A female patient who had apparently fully recovered from COVID-19 at the end of March, has tested positive to the virus again following her release from hospital.
The incident is the first of its kind to be recorded in Greece but medical experts said on Sunday that it is not a cause for concern.
“The positive test does not necessarily mean that the patient was infected anew,” a Greek doctor speaking on Mega TV said.
Spokesman of the National Health Organisation, Sotiris Tsiodras, concurred with this view and said the positive result may be related to poor technique in taking samples.
Spokesman of the National Health Organisation, Sotiris Tsiodras, said poor testing techniques could have influenced the positive result. Source: Greek Government.
“Positive virus detection via PCR molecular tests 2-3 weeks after someone had recovered, may be related to poor technique in taking samples,” Mr Tsiodras said.
“Based on published data from research groups abroad, the long stay of the virus material in someone who has had the disease does not appear to be equivalent to infection or transmission.”
Worth noting, however, is that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said there is no evidence yet that recovered COVID-19 patients are immune.
Greece currently has a total of 2,517 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 577 people having recovered.
General Giannis Makriyannis is an important historical figure in Greece. People know him by many titles – Greek merchant, military officer during the Greek War of Independence and politician. But today, he is best known as the author of his Memoirs, which is considered ‘a monument of Modern Greek literature’ as it is written in pure Demotic Greek.
We’ve decided to look back at these impressive achievements to commemorate the death of Makriyannis on this day in 1864.
Early Life:
Giannis Makriyannis was born to a poor family in the village of Avoriti, a small village between Mount Oiti and Parnassus. His father, Dimitris Triantaphyllou, was killed in a clash with the forces of Ali Pasha. Makriyannis and his family were then forced to flee to Levadeia, where Makriyannis spent his childhood up to 1811.
Portrait of Giannis Makriyannis. Source: Unknown.
At age seven, he was given as a foster son to a wealthy man from Levadeia, but the menial labour and beatings he endured were, in his own words, “his death.” Thus, in 1811 he left for Arta to stay with an acquaintance and became involved in trade which, according to his memoirs, made him a wealthy man.
Makriyannis joined the Filiki Etaireia, a secret anti-Ottoman society, in 1820 and decided to take up arms against the Ottomans under chieftain Gogos Bakolas in August 1821.
The Greek War of Independence:
Makriyannis’ most notable success during the Greek War of Independence has always been the defence of Nafplio in the Battle of the Lerna Mills.
For this battle on June 10, 1825, Makriyannis arrived in Myloi, near Nafplio, with 100 men. He ordered the construction of makeshift fortifications, as well as the gathering of provisions. Ibrahim Pasha, the commander of the Egyptian forces, was unable to take the position despite numerical superiority and the launching of fierce attacks on June 12 and 14. Makriyannis was injured during the battle and was carried to Nafplio.
Karaiskakis’ camp in Kastella, Phaleron. Makriyannis is depicted near the cannon. Source: Artist Theodoros Vryzakis.
Soon after the battle, he married the daughter of a prominent Athenian and his activities were thereafter inextricably linked with that city until his death. When Athens was captured by Ibrahim Pasha in June 1826, Makriyannis helped organise the defence of the Acropolis, and became the provisional commander of the garrison after the death of the commander, Yannis Gouras.
He sustained heavy injuries to the head and neck during the defence. These wounds troubled him for the remainder of his life, but they did not dissuade him from taking part in the last phase of the war: in the spring of 1827 he took part in the battles of Piraeus and the battle of Analatos.
Activities after Greek Independence:
After the war, Makriyannis worked with Greece’s new Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias. He was appointed ‘General Leader of the Executive Authority of the Peloponnese,’ based in Argos. But eventually, Makriyannis became disenchanted with the autocratic ways of Kapodistrias and, after refusing to offer what he considered to be a demeaning oath of loyalty, he was stripped of his command in 1831.
Portrait of Makriyannis in his later years. Source: Artist Spyridon Prosalentis.
In 1832, Prince Otto of Bavaria was chosen as the first King of Greece. His arrival was hailed enthusiastically by Makriyannis, as he saw it as an opportunity to push for the creation of a new constitution. In the end, his efforts payed off as he became a key player in the formation of the constitution and a new cabinet.
While his story should have ended there, it did not. Enemies accused him of treason in 1852. He was tried, sentenced to death, put in prison for eighteen months, stripped of his military rank, and then pardoned in 1854.
Literary Work:
Makriyannis’ book Memoirs, written in Demotic Greek, was first published in 1907. In the text, one can see not only the personal adventures and disappointments of his long public career, but more significantly, his views on people, situations and events.
A statue of Makriyannis stands proudly in Athens.
The work remained relatively unknown until the German occupation of Greece, when novelist Giorgos Theotakas published an article on Makriyannis and called his book “a monument of Modern Greek literature.” Theotakas believed the work not only reproduced the heroic atmosphere of the War of Independence, but was also a treasure-trove of linguistic knowledge concerning the common Greek tongue of the time.
Famous Greek poet, Kostis Palamas, also called his work “incomparable in its kind, a masterpiece of his illiterate, but strong and autonomous mind.”
The three remaining Greek sailors held hostage in Djibouti over unpaid debts owed by their ship’s owner have arrived safely in Athens following their release, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in a tweet on Sunday.
“The ordeal of the other three Greek seamen, who remained in Djibouti, has reached a happy conclusion,” the Foreign Minister wrote.
“Thanks to the flawless cooperation between the foreign ministry and the shipping ministry, a short while ago they arrived in Greece.”
Mr Dendias then went on to thank the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Djibouti for his response to a letter he sent 15 days ago.
“I thank my counterpart, as well as the governor of the country and the European authorities in Djibouti for their help,” he added.
Η περιπέτεια και των υπολοίπων τριών Ελλήνων ναυτικών που παρέμεναν στο Τζιμπουτί έλαβε αίσιο τέλος. Χάρη στην άψογη συνεργασία του Υπουργείου Εξωτερικών με το Υπουργείο Ναυτιλίας έφτασαν πριν λίγη ώρα στην Ελλάδα.
The evacuated sailors were reportedly brought to the Ipsala border gate in northwestern Turkey, in a private vehicle belonging to the Greek Embassy in Ankara.
The three sailors had been trapped on two Greek-owned ships anchored off the coast of Djibouti since September 4, 2019.
Originally five, they faced a number of difficulties obtaining food and medicine. A chief mate and engineer that was admitted to hospital, were released by authorities in Djibouti last December.
Hundreds of refugees are homeless after a fight between rival ethnic groups in the Vathy camp on the island of Samos lead to a fire outbreak.
According to sources from Doctors Without Borders, a non-governmental organisation, two fires broke out in the camp an hour ago, spreading panic among people.
“A fire broke out in Vathy camp, Samos, and hour ago leaving around 100 people without shelter,” the organisation wrote on Twitter.
A fire broke out in #Vathy camp, #Samos an hour ago leaving around 100 people without shelter. MSF teams are close to the camp & ready to offer medical care & psychological support to those affected by the fire. We cannot confirm any information regarding the cause of the fire. pic.twitter.com/oVQKS0eEyD
A high-ranking police officer killed in a horrific three-car collision on Saturday afternoon has been named as Joanne Shanahan (nee Panayiotou), a mother-of-two and well-respected Detective Chief Superintendent.
Chief-Supt Shanahan, 55, was one of two women who died at the scene in Urrbrae in Adelaide’s south following a high-speed car crash about 1.40pm.
Witnesses claimed one of the cars was speeding and had run a red light moments before the deadly collision at the intersection of Cross Road and Fullerton Road.
Last night SAPOL lost one of its finest and most senior female police officers. Detective Chief Superintendent Joanne…
South Australian Police Commissioner, Grant Stevens, choked back tears as he revealed she had been a passenger in a Holden SUV driven by her husband Peter Shanahan, a former detective, who survived the crash.
“Not only have we lost a beautiful person, we’ve lost a detective with a wealth of knowledge,’ Commissioner Stevens told media on Sunday.
“We are devastated. I contacted Joanne 6 months a go to interview her mum who is one of the Begona brides. No one expected this,” said Adelaide resident Peter Photakis and Joanne’s ex teacher in Unley High School in the late 70s.
Her last interview:
The Greek Herald ‘s freelance journalist, Argyro Vourdoumpa, spoke to Chief-Supt Shanahan for her last ever interview. She was hailed in the article as an essential worker on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I have a wonderful dedicated team around me and we all look out for each other. In tough times, we all have a responsibility to be even more considerate of those around us and make sure they are supported,” she said at the time.
Chief-Supt Shanahan joined SA Police in 1981 and she received an Australian Police Medal last year as part of the Australia Day honours.
Chief-Supt Shanahan was a ‘highly respected’ member of the community. Source: SA Police.
She was only the third woman in the history of the state’s police force to rise to the rank of Chief Superintendent.
“Coming from quite a strict Greek background and going into the police force as a female was quite significant for my family,” she told The Adelaide Advertiser in January 2019 about her Australia Day award.
“They were totally shocked that their daughter wanted to be a police officer. But when I was accepted they were proud as punch.”
Rita Wilson has teased the release of her new song, titled “Where’s My Country Song”, for May 8 on Twitter yesterday.
Working with American singer-songwriter Lee DeWyze, Rita is expanding on her music that relates to the “place where Southern California rock meets Nashville country.”
Rita Wilson celebrated two major milestones last year with the release of her fourth new studio album, Halfway to Home, out via Sing It Loud/The Orchard, also being honoured with the 2,659th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A recurring comment I hear throughout “Vasili’s Taxidi” is hearing several times how a small shop may actually be an extremely busy one. Yes, it may look small from the outside but this is only the facade of something a lot greater.
The cliché of “never judge a book by its cover” is true when you look at one of Sydney’s Greek ‘institutions’, “Supreme Souvlakia Meat and Poultry Wholesalers”, in Belmore, or the way everyone knows it as, “Supreme Souvlakia”. Throughout the year, and especially Saturday mornings, there is always a queue in the shop; it is definitely a very busy shop but, after interviewing Supreme’s owner, Giorgos Anastopoulos, I witnessed first-hand why there is so much more to this incredibly busy shop.
Giorgos migrated to Australia in 1965; the following year, he married his fiancé, Sotiria, and, over the years they would have six children. His first jobs were in local factories but then he landed a job in “Sylvester’s Smallgoods” in Redfern, where he gained his first experiences in the meat industry.
After four years there, he found work at “Belmore Smallgoods” and worked there for four years too. George also worked at “Olympic Delicatessen and Butchery” in Bankstown.
All these years, he gained invaluable experience and knowledge about the meat industry. His first business opportunity was surprisingly a takeaway shop on King Georges Road, Wiley Park. With his children growing and having the foresight of establishing a business they could work in, he leased another shop- a few doors down from the takeaway shop- and established a butcher shop, which specialised in souvlakia.
At the time, Greek households used to make up their own souvlakia, so why would they buy ready-made ones? As Giorgos explains the innovation, “For Greeks, souvlakia are such a popular dish. At the time, Greeks still bought legs of lamb, for instance, and cut it up to make their own souvlakia. But clubs and shops also wanted souvlakia, and they did not have the time to make up hundreds of souvlakia. I just thought, ‘If souvlakia are so popular, why not make and sell them?’ For us, it was our business; so we passed the meats onto the souvlaki sticks… all by hand! And our business really took off!”
Other butcher shops may have begun making up and selling souvlakia, but it was “Supreme Souvlakia” that took it to another level… souvlakia entered mainstream Australian cuisines on a mass scale.
Whether it was sending samples all over New South Wales and media promotion, or the word of mouth about his high quality souvlakia, business boomed and George set up a small factory, to produce souvlakia, at the rear of premises he owned in Belmore. In 1998, the factory was expanded to include the shop and Supreme Souvlakia has never looked back and the business continues to grow. As I have to point out, “Who does not know of ‘Supreme Souvlakia’?”
However, there is so much more to “Supreme Souvlakia Meat and Poultry Wholesalers”; beyond the sho window and counter is a major operation with the Anastopoulos family owning several farms across NSW, with their own livestock! And you have to love about the Anastopoulos family is the way these farms all have Greek names: for instance, St George (Frogmore), Anastvale (Goulburn), Sotiria (Cowra) and Anapolis (Barmedman).
The Anastopoulos family have to deal with their farms’ managers and Georges’ son, Philipas, transports their livestock to the local abattoirs. As Philipas humbly points out, “This is like a giant jigsaw puzzle and we try to piece it together. There are times when all the pieces fall into place and there are other times when a couple of pieces are missing. All we can do is our best…”
One challenge that arises in rural NSW is impact of drought in managing some of Anastopoulos farms. As Giorgos explains, “One time, it did not rain for an entire year, so we hired a ‘stockman’ to move our livestock to our farm in Quiandella. It took him one-and-a-half months to move four hundred cattle.”
What I love about “Supreme Souvlakia”, and its success, is how it has impacted on Australian society and Giorgos has a humorous story about how he used to correct customers who came into the butchery and asked for kebabs, “I would ask them, ‘What is this kebab?’ and then teach them to call them ‘souvlakia’”. It may sound funny but underlying this is how Greek shops and businesses have changed Australian perceptions about things, even if it is as simple as a souvlaki.
The story of “Supreme Souvlakia Meat and Poultry Wholesalers” was featured in Vasili’s book, “Beyond the Shop Windows and Counters”.
Greek Super League clubs Olympiacos and Atromitos are being threatened with relegation by the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) for match fixing, according to a report on Athens radio station Sport FM.
According to the report, the clubs owners Evangelos Marinakis and Giorgos Spanos, Portuguese coach Ricardo Sa Pinto and a dozen others are being threatened with very serious sanctions for allegedly “fixing the result of a match for betting purposes”.
The allegations by the investigative department of EPO’s Ethics Committee are now forwarded to the judicial department of the same committee.
Marinakis bought Nottingham Forest in May 2017. Photo: Sky Sports
Article 27 provisions point to penalties described in Article 29 of the same code, concerning match manipulation, and bear the heaviest sanctions across the entire Code of Conduct in Greek soccer: They are relegation to the next division and a fine up to 3 million euros for each guilty club, and a lifelong ban from the sport for every individual found to be involved.
The allegations made are in reference to a match between Olympiakos and Atromitos on February 4, 2015, resulting in a 2-1 victory for Olympiakos.
If found guilty, Marinakis will have to relinquish control not only of Olympiakos but also of Nottingham Forest.
While people traditionally pay tribute during the Anzac Day dawn service at their local memorial service, Australians were asked this year to stand outside of their houses and light a candle to #lightupthedawn.
The call was received with overwhelming support as thousands of Australians stood in the street with their neighbours in silence, with light provided only by the luminous candles and radiant dawn sun.
Many tuned into radio stations streaming The Last Post, The Ode and a one minute’s silence. Some Sydney communities, however, were fortunate to have voluntary trumpet players performing the Last Post, with one of these performers being eight-year-old Rocky-Dimitri (Spiliopoulos) Holt.
The Greek boy stood outside his house with his family and performed the Last Post for neighbours in the Dolls Point community.
“ANZAC Day is very important because we remember the people who died in the war for us,” Rocky-Dimitri says to The Greek Herald.
Rocky-Dimitri performing the Last Post for the Doll’s Point community. Photo’s supplied to the Greek Herald by Heidi Holt
Performing the Last Post is a hundred year old tradition that is gratefully carried on by the next generation of Australians. Learning to play the cornet for the past three years, Rocky-Dimitri says that while he was fortunate enough to be able to play the Last Post for Anzac Day this year, he will continue to learn to improve for the future.
During Anzac Day, many Greek Australians remember their ancestors who either fought either beside the Anzacs or during WWI and WWII. This is also the case for Rocky-Dimitri and his family, who’s Greek ancestors fought in Greece during WWII.
“My great-pappou Spilio, from my pappou’s side from Arcadia, fought in the Alvaniko Polemo,” Rocky-Dimitri says.
“My great-pappou from my yiayia’s side in Crete was also involved in WWII. Unfortunately I never met them but my mum and yiayia and pappou have told me some stories.”
Rocky-Dimitri and his family paying tribute on Anzac Day by commemorating from their driveway. Photo’s supplied to the Greek Herald by Heidi Holt
Ricky-Dimitri’s mother, Heidi, runs a music school in Ramsgate called ‘The Music Space’ and says she is hopes her son acts as an inspiration for other children to learn an instrument.
“He’s now in the senior band at Bald Face public school and sitting his 4th grade AMEB exam for the cornet at the end of this year,” Heidi says.
“I hope he inspires other children his age to learn an instrument and continue to choose to remember those we have lost every year.”
For Australian’s who are looking to give back to former ANZAC soldiers and Australian veterans, they can do so by donating to the ANZAC Appeal online at anzacappeal.com.au. Donations support Australian veterans and their families in need.
High school students and teachers wearing masks and gloves protested on the streets of Athens on Friday to rally against the new Education law.
The first protest undertaken during the coronavirus pandemic, the objectors marched through downtown Athens and stood outside the Parliament. The protestors displayed giant banners urging for the withdrawal of the legislation.
Protest of students outside the Parliament against the bill of the Ministry of Education. Photo: Iefimerida
With schools and universities shut since March 6th due to the pandemic, protestors also demanded that the Education Ministry set a specific date for the university entrance exams.
They also demand that “the government take measures to ensure that all children have access to modern tele-education and to announce the admission rate of 10% of EPALites in Higher Education”.
The Greek Government has announced that restrictions will gradually lift from May 4, yet experts are divided about the reopening of the schools.
The new legislation reportedly foresees, among others, increase of number of students per class in pre-school and elementary schools, age limit for EPAL, “exams-marathon” in secondary education, tightening the criteria for the promotion of one class to the next, and a return to anachronistic pedagogical measures such the noting of “behaviour” on diplomas.
![Fire breaks out in cramped refugee camp on Samos island [VIDEO]](/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Samos-Fire.png "Fire breaks out in cramped refugee camp on Samos island [VIDEO]")
