Greek Paralympic champion Charalambos Taiganidis has broken the world record for continuous open sea swimming, completing an incredible 149 kilometres, according to cyprus-mail.com.
His support crew hailed the achievement, saying it sends “a global message of endurance and humanity.”
Taiganidis began his journey on Friday from Paphos port, aiming to reach Ayia Napa marina by Sunday, covering a planned 160km route.
The final stretch proved to be the most difficult, as the crew described it as “a fierce battle with the elements.” Strong headwinds of 3 Beaufort struck early in the morning, later intensifying to 5–6 Beaufort, making the sea rough and conditions increasingly dangerous.
Exhausted after the extraordinary effort, Taiganidis was taken aboard the escort vessel just 4.5km short of his intended destination, after judges confirmed he had already surpassed the existing record.
The team emphasised that “the athlete’s safety and health were everyone’s top priority.”
Upon reaching Larnaca fishing port, Taiganidis was transported by ambulance to Larnaca General Hospital for medical checks and preventive treatment.
“We are immensely proud of Charalambos, who proved once again that limits exist only to be overcome,” his crew said.
They added, “This feat is not just a record; it is a victory of the soul, solidarity, and a beacon of inspiration for everyone, especially the children we supported with this effort.”
Traditional Cretan food comes directly from farm to table for an authentic slow food experience at Dounias Taverna. Dounias offers a perfect marriage of agrotourism (or agritourism) and food tourism in a scenic, rustic setting. At this traditional Greek taverna, dishes from the Cretan diet revive the flavors of a time when Greeks lived closer to the land.
The first time we looked for Dounias Taverna, or Ntounias* Traditional Gastronomic Center of Cretan Food, we didn’t find it. It is located in the village of Drakona, 19 km from Chania, Greece. With Drakona situated 525 meters above sea level, we need about an hour to wind through hairpin curves in the foothills of the White Mountains of Crete to reach it. The narrow roads may challenge some drivers, but passengers can enjoy spectacular views of silvery-green olive groves descending valleys and extending toward bare peaks. In that grand landscape, Dounias is so unassuming that you can miss it (as we did) at one of many sharp bends in the road.
Keep your eyes open for several small wood fires burning beneath clay pots, a frying pan, and a small domed oven on a covered outdoor platform. This—and the woodpiles—are the taverna’s most distinctive features. The modest red-tiled, cream-colored building with dark green doors and solar panels covering most of the roof is less striking. Inside, exposed wooden beams hold up the ceiling, and large windows let natural light into the two rooms that are packed with customers on winter weekends. A pleasant, elevated outdoor seating area across the road offers cool breezes and views of the landscape in the summer. (Six steps with railings lead up to it; a sturdy wooden roof protects some of the tables, while a green tarp is spread above the others.)
Wood fires and a farm visit: Traditional Cretan food at Dounias when our children were small
Cooking over the wood fires’ open flames outside the taverna building, potato chunks sizzle in a blackened frying pan of bubbling olive oil, and greens boil in a large pot of water. Steam escapes from covered ceramic pots as thick local sausages meld with whole green peppers. The flickering orange firelight can mesmerize visitors, but the owners stay on their toes. Stelios Trilyrakis hurries over to turn the sausages, stir a full pot, check on the potatoes, and add more greens to boil.
When we first encountered Dounias over a decade ago, the outdoor cooking area had not yet been set up. Instead of looking at a menu, we were invited into the kitchen to see the wood-burning oven and clay pots full of fresh food there. After we’d filled our stomachs with a variety of dishes based on fresh local produce and meats that were either from the owners’ farm or locally sourced, Stelios brought out several extra dishes for us to try.
As my husband attempted to do justice to that wealth of flavor, Stelios and his wife Emorfili Onoufriadi urged one of their young children to escort me and my small kids on a tour of their farm. We wandered along dirt paths on the hillside below their restaurant, visiting the family’s rabbits, pigs, chickens, and a cow. We had driven past some of their rare brown cattle—Cretan Gidomouskara (meaning “goat’s beef,” given their goat-like feet)–on the way into the village.
With the motto “slow food and agritourism,” Dounias now offers pre-planned educational farm experiences that can include vegetable picking, gathering wild plants, milking, cheese production, and traditional Cretan cooking lessons, as well as visits to small-scale, family-owned enterprises such as a vineyard, a winery, and beehives in nearby villages. Apartments are also available for rent next to their restaurant.
In the past, after they had become too busy to invite customers into the kitchen to order food, Stelios would quickly explain the offerings of the day from memory–and tell us when we’d ordered enough. Now there are official menus, logos on their aprons, paper placemats showing their clay pots, brochures, and a website in six languages. Musicians sitting around one of the small, square wooden tables next to our group one Saturday in September played Greek tunes by Theodorakis and Hatzidakis on a classical guitar, an accordion, and a beautiful bouzouki.
Tastes of the past: “our grandmothers’ recipes” for high quality traditional Cretan food
Stelios and Emorfili used to work as cooks in city restaurants, but that showed them that “our food culture had lost its way,” as Stelios says in a video on their website. So they “decided our mission would be to show our friends our grandmothers’ recipes.” They left the city and opened up the taverna surrounded by a farm where they “use what we grow, just like my grandmother did” and “show people how we cook without electricity, in earthenware, using fresh, seasonal produce” straight from nature.
Even as its international fame continues to grow, Dounias continues to live up to their motto of “slow food and high quality.” We recently enjoyed a spectacular Cretan salad with mizithra cheese, beets, greens, potatoes, carrots, rusk, peppers, onions, and corn; coarse homemade wholegrain bread with olives, oregano, and olive oil; savory vegetarian dishes where the ingredients blended perfectly in slow-cooked sauces; plus local meats baked in the wood-burning oven. In addition to a favorite green bean stew, a savory eggplant dish had me—who doesn’t care for eggplant—coming back for more.
My husband thought I offended Stelios once by asking if the potatoes were fried in olive oil. Of course they were; what else? The restaurant earned the Quality Label of Cretan Cuisine, which required an exclusive use of extra virgin and virgin olive oil in cooking, including deep frying. Two ancient olive trees near the taverna signal the importance of this key feature of the time-tested traditions of the Cretan diet.
*In the Greek alphabet, N and T together make the “D” sound, although this is not usually transliterated as NT, but as D. The Greek word ντουνιάς (ntounias) is a poetic term for “world” or “earth” that may be used to emphasize vastness.
*Originally published on Greek Liquid Gold: Authentic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (greekliquidgold.com). See that site for recipes with olive oil, photos from Greece, agrotourism and food tourism suggestions, and olive oil news and information.
A Greek hotel has earned a place among the finest in the world, following an awards event held in London on Sunday night. The Four Seasons Astir Palace in Athens claimed the 17th spot on the prestigious list, according to tovima.com.
Despite being open for only six years, the hotel has already twice ranked third among the world’s top 50 hotels. Designed by Taiwanese designer Tony Chi, the sleek 413-room resort outperformed last year’s winner, the Capella Bangkok.
This year, the Rosewood Hong Kong topped the global rankings of luxury hotels. In second place was the Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River – a 299-room property in the vibrant cultural district of Thailand’s capital – followed by Capella Bangkok in third. Asian hotels dominated the list once again.
One standout European entry, Passalacqua – a boutique hotel housed in an 18th-century villa on Lake Como, Italy – ranked fourth overall. It also received recognition as the Best Boutique Hotel and the highest-ranked European property.
The fifth position went to the historic Raffles Singapore, renowned as the birthplace of the iconic Singapore Sling cocktail.
The rankings are compiled by The World’s 50 Best Hotels Academy, a panel of 800 travel industry experts, including hoteliers and travel journalists from 13 global regions.
Stavros and Michael Theoharis have been granted home detention bail following their arrests in Operation Ironside, the South Australian crackdown targeting alleged drug trafficking networks linked to the AN0M encrypted messaging app.
Stavros, 32, of Paralowie, faces charges including eight counts of large commercial drug trafficking.
Defence lawyers argued the court could have “confidence” in his compliance with bail, citing his role as a self-employed man with a young family. His long-term partner offered a $10,000 surety.
Magistrate John Clover granted bail, noting “there’s a lot on the line for him.”
His brother, Michael, 29, of Paradise, faces 21 trafficking charges, including trafficking in large commercial quantities. Prosecutors alleged he played a role in the “collection and repackaging” of a significant drug supply and operated two AN0M devices.
Despite opposition from prosecutors, Magistrate Clover also approved home detention bail for Michael, on the condition he raise a $10,000 cash surety. He told the accused: “You need a lawyer, and you need one urgently.”
The Theoharis brothers were among 55 South Australians arrested in last week’s Operation Ironside 3.0, which has uncovered what police allege to be one of the state’s largest organised drug-trafficking networks.
The Derrimut 24:7 Gym in Melrose Park, Adelaide’s south, faces eviction after a court ruling cleared its landlord to take back the premises, marking the latest blow for the struggling fitness chain.
On Thursday, Adelaide’s District Court dismissed Derrimut’s attempt to stop landlord Dimitri Aretzis from closing the Melrose Park site over unpaid rent. Judge Michael Burnett said the company’s subsequent move into administration “fortified” his ruling.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t see eye-to-eye and make the deal work,” Portelli said on Instagram.
The Melrose Park eviction follows the closure of Derrimut gyms in Angle Vale, Munno Para, Noarlunga, and Shepparton, all linked to unpaid rent.
Court documents show the company’s debt fell from $15 million in April to $12.53 million in June, with other creditors including Return to Work SA, Origin Energy, and Melbourne United Basketball.
Despite mounting pressure, Solomos told staff earlier this year he believed the chain could survive: “For me, it was about opening gyms… and I didn’t pay enough attention to the little things.”
Manager of Opposition Business Alex Hawke MP has become the focus of Liberal Party unrest, with conservatives accusing him of acting as Sussan Ley’s “leader by proxy” as the party finalises its net-zero policy.
Mount Athos Civil Administrator Alkiviadis Stefanis has officially invited US President Donald Trump to visit the Holy Mountain, revealing he made the request through US Deputy Secretary of State Michael Rigas.
“I told the US Deputy Secretary of State to convey Mount Athos’ official invitation to President Trump. His eyes widened, but he seemed delighted and said, ‘Of course, I will do it,’” Stefanis said.
Stefanis praised Trump’s past engagement with Orthodoxy, citing his meetings with Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Elpidophoros, and his support for reopening the Halki Theological School.
He expressed hope Trump would include Mount Athos in a future trip to Greece, recognising its “spiritual and cultural importance.”
Stefanis also commended Rigas, calling him “a devout man” with a strong appreciation for Mount Athos’ role in religious diplomacy.
Nick Kyrgios says he’s made a “miracle” recovery from a long-term knee injury and is eyeing a surprise return at the 2025 Australian Open.
After years of knee and wrist problems that limited him to just a handful of matches, the 30-year-old says his knee has suddenly improved and he can now train pain-free.
“It’s not swelling. It’s not feeling bad after a session,” he said.
Kyrgios plans to test his fitness in exhibition matches in the US, India and Dubai before deciding on a Melbourne comeback. Ranked No. 652, he would need a wildcard entry to compete but says he’s regained optimism.
“I thought my tennis career was closing… but now I’m just optimistic again,” he said.
Police believe 21-year-old Athan Boursinos, shot dead in Melbourne’s north, was murdered by organised crime figures from New South Wales who travelled to Victoria specifically to carry out the hit.
Boursinos was killed in a laneway behind Champions Parade, Wollert, on 31 July, in what investigators have described as a “very deliberate and obviously targeted” attack.
According to Detective Acting Superintendent Mark Hatt, intelligence indicates the killing was sanctioned by an interstate crime syndicate, with several men travelling from NSW before the shooting.
“Intelligence leads us to believe these men travelled down from New South Wales prior to Athan’s murder, which suggests this is a murder linked to organised crime entities based in that state,” he said.
Police have released CCTV images of men they want to identify and are seeking information about a white Volkswagen SUV, believed to have been used as a getaway vehicle. Two other cars – a stolen Nissan Patrol and a grey Volkswagen Golf – were later found burnt out in Reservoir and Mickleham.
Detectives believe the suspects then fled in a silver BMW sedan and are urging anyone with information about the men or vehicles to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
“If you believe you have any information relating to the men who may have travelled down from New South Wales to carry out this murder, now is the time to speak up,” Superintendent Hatt said.
Four senior members of Greece’s coastguard, including its current commander, will face criminal prosecution over the 2023 Pylos migrant shipwreck, which left an estimated 650 people dead.
The Adriana, carrying migrants from Libya to Italy, sank off Pylos after coastguards allegedly made a failed towing attempt.
Greece has denied wrongdoing, but a prosecutor at the naval appeal court in Piraeus has now called for Vice Admiral Tryfon Kontizas and three other senior officers to stand trial for negligent manslaughter and failure to rescue.
Only 82 bodies were recovered, and survivors claim the coastguard’s actions caused the vessel to capsize. The case reopens months after lower courts had cleared the officers, following a legal challenge by victims’ families and survivors’ lawyers.
Greek officials insist the country respects human rights and note it has rescued more than 250,000 people at sea in the past decade.
