Search
Home Blog Page 1449

One year on from first reported COVID-19 case in Greece

The Greek Herald
-
0
One year on from first reported COVID-19 case in Greece

It’s been an extremely rocky 365 days for citizens of the world, but for Greece, today marks one year since the first reported case of COVID-19 in the country.

Late at night on February 26 (Australian morning of the 27th), Professor of Infectious Diseases Sotiris Tsiodras held an emergency televised briefing with the Ministry of Health.

They reported that a Greek woman who recently returned home from northern Italy had become Greece’s first coronavirus case. The Health Ministry had already closed one school in Thessaloniki, yet did not immediately introduce any travel restrictions to Italy.

“She is in good health and is being monitored by a team of exceptional colleagues in Thessaloniki,” Sotiris Tsiodras told the news briefing.

Greece was quick to shut all carnival festivities.

So early in the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing was a more more difficult process. Despite this, the Ministry of Health still managed to identify 10-15 people the patient had been in touch with, placing them in quarantine.

Day by day, more people were infected as the virus spread across Greece. By February 29, there were a total of seven confirmed cases.

Greece was applauded by other countries for their safe and strict control of the virus from early on. They had decided to close all carnival events, despite only recording two cases at the time, and quickly shut all educational institutions.

READ MORE: Sydney-born virologist becomes Greece’s coronavirus ‘hero’
READ MORE: Greece confirms first coronavirus case

Sotiris Tsiodras was labelled Greece’s ‘Coronavirus hero’, helping avert the tragically high infection and death rates seen in Italy and Spain. Italy’s La Figaro newspaper has called him the “new darling of the Greeks,” while Greece’s Ekathimerini publication named him the most popular person in Greece, after a poll conducted for Alpha TV.

The pandemic is believed to have originated in a market selling wildlife in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2020. It has since infected 113 million people and killed more than 2.5 million.

GCM presents new History and Culture Seminar – Did the Greek Revolution of 1821 really happen?

The Greek Herald
-
0
GCM presents new History and Culture Seminar – Did the Greek Revolution of 1821 really happen?

Professor Vrasidas Karalis, from the University of Sydney, will present an online lecture entitled “Did the Greek Revolution of 1821 really happen?  Myths, counter-myths and historical knowledge’, on Thursday 4 March 2021 (7.00pm), as a part of the 2021 Greek History and Culture Seminars series, offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne.

The significance of the Greek Revolution of 1821 has never been questioned and all historiographical tradition persistently explores the realities around its impact of modern Greek nationhood. Recently, a debate has erupted amongst historians about the contribution of the Revolution to the creation of the Greek state and nation.

Originally this seminar was planned for the mezzanine level of the Greek Centre however the University of Sydney has placed interstate travel restrictions on its staff. It will only be delivered online.

Certain historians claim that it was the ultimate outcome of a long process starting with the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 and others suggest that it was due to the influence of the French Enlightenment and French revolution. The debate implies the underlying political conversation about the construction of the Greek nation and its historical identity.

The paper wants to address such vexing issues and attempts to propose a solution to questions of constructivism vis-à-vis historicism in the knowledge and interpretation of the past. The Greek revolution is the ultimate example and field of knowledge that could be used as a template to explore the perception of the history both as narrative and lived reality. The paper also discusses some rather overlooked interpretations of the Revolution with special emphasis on Arnold Toynbee.

Professor Vrasidas Karalis holds the Chair of Sir Nicholas Laurantos in Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies at the University of Sydney. He works in the area of Greek Cultural Studies since the Byzantine and Modern periods.  He has published extensively with special emphasis on Byzantine historiography, Modern Greek political life, Greek Cinema, Balkan culture, European Union and Greece.

His main publications in English include, A History of Greek Cinema (Continuum 2012), Realism in Greek Cinema (I.B. Tauris, 2017), Recollections of Mr Manoly Lascaris (Brandl & Sclesinger, 2007), The Demons of Athens (Brandl & Schlesinger, 2013), Reflections on Presence (re.Press, 2016) and The Glebe Point Road Blues (2020). He has also edited the collections Cornelios Castoriadis and the Project of Radical Democracy (2013), Martin Heidegger and the Aesthetics of Being (2008), Power, Justice and Judgement in Hannah Arendt (2012).

Greek director Dimitris Lignadis ordered jailed on child abuse allegations

The Greek Herald
-
0
Greek director Dimitris Lignadis ordered jailed on child abuse allegations

A court in Athens has ordered the former director of Greece’s National Theater remanded in custody after he appeared before a public prosecutor for several hours to respond to child abuse allegations.

Prominent Greek actor and director Dimitris Lignadis, 56, who denies the charges, was ordered held in jail in the early hours of Friday, defense lawyer Alexis Kougias said in a statement.

Under Greek law, suspects are not identified unless exceptions are made to serve the public interest or they identify themselves. Kougias has identified Lignadis as his client in the case, and said he will appeal the temporary custody decision.

According to reports, Lignadis is accused of rape by two men who were minors when the alleged events occurred in 2010 and 2015. He has denied any wrongdoing.

He resigned in early February as the artistic director of Greece’s National Theater amid reports of the accusations.

The case against Lignadis has triggered a major political dispute, with opposition parties calling for the ouster of Greece’s culture minister, arguing she responded too slowly to the allegations. The actor-director was appointed in 2019 by the current government.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised changes to laws and labor regulations to combat sexual abuse and misconduct amid a nationwide debate on the issue.

Speaking in parliament, Mitsotakis said his center-right government would introduce tougher sentencing guidelines, propose changes to statute of limitation rules for cases involving minors and create an agency to deal with claims of abuse in workplaces and organized youth activities.

Sourced By: AP News

TGH Competition: The Greek War of Independence through your eyes

The Greek Herald
-
0
TGH Competition: The Greek War of Independence through your eyes

The Greek War of Independence. The Greek Uprising. The Greek Revolution. Three different names, all commemorating and celebrating the same event.

On March 25, 1821, the Greek revolt against the Ottoman Empire began, signalling Greece’s rise to freedom.

As Greek nationals and the Greek diaspora celebrates across the world, it is the children of first and second generation Greeks in Australia that will experience a new feeling of patriotism and honour.

To encourage Greek Australian children to learn more about this incredible piece of Greek history, The Greek Herald will be hosting a new competition: The Greek War of Independence through your eyes.

It’s hard to imagine what Greeks at the time of the revolution felt, yet we can bring their spirits to life on canvas or paper.

For this competition, participants will be required to submit any piece of writing or artwork that conveys the history of the Greek War of Independence.

You can submit your artwork of the Battle of Valtetsi, write a diary entry from the perspective of one of the heroes or a summary of the eight-year war.

Like our competitions in the past, submissions written in Greek and English will be accepted for the competition.

The finalists will be separated into different age group categories, with a special prize awarded to the first place winner of each age group.

Prizes for each age group:

  • School year 5 to 7

Winner: $100 Westfield Voucher and work published in The Greek Herald’s March 25th Edition and on our digital platforms.

  • School year 8 to 10

Winner: $100 Westfield Voucher and work published in The Greek Herald’s March 25th Edition and on our digital platforms.

  • School year 11 and 12

Winner: $100 Westfield Voucher and work published in The Greek Herald’s March 25th Edition and on our digital platforms.

How to enter:

Send through your submissions by Thursday, 18th March 2021, 17:00 AEST, with the title “Submission – The Greek War of Independence Competition” to the Greek Herald email address at: greek@foreignlanguage.com.au.

In the body of the email please include your name, age, school and preferred contact number.

Winners will be announced on Thursday March 25th, 2021 by 19:00 AEST.

Get creative and help us commemorate this significant part of Greek history!

Cretan Association president Terry Saviolakis applauds decision to name Marrickville precinct ‘Little Greece’

The Greek Herald
-
0
Cretan Association president Terry Saviolakis applauds decision to name Marrickville precinct ‘Little Greece’

Marrickville has been home of the Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW since its foundation in 1959. After 62 years, the contribution of Marrickville’s Greek community to Australian society is being recognised with the formal renaming of the precinct to ‘Little Greece’.

The decision was announced by Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne on February 10, who said it is about, “respecting our migrant heritage and continuing to build our multicultural future.”

“To all the Greek Australians who have built Marrickville into one of the best places on earth we say simply, Efharisto,” the mayor said in a Facebook post.

Speaking to The Greek Herald, Cretan Association President Terry Saviolakis said he hopes the decision will make Greeks even prouder of Marrickville.

“I’m glad that they’ve named it little Greece because it recognises all the hard work of a lot of the early settlers, the Greeks and particularly our members as well, that came and set up businesses and established the area as what it is today,” Saviolakis said to The Greek Herald.

“A lot of our members would have come in the 50s, 60s, 70s to Australia. So it’s recognising their hard work when they first came here, really just establishing the area.”

Prior to the final announcement, the Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW wrote to the Inner West Council’s councillors, proclaiming that they were “delighted to hear” of the creation of a new Greek precinct.

“They lived in the area, went to school in the area and established businesses in the area which had a lasting impact on the area’s growth and multiculturalism,” the letter wrote.

“The creation of this precinct will formally recognise the long-standing contributions of Greek- Australians in the Inner West.”

The Council will submit an application for ‘Little Greece’ to be added to the Geographical Names Board. The precinct will be established on Marrickville Road between Livingstone Road and Victoria Road.

The precinct will be celebrated on March 25, in conjunction with Greek Independence Day, which this year marks its 200th anniversary. The idea is to have local residents, community groups and businesses come together, along with Sydney’s Greek leaders, at Marrickville Town Hall to celebrate it’s launch.

“I wish to thank everyone in the Marrickville and broader Inner West community for all their hard work in seeing ‘Little Greece’ realised. Special thanks need to go to Councillor Sam Iskandar, who first approached me with the idea for this precinct,” Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne concluded after the decision was passed.

‘We can go a step further’: Teresa Polias hopes to lead Sydney Olympic FC to NPL-W title

The Greek Herald
-
0
‘We can go a step further’: Teresa Polias hopes to lead Sydney Olympic FC to NPL-W title

The NPL NSW Women’s competition doesn’t kick off until the first week of April, but the Sydney Olympic FC Women’s side are more than prepared to go all the way this year and secure a Women’s championship.

Sydney Olympic made the finals series last season, yet were narrowly defeated by eventual NPL-W champions Manly United. Despite the finals loss, the girls finished second on the table and showed incredible persistence throughout the season.

Speaking at the Sydney Olympic FC official season launch on Monday, Women’s coach George Beltsos said preparations are well-underway for the season ahead.

Sydney Olympic FC Men’s and Women’s coaches. Photo: The Greek Herald

“Preparations have been great, obviously we haven’t got a lot of our players at the moment…. But a lot of younger players coming up into our first grade group and give them a chance to develop and be the best they can be,” Beltsos said.

Asked by event host Simon Hill if the pandemic has posed a problem during pre-season, the head coach said the women have been largely unaffected and are training as normal.

“I want to help players be the best they can be and also look forward and try get them into that Matilda’s squad in the next couple of years. Also for the club we want to win championships, stay undefeated and win every game.”

Sydney Olympic FC Women’s. Photo; Peter Oglos/The Greek Herald

Sydney Olympic women’s captain Teresa Polias is currently making headlines in the W-League with Sydney FC, keeping the Sky Blues at a safe first-place lead, but Teresa said she is excited to finally return and captain Olympic again.

“In between W-League, fixture changes and work, I haven’t thought about it (upcoming season) too much, but tonight is a nice reminder and it’s nice to see everyone,” Polias said on Monday.

The team will be marking their third season of participation in the NPL-W top division.

“We’ve built for two seasons, the experiences and culture building, we’re improving really well,” Polias said.

Sydney Olympic FC captain Teresa Polias with board member Damon Hanlin. Photo: Sydney Olympic FC Facebook.

“People want to come and play for us, if you look around we have a squad full of great players and great people too so I think the experience we got from the past two seasons will only help us this season. So I think it’s going to be a big one and definitely we can go a step further.”

Teresa also received a round of applause for reaching 150 W-League games with Sydney FC, the only female player to reach this milestone for any club in the game so far.

The first Sydney Olympic NPL-W match is scheduled for Sunday, April 4, at Valentine Sports Park.

King returns to the ring: George Kambosos Jr to fight Teofimo Lopez in mega $7.6 million deal

The Greek Herald
-
0
King returns to the ring: George Kambosos Jr to fight Teofimo Lopez in mega $7.6 million deal

One of Australia’s biggest lightweight boxers George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr will finally be returning to the ring to fight Teofimo Lopez in massive $7.6 million (AUD) deal offered by streaming platform Triller.

George Kambosos Jr was set to fight the current unified lightweight world champion, with arrangements being made as to which company would be promoting the fight. Matchroom and Top Rank reportedly offered $3.5 million and $2.3 million (USD) to promote the fight, yet a stunning $6 million (USD) bid by Triller trumped both companies.

The upstart tech company previously promoted the exhibition match between former heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr as a pay-per-view attraction. According to reports, the fight generated more than 1.6 million buys.

READ MORE: IBF officially orders lightweight champion to face George Kambosos Jr
READ MORE: TGH Exclusive: George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr – The unbeaten Greek Australian fighter who dreams of being world champion!

The bidding process staged by the IBF stated that Lopez, as the champion, would receive $4 million (US), with Kambosos and his team receiving $2 million (USD), minus promotional expenses.

The International Boxing Federation (IBF) officially ordered Lopez Jnr to defend his belt against the unbeaten Kambosos in January 2021. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald following the announcement, Kambosos said he was pushing for the match to be held in Australia.

George Kambosos Jr. Photo: Supplied

“I really want it. A lot of people don’t want to fight Lopez. But this mandatory is good. I really want this fight, I truly believe I will win this fight,” Kambosos said last month.

Kambosos is currently on a 19-0 win streak, last winning his fight against Selby and Mickey Bey in December, 2019, at Madison Square Garden on the Terence Crawford card.

Kambosos added that he thinks the world title fight will give him a chance to “become the first and the greatest fighter in Australian history.”

‘Wild Colonial Greeks’: Peter Prineas to launch new book at Mytilenian House

The Greek Herald
-
0
‘Wild Colonial Greeks’: Peter Prineas to launch new book at Mytilenian House

Sydney writer and historian Peter Prineas will be launching his new book, ‘Wild Colonial Greeks’, at the Mytilenian House in Sydney on Wednesday, March 3.

The book takes readers on a journey through colonial Australian history as the author looks to uncover the first Greek arrival to Australia. It shows how Greeks were viewed by the mainstream press and chronicles at the time, speaking about goldfields doctor Spiridion Candiottis, who clashed resoundingly with newspapermen in Victoria and Queensland.

One candidate, who is referenced multiple times throughout the book, is a Greek from Corfu named George Manuel, who was living in Australia in 1823. This was six years before the arrival of the seven pirate-convicts currently considered to be Australia’s first Greeks.

Food and drink available for purchase from the Mytilenian Brotherhood’s bar will include chicken tenderloins, pita, chips, sweets, wine and coffee. Food and drink service will start from 6.15 pm, while the book launch begins at 7.30 pm.

Copies of Peter’s book will be for sale by the Bilingual Bookshop.

Attendance will be limited to the numbers advised by Health NSW at the time. People are asked to please RSVP their attendance to info@bilingualbookshop.com.au or sms 0400436079 (include your name).

If you cannot attend but would like a copy of Peter’s new book please click here.

Former Greek PM Alexandros Koumoundouros remembered for undying patriotism

The Greek Herald
-
0
Former Greek PM Alexandros Koumoundouros remembered for undying patriotism

One of Greece’s greatest political leaders, Alexandros Koumoundouros had a strong contribution to Greece’s prosperity in the second half of the 19th century. He served ten times as Prime Minister (a record for a Greek politician), twice as Speaker of Parliament and 18 times as Minister.

He was born in 1815 in the village of Kampos Avias to Revolutionary fighter Spyridon Galani Koumoundourakis. In 1841, while studying law at the University of Athens, he went out to take part in the Cretan Revolution, despite believing it was a lost cause.

He was first elected plenipotentiary of Messina in 1850, when he changed his surname from Koumoundourakis to Koumoundouros. From then on, he was present in Parliament until his death.

In 1855, he was sworn in as Speaker of Parliament and a year later Minister of Finance in the government of Dimitrios Voulgaris. The parliament member became a vocal leader, threatening many members of the opposition. This led to an assassination attempt in 1864, outside the streets of the parliament.

Not letting it deter him, he became Prime Minister on March 2, 1965. The Greek went on to take the role of Prime Minister nine more times, the most of any Greek politician in modern history.

Koumoundouros was recognised for his patriotism and unselfishness. This led to the Greek public leaving trust in him for foreign affairs dealings. In 1881, he brought the peaceful annexation of Thessaly and the Southern Epirus, after first not hesitating to threaten Turkey with war. Koumoundouros was adamant not to bring in a pro-war policy, believing the country was not prepared.

During his time in parliament, the former PM restored the strength of the Greek army, distributed national farms to landless farmers, and approved major construction work.

His 50-year-long period of political involvement ended after he did not receive a vote of confidence in Parliament, in 1882.

As a result, Koumoundouros resigned on 3 March 1882. He died some months later on 26 February 1883, in his home on Ludwig Square (now known as Koumoundourou Square), in Athens.

Erdogan insists on referring to the Aegean as ‘Sea of Islands’

The Greek Herald
-
0
Erdogan insists on referring to the Aegean as ‘Sea of Islands’

The Aegean Sea contains some of Greece’s most beautiful islands, stretching from the Cyclades to the Dodecanese. However, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, this Greek sea should be referred to as the “Sea of Islands”.

Speaking to a congress of his AKP party in Istanbul, Erdogan said there should be no “concerns about Turkey’s presence from the eastern Mediterranean to the Black Sea, as well as in the Aegean, which old-timers called the Sea of Islands.”

“We have a presence there with all our strength, with all our possibilities and we will continue to be there,” he said, adding that Turkey will also secure all its rights “in all the waters that surround us.”

Retired admiral Cihat Yayci is an architect of the “Blue Homeland” theory, which envisions Turkish influence over vast swathes of the eastern Mediterranean. Yaci has asked for the name of the Aegean to be changed, as it is Greek (the Turks call it Ege), and referred to as the “Sea ​​of Islands.”

Photo: Hurriyet

Erdogan agrees with this theory and has since referred to the area as the Sea of Islands.

The Turkish President also revisited the violent eviction of thousands of Greeks from Smyrna (modern-day Izmir) during the Greek-Turkish war of 1922.

“We spoiled their dreams then and we will do the same with similar dreams on our southeastern borders,” Erdogan added.

The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea, and covers about 214,000 square kilometres (83,000 sq mi) in area. The sea is named after Aegeus, Greek hero Theseus’ father who jumped into the sea and drowned after having thought his son was dead.

1...1,4481,4491,450...1,785Page 1,449 of 1,785

Stay connected:

Other

© 2024 The Greek Herald. All rights reserved.