Search
Home Blog Page 1443

Stefanos Tsitsipas cruises past Cilic in Rome

The Greek Herald
-
0
Stefanos Tsitsipas cruises past Cilic in Rome

Stefanos Tsitsipas passed an opening-round test against Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

“Sometimes I need to adjust my game and Marin is someone I respect a lot,” Tsitsipas said on-court. “I knew he was going to come out here and play his best tennis.”

The Greek improved to 28-7 this season, which tied him back up with Andrey Rublev for most wins after Rublev beat Jan-Lennard Struff earlier on Wednesday. Though Tsitsipas lost in the third round in Madrid, the World No. 5 is filled with confidence after winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. He’s also a former semi-finalist in Rome (2019).

Cilic is 0-11 against Top 10 opponents dating back to his 2018 Australian Open win over Rafael Nadal. He’s now 8-8 on the season.

In a competitive first set, Tsitsipas pounced at 6-5 to break Cilic for the first time when it mattered the most. He had full control of the match from there with Cilic hitting 23 unforced errors to Tsitsipas’ 13.

“He made me move a lot,” Tsitsipas said. “It was quite tricky to adjust to that at the beginning, but towards the very end of the first set I stayed calm and I stayed resilient. I had to play deep on the returns and find solutions from the baseline rallies. Obviously, that worked well for me from 6-5.”

Tsitsipas next faces Matteo Berrettini, who beat John Millman 6-4, 6-2. The Italian will have the home-court advantage when fans return on Thursday. Tsitsipas feels right at home in Rome though, and enjoyed the scenery Pietrangeli stadium had to offer. 

“[Pietrangeli] itself is very beautiful; it’s one of the best courts on tour,” Tsitsipas said. “I feel like the atmosphere here is great. We’re surrounded by trees in the city and it’s very, very quiet which is important for tennis. And honestly, I can’t wait for the fans to come and fill in the stadium.”

Berrettini continued his great serving form from his final run in Madrid. He faced zero break points, giving him freedom to go for more on return games. He broke the Aussie to start the second set and ran away with the match quickly from there.

Since his debut in 2017, the World No. 9 has improved with each appearance in Rome, reaching the second round in 2018, the third round in 2019, and the quarter-finals in 2020. He will have a tough challenge next in Tsitsipas, who beat him in their only meeting at the 2019 Australian Open.

Source: ATP News.

After six long months, Greece is set to abolish most lockdown restrictions on May 14

The Greek Herald
-
0
After six long months, Greece is set to abolish most lockdown restrictions on May 14

The Greek government announced it will lift a ban on travel between regions and abolish a system requiring an SMS or a form for people to leave the house on Friday, abandoning most of the lockdown restrictions that still applied in the country, to coincide with the start of the tourism season.

“We are putting the lockdown behind us,” said Akis Skertsos, Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, during a briefing on the pandemic on Wednesday.

For those who want to travel to the Greek islands (except Evia and Lefkada), by ferry or airplane, they will have to procure a vaccination certificate (14 days after the second dose), or a negative PCR, rapid or self-test, 72 or 24 hours ahead of travel, respectively.

READ MORE: EU unveils ‘digital green certificate’ for travel just in time for the European summer.

The Greek government announced it will lift a ban on travel between regions on May 14.

Airlines and ferry companies will be responsible for checking that passengers have the required documentation with them before boarding the ferry or plane. The measures will apply to all domestic and foreign travelers over five years of age.

Skertsos said the curfew will be pushed to half past midnight as of May 14, from the current 10 pm.

READ MORE: PMs Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Scott Morrison stress need for faster vaccine rollout.

In retail, stores will resume normal operation, abolishing the click-and-collect and click-in-shop systems, maintaining only social distancing and health safety rules.

Music will still not be allowed in cafes and restaurants in May.

Source: Ekathimerini.

Medical examiner says young mother murdered in front of her child died of asphyxiation

The Greek Herald
-
0
Medical examiner says young mother murdered in front of her child died of asphyxiation

A 20-year-old woman murdered in front of her 11-month-old child during a home robbery in the suburb of Glyka Nera on the outskirts of Athens on Tuesday died of asphyxiation, a medical examiner’s autopsy has determined.

According to the report, the robbers shoved pieces of cloth in the victim’s mouth before pushing their hands against her nose and lips, which caused her to suffocate.

READ MORE: Murder of British-born young mother in front of child shocks Greece.

The victim, who was born in Greece but had a British passport, was sleeping with her husband and baby when three men broke into their home before dawn. Her husband, a 33-year-old aviation pilot, was also bound and gagged, but survived.

Authorities have announced a 300,000-euro ($365,000) reward.

Over 500 Olympiakos fans barge into the Acropolis to celebrate title

The Greek Herald
-
0
Over 500 Olympiakos fans barge into the Acropolis to celebrate title

Fans of the Greek soccer team, Olympiakos, forced their way into the grounds of the ancient Acropolis in Athens on Wednesday during celebrations for winning this year’s championship.

The Culture Ministry said around 500 fans were involved in the incident, remaining among the site’s 2,500-year-old marble temples for about 15 minutes but causing no damage to the monuments.

“The staff at the Acropolis reacted calmly. They contacted the police and tried to keep them outside the area but the number of fans was overwhelming,” the ministry said.

No injuries or arrests were reported, and the ministry statement said the site suffered no damage.

Olympiakos fans celebrated their 46th Greek title, the second won without fans allowed to attend matches due to the pandemic. The team, based at the Greek capital’s port of Piraeus, played its last home game on Wednesday at Giorgios Karaiskakis stadium.

The ministry said the fans tried to justify their invasion arguing that supporters of cross-town rivals Panathinaikos had pulled off a similar stunt five years ago.

Source: AP News.

Opinion: This is why I loved going to a Greek public co-ed school

Argyro Vourdoumpa
-
0
Opinion: This is why I loved going to a Greek public co-ed school

Having grown up in Greece, in a traditional family, I always believed that school alongside family is what prepares students for the journey called life. A journey that admittedly is not all roses and butterflies or dinosaurs and soccer balls. 

I attended co-ed schools during my school and Uni years, I always had to compete with girls and boys in sports as well as academically and I spent most of my early life with bruised knees because I enjoyed the challenge of playing soccer with my male classmates more than playing hopscotch with the female ones. 

Lucky I am still around and not mentally stigmatised (I think). Well, I learnt what the Offside rule is and I consider this a skill!

Almost two decades after I graduated from Senior High School, having lived in three continents and now a mother of two, I thank my parents for not even thinking of sending me to a single-sex school (there are not that many in Greece anyway). 

Reading the comments in recent conversations sparked by a series of articles in Australian media, I can’t help but think how in an otherwise developed country we still need to converse about single-sex and co-education and different school uniforms for male and female students. 

Understandably people are entitled to their opinions and I do get that it is easier for schools (or maybe businesses?) to run the show with same sex students -in terms of marketing and liability measures- but what about the future of our kids and the society we live in?

When did boys and girls became a ‘distraction’ to each other’s academic achievements and when did a relationship between students of different sex became a sin? 

Oh man! I reminisce the high school years when at the parties we were waiting for Mariah Carey to it kick off, to dance to the blues and the normality of things back then! And my best friend, Babis, who was giving me tips on how to keep running when I was thinking I was about to die (in vain).

Political correctness is one thing but academic excellence and NAPLAN scores mean little to my Culturally and Linguistically Diverse mind, when sexual assault and the ill-treatment of women in the workplace have become national debate and the gender pay and superannuation gap are a constant. 

Come on Australia, we can do better.

Maybe learn from your diverse communities this time around and all the CALD scientists, politicians, artists that call the country home.

I don’t want schools to teach my children times tables only. Nor do I want them to live in a protected bubble. I expect them to learn how to respect themselves and each other. How to be confident, create meaningful relationships and break stereotypes. The ‘boys will be boys’ attitude needs to stop here! 

Would I have the resilience to stand on my two feet as a new migrant in Australia if I hadn’t had so many amazing male friends in my early school years? Would I have had the chance to write this article, if I haven’t had – as a woman and a professional – moved on, every time someone undermined me? It’s anyone’s guess. 

Life. 

It’s all about keeping the ball rolling, as I learnt from my male peers. If I can do it with grace, the better. 

Migrant communities to become the driving force in Australia’s biggest aged care reform

Argyro Vourdoumpa
-
0
Migrant communities to become the driving force in Australia’s biggest aged care reform

On Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after the Treasurer delivered the 2021 Federal Budget, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison met with multicultural media representatives, took their questions and reiterated the fact that “migrant communities have done an extraordinary job” in keeping the country safe. 

Earlier the same day, speaking on Today, the PM rejected accusations the 2021 big-spending budget was devised to win re-election and insisted international borders would likely remain shut until mid-2022 for “lives and livelihoods” to be saved, a statement he repeated during the multicultural media brief. 

“We are conscious of how we accommodate and mitigate the impacts of being unable to bring more people into the country and not allowing Australians to leave,” said Morrison, stressing that the government’s priority is to supress the virus and not the opening of the international borders. 

“I can understand the difficulty there is in not being able to see parents and family who are overseas, particularly if you have young children. We all understand that. But the reality is we are living in the worst pandemic of the century,” said the Prime Minister and stated that the borders will stay closed for as long as needed “to keep Australia safe and the economy moving forward.”

Morrison: Migrant communities to play an increasing role in the care sector 

Answering to the Greek Herald’s question on how the budget specifically supports women from migrant backgrounds, the Prime Minister said that it does so through the measures for small businesses as well as through the care sector reforms. 

“All the measures for small business in particular, they go to the heart of the opportunity for women,” Morrison said, explaining the importance of having adequately trained and linguistically diverse labour force in the aged care and NDIS sectors.

“A very significant portion of our labour force that goes to support those sectors actually come through migrant communities and particularly from women. We have additional support to ensure that we can meet the big challenges we have both with the aged care reforms as well as supporting the needs that we know are present in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).”

Mr Morrison said that the government’s aged care reforms “are about getting the right workforce for the right places” and highlighted that migrant communities are going to play an increasing role in this respect.

Tuesday’s budget revealed the aged care sector will receive $17.7 billion over five years, after the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety estimated one-in-three people living in aged care in Australia experience neglect and physical or emotional abuse.

READ MORE: Federal Budget 2021: What’s in it for you?

GCM President Bill Papastergiadis attends Annual Premier’s Iftar Dinner

The Greek Herald
-
0
GCM President Bill Papastergiadis attends Annual Premier’s Iftar Dinner

The seventh Annual Premier’s Iftar Dinner was held recently in Victoria and President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria, Bill Papastergiadis, was there to share a meal and conversations with other community and religious leaders.

“It was a symbol of multiculturalism at its finest with representatives from all faiths in attendance. I had the privilege of being seated with Minister Horne along with a senior Jewish rabbi and Imam Mohammad Ramzan, amongst many others,” said Papastergiadis.

Last year, the Dinner was held online due to covid restrictions.

“In the speeches by the Acting Premier Mr Merlino and the Minister of Multiculturalism, Ms Spence, reference was made to the importance of diversity and difference and how these ideals are important in making our state such a vibrant and welcoming place

“Acting Premier Mr Merlino also noted how much he enjoyed his work as education minister by visiting schools and seeing so many smiling faces at school assembly all from so many diffrerent parts of the world,” Papastergiadis said.

“In his address of Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, the Grand Mufti of Australia, specific reference was made to the relevance of peace in the muslim faith in that the greeting commences with the words “may peace be with you”. 

Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed also reflected on how important it is to protect multiculturalism in Australia and he emphasised on the the need for the population to be vaccinated.

“Being seated with Imam Mohammad Ramzan, I had the opportunity to talk to him about his daily work. I learnt about the terrific work being done by him in the prison sector. A challenging role but one which Iman Mohammad Ramzan takes great pride in. Keeping people out of prison is an important part of what he sees his job is.

“I felt blessed to be an Australian the other night at the Iftar Dinner.  I felt blessed to be in  a country that respected each person’s faith and ethnicity. I also felt lucky to be in the company of many great people. Australia is one of the few countries globally that truly practices multiculturalism and respects all faiths. Events such as these bring us together,” said the GCM President.

Gardens in Italy named after Greek poets Dionysios Solomos and George Seferis

The Greek Herald
-
0
Gardens in Italy named after Greek poets Dionysios Solomos and George Seferis

Two public gardens in the area of ​​San Donato – San Vitale of the Municipality of Bologna in Italy, have been named after renowned Greek poets George Seferis and Dionysios Solomos the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday.

Foreign Affairs Secretary General, John Chrysoulakis, participated in the virtual ceremony held to mark the event and expressed his excitement for the initiative.

In attendance at the virtual event were also the Mayor of Bologna, Virginia Merola, the President of the San Donato – San Vitale region, Dr. Simone Borsari and the President of the local Greek Community Emilia-Romana, Elena Metsiou.

In his speech, Mr. Chrysoulakis said that the General Secretariat of Public Diplomacy and Hellenes Abroad promotes and supports initiatives that strengthen intercultural relations and cooperation with countries like Italy, a long term partner of Greece.

Chrysoulakis talked about the importance of Solomos’ and Seferis’, contibution to modern literacy and the modern world and expressed his gratitude to his Italian counterparts for the initiative.

“Dionysios Solomos envisioned the Greek National Anthem, the Hymn to Freedom, under the influence of Italian culture,” Mr Chrysoulakis said, thanking the local Greek Community for their contribution and the Italians for this recognition and their ongoing friendship.

Murder of British-born young mother in front of child shocks Greece

The Greek Herald
-
0
Murder of British-born young mother in front of child shocks Greece

The Greek government has offered a €300,000 reward to try to track down the culprits behind the murder of a British-born student in her suburban Athens home.

The reward was publicised hours after Caroline Crouch, 20, was strangled in front of her baby daughter by armed burglars who had bound her husband, Babis Anagnostopoulos, to a chair after breaking in. The intruders also killed the family’s dog, leaving it hanging from a banister in the house.

Greece’s citizens’ protection minister said the county was reeling from the crime. “We are all shaken up and personally I am shaken up,” Michalis Chrisochoidis told the annual Delphi Economic Forum on Tuesday. “We rarely encounter such brutality in Greece, both in Greek society and in crime.”

Crouch is believed to have been tortured for up to an hour as the thieves tried to coerce her into revealing the location of thousands of pounds of cash and jewellery, which they then made off with. They are believed to have taken €15,000 hidden in a board game.

Caroline Crouch and her husband, Babis Anagnostopoulos, with their child. Source: The Guardian

Greek media reported that Anagnostopoulos, a helicopter pilot, 32, had been forced to listen as his wife cried for help, before he managed to set himself free and alert authorities.

The raid took place at about 4.30am when three masked men broke into the house while another stood outside guarding the building.

“We had bought a plot of land and had money in the house for initial works. I heard my wife, who was tied up in the bed, constantly shouting for help. We begged them not to do us any harm,” the news portal, Newsit, quoted Anagnostopoulos as telling police.

Crouch, the daughter of a British couple who had moved to the Greek island of Alonissos when she was an infant, was sleeping with her 11-month-old baby in an attic area when the thieves broke in. One police officer said there were signs Crouch “had put up resistance”.

Greek authorities said distraught relatives, including her parents, were being given psychosocial support. Her mother is believed to work in the tourism industry on Alonissos.

Two specialist police units have been seconded to investigate the crime and were concentrating on CCTV footage in the belief that the culprits had followed the couple for several days.

The bounty is highly unusual in Greece – according to the broadcaster ERT there have only ever been four previously, in cases of terrorism or to catch hardened criminals.

The reward was outlined in a ministerial decision co-signed by Chrisochoidis and the deputy finance minister, Theodoros Skylakakis; an announcement said €300,000 would be given “to anyone who hands over data and information to the relevant authorities that will lead … to the arrest of the culprits”.

*Sourced by: The Guardian

Federal Budget 2021: What’s in it for you?

The Greek Herald
-
0
Federal Budget 2021: What’s in it for you?

Every year the Federal Budget comprises thousands of pages of facts and figures covering spending on everything from tax cuts, health, education, welfare and more.

We’ve broken the most important information down into the things that really affect everyday Australians.

Find out what the 2021-22 Federal Budget means for you.

Economy

  • Economic growth will be 1.25 per cent in 2020-21 and reach a strong 4.25 per cent in 2021-22 before falling to 2.5 per cent the following year.
  • Unemployment has defied doomsday predictions of 8 per cent or more and is predicted to be 5.5 per cent this year. Next year it will fall to 5 per cent and then 4.75 per cent in 2022-23.
  • International borders will begin to re-open in 2022 but inbound and outbound travellers will remain at very low levels until the middle of 2022 at the earliest.
  • The 2020-21 deficit has been revised down by $52.7 billion from $213.7 billion to $161 billion

Women and Families

  • An additional $1.1 billion will be spent on women’s safety measures, including $261.4 million over two years in a new deal with the states to boost frontline family, domestic and sexual violence services.
  • There’s $351.6 million in funding for new health measures including more cash for drugs to fight breast cancer, lung cancer and osteoporosis and for women’s health initiatives that cover maternal, sexual and reproductive health. There’s also money for endometriosis research and genetic testing for pregnant women.
  • $1.7 billion over five years in extra money to cut the cost of childcare for families with two or more kids. Measures will boost the childcare rebate and remove the annual subsidy cap of $10,560 for high-income earners

Aged Care

There is $17.7 billion over five years responding to the Aged Care Royal Commission report on abuse and neglect in the system, including:

  • $6.5 billion for an extra 80,000 home care packages over two years, to help more people live in their homes for longer.
  • $3.2 billion to cover a $10 per person, per day increase in payment to aged care providers.
  • $3.9 billion to increase the number of “care minutes” each aged care resident receives per day to 200 minutes.

Income Tax

The so-called “Low and Middle Income Tax Offset” will remain in place for another year.

The tax rebate, which workers receive after completing their tax returns, is worth different amounts to different income groups. It was supposed to finish on June 30 but it will be extended by another 12 months.

This is how much you can expect to land back in your bank account if you’re in any of these wage brackets:

Photo Source: ABC

Mental Health

In his speech, the Treasurer shone a spotlight on the more than 65,000 Australians who attempt to take their own lives each year. Suicide is the leading cause of death among those aged 18 to 44, and so the government has committed $2.3 billion to mental health care and suicide prevention.

The money will be spent on:

  • More Headspace centres to support more young Australians
  • Expanding the model to those aged over 25, with a new Head to Health national network of 40 centres
  • Extra funding for treatment of eating disorders
  • Greater access to psychiatrists, psychologists and GPs through Medicare
  • Universal access to care for people discharged from hospital after attempting to take their own life
  • Establishing a new National Suicide Prevention Office
  • Setting up a Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide.

Business Owners

As well as the support announced for particular industries like small brewers, video gaming and medical and biotech start-ups, the budget also has a few perks for other businesses.

Last year’s business write-off perks are being extended by another 12 months.

That means businesses with a turnover of up to $5 billion will be able to write off the full value of any eligible asset like a work vehicle or equipment they bought between last budget and June 30, 2023.

The extension also mean any losses incurred up to June 2023 can be offset against prior profits made going back to the 2018-19 financial year.

Superannuation

Older Australians will be able to contribute earnings or savings directly into their tax-friendly superannuation funds with the repeal of the “work test”.

Among other changes to super rules, the minimum age for those eligible for the scheme encouraging older people to downsize family homes will be reduced from 65 to 60, first home buyers will be able to access $50,000 of contributions from their super funds, up from $30,000, and people earning less than $450 a month will receive super payments thanks to the removal of the minimum income threshold.

*With information from: ABC, The Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, Guardian

1...1,4421,4431,444...1,838Page 1,443 of 1,838

Stay connected:

Other

© 2024 The Greek Herald. All rights reserved.