Tom Hanks has sent a letter and a Corona brand typewriter to an Australian boy who wrote to him about being bullied over his name, Corona, Australian television networks reported on Thursday.
Corona De Vries, an eight-year-old from the Gold Coast in Queensland state wrote to the Hollywood star after he and his wife, Rita, had spent more than two weeks in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 in the Australian beach resort.
The boy had written to Hanks saying: “I heard on the news you and your wife had caught the coronavirus,” Channel 7 News reported. “Are you ok?”
“You know, you are the only person I’ve ever known to have the name Corona — like the ring around the sun, a crown,” the double Oscar winner wrote to the boy.
“I thought this typewriter would suit you,” an image of the letter aired by Channel 7 News showed. “Ask a grown up how it works. And use it to write me back.”
Hanks handwrote at the end: “P.S. You got a friend in ME!”
Greece on Thursday extended its general coronavirus lockdown by a week to May 4, saying any relaxation would be staggered over May and June.
Greek authorities imposed a blanket shutdown of public life from mid-March to stem coronavirus contagion, and the country has recorded a significantly lower outbreak of the COVID-19 respiratory disease than many other European nations.
Restrictions, which allow people to move around only with an official permit, will be extended to May 4 from April 27, government spokesman Stelios Petsas told a news briefing.
“The objective of the confinement measures is not to remain in a glass bowl, stuck in our homes. The objective is to take our lives back and win back our way of life which was temporarily deprived of us by this cunning and invisible enemy,” Petsas said.
Municipal workers wearing protective suits disinfect Syntagma square, after the Greek government imposed a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Athens, Greece, March 23, 2020. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis would map out the transition in a public speech early next week, Petsas said.
By Wednesday evening, Greece had reported 2,408 cases of COVID-19 and 121 deaths.
The country shut schools and places where large numbers of people congregate on March 10, followed by strict restrictions on movement from March 23.
Those measures limited any risk of the health system collapsing from mass admission of patients or from many people falling ill at once, Petsas said.
Greece is already dealing with austerity and the painful economic reforms it was required to introduce in response to three bailouts between 2010 and 2015.
Two asylum-seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos were shot and injured after apparently violating coronavirus quarantine rules, officials said Thursday.
The two men, an Iranian and an Afghan, reported to the camp’s infirmary with buckshot wounds late Wednesday, sources at the Moria camp said.
They were taken to the local hospital but their condition was not deemed serious. The unknown assailant or assailants evaded arrest.
The men told police they had ventured out of the camp, which is under lockdown alongside the rest of Greece’s migrant facilities to limit the spread of the virus.
There have been coronavirus cases in two camps and a migrant hotel on the Greek mainland, where 150 people tested positive this week.
So far, no cases have been reported in camps on the islands, with no widespread screening conducted by authorities.
For the first time in almost a century, ANZAC Day 2020 will not be marked with a traditional Dawn Service. Streets will be empty as there will be no veterans marching. No Last Post will be played in regional schools and local RSL clubs.
But while events have been cancelled across the country due to the coronavirus crisis, there are still ways we can honour the Australian men and women who served our country.
Below are the different initiatives that are happening this ANZAC Day:
1. Driveway Dawn Service:
The RSL’s #lightupthedawn service encourages people to hold a candle on their driveway to honour those who served. Source: The Daily Telegraph.
The Returned and Services League Australia (RSL) has launched the #standto and #lightupthedawn campaign. This campaign asks people to stand on their driveways or balconies at 6am on Saturday, April 25, and tune into a radio station that will stream The Last Post, The Ode and a one minute’s silence.
“They can listen to a streaming service from the Australian War memorial and hold a candle,” Justin Lees, President of Anzac 360’s, said.
The ABC will be broadcasting a 5.30am service from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. There will also be a 10am closed service from Sydney that will be broadcast on ABC. Both services will also be streamed live on the RSL NSW Facebook page.
If you would like to download the Order of Service to follow along with the proceedings, you can find that here.
Australians are encouraged to watch the commemorative services online. Source: Triple M.
3. Reach out to veterans:
Record yourself reciting the ode or sharing a message of support for veterans on the ANZAC Day 2020 Facebook event. Then use the hashtag #ANZACSpirit and share how you’ll be commemorating privately, as well as who you’ll be remembering this ANZAC Day.
4. Send A Card:
Since organisations like Legacy, War Widows Guild and RSL haven’t been able to do their usual fundraising efforts due to social distancing restrictions, Cardly has started an initiative so that people around Australia can honour our veterans this ANZAC Day by sending them a card, whilst also fundraising for these great causes.
Cards are $4 and all profits generated will be donated to Legacy to help support our veterans and their families.
These are just some of the card options available which you can send to a veteran. Source: Cardly.
5. Donate to the ANZAC Appeal:
This year, you can donate to the ANZAC Appeal online at anzacappeal.com.au. Donations support Australian veterans and their families in need. Donations in NSW support services provided by RSL DefenceCare and Veteran Sport Australia.
Many of us remember physically visiting Greek school as young children to learn all about our history, culture and most importantly, language.
But in Melbourne, the afternoon schools of the Greek Community of Melbourne moved their Greek language classes online due to the coronavirus crisis and luckily, the experiment took off with a bang!
In a statement, the Community wrote that the teachers proved to be well-prepared and impressively well-trained in the new requirements of distance education, making the most of the tools offered for e-learning.
“The timing of the e-learning was ultimately a very enjoyable experience for the children. They were happy to see their classmates and teacher again, talk to each other and share experiences and Easter wishes,” the statement read.
Greek students were able to share their Easter messages with friends online. Source: Greek Community of Melbourne.
“In addition, being able to attend their lesson made them feel the security of the routine that they missed so much.”
The parents also responded extremely well to this new challenge by cooperating and following the instructions of the teachers, as well as doing what was asked of them each time.
“The administrative and educational staff of the Greek schools of the Community want to express their warm thanks to the parents and students for their patience, guidance and great effort to successfully complete the distance learning courses,” the statement read.
These courses are the first of their kind in the Greek community, as they offer students an opportunity to maintain their Greek language and knowledge of Greek culture during a time when life as we know it has changed.
Helena Paparizou, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, will be giving a special performance at this year’s Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light show.
The singer’s record label, MINOS-EMI, confirmed the news this morning in a statement and said Paparizou would be performing part of her winning song ‘My Number One’ for viewers.
She would also be recording a special message to be showcased at the end of the show to her fans.
Helena Paparizou will perform her winning song from the Eurovision contest in 2005.
Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light will be broadcast live in 46 countries. The show will honour, in a non-competitive format, all 41 songs which were not sung at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest due to its cancellation.
The show also intends to bring together 2020’s artists, from their locations across Europe, in a unifying performance of the winning song from Eurovision 1997- Love Shine A Light by Katrina And The Waves.
The 41 chosen representatives from the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 will perform together for the show. Source: Eurovision.
Stefania Liberakakis was lined up to represent Greece at Eurovision this year with her song ‘SUPERG!RL.’
SBS will air the special two-hour show on Sunday, May 17, at 8.30pm.
Greek authorities are mulling the introduction of a ‘health passport’ for tourists arriving in Greece in 2020, to serve as proof they are not suffering from COVID-19.
Greece’s Minister of Tourism, Harry Theocharis, said the passport could save the country’s flailing tourism sector and ensure a second wave of coronavirus does not emerge.
“The big wager for tourism this year will be the safe entry and exit of tourists into and out of Greece and for this reason a ‘health passport’ is being promoted,” Mr Theocharis said.
“But different countries have to agree on this ‘safe entry’ practice and I have urged the European Commission to have such health protocols in place.”
Greece’s Minister of Tourism, Harry Theocharis, has recommended a ‘health passport’ for tourists entering Greece. Source: Reuters.
Mr Theocharis added that even with this passport, which must be obtained from a person’s country of origin, Greece’s tourism season will still be restricted to a three-month period.
“July, August and September will have to be the months which make up for lost time in the tourism sector,” he said.
“But if the situation develops positively, then we might also see an increased number of tourists in Greece during the ‘shoulder season’ months of October and November.”
It is still unclear at this point whether non-EU nationals will be allowed to visit Greece at all this summer, as a ban remains in place restricting their entry until mid-May.
In Greek history, Georgios Karaiskakis has many well-known titles: klepht, armatolos, military commander, and hero of the Greek War of Independence.
Klephts were bandits, warlike mountain folk who lived in the Greek countryside when Greece was still part of the Ottoman Empire. Armatoloi were irregular Greek Christian militia, who were sometimes commissioned by the Ottomans to enforce the Sultan’s authority in regions difficult to govern due to inaccessible terrain.
Both groups switched allegiances according to circumstantial demands. Some were traitors. Many were heroes who helped liberate Greece from more than 400 years of Turkish oppression.
Karaiskakis was one such hero.
Georgios Karaiskakis is well-known as a hero of the Greek War of Independence.
Early Life:
Karaiskakis was born in a monastery near the village of Mavrommati in the Agrafa mountains, located in the Prefecture of Thessaly. His father was the armatolos of the Valtos district, Demetris Karaiskos. His mother, Zoe Dimiski, was a local nun.
Known as The Nun’s Son and Gypsy (because of his dark complexion), he became a klepht at a very early age and excelled in the role. Agile, cunning, brave and reckless, he rose quickly through the ranks, eventually becoming a protopalikaro, or lieutenant.
However, at the age of 15, Karaiskakis was captured by Ali Pasha’s troops and imprisoned at Ioannina. Impressed by Karaiskakis’ courage, intelligence and fighting spirit, Ali Pasha released Karaiskakis from prison and made him one of his personal bodyguards.
He served as bodyguard to Ali Pasha for 12 years (1808 – 1820), before losing favor with the Ottoman warlord and fleeing back to the mountains to continue his life as a klepht.
Greek War of Independence:
After the war was declared, Karaiskakis quickly became commander-in-chief of the Greek patriotic forces in Rumeli. According to historians, he achieved mixed results in this role: while failing to cooperate effectively with other leaders of the independence movement, he did gain some military successes against the Ottomans.
Georgios Karaiskakis played a key role in the Battle of Arachova.
His most famous victory was at Arachova, where his army crushed a force of Turkish and Albanian troops under Mustafa Bey and Kehagia Bey in November 1826. Victories such as the one in Arachova were especially welcome amid the losses and disasters occurring elsewhere.
Karaiskakis was also involved in the siege of Messolonghi, without much success. He attempted to relieve the second siege, but he got sick and his illness and the lack of discipline among the armatoloi prevented him from providing effective support in the attempt to break through Turkish lines. Few of Messolonghi’s defenders survived.
Death:
Karaiskakis was killed in action on his nameday, April 23, 1827, after being fatally wounded by a rifle shell during the siege of the Acropolis.
He was buried on the island of Salamis at the church of Saint Demetrios, according to his express wishes.
Karaiskaki Stadium in Neo Faliro, Piraeus, is named after him.
Turkey’s latest act of drilling for oil in the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the eastern Mediterranean, has elicited harsh reactions from the Greek and Cypriot governments.
In a statement, the Greek Foreign Ministry has accused Turkey of behaving in what it calls “delinquent” fashion, defying international rules and sending an exploratory vessel to drill for oil in waters for which Cyprus alone has rights.
The Cypriot government also called Turkish actions an attempt at “illegal expansionist designs.”
“This new illegal ‘act of piracy’ constitutes a further severe violation of the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus, contrary to international law,” the Cypriot government stressed in a statement.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (left) and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades (right) have condemned Turkey’s actions. Source: AP News.
But Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, insists his government is not breaking any rules as Turkey also has legitimate and sovereign rights to the oil which can be found in the eastern Mediterranean and Aegean Sea.
“The attempts of third parties to act as an international court in determining maritime boundaries is unacceptable,” President Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting on Monday.
“In this context, the statement… that “there exists Greek Cypriot claims over the area” is neither constructive nor compatible with international law, given the fact that there is no valid maritime delimitation agreement in the region.
“Turkey will continue to defend its rights in those waters. It’s this decisiveness that makes Turkey strong.”
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Turkey has rights to oil in the east Mediterranean. Source: Reuters.
While both are NATO allies, Greece and Turkey have been at loggerheads for ages over conflicting claims to air and sea rights in the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea, the vast waterway that divides the two nations.
Massive gas reserves discovered off the coast of Cyprus in recent years have also complicated relations.
However, experts warn that this latest tactic could result in an accident where tensions spill over into a full-blown conflict.
How would you like to listen to one of the world’s most popular books in Greek?
In the book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, a loveable little boy who loses his parents and is forced to stay with his uncle, aunt and ill-educated cousin. That is until he receives a special letter, inviting him to attend the Hogwarts School of Wizardry in a different world.
So, the adventures of little Harry Potter begin, which you will enjoy in this free YouTube audio book in Greek.
#KeepItGreek
Πως θα σου φαινόταν να ακούσεις ένα από τα δημοφιλέστερα βιβλία στα ελληνικά;
Στο βιβλίο «Ο Χάρι Πότερ και η Φιλοσοφική Λίθος», ένα αξιαγάπητο μικρό αγόρι που χάνει τους γονείς του και αναγκάζεται να μείνει με το θείο, τη θεία του και τον κακομαθημένο ξάδελφό του, λαμβάνει μια επιστολή με την οποία τον καλούν να παρουσιαστεί στη Σχολή Χόγκουαρτς, σ’ έναν κόσμο αλλιώτικο.
Έτσι, αρχίζουν οι περιπέτειες του μικρού Χάρι Πότερ, που θα τις απολαύσεις σε αυτό το δωρεάν audio book στο YouTube στα ελληνικά.
