The United Nation’s refugee agency said on Monday that Greece had no right to stop accepting asylum applications as Athens struggled with a sudden increase of arrivals at its border of Middle East refugees and migrants from Turkey.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday his country would not be accepting any new asylum requests for a month after two days of clashes between border police and thousands of people seeking to enter the EU from Turkey.
“It is important that the authorities refrain from any measures that might increase the suffering of vulnerable people,” UNHCR said in a statement.
“All states have a right to control their borders and manage irregular movements, but at the same time should refrain from the use of excessive or disproportionate force and maintain systems for handling asylum requests in an orderly manner.”
The UN agency said neither international nor EU law provided “any legal basis for the suspension of the reception of asylum applications.”
Its statement came as the EU scrambled to help Greece police the frontier and sought to put pressure on Turkey to go back to preventing refugees and migrants stranded on its territory from seeking to reach Europe.
Turkey, which is home to 3.7 million Syrian refugees and has another million on its doorstep from a new surge of fighting, said last week it would stop enforcing a 2016 agreement that had prevented migrants from reaching the EU.
Greek officials accused Turkey of orchestrating a coordinated effort to drive migrants across the frontier.
Turkey’s announcement last week threatens to reverse an agreement that halted Western Europe’s biggest wave of migration since World War Two, the 2015-2016 crisis when 4,000 people drowned in Aegean and more than a million reached Greece.
After leaving full-time work, Spyros Korosidis donated years of his time towards community work and was a prominent figure to everyone in the Melbourne Greek community and beyond.
Spyros Korosidis passed away the day before yesterday at the age of 91, scattering grief in the community. An active, happy and beloved man who has participated in a multitude of community organisations, congresses and committees. He has served as president of community organisations and committees, many of which have been founding executives.
Korosidis participated for 20 years in the Red Cross Financial Aid Committee, in the Greek Community of Melbourne, in the Greek RSL Melbourne Branch, in AHEPA and in the National Anniversary Celebration Committee. He also participated in the committees for the organisation of radio rangers in support of the Victorian fire and Cyprus Struggle Committee.
Korosidis said in a recent interview that a milestone in his long journey within the community and national issues was his participation in the 1981 Pan-Macedonian World Congress in Thessaloniki, with former Greek President Konstantinos.
In 2016, he was honoured with the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) medal for his contribution to Australian society.
Spyros Korosidis was born in the village of Aloro in Almopia, where, due to German occupation and civil war, it had many difficulties. He decided to migrate to Australia in 1954 with his wife, Kyria Vera.
Greek Community of Melbourne President Bill Papastergiadis with members of the Greek Community in Melbourne. Photo: Supplied
Greek Community of Melbourne President Bill Papastergiadis released a statement following the death of Spyros Korosidis.
Bill Papastergiadis Statement:
I have known Spyros since the first day of my presidency. He was generous and warm in his approach to me. We quickly became friends. He would often ring me with advice. I would always listen and when I had something to say in return, he too would carefully listen.
I enjoyed the fact that we could communicate honestly and openly. I valued his advice and friendship.
I thought he would live forever. He was in his early 90s and he was still upright and fit. I said to him late last year “Spyro, are you going to Greece in 2020?” he replied as he normally did “Of course I am going, there is nothing wrong with me”
He would come to my parents’ house with so much food cooked by his wife. I said to Spyros, “with all of this food, how do you stay so trim?”
He replied “I don’t eat it, we bring it to you!!!!”
At each election of the board of the Greek Community of Melbourne, his wife would bring to us many trays of tiropita. It helped give us the energy we needed for those tough days!
He would tell me how much he loved Greece and his Macedonia and how each summer, he would live with his daughter in Athens. I asked him, “did you take the main bedroom of your daughter’s apartment in Athens”. He replied, “in summer in Athens, you don’t need a bedroom. I had a foldout bed for the balcony. I slept outdoors all summer.” I envied his strength.
Greek fencers Panos Triantafyllou and Vasilis Ntounis are preparing for the Tokyo Palalympic Games in August, hoping to prove what can be accomplished in a wheelchair.
Triantafyllou, 33, won silver at Rio’s 2016 Paralympic Games, and since then has been picking up medals in various other competitions. He won gold last November at the Wheelchair Fencing World Cup in Amsterdam and silver this month at the cup in Eger, Hungary.
Triantafyllou is currently ranked No. 2 of the year’s best athletes by the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation, and he ranks fifth for Paralympics qualification for Tokyo 2020.
“Only the best 10 qualify for the Paralympics, or the ones who come first in the European tournament and the world championship get a direct qualification,” Triantafyllou says, speaking with NPR. “Theoretically I qualify, but it’s better to attend the last three tournaments ahead of the Paralympics.”
Triantafyllou won silver at Rio’s 2016 Paralympics and is getting ready for the Tokyo Paralympics in August. Photo: Demetrios Ioannou for NPR
Despite his huge success, he says Greece hasn’t always been very supportive of people with activity limitations.
“Greece gives to a person with disabilities an allowance of maximum 600-700 euro [every month], depending on the disability,” he says, an amount equivalent to $660-$770, which is considered low by European Union standards. “If you can’t work and don’t have your own house, you simply don’t get by. When you have to pay 400-500 euros [$440-$550] just for your rent, how can you handle your other expenses, like bills, food, etc.?”
According to a 2017 report by Eurostat, more than 82% of adults with disabilities in Greece lived in a household that struggled financially. This is the highest rate in the European Union and well above the EU average of less than 30%.
Triantafyllou was in a car accident on Nov. 21, 2004, that left him paralyzed from the thorax down.
He considers himself one of the lucky ones because he received some insurance money, but it isn’t enough. “They only cover your everyday expenses for some time,” he says.
In recent years, Greek media outlets have paid more attention to athletes with disabilities. Social media networks have also helped offer exposure.
“When you see something and hear about it, you learn how to respect it,” Triantafyllou says regarding ramps and parking spots for the disabled, which are often blocked by parked cars or being used by people with no disabilities, just for their convenience.
A child died after being pulled from the seat when a boat capsized off the Greek island of Lesbos, officials said on Monday, the first reported fatality after the Turkish government opened its border last week to let migrants reach Europe.
At least 1,000 migrants have reached Greece’s Eastern Aegean islands since Sunday morning, Greek police say. More than 15,000 migrants have attempted to cross by land at the border, where guards from both sides have fired tear gas into crowds caught between the fences in no-man’s land.
Turkey, which is home to 3.7 million Syrian refugees and has another million on its doorstep from a new surge of fighting, said last week it would stop enforcing a 2016 agreement that had prevented migrants from reaching the EU.
Greek officials accused Turkey of orchestrating a coordinated effort to drive migrants across the frontier.
“This movement is guided and encouraged by Turkey,” government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters after a national security meeting in Athens. He called the surge of migrants at the border “an active, serious, severe and asymmetrical threat to the national security of the country”.
Turkey’s announcement last week threatens to reverse an agreement that halted Western Europe’s biggest wave of migration since World War Two, the 2015-2016 crisis when 4,000 people drowned in Aegean and more than a million reached Greece.
The Greek coast guard said the boat which capsized off Lesbos on Monday morning had been escorted there by a Turkish vessel. Forty-six people were rescued and two children taken to hospital, one of whom could not be revived.
Another dinghy with about 30 Afghans arrived on Lesbos early in the morning, a Reuters journalist reported from the island. Thirty-two others were rescued in the seas off Farmakonissi, a small island close to Turkey, the coast guard said.
“This is an invasion,” Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis told Skai TV on Monday.
Late on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted that Greece was determined to protect its borders and warned migrants not to attempt to cross as security was increased to the maximum. He is expected to visit the border on Tuesday with Charles Michel, chairman of EU leadership summits.
George Kambosos is the biggest Greek star in boxing. Born in Sydney and of Greek descent, he started boxing because he was overweight as a 11 years old boy.
His father urged him to box and today, at 26, he has only a dream: To become a world champion. The reason: To see his two kids at the top.
George Kambosos, the unbeaten Greek Australian fighter, talked exclusively with The Greek Herald before his fight for the world title.
When did you start boxing? Why you chose this kind of sport?
I started boxing at age 11, because I was an overweight kid who was bullied at school. I was playing rugby league and I was struggling to keep up with the team as my fitness was very bad, so me and my father decided to try boxing out in the off season. As soon as I stated boxing I feel I love with it, I lost 14kgs as an 11 year old kid and made my move to becoming a fighter.
Before being professional, which was your most important win?
I had many great wins before I turned professional as an amateur. I won many state and national tournaments and got to represent the national team in major events. It is very hard to pin point my most important win in amateurs as so many were vital throughout my amateur career.
Who inspires you?
The people who inspire me the most to continue winning and become world champion is my two kids. My daughter Evaliah and my son Leonidas. Everything I do is for them, I put my body through hell in training to be victorious in my fights, to be able to give my kids the best life possible.
Words that you made state of mind?
“MOLON LABE”, these are the words that sit in my mind when I train and fight, these famous words from the Spartans stays with me very strongly in my state of mind. If you want it, come and get it.
Your first professional win came in Sydney. What does this city mean to you?
Yes, many years ago my first professional win was in Sydney. Sydney means a lot to me, it is my home and where I have grown up. I always represent Sydney wherever I fight in the world and hope to bring some big fights back to Sydney in the near future.
You played in Greece some months before. Your feelings about the first visit in patrida?
I still get goosebumps thinking about my time in Greece and being able to fight in front my people. It was a dream of mine to fight in Greece from a young kid so when the opportunity arose i took it with both hands. I am so proud of my heritage and it motivates to continue winning and honouring the Greek flag and proud Greek people. I will return to Greece and fight again one day.
You are still unbeaten in professional career. How tough is that for you?
It is very important, I have worked very hard to stay undefeated. Every time I prepare for a fight, I prepare like it is a world title fight. I have been with this mentality from the very beginning of my career. I will continue working hard to stay unbeaten.
You played at Madison Square Garden … Amazing for a greek athlete! Your feelings?
Fighting at Madison Square Garden was unbelievable. It is is the most famous arena in the world and for a Greek Australian athlete to represent both nations in such an iconic arena is amazing. I dream of fighting in arenas like these and with my hard work, sacrifice and dedication I have made it happen.
You are still 26! What are your plans? What can we expect from you?
I truly feel I am coming into my prime right now at 26, I have a very important fight next against former world champion Lee Selby. This fight is an official world title eliminator. Once I win this fight I will fight for the world title next no matter what. I am focused on this fight and you have to expect from me to continue winning and taking another step towards becoming World Champion in 2020.
You live the american dream? What is YOUR dream?
I train hard in America and all my fight camps are over there. My dream is to become World Champion, I have dreamed of this since such a young age. We are one fight away from fighting for the World Title.
What is your routine?
My routine is very extreme. I train and prepare my body 110%, I put in a lot of work to have my body ready for war in the ring. Running, sparring, pad work, shadow boxing, skipping, weights and so much more is all part of routine.
When you not boxing, what do you do?
When I am not boxing crazy enough I still stay in the gym, I love to train and stay fit and healthy but also love to spend time with my kids and family and I love to fish when I do get free time.
Do you feel most Greek or Australian?
Both I am proud to represent both, my blood is Greek and I live in Australia so both countries mean a lot to me. It is an honour being able to fly both flags fighting on the world stage.
The message you want to send to Greek Herald’s readers?
I just want to thank all the Greek Herald readers for taking the time to read this interview, I hope you all get behind me and support a proud Greek fighter on his way to championship glory.
Over the weekend, 100,000 people descended onto Lonsdale Street for Australia’s largest Greek Street party and celebration of all things Greek, the 2020 Antipodes Festival.
Organised by the Greek Community of Melbourne, the Festival featured a record number (over 90) of food, retail and community stalls, over 40 hours of free live entertainment programmed across three stages, children’s rides and attractions as well as plethora of delicious authentic food offerings.
Despite numbers being down from last year, the event was a huge success and still regarded as the largest celebration of all things Greek outside of Greece, attracting a good mix of intergenerational first-time and regular attendees from all works of life.
Greek football player Giorgos Karagounis – member of the UEFA Euro 2004 winning championship team for Greece, with President and directors of South Melbourne football club Nicholas Maikousis, Andrew Mesourouni and Bill Papastergiadis. Photo: The Greek Herald
Meat on the spit at the Antipodes Festival in Melbourne before Clean Monday! Photo: The Greek Herald
The Victorian Premier, Dan Andrews officially opened the Festival and acknowledged the contribution of the Greek Community to Victoria and the importance of multiculturalism. The President of the Greek Community, Bill Papastergiadis also addressed the audience and introduced former Greek National Soccer captain and 2004 Euro championship player Giorgos Caragounis.
Across the weekend there was an abundance of vibrant, passionate performances including from two of the audience favourites at Delphi Bank Stage, the Opening and Closing Night Feature Acts Giota Negka and Sifis Tsourdalakis.
Other stand outs included the DJ set debut by Kosmas Events which embraced the next generation of Greek Aussies with their highly anticipated dance party tunes and the Xylouris Brothers who were joined by Giorgos Frantzeskakis and Giorgos Stratakis delighting the audience with their unique style of Cretan music that had party goers dancing in the street.
Giota Negka performing at the Lonsdale Greek Festival in Melbourne. Photo: The Greek Herald
The 2020 Antipodes Festival showcased the best of Greek arts and culture, entertainment and food for another year, living up to its’ reputation as one of the highlights of Melbourne’s cultural calendar.
Crowds at Sydney Olympic’s Belmore Sports Ground were left devastated in the opening match of the NPL NSW as Wollongong Wolves defeated Sydney Olympic 2-1, with a late goal by Wolves scored in the 89th minute.
It was a heated game from beginning to end, with both sides being dealt yellow cards for aggressive tackles and confrontations. Sydney Olympic were dealt five fouls compared with Wolves seven, with Sydney Olympic’s two bookings coming from an argument between opposing players during the middle of the match.
Both teams had four attempts at goal with two shots on target, with Sydney Olympic failing to convert many of the opportunities in the beginning of the second half.
Wolves opened up the scoring in the first 10 minutes of the match with a high cross delivered into the box, finished by Lachlan Scott after Olympic goalkeeper Anthony Bouzanis fumbled it from his hands.
Sydney olympic celebrating a goal against Wollongong Wolves. Photo: Peter Oglos
Wollongong Wolves maintained a higher intensity than the Belmore side until the final 10 minutes of the first half, with Olympic then delivering stronger chances.
As the second half began, Olympic came out firing with Madonis scoring a goal in the 48th minute. The goal was brought together from a good play set up by Parkhouse on the left, who laid it off to Beneit Romero. Seeing Madonis open, Romero passes it to the midfielder who takes a touch outside the 18-yard box and drills if into the bottom of the net.
The next 15 minutes saw many opportunities by Olympic. Olympic delivered a great corner at the 57 minute mark which was failed to be cleared by Wolves defenders, with the shot by Olympic eventually being blocked. Olympic proceeded to take many shots from outside the 18-yard box, hitting wide on every attempt.
Many attempts made by Sydney Olympic were thwarted by professional fouls from the Wollongong side, recklessly tackling the opposition and, in one instance, shoving an Olympic player in the back, which was not seen by the referee.
Confrontations on the pitch between opposing players. Photo: Peter Og;os
After a professional foul made by the Wollongong side, Olympic were given a free kick opportunity in the top right corner of the pitch. Parkhouse had an effort at goal with his left foot, attempting to curve it in to the top right of net, yet was saved by Wolves keeper Justin Pasfield.
As the match came to a close, both teams had their energy raised. A corner delivered to the far post was failed to be cleared by Olympic defenders, with Wolves player Bul Juach finishing a close opportunity and wrapping up the game.
Sydney Olympic head coach Terry Palapanis spoke with the Greek Herald after the match regarding the teams performance.
“We conceded 2 soft goals. When you look at the game in it’s entirety, we started slowly and we tweaked it at half time but all in all I thought we had enough chances to win the game.
“There were two crosses, fumbled the first one and the second one was a corner. There was a blatant push in the back that the ref didn’t see.”
Sydney Olympic FC face APIA Leichardt Tigers in Leichardt at 7:30pm next Sunday, with the team looking to improve their performance.
“We’ll go back and do a video session and see where we went wrong and where we can improve… I saw them (APIA Leichardt) playing last night, it’s a winnable match but they’re a good team. We’ll go out guns blazing, regroup, refocus and I’m confident we can win next week and make up for that loss.”
Clashes erupted on the Greek island of Lesvos after around 300 asylum seekers marched into Mytilini to protest over their squalid living conditions. The asylum seekers clashed with riot police, yet residents also began mobilising.
After a truck filled with locals stopped outside the town centre, continually blasting its horn through the usually serene town, workers inside hit the lights and pulled down the blinds. There was a message over loudspeakers calling for villagers to gather at the church. And it provided an opportunity for the staff to evacuate those inside two at a time.
Thousands of island locals attended a protest for Athens to process or remove the refugees. General strikes have been called. “It’s a powder keg ready to explode,” regional governor Kostas Moutzouris told local news regarding the situation.
Lesvos residents have also reportedly gathered in several places to prevent arriving migrants from disembarking from boats. At the port of Thermi, about 50 migrants, including several minors, have not been allowed to disembark. Some of those present have shouted abuse at the local representative of UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency.
CNBC spoke with Lesvos local Mikis Papadakis, 47, who donates his time stopping cars on the Mytilini street border, making sure they are Greek locals.
They [refugees] cut the trees. They take the animals — the sheep, the goats. And we feel insecure,” Papadakis said to CNBC.
Another local, Takis Bokolis, 50, also spoke with CNBC about the ongoing crisis.
“The government has forgotten us,” said Bokolis.
“There is a wall between Greece and the EU, and there is a wall between the islands and Athens.”
More than 500 migrants have reached Greece’s Eastern Aegean islands of Lesbos, Samos and Chios on Sunday, a Greek police official said.
At least seven vessels with more than 300 migrants on board had reached the island of Lesbos, the official said. Some operations were still in progress. Another 150 migrants had reached the island of Samos.
Greek government spokesperson Stelios Petsas noted that these people try to enter Greece by using violence, and thus the country is under an ”active, serious, extraordinary and asymmetrical threat against its security.”
The local economy of Lesvos, largely dependent on tourism, has taken the largest hit out of all the Greek islands. The home of archaic poetess Sappho, the island used to draw holidaymakers for its stunning blue waters, picture-postcard villages, sun-baked olive groves, medieval fortress and world-famous petrified forest.
But tourism dropped by more than 50% in 2016 and, according to business owners on the island, hasn’t recovered by nearly enough. Cruise ships are coming less often — only eight arrived in 2019 compared to 94 in 2011. Tourists that do step onto the island see refugee children reselling bus tickets and a constant flow of those making the trek between camps and into towns.
The Greek government has rolled out a new Childbirth Allowance for children born in Greece on or after January 1, 2020.
The government believes that this tax free allowance will help combat the country’s demographic crisis, working as an incentive to encourage families to have more children.
The falling birth rate is regarded as a major
problem by international organisations and leading economists. They believe it
to be threatening economic recovery.
Childbirth figures have dropped drastically in
recent years, especially since the onset of the ongoing financial crisis.
In 2008 there were 118,302 live births in Greece, with 2019 only recording 96,460 births.
The growing decline of Greece’s population has
resulted in the closing down of schools and kindergartens all over the country.
The Childbirth Allowance of 2000 euros (per child) will be paid in two instalments of 1000 euros, the first being paid at the end of the month after the application is lodged, and the second 6 months after the date of the child’s birth.
The allowance is subject to both financial and residential criteria:
– The applicant must reside in Greece
– Must be either a Greek citizen, a foreign national of Greek descent, a citizen of an E.U. Member state, a citizen of the European Economic Area or of the Swiss Confederation, or a third national who has resided in Greece for 12 years prior to the year of the birth of the child.
