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Russian army to send medical aid to Italy after Putin phone call

Andriana Simos
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Russian army to send medical aid to Italy after Putin phone call

The Russian military will start sending medical help to Italy from Sunday to help the country battle against the coronavirus outbreak that has killed over 5,400 people.

The Russian Defense Ministry said four military planes carrying virologists, epidemiologists, medical equipment and a supply of pharmaceuticals were expected to land at the Pratica di Mare Air Base some 30 kilometres southwest of the capital Rome.

Russian military virologists and medics have been sent to Italy to help battle coronavirus and try to bring down the death toll. Source: East2West.

“The military transport aircraft of the Russian Air Forces will deliver to the republic 8 mobile teams of Russian military specialists-virologists and doctors, automobile complexes for aerosol disinfection of transport and territory, as well as medical equipment,” the ministry said in a statement.

The decision to help comes after Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, spoke to Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, on Saturday to offer his support and condolences.

“Giuseppe Conte expressed his sincere gratitude for the steps Russia is taking to support Italy at such a tough time for it,” the statement read.

The death toll from coronavirus in Italy has reached over 5470, making it the country with the highest number of fatalities from the contagion, surpassing China.

Greece imposes total lockdown as of 6am, March 23

Andriana Simos
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Greece imposes total lockdown as of 6am, March 23

Greece has decided to impose a total lockdown and restrict the movement of citizens from 6am, March 23, in order to contain the spread of coronavirus.

In a televised address early Sunday evening, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the move was needed “to protect the common good and our health.”

“It is maybe the last step, one that must be taken promptly and not in vain. I will not allow a few flippant people to put everyone at risk,” Mr Mitsotakis said.

Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, giving an address.

Greece confirmed 94 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, its largest single-day jump, taking its total to 624, with 15 deaths.

Citing Italy, which reported almost 800 new deaths on Saturday, Mitsotakis said it was his duty to prevent such a tragedy hitting Greece.

“We must not get to the point where we will have to choose who lives and who dies,” he said.

Only those going to or returning from work, shopping for food or medicines or visiting a doctor will be allowed onto the streets from Monday.

To register for these exemptions, people will be required to carry a completed form on them or notify the civil protection ministry via text message and mentioning the reason one has to be outside.

The Ministry of the Interior is providing all the necessary forms needed online at forma.gov.gr and by text at 13033.

People who need to go to work are required to fill out the form on the left. For all other exemptions, they fill out the form on the right. Source: The Ministry of Interior.

Government announces coronavirus stimulus package to cushion economic impact and keep businesses afloat

The Greek Herald
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Government announces coronavirus stimulus package to cushion economic impact and keep businesses afloat

The Australian Government has today released the second stage of its economic plan to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus and help build a bridge to recovery.

A total of $189 billion is being injected into the economy by all arms of Government in order to keep Australians in work and businesses in business.

This includes $17.6 billion for the Government’s first economic stimulus package, $90 billion from the RBA and $15 billion from the Government to deliver easier access to finance, and $66.1 billion in today’s economic support package.

The economic support package includes:

· Support for households including casuals, sole-traders, retirees and those on income support

· Assistance for businesses to keep people in a job

· Regulatory protection and financial support for businesses to stay in business

The Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government was acting to cushion the blow from the coronavirus for businesses and households to help them get through to the other side of the crisis.

“We want to help businesses keep going as best they can and for as long as they can, or to pause instead of winding up their business. We want to ensure that when this crisis has passed Australian businesses can bounce back,” the Prime Minister said.

“Our focus is on cushioning the blow and providing hope to every Australian that we will get through this and come out the other side together.

“We know this will be temporary.  That’s why all our actions are geared towards building a bridge, keeping more people in work, enhancing the safety net for those that aren’t and keeping businesses alive so they can get to the other side and stand up their workforce as quickly as possible.

“We know Australia’s more than 3 million small and medium businesses are the engine room of our economy. When they hurt, we all hurt.

“The next few months are going to be a difficult journey but we all have a role to play to adapt to the changes we’re facing, to cushion the impact of what is happening and to pull together so we can bounce back when we get to the other side.”

The Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the $189 billion economic support package was the equivalent of 9.7 per cent of GDP.

“The Government is taking unprecedented action to strengthen the safety net available to Australians that are stood down or lose their jobs and increasing support for small businesses that do it tough over the next six months.

“These measures build significantly on what we have already announced.

“These extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.”

Coronavirus supplement

The Government is temporarily expanding eligibility to income support payments and establishing a new, time-limited Coronavirus supplement to be paid at a rate of $550 per fortnight. This will be paid to both existing and new recipients of the JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance jobseeker, Parenting Payment, Farm Household Allowance and Special Benefit.

The Coronavirus supplement will be paid for the next 6 months. Eligible income support recipients will receive the full amount of the $550 Coronavirus supplement on top of their payment each fortnight.

This measure is estimated to cost $14.1 billion over the forward estimates period.

An increase of up to 5,000 staff for Services Australia will assist to support delivery of new Government measures.

Payments to support households

In addition to the $750 stimulus payment announced on 12 March 2020, the Government will provide a further $750 payment to social security and veteran income support recipients and eligible concession card holders, except for those who are receiving an income support payment that is eligible to receive the Coronavirus supplement.

This second payment will be made automatically from 13 July 2020 to around 5 million social security, veteran and other income support recipients and eligible concession card holders. Around half of those that benefit are pensioners. 

This measure is estimated to cost $4 billion over the forward estimates period.

Early release of superannuation

The Government will allow individuals in financial stress as a result of the Coronavirus to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation in 2019-20 and a further $10,000 in 2020-21.

Eligible individuals will be able to apply online through myGov for access of up to $10,000 of their superannuation before 1 July 2020. They will also be able to access up to a further $10,000 from 1 July 2020 for another three months. They will not need to pay tax on amounts released and the money they withdraw will not affect Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs payments.

This measure is estimated to cost $1.2 billion over the forward estimates period.

Reducing social security deeming rates

On top of the deeming rate changes made at the time of the first package, the Government is reducing the deeming rates by a further 0.25 percentage points to reflect the latest rate reductions by the RBA.

As of 1 May 2020, the lower deeming rate will be 0.25 per cent and the upper deeming rate will be 2.25 per cent.

This measure is estimated to cost $876 million over the forward estimates period.

Assistance to business to keep people in a job

Boosting Cash Flow for Employers

Small and medium-sized businesses with turnover under $50 million, along with not-for-profit charities, will be eligible for a tax-free cash payment of up to $100,000.

The payment will be worth 100 per cent of the tax those entities withhold from their employees’ salaries and wages.

Eligible businesses will get a minimum of $20,000.

This is a dramatic escalation of a previously announced policy, which limited the payment to a maximum of $25,000 and a minimum of $2000.

This measure is estimated to cost $31.9 billion over the forward estimates period, including the value of the measure announced in the first package.

Regulatory protection and financial support for businesses to stay in business

The Government will establish the Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme which will support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to get access to working capital to help them get them through the impact of the coronavirus. 

The scheme will support up to $40 billion in lending (meaning the government is guaranteeing $20 billion).

Once again, the threshold for eligibility is turnover under $50 million. This policy will apply to loans granted within six months, starting on April 1.

The Government will guarantee up to $20 billion to support $40 billion in SME loans. 

Providing temporary relief for financially distressed businesses

The government is temporarily increasing the threshold at which creditors can issue a statutory demand on a company, and the time companies have to respond to statutory demands they receive.

This also includes temporary relief for directors from any personal liability for trading while insolvent.

Support for the aviation industry

As previously announced, the Government is also providing up to $715 million in support for Australian airlines and airports, which will ensure that the aviation sector receives timely cash flow support through an unprecedented period of disruption to international and domestic air travel.

Greece sends nearly 600 migrants to locked camp

The Greek Herald
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Greece sends nearly 600 migrants to locked camp

Almost 600 migrants arrested while crossing to three Greek islands from the Turkish coast opposite have arrived at a facility in northern Greece where they are required to remain pending deportation, authorities say.

The 598 migrants were sent by boat to the northern port of Kavala and by bus to the facility, northeast of the city of Thessaloniki and near the border with Bulgaria. The migrants will stay in tents and will not be able to leave the camp.

Red Cross doctors took each arrival’s temperature and asked them about recent bouts of the flu. There has been no information as to their health status.

The migrants are from a wide array of countries in Asia and Africa. Authorities would not provide a breakdown, but officials said on condition of anonymity that the arrivals did not include Iraqis or Syrians.

Greece has tightened border controls and has suspended asylum applications since early March, days after Turkey announced that it was opening its borders to migrants and refugees and encouraged them to cross into Greece.

Sourced by: Associated Press

TGH Exclusive: A Greek’s journey to Australia amidst coronavirus restrictions

The Greek Herald
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TGH Exclusive: A Greek’s journey to Australia amidst coronavirus restrictions

By Ilias Karagiannis

Manos Lianopoulos is not the traveler you are used to seeing. He seems to live up to the slogan: “life is a challenging adventure or nothing at all.” These days, when the coronavirus nightmare has expanded like a bubble over the earth, Manos Lianopoulos left his “safety belt” in Athens and landed on March 11 in Sydney, Australia.

For about 15 days he will gather rare experiences with a devout maniac collector, as he has done in the past few years of his life. The glove for this challenge was thrown at him by the Australian Embassy in Athens.

“I organise ‘TravelFest’ every year in Athens. It is a unique travel festival in Greece, organised for the first time in April 2018 and has opened a meeting, networking and communication point for travel lovers, and contact with nature,” Lianopoulos says to the Greek Herald.

“Last year, in 2019, I had gone to Chernobyl, where I returned for a short film festival. She seems to like the Australian Embassy, ​​and this year I was suggested to do something similar for Australia. That’s how the idea was born.”

An idea, of course, that could blossom, yet was sadly withered away by the recent coronavirus outbreak. “Until the last moment, there was some doubt as to whether the trip would be finalised. Eventually, we decided to go. Although with everything that happens, we will not be fully happy with our journey.”

Sydney, the city you would like to live in

In his early hours in Australia, with jet lag as his persistent enemy, Manos Lianopoulos began to discover Sydney. In his early thoughts, he had believed that this was another of the great cities of the planet he had visited in recent years. But the reality was different for the iconic city, as he reveals to the Greek Herald.

“Sydney is a very beautiful city. I have the impression that she has a very good quality of life, so it would be nice to live. Very green and extremely clean for a big city. What really struck me is that there are many beautiful beaches in the city. Overall, it was a very beautiful experience, my stay in Sydney.”

The unsatisfied traveler’s eye can trace fear into a city. He has now been trained after so many trips. But what did he find in Sydney? Has the terror taken up to the residents’ last bloodshed?

“Certainly, there is fear in the city. You can understand it because people are quite wary of their gestures. Certainly not the best, what we go through. Australia, of course, is as big as Europe and so far there are not as many outbreaks. But you can see the fear in their eyes. But it certainly is not to the extent that it is in Greece,” says Manos Lianopoulos.

It is, of course, the most special journey he has made in his life. He does not experience it completely in a luxury.

“It’s not the most pleasant climate on the trip. But because once in your life you are given the opportunity to do so, we try to leave it in the back of our minds and enjoy as much as possible of this unprecedented experience.

“We’re careful enough. In fact, they sent us messages from the community and under other circumstances it would be our pleasure to be with them but two things are happening. One is that our program is very suffocating and the second is the normal fear that has engulfed everyone with coronavirus.”

In recent days, Manos Lianopoulos traveled to the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia, where he dived for the first time. If conditions permit, he will travel to Hobart, Tasmania and then Melbourne, before returning to Athens from his brazen journey.

“We have also learned about the quarantine that we should enter when we return to Greece. Of course it’s something that will happen. But for the moment, we want to make our trip here fun and upload joyful images to social media to offer a glimmer of optimism in these difficult times.”

You can visit his Instagram @tripment_net to see his beautiful photos and videos from Australia.

World Poetry Day: 5 Greek poets whose works have stood the test of time

The Greek Herald
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World Poetry Day: 5 Greek poets whose works have stood the test of time

Poetry arguably isn’t everyones cup of tea, yet at some point in everybody’s lives they have either studied a poem for school, or read one in their own time, and it has left a significant mark on their way of life. As more poets works are developed throughout the centuries, only a select number of poets possess works that have been studied for generations.

The ancient Greeks were the trailblazers of poetry and with today being World Poetry Day, we’ve put together a collection five Greek poets whose works have stood the test of time.

Constantine P. Cavafy

Born in Alexandria, Egypt on April 17th 1863 (according to the old calendar – April 29th according to the new calendar), Cavafy was raised in the Greek district of Constantinople and is recognised as one of the biggest figures in Greek poetry.

During his lifetime Cavafy was an obscure poet, living in relative seclusion and publishing little of his work. This lack of concern for publication was due, perhaps, to the highly personal nature of many poems. Cavafy, who was gay, wrote many sexually explicit poems in the early years of his piety writings, however gained much critical acclaim from his philosophical and historical poems.

Cavafy is best known for his prosaic use of metaphors, his brilliant use of historical imagery, and his aesthetic perfectionism. He is also known as a very stoic poet, and most of his poems deal with his internal crisis of marginalisation. Because of this, he only created about 200 poems, acting as his harshest critic.

Some of his most well-known poems include ‘Ithaka’ and ‘The City’.

Cavafy’s poem ‘Ithaka’ is a sentimental and philosophical piece that aims to remind readers that the journey is more important than the destination. This destination can be both physical and metaphoric, however many interpret this poem as symbolising the act of transitioning through life, from beginning to end, and to finally returning to one’s origins.

Homer

Marble terminal bust of Homer. Roman copy of a lost Hellenistic original of the 2nd c. BC.

One of the most legendary poets of all time, Homer orally composed two major works, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Records state that he was born around 8th – 9th century B.C., yet many scholars have raised the argument that the man known as ‘Homer’ possibly existed as multiple people. Despite investigations, it is assumed that he resided in Ionia due to the dialect and descriptions of his poems.

In conjunction with Hesiod, Homer acted in ancient times as a great pool of information for the Greeks about their gods. Homer is said to have developed many other works, yet even in antiquity, their authorship was disputed.

His two globally recognised poems, the Illiad and the Odyssey, were first compiled, organised, and edited under the Athenian Peisistratus, but the Greek text that we have survives from such Alexandrian scholars as Zenodotus and Aristophanes of Byzantium and Aristarchus.

The earliest poet in Western culture whose works have survived intact, this legendary Greek poet has stood the test of time of being one of the most significant culture figures in ancient Greek literature.

Giorgos Seferis

Giorgos Seferis at age 21 (1921)

Giorgos or George Seferis, the pen name of Georgios Seferiades, was one of the most important Greek poets of the 20th century, and a Nobel Prize recipient for Literature. 

Seferis was born in Urla, near Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey), yet worked as a diplomat for the Royal Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs while developing poetry.

Seferis was the most distinguished Greek poet of “the generation of the ’30s,” which introduced symbolism to modern Greek literature. His refined lyricism and the freshness of his word choice brought a new breath of life to Greek poetry. His work is permeated by a deep feeling for the tragic predicament of the Greeks, as indeed of modern man in general.

Receiving a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1963, the Nobel Prize committee recognised him as a “representative Hellenic poet.” The Poetry Foundation writes that his poetry often intertwines contemporary speech and experience with Homeric myth, and many of his poems depict the landscape of the Mediterranean.

In their foreword to George Seferis: Collected Poems (1995), translators Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard noted: “The distinguishing attribute of Seferis’s genius—one that he shares with Yeats and Eliot—was always his ability to make out of a local politics, out of a personal history or mythology, some sort of general statement or metaphor.”

Sappho

Sappho was an ancient Greek lyric poet from the island of Lesbos, who resided in Archaic Greece. Unlike Homer, Sappho spoke her poems through song, being considered one of the greatest lyric poets. Little is known with certainty about the life of Sappho, yet it is likely she was born probably about 620 B.C. to an aristocratic family on the island of Lesbos.

In antiquity Sappho was regularly counted among the greatest of poets and was often referred to as “the Poetess,” just as Homer was called “the Poet.” Plato hailed her as “the tenth Muse,” and she was honoured on coins and with civic statuary. 

Most of Sappho’s poetry has not been found apart for one complete poem: the ‘Ode to Aphrodite’, which tells of the speaker calling on the help of Aphrodite in the pursuit of a beloved. According to ancient commenters, Sappho also composed elegiac and iambic poetry alongside lyric poetry.

In modern times, her poetry has found relevance and readership and has come to be seen as a symbol of love and desire between women. Apart from her fascination with the theme of love, Sappho placed emphasis on emotion, on subjective experience, and on the individual.

Alcaeus of Mytilene

Alcaeus, who was born in 620 BCE in Lesbos, was a Greek lyric poet whose work was highly esteemed in the ancient world. Living around the same time as Sappho, Alcaeus is regarded by the modern world as the genius who created the Alcaic stanza, a form that has been adapted and commonly used in modern poetry.

Alcaeus’s poems are classed in four groups: hymns in honour of gods and heroes, love poetry, drinking songs, and political poems. From an analysis conducted by Britannica, it is suggested that they reflect the vigour of the poet’s involvement in the social and political life of Mytilene. They express a closed world of aristocratic values and conservatism, in which realism and idealism coexist—although the idealism is limited by the norms and goals of the poet’s political faction.

Only fragments and quotations from Alcaeus’s work survived into the Byzantine Middle Ages and into the modern world, but papyrus texts discovered and published in the 20th century considerably expanded knowledge of his poetry, enabling scholars to evaluate his major themes and his quality as a poet.

Alcaeus was famously included in the canonical list of nine lyric poets by the scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria.

Five ancient Greek inventions that are remarkably still used today

The Greek Herald
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Five ancient Greek inventions that are remarkably still used today

Democracy, philosophy, medicine and geometry are just a few of the many Greek inventions that have formed the world we live in. While all of these are crucial elements of our society, sometimes it is the smaller, more practical inventions used around the world that people forget most.

Below are some of the interesting and amazing inventions that reflect Greece’s contribution to society.

The Alarm Clock (water clock)

Ctesibius’ water clock, as visualized by the 17th-century French architect Claude Perrault

An invention that society be lost without, the alarm clock’s origins began in ancient Greece in the 3rd century BC. Over time, the alarm clock has undergone a number of changes and improvements from the mechanical alarm to modern gadgets like cell phones, which come with an inbuilt alarm.

The core design of the alarm clock was developed by Hellenistic engineer and inventor Ctesibius (285–222 BC). He managed to fit his clepsydras or water clock with a dial and pointer to indicate the time, and added an elaborate alarm system which involved pebbles dropping on to a gong, or the blowing of a trumpet by forcing bell jars down into water and taking the compressed air through a beating reed at pre-set times.

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428–348 BC) was said to possess a large water clock with an unspecified alarm signal similar to the sound of a water organ.

Automatic Doors

The first automatic doors, invented by Heron of Alexandria. Image: Greeker than the Greeks

An invention we largely take for granted today, the automatic door was first developed in ancient Greece by the Heron of Alexandria.

A roaring fire would be lit on a large altar and some of the heat would be siphoned to a pot of water below. The heated, expanding gases would force water through a siphon into another tank attached to a balance system which operates the axles of the doors. When the tank filling with water would sink down, the doors would swing open.

The Heron of Alexandria was also responsible for creating the vending machine and a basic syringe!

The Odometer

Heron’s odometer was most probably an invention made by Archimedes. Image: Greeker than the Greeks

What invention would be able to replace the odometer for vehicles today? The odometer is one of modern society’s most used inventions and was first used for measuring distances in Greece around 27 BC.

While ancient military engineer Vitruvius thought it to be the work of Heron of Alexandria, evidence shows it was actually invented by Archimedes of Syracuse (287 – 212 BC), ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer and inventor.

The odometer was used in the late Hellenistic period and helped revolutionise the building of roads by accurately measuring distance.

The Lighthouse

Graphic reconstruction of the Pharos according to a 2006 study

Maybe not used as much today as 50-100 years ago, the lighthouse is still a staple invention that has served an incredible purpose in society for the last thousand years.

The first lighthouse was named the ‘Pharos of Alexandria’, named after the Greek word for lighthouse ‘Pharos.’ One of The Seven Wonders of the World, the pharos was one of the tallest manmade structures for centuries and was built by Sostratus of Cnidus between 280 and 247 BC.

The light was produced by a furnace at the top, and the tower was said to have been built mostly with solid blocks of limestone. Although, since the lighthouse was over 300 feet tall the use of limestone as the main material is doubtful due to the possibility of collapsing under its own weight.

The Automatic Servant of Philon (The First Robot)

Photo: The Kotsanas Museum

The first robot in human history was created by Greeks in the 3rd Century BC in the form of a maid holding a wine jug, known today as the the Automatic Servant of Philon.

The robot had only one purpose: fill a cup with wine and dilute it to the drinker’s desire. The individual was required to place a cup into the servant’s hand, which would weigh it down and permit air to enter a jug of wine, letting the wine spill into the cup. As the cup filled, weighing the hand down even further, air would be cut off to the wine jug and instead would be let into a water jug. Water would then flow into the cup until the drinker removed it.

More information about the servant can be found here: http://kotsanas.com/gb/exh.php?exhibit=0401001

Greek Australian footballer Christian Theoharous joins teammates in offer to forgo their salaries

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Greek Australian footballer Christian Theoharous joins teammates in offer to forgo their salaries

Greek Australian footballer Christian Theoharous has joined his teammates at German club Borussia Monchengladbach in offering to “forgo” their salaries to help keep the club afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

Borussia Monchengladbach and their players are expected to be dealt a massive economic hit, along with other clubs across Europe, due to the decision to suspend leagues during the outbreak.

“The team has offered to forgo salary if it can help the club and its employees,” Monchengladbach’s Max Eberl said in an interview on the team’s website.

“I am very proud of the boys. It’s a clear signal that we stand together for Borussia, in good times and in bad,” he added.

“They want to give something back to the club and therefore also to all the fans who support us. The coaching staff have followed suit, as have our directors and CEOs.”

Borussia Mönchengladbach first team. Photo: Borussia Mönchengladbach

Borussia Monchengladbach’s managing director Stephan Schippers affirms that finishing the current season, and therefore playing matches in the near future without fans in attendance, may be the only way teams can survive.

“We expect loss of revenue due to game cancellations, lack of ticket sales, possible lost TV revenue and lack of sponsorship money,” said Stephan Schippers.

Theoharous: Work ethic is most important

Theoharous is of Greek and Greek Cypriot descent, with his father being born in Pegia, Cyprus, while his mother was born in Australia to Greek-born parents.

The Australian started playing for Melbourne Victory in 2017, before signing for German club Borussia Monchengladbach on May 2018. He now currently plays for the German reserve team, Borussia Monchengladbach II.

Despite not yet making his senior debut with the Bundesliga outfit, he has had plenty of opportunities to mix with first team players and learn from them.

View this post on Instagram

Swipe for some Poetry

A post shared by Christian Theoharous (@ctheo31) on

“At the end of the day, training week in week out at 110% is the most important and having that hunger. This is also the thing that we’re missing in Australia is to have that hunger in training,” Theoharous said in an interview with Optus Sport.

“Because people do see that, you can’t miss working hard, that work ethic, that is the way to get the respect and that’s very important.

“If you get the respect of the players, they’ll pass you the ball and they’ll trust you. Trying to be mates with your teammates, even though you are a foreigner, I think relationships are very important.”

Olympic flame completes journey from Greece to Japan as doubts grow over Tokyo Games

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Olympic flame completes journey from Greece to Japan as doubts grow over Tokyo Games

The Olympic flame on Friday completed its difficult journey from Greece to Japan.

That signified a small, symbolic victory for the IOC and local organisers, who maintain the Tokyo Olympics will open on July 24 amid a chorus of doubters who believe they should be postponed or canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“For the first time in 56 years, the Olympic torch is heading to Tokyo and I hope that the Olympic torch will illuminate the path of hope for many people,” organising committee President Yoshiro Mori said at a scaled-down arrival ceremony at an air base in northern Japan.

Read More: Katerina Stefanidi faces new challenge for Olympics as all training stadiums in Greece remain shut

Mori of course was referring to Tokyo’s famous 1964 Olympics. Tokyo was also to have been the venue for the 1940 Olympics, which were cancelled by World War II.

“We will work closely with the International Olympic Committee, the Japanese government, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government,” he said, and based on the World Health Organisation’s advice, “we will ensure a safe and secure games.”

The flame, carried in a tiny canister from Greece, reached Japan aboard a white aircraft painted with the inscription “Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay” along its side. The tail section was adorned with the refrain “Hope Lights our Way.

The flame lighting ceremony at the archaeological site of ancient Olympia at Peloponnese, the birthplace of Olympic Games. Photo: Shutterstock

The aircraft was welcomed on the tarmac by a small contingent of organising committee officials. Two of Japan’s most famous Olympians — three-time wresting gold medalist Saori Yoshida and three-time judo gold medalist Tadahiro Nomura — received the flame for the lighting ceremony.

The two climbed portable stairs and entered the aircraft before emerging holding the cradle-like canister with a flame burning inside. They handed it over at the base of the stairs to Mori, who delivered a brief acceptance speech in a gusting wind.

Read More: Coronavirus measures taken for Olympics torch-lighting ceremony in Olympia

Yoshida and Nomura then took the torch and ignited a large cauldron on the tarmac of the air base.

Mori referred to the “difficult situation” with the virus, and then thanked the IOC and Greek officials that the “hand-over ceremony was able to be held” with the Olympics set to open in just over four months.

The torch relay in Greece, following the symbolic lighting on March 12, was stopped during the second day and did not resume because of large crowds. Japanese organisers have asked crowds to be “restrained” and could stop or delay the relay if they are not.

Sourced by: Associated Press

Greek high schools go digital as Australian students continue to attend school

The Greek Herald
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Greek high schools go digital as Australian students continue to attend school

With almost twice the amount of infections as Greece, the Australian government is receiving pressure by teachers, parents and authorities to cancel schools and move online.

Forty-nine of Greece’s 74 regional units have already started offering online courses to high school pupils, with the complete process expected to be completed by Monday (March 23), the country’s Education Ministry said on Friday.

The Education Ministry also announced that they will adopt the same procedure next week for lower secondary education students.

The switch to remote education systems is a measure forced upon schools, after the ministry forced all schools shut, yet has not prevented children from continuing their education.

Ministry data shows that 1,996 digital classrooms delivered online lessons on March 17 and 4,198 lessons were held on March 18.

Right: Students across Australia are being encouraged to carry on going to school (pictured, a school in Cobargo in January)

Australian school arrangements remain unchanged

In a statement released by the Australian Prime Minister’s office on Friday, the National Cabinet agreed to the AHPPC advice regarding child care centre closures and noted that “pre‑emptive closures are not proportionate or effective as a public health intervention to prevent community transmission of COVID-19 at this time.” 

AHPPC also provided a series of risk mitigation measures for early learning and child care, including:

  • exclusion of unwell staff, children and visitors; 
  • reduce mixing of children by separating cohorts (including the staggering of meal and play times); 
  • enhanced personal hygiene for children, staff and parents; 
  • full adherence to the NHMRC childcare cleaning guidelines;
  • excursions other than to local parks should be discouraged; and
  • influenza vaccination for children, staff and parents.

AHPPC also noted that, “there may need to be consideration of alternative arrangements for highly vulnerable children” and recommended “these parents seek medical advice.”

As countries around the world shut schools, the Australian government receives added pressure to follow suit.

As of March 21, Australia currently possesses 876 coronavirus cases, with 7 deaths. Meanwhile, Greece has recorded a total of 495 cases, with the amount of deaths increasing by 4 overnight, to a total of 10.

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