Former President Donald Trump narrowly escaped an apparent assassination attempt at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida on Sunday, September 15. Trump was on the course, just a few holes away from where the incident unfolded but emerged unscathed.
According to law enforcement officials, Secret Service agents responded to the critical situation when they observed a man hiding in the bushes, aiming a rifle through a fence. The agents fired at the suspect, who then fled the scene in a vehicle.
Again folks!
SHOTS FIRED at Trump Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida.
An AK-47 was discovered in the bushes, per local law enforcement. The Trump campaign has released a statement confirming former President Trump is safe.
The man, who has since been identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, was apprehended shortly thereafter. An AK-style firearm was recovered from the scene.
Routh was allegedly armed with an assault rifle outside Trump International Golf Club while Trump was playing the fifth hole 275m to 450m away from the suspect.
It remains unclear what the motive behind the attempt was, or the suspect’s background.
Despite the tense situation, Trump was unharmed and continued his golf game after the incident.
In a fundraising campaign email sent shortly after the incident, Trump said, “ I AM SAFE AND WELL!… Nothing will slow me down. I WILL NEVER SURRENDER!”
Australian actor and director Lex Marinos OAM has died at the age of 75.
Marinos passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by family and at a time of his choosing, as announced in a heartfelt statement on Facebook by his loved ones.
Born in Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Marinos was celebrated for his extensive contributions to Australian television and theatre. His notable roles included performances in iconic local dramas such as Kingswood Country, A Country Practice and The Slap.
Lex and Frank Marinos in Sydney, 1988. Photo: Effy Alexakis.
Marinos’ career spanned several decades, during which he earned acclaim for his versatile acting and directorial skills. His work resonated deeply with audiences and earned him a cherished place in Australian cultural history.
The creative’s legacy lives on through his enduring performances and the indelible mark he left on the Australian entertainment industry.
Marinos was the son of Greek immigrants and was known for conveying multicultural Australia in his work. His expansive career earned him an Order of Australia in 1994.
Tributes have flown from loved ones and friends over the weekend since Marinos’ passing was announced.
In a post on Facebook, historian Leonard Janiszewski spoke of Marinos as a “friend, mentor, confidant.”
“A great Australian whose active, progressive agency within the arts and multiculturalism shines bright,” Mr Janiszewski added.
Multicultural NSW Advisory Board member George Vardas said Marinos was “a valued member” of the Australian Committee for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures.
“An extraordinary man whose memory will remain eternal. Will be sadly missed,” Mr Vardas added.
August 31, 1944, Slovene Partisans executed the Raid at Ožbalt, freeing 105 Allied prisoners of war. This daring rescue mission was the most successful prisoner-of-war escape of the twentieth century. It is a testament to courage and strategic brilliance in the face of overwhelming odds.
The raid occurred near the village of Ožbalt, about 25 kilometres west of Maribor, Slovenia’s second-largest city. Railway projects relied on forced labour from Camp 1046/GW’s prisoners of war, so the raid focused on this group of captives. Ralph Churches, an Australian private and camp leader, planned and led the operation. His British deputy, Leslie Laws, provided crucial support. These two men spearheaded the daring mission, and their roles intertwined.
Churches, an Australian Army infantry soldier with the ANZAC HQ, participated in the Greek Campaign during World War II. From April to May 1941, Churches was involved in the Allied withdrawal from Greece, a crucial and challenging campaign phase.
Fierce fighting engulfed Churches as he dashed between units, relaying critical messages. Outnumbered and besieged, Australian troops engaged in a desperate rear-guard action. They then withdrew to save their forces.
German forces captured Churches as he attempted to row to Crete with three others. He endured harsh conditions in POW camps in Greece before transferring to Stalag XVIII-D in Maribor, Slovenia.
After three and a half years of captivity, Churches and Laws, with Slovenian Partisans, executed their plan. They first freed 78 POWs, then another 25, including soldiers from Britain, France, New Zealand, and Australia.
Completing the escape was challenging. The group travelled 250 kilometres through occupied territory, dodging German patrols. They arrived in Semič, Slovenia, before boarding a flight to Bari, Italy, on September 21, 1944. Churches received the British Empire Medal and Laws the Distinguished Conduct Medal for their bravery.
The Raid at Ožbalt highlights Partisan courage, POW resilience, and the planners’ strategic skill. It’s a great example of wartime resistance, far more successful than the famous but tragic “Great Escape” from Stalag Luft III.
Sixteen local councils across Sydney and NSW are being supported to develop ways to make it cheaper, faster and easier to host free-entry street parties, pop-up activations, festivals or markets that benefit community life.
As part of the Minns Labor Government’s cost-of-living focus and crusade against red tape, councils will be assisted to lower the cost of putting on a street event, including reducing the prohibitive costs for organisers of gaining traffic management plans for each event they host.
The ‘Permit/Plug/Play’ pilot grants of up to $500,000 will allow councils to provide permanent onsite power, water, safety barriers and/or bollards in the places their communities gather. This will reduce the need for equipment hire and make events more of a routine exercise across 16 NSW local government areas.
The councils taking part in the $8 million pilot program are: Bayside, Burwood, City of Canada Bay, City of Canterbury-Bankstown, City of Parramatta, Georges River, Inner West, Liverpool City, Northern Beaches, Penrith City, Randwick City, Waverley, City of Newcastle, Port Macquarie Hastings Council, Wagga Wagga City, and Wollongong City.
Photo: Concrete Playground.
For example, in Canterbury-Bankstown the pilot will help make the month-long Ramadan Nights event financially sustainable by installing infrastructure including meridian barriers, hostile vehicle mitigation and power outlets for stalls. It will also find ways to save money on processes and approvals through the development of a stallholder policy and a new stall holder operational model.
NSW Minister for Roads John Graham said “Ramadan Nights is an incredible event which demonstrates the amazing diversity of our state. I am very pleased to state government can help the council make the event more financially sustainable.”
“When I first came to office and was briefed on the cost of opening a street for an event, I was told it could cost up to $122,000 on each occasion. I couldn’t believe it. We are now fixing this,” Mr Graham added.
“We want to make these events cheaper and easier for councils to run, so they can host them more often. These events bring communities together, having fun and supporting local businesses without blowing the family budget.
“Whether it’s a Ramadan Nights in Lakemba, the Festival of W in Wagga Wagga, or a Spring Fair in Drummoyne these events speak to the local personality of their communities, they bring people together and support local businesses.”
Photo: Festival of W.
In the City of Canada Bay there will be provisions for electricity and water along Rodd Road in Five Dock, in Wagga Wagga permanent retractable bollards will be installed at Baylis Street and in Burwood there will be pre-defined traffic management arrangements on Burwood Road.
The grants will also support councils to develop 46 global transport management plans and 21 global development applications that can be pre-approved rather than reinvented for each event.
By helping turn over 65 local streets into event-ready sites, the pilot program aims to transform them into more activated, vibrant and thriving shared spaces for communities to enjoy. This will provide significant economic, social and cultural benefits to local communities.
As part of Transport for NSW’s $19.7 million Vibrant Streets Package, this program works in combination with the Open Streets program which is providing grants for 130 street events across NSW. These events are all free entry, creating budget busting fun for families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
Lessons from the Permit/Plug/Play Pilot will be shared to help make street events more sustainable and more regular across the state.
These programs are part of the Minns Labor government’s wider vibrancy agenda to cut red tape and support communities and businesses to bring people together and have fun in their local areas.
For more information on the Permit/Plug/Play pilot program,click here.
The Greek Festival of Sydney has announced the renewal of commitment with Bank of Sydney continuing as their presenting partner for 2025 and 2026.
Following a very successful collaboration over the last two years, the Greek Festival of Sydney and Bank of Sydney have come to a mutual commitment to join forces for a further two-year period. With the primary goal to support, educate and entertain the Greek and greater multicultural community of NSW through quality cultural events, both parties are focused on working beneficially together to deliver a high-quality cultural program for the next two years.
“We cannot help but thank Bank of Sydney for their continuous support and trust in our collaboration,” Harry Danalis, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW), said.
“It has been a mutual agreement not only to strengthen our ties between organisations but to support and make our community stronger while embracing our ethnic identity within our multifaceted society.”
Photo: Greek Festival Of Sydney / Facebook.
Melos Sulicich, Chief Executive Officer Bank of Sydney, said, “Bank of Sydney is delighted to continue as the presenting partner of the Greek Festival of Sydney in 2025 and 2026. It is an honour to support the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW and strengthen our multicultural connections with this important part of our society. We look forward to enjoying the celebration of Greek art, history, music, food and literature throughout the festival.”
Nia Karteris, Chair of the Greek Festival of Sydney, said, “We want to extend our sincere appreciation to Bank of Sydney and Mr Sulicich for believing in our commitment; to always deliver high quality events that excite audiences and offer new and innovative contributions to the largest and longest-lived cultural Festival in our State.”
Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women and children impacted by family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV) will have better support with a new transformative project, led by non-profit SSI, in partnership with Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia (FECCA).
The Train, Engage, Connect and Support (TECS) Project, funded by the Department of Social Services, recognises that while FDSV is not unique to CALD communities, women and children face unique challenges requiring a community-based solution.
This project will work closely with leaders in CALD communities to empower them to identify, discuss, prevent, and respond to the forms of abuse in domestic and family situations affecting CALD women and children.
SSI CEO Violet Roumeliotis said while FDSV is not a problem unique to CALD communities, the experiences of migrant and refugee women and children are overlaid and exacerbated by nuanced challenges, including social, cultural and institutional factors.
“CALD community and faith leaders, as trusted confidants, hold a uniquely crucial role in raising awareness and preventing FDSV. They need to be equipped and armed with the knowledge, skills, and resources to address this issue.
“We’re looking forward to leveraging existing sector expertise and collaborating closely with multicultural and mainstream FDSV service providers, peak bodies, ethno-specific and mainstream community organisations nationally to achieve TECS project goals and address this important issue.”
FECCA CEO Mary Ann Geronimo said, “The TECS project is a critical initiative that will put in place solutions to addressing family, domestic, and sexual violence that are truly informed and supported by communities. Partnering with SSI, a respected expert on this issue, FECCA looks forward to mobilising deep community connections across the country to empower them to support those who are most vulnerable.”
Dr. Natik Kade, a leader in the Iraqi community and President of Iraqi University Graduated Forum in Australia, said: “The TECS project is a powerful step towards supporting marginalised individuals and an essential initiative that will assist many communities to become more aware of family, domestic, and sexual violence. As this Project empowers individuals, faith and community leaders of CALD backgrounds to support and advocate for their communities, it will put struggling women and children at ease. I welcome this innovative project that will provide leaders the tools and resources to support CALD women and children and other vulnerable groups, creating a safer environment where every person, regardless of background, is supported and protected.”
The TECS project will encompass 23 state and regional peak organisations and extend its reach to over 1,500 ethnic and faith-based community organisations and their leaders. This coalition will serve as a solid foundation for listening, collaborating, and co-designing resources that address the needs of CALD communities.
SSI and FECCA have begun leveraging their strong relationships with multicultural communities and faith leaders, and drawing on lived experience expertise to co-design, develop, and deliver an evidence-based, culturally appropriate national training package and resources on FDSV for CALD communities and faith leaders.
The consultation workshops will be held between October 2024 and February 2025, across all states and territories with faith and community leaders, victim survivors and sector stakeholders. If you would like to learn more and get involved, please contact fdsv.tecs@ssi.org.au
To truly discover the soul of Athens, Greece, it’s crucial to venture beyond the well-trodden paths and tourist hotspots. Delve into the contrasting realities that shape Athens’ contemporary identity, and you’ll find a city that’s reinventing itself.
In its most recent version, Athens has rebounded from more than a decade of turbulence: a crippling debt crisis, a brain drain, a refugee influx, and a global pandemic. These events have left their battle scars on the metropolis, and along with the city, Athenians have changed too. You can find them seated at their usual gathering spot – the local plateia (square), hubs in neighbourhoods that are an evolution of the Ancient Agora.
Most of the 3.61 million tourists who headed to Athens in July 2024 headed to iconic Syntagma (Constitution) Square, and chose to stay at picturesque neighbourhoods at the foot of the Acropolis. Inner-city areas like Mets, Koukaki, Thisseion, Petralona are now a tourist Mecca with picturesque Greek cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops.
It’s a different demographic in inner city disadvantaged areas of Athens.
Locals lament that they have been priced out of these neighbourhoods, with only the most affluent lucky enough to live among the boutique hotels and luxurious Airbnb rentals. A friend who moved to Kallithea after the Koukaki post-pandemic rental market skyrocketed tells me she hopes the transient tourist theme park does not reach her current home.
Teas, herbs and oriental tea sets.Something for everyone. Nuts and ancient Greek statues.
A city of contrasts
On the other end of the spectrum are Victoria Square, and those at Agios Panteleimonas, Agios Pavlos and Agios Nikolaos. These inner-city hubs are languishing in the aftermath of the refugee crisis that brought a tsunami of new arrivals.
When you’re in the backstreets of Agio Panteleimon Square and it feels like you’re in Cuba.In summer evenings, mainly men gather around Agios Panteleimonas Church. They hang around sending messages, but there is an occasional altercation.An afternoon at Victoria Square.
Once-picturesque neoclassical buildings, former homes of dignitaries, have seen their glorious history scribbled out by graffiti. In these areas, it wasn’t the gentrification but the degradation that forced the original owners to leave.
Diofantou Street, Pangrati. Photo Alexandros Giannakakis via Unsplash.
Long-time locals, the few that remain, are sad to see a downward spiral engulf their homes, along with the subsequent drop in their property prices.
Victoria Square station and the air conditioning is not working.
“I’m embarrassed to say I live here,” a resident of Agios Panteleimonas tells me before pointing to the neighbourhood’s potential with its iconic church, views of the Acropolis, and inner-city proximity.
These once-ordinary neighbourhoods are now ghettos of poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. The putrid smell of urine emanates from the heated summer sidewalks, while others ‘sun themselves’ on benches.
In the path between the National Archaeological Museum and Polytechnic a man sleeps on a park bench, and another two sleep on the Polytechnic steps as tourists walk by.
During the 2015 peak of the refugee crisis, controversial radical left wing SYRIZA minister Tasia Christodoulopoulou, who held the first-ever migration policy portfolio in the Tsipras government, was asked why undocumented migrants loitered at squares, doing nothing all day.
Halal meat is on display in high-density refugee areas.Just eight euros for a haircut on Acharnon Street.
“There are no refugees (loitering) in squares,” she had said. “They just go out in the mornings to sun themselves.”
An apartment block on Acharnon Street, worst for wear..
Local newspapers at the time also latched onto Christodoulopoulou’s suggestions that refugees provided a ‘tourist attraction’ for visitors.
“After all, tourists go wherever there are peculiarities,” she had said, sparking headlines and satirical cartoons. Her comments were made as 2,000 third-world migrants camped out at Victoria Square and hundreds more slept in makeshift camps at other inner-city squares.
Almost 10 years later, the SYRIZA government’s legacy can still be felt in the area.
Crime in the backstreets
With no set multicultural policy, Greece has a complex relationship with diversity due to the rapid influx of refugees arriving on dinghies and inconsistency in the government’s stance. The results of failed government policies are stark, with locals in the past having blamed the SYRIZA government for opening the “floodgates” without a plan in place. These days the situation has stabilised but inner-city regions have morphed into male-dominated ghettos filled with unique challenges, especially for women in terms of safety.
Gangs of men in these inner-city suburbs loiter to and from the seedy brothels on Filis Street, sliding through dingy doorways marked by lit lightbulbs even during the day. It’s the red-light district, though the lamps are white. What was once contained in Filis Street is pulsating outwards, engulfing 20-euros-a-pop prostitutes.
“They keep them there so these wretched men, deprived of women, have somewhere to go,” says my taxi driver as he pulls up to Agios Panteleimonas square.
There are several money transfer offices around the square, and another dozen or so in the side streets. These establishments are slowly replacing the pawn shops that sprouted during the debt crisis, allowing for migrants to send money back home. You can also pay bills and taxes at these establishments, as well as at OPAP betting centres and supermarkets.
Not all doom
With the sprawl of supermarket chains, iconic periptero kiosks are in decline while recycling units are popping up at nearly every square. In disadvantaged areas, you can see migrant and Roma children looking through rubbish for plastic bottles to pass through the recycling kiosks for a euro per 33 containers.
The recycling units are proving to be popular in disadvantaged areas.
Another win are the cheap services offered by the multitude of nimble cobblers or tailor who swapped out a zipper on my jeans for 4 euros, while a 5-euro no frills haircut proved comparable to those of any fancy saloon.
Al Zaim kebab restaurant on Acharnon Street draws mainly male diners who gather to socialise over a bite.
Ethnic restaurants aren’t much to look at but offer affordable exotic delicacies. My interest is piqued by a rally of men pouring out from Syrian-owned Al Zaim onto Acharnon Street to enjoy chicken shawarma for 3.50 euros.
It’s hard to find green in the disadvantaged areas around Acharnon Street. A Greek flag hangs out with the laundry.
“It’s clean, affordable and delicious,” they say, and they aren’t wrong!
Alpha Conservatory on 3is Septemvriou Street, between Acharnon and Patission streets, is a bright light of culture and hope in an area forgotten by the Municipality of Athens.
Though iconic cultural venues like Rodon and Trianon are a distant memory, a number of edgy theatre venues like Theatre Art 63 and Theatro Prova are sprouting within walking distance of the National Theatre of Greece, housed in the neoclassical Ziller Building on Agiou Konstantinou Street, just off Omonia.
A couple find romance at Omonia Station.The National Archaeological Museum is just window dressing for delapidated, decaying backstreets.
The National Archaeological Museum, a beacon of hope, is also on this grittier side of town. A breath away from Victoria Square, the Hellenic Motor Museum can be seen from Maria Callas’ home currently being restored.
The Hellenic Motor Museum is behind Maria Callas’ home.
Canadian-owned Montreal is a little pottery/hairdressing studio that would be right at home in Glebe. Granted, the region’s redemption from a third world ghetto to an edgy Fitzroy-esque vibe may still be a long way off but seeds of change are constant.
Montreal, near Victoria Square, is a gallery and hairdressing studio and has a funky vibe.
Nothing stands still.
The changing face of neighbourhoods
A stone’s throw from the Polytechnic (National Technical University of Athens) lies Exarcheia Square, where anarchy is being diluted.
In nearby Exarcheia, where singer Marina Satti filmed her Mantissa video clip, gentrification has been steadily hammering away. Where anarchists and misfits once thrived, law and order are being restored.
The writing on the wall on the Stournari Street side of the Polytechnic that leads to Exarcheia states ‘No Metro at Exarcheia’.
Travel agents no longer warn tourists to avoid the area following the slow flushing out of hooded anarchists who would occupy buildings to rebel against taxes, capitalism, or any constitutionally determined political system.
Conservative New Democracy Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a long-time critic of lawlessness in Exarcheia, declared war on anarchism in the area during his 2017 speech: “I will clean up Exarcheia,” he promised.
Cute eateries are drawing people to Exarcheia.
This was followed by a statement by Police Officer Union Chief Stavros Balaskas, who said: “If they give us a mandate, we will not only clean them up; but not even a mosquito will stay in Exarcheia.”
Once a haven for the resistance movement, the regular clashes between hoodlums and police have decreased. You can still find reminders of its history: political messages on walls, a faint aroma of pot as you pass by a window, the unofficially named ‘Alexander Grigoropoulos street,’ where the 2008 police shooting of a teenager sparked violence throughout Athens.
Kafeneion, a coffee place with an unassuming name on Exarcheia Square.Menu on a shop window.
The voice of the resistance is being slowly drowned out by new bars, bookstores, florists, and concept stores popping up in buildings once dominated by squatters. A new crowd of Athenian hipsters, artisans, and high-brow intellectuals are moving in. They are less likely to light up a Molotov cocktail than they are a Cohiba.
Line 4 metro stop at Exarcheia, due for completion by the end of the decade, may well be the nail on the coffin as far as the area’s alteration from anarchy to arty is concerned.
The famous blue building across from the VOX Summer Cinema on Exarcheia Square was designed by architect Kyriakoulis Panagiotakos and was home to many famous Athenians.
Five minutes away is Kolonaki Square with its designer boutique stores and coffee shops where well-to-do Athenians would sip their coffee in winter months before leaving for Mykonos in summer. Still affluent, but you are less likely to see ladies with carefully coiffed hair walking their poodles in their Louboutins. However, you may find a Filipino housemaid or two taking on the task.
This summer, the square is dug up in preparation for the Exarcheia to Kolonaki line – once the antithesis of each other but getting closer. Strange bedfellows, almost as strange as the construction workers and archeologists working together as they dig through metro tunnels finding antiquities and then displaying these at metro stations where they were found.
Looking for ordinary Greek families
Though the metro is a great way to get around, you may want to veer off the metro line for a glimpse into the middle-class lives of Athenians.
Nea Smyrni Square and the vibe is chill when night falls.
The most famous non-tourist square is that of Nea Smyrni. Sprawling over five acres, it is a square that fiercely retains its strong local character and intergenerational appeal: elders sip their coffee outside the Everest tyropita chain, young parents encourage toddlers to take their first steps, teens rush out from the local high school, nicknamed Onasseio after the suburb’s famous benefactor, Greek tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
Cocktails at Gaston, Nea Smyrni Square.
It is a place where neighbours bump into each other and enjoy beverages in cafes by the fountains. Souvlaki shops like Lefteris and Crepa Crepa creperie have become local institutions. You may come across an odd toddler tantrum for an ice cream at Zuccherino, and adults head to Adonis, a café that has even inspired songs. Galaxias, a café hangout for young people in the 1980s, has been repurposed as a cultural centre. Each venue carries memories for those who spent their youth there.
A Google Maps view of Nea Smyrni.
Like Nea Smyrni, middle-class suburbs like Agia Paraskevi, Kaisariani, Pangrati and Vyronas have squares non-trodden by tourists.
Getting around
Public transport in Athens keeps getting better with the extension of its metro lines strategically placed as they link to bus, tram and metro arteries. The set-up is made even more convenient with digital signposts at bus stops telling you exactly when the next bus will arrive, and an app has also been created to take the guesswork out of waiting.
Line 1, the Piraeus-Kifissia line, is known as the ‘ilektrikos’ and is the oldest services of the Athens metro network.Antiquities at Evangelismos Station.Digital signposts take the guesswork out of bus arrivals.
The price has remained stable at 1.20 euros for a standard ticket using all transport means for 90 mins (50 cents for seniors and students), and 4.5 euros for a one-day ticket, 8.20 euros for unlimited five days and a 3-day tourist pass is also available and includes transport to and from the airport. Despite the affordable prices, the honour code is tested as people rush to get in for free behind ticket-payers at gateways. Others leave their tickets on rails so that fellow commuters can make use of unused time left on their tickets.
Digital signposts and apps mean that Athenians no longer need to second guess when the next bus is coming.For an authentic Athenian experience, catch a bus when it is mid-summer. There you’ll see a hotchpotch of cultures, and a large number of freeloaders not swiping their tickets.
Cabs continue to be notorious with drivers chatting on mobile phones while driving, whizzing through an occasional red light, a number refusing to turn on taxi metres unless asked, and though credit card payments are now a legal obligation, there are still cabbies uninterested in following the guidelines.
With GPS tracking systems now available, it is tempting to turn on your GPS but get ready for an insulted cabbie should you be caught. But with fares still being affordable sometimes it’s worth circling your way to the square.
Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has faced personal tragedies in her past, including the loss of both her father and a former boyfriend.
However, according to en.as.com, she has found new happiness with Georgios Frangulis, with whom she was first publicly seen in April 2024. Since then, Frangulis has frequently been spotted supporting her courtside at tournaments around the world.
Born in Brazil, Frangulis’ family is originally from Thessaloniki, Greece, but he has lived in the United States since 2014, residing first in Miami and later in Venice Beach. Though he studied law, he chose not to take the Brazilian Bar Association exam. Instead, he pursued other passions, including motorsports, where he competed in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge.
Frangulis’ greatest success, however, came in 2016 when he founded Oakberry, a superfood brand specialising in açaí products. By 2023, Oakberry had raised $63 million in capital and expanded to over 700 stores in more than 40 countries.
Sabalenka became an ambassador for Oakberry in January 2024, just before she claimed her second Australian Open title.
In a recent interview with People, Sabalenka shared her gratitude for Frangulis’ support during difficult times, saying, “There was a really tough period where I was really happy to have him by my side, always cheering me up, always making sure that we are doing some fun stuff.”
Niki Louca from My Greek Kitchen shares her favourite recipe for rizogalo (Greek rice pudding) with The Greek Herald. You can follow her on Instagram @mygreekkitchen for more!
Even though it is officially spring, Australia’s weather still calls for a warm, comfort dessert on a cool night. A traditional recipe with options to jazz it up and serve at a dinner party.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1/3 cup long grain rice washed and drained
3 cups milk – reserve ½ to dilute cornflour in
1 cup water
4 tbsp sugar
4 ½ tablespoons corn flour diluted in ½ cup milk reserved
2 tablespoons rose water
ground cinnamon to serve (for the traditional method)
Method:
Rince your rice till water runs clear – set aside to drain.
In a heavy based saucepan add your rice with water. Cover and bring to boil stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, prepare your corn flour and milk mixture – set aside.
When the rice is nearly cooked and most of the water absorbed, add the remainder milk. Stir to mix through.
Add your sugar, corn flour mixture, and rose water. Do not walk away from it. Bring it to a simmer but keep stirring till it thickens.
As it thickens you will notice that it is still a little on the runny side – don’t worry, as it cools down it will thicken further.
Divide pudding into ramekins/bowls and dust them with cinnamon. Serve warm or cold.
Notes:
– The rice seems like a small amount, but as it cooks and swells it will increase.
– You can jazz up your rizogalo by adding some rhubarb and praline. In an oven, sprinkle 3 tbsp sugar on a couple of rhubarb stalks. Bake till soft but still holding its shape. Once cooked set aside to cool down.
– In a heavy based saucepan on medium heat, sprinkle 1 ½ cups sugar. Once all sugar is dissolved and you have a nice honey golden colour, add ¾ cup of raw almonds. Stir them around so they are fully covered and pour onto a baking sheet. Spread them as best as you can and let the mixture cool. Once fully cooled, blitz them in a food processor till fine crumbs – set aside.
– To assemble – divide you rizogalo mixture into 4 serving cups/bowls and add some of the rhubarb to once side of bowl and then the praline on the other side. It is best served warm.
Nicolas Cage is currently in Greece, specifically in the town of Megara, for the production of his upcoming film, The Carpenter’s Son, according to protothema.gr.
The movie, in which Cage stars, explores the childhood of Jesus. Originally, the crew had planned to shoot scenes in caves around Megara. However, an unexpected incident disrupted those plans.
During filming, Cage was attacked by a swarm of wild bees in one of the caves, forcing the production team to seek an alternative location.
This isn’t the first time Cage has filmed in Greece. He previously worked alongside Penélope Cruz and Christian Bale in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which was filmed on the island of Kefalonia.
