Alleged fraudster and Forum Group figure, Bill Papas, has appointed his girlfriend, Louise Agostino, to the board of Xanthi FC as a director, The Gold Coast Bulletin reports.
Mr Papas has also been confirmed as managing director of the sports club.
These appointments come regardless of attempts by Westpac to freeze the assets of Papas and Agostino and seize the club.
Papas and Agostino at an Xanthi FC match last year.
In early February, the Greek Professional Sports Committee ruled that Mr Papas owned Xanthi FC, despite providing evidence to Westpac that he had sold his stake.
The committee had ruled “there was no illegal transfer of the shares” and “the data so far do not show the illegal origin of the money, which was allocated for the increase of the share capital of PAE Xanthi.”
Westpac are pursuing both Papas and Agostino as part of allegations the two were key to a nearly $400 million lease fraud scheme that has also captured Societe Generale and SMBC.
There are concerns for people missing in Queensland floodwaters as the intense deluge that caused widespread damage in the state’s south-east continues and now threatens lives in northern NSW.
New South Wales:
Flood rescues in northern NSW will resume this morning after emergency services were forced to stop due to dangerous conditions,ABC News reports.
The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) carried out about 1,000 rescues yesterday across the Northern Rivers.
The Lismore CBD under water. Picture: NCA NewsWire.
80 percent of the rescues were in Lismore, where the level of the nearby Wilsons River rose to 14.37 metres – more than 2 metres higher than the previous 1954 benchmark.
But many people were still waiting for assistance overnight after safety concerns, including low-hanging power lines and surging torrents of water, forced rescue efforts to be stopped.
This comes as Sydney, the Hunter and the South Coast are bracing for a similar rain event today with authorities warning the deluge is heading south and will possibly hit by the end of the week.
Lismore. Photo: ABC North Coast / Bruce Mackenzie.
Queensland:
In Queensland, searches are still underway for three people who have been missing in the floodwaters, including one man who has not been seen for three days after he fell from a boat in the Brisbane River.
On Monday, more than 1,000 schools were closed, over 1,500 people were in evacuation centres, trains were shut down and 43,000 residents were without power, with floods yet to peak in at least three regions.
The death toll from the flood disaster remains at eight, but authorities have warned this will likely rise as tidal and river flows continue to hit highs.
Despite similarities to the 2011 floods with thousands of homes inundated in Brisbane, Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said there was little more the State Government could have done to lessen the damage in the city due to the extreme conditions.
In response to this crisis, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia issued a message of support to those who’s homes have been damaged by the floods.
“You are not alone!” Archbishop Makarios said in his message, before urging the faithful not to lose hope and trust in God.
A total of 1,032 Ukrainians have arrived in Greece since Russia’s invasion began five days ago, authorities said on Monday.
36 of these Ukrainian refugees arrived in Athens via bus on Monday morning, after first crossing into Romania following Russia’s invasion.
In a telephone call with Ukraine’s Ambassador to Greece, Sergii Shutenko, the Greek Citizen Protection Minister, Takis Theodorikakos, vowed that Greek authorities would take all the necessary measures to facilitate the Ukrainian refugees.
This comes amid reports from Ukrainian officials that Russian artillery bombarded residential districts of Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv on Monday, killing possibly dozens of people.
The strike came as Ukraine and Russia were meeting for peace talks on the border with Belarus. ABC News reports that no immediate agreements on a ceasefire were made.
Ukranians take shelter from shelling. Photo: AP / Evgeniy Maloletka.
Greece evacuates 26 Greeks and dependents from Odessa:
The arrival of these refugees comes as the Greek Consulate General in Odessa evacuated a total of 26 Greek citizens and their family members from the Ukrainian port city on Monday.
According to a statement, the Consulate proposed the evacuation, called operation ‘Nostos 2,’ due to the ongoing critical situation in Ukraine. The plan was approved by the Foreign Ministry in Athens.
«Επιχείρηση Νόστος 2»: Λόγω της κατάστασης ασφαλείας στην περιοχή της Οδησσού, πραγματοποιήθηκε επιχείρηση απομάκρυνσης 26 Ελλήνων πολιτών και μελών των οικογενειών τους, κατόπιν εισήγησης του αρμόδιου Γενικού Προξενείου. https://t.co/hitY5KmokX
The 26 evacuees were accompanied by Consul General Dimitris Dochtsis to Moldova, where they were received by Greek Ambassador to Romania, Sofia Grammata.
Mr Dochtsis has since returned to Odessa to continue his mission there.
Ukraine’s EU membership appeal:
As the crisis grows in Ukraine, Greece has continued to express its solidarity with the country.
In fact, Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, released a statement on social media on Monday to express his support for Ukraine’s European prospects following the appeal of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for immediate European Union membership.
Full solidarity with President @ZelenskyyUa and the people of Ukraine. We welcome Ukraine’s EU choice; they are one of us.
St Basil’s NSW/ACT is set to launch for the very first time in Australia the ‘1821 Greek Art Exhibition’ in collaboration with the Athens War Museum.
The free exhibition will run from 13 March to 3 April, 2022 and will feature rare objects inspired by the Greek Revolution of 1821, as well as the ‘Heroes Made of Metal’ collection of traditional Greek costumes by internationally renowned sculptor Nikos Floros.
“This is an event of national importance and cultural significance, and we are proud to host such an event as these exhibits are coming for the very first time to Australia,” a St Basil’s NSW/ACT spokesperson told The Greek Herald.
“We believe that this exhibition is very important for the Greek Australians of second and third generations and the wider community.
“Everyone will have the opportunity to visit and admire up-close these rare exhibits, which represent a very important part of Greek history and shed light on key events leading up to the Greek Revolution.”
Objects which are part of the exhibition.
People are encouraged to attend and take in the breath-taking exhibition, which will be open at Sydney Town Hall from 9.30am to 4.30pm every day.
St. Basil’s NSW/ACT is a non-for-profit organisation created by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia to provide quality care to ageing Greek – Australians.
A costume from the ‘Heroes Made of Metal’ collection.
Full Details:
‘1821 Greek Art Exhibition’
Exhibition dates: March 13 to April 3, 2022
Open 7 days, 9:30am – 4:30pm
Venue: Sydney Town Hall, 483 George St, Sydney NSW 2000.
Young students were recognised for excellence in Modern and Classical Greek at the annual Dionysios Solomos Awards on Sunday, February 27 at Marrickville Town Hall.
The awards are organised by the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW) as part of the Greek Festival of Sydney.
They celebrate the achievements of Year 12 students who received the highest grades in Greek in the Higher School Certificate (HSC), as well as younger students from the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW Afternoon and Saturday Schools.
All photos copyright: The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
On the day, roughly 150 people were in attendance including the NSW Shadow Minister for Small Business, Property and Multiculturalism, Steve Kamper; the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Christos Karras; Associate Professor of Modern Greek at the University of Sydney, Dr Anthony Dracopoulos; the Sir Nicholas Laurantus Chair in Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies at the University of Sydney, Professor Vrasidas Karalis; the Treasurer of the GOCNSW, Chris Belerhas; and the Festival Chair of the Greek Festival of Sydney, Nia Karteris.
Student Anja Ribbeck.Master of Ceremonies, Vicki Tomaras.
Master of Ceremonies, Vicki Tomaras, kicked off the official proceedings with a small welcome, followed by an introduction to student, Anja Ribbeck, who approached the stage to perform the National Anthems of Greece and Australia.
A number of speeches were then given by the Secretary of the GOCNSW, Michael Tsilimos, the Consul General, Steve Kamper MP, Professor Karalis and student, Dean Theodoroloulos, who received the Minister’s Award of Excellence 2021.
Secretary of the GOCNSW, Michael Tsilimos.Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Christos Karras.Student, Dean Theodoroloulos.
In their speeches, Mr Tsilimos stressed his belief that Greek students will continue to excel in the HSC in Modern and Classical Greek, while the Consul General spoke about the continued relevance of Greek to the English language.
“Congratulations to all the educators on their outstanding contributions to the Greek language, as well as the Greek language students on their efforts and achievements,” Mr Karras said.
Steve Kamper MP.
For his part, Steve Kamper MP said he was “so proud” of the young students and parents in the room for persevering and continuing to learn the Greek language.
After these speeches, students were presented with awards in the following categories: Higher School Certificate Awards for Modern Greek Beginners, Modern Greek Continuers, Modern Greek Extension, Classical Greek Continuers and Classical Greek Extension, as well as the Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Modern Greek and the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW Greek Afternoon Schools’ Outstanding Achievement Awards.
One student, Suelen Grillas from Danebank Anglican School, won an Outstanding Achievement Award and told The Greek Herald after the event she felt proud to be recognised because “I like all things Greek.”
Award winners.
All Award Winners:
HSC Modern Greek – Beginners:
1st – Cleopatra Calfas (NSW School of Languages), 5th – Nicolette Tsiknis (NSW School of Languages), 6th – George Alexander Papamanuel (Newington College), 9th – Elly Vazouras (Bethany College Hurstville).
HSC Modern Greek – Continuers:
1st – Styliani Koliris (St Euphemia College), 2nd – Konstantinos Zisopoulos (St Euphemia College), 3rd – Chris Reppas (NSW School of Languages), 4th – Sophia Angelopoulos (NSW School of Languages), 6th – Ria Karakasis (NSW School of Languages), 7th – Elena Kaldis.
Emily Bobis, who is a 26-year-old entrepreneur and co-founder of Compass IoT, has been named a finalist in the NSW Women of The Year Awards for 2022.
There are seven award categories in the 2022 program and Bobis has been named in the NSW Young Woman of the Year section.
She is up against a number of other young talents, including Julie Charlton, Camille Goldstone-Henry and Angelique Wan.
Entrepreneur Emily Bobis is the co-founder of Compass IoT, a start-up tech company that analyses data from the SIM cards in cars built after 2014 and maps the near misses. Picture: Toby Zerna.
The Awards recognise remarkable women and girls who make a significant impact in NSW in the areas of science, education, health, industry culture or community.
Bobis’ tech start-up business uses real-time data analysis of cars swerving or breaking to detect trends and patterns. This halved the number of car crashes on one of Sydney’s busiest roads.
Bobis won the 2021 UTS Startup of the Year and UTS Best Start-up (established). She was also a finalist for the 2021 Sydney Young Entrepreneurship Award, and named a Top 50 Small business leader in 2021.
Winners of the NSW Women of The Year Awards will be announced on Wednesday, 9 March, at the 2022 NSW Women of the Year Awards at the International Convention Centre Sydney.
The NSW Rugby League is in turmoil after the sudden resignation of two of the game’s most powerful men on Friday afternoon.
Board Director, Nick Politis, and Chairman, George Peponis, both left with immediate effect over an ongoing controversial boardroom stoush.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), the stoush was related to the NSWRL’s annual general meeting on Friday afternoon and the nomination of Cronulla CEO, Dino Mezzatesta, for a spot on the board.
Nick Politis has walked away from the NSWRL. Photo Credit: Getty.
Mezzatesta nominated for the board on January 20, but the NSWRL waited until 48 hours out from voting to notify him that he was ineligible to run due to an alleged conflict of interest.
This meant that Politis and Geoff Gerard were elected unopposed on Friday, as well as country representatives John Anderson and Bob Walsh, 7 News reports.
Two independents were also appointed, with the only female director on the NSWRL board, Deborah Healy, also losing her spot on the board to William “Smiley” Johnstone.
Peter V’landys might need to review the matter.
But according to the SMH, Politis and Peponis resigned as a result of this treatment of Mezzatesta and Healy.
“I’m disappointed but I feel like I can leave the organisation having achieved a lot,” Peponis told the SMH after almost a decade in the top job.
This boardroom battle could now spill over to the NRL, with ARL Commission chair, Peter V’landys, expected to review the matter once he receives a formal complaint about the issue on Monday morning.
Football Victoria (FV) has today released its findings of a detailed investigation into allegations Port Melbourne SC (PMSC) breached conditions of its National Premier Leagues (NPL) Victoria License.
PMSC has co-operated with FV during the investigation, which substantiated that breaches of the Club’s NPL License did occur in 2021.
As a result, a number of sanctions have been applied to PMSC, including:
$15,000 fine.
18 competition points retrospectively removed for the 2021 season.
Suspended $15,000 fine for each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Suspended 18 competition point penalty for each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Written warning to all players.
Football Victoria can today release findings of a detailed investigation into allegations Port Melbourne SC breached conditions of its National Premier Leagues (NPL) Victoria License.https://t.co/k6TStjoN7f
Suspended penalties will be immediately applied in the event of any further breach of the Football Australia National Registration, Status and Transfer Regulations (or equivalent) concerning player payments.
FV will conduct audits of all Clubs and their NPL license compliance, including spot checks through the season.
Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, criticised his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, on Saturday after he accused Turkey of exploiting the war between Russia and Ukraine.
In a tweet, Cavusoglu accused Dendias of ‘defamation’ and speaking ‘nonsense.’
“While the world is focused on the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, my friend Nikos [Dendias] is focused on his sole hobby: Defamation of Türkiye in any condition. Such dedication and so much effort put on such nonsense. So sad!” Cavusoglu wrote.
While the world is focused on the tragedy unfolding in #Ukraine, my friend Nikos 🇬🇷 is focused on his sole hobby: Defamation of Türkiye in any condition.
Cavusoglu’s anger came just hours after Dendias tweets on Saturday that Turkey should not be allowed to “exploit” the situation in Ukraine to advance its own interests in the region.
“It will only be detrimental for Turkey to try to exploit the situation in Ukraine in an opportunistic way, while the world public is extremely aware of the issue of respect for international law and the inviolability of borders,” Dendias said.
So far, Turkish officials have condemned Russia for its recognitionof the Donbas regions and for invading Ukraine, but they have declined to endorse sanctions against Moscow or close the Black Sea as requested by Ukraine.
At least ten Greek nationals have been killed and six others, among them one child, have been wounded in Russian bombing near the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to the Greek Foreign Ministry.
This came as the Russian offensive in Ukraine enters the fifth day with massive sea, land and air attacks which has so far killed more than 200 civilians and wounded hundreds.
Greece is “appalled by and unequivocally condemns the bombing of civilians” by Russia, reads a statement issued by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed his solidarity to Ukraine.
But as the conflict rages, thousands of Greek expatriates who live in Mariupol, the heart of the ethnic Greek community that dates back to the 18th century, fear for their lives.
Residential areas are among those that came under fire in Mariupol. Photo: Sky News.
“There is very heavy shelling in Mariupol and in Kyiv, especially since last night. The Russians started to bombard residential districts in Mariupol and there is damage to the children’s hospital and infrastructure. People are hiding in the basements and until Monday they can’t go out due to curfews,” Vice President of the Kiev Hellenic Community “Enotita”, Anton Savidi, told The Greek Herald on Sunday.
“In Mariupol the situation is worse because in many places there is no water, no electricity and yesterday there was constant bombing by land and air.
“The settlements where many Greeks currently live are under attack and there are people, most of them women, children and older people, who can’t be evacuated. People are scared.”
He said air raid sirens continue to sound across the state to warn people to run to underground shelters, while he mentioned the Ukrainian army is facing shortages in basic equipment.
A Ukrainian rocket launcher vehicle drives west of the coastal city of Mariupol, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised a military operation in eastern Ukraine. Photo: Reuters/Carlos Barria.
“There is a lack in protective equipment like helmets. There are no big shortages in food but we expect them to develop as people can’t go out. Ukraine now needs international support. Weapons, money, medicines to help stop this invasion,” Mr Savidi said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister, Scott Morrison announced that Australia will provide funds for “lethal aid” to Ukraine’s war effort while Greece will dispatch military equipment and humanitarian aid.
“Support Ukraine because we, Greeks here, suffer the same with other people who live in the country. Tell your government to pressure Russia,” Mr Savidi said.
Australia’s Greek community send messages of support:
In response to these personal accounts, Australia’s Greek community have sent messages of support to the Greek communities of Ukraine.
The President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, Bill Papastergiadis, sent a message over the weekend to the President of the Kiev Greek Society, Nina Paskal, expressing the Community’s “heartfelt thoughts, hopes and prayers” in the face of Russia’s invasion.
Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, Bill Papastergiadis.
“We want our compatriots in the Ukraine to know that the Greek diaspora in far-away Melbourne stands with them,” Mr Papastergiadis wrote in his message.
“If there is anything that we could do for you and your community, please do not hesitate to ask.”
Mr Papastergiadis also wrote to the Co-Chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, Stefan Romaniw OAM, and the President of the Association of Ukrainians in Victoria, Liana Slipetsky, condemning “the aggression against the people of Ukraine.”
“We stand in solidarity with our local Ukrainian community members,” Mr Papastergiadis wrote.
Elsewhere, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia also condemned the “unprovoked attack” of Russia on Ukraine during a phone conversation with the Honorary Consul General of Ukraine in Sydney, Jaroslav Roman Duma.
Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
“In the last hours, we are watching with indescribable sadness the horrible face of the war… due to the unacceptable decision of the leadership of the Russian Federation to invade the territory of the Republic of Ukraine with military means,” His Eminence later said in a message.
“This is not the world that Christ envisioned for the human race! This is not the teaching of our Holy Gospels! The pursuit of war in our faith and conscience does not fit! It is the duty of every Orthodox Christian to call for peace!”
His Eminence concluded by declaring that “the Holy Archdiocese of Australia is unwaveringly in favour of law and truth.”
