Greek Australian boxing sensation George Kambosos Jr. will be defending his Unified World Lightweight title in Melbourne on June 5, 2022, after announcing his fight with American fighter Devin Haney.
Photo: The Greek Herald/Chris Spyrou
Kambosos currently holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring titles, recently stunning the boxing world to defeat former champion Teófimo López by split decision. The victory was named ESPN’s Upset of the Year and put him in the driver’s seat of boxing’s hottest division.
His new opponent, Devin Haney, is currently undefeated and boasts a 55.56% knock-out rate.
Photo: The Greek Herald/Chris SpyrouPhoto: The Greek Herald/Chris Spyrou
After winning seven fights across Europe and the US, Kambosos is ready to fight back on Australian soil for the first time since October 2017.
The Greek Australian will be fighting in front of up to 50,000 people at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne – home to the world’s biggest Greek population outside the homeland. It is set to be the greatest boxing event in Australia’s history.
Announcement of George Kambosos Jr’s title defence against Haney. Photo: The Greek Herald/Chris Spyrou
Tale of the Tape:
George Kambosos Jnr Born: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Lives: Sydney, New South Wales, Age: 28 Nickname: Ferocious, The Emperor Weight: Lightweight Stance: Orthodox 5′ 91⁄2′′ / 176cm Reach: 68′′ / 173cm Record: 20 Wins (10 K/O’s), 0 draws, 0 losses Debut: 18-05-2013 Titles: World Boxing Association (WBA) Super World Light Title International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Light Title World Boxing Organisation (WBO) World Light Title The Ring World Light Title
George Kambosos Jr with his family after the fight announcement in Melbourne. Photo: The Greek Herald/Chris Spyrou
Devin Haney
Born: San Francisco, California, United States of America Lives: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America Age: 23 Nickname: The Dream Weight: Lightweight Stance: Orthodox Height: 5′ 8″ / 173cm Reach: 71′′ / 180cm Record: 27 Wins (15 K/O’s), 0 losses (0 K/O’s) 0 draws Debut: 11-12-2015 Titles: WBC World Lightweight Champion World Lightweight Rankings: The Ring # 3
Most of us kick start our day with a cup of coffee. First thing in the morning we need that caffeine hit to wake us up, but are we drinking the right cup of coffee every day?
A 2013 study showed that swapping out your regular coffee every day for a Greek-style coffee may offer some health benefits. The study looked at the connection between the diet and the lifespan on residents on the island of Ikaria in Greece, who statistically lead longer and healthier lives than anyone else on the planet, but why?
Through looking specifically at the resident’s coffee drinking habits, the researchers found that 90 percent of participants consumed boiled, Greek coffee daily. The participants also showed better endothelial function which are caused by the production of endothelial cells.
According to Cedars-Sinai, endothelial cells “release substances that control vascular relaxation and contraction as well as enzymes that control blood clotting, immune function, and platelet (a colourless substance in the blood) adhesion.”
The difference between the coffees you are used to, and Greek coffee do not lie in the beans, rather the preparation of the coffee before it is drunk.
Greek coffee is boiled in water with a little bit of sugar either on a stovetop or in a small open machine called a “Briki.” When the coffee starts to bubble, it is removed from the heat and cooled slightly to revealed what indicated the perfect Greek coffee, the “kaimaki,” that beautiful crema that forms on top of the coffee.
Many Greeks can sit for hours on the same cup of coffee, topping it up every now and again with a little bit of water. Many attribute the Greek laid back lifestyle to the lifespan that many Greeks have, but a combination of that with a healthy diet is the best recipe for a long and healthy life.
European Union bailout lenders for Greece have agreed on a plan for the country to pay back their bailout loans to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) two years ahead of schedule.
The European Stability Mechanism, a bailout fund of the EU, said that the outstanding loans worth 1.86 billion euros could be settled early waiving their own requirement to pay back IMF early themselves.
“This sends a positive signal to markets about Greece’s financing position,” says ESM Managing Director, Klaus Regling in a statement.
“It will also have a positive impact on Greece’s public debt profile and will generate some savings for the Greek budget,” Regling continued.
To help Greece avoid bankruptcy between 2010 and 2018, three amounts totalling 260 billion euros were loaned to the struggling nation, although despite these bailouts Greece is still under observation to monitor their spending.
The Ambassador of Greece in Australia, George Papacostas, visited the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia in Sydney on Thursday, March 31.
Mr Papacostas was joined by his wife and they met with His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
After being welcomed to the headquarters by Archbishop Makarios and their Grace Bishops Elpidios of Kyaneon and Bartholomew of Charioupolis, the Ambassador and his wife were given a tour of the recently restored Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady.
During the tour, they were informed about the restorations which were undertaken after the devastating fire at the Cathedral on September 30, 2021.
A meeting followed in the office of Archbishop Makarios where the two discussed issues of mutual interest, including the needs of the Greek diaspora in Australia and the continued co-operation between the Archdiocese and the Greek consular authorities.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Papacostas gave Archbishop Makarios a book about Ancient Greece.
A street mural in Patras, Greece has been enacted to honour two non-Jewish Greek citizens recognised by Yad Vashem as “Righteous Among the Nations” for saving Jews during the Holocaust.
The art display pays tribute to the late Zakynthos Lucas Carrer and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Dimitrios Chrysostomos, who protected Jewish residents on the Greek island of Zakynthos after the Nazis occupied the island in 1943.
The artwork was done by Kleomenis Kostopoulos, the creative director of the Patras-based group Art in Progress, as a part of the ‘Artists 4 Israel’ initiative that the group is running in partnership with the Combat Antisemitism Movement.
“Murals are one of the most important forms of contemporary expression and communication in public spaces,” said Kostopoulos.
“Today, more than ever, we must revisit our history in Greece by bringing it to the streets and putting it in their faces,” he continued.
The initiative includes one other artwork that was painted last year in the north of Portugal. As a whole, the project aims to honour Non-Jews around that world that rescued Jews in the second World War.
The safety of the free media in Greece has been called into question as of late due to a report that was released last week by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), an association led by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom.
This report showed that Greece had dropped five places in the 2021 World Press Freedom Index. The index highlighted the current danger for press freedom as the country is handing out hidden funds, evidence of censorship and violence against journalists.
Greece has now fallen to 70th rank in the index making it the 4th worst ranking in the European Union.
The MFRR report shows statistics of the decline in press freedom since the New Democracy party came into power in 2019. According to the report, the party in power is “obsessed with controlling the message,” and “minimising critical and dissenting voices.”
“News that is inconvenient or unflattering for the government, which includes reporting on serious human rights violations, does not get reported in many outlets, creating a significant obstacle for the public’s access to information and, subsequently, their informed participation in the democratic process,” the report says.
The report also shines a light on the murder of crime reporter Giorgios Karaivaz in April 2021, which revealed deeper problems such as the overall safety of journalists in Greece.
Calls to ensure that whoever is behind Karaivaz’ murder is brought to justice have been loud after the release of this report and there are also calls to ensure all attacks against journalists are properly investigated.
“The investigation progress appears slow and lacks basic transparency, which has had a chilling effect and leads to mistrust about the authorities’ ability or willingness to protect the journalistic community,” says the report.
Happy Protaprilia!! Although we’d love the Greek Prime Minister to visit Australia soon, it’s not happening this Easter.
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will celebrate Easter in Australia during his seven day official visit to the country.
This official visit was confirmed on Wednesday by the Office of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The visit is part of Mitsotakis’ recently announced tour of the Asia Pacific and comes after Mitsotakis accepted an invitation by Mr Morrison.
The Greek Prime Minister’s Office has announced that Mitsotakis will be in Australia on Holy Tuesday, April 19, with the first stop being Canberra, where he will have a private meeting with Mr Morrison.
The Greek Prime Minister will then visit Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, with his trip ending on Tuesday, April 26 when he will depart for Athens.
The full schedule of contacts that Mitsotakis will have in Australia will be officially announced within days.
In Sydney, Mitsotakis will meet with Archbishop Makarios of Australia, NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, politicians of Greek origin and of course, leaders of the Greek Community.
The Greeks of Sydney will have the opportunity to welcome Mitsotakis to a purely Greek feast that will take place at Hyde Park in the city centre on Easter Sunday. According to our information, admission to this event will be free.
Australia’s Prime Minister said Mitsotakis will be greatly welcomed by the Greeks of Australia, while underlining the great contribution and influence of Greeks in the country.
A 33-year-old woman from southern Greece has been charged with the murder of her 9-year-old daughter, and the deaths of her two other daughters in the past three years are being reviewed in a case that has drawn national attention.
The suspect, who was not formally identified in accordance with Greek law, was arrested a day after being detained for questioning on Wednesday. Flanked by riot police and in handcuffs, she appeared in court in Athens on Thursday for her arraignment.
This came after the results of tissue tests showed the presence of an anaesthetic drug that had not been administered by the girl’s doctors. The 9-year-old died in January following an eight-month hospitalisation.
A 33-year-old woman, center with the hooded jacket, is escorted by police as she leaves the court in Athens, Greece, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Photo: John Liakos/InTime News via AP.
A panel of senior coroners is also leading a review into the death of the suspect’s two other children: a 3-year-old girl from liver failure in 2019 and a 6-month-old girl in 2021 from a suspected heart defect.
Tissue samples retained from the two girls are now being re-examined, authorities said.
The suspect has denied any wrongdoing and is expected to formally respond to the charges on Monday.
Angry mob gathers outside suspects house:
With this news causing shockwaves across Greece, protesters also gathered outside the mother’s home in the port city of Patras on Wednesday night.
Η #Ρουλαπισπιριγκου φέρεται να έχει σκοτώσει τα 3 της παιδιά χωρίς όμως μέχρι τώρα να έχει ομολογήσει… Όλοι αυτοί οι συγκεντρωμένοι έξω από τα σπίτι της στη #Πατρα έχουν δολοφονήσει – χωρίς «φέρεται» – τις ψυχές και τις συνειδήσεις των δικών τους παιδιών… #Ρουλα_πισπιριγκουpic.twitter.com/NIhBJEz8Iw
Roughly 500 people could be heard calling out “Hang her” and “Give her to the people.” Others were calling for the woman’s family, who were inside, to come out and face them.
Greek police were forced to intervene to maintain order.
The crowd started to disperse around 4 o’clock in the morning and the family left the home a short time later.
Greece’s Communist Party (KKE) announced on Thursday it would not participate in a special parliamentary session on April 7 where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to address lawmakers.
In a statement, the KKE announced said it would not attend the meeting, claiming, among other things, that the Ukrainian government had legitimised “Nazi propaganda” and banned the operation of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
“The condemnation of the unacceptable invasion and imperialist war waged by Russia on the territory of Ukraine, and at the same time the solidarity with the people of Ukraine, has nothing to do with any support for President Zelenskyy,” KKE said in the statement.
Communist Party to skip Ukrainian President’s speech in Greek Parliament.
“And this particular meeting has just such characteristics, as Zelenskyy is part of the problem, head of a reactionary government, which has been aligned with the US-NATO-EU camp, which is also responsible for the war and the suffering of the people of Ukraine.”
The KKE added that skipping Zelenskyy’s speech is “the greatest sign of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who, in order to be truly victorious, must rid itself of both the Russian invasion and the Zelenskyy-type governments that drag them to the slaughterhouse of imperialist rivalries and wars.”
They said the party would have reacted the same way if the guest speaker was Russian President Vladimir Putin or US President Joe Biden.
Zelenskyy was invited by Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to speak before Greek Parliament earlier this week. The speech, which is expected to last between 10-15 minutes, will start at 12 pm.
Zelenskyy asks Australia for armoured vehicles and more weapons:
This news comes as Zelenskyy addressed Australian Parliament on Wednesday afternoon and asked for armoured vehicles, the Bushmasters and more weapons.
He also issued a veiled warning that if Russia is not stopped and punished for its invasion, China could take heart and seek to launch its own incursions on its neighbours.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky receives a standing ovation after addressing federal Parliament. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen.
So far, Australia has already sent $91 million in military assistance and $65 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russian troops invaded last month.
Mr Zelensky said he was grateful for Australia’s support but “this is only the beginning; we can and need to do more.”
In response to his speech, Australia has promised another $25 million in military aid to Ukraine, including drones, tactical decoys and rations, and announced it will apply hefty tariffs to all imports from Russia and its supporter Belarus.
Sydney Electrical Contractors from The Hills District has been named Champion Electrical Business at the Australian Small Business Champion Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony held on Saturday, 19 March 2022 at The Star Sydney, with over 1,000 guests in attendance.
Recognised as the ‘Oscars’ for small business, the Australian Small Business Champion Awards is the only national recognition program for Australian small businesses.
The program aims to acknowledge outstanding Australian small businesses and encourage high standards of excellence in small business practice.
“The Australian Small Business Champion Awards is a way to recognise the efforts of small business people whose efforts contribute to the prosperity and vitality of communities across Australia,” the Managing Director of Precedent Productions and founder of the Awards, Steve Loe, said.
“As a small business owner myself, I know the vision and dedication to excellence required to succeed. These traits have been displayed in abundance by all of our 2021 Australian Small Business Champions.”
The Managing Director of Sydney Electrical Contractors, Haralambos Robert Theodoridis, along with his wife Connie, received an award statuette, certificate and gained national recognition as an industry leader at the Awards night.
They said that having their passion, dedication, commitment and hard work celebrated amongst their peers was an experience they will never forget.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Theodoridis thanked his wife, hard working team and family for supporting him throughout his journey and paid tribute to his parents who migrated to Australia in the 1960’s, like many other Greeks at that time.
“My late father taught me so much when it came to small business. My father came up with the idea of giving every child a lollypop then they would come into our takeaway shop with their families. They would look forward to it and would always leave with a huge smile on their faces,” Mr Theodoridis explained.
“It’s something I’ll never forget and that’s what we endeavour to achieve with all our new and loyal clients every time we complete a project – big or small. When people smile, we feel satisfied. People will always remember how you make them feel.”
The Theodoridis’ want to express how proud they are of their Greek heritage and want to dedicate this award to their parents and every Greek immigrant who worked to provide opportunities for their children to achieve their dreams in Australia.
A number of small businesses from across Australia delivered an impressive array of entries, with winners representing a broad range of industries from all states and territories.
The Awards are presented by the Commonwealth Bank and supported by Awards Partners – Nine Plus, NOVA Employment, University of South Australia – Australian Centre for Business Growth, Castaway Forecasting and Big Clean.
The Australian Small Business Champion Awards have been proudly managed by Precedent Productions, a small business in its own right since their inception in 1999.
Earlier in the week, Sydney Electrical Contractors also won another award for the Best Service and Trade in the Local Business Awards which was held on March 14, 2022 at the Blacktown Workers Club. This award has now been won three years in a row by the company and is a milestone which has not been achieved by many businesses since the awards started over 20 years ago.
Who is Sydney Electrical Contractors?
Sydney Electrical Contractors is a multi-award-winning company specialising in commercial, residential, multi-story residential, property maintenance and level 2 electrical work. The company services many homes and businesses right across Sydney and caters for all project sizes.
With 35 years’ combined experience in the electrical and communications industry, our company is now an Industry leader setting the standard of how electrical businesses need to operate to be successful.
Since its inception in 2013, Sydney Electrical Contractors has been formally recognised by several Industry Bodies for our excellent customer service, reliability and quality work which is a direct result of our hard-working team and commitment we put into every job. No matter how small or big your job is, you can always trust Sydney Electrical Contractors to complete your works efficiently, effectively and to a remarkably high standard.
As a company we always give back to local communities and charities, as we see this as a very important part of our business mission. Sydney Electrical Contractors are also proud sponsors of the Greek National Men’s Rugby League Team which will be competing for the first time in this year’s Rugby League World Cup, held in England.
For all inquiries, please get in touch with our friendly staff and we will be happy to assist you in any way possible. Ph: (02) 8007-7215, Email: info@sec24hr.com.au
