Unknown vandals in Albania have caused “irreparable” damage to a monument in ancient Apollonia near the town of Fieri, Albanian authorities announced over the weekend.
The director of the archaeological site was quoted as saying that “the damage is irreparable,” as ancient marble columns at the nymphaion of the site were broken. The nymphaion, in ancient Greece, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs.
The President of Albania, Ilir Meta, has condemned the act and called it barbaric.
According to Albanian authorities, the act of vandalism must have occurred during the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic but it was only recently discovered.
The theatre at the ancient city of Apollonia.
Approval has been given by the Albanian Ministry of Culture to try and restore the Ancient Greek monument.
Apollonia was founded in 588 BC by Greek colonists from Corfu and Corinth on a site where native Illyrian tribes lived and was perhaps the most important of the several classical towns known as Apollonia.
It was a self-governing and independent city for many centuries until it was first incorporated into the Kingdom of Epirus and later, the Kingdom of Macedonia. It was a very well-governed city and flourished because of its rich agricultural hinterland and its role in the slave trade.
Apollonia flourished in the Roman period and was home to a renowned school of philosophy, but began to decline in the 3rd century AD when its harbor started silting up as a result of an earthquake. It was abandoned by the end of Late Antiquity.
The safety of tourists is a top priority for Greece as it opens its airports to foreign visitors, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Saturday on a visit to the popular holiday island of Santorini.
International flights to and from the country’s main airports will resume on June 15, after a nearly three-month lockdown. Accounting for about 20 percent of Greece’s economic output, tourism is vital for the Mediterranean nation, which emerged from a decade-long debt crisis in 2018.
“It is a great pleasure to be here in Santorini… to send a message: Greece is ready to welcome tourists this summer by putting their safety and their health as a number one priority,” Mitsotakis said.
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, touring the archaeological site of Akrotiri in Santorini. Source: Reuters.
Famous for its sunsets and black sandy beaches, the volcanic island draws millions of tourists each year.
Greece has boosted numbers of medical staff on its popular islands. Mitsotakis, wearing a surgical mask, also visited health facilities and doctors on Santorini.
The country will conduct coronavirus tests on all visitors arriving from airports deemed high-risk by the European Union’s aviation safety agency EASA from Monday. Visitors will be quarantined up to 14 days, depending on the test result.
Passengers arriving from all other airports will be randomly tested.
About 33 million tourists visited Greece last year, generating revenues of 19 billion euros.
Restrictions on movement imposed in March helped Greece contain the spread of COVID-19 infections to just above 3,000 cases, a relatively low number compared with elsewhere in the European Union. But it brought its business and tourism sector to a virtual standstill and the country now expects its economy to shrink by up to 13 percent this year.
Prominent developer Theo Maras has taken over management of the Adelaide Central Market, with a vision to transform it into one of the biggest and best markets in the world, The Advertiser reports.
Mr Maras, who transformed the East End of Adelaide in the 1980s and 1990s, has been appointed as chairman of the Adelaide Central Market Authority, replacing businessman Nick Begakis.
He will help the Adelaide City Council choose board members for vacant positions on the authority, which will oversee a multimillion-dollar upgrade of the arcade beside the historic market.
Mr Maras said he was excited by the “once in a lifetime” opportunity to transform the precinct into a “world-class” tourism and retail destination.
“I’ve been going to the Central Market since I was a child – I was taken to the Central Market every Saturday by my grandfather and my father so I’ve got a long-term history and passion for it – I love it,” he said.
“At the end of the day the market belongs to the people of Adelaide and I’m keen to deliver to Adelaide one of the biggest and best markets in the world.
“This will shape the market for the next fifty years.”
Under plans revealed by the council last December, a 35-storey residential, commercial and retail building will be built next to the market as part of a $400 million redevelopment.
Mr Maras, who oversaw the recent $30 million overhaul of Rundle Mall, said securing the right tenant mix and minimising disruption to existing tenants was key to making the project a success.
Shoppers at the Adelaide Central Market. Photo: Brenton Edwards/The Advertiser
“Of course it was the expansion that excited me – I understand develoment, I understand retail and I understand what it is to have social interaction,” he said.
“What I want to be part of is ensuring we have the right curation of tenant mix that will serve the needs of the public and will be a world-class market and meeting place.”
Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor said Mr Maras had been chosen from “a truly impressive field of candidates” to help oversee the project.
Mr Maras has an extensive background in development, retail and hospitality, including being chairman of the Rundle Mall Management Authority.
“Theo Maras was successful due to his highly-regarded business acumen, depth of experience and ability to lead,” she said.
Ms Verschoor and authority general manager Jodie Kannane thanked Mr Begakis, a professional company director, for his “strong leadership” during his term as the authority’s chairman.
“Nick has played an instrumental role in steering the Adelaide Central Market towards becoming the world’s best fresh produce market and maintaining its iconic status as a thriving food and cultural precinct for the broader community to experience and enjoy,” said Ms Kannane.
With museums across the country reopening on June 15, a wax museum in the northern Greek city of Kavala has decided to celebrate with the unveiling of a wax sculpture of Hollywood star and honorary Greek Tom Hanks.
The Wax Museum Theodoros Kokkinidis will welcome their 31st wax model to friends and visitors, who from today took his place in the main living room of the museum.
“This confinement at home worked rather creatively for me, during this time I designed and created the wax model of a philhellene and award-winning actor, who came even closer to Greece after his marriage to Greek-born actress Rita Wilson,” Kokkinidis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
“So this year, Tom Hanks will not only be in Antiparos for his summer vacation, but also in Kavala! “
Kokkinidis said that he chose to depict Hanks in a “mature phase” of his life rather than as the young comedian who won over Greeks audiences in the late 1980s and 1990s, because it “better encapsulates the personality of a great artist who has given so much to world cinema.”
Because art is inspired not only by faces, but by historical events, Kokkinidis is preparing for a special exhibition in his museum to mark the 200th anniversary of the Greek revolution.
“In the coming weeks I will begin preparations for the design and craftsmanship of the wax figures of two important protagonists of 1821, who contributed decisively to the Greek revolution,” he says to ANA-MPA.
People who donate blood are superheroes: in under an hour they can save three lives.
Every year, on 14 June, Australia and
countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day. The event serves to
raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank
blood donors for their life-saving gifts of blood.
“Every week across Australia, 29,000
donations are needed to support cancer patients, trauma victims, pregnant women
and so many others who rely on donated blood and plasma,” an Australian Red
Cross Lifeblood spokesperson told The Greek Herald.
Nikos, has been a blood donor for over 20 years and so far, he has made more than one hundred donations in blood and blood products both in Greece and in Australia.
“I made my
first donation in 1999. My father used to be a blood donor for as long as he
was in good health, so it was natural for me to become one as well,” said Nikos
who kept donating during the coronavirus pandemic.
“During
crises and disaster situations, the need for blood increases and the number in
donations drops.
“If someone is healthy there is no excuse to not donate. By sparing half an hour of your life, three or four times every year you are able to save 12 people’s lives,” Nikos said.
Photo: Supplied by Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
Coronavirus did not prevent Australians from donating blood
Despite the
initial fears that blood supply could face critical shortages as more people were
staying home to stop the spread of COVID-19, Australian blood and plasma donors
responded overwhelmingly to calls for donations since the emergence of the
pandemic.
In April,
every state across the country had either their largest or second highest
plasma collection day on record and appointments continue to be well filled.
“We are
extremely grateful to these Australians who have rolled up their sleeves to
ensure patients across the country have access to the blood and blood products
they require.
“This year
we’d also like to make special mention of donors who’ve recovered from COVID-19
and donated plasma. It’s hoped their plasma may boost immunity in patients
still battling the disease,” said the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood
spokesperson.
Australia
currently has around 500,000 blood donors, but millions of others may be eligible
to donate.
“Blood donation is very easy, straightforward and rewarding. Especially in Australia, where people can visit a donor centre and a nurse can answer their questions and walk them through the procedure,” Nikos explains, stressing that Greece needs to follow Australia’s example in order to encourage and motivate more people to become blood donors.
Donations in Greece are insufficient
In Greece,
at least 600,000 units of blood are required annually, of which only 40 percent
are covered by volunteer blood donors, according to the Greek National Center’s
for Blood Donation official data.
“The blood
donation system in Greece is decentralized and consists of more than 90
hospital blood banks under the supervision of the Ministry of Health. Each bank
is an integrated part of a public hospital and has the responsibility for
recruiting blood donors, for collecting and testing blood and for processing it
into its products to supply the hospital clinics.
“We need a
centralized system and people need to be better informed about donating blood,”
Nikos suggests.
For
more information visit lifeblood.com.au or call 13 14 95
The Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales celebrated on Monday, in the presence of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, the feast-day of the Holy Spirit at the Parish of The Holy Trinity in Surry Hills, Sydney.
A feast day of particular importance in the Greek Orthodox Church, His Eminence become the first Archbishop, after almost half a century, to cross the threshold of Australia’s oldest church in the southern hemisphere.
“This is a development with special importance, but also substance, as it signals the opening of a new page in the relations between the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, to which the church belongs,” The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia wrote in a Facebook post.
This year’s feast-day of the Holy Spirit was historic for the Greeks of Australia because, for this great feast of the…
The Archdiocese also recognised the event as historic occasion as it, “signals the opening of a new page in the relations between the Holy Archdiocese of Australia and the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, to which the church belongs.”
The President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, Mr Harry Danalis, applauded His Eminence’s spirit of solidarity and unity.
“I would like to thank you because, from the day of your arrival, you have shown genuine love and an outlook of unity for our society and love for our Community, and we know that this will continue,” Danalis said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a limited number of people were permitted to attend the ceremony, with invitations sent out only to the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, Greek Diplomatic Authorities and to select Greek community representatives.
Expatriates who did attend, most of whom were present during the Divine Liturgy, mainly resided outside the Temple.
Played behind closed doors, Greek international Stefanos Tsitsipas will face off against Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the opening round of the UTS Showdown.
The two professionals will face off against each other live on June 13 at the Mouratoglou Academy, in the South of France.
When asked about the upcoming game, Tsitsipas said, “My first weapon is my spirit, my second weapon is my patience, my third weapon is creativity.”
Set to be the event that “revolutionized” tennis, the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) is organised by Greek-French tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
The international tennis showdown series brings real competitive matches between ten of the world’s best tennis professionals, streamed live to people’s homes.
Ten matches will be streamed using on-court cameras and live-coaching every weekend for 5 weeks, starting from June 13-14.
According to Mouratoglou, the tournament is intended to allow players to express their emotions more “freely”.
Patrick Mouratoglou will be hosting the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) event at his Academy in the South of France. Photo: Tennis 365
“I would like the fans to benefit from better access to the players’ emotions, especially on the court where the code of conduct is a significant obstacle to that” explains Patrick Mouratoglou.
The tournament is said to stand out from existing tennis circuits, introducing new rules, an innovative fast-paced format, a lightened code of conduct, and live coaching.
Tsitsipas affirms tennis isn’t condemned to be a sport “for old people,” and, in his opinion, UTS will play a role in this reframing: “I can see a swap. I believe UTS is going to provide something fresh. And it’s also a way to change our sport. An evolutionary product. Which is going to open new doors and make tennis a bit more modernized and more updated.”
The tournament can be watched from the Ultimate Tennis Showdown website: HERE.
‘Real action’ against the spread of racism in Australia has been demanded by over 30 community groups in a joint letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese on Thursday.
Community groups, including the Federation of Ethnic Communities Australia, Diversity Council Australia and Amnesty Australia, heave appealed for an anti-racism strategy, stating that recent global events are both a “wake up call and and an opportunity”.
“We urge you to establish a bipartisan National Anti-Racism Strategy, designed to draw on existing experience and expertise to halt the rising tide of hate and promote social cohesion at all levels of Australian society,” the joint letter reads.
Today a coalition of 30 community groups called for real action to tackle #racism.We're waiting and willing to help.
The letter draws attention to the increased level of racism towards the Asian-Australian community, including hostile, discriminatory and abusive behaviour, including physical violence.
One third of racist complaints made to the Human Rights Commission since the start of February have been related to COVID-19.
Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia chair Mary Patetsos said a recent increase in racial complaints calls for a strategy appeal.
“Australia urgently needs a strategy both broad and specific to combat racism wherever it is manifest,” she said.
FECCA chair Mary Patetsos is among those to back the calls for a new anti-racism campaign. Photo: SBS News
Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria push ‘All Together One’ campaign
The Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) have developed an All Together One campaign, aiming to facilitate a “Victoria-wide anti-racism response built on integrity, respect, equality, empowerment, social cohesion, and innovation”.
CEO of Football Victoria, Peter Filopoulos, is an active ambassador for the campaign, recognising cultural diversity as a key feature of football in Victoria.
“We are living in challenging times and just as in football, working together will benefit us all,” Filopoulos said in a statement.
“Promoting our game is about Football for ALL – to increase our engagement and advocacy of football, and to change perceptions and promote positive outcomes.”
Peter Filopoulos is an active ambassador for the All Together One campaign. Photo: Supplied
President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, met earlier with the Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO, Marianna Vardinogianni, to discuss the planned celebrations for the 2500 year anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae.
While briefing the schedule of the events, Vardinoyannis also announced the Marianna Vardinoyannis Institute’s decision to give funds it had originally set aside for the celebrations to vulnerable groups stricken by the pandemic.
“Soon our Foundation will announce the actions to honour the historical memory, with the primary goal of inspiring the new generation in Greece with the values and ideals of our ancestors,” Ms Vardinoyannis added.
The Hellenic President hopes that the celebrations “will contribute to our self awareness and to presenting Greece’s historic wealth.”
On her part, Sakellaropoulou also expressed her full support for Ms. Vardinogianni for the work carried out by the ELPIDA-Association of Friends of Children with Cancer Association.
Expressing her interest in the latest scientific developments in the childhood cancer field, she asking to visit the Children’s Oncology Unit so that she too can contribute to the ever-lasting fight.
Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, in a written statement after meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic in Athens on Friday, pointed out the strong bonds between the two countries, deriving from the long friendship of their peoples and their common religious and cultural traditions.
Dendias said that they had the opportunity to discuss and exchange views on many different issues, as well as ways to further strengthen the already excellent relations between the two countries.
In terms of the coronavirus, Dendias said that they expressed “our desire to cooperate in a number of fields to address the repercussions of the crisis, both in our countries and in the wider region.”
Είμαι ιδιαιτέρως χαρούμενος που υποδέχτηκα σήμερα τον αγαπητό φίλο και Υπουργό Εξωτερικών της Σερβίας, κ. Ivica Dacic. Συζητήσαμε και ανταλλάξαμε απόψεις επί διαφόρων θεμάτων, καθώς και τρόπους ενίσχυσης των ήδη εξαιρετικών σχέσεων των χωρών μας. @GreeceMFA
On Serbia’s European prospect, “I reaffirmed Greece’s stable support,” adding that “Greek foreign policy’s target is the integration of the western Balkans in the European family”.
Referring to the Belgrade-Pristina’s dialogue, he reiterated that Greece’s position in terms of Kosovo’s regime, remains the same until a final agreement is reached.
Finally, Dendias referred to the recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and particularly to Turkey’s behaviour, which continues to operate in a way that sets peace and stability in the area at risk.
