One of Australia’s largest taxi companies, 13Cabs, is making waves by allowing its passengers to choose a fully vaccinated driver for their ride.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Chief Operating Officer of 13Cabs, Stuart Overell, said they were already fielding calls from passengers asking if drivers had been vaccinated so they decided to implement a new plan.
The company will now be collecting COVID-19 certificates for all their drivers, with bookings soon to be made available via the 13Cabs app which will only be serviced by vaccinated drivers.
13Cabs is allowing its passengers to choose a fully vaccinated driver for their ride.
Taxi driver, George Valiotis, is one of the thousands who has welcomed the decision, saying that as a frontline worker it was necessary to do this during “challenging times.”
“We look after our communities, which includes vulnerable passengers and essential workers,” Mr Valiotis told The Daily Telegraph.
“It’s also vital we look after ourselves, our passengers and our communities. We know being vaccinated supports our important work to continue safely.”
The government of Cyprus said on Monday it would revoke the passports from Turkish Cypriot officials in the breakaway state in the northern part of the island.
A number of Turkish Cypriot officials, including incumbent leader Ersin Tatar, are known to hold or held passports of the Republic of Cyprus, even though they administer the Turkish Cypriot state.
The east Mediterranean island was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greek-inspired coup. North Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey, while the Republic of Cyprus, run by Greek Cypriots, is internationally recognised.
The present Cypriot administration, which made billions selling passports to thousands ranging from Russian oligarchs and a Malaysian fugitive to well-connected Cambodians, said the actions of the Turkish Cypriots undermined the integrity of Cyprus.
Reunification attempts have repeatedly failed, and relations are at a new low in a dispute over offshore energy reserves, a Turkish Cypriot demand that peace talks be placed on a new footing, and Turkish moves to open part of a fenced-in city abandoned by its residents in the 1974 war.
14 Αυγούστου 1974. Η Τουρκία εισβάλει για δεύτερη φορά στην Κύπρο. 47 χρόνια μετά, οι τουρκικές αξιώσεις δεν λαμβάνουν υπόψιν το Διεθνές Δίκαιο. Συνεχίζουμε τον αγώνα μέχρι την τελική δικαίωση. pic.twitter.com/vwbPd1iuzJ
Cyprus would revoke, fail to renew or refuse to issue passports to individuals who participated in the “pseudo state’s cabinet,” or were involved in attempts to reopen Varosha, government spokesman Marios Pelekanos said.
“With their acts and deeds they undermine the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and security of the Republic of Cyprus, in violation of the Constitution,” Pelekanos said.
Turkish Cypriot authorities in July announced a partial reopening of the beach suburb of Varosha for potential resettlement, but it brought a strong rebuke from Greek Cypriots who regard it as a land-grab.
The area has been a Turkish military zone with no settlement permitted for decades.
Local media have reported that Tatar, a strong proponent of Turkish Cypriot independence, obtained a Cypriot passport in 2000. Tatar is the son of a prominent technocrat who acted as an adviser in talks leading to the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960 after independence from Britain.
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the Vice President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, met in Athens on Monday to discuss the need for the protection of the Greek and the European borders in light of the situation in Afghanistan.
“We are going through a period of significant challenges, especially on the immigration front, where I believe we are doing our duty, protecting the borders of Greece, which are also the borders of Europe, always with full respect for human rights,” he said.
Mitsotakis said that the EU should support the countries close to Afghanistan and ensure that there will not be additional migration flows to Europe.
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the Vice President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
“I have spoken with President Erdogan and I believe we have a common interest in ensuring that migration flows are reduced as close as possible to Afghanistan,” he said.
For her part, Metsola said that “Europe will continue to stand by Greece’s side” and with the member states that are on the frontline of migration.
“Our priority should be the approval of the Immigration Pact as soon as possible,” Metsola said.
It’s been many months since the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines became available in Australia to protect its citizens against COVID-19. Whilst the Federal Government has been criticised for the rollout of these vaccines, there have been recent incremental changes which are enabling younger people to access the jabs as well.
In locked-down New South Wales, last week represented a significant step in that process, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian launching an “ambitious” plan to vaccinate more than 500,000 young people aged between 16 and 39 in the next three weeks.
Elsewhere, Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena also became a mass vaccination centre for one week from August 9 for Year 12 students living in southwest and western Sydney. The plan saw up to 24,000 students vaccinated with their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
The Greek Herald reached out to some of these students, as well as other Greek Australian youth who have already received their vaccinations, and asked them what their experience was like.
Connor Fourfouris, Year 12 student, Age: 18
Connor Fourfouris and School Principal at Tempe High School, Socrates Dassaklis.
When we speak to 18-year-old Connor Fourfouris, he is just returning home from Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
The School Captain from Tempe High School is leading by example after his Year 12 experience was impacted by the NSW lockdown.
“The whole last term we didn’t go back [to school] which does hurt a lot. This term was affected by a lack of face-to-face learning… and also just a lack of social connection with friends,” Connor tells The Greek Herald exclusively.
For Connor, the only answer was to get vaccinated and once his School Principal sent out information to all Year 12 students about Berejiklian’s vaccination drive at the Arena, he jumped at the chance to be the first in line.
“The process was really quick. You just went in, got your vaccine, waited for 15 minutes after and then they did some biohazard thing where they put a swab up your nose… but overall, it took half an hour,” he explains.
“I decided to get it then because during times of uncertainty, all medical advice is pointing to vaccines. So just get it. If everyone gets it as soon as possible, then things will start going back to normal.”
Stella Mullane, Cardiac Technologist, Age: 23
Stella Mullane.
Stella Mullane, who is Greek from her mother’s side, is currently working as a cardiac technologist at a public hospital in Sydney.
The 23-year-old tells The Greek Herald she was offered the Pfizer vaccine in March this year as a healthcare worker and decided to get vaccinated ‘to protect myself, my patients, and my family and friends from COVID-19.’
“This was a very exciting time for me, as like many other Australians I had been waiting for the vaccine since the beginning of the pandemic,” Stella says.
“I was relieved to receive the vaccine as I knew this meant I was less likely to contract or pass on the virus. This made me feel safer at work and at home, knowing I was doing all I could to protect those around me.”
Stella is now fully vaccinated with both doses of the Pfizer vaccine and says she experienced no serious side effects besides some ‘arm soreness’ and ‘mild fatigue and dizziness after the second dose.’
This positive experience means she’s one of the first people to stand up and encourage others who are vaccine hesitant to seek reliable medical advice and get vaccinated.
“Do your bit for your community – abide by current restrictions, get tested if you have symptoms or are a close or casual contact and go get vaccinated! Remember, your actions can make a huge difference,” she stresses.
Thomas Psaros, Year 12 student, Age: 17
Thomas Psaros.
Thomas Psaros is a Year 12 student from Kingsgrove High School and he tells The Greek Herald he was vaccinated with both doses of the Pfizer vaccine back in March because his dad is an essential worker.
“We were given a text by the NSW Government and they said for us to apply as soon as possible. As soon as we applied, maybe a week later, we were eligible to go,” Thomas explains.
“We went into Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and it was perfect. You went in, got the jab, everyone was treated well, there was no confrontation. It was very, very easy.”
Since then, Greater Sydney was put into a strict lockdown and Thomas’ final year of schooling drastically changed. He was left to deal with ‘constant changes’ and the social element of schooling was ‘taken away.’
This has made the 17-year-old even more vocal about the importance of getting vaccinated to protect everyone.
“If you’re going to go out and knowing the fact that you have a chance of hurting someone or maybe even putting them in danger, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that,” Thomas says.
“Especially for your grandparents, for my yiayia and pappou, knowing they’re at a higher risk [of contracting COVID-19], I wouldn’t want to be responsible for hurting anyone’s grandparents or hurting mine.”
Theodore Kouventaris, Medical Student, Age: 23
Theodore Kouventaris.
As a medical student on hospital placements, Theodore Kouventaris received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine in March/April this year at the Westmead Vaccination Hub.
He tells The Greek Herald the decision to get vaccinated was ‘very easy’ for him after he did his research, and the vaccination process was ‘very quick.’
“I had registered beforehand [to the hub], so when I arrived all they had to do was confirm my details. The vaccination workers were reassuring, experienced and professional,” Theodore says.
“After the vaccine, I was monitored for 15 minutes for any allergic reactions. Both times I had very mild symptoms from the vaccine, some tiredness and soreness that night which were resolved by the next day.”
Now, Theodore is helping spread the positive message about getting vaccination to other youth who might be hesitant.
“These vaccines have been tested and they do work. They reduce symptoms, severe illness, ICU admissions and deaths from COVID-19, and they make it less likely to pass the disease on to others,” he stresses.
“I could not bear the thought of my loved ones ending up intubated in the ICU due to COVID-19, when we have free access to safe and effective vaccines in Australia.”
Those Sydneysiders who fit the criteria for an urgent appointment can book in at one of several priority locations via the NSW Government website.
Mateja Sardelis, along with five other girls in a band known as G-Nat!on, made history on The Voice Australia on Sunday night as the biggest group to ever audition for the competition.
They definitely didn’t disappoint.
Sardelis, 16, Isla Ward, 17, Taylah Silvestri, 18, Emma Caporaso, 18, Alessia Musolino, 17 and Rylee Vormelker, 17, had the audience on their feet after their showstopping rendition of ‘Teeth’ by Aussie boyband, 5 Seconds of Summer.
Their audition saw them turn the chairs of all four judges – Guy Sebastian, Rita Ora, Jessica Mauboy and Keith Urban.
The judges fought fiercely to coach the band, with Mauboy exclaiming “wow” repeatedly and Rita even getting up on stage before saying she wanted to become their seventh member.
“I’m going straight for the kill,” Rita said. “Your vocals are incredible and you all sound great together.”
G-Nat!on’s Taylah Silvestri, Isla Ward, Mateja Sardelis, Alessia Musolino, Emma Caporaso and Rylee Vormelker who will be performing on The Voice this year. Picture: Dean Martin.
“I promise you I will take you all the way.”
The pitch saw G-Nat!on ultimately choose Rita as their coach. The superstar singer exclaimed in excitement.
G-Nat!on was formed after the six met at Adelaide’s Australian College of the Performing Arts, and their soaring harmonies and sharp dance moves garnered them a fan-following with gigs at Carols by Candlelight and Adelaide’s iconic Christmas pageant.
They girls hope The Voice would mean they can share their inspiring message, and original music, to a broader audience.
Cultural Infusion CEO and Founder, Peter Mousaferiadis, was today awarded the Silver Medal at The Global Business & Interfaith Peace Awards, sponsored by The Religious Freedom & Business Foundation in cooperation with the United Nations Global Compact’s Business for Peace initiative.
Peter was awarded alongside business leaders from around the world, including Intel CEOs, Pat Gelsinger and Sandra Rivera, and Tyson Foods Chairman, John Tyson. Recognised for their efforts to bridge cultural and religious divides, ten business men and women from UK, US, Iraq, Israel, India, Australia, and Japan were honoured.
The Global Business & Interfaith Peace Awards recognise individuals for their contributions to peaceful and inclusive societies. Peter was awarded the silver medal for his work as a pioneer in using cultural and artistic expression as a means of promoting social cohesion and interfaith understanding.
Peter strongly believes in the importance of embracing religious freedom.
“This Global Business and Interfaith Peace Silver Award recognises what every single one of us can do to bridge the divide and recognise the importance and benefits of faith and religious freedom (including those with no religion) can have on business, the economy and flow on benefits to the community,” he explains.
Peter Mousaferiadis wins silver at Global Business & Interfaith Peace Awards.
“By embracing religious diversity it not only strengthens our communities but also promotes tolerance, respect, understanding, equity and equality and ultimately builds cultural and religious harmony.
“Our transformational analytics tool Diversity Atlas is now being used by organisations across the globe to make their settings more equitable, inclusive and representative through a data driven approach.”
Cultural Infusion’s Diversity Atlas platform is a world-first data analytics tool able to provide comprehensive insights into the extent and type of cultural and demographic dimensions of diversity. The survey platform is now being used by think tanks and a range of multinationals to map their global workforce.
Diversity Atlas allows teams and organisations to measure and understand the differences and connections between diverse groups thereby acting as a catalyst for better performance and equity. It features more than 8500 religions and branches, 8000 cultures and more than 8000 speech communities and languages.
The child of Greek migrants growing up in Melbourne’s Western suburbs in the 1960s and 1970s, Peter, born Panagiotis Mousaferiadis, was shaped by the multicultural landscape of the area and time. Before becoming a conductor, he was deeply influenced by and interested in studying religion.
In 2002, he founded the internationally recognised organisation Cultural Infusion, which builds global harmony through intercultural action within education, ICT and the arts.
In 2009, he directed and produced the Parliament of the World’s Religions and today is still a Global Trustee of the United Religions Initiative.
The winner of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Intercultural Innovation Award, Peter also produced the winning slogan “Diversified We Grow” for the UN’s “Do One Thing for Diversity” campaign. He is a Salzburg Global Fellow and was admitted to the Asia Peace Innovators Forum.
In 2017, Peter was issued with the Peace Ambassador Award from the Center of Peace Studies in Sri Lanka.
Held in tandem with the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, The Global Business & Interfaith Peace Awards were held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Seoul in 2018 in collaboration with the UN Global Compact, and Tokyo in 2021. The 2021 jury comprises high-level experts, including from the European Union; the NGO religious freedom community; and the business and peace community.
Nominees must have launched or spearheaded policies, programmes or initiatives that contributed to increasing interfaith understanding and peace in the workplace, marketplace and/or local communities.
Recognising business leadership in advancing interfaith understanding is at the core of the awards. Current or past CEOs, who have demonstrated leadership in championing interfaith understanding and peace are eligible.
The Global Business & Interfaith Peace Awards are presented biennially by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, a US-based nonprofit. The foundation helps educate the global business community about how religious freedom is good for business and how they can promote respect for freedom of religion or belief.
People aged 16 to 39 are turning up in huge numbers at the Orion Function Centre in Campsie as part of a four-day vaccination blitz until August 24 in the Canterbury-Bankstown Local Government Area (LGA).
The blitz was made possible after Member for Canterbury, Sophie Cotsis MP, and Member for Lakemba, Jihad Dib MP, called for a pop-up vaccination hub to be opened in the current hotspot.
“We’ve been calling for access to localised vaccination hubs for a while,” Ms Cotsis told The Greek Herald.
“Having hubs at Campsie, Belmore and Lakemba, in addition to pharmacists and local GP’s, means more people have access, particularly in those priority groups and essential workers.”
The vaccination hub is being lead by registered nurse, Karen, and was officially launched on Saturday by NSW Labor Leader, Chris Minns MP.
“These vax hubs are one of our best tools in the fight to save lives as this virus spread further. We need more of them,” Mr Minns said on the day.
Ms Cotsis added that so far the response to the pop-up vaccination hub in Campsie has been “excellent” and expressed her gratitude to the healthcare workers for all their hard work in helping the hub run effectively.
“They’ve been amazing. If anyone wants to buy the 30 healthcare workers lunch, just let me know. We can sort something out,” she concluded.
The Greek Community of Melbourne marked its 124th anniversary on August 22 this year, but due to the current lockdown in Victoria they weren’t able to hold their pre-scheduled celebrations.
The Community had planned to raise the Aboriginal, Greek and Australian flags at their Lonsdale St Headquarters to bring together the “Elders” of the Greek and Aboriginal communities acknowledging the strong respect and history that exists between them.
“Rest assured that this event will occur as soon as restrictions are lifted and we can safely return to face to face gatherings. In the meantime it’s great to see that the history of indigenous Australians is included as part of our schools curriculum,” Theo Markos, who is the Education Committee Convenor of the Community, said in a press release.
Full Statement:
Covid continues to challenge the way we do things at the Community, especially in the education sector. But as the saying goes we just “keep on keeping on.”
Nick Dallas and his Seminars team continue their excellent work, presenting talks of a high standard every Thursday evening. This year’s theme revolves around the bicentenary of the 1821 Greek War of Independence. Dr Stavroula Nikouloudis head of the Greek studies program at La Trobe University presented an excellent talk on the life and deeds of the legendary Theodoros Kolokotronis. Post-event, most seminars are hosted on the Community’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, and we encourage you to take the time to view them. Our online seminar series wouldn’t be possible without the IT assistance of Kosta Avloniti, who is always there behind the scenes troubleshooting where necessary.
Our devoted team of teachers under the guidance of our new principal Maria Bakalidou continue to offer an excellent online school program. Kudos to our students, parents and teachers for their strong commitment to the teaching and learning of our Greek language and culture.
On the 18th of August, the Greek Community played host to an information evening via Zoom, which discussed the current status of Greek Language teaching in the Victorian public education system. Over 20 participants from a number of public schools were given the opportunity to express their views and network with both parents, teachers and principals from schools where Greek is taught as part of the school’s curriculum. Representatives from Coburg West Primary, Lalor North, Preston South Primary, Serpell Primary, Strathmore Secondary College, Oakleigh Secondary College, Northcote high, Victorian School of Languages, all agreed that the discussion initiated on the night, needs to continue whist also agreeing that an informal network be established to both promote the programs and play and advocatory role to lobby government and other relevant authorities.
The gathering had the support of the Modern Greek Teachers Association, as well as that of the Greek Education Consul, Ms Georgia Nikolaidis, who’s presence and valuable contribution to the discussion was greatly appreciated. Vicky Marinellis from the Central Office of the Department of Education and Training also attended the Zoom gathering, providing us with the good news that a new Greek language program commenced in 2021 at Keilor Views Primary which delighted all those present.
Finally, it’s disappointing that the event planned on the 22nd of August to celebrate the 124th anniversary of the Greek Community of Melbourne as well as the raising of the Aboriginal, Greek and Australian flags at our Lonsdale St Headquarters had to postponed. The event was to bring together the “Elders “ of the Greek and Aboriginal communities acknowledging the strong respect and history that exists between them and to celebrate the Community’s AGMdecision to endorse the Uluru Statement from the heart.
The planned function was to also have a strong education component as our students were to highlight and acknowledge, in their own way, the unique aspects of our First Nations culture and history. Special thanks to our teacher, Christina Soumi, who is overseeing the education component of this initiative.
Rest assured that this event will occur as soon as restrictions are lifted and we can safely return to face to face gatherings. In the meantime it’s great to see that the history of indigenous Australians is included as part of our schools curriculum.
The Education subcommittee always welcomes ideas from everyone with an interest in Greek language and education on “how we can do things better.”
In the meantime STAY SAFE and take care of your loved ones !!!
And of course …. Happy Birthday Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria !!!
On opinion piece by Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison.
A focus on case numbers was very important when we knew nothing about this virus and whether our hospital system would be able to cope.
A lot has changed since then. Increasingly we need to look beyond just the case numbers to know what our future holds. How we can keep safe and how we get our lives back in a COVID world.
Case numbers are important, but they are not the whole story.
Our hospital and public health systems are prepared, they have held up to the challenge and continue to do so. And where they have to be reinforced we know how to do that.
Our ICUs have the know how, we have vaccines and the new drugs like sotrovimab that has been approved by the TGA for use that can better treat those who are infected. This all means we can battle Delta and seriously reduce how much harm it does to our health, our way of life and our economy.
So while right now our national strategy is necessarily about suppressing the virus and vaccinating as many people as possible, a one-eyed focus on just case numbers overlooks the fact that less people are getting seriously ill, let alone dying.
We thank everyone for doing their bit to keep Australia 🇦🇺 #COVIDSafe by staying home 🏠 getting tested 🧪 & rolling up their sleeve to get the #COVID19vaccine 💪
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) August 22, 2021
Shifting our focus from just case numbers, to actually looking at how many people are becoming seriously ill and requiring hospitalisation will be increasingly what matters. After all, this is how we manage all other infectious diseases.
The data shows that after an AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccination, you’re 86 to 87 per cent less likely to end up in hospital or an ICU, and while figures aren’t confirmed about how much vaccination reduces transmission, the evidence from the recent outbreak in Sydney is really strong.
A key next step in our plan will also be getting children aged over 12 vaccinated.
Just as we’ve seen overseas in places like the UK, even when their case numbers tick up, their hospitalisations and deaths are not increasing at the same rate and remaining flatter and at rates like you see with the flu.
It’s always darkest before the dawn, and these hard lockdowns are imposing a heavy toll. They are sadly necessary for now, and we will keep providing health and income support to get people through, but they won’t be necessary for too much longer.
Under our national plan when we start hitting the 70 per cent and 80 per cent vaccination targets, we can start claiming back what COVID has been taking away from us. And when we do so, we must not be intimidated by the case numbers that will inevitably increase. We will be able to better handle them then, because of all the improvements we have made to protect people from serious illness and fatality.
A significant milestone today. 50% of all Australians aged 16+ have now had their first COVID vaccination.
This doesn’t mean people won’t get sick, but with achieving our vaccination targets, a strong public health system, retaining common sense public hygiene measures and more effective treatments for COVID-19 we can get on with our new normal, and treat COVID like other infectious diseases.
That is what our national plan is all about. That’s what all the Premiers and Chief Ministers signed up to.
It’s our path back. It’s our deal with Australians, that by everyone doing what we need to do – push through the lockdowns, stay home, get tested, get vaccinated – we can break out of the current cycle we are in and move forward.
That is the light at the end of the tunnel on our journey. We’ve had three days in a row now delivering more than 300,000 jabs a day and with more than 1.73 million vaccinations delivered in just the last week, even if we do see more case numbers we’re going to see fewer hospitalisations and deaths meaning we can live our lives again.
This is what living with COVID is all about. The case numbers will likely rise when we soon begin to open up. That is inevitable.
But our focus needs to be on the rate of people being hospitalised. That’s the measure that should now start to guide our response.
Rising cases need not impact our plan to reopen, and reopen as soon we can. I know it seems pretty dark now, but it’s always darkest before the dawn, and dawn’s coming. So please hang in there.
In support of the local community during the current COVID-19 crisis, Waterview Venue in Bicentennial Park will become the first privately-owned hospitality venue to volunteer their function centre for use as an official NSW Health Vaccination Hub.
In an effort to assist with the current national emergency and the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta strain, Waterview Venue’s initiative comes with the hopes to assist in raising the state’s total vaccination rates.
“Our vision is to welcome back our loyal employees and dear clients, while supporting fellow businesses, improving the health of the local community and the state of New South Wales,” Managing Director, Theodore Drivas, says.
“The financial economic impact on businesses during the pandemic has been distressing to all and we hope this initiative will be a part of the change that will see the current economic crisis recover. We aim to give back to the hospitality industry and all suffering business sectors.”
Waterview is proud to share their vision with the Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA), aligning in values and being able to further support the community in which we are located and the health and wellbeing of NSW.
“Nothing is more pleasing than an initiative that allows us to welcome back our loyal staff, now as frontline workers, to benefit the health and wellbeing of the community. We’re all in this together, uniting on this cause and receiving protection against the virus will bring us closer to resuming life as normal,” Director of Operations, James Drivas, says.
Waterview Venue is located within the Sydney Olympic Park precinct, perfectly situated within the picturesque landscapes of Bicentennial Park.
Offering tranquil views overlooking vast parklands, ponds and lakes, Waterview is the ideal setting for all events. Waterview can accommodate Weddings, Business Events, School Events and Special Occasions of all kinds.
You can book your vaccine at the Waterview Venue in Bicentennial Park here.
