Regional and international issues of mutual interest, particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and Afghanistan, were discussed during a meeting between Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and visiting US Senators, Chris Murphy and Jon Ossoff, on Monday.
Greeting the two senators, Mitsotakis commented that relations between Greece and the United States were “going from strength to strength on all fronts: security, defense, geopolitics and economics.”
According to government sources, the meeting reaffirmed the excellent level of bilateral relations between Athens and Washington.
Mitsotakis and the two Senators also explored the possibilities for their further deepening and expansion in areas such as defense cooperation, investments in strategic infrastructure and cooperation in energy and the environment.
They also discussed the government’s planned reforms of the Greek state and economy.
Mitsotakis outlined the recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and analysed Greece’s role as a pillar of stability and security in the wider region, via cooperation schemes with joint partners, such as Cyprus, Israel and Egypt. Regarding Afghanistan, the prime minister stressed that those fleeing the country should stay as close to their homes as possible.
Pleased to discuss with Senators @ChrisMurphyCT and @ossoff the excellent ongoing relationship between Greece and the US. We see great potential to further expand and deepen our cooperation on all fronts: security, defense, geopolitics, energy, the economy. pic.twitter.com/oTMb3vDkk1
The meeting also addressed the progress of the US-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act that is currently in Congress, which will strengthen Greek-US cooperation even further. It also examined the changes in the US-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement that are currently being negotiated.
Participants in the meeting on the Greek side include Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister for Economic Diplomacy Kostas Fragogiannis, the head of the PM’s diplomatic office Ambassador Eleni Sourani, deputy government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni and the head of the PM’s Economic Office Alexis Patelis. It was also attended by US Ambassador in Athens Geoffrey Pyatt.
The Senators met with Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, earlier on Monday and also discussed further strengthening strategic relationships between both countries. Dendias is due to visit Washington in the coming months.
The Greek government confirmed on Monday that former European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, will head the newly formed Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry.
Former Chief of the Air Force Staff, Evangelos Tournas, was appointed deputy minister, government spokesperson, Yiannis Oikonomou, said during a press briefing on Monday.
Stylianides, a Cypriot citizen, will receive an honorary Greek citizenship in order to serve ahead of his swearing in ceremony on Friday, in line with Greek law.
“I have accepted (the position) with the full awareness of the challenges and expectations that come with it. The consequences of climate change have overtaken us, and we must accelerate major change without delay,” Stylianides said after the announcement about his appointment.
Former European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides.
“Disaster prevention and preparedness is the most effective weapon we have.”
The ministry was created by Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, following devastating wildfires in August. The blazes burned more than 116,000 hectares of forest on the island of Evia and in southern Greece.
Government officials acknowledged mistakes in handling resources while battling the fire in Evia, where the most widespread damage was caused, but also blamed climate change for the steadily worsening weather conditions. The fires were fuelled by scorching temperatures, reaching into the mid-40°C.
As the new minister, Stylianides will head firefighting, disaster relief and policies to adapt to rising temperatures resulting from climate change.
Hundreds of people, some carrying flowers, gathered on Monday at Athens Cathedral to pay their final respects to Greek composer and politician, Mikis Theodorakis, who was an integral part of the Greek political and musical scene for decades.
Mourners sang his songs, while a German composer and former associate of the legendary Greek artist, Henning Zierock, performed iconic melodies on his guitar in an impromptu concert.
Theodorakis, who died on Thursday at the age of 96, is lying in state in a cathedral chapel for three days ahead of his burial on the southern island of Crete. His body arrived on Monday after a nearly two-hour delay amid a dispute over burial details.
Over the weekend, his family reportedly lifted their objections to him being buried on Crete in accordance with his last wishes. A court had temporarily halted burial plans pending a resolution of the dispute.
Theodorakis’ daughter had said earlier that he would be buried near Corinth in the village of Vrahati, where he maintained a holiday home. But a 2013 letter Theodorakis had written to the mayor of the town of Chania in Crete was made public, in which the composer said he wanted to be buried in the nearby cemetery of Galatas, despite his family’s disagreement.
People wait outside the Athens Cathedral. All photos: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
Pallbearers carry the coffin of late Greek composer.
Theodorakis was as well-known in Greece for his political activism as for his musical career. He penned a wide range of work, from somber symphonies to popular TV and film scores, including for “Serpico” and “Zorba the Greek.”
He is also remembered for his opposition to the military junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974, a time during which he was persecuted and jailed and his music outlawed.
A woman places a flower on a coffin as people pay their final respects. Photos: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris.
Photo: InTime News.
Greece’s Communist Party said over the weekend that Theodorakis’ body will lie in state beginning on Monday, and a “farewell ceremony” will be held Wednesday, before the late composer is flown to Crete. The church service and burial will be on Thursday.
Theodorakis’ body will lie in state from 10 am to 7 pm on Tuesday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
Three Greek Australians have been named in the Third Sector Awards 2021 for their leadership and innovation within the purpose and impact-driven sector.
Ben Vasiliou from Youth Projects and Elfa Moraitakis from SydWest Multicultural Services have both been named finalists in the ‘CEO of the Year’ category, and Kathy Karatasas from the Multicultural Child and Family Program is a finalist in the ‘Influencer of the Year’ category.
Here’s some more information about the Greek Australian finalists:
Ben Vasiliou, Youth Projects:
Ben Vasiliou is CEO of Youth Projects and is committed to delivering life changing, frontline support to our community’s most vulnerable people. Ben leads from the front and has overseen considerable service growth framed by an industry leading social impact outcomes framework, that now supports over 10,000 people each year.
Throughout the pandemic, Ben has advocated for, and delivered, systemic change in the way people experiencing homelessness and young people enduring poor mental health are supported.
Ben was instrumental in enabling an additional 2,500 people to access support from Youth Projects in the past year, whilst simultaneously driving service expansion into 14 new regions, opening three new social enterprise businesses and leading a team of healthcare heroes to remain open and operational throughout the entire pandemic.
Ben continues to advocate for the elevation of lived experience workforces, harnessing best practice in behaviour change and shifting attitudes from tokenism to genuine action.
Ben is also Vice President of LiverWELL Hepatitis Victoria, former Chair of BGKLLEN, was named as one of the most inspiring and influential leaders in the social economy by ProBono Australia in 2020, and recently graduated from the Executive Education in Social Entrepreneurship program at Stanford University (USA).
Elfa Moraitakis, SydWest Multicultural Services:
Elfa is the CEO of SydWest Multicultural Services, the leading not-for-profit multicultural agency in Greater Western Sydney, providing a range of services to vulnerable and diverse communities.
“I’m delighted and humbled to receive such an acknowledgement, especially if it draws attention to our work with vulnerable communities,” Ms Moraitakis said.
“I also believe that when an individual is recognised for their contribution, it is a credit to having a great team of people working alongside you. Thank you to all of the wonderful, dedicated people who make up SydWest Multicultural Services and work tirelessly for our community.”
Elfa has been involved in the community sector for the past 30 years and has an extensive background in developing services for linguistically disadvantaged communities, with a focus on engaging community and stakeholder participation.
Elfa was awarded 2017 Blacktown Woman of the Year for supporting migrant and refugee women establishing their businesses and was one of the 2020 UNSW Alumni finalists for Social Impact and Service. She is a Director of Settlement Services International and a Director of the NSW Council of Social Services.
Elfa has a degree in Sociology from the University of NSW, an Associate Diploma of Applied Management and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is passionate about social justice and is a strong advocate for the human rights of the elderly.
She is proud of her Greek heritage and was the first Greek female journalist in Sydney’s ethnic media and a member of the Greek-Australian Journalists Association. For her contribution to the Greek media, Elfa was awarded an ΟΕΕΓΑ award for ‘Excellence in Journalism.’
Kathy Karatasas, Multicultural Child and Family Program:
Kathy, a second-generation migrant has worked extensively in child protection, adolescent and women’s health, early intervention and foster care services.
Kathy Karatasas (right).
Kathy has a strong commitment to driving services which influence positive wellbeing outcomes. She is a strong advocate for collaborative leadership in influencing sector and community improvements, especially for children, young people and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Kathy is a dedicated, passionate, collaborative leader who values comprehensive strategic and service design, nurturing partnerships across all levels of organisations, collecting and sharing practice wisdom and respectfully showcasing team contributions.
In 2015, Kathy joined Settlement Services International to nurture and lead the then new multicultural foster care program. The program is now recognised as a sector lead in culturally responsive and evidence-based practice, influencing government and non-government agencies.
Kathy is an Executive Director of the NSW Association of Child Welfare Agencies (ACWA), a member of sector advisory committees and tertiary research initiatives.
Kathy’s qualifications include Masters in Social Work, Diploma in Adult Education and Public Sector Management. Her community contributions include 20 years of school community executive roles including the introduction of student recognition initiatives for vulnerable primary students.
Public voting for the awards is now open and will close on October 1. Winners will be announced during the awards night on November 4 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney.
*Please note: These are the Greek people we were able to identify by name.
The finalists of The Voice Australia 2021 were chosen on Sunday night following a tense and emotional semi-final.
The top four artists competing for the crown are Bella Taylor Smith from Team Guy, Arlo Sim from Team Keith, Mick Harrington from Team Jess and G-Nat!on from Team Rita.
G-Nat!on is The Voice’s largest girl band and includes Mateja Sardelis, 16, Isla Ward, 17, Taylah Silvestri, 18, Emma Caporaso, 18, Alessia Musolino, 17 and Rylee Vormelker, 17.
The girls had the audience on their feet with their impressive performance of 7 Rings by Ariana Grande, with Rita ultimately choosing them over Sian.
“Sorry did you say O.M.G-Nat!on?” Rita asked after their performance.
Voting is now open ahead of the final, with Australians now set to decide who will be take home the $100,000 prize money and a coveted recording contact with Universal Music Australia.
NSW is set to farewell 2021 in style, with fully vaccinated residents able to enjoy a large family Christmas meal, nights out with friends, a New Year’s Eve party and proper summer holidays.
According to The Daily Telegraph, while there will still be some restrictions, a continuance of the state’s vaccination pace will deliver freedoms in line with those currently in place overseas.
Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has said the national plan to reopen states with 80 percent vaccination would bring families back together.
“Friends can make plans for New Year’s Eve where they can hug and kiss at midnight,” he said.
“And everyone can make plans for a family Christmas. Nobody wants COVID to be the virus that stole Christmas.”
Families can plan to have a big Christmas dinner.
Travel within NSW also looks set to be opened up although there remain question marks over interstate travel.
Queensland and Western Australia have indicated their borders could remain closed until next year, but open travel may be possible between NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
Sydney couple, Selina and George Lygoyris, told The Daily Telegraph this would be a relief as their greatest Christmas wish was for their three children to see their 99-year-old great grandfather.
“We are hoping to be able to go to Melbourne as all of George’s family live there and the kids are missing their grandparents and cousins,” Mrs Lygoyris told the newspaper.
If the state borders remain closed the family has the Central Coast as second on their wishlist.
The Weekend Australian Magazine paid tribute to Greek migrants in Australia on Sunday with a special feature looking at how they enjoy a life expectancy that is not only greater than that of other Australians, but also one of the highest in the world.
According to the article, in the 1980s when Australian researchers first examined anecdotal evidence that Greek Australians were living longer, they were stunned to find that the data indicated they were the second longest-lived population in the world behind Japanese immigrants in Hawaii.
It showed that these Greek-born Australians were even outliving their counterparts back in Greece. There have been no recent studies to suggest this has changed.
But what makes their longevity even more mysterious is that this group have a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure than the general population.
Helen and Theo Zafirakos. Picture: Julian Kingma.
In 2017, Greek-born Australians had a median age at death of 83.4 years compared with 81.4 for Australians born here, while enjoying a significantly lower mortality rate from all major diseases.
What’s their secret to a long life?
So in their search for answers, researchers such as Associate Professor Antigone Kouris-Blazos from La Trobe University, Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos from Melbourne’s RMIT University and Dr Tania Thodis, who is a dietician, have tried to work out what differentiates this cohort from the rest of the country.
Thodis’s 2019 PhD research found that 75 per cent of first-generation Greek migrants were keeping a vegetable garden into their eighties, while 90 per cent were still going to church and practising religious fasting.
The Mediterranean diet.
The American Heart Association says regular fasting is linked to lower rates of heart failure and improved metabolism, promoting the chance of living a long and healthy life.
According to the article, Greek cuisine is naturally high in antioxidants, with studies showing it also has numerous health benefits including helping prevent gut diseases and strengthening immunity.
“There is something about the way they eat that helps them get away with risk factors,” Thodis tells The Weekend Australian Magazine.
“They are not healthier – they still have higher rates of diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease etc but somehow they still get away with it and end up living longer. Maybe it is something to do with gut microbiomes because they are eating a lot of fibre.”
The Greek migrants interviewed for the article agreed, with most pointing to their Greek diet as well.
Jim and Georgia Stratos. Picture: Julian Kingma.
“I’m living a long time because my wife is an excellent cook, we use olive oil, we eat fish with lemon, we eat moussaka, spanakopita, lamb on a spit,” Jim Stratos, who is a first-generation Greek migrant who arrived in Melbourne in 1952, tells The Weekend Australian.
“Olive oil is the reason why we are still here,” 75-year old, Helen Zafirakos, adds as she sits with her 84-year-old husband Theo near the vegetable patch in the backyard of their home in Vermont South, in Melbourne’s east.
“When I came to Australia from Greece, Australians always used butter. I never liked butter.”
Later, the former factory workers rethinks her answer to why the original Greeks have lived such long and healthy lives in their adopted Australia, saying cheekily: “Maybe it is not the food… Maybe it is laughing. Laughing is always the best medicine.”
NSW recorded 1,281 new locally acquired COVID-19 infections in the 24 hours to 8:00pm yesterday.
There were five COVID-19 deaths in the reporting period.
A man in his 90s from south-east Sydney died at St George Hospital after contracting his infection at St George Aged Care Facility in Bexley, where he was a resident.
Chief health officer Kerry Chant said he had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine but had “significant underlying conditions.”
Greek-Australian’s Lachlan Ilias and Peter Mamouzelos made themselves known to the NRL community on Saturday in the Rabbitohs’ 20-16 win over the Dragons.
The Rabbitohs rested up to 10 first grade players in preparation for the finals, giving their young guns a chance to shine on the field.
One of the new kids on the block was Lachlan Ilias, who has previously been touted by head coach Wayne Bennet as one of the players of the future for the Souths.
However, the Premiership winning coach admitted, whether truthfully or not, that he’d never actually watched Lachlan Ilias play but he had “heard he was good.”
Well, the Greek-Australian went out there and made sure Bennet was watching, with Ilias putting in a first half masterclass.
The 21-year-old kicked a grubber to set himself up for a try in the sixth minute of the match.
“The kid scores on debut. He puts in a kick, he chased it hard and it got it down,” Fox League commentator Dan Ginnane said.
“What a moment for the Ilias family in the inner west of Sydney, they can’t be here but they’re there in spirit. And a very special moment for Lachlan Ilias.”
Despite finishing the match with only 20 running metres, Ilias was clearly eager get involved in the first thirty minutes.
Ilias with Benji Marshall. Photo: Instagram.
Former Greek Australian NRL icon Braith Anasta showed clear excitement for the youngster, saying he has a lot to offer the Rabbitohs.
“This is special, it’s a dream come true. Young Lachlan Ilias, on debut, he gets the ball in his hand, he takes control, puts a beautiful little kick down the short side and chases the play. His first try in the big time… it doesn’t get any better than that,” he said on Fox League.
“He’s a great human, he works his butt off and he’s a good player. It’s just good to get his chance. Keep an eye on him he’s got a really good running game, his kicking game is solid and he’s got a great build for a half.”
Despite not directly contributing to any tries, fellow Rabbitohs youngster Peter Mamouzelos also impressed for the Bunnies on the night.
Peter Mamouzelos. Photo: John Bonanno / Rugby League Review.
The 20-year-old impressed on the defensive front, making 42 tackles and forcing a few Dragons errors.
Mamouzelos has made seven appearances in the NRL this season, scoring four tries.
Composer and politician, Mikis Theodorakis, will be buried according to his wishes in Chania, Crete, on September 9 next to his parents and brother, Greece’s Communist Party said on Sunday.
A family dispute had developed over Theodorakis’ burial place following his death at age 96 on Thursday. His daughter had said he would be buried in the village of Vrahati, near Corinth, where he maintained a holiday home.
But his son said on Friday that the family would respect his wishes. A court had temporarily halted any burial plans, after unnamed Theodorakis collaborators had intervened, citing his expressed wishes and producing notarised documents.
A Greek and a European Union flags fly at half-mast in front of a poster promoting an exhibition of late Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis in Athens, Greece, Friday, September 3, 2021. Photo: AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis.
Theodorakis had written a letter to the mayor of Chania in 2013 expressing his wish to be buried in the cemetery of Galatas, a location west of Chania, where his father hailed from.
“My family does not approve of my wish; however, the law recognises everyone’s right to decide about the disposal of their body,” Theodorakis had written in the letter.
According to the announcement by the Communist Party’s political bureau, Theodorakis will lie in state at Athens’ Metropolitan Cathedral from Monday, starting a day earlier than originally planned. The visiting hours are 3-7 pm Monday, 10 am to 7 pm Tuesday and 10 am to 2 pm Wednesday.
A “farewell ceremony” will take place on Wednesday afternoon and the body will be flown to Crete later that day. The church service and burial will be on Thursday, at a time to be announced.
