Greek world number six Stefanos Tsitsipas was outclassed this morning by Canadian Milos Raonic who defeated the Greek 7-6(5) 6-3.
In the opening 11 games, the servers dropped 13 points overall and offered very little to the returner. In the end the Canadian finished with a first serve win percentage of 90, with Tsitsipas earning a smaller percentage of 78.
Tsitsipas put in a tough effort against the Canadian who held at 15 in the opening game with a service winner.
Raonic used his forehand to break through the defence of Tsitsipas early in the second set and, on his first break point at 2-1, successfully broke Tsitsipas’ serve with a low backhand passing shot.
Losing the first-set tiebreak, Tsitsipas ultimately struggled to get back into the match. Raonic held his advantage and served out the match to love.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was one of several younger competitors tipped to make an impact as the Grand Slam starts on Monday. Milos Raonic will play in the final of the Western & Southern Open against either Novak Djokovic or Roberto Bautista Agut.
“It would be incredible [to win an ATP Masters 1000 title]. Just generally as part of my career, it’s not just the past six months coming back [and] playing. Just with everything else, I want to go to heights I haven’t achieved yet and this is a part of it,” said Raonic.
A crippled yacht carrying 55 migrants has been safely towed to port on the southeastern Aegean Sea island of Rhodes following an overnight search and rescue operation, Greek authorities said Friday.
Two of the people on the yacht were arrested on suspicions of working with a trafficking ring that arranged for the migrants to illegally enter Greece from nearby Turkey. Officials said everyone on the vessel was in good health.
A coast guard statement said the rescue effort was hampered by high winds blowing in the area since late Thursday, which prevented the migrants from being transferred onto ships that hastened to the spot, some 17 miles southeast of Rhodes.
Greek authorities found the yacht partially sunk west of the small island of Halki, near Rhodes. Photo: Greek Coast Guard via AP
In separate incident on Tuesday, a total 96 people were rescued from the sea by helicopters, patrol boats and nearby merchant ships after their yacht partially sank west of the small island of Halki, near Rhodes. Two other people originally on the boat have been reported missing.
Thousands of migrants try to reach Greece’s eastern islands every year from Turkey, usually paying high sums to smuggling rings that place them on unseaworthy boats without any crew on board — offering instead a reduced price to passengers who are prepared to navigate by trial and error.
Greek authorities say increased vigilance in patrolling has cut sea arrivals by about 95% so far this year, compared to January-August 2019, despite reduced cooperation by the Turkish coast guard amid high tensions between Greece and Turkey.
The skills of a true cobbler are sewn in from a young age. The early-mid 1900’s saw many Greeks become masters of the trade, many of whom then brought their shoe repair skills to Australia to make a living as a traditional cobbler.
Miltiadis Vassiliotis learned the basics of shoe repairs from his father at a very young age and since then has used his skills to transform and adapt ‘Civic Shoes’ into a business with an elongated future.
Hailing from Karpathos, a small Greek island in the Dodecanese, Vassiliotis’ father came to Australia in 1956 and worked as a cobbler from that time. He then opened his own business in 1973, which was passed on to become Miltiadis’ shoe repair store.
Maintaining the shops “traditional” ethics as a shoe repair store, the Greek Australian hasn’t been shy to expand and deliver new products to his loyal customers.
Miltiadis Vassiliotis learned the basics of shoe repairs from his father at a very young age. Photo: Supplied
“Three years ago I started designing the custom made shoes and custom made inner soles,” Vassiliotis says to The Greek Herald.
“We’re doing something different than everyone else around.
“We’re the first to bring the 3D scanner, which measures 52 different measurements on your feet, in Australia. Through these measurements we build up the shoes.”
The custom made shoes, as Vassiliotis explains, are not made in Canberra, but instead the feet dimensions are transferred to factories overseas. The factory employees can then read the transmitted data, build the shoes, and ship them directly back to Canberra.
While bringing a new product option to his customers, Vassiliotis has made sure to stay true to his roots as a hard working cobbler.
“We’ve kept the shoe repairs as traditional as it was before. So we haven’t change anything,” Vassiliotis says.
While bringing a new product option to his customers, Vassiliotis has made sure to stay true to his roots as a hard working cobbler. Photo: Supplied
The first COVID-19 wave hit businesses across Australia with a fiery fist, with Vassiliotis’ being no exception. Vassiliotis was forced to close his shop for a week after Canberra was sent into lockdown.
“It slowly began to pick up,” Vassiliotis says.
“Going well now so I can’t complain. We will worry about the second outbreak if it comes.”
The expert quality provided by Civic Shoes has not gone unnoticed by some of Australia’s biggest stars, with Vassiliotis saying that many “politicians, actors and football players” regularly come into his store for his services.
Being based in Canberra, Vassiliotis’ reveals that his skills have also attracted the likes of Rugby Union side ‘Canberra Brumbies’ and NRL’s ‘Canberra Raiders’.
“I’ve already started talking with the Canberra Brumbies and Canberra Raiders and I’m just waiting for some samples and when I have the samples I’ll start going to the trainings and do some foot measuring. Then I can design some custom made boots.
“All the rugby players have big feet and they can’t find a proper fitting football boot. So my next step is to help them.”
The owner of Civic Shoes also expressed the importance of designing custom inner soles for people who suffer from chronic foot problems and health issues.
“For people who have plantar fasciitis and foot problems, I have a special device that can make a custom pair of inner soles in 10 minutes.”
An artist of the trade, Vassiliotis skills are appreciated by many locals in the Canberra community. Asked if his children would follow on in his legacy as a cobbler, Vassiliotis didn’t feel pressured to pass on his love for shoe repairs to his two children.
Greek Australian Vanessa Pappas has been announced as the interim head of embattled video-sharing app TikTok, taking over after its chief executive quit after less than three months in the job.
The announcement comes after the shock resignation of Kevin Mayer, who blamed the changing “political environment” for his decision to leave the job he only started on June 1.
Chinese company ByteDance has come under pressure from US President Donald Trump to sell TikTok, which the US Government considers a security risk.
Incredibly proud and humbled to take the role of interim head of TikTok. Our community and our team who work so hard to enable this product continue to inspire me. It's truly amazing what we've accomplished in 2 years, I have no doubt what we can accomplish in this next chapter!
Ms Pappas has been working as the general manager of the US branch of the company since January 2019, and has been overseeing the Australia and New Zealand operations since June last year.
A graduate of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, she has previously worked at online video companies Next New Networks and YouTube.
Ms Pappas wrote on Twitter that she was “proud and humbled” to take on the interim role.
“Our community and our team who work so hard to enable this product continue to inspire me,” she wrote.
“It’s truly amazing what we’ve accomplished in two years, I have no doubt what we can accomplish in this next chapter.”
ByteDance launched TikTok in 2017, then bought Musical.ly, a video service popular with teens in the US and Europe, and combined the two. A twin service, Douyin, is available for Chinese users.
The app is popular among youth and has amassed more than 680 million monthly active users around the world.
Tech giant Microsoft and retailer Walmart have made a joint bid to buy TikTok’s US business, according to Reuters.
Pikionis Dimitris is remembered as one of societies greatest modern architects, highly recognised for his work in shaping modern Greek architecture, particularly the streets of Athens.
Dimitris was born in Piraeus in 1887 by parents of Chiot descent. By 1908, he became the first student to be taken by K. Parthenis, a distinguished Greek painter at the time. In the same year, he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and set out to work and study in Paris.
While Dimitris attended architectural composition lessons at the École des Beaux-Arts, his true desire was to work with painting, not architecture.
View of the Saint Dimitrios Loumbardiaris courtyard and the path leading to Filopappou Monument, 1954–58. Photo: Agni Pikioni Archive, Dimitris Pikionis A.M.K.E., Athens
In 1912, in the period of military recruitment for the Balkan wars, he returned to Greece and began to design his first houses from the folk architecture of Aegina. Being limited to designing blueprints for graves in the 1940s and 1950s, Dimitris got his big breakthrough after being given the opportunity to work on the formation of the archaeological site around the Acropolis and Philopappos Hill.
One of his longest projects, it became his most important and famous work that still leaves it’s mark on the city of Athens. He particularly made use of rough-finished marble for his designs, using various shapes that appear irregular, yet are strictly geometric.
The combination of his artistic imagination and structural knowledge in architecture made his work recognised by some of the worlds greatest architects and world leaders.
In 1966, he was elected a regular member of the Academy of Athens (order of Letters and Arts) in the Architecture Chair.
Dimitris died in Athens on 28th of August 1968, aged 81.
Sophie Cotsis, Member for Canterbury, visited McCallum’s Hill Public School to view the stage one completion of the school’s new sensory garden.
The garden was supported by Federal MP Tony Burke and State MP Sophie Cotsis, as well as the Lantern Club in Roselands.
“The school’s leadership and P&C committee shared a vision to convert an unused space and convert it into a spectacular interactive open space which has now been incorporated into school teaching and learning” said Ms Cotsis.
“This is a fantastic addition to the amazing school and will be enjoyed by kids today and into the future.”
“The sensory garden will especially help those students with greater needs and will encourage a more stimulating classroom environment.”
“Thank you to the school’s principal Mrs Georgia Constanti, and P&C President Paul Robertson for their continued dedication to student education and well-being.”
Debbie Waicokacola, General Manager of the Lantern Club, announced the club would donate a further $10,000 to invest into stage 2 of the garden’s development.
Harry Maguire landed in a lot of trouble after taking part in a brawl in Mykonos last week, being found guilty of assault and bribing the ELAS.
Speaking on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme, the lawyer who represented two police officers in the assault case says it is “shocking” that there has been no apology from the Manchester United captain and his co-defendants.
“This is what I find quite shocking and quite unsporting. Fair play means when I’ve done something wrong I apologise or at least I say I am sorry for what happened to the other person,” Dr Yoannis Paradissis said to the British programme.
The Manchester United midfielder has defended the actions that led to his arrest in Greece, insisting he has no reason to apologise for the incident, but instead feels regret at causing potential embarrassment to his club.
In this Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020 file photo, England soccer player Harry Maguire leaves a court building on the Aegean island of Syros, Greece.(AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)
“I don’t feel like I owe an apology to anybody. An apology is something when you’ve done something wrong or regret. I regret being in the situation,” Maguire said, adding that he is confident he will be cleared in the retrial.
“I have great faith in the Greek law, the retrial will give us more time to prepare, gather the evidence, allow witnesses into the court. And I am really confident that the truth will be told and come out.”
The court on the Greek island of Syros handed the footballer suspended 21-month prison sentence. The 27-year-old England defender, who did not attend the trial, quickly indicated his intention to appeal, releasing a statement saying that he and his family and friends had been the victims.
Paradissis said an appeal would start the trial afresh but that in Greek law some of the accusations could be withdrawn if an apology was given and that “the outcome might be different.”
Maguire was dropped from the England squad for the Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark after initially The impact of Maguire’s conviction is already being felt, with England manager Gareth Southgate withdrawing him from the squad for the Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark next month, having initially selected him.
Australia’s Ambassador to Greece, Arthur Spyrou, met with political leaders in the South Aegean during an excursion to Rhodes yesterday, discussing potential ways to strengthen community ties between Rhodes and Australia.
As part of the Ambassador’s tour in Rhodes, Spyrou met with the Governor of the South Aegean Region, George Hatzimarkos, as well as the Mayor of Rhodes, Andonis Cambourakis.
Discussions with the Governor focused on the region’s strong war and community links with Australia and the potential commercial opportunities that can arise from an EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
Ambassador Arthur Spyrou met with the Governor of the South Aegean Region, George Hatzimarkos, in #Rhodes. The…
The Governor thanked Spyrou for his interest in the South Aegean islands and said he was proud that an expatriate represents Greece in Australia.
“We are proud that an expatriate now represents a foreign country in our homeland,” Hatzimarkos said.
“For us Greeks, the Greek community is a great national asset, with invaluable contribution from those who, serving in positions of responsibility, do not forget their roots. In a period that tests the global community, but also with the historical challenges we face in the “neighbourhood”, it is important for us islanders to feel that there is another Greece that is firmly by our side.
“The Greeks of Australia, at every opportunity show that they always hold for our country, a place in their hearts.”
The Australian Ambassador to Greece also met with Mayor of Rhodes, Andonis Cambourakis, to discuss the island’s wartime connections with Australia, the vibrant Greece-Australia community with links to Rhodes, and opportunities to strengthen trade relations between the two countries.
Spyrou, during his expedition to Rhodes, stopped by the the Commonwealth War Graves Commission War Cemetery in Rhodes to pay respect and honour the ANZACS who served and lost their lives on Rhodes and other islands during operations in the Aegean in WWII.
At the @CWGC War Cemetery in #Rhodes today, I paid my respects to the #Anzacs who served and lost their lives on Rhodes and other islands in the Aegean during WWII. The memory of their service and sacrifice lives on. 🌺 @AWMemorialpic.twitter.com/xXMPupSSdX
Turkey said on Thursday it will hold firing exercises in the eastern Mediterranean on Sept 1-2, the latest in a series of military drills which have fuelled tensions with Greece.
The announcement came hours before parliament in Greece is expected to ratify an agreement with Egypt which defines maritime boundaries between the two countries, a step which Turkey considers an affront.
NATO states Greece and Turkey have been locked in a dispute over control of eastern Mediterranean waters, which escalated after Ankara sent a seismic survey vessel to the disputed region this month in a move which Athens called illegal.
They are at odds over the rights to potential hydrocarbon resources, based on conflicting claims over the extent of their continental shelves.
In this photo provided by the Greek Defense Ministry, warships take part in a military exercise in Eastern Mediterranean sea, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (Greek Defense Ministry via AP)
The Turkish navy issued the latest advisory, known as a Navtex, on Thursday saying it will hold the shooting exercises in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Iskenderun, northeast of Cyprus. It also extended the seismic work of its Oruc Reis survey vessel, southwest of Cyprus, until Sept 1.
As the dispute widened, France said on Wednesday it was joining military exercises with Italy, Greece and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said the deployment of French military aircraft in Cyprus violated treaties regarding the control and administration of the island after independence from Britain in 1960.
Aksoy said that France’s stance was dangerously encouraging Greece and Cyprus to further escalate tensions in the region.
Parliament in Greece is expected to ratify an accord on Thursday evening defining its sea boundaries with Egypt, having ratified a similar deal with Italy.
Greece now plans to extend its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 nautical miles from its coast, from six nautical miles. Turkey has warned that a similar move by Athens in waters east of Greece would be a cause for war.
Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said that Greece’s right to shift its western maritime border stems from the Law of the Sea and it reserves the right to do so in other sea areas, when it decides.
“The tension is not created by Greece, which is ready to contribute in a de-escalation,” he said.
On Wednesday 26 August 2020 the Order of AHEPA NSW Inc (AHEPA) was dealt a blow when the NSW Court of Appeal, comprising three Judges, overturned an earlier decision of a Judge of the Supreme Court and held that a resolution passed by members of AHEPA in relation to a development proposal was invalid.
The proceedings arose as a result of a resolution passed in February 2019 by a majority of members of AHEPA That resolution allowed AHEPA to develop and enter into a 21 year lease in respect of the Bexley [ ].
The validity of the resolution was challenged by certain members of AHEPA NSW and on 3 October 2019 Justice Rees of the Supreme Court of New South Wales rejected the member’s challenge to the validity of the resolution.
The members then appealed the decision of Justice Rees arguing before the Court of Appeal. The members argued that the resolution was invalid because a number of members that voted in favour of it were not in actual fact members that were entitled to vote as the correct procedure for becoming a member of AHEPA had not been followed.
The Court of Appeal agreed with the members’ arguments and held that 127 people that voted on the resolution were not valid members and therefore were not entitled to vote. Since the resolution passed by only 13 votes, the Court of Appeal stated that the outcome of the vote could very well have been different and having established that those 127 people were not entitled to vote, held that the February 2019 resolution was also invalidly adopted.
The press release issued by Mr George Lianos from The Order of AHEPA NSW (Members), who won the appeal, states:
Proposed plans for Bexley Bowling Club now in question
An underlying issue that has increased the tension and motivation surrounding these legal proceedings, is the financial plans of AHEPA NSW INC Committee of Management. The Committee were determined to develop a Hellenic Cultural Centre on a plot of land in Bexley owned by Bayside Council.
Although the ‘Members’ claim they are in full support of building a cultural centre, they believe the proposed plans for Bexley Bowling Club resembles more to a functions hall rather than a venue to promote the Hellenic culture and attract the youth. Concerning for the members is also the logic behind investing in a property that the organisation does not and will not own.
Another reason of concern for the ‘Members’, is the financial management of AHEPA NSW INC, particularly regarding the cost of legal fees that have been accrued over the years, estimated at around $2 million and the fact that pursuing the Bexley Bowling Club project will mean selling the properties AHEPA NSW INC already owns in Rockdale and Elizabeth Street, Sydney.
The ‘Committee of Management’ acknowledge these issues but they go on to believe that they need to give something back to the community after wasting so much of AHEPA’s money on legal fees. Also, they do note that from a business standpoint, while the Elizabeth Street property is bringing in a hefty income, Rockdale is not.
The ‘Committee of Management’ also seem to be certain that Bayside Council will support their community investment into a popular Hellenic area, which will assure them a greater reward from the council in the future.
Under the proposed plans, the construction of Bexley Bowling Club consists of 3 function rooms, a bar, sporting activities and a community hall next door.
“Further minor rulings will be decided within the next two weeks. We hope that this decision will stop this particular group of schismatic individuals creating further problems within AHEPA,” reads the statement issued by Mr George Lianos.
