Greece has strongly criticised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments made during a visit to the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus on Saturday, May 3, warning that any unilateral moves risk derailing ongoing peace efforts.
During his visit, Erdogan declared: “We, the Turkish nation and the Turkish Cypriots, are the owners of this land. Whoever doesn’t know this must learn it. Whoever hasn’t heard it must hear it.” He also vowed that Turkey’s presence in northern Cyprus would last “for centuries.”
In response, Greek diplomatic sources stated on Sunday: “At a time when a significant effort is being made by the UN Secretary General on the Cyprus problem, with the resumption of the informal talks and the appointment of Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar as personal envoy, any action to create a fait accompli in the occupied territories is an extremely negative development.”
Athens reaffirmed its commitment to the UN framework for Cyprus reunification, emphasising that a just and lasting solution would benefit all Cypriots and promote regional peace and stability.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has secured a landmark victory in the 2025 Australian federal election, becoming the first leader since John Howard in 2004 to be re-elected after serving a full term. Labor is projected to win approximately 90 seats in the House of Representatives, strengthening its previous slim majority and solidifying a strong mandate for its second term.
In a night that reshaped Australia’s political landscape, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton lost his Queensland seat of Dickson to Labor’s Ali France. It is the first time in more than a century that a sitting opposition leader has been unseated in their own electorate during a federal election.
Peter Dutton delivers his concession speech after losing both the 2025 federal election and his seat of Dickson – the first time in over a century an Opposition Leader has been unseated in their own electorate.
Labor’s campaign focused on cost-of-living relief, housing affordability, and healthcare—messages that resonated with voters nationwide. Significant swings in key electorates, particularly in Queensland and inner metropolitan areas, pushed the party well over the majority threshold of 76 seats.
In his victory speech, Albanese struck a unifying tone and recommitted to delivering for all Australians: “This is a time of profound opportunity for our nation… We have everything we need to seize this moment and make it our own, but we must do it together.”
The Liberal-National Coalition saw a sharp drop in its primary vote, reaching a historic low of around 31 percent. With key marginal seats swinging toward Labor and several independent and Greens candidates performing well, the Coalition now faces internal questions about its leadership and future direction.
Following his loss, Peter Dutton offered a brief concession speech, stating: “I accept full responsibility for the result tonight.” His defeat in Dickson is expected to trigger a leadership contest within the Liberal Party.
As Albanese embarks on a second term, his government will be under pressure to deliver on promises of economic stability, improved public services, and climate action. The resounding win offers Labor the political capital to move forward with key legislative reforms.
Radioactive Pictures is pleased to announce The Aegeanis coming to cinemas around the country from 16 May 2025, telling a complex and visually striking tale of friendship and hope, shot on the Greek island of Kythira.
The film features standout performances from Greek rap superstar LIGHT (aka Nero Greco), award winning young actor Nicky Dune, alongside Hollywood icon Costas Mandylor, who returns to his ancestral homeland of Greece to deliver a truly heartbreaking turn as a widowed sailor.
Written and directed by Jacob Richardson, The Aegeanis a sweeping, ambitious epic. The uplifting story follows Hector (Costas Mandylor), a widowed Greek fisherman who feels the weight of his age in a world that has started to forget him. Everything changes when he meets Theodore (Nicky Dune), a resourceful, sharp, and endlessly positive teenager desperately seeking a saviour to rescue him from a dire situation. United by their shared struggles, they embark on a journey on the enchanting Aegean Sea, where amidst the azure waters, they discover a newfound purpose and a reason to carry on.
Set against the backdrop of the enchanting sea, The Aegean takes the audience on an enthralling voyage that transcends boundaries, revealing the depths of human resilience and the redemptive power of friendship.
Jacob said making the film was a deeply personal experience guided by his own family, and the beauty of Kythira.
“I wanted to tell a story about my own grandfather, who lost my grandmother close to six years ago,” Jacob said.
“He really retreated into himself and, through this film, I wanted to explore the nature of the relationships and connections in our lives that we all hold dear and the importance of human connection while navigating grief.
“While I was putting the story together I stumbled across the Greek island of Kythira. I was struck by its profound beauty and its massive scenery. It really spoke to the isolation Hector would have felt.
“Seeing this film come to life has been huge for me, and I’m exceptionally proud of what we’ve achieved with this cast and crew. I can’t wait for it to hit the big screens so we can share this unique story with the world.”
The film is being distributed in Australia by Australian distribution company Radioactive Pictures.
Jessica Butland of Radioactive Pictures says The Aegeantells a powerful and enthralling story about hope and friendship, and this is what first captured her attention.
“The Aegeanstands out with its masterful blend of narrative and visual storytelling,” Jess said.
“With its authentic portrayal of unique characters and the exquisite cinematography that captures the essence of the Aegean Sea, it offers an immersive cinematic experience that is both touching and memorable, ideal for a cinematic audience.
“The film offers a deeply emotional and universal story that resonates with themes of human connection, making it a great fit for audiences in Australia and New Zealand.”
The Aegean is coming to cinemas around Australia from 16 May 2025, having already played successful screenings at the Brisbane International Film Festival and the Greek Film Festivals in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The film has also recently been selected for the Greek International Film Festival Tour of Canada.
Seniors in Melbourne’s Fronditha Care homes have experienced a powerful lift in wellbeing thanks to a unique pet therapy program developed by Monash University, according to The Herald Sun.
The Pets and People initiative brought animals—ranging from dogs and guinea pigs to robotic cats—into aged care homes once a week for just one hour. Despite the short visits, researchers found “significant” improvements in health and loneliness among residents, many of whom are of Greek background.
Dr Em Bould, who led the program, said it was inspired by their own bond with elderly Greek neighbours. “They spoke no English, I spoke no Greek, but we connected over the dog,” they said. “You don’t necessarily need words when there’s a pet involved.”
The 18-week pilot ran across five Fronditha homes, four of which are based in Melbourne and cater to the Greek community. The visits were made by a small group of international students—also at risk of social isolation—who formed deep connections with the older residents.
“The conversations moved beyond pets over time,” Dr Bould said. Some students even came to call the seniors their “Australian grandparents.”
Even robotic animals played a role. “I had a cat that I gave to this one lady and she loved it instantly,” said Dr Bould. “It gives them a purpose… without the responsibility that a real pet offers.”
Fronditha Care CEO Faye Spiteri confirmed the program led to “positive and encouraging health outcomes.” Dr Bould hopes it will expand across Australia, especially in culturally connected care environments.
Greece and Australia have made a splash in the World’s 50 Best Beaches list, with several entries showcasing their coastal beauty, according to the dailymail.co.uk
Greece claims three coveted spots. Fteri Beach in Kefalonia ranks fourth overall, praised as being “tucked away in a secluded cove”, offering a pristine, tranquil escape far from crowded tourist hubs. Voutoumi Beach on the island of Antipaxos comes in at 16th, and Porto Katsiki, famed for its dramatic cliffs and turquoise waters on Lefkada, is listed 36th.
Australia also stands out with three beaches in the top 50. Turquoise Bay in Western Australia lands at number 11, celebrated for its vibrant marine life and excellent snorkeling conditions. Wharton Beach, known for its sweeping white sands and surf-friendly waves, is 21st. And Nudey Beach on Fitzroy Island near Cairns, with its coral-fringed waters and lush rainforest backdrop, secures the 37th spot.
Topping the global list is Cala Goloritze in Sardinia, Italy. Judges called it “more than just a beach” and “truly breathtaking”. Access is limited, preserving its untouched charm.
From Greece’s quiet coves to Australia’s vibrant reefs, these beaches highlight the countries’ coastal appeal.
Greece is expected to lose 1.3 to 1.5 million people by 2050, with the population aging significantly, according to a study by the Institute for Demographic Research and Studies, led by Professor Vyronas Kotzamanis. According to protothema.gr, the most profound changes will affect two age groups: the working-age population (20–64) and those over 65.
The 20–64 group will shrink by about 1.7 million, mainly due to falling fertility rates across generations and a steady decline in births since 1980. This trend worsened in the past 15 years as the number of women of childbearing age dropped, and emigration—especially of young adults—outpaced immigration. Meanwhile, the 65+ population is growing, driven by past high birth rates and rising life expectancy. They are projected to exceed one-third of the population by 2050, up from 24% today.
Kotzamanis argues that maintaining Greece’s 2025 employment levels by 2050 is possible under two conditions: raising the employment rate of the 20–64 age group from 67% to 82%, especially among women and those aged 20–29 and 55–64, and achieving a positive migration balance of about 700,000. If both goals are met, the number of employed persons could remain stable at 4 million.
Still, even in this scenario, the ratio of workers to retirees will fall from 1.64 to 1.24, requiring broad policy responses. As Kotzamanis notes, national prosperity “does not only depend on the population of workers,” but also on the “quality” of human resources and other long-term factors.
A routine construction project in Thessaloniki uncovered a hidden chapter of Greece’s post-war trauma, according to an article by Costas Cantouris in AP.
The discovery has unearthed painful memories of Greece’s Civil War. Construction workers laying benches in a city park uncovered a mass grave — 33 skeletons in unmarked pits near the Yedi Kule fortress, once a prison where leftists were tortured and executed between 1946–1949.
“We found many bullets in the heads, the skulls,” said supervising engineer Haris Charismiadis. Items found include a ring, a woman’s shoe, and a handbag — remnants of lives cut short.
The site, cleared for development because the bones are under 100 years old, has become the country’s first exhumed Civil War mass grave. Authorities in Neapolis-Sykies insisted on continuing the excavation, calling the find “of great historical and national importance.”
Families are now visiting, hoping for identification through DNA. “So they can retrieve the remains of their grandfather, great-grandfather or uncle,” said long-serving mayor Simos Daniilidis.
One of them is Agapios Sachinis, 78, whose uncle was executed at 19 for refusing to renounce his beliefs. “It’s about carrying inside you not just courage, but values and dignity you won’t compromise – not even to save your own life,” he said. “I want Agapios close to me, at least while I’m alive.”
Historian Spyros Kouzinopoulos, who researched the executions, described the victims as the “flowers of their generation.” Two 17-year-old schoolgirls were among them.
The city plans further excavation. “We must send a message,” said Daniilidis. “Never again.”
Religion is one of the most prominent elements in the works of Nikos Kazantzakis, not only Western religion but also Eastern, especially Buddhism. It is worth keeping in mind that Kazantzakis produced his oeuvre during a time when the West was encountering the East intellectually and was looking for means to reshape its cultural capital. This is the general socio-historical backdrop against which one should place the personal spiritual fascination of Kazantzakis with Buddhist tradition, ideas and practices.
In his presentation Dr Vassilis Adrahtas will explore this fascination or mystique from The Saviors of God: Spiritual Exercises to Zorba the Greek and Kazantzakis’ Odyssey to a palimpsest-kind of work of his under the title Buddha.
The most interesting conclusion of this exploration is not so much the plethora of Kazantzakis’ references to Buddhism, but the subtle, creative and ingenious ways in which he managed to interweave Buddhist with non-Buddhist hierophanic forms.
BIO
Dr Vassilis Adrahtas is the Convenor of Greek Studies, UNSW and a Subject Coordinator, Islamic Studies, WSU. He holds a PhD in the Sociology of Religion (Panteion University) and a PhD in Studies in Religion (University of Sydney). His specialisation is in Early Christianity, Patristics, Byzantine Philosophy, the History of Religions and Indigenous Australian Studies. He has authored and co/edited more than ten books.
He has served as President of the International Society of Nikos Kazantzakis, Sydney Branch (2015-2025) and is the co-founder of Unity in Philia, a not-for-profit promoting intercultural relations between Greece and Australia and cultural diplomacy in the Asia-Pasific region.
His most recent publications are Islam, Civility and Political Culture (Palgrave Macmillan 2021, co-edited with M. Milani); 20 Years with Nikos (International Society of Nikos Kazantzakis, Sydney Branch, 2021); Kazantzakis in Australia! (International Society of Nikos Kazantzakis, Sydney Branch, 2024); Consciousness’ Journey to the Transcendent: Tuning the Finite to Infinity. (Unity in Philia, 2025).
Event Details:
When: Thursday 8 May 2025, 7pm
Speaker: Dr Vassilis Adrahtas
Seminar: The Mystique of Buddhism in the Oeuvre of Nikos Kazantzakis
Where: TheGreek Centre (Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale St, Melbourne)
“Since ancient times, we have had olive oil in our blood,” according to producer Eftychis Androulakis (Pamako). He is referring to Greece’s long and continuing tradition of making and eating olive oil. Even now, he adds, “we are the country that uses the most olive oil per capita.” Giannis Christodoulopoulos (Arkas) adds, “Greek olive oil is our culture.”
Greek olive oil is “a statement of Greek heritage,” agrees an Agrovim company representative. It is an emblem of the bounty of the land. “Its distinctive taste and the superior quality that define Greek olive oil make it unique and recognizable all over the world. It’s connected to our identity.” This national product has been central to Greek cuisine, culture, history, and economy for millennia.
A representative of the Kanakis olive oil company emphasizes many Greeks’ ongoing dedication to their trees. “Olive trees are your children; you must make them grow really well. Olive oil is a liquid gold. You have to make it right.” From generation to generation, families care for their groves, passing them down to offspring as a valuable inheritance, working to produce high quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), mainly from olives grown on small family farms.
“Greek olive oil could be an ambassador for Greek culture, the Greek bond with nature, with agriculture,” according to Giovanni Bianchi. He realizes that Greek olive oil can only serve as such an ambassador when it retains its own identity. Bianchi is the Italian producer of Argali Greek organic olive oil, which he makes and bottles in Greece.
Greek olive oil identity threatened by bulk exports and blending
A great deal of high quality extra virgin olive oil is exported from Greece in bulk, blended with oils from other countries, and sold under a “bottled in Italy” label. George Triantafyllidis (Belia) wishes to correct “the misconception that good olive oil is [always] Italian olive oil. The misconception that ‘Italian’ olive oil is [always] Italian olive oil.”
Of course, 100% Italian olive oil does exist, but Italy consumes and exports far more olive oil than it produces. So it makes up the difference by importing olive oil from several countries and bottling blends of oils. Greece is one of its major sources. With its small population (10 million) and substantial production (sometimes more than Italy’s), Greece has plenty of surplus olive oil to export.
Unfortunately, when producers sell their oil in bulk rather than bottled and branded, they get lower prices for it. This makes it harder to cover their expenses and more likely that they will abandon their groves. Maria Moraiti (Zariphico) joins many Greeks in lamenting that “other countries are benefiting from our product, which we should keep safe under a Greek brand. That’s the main reason I wanted to bottle my olive oil. Why are we giving our best products away—our treasures?”
Triantafyllidis says, “Greece is #1 when it comes to extra virgin olive oil.” Greeks believe that the percentage of the total olive oil produced that is extra virgin is higher in Greece than in any other country, and some experts believe that may be true. “That’s why Italy buys extra virgin olive oil from Greece and blends it with their own olive oil and others’ olive oil,” according to Triantafyllidis and many others.
Natural Greek extra virgin olive oil for cooking and health
John Koutroumanis (Nostalgaia) would like to be sure everyone understands the difference between virgin olive oil (including extra virgin) and other edible oils. By definition, as he explains, virgin olive oil is “produced by mechanical means. Other edible oils have different processes of production, with chemicals or with heat.” On the other hand, “extra virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil are products from nature.”
Extra virgin olive oil is the most flavorful, aromatic kind of olive oil—and the safest, most stable cooking oil. It is perfect for cooking, baking, frying, marinating, and finishing and dressing foods. It is also the healthiest type of olive oil, given its wealth of natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.
While EVOO contains many beneficial elements, such as monounsaturated fat, squalene, and Vitamin E, Eftychis Androulakis and increasing numbers of scientists and olive oil professionals emphasize the health benefits that come from the high concentration of naturally occurring phenolic compounds (or polyphenols) in some extra virgin olive oils.
Androulakis believes there is evidence that on average “Greek olive oil is the most high phenolic in the world, because of the [olive] varieties. With a healthy lifestyle—try and see the effects extra virgin olive oil can give.” Androulakis adds that research on high phenolic olive oil started in Greece, with most of the clinical trials on high phenolic EVOO’s benefits for patients still conducted in this small country. And more evidence of these benefits is published every year.
Extra virgin olive oil for flavour and aroma
While numerous consumers prefer to purchase the healthiest oil they can find, others are at least equally interested in extra virgin olive oil’s flavors and aromas. “Just smell it,” urges Katerina Bougatsou (Stalia); a good extra virgin has a wonderful aroma. And taste it, of course. Then repeat: smell and taste as many different EVOOs as you can.
As Dimitris Psathas (Klea) reminds us, “olive oil is not a fatty substance like butter or sunflower oil; different varieties give different flavors.” He mentions both the most common Koroneiki olive variety and a few of the dozens of others native to different parts of Greece: “Halkidikis, Makris, Kolovi, Tsounati, Manaki.” Irene Eleni (Elaiorama) adds, “in every taste, every sip you taste Greece. In every region the taste is different.” Moreover, in every region olive oil is central to the famously healthy, flavorful Greek Mediterranean diet.
Androulakis agrees that it is rewarding to “try all the varieties around, for different dishes, different gastronomic experiences.” A more intense, spicy olive oil better suits one dish, while a fruitier one better complements another. Creative young Greek chefs delight in experimenting with a variety of olive oil-food pairing flavor combinations.
A bright future for Greek olive oil
In recent years, Greek olive oil has been attracting the attention of enthusiastic chefs, sommeliers, producers, and scientists from various backgrounds. For Androulakis, “the future of Greek olive oil seems to be really bright, with new minds, new professors, new studies, new mills, new machinery, new technologies. So that means it’s developing. Wine is an already known art, but olive oil is unexplored, and this gives me energy to explore more.”
He has good company for his exploration. And fellow travelers are most welcome on this quintessentially Greek journey.
*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.
New Eurostat data reveals that 26.9% of Greece’s population—about 2.74 million people—is at risk of poverty or social exclusion, significantly above the EU average of 21%. This places Greece third-worst among EU nations, behind only Bulgaria (30.3%) and Romania (27.9%), tovima.com, has reported.
The findings follow recent statistics from Greece’s Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), confirming the country continues to lag far behind the EU average in tackling deprivation. The situation has deteriorated between 2023 and 2024, with over 80,000 more people falling into poverty—a 0.8% increase.
Experts warn that the real numbers may be even higher. Vulnerable groups such as the homeless, Roma communities, prisoners, those in institutions, and people living in camps or hospitals are often underrepresented or excluded from official data.
Across the EU, 93.3 million people were at risk in 2024. However, unlike Greece, the broader EU saw slight improvement, with the percentage of those at risk dropping by 0.3 points—around 1.3 million fewer people compared to the previous year.
While other EU countries are making slow progress, Greece’s deep-rooted socioeconomic challenges continue to place a growing share of its population on the edge of poverty and social marginalization.
