Gus Poyet has been named as the new coach of Greece’s national soccer team after the former European champions failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.
The Greek Soccer Federation said it had reached an agreement with the former Chelsea, Tottenham and Uruguay midfielder. Poyet’s contract is set to end in 2023 with a 12-month extension option.
The 54-year-old replaces Dutch coach, John van’t Schip. The Dutchman resigned in November after Greece finished third in its World Cup qualifying group behind Spain and Sweden.
“I have great respect for Greek football players and their abilities and from what I have seen so far, I believe that there is the right material and all the conditions to do well at the upcoming events,” Poyet said at a signing ceremony.
Greece hires Gus Poyet as new coach after World Cup setback.
“I can’t wait to meet the players and get started.”
Poyet has coached teams in several countries, including China, Spain and France, with spells at the helm of Brighton and Sunderland in England, and Greek club AEK Athens.
The European Union has stated that there is no question of Greece’s sovereignty over its islands in the East Aegean on Sunday.
Lead Spokesperson for External Affairs, Peter Spano, released a statement following the recent comments by Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, calling for the demilitarisation of the islands.
“Comments by Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in a recent interview, disputing Greece’s sovereignty over some of its islands, are counterproductive and contradict de-escalation efforts in the Eastern Mediterranean called for in the Conclusions of the European Council from 23 March and 24-25 June 2021,” the statement reads.
“Greece’s sovereignty over these islands is unquestionable. Turkey should respect it, refrain from provocative statements and actions in this regard, commit unequivocally to good neighbourly relations and work to settle any disputes peacefully. International agreements must be respected.”
This statement comes after Cavusoglu recently reiterated Turkey’s call on Greece to demilitarise the islands, warning that if Athens does not change its stance then the debate questioning their sovereignty will begin.
On Sunday, Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, also held talks with the Vice President of the EU Commission, Josep Borrell Fontelles, where he discussed these provocative statements and current developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.
EU says Greece’s sovereignty over its islands is ‘unquestionable.’
Greece and Turkey have long been at odds over a series of disputes, including territorial rights in the Aegean Sea and over energy exploration rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Tensions heightened between the NATO allies in 2020 over exploratory drilling rights in areas in the Mediterranean where Greece and Cyprus claim as their own exclusive economic zone.
Fully vaccinated travellers from Australia, Canada and the United States no longer need to provide a negative COVID-19 test to enter Greece.
Previously, travellers from these countries were required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of their trip in order to enter the country.
But now, according to Greece’s Civil Aviation Authority, travellers are only required to provide a vaccination certificate or a certificate of recent illness.
Vaccination certificates will be considered valid for nine months after the completion of an individual’s primary course of vaccination. No ‘expiration’ date will apply for travellers who have received a booster dose.
Πολύ σημαντική εξέλιξη για τον Τουρισμό μας ότι οι πλήρως εμβολιασμένοι ταξιδιώτες από ΗΠΑ,Αυστραλία,Καναδά δε χρειάζεται να επιδείξουν αρνητικό COVID τεστ για να ταξιδέψουν στην Ελλάδα! #greece#tourism#travel
Melina Travlos, Chairwoman of Neptune Lines Shipping & Managing Enterprises, was elected on Thursday as the first female president of the Union of Greek Shipowners (USG) in its 106-year history.
Travlos has been a union board member for 15 years and is currently one of the two secretaries. She will succeed outgoing president Theodore Veniamis, who has led the union for 13 years, and will start her first term of three years soon.
Neptune Lines was founded by Travlos’ father, Nikos, in 1975. It specialises in transport of vehicles and holds over 18 ships in its fleet. Over 1 million cars are transported to 20 countries per year.
Today, Travlos also runs Neptune Dry, which she founded five years ago, and that has a fleet of five bunkers.
According to Safety4sea.com, Greece is still considered the “world’s leading ship owning nation with a fleet of 4,901 vessels, while Greek shipowners control 19.42 percent of global deadweight tonnage.”
Oscar award-winning director, screenwriter and producer, Alexander Payne, was sworn in as a Greek citizen on Monday, February 7 at the Consulate General of Greece in Boston.
The event was celebrated by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in a statement on social media: “Oscar-winning director, screenwriter, and producer Constantine Alexander Payne is now a Greek citizen. He has proven once again that he does not forget his family’s heritage.”
The director born Constantine Alexander Payne has previously paid homage to his Greek roots as he was made an honorary citizen of Aigialeia in the Peloponnese in 2016.
Έλληνας πολίτης είναι πλέον ο βραβευμένος με Όσκαρ σκηνοθέτης, σεναριογράφος και παραγωγός Constantine Alexander Payne. Απέδειξε και πάλι ότι δεν ξεχνά τις οικογενειακές του ρίζες. https://t.co/pH1S0GEpOx
During this event, Payne was also named Aigialeia’s Ambassador of Art and Culture, and he addressed the audience in Greek and told them of his grandfather who had moved to Omaha, Nebraska in 1912.
In an interview with George Stroumboulopoulos in 2013, Payne explained how his grandfather’s decision to change the family name from Papadopoulos to Payne came as a result of the “anti-Greek riots of 1909” and how this motivated him to “totally Americanise it.”
Payne is best known for the films “Sideways,” “The Descendants,” and “Nebraska,” having won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay twice and been nominated three times for Best Director.
Dr Maria Themeli is a researcher at the Amsterdam Cancer Centre and is a frontrunner in the development of cancer immunotherapy. She has made vital contributions to the treatment of blood cancer with the patented production of CAR-T cells which feature an anticancer activity.
Born and raised in Patras, Dr Themeli studied at the Medical School of the University of Patras. Graduating at the top of her class in 2006, she completed her doctorate at the same university before moving to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York City in 2014 for her postdoctoral work.
In 2015, Dr Themeli joined the VUmc Cancer Centre and was awarded the Marie Curie Scholarship from the European Union. In two short years, she was named “Woman of the Year” in the Netherlands.
“I believe that very soon we will have improved results for the treatment”
Dr Themeli is considered an advocate for democratising access to effective cancer treatments.
In an interview with local media, Dr Themeli expressed how access to cancer treatments is not always easy “because cancer is an extremely variable disease,” but she believes a solution is possible.
“Our group, along with scientists from all over the world, is trying to find solutions to these problems, and I believe that very soon we will have improved results for the treatment with CAR-T and on other types of cancer,” she said.
Dr Themeli has spoken openly about how she believes everyone should have access, regardless of their financial standing, as healthcare should not be reserved for the wealthy.
When speaking about the vast discrepancy in access to treatments, Dr Themeli told The Greek Observerthat ”there are difficulties because pharmaceutical companies interested in the production of CAR-T cells have given very high production cost, approximately 350,000 euros, when the production at academic level does not exceed 50,000 euros.”
“Providing an answer to even one question is the driving force”
Dr Themeli told Impactalkthat she attributes her success to the support she received from her family during her career and that “it is important for the family to recognise the value of the search for knowledge and to strengthen this process.”
Whilst the journey for answers is long, Dr Themeli has said that “it is important to celebrate our goals.”
“Research consists of 90% failure and frustration and only 10% of moments of success. Providing an answer to even one question is the driving force,” she said.
Talented young creators and innovators from across the state will be celebrated in one of eight HSC Showcases launching today, starting with ARTEXPRESS at the Art Gallery of NSW.
Each year, the HSC Showcases display a selection of top major works from students across visual arts, performing arts and technologies.
Minister for Education and Early Learning, Sarah Mitchell, said showcases offer a unique opportunity for members of the public to enjoy the works of our recent HSC graduates and provide a platform for young people to launch future careers in the field.
Gerard Barrios, ‘Takeaway’ – ARTEXPRESS 2022.
“Seeing what students have produced in a challenging year really shows me that the future is bright for these young people, and our workforce and communities will be better for them,” Ms Mitchell said.
This year’s exhibitions reflect on what is important to young people as members of their community and personally, including the impacts of COVID, their strength and vulnerability, their heritage and the environment around them.
A number of students of Greek heritage have featured in the exhibitions over the years, including Ariana Galanos from Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Sydney, who received an ATAR of 98.3.
Ariana Galanos’ artworks featured in ARTEXPRESS in 2020.
Ariana’s Year 12 Visual Arts major work, ‘The Condition of the Compulsive,’ was selected for ARTEXPRESS in 2020 and explored Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the corresponding anxiety and rituals that manifest within individuals who suffer from it.
The talented youngster also completed major works for Design and Technology and Textiles and Design, and received nominations for the NESA Shape and Texstyles exhibitions respectively.
ARTEXPRESS is now on at the Art Gallery of NSW, and at limited venues across the state throughout the year.
For more information or to make a booking, see here.
The Leader has reported today that Bayside Council will work towards bringing the Greek Festival back to Brighton-Le-Sands in 2022.
This news comes after a Council meeting last night where Councillor Bill Saravinovski asked for “in principle support” for the return of the Greek Festival.
According to Councillor Saravinovski, the festival organisers have approached the Council and said “they want to bring it back to Brighton.”
“They are putting in a submission to the State Government for funding and it’s a great opportunity,” the Councillor told the local newspaper.
“When the festival was in Brighton it had a buzz. It was a real cultural festival.”
Councillor Saravinovski’s call was unanimously supported by the council.
The beautiful love story of Xanthoula Papadopoulos and Australian soldier, Herbert “Slim” Wrigley, has been put on display at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance as part of the new ‘Lust. Love. Loss. Australian stories of wartime relationships‘ exhibition.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the exhibition uses artworks, photographs, memorabilia and personal objects to explore a great sweep of war themes often overlooked by official histories.
In the case of Xanthoula, the exhibition details how she was only 14 years old when Slim Wrigley, from Yarraville in Melbourne, was welcomed into her family’s home in the Greek village of Retini in September 1941. This act of mercy saw Xanthoula’s dad executed by the Germans.
Slim Wrigley had himself escaped from a German prisoner-of-war camp in Salonika (Thessalonika), 120 kilometres to the north-east. Eventually, he returned into the mountains to fight with the Greek resistance.
Studio Portrait of Herbert ‘Slim’ Wrigley, 1950. Photo: Shrine of Remembrance.
Xanthoula and Slim Wrigley re-connected four years after the war ended, the SMH reports. Xanthoula found a slip of paper with his name and address on it and was encouraged by her mother to write to him in case he had survived.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Xanthoula and Slim Wrigley began to correspond regularly until he offered to pay for her fare to Melbourne. She arrived at the end of January 1951 and discovered “a very gentle man, well-educated, handsome and honest.”
In less than six weeks, Xanthoula and Slim were married, and remained together until he died in 1995.
“It is a big story,” says Xanthoula, now aged 94. “It was a very long time ago.”
To hear this story and more you can visit ‘Lust. Love. Loss: Australian stories of wartime relationships’ at the Melbourne Shrine until November 2022. Open daily 10am-5pm, shrine.org.au.
The 100th birthday of Marrickville Town Hall has been celebrated today with the announcement of some exciting news.
The Inner West Council has confirmed they are relaunching their plan to turn the town hall into a multicultural music and arts venue.
“Alongside the magnificent Marrickville Library and the growing number of music venues along the strip, we are determined to make use of this precious building to help make Marrickville Road one of Sydney’s great cultural destinations,” Mayor Darcy Byrne said on Facebook.
“Here’s to another 100 years of multiculturalism, arts and music at Marrickville Town Hall.”
According to Mayor Byrne, “the majority of Councillors on the previous Council decided not to support this plan,” but “with the new Labor Majority in the Inner West, we are bringing it back to life.”
The project will be led by Greek Australian Councillor Zoi Tsardoulias and Councillor Mat Howard, along with local ethnic community organisations such as the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney.
“Making Marrickville Town Hall a place for multicultural performance and live music means that local multicultural community groups get a new public space to perform, rehearse and share their culture,” Councillor Tsardoulias told The Greek Herald.
“It’s also another way to celebrate the important contribution migrant communities – including our Greek community – have made to our area over many years.
“How we use our town halls and community spaces should reflect our proud multicultural community. That’s why Council will invite local multicultural community groups to tell us their vision for the Hall and to make sure the plans reflect the needs of the community.”
The President of the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney, Liana Vertzayias, as well as youth dressed in traditional Greek costumes, were on proud display outside the town hall during the media announcement today.
