manufactured in Greece and installed by local trades.
Shoal Bay Country Club’s Interior Stylist, Hannah Brady, also travelled to Greece in 2020 to source traditional Greek styling elements.
“Whilst we wanted to remain authentic in a Greek sense, we believe that was going to deliver something really unique to the Australian market because Greek architecture really isn’t a feature of any restaurants in Australia,” Mr Lazarus explains.
From there, the restaurant owner’s focus turned to the menu, which is centered on shared meals and has been curated by the Club’s Executive Chef, Leonard Faust, and Celebrity Chef, Phil Davenport.
Executive Chef, Leonard Faust.
Greek salad.
You can definitely expect to see traditional Greek food such as whole snapper, slow cooked lamb shoulder and saganaki, as well as an open kitchen showcasing a charcoal rotisserie ‘souvla’ of chicken, pork and lamb.
Mr Lazarus says many of the dishes are also generational family recipes customary to the Greek islands.
“For example, the slow cooked lamb shoulder is my mum’s recipe. There’s my grandmother’s tarama recipe and also her baklava recipe as well. So yeah, we’ve kind of tried to remain as traditional in that sense as well,” he says.
It’s been done so successfully that people are flocking to Shoal Bay just to visit Atmos. This is a fact Mr Lazarus is extremely proud of and has him excited for the future.
Greek cuisine at Atmos.
“Before we opened the doors, we had about 6,000 bookings locked in. That was as a result of the regional tourism boom post COVID and people being ready to travel to regional NSW and explore the regions,” Mr Lazarus concludes.
“But also, [there’s] just a general excitement around a new offering in Shoal Bay. Shoal Bay is quite a slow and sleepy town when there’s no tourism so it’s generally been very well received and… I don’t believe there’s anything quite like it in Sydney or Australia, let alone in Shoal Bay.”
Atmos is open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday, and lunch on the weekend. You can find it at: 35-45 Shoal Bay Road, Shoal Bay, NSW.
In 2021, 52 Victorians have been recognised in the Multicultural Awards for Excellence, highlighting the passionate work of individuals and organisations that are strengthening multiculturalism in Victoria.
Among those 52 award recipients were Chris Hatzoglou from the Sunshine Heights Cricket Club and AGAPI Care Inc.
Mr Hatzoglou won in the ‘Sports Award’ category, while AGAPI Care Inc were ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Business Award’ category.
Chris Hatzoglou:
The ‘Sports Award’ received by Chris Hatzoglou recognises people and organisations that develop and implement sporting programs that aim to build social cohesion and harmony across communities.
As President of the Sunshine Heights Cricket Club, Mr Hatzoglou spearheaded the ‘All Endeavouring Each Achieving’ initiative to encourage people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to participate in sport.
Through Mr Hatzoglou’s efforts, the club’s participation has grown from 50 to over 200 people.
Mr Hatzoglou has also helped create an induction program, advocated on diversity and inclusion, lobbied for better facilities, raised sponsorship money and helped build capability in volunteers including coaches both senior and junior.
His efforts have helped many community members resettle in Australia and has given them an environment through cricket to feel safe and welcome.
AGAPI Care Inc:
AGAPI Care Inc were ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Business Award’ category. This award recognises businesses that provide outstanding service to multicultural communities in Victoria and are leading the way in encouraging diversity in the workplace.
AGAPI Care provides tailored services to people with disability of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and their families.
They have assisted many families with navigation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and provide support in participants’ preferred language.
They also have an advocacy radio program on 3XY Radio Hellas every Tuesday, providing information about the disability sector, mental health and aged care in Greek and English.
AGAPI Care has also provided food relief, support programs and welfare checks for vulnerable community members, which have supported over 3000 people.
Australian scientists from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra are testing whether napthalene can power satellite rocket thruster systems, the ABC has reported today.
Napthalene is the white powder with a distinctive odour found in moth balls and toilet deodorant cakes.
ANU PhD scholar Dimitrios Tsifakis is part of the team developing the propulsion system, named ‘Bogong.’
Scientists at the ANU have found a new way to use moth ball technology to propel satellites. Photo: ANU.
He says naphthalene is a cheap, non-corrosive alternative to hot-charged plasma for powering thrusters on small satellites.
“Naphthalene is ideal because when it is heated it goes straight from solid to gas, with no liquid sloshing about in the thruster,” Mr Tsifakis told the national broadcaster.
“Everyone knows that old smell in granny’s wardrobe; now it is the newest thing in space technology.”
Napthalene can be found in mothballs.
The simple design uses more naphthalene propellant than a plasma thruster system, but it is lighter overall because it requires less electronics.
Designers say the Bogong thruster could also extend satellite life by up to 20 per cent, adding a year of service life.
The Bogong will launch in mid-2022 when it will attempt to power a small satellite carrying an air traffic management system into space.
Victorian deputy premier, James Merlino, has weighed in on the death of Nick Panagiotopoulos, whose desperate calls to triple zero went unanswered for 15 minutes.
His call was supposed to have been answered within five seconds.
Mr Panagiotopoulos’ death was brought to light by The Age on Wednesday, which reported that paramedics arrived 25 minutes after the Melbourne father first called for an ambulance while experiencing severe chest pains on October 16.
Despite their best efforts to save his life, paramedics were unable to keep Mr Panagiotopoulos alive.
Paramedics.
In response to this news, Mr Merlino said Mr Panagiotopoulos’ death was “deeply upsetting” and will be investigated by the coroner and the Inspector General for Emergency Management.
“There are no words that I can say to this family or any other family that have lost a loved one… We do not want families to go through what this family has,” the Victorian Deputy Premier said.
Mr Melino confirmed the state government was funnelling money into the issue, telling reporters 43 additional Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA) staff had been hired.
“I think it’s important the government acts, and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” he said.
Victorian Deputy Premier, James Merlino.
Victorian Opposition Leader, Matthew Guy, said the state government was failing to properly manage the health system.
“If they can’t get the health system right now, they’ll never get it right. Maybe the problem actually is with the government and not the system,” Mr Guy said on Wednesday.
Mr Panagiotopoulos’ death due to flaws in the system is not the first in Victoria this year. In April, a 32-year-old Caulfield woman was found dead in her home more than six hours after calling an ambulance.
George Alex, 50, and his son Arthur Alex, 23, as well as a number of co-accused, have been committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court over an alleged tax fraud syndicate, Perth Nowreports.
The alleged syndicate operated between July 2018 and 2020 in both NSW and Queensland, and allegedly defrauded the Australian Taxation Office of $17.5 million.
George Alex is charged with conspiring to cause a loss to the Commonwealth alongside a number of co-accused, as well as with dealing with the property proceeds of crime.
His son, Arthur, is charged with conspiring with others to dishonestly cause a loss to the Commonwealth, and dealing with more than $1 million in what is believed to be the proceeds of crime.
Both will face the Supreme Court on February 11 where they will be arraigned. No pleas have been recorded.
Much-loved ethnic comedians, Sooshi Mango, won ‘Favourite Australian Digital Comedy Creator’ at the AACTA Awards last night.
The comic troup, which is made up of two brothers, Joe and Carlo Salanitri, and their close friend Andrew Manfre, came out on top of other contenders such as Christian Hull and Jimmy Rees.
“AACTA Award going cheap. Cash accepted!” Sooshi Mango wrote on Facebook after receiving the accolade.
“This one is for the fans. You got us this and we will always give you all that we have in return! We love you all!”
Their win was a huge hit with fans including the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison.
“Huge congrats, lads. All the best. Regards, Scotch Lamington,” Mr Morrison wrote on Facebook, making reference to Sooshi Mango’s hilarious interview with the Prime Minister in November.
Sooshi Mango joined a number of other winners announced at the awards ceremony last night.
This includes the host of ABC’s Gardening Australia program, Costa Georgiadis. Georgiadis won for ‘Favourite Australian TV Host.’
During his National Press Club address on Wednesday, the NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, promised to promote more women in his cabinet reshuffle.
Among those tipped for a potential promotion are Member for Miranda, Eleni Petinos, Member for North Shore, Felicity Wilson, and National MP, Steph Cook.
In his address, Mr Perrottet said the Liberal Party had not “done a great job” of encouraging women to run for parliament so far, but more female representation would improve diversity and result in better public policy development.
Among those tipped for a potential promotion are Member for Miranda, Eleni Petinos.
“We’ve been led previously by the first elected female premier of our state, so it’s not all bad. But there is more to do,” he said.
“I’ve committed to increasing female representation in the cabinet. I won’t put a figure on it, but we will see an increase.”
Dominic Perrottet addresses the National Press Club on Wednesday. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas.
Currently there are only two Liberal women in the Cabinet – Sports Minister Natalie Ward and Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock.
There are also three female National party members – Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, Mental Health Minister Bronnie Taylor and Water and Housing Minister Melinda Pavey.
The Premier is expected to name his new cabinet within weeks, more than two months after his promotion to the top job.
Steven Capsis, the son of well-respected Baptist priest Reverend George Capsis, will spend at least the next three months and 12 days in prison for possessing and accessing child abuse material.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Mr Capsis, 48, was sentenced at the Downing Centre District Court last week after police found more than 400 child abuse images on multiple devices in his home.
The court heard Capsis, who lives with his parents and has been supported by his father in court, had felt “misunderstood his entire life” and felt a barrier to maintaining intimacy with anyone besides his family.
Steven Capsis is the son of well-respected Baptist priest Reverend George Capsis (pictured).
In a letter to the court he “apologised unreservedly” and said he felt “deeply ashamed” of his offending.
In his own letter to the court, Reverend Capsis said his son was a “good son with a kind, friendly nature and a strong work ethic.”
Judge Jennie Anne Girdham, speaking generally, called the possession of child abuse material “callous and predatory,” the Telegraph reports.
Steve Capsis was sentenced at the Downing Centre District Court.
She said she was satisfied Mr Capsis was both contrite and remorseful. He will be eligible for release on March 14, 2022.
Mr Capsis has previously run for NSW and federal parliament as a Christian Democrats candidate and once received a NSW Government Community Service Award for his years of outreach to people affected by addiction and homelessness.
The President went on to discuss energy and say that Russia covers more than 40% of Greece’s energy needs.
“Russia is fulfilling its obligations to Greece and the EU and will continue its uninterrupted supply of natural gas,” he said.
On Cyprus, he reiterated that Russia supports the solution of a bi-zonal and bi-communal federation.
In response, the Greek Prime Minister thanked Russia for sending firemen to Greece last summer to help with the devastating wildfires that raged for days, despite the country facing itself large blazes in Siberia.
Όσον αφορά τις περιφερειακές εξελίξεις και όσα συμβαίνουν στην Ανατολική Μεσόγειο, τόνισα στον Πρόεδρο Πούτιν πως η Τουρκία όχι μόνο προβαίνει σε εμπρηστική ρητορική διαστρεβλώνοντας την ιστορία και τη γεωγραφία, αλλά και σε επιθετικές ενέργειες που παραβιάζουν το Διεθνές Δίκαιο. pic.twitter.com/BVXKQ6CIyc
On energy, Mitsotakis said that Russia “has proven to be a reliable supplier of gas to Greece, just as Greece is a reliable partner.”
Commenting on EU-Russian relations, he said it is important to continue the dialogue.
“I recognise the great challenges, I recognise the need to always keep the channels of communication open. Russia is part of the European Security architecture,” he said.
He also thanked Russia for its position on the Cyprus issue.
