Two Israeli missiles have hit the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City, where dozens of displaced Palestinian Christians have taken refuge.
According to Anadolu, the director of Gaza’s government media office Ismail Thawabteh said “The Israeli army committed a new crime by targeting Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza City… This is a crime against religions and is part of the ongoing genocide against Palestinians since Oct. 7.”
The Palestinian official said that more than 600 mosques and three churches have been destroyed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 2023.
Israel’s first missile attack on the Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza back in October 2023. Photo: Mohammed Saber / EPA.
The historic Saint Porphyrius Church is one of the oldest Christian places of worship in Gaza. It was built in the 5th century and named after Saint Porphyrius, whose tomb is inside the church.
The 29th Greek Film Festival of Australia, a co-production of the Greek Orthodox Communities of NSW and Victoria, has announced its screening dates for 2024.
An exciting line-up of the latest films of Greek-produced and/or Greek-themed Indie Cinematography will be offered to Sydney’s and Melbourne’s audience between 15th – 27th October 2024. Both cities will have their Opening Night on Tuesday, 15th October with their respective opening night films to be announced within the next few days.
Following last year’s great success, Sydney and Melbourne are expanding their screenings to more locations for 2024 with the full program and additional venues to be revealed after the Opening Night Film announcement.
The much anticipated 29thGreek Film Festival will make its return to additional Australian cities, with Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth finalising their respective screening dates in late October and early November 2024.
The 29th Greek Film Festival of Australia, a co-production of the Greek Orthodox Communities of NSW and Victoria, has announced its screening dates for 2024.
“For the last 29 years the Greek Film Festival has succeeded in captivating the Australian audience with its diversity, foresight and high-quality films showcasing the modern Greek perspective of our society,” Nia Karteris, Festival Chair of the Greek Festival & the Greek Film Festival of Sydney, points out.
“We have been entrusted with a great cause; to continue a legacy in creating, promoting and delivering a Greek Film Festival to the Australian audience with our outmost respect in what the Greek Culture has to offer, and this is exactly what we trust we will be offering during 15th-27th October 2024,” Jorge Menidis, Director of the Antipodes Festival and Director of the Greek Centre of Contemporary Culture in Melbourne, says.
Don’t forget… the Opening Night Films for Sydney and Melbourne will be official announced shortly.
Event Details
WHAT: 29th Greek Film Festival
WHEN: 15th – 27th October 2024
WHERE: Melbourne & Sydney @ Palace Cinemas
NOTE: Exciting info for additional locations and line up of films to be announced shortly.
Greece suffered a 84-77 defeat to Spain in the men’s basketball on Tuesday, July 30.
The men’s national team had a gripping comeback from Spain’s 16-point lead from the first half and tied the score with four minutes left, but Spain prevailed in a nail-biting ending.
Coach Vassilis Spanoulis got another thrilling game by Giannis Antetokounmpo with 27 points, but the comeback fell short of closing the gap.
Greece’s last chance to advance in the tournament relies on a win against Australia this Friday, August 2.
Maria Sakkari was officially eliminated from the Olympics tennis tournament after her women’s singles and doubles losses.
In the women’s single event, Sakkari lost to Marta Kostiuk with a final match score of 1-2. The match was a two hour, 47 minute battle of passion.
In her last attempt at Olympic distinction, Sakkari and Despina Papamichael also lost against the USA’s Kravczyk and Collins in 2-0 sets in the women’s doubles.
Kravczyk and Collins set the pace, controlling the game throughout. Papamichael and Sakkari found more points in the second set, however the effort was not enough to prevent defeat. The American women took the second set 6-3 and finished the game, taking the qualification to the round of 16.
Greece’s national men’s water polo team defeated Montenegro in the penalties on Wednesday, July 31 with a score of 17-16.
This victory lands them in second place in Group A, five points behind Italy.
🤽♂️Η Εθνική ομάδα του πόλο έκανε το 2 στα 2 στους Ολυμπιακούς Αγώνες νικώντας στα πέναλτι με 17-6 το Μαυροβούνιο. O κανονικός αγώνας τελείωσε ισόπαλος 12-12 Mπράβο μάγκες #TeamHellas#waterpolo#Paris2024pic.twitter.com/fvzi1kTSQs
— Ηellenic Olympic Committee (@HellenicOlympic) July 30, 2024
Even with the loss of a point, the Greek team doubled its victories at the Paris Olympic tournament. The regular match ended in a 12-12 tie, with the Greek team conceding the tie with two seconds remaining.
Greece’s next match will be against the USA on Thursday night, August 1 (Australian time).
Greek fencer Theodora Gkountoura was stripped of her chance at the semi-finals in the individual women’s sabre competition at the Paris Olympics after suffering a heavily contested narrow defeat by France’s Manon Apithy-Brunet on Monday, July 29.
27-year-old Gkountoura is currently ranked number seven in the International Fencing Federation (IFF) and had ambitions of bringing Greece their first medal in the Paris Olympics.
The match had a final score of 15-13, which was challenged by Greek fans and television viewers.
To Aρχηγείο της Ελληνικής Αποστολής στο Παρίσι έστειλε επιστολή διαμαρτυρίας στην Διεθνή Ομοσπονδία Ξιφασκίας για τη διαιτησία στον αγώνα της Δώρας Γκουντούρα, η οποία κοινοποιήθηκε και στη Διεθνή Ολυμπιακή Επιτροπή.https://t.co/7RRIsGACxJ
— Ηellenic Olympic Committee (@HellenicOlympic) July 30, 2024
Claims of bias behaviour and favouritism from the referee flooded social media, worsening the already divisive debate surrounding the judgements of the sport and the integrity of refereeing in the world of fencing.
The culmination of this scrutiny eventuated in the Greek team filing a formal complaint with the IFF on Tuesday, July 30 over the match.
“Theodora was subjected to decisions that we believe were biased and incompatible with the regulations governing the sport,” the Greek fencing team said.
Greece’s men’s water polo team have gone viral at the Paris Olympics for their strength in an unexpected arena.
The players were captured by France 24’s Bahar Makooi moving parked cars blocking their bus’s path along a narrow suburban street in Paris.
The players lifted one of the cars as they made their way back to the Olympic Village from training. The operation was said to have lasted “a good half hour.”
According to France 24, after their Olympian effort, locals opened their doors so the team could wash their hands before continuing on their journey.
The Greek team defeated Romania 14-7 in their opening match the following day.
The new mutant concept of “tolerance” in contemporary society has as its linguistic sign the dumbing down caused by nihilism and insignificance. This is what the impressive spectacle of the opening of the Paris Olympic Games (2024) taught us. Their arts director, inspired by a penetrating surrealism, depicted history, society, religion, politics and all human events with a specific reference to interpretation of the current, present day. An “in progress world” that appeared with an incomprehensible and indeterminate face, made for “socially sensitive minority groups,” putting forward “tolerance,” that is, the acceptance of everything and the leveling of moderation, principles and values. He showed respect, in a novel way, almost exclusively to the French Revolution and to certain moments that honoured man over time.
The spectacle of this opening ceremony did not have as its theme the culture, the people and the great history of the French, while it ignored the structural values of the Olympic Games, their history and their birth as a religious event dedicated to the Great God, Zeus. Similarly, it also pilloried the new religion of Jesus the Great. It presented the Last Supper as a Bacchic table of representatives of minority groups, whose members demand not just the tolerance of the society, not just its recognition, but the unequivocal domination and imposition of their own way of life overall. And in this direction, these “socially, minority groups” even recruit State Presidents and have already flooded with their influence the television studios in Western societies, sometimes as directors and presenters and sometimes as “executives” of the management of the channels.
The intervention of the Catholic Church in this case was also deficient and lax, because, in general, Christianity, worldwide, is going through a great crisis. The percentage of professed atheists is approaching 39%, to which, if we add the followers of agnosticism, agnosiarchists and other doubters, those with a living religious feeling, are now, unfortunately for a structured society, a sad minority.
The lazy reaction of individuals and institutions, sensitised citizens, to the costly fiesta of the opening of the Games, which was left anarchically at the disposal of the responsible “artistic” directors and to the “acumen” of the state officials who signed the sponsorship funds for the implementation of the project, should not only give cause for concern, but should now become a social consciousness that the end of the great cycle of social development as we know it is looming.
Our society is experiencing rapid advancements in technology, unpredictable changes, and a strong desire for progress. However, these developments have resulted in the disregard for religious beliefs, the destruction of historical landmarks, and a diminishing sense of human dignity and trustworthiness. On one hand, there is a rise in radical ideologies influenced by Asian Islamic extremism, and on the other hand, there are minority groups promoting their own agenda under the guise of “tolerance.” These actions can be seen as intrusive and disrespectful to human rights. The recent opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games showcased some of these controversial elements, exploiting the moral and historical significance of the Games and the timeless values of ancient Greece.
Besides, they contribute to this social usurpation by members of social minorities who have “tolerance” only as a starting point, since their ideal is the transformation of human ontology, but also by all apathetic and non-participating citizens in civil society events. The vast majority of citizens remain apathetic and uninvolved and become mere witnesses of these societal changes, which essentially torpedo principles and values of a society that for thousands of years, despite any problems, has stood up to human atrocities and man’s tendency to greed and consumerism.
Uproar as drag queens’ performance resembles The Last Supper during Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
The global mentality formed as a result of technology and consumerism remains highly challenging, at least for the last forty years. This produced a mentality of nihilism, contradictory anarchism, social devaluation of institutions and values, in education and family principles.
Consumerism and the disorderly use of technology have led, in general, man to what the Mexican poet Octavio Paz considers “smug nihilism” or what Cornelius Kastoriadis declares as an “insignificance”. Internally, prosperity, consumerism and attitudes towards the achievements of modern society led to a redefinition of human behaviour, in the context of a more general conformism, which brought about the deactivation and inactivation of those citizens who could form a self-sustaining and self-reliant society.
The abundance of goods gave birth to dumbing down and gave rise to what Octavio Paz called “general passivity” and turned the constituted people into “masses without will and without destination.” Cornelius Kastoriadis would characterise this situation as “almost an attitude of dumbing down in consumer and television masturbation.” It is about the citizen who mutates into a consumer observer, into a private person, who fools according to Aristotle. Societies without learning, societies trained by technocrats but without education are societies without sensitive citizens, without participating citizens, societies with qualified individuals who will be the first to be levelled by the coming storm of robotics. The conscious citizen does not accept to face the future without sensitivity, as Sophocles teaches us (Sophocles, Antigone, v. 359).
But do we have conscious citizens? Tens of thousands of children are killed by the folly of the fanatical hordes in wars and “military operations” of territorial bulimia and religious fanaticism. Convicted of criminal acts and bankruptcies, immodest politicians emerge as future presidents of powerful countries. Missiles have become wedding confetti harvesting schools and football fields, drones and death balloons dominate the skies as diplomatic mechanisms of détente. The neighbouring President, having invading and occupying Cyprus for fifty years, now threatens to invade Israel, Libya, Azerbaijan and Somalia. The presidential candidate and former President argued that disabled people should be killed to save resources… To such absurdities, what is the reaction of our sensible citizens, sensitive public officials, statesmen (not showmen), intellectuals, spiritual leaders, men of arts and letters, poets and philosophers?
*Professor Anastasios M. Tamis taught at Universities in Australia and abroad, was the creator and founding director of the Dardalis Archives of the Hellenic Diaspora and is currently the President of the Australian Institute of Macedonian Studies (AIMS).
Deciding when to move a loved one into aged care can be an emotionally challenging decision for anyone to make. Just ask Angela Marckatos, who has been faced with the decision on four separate occasions.
Marckatos has been responsible for four family members in need of aged care – the busy working mum and carer, ultimately choosing Ibis Care as the preferred provider. One of the most daunting aspects of those decisions was determining not only when, but also where to place her loved ones, with Ibis Care staff ultimately helping her navigate those decisions.
“The hardest thing about putting a loved one in care is making the final decision on when to do it, which facility they should go to, and how they will react and eventually settle in,” Marckatos reflects.
Angela Marckatos has been responsible for four family members in need of aged care.
“The desire to remain independent and stay in familiar surroundings is strong among elderly individuals. However, increasing medical needs and the necessity for emotional support and safety often make it impractical.
“Everyone wants to be independent and remain in their own home and environment as long as possible with support of family and friends, but that’s not always possible due to increased medical needs and care, emotional support, and safety reasons.
“We needed a facility that was able to provide care for both mum and dad initially as a couple in a double room, that was in the St George area and close to our home in Blakehurst.
“We were looking for a facility that was well-regarded and had a comfortable ‘home-like’ atmosphere that you could feel as soon as you stepped in. We were also looking for specific care for dad after he had a stroke and was available immediately, and somewhere for mum who had dementia, and could join him in due course.
“The Ibis Care team walked us through the process, listened to our loved ones’ needs, offered support and advice, and were respectful and responsive at all times.
“I think these challenges are universal as people are living longer with more complex needs.”
Angela Marckatos has navigated the decision to place a loved one in aged care.
The financial side of placing someone in care can also be a source of stress for families facing the challenging decision. The Marckatos family found solace in the support provided by the team at Ibis Care’s Blakehurst facility.
“The financial aspects are often a source of significant stress,” Marckatos admits.
“The Finance Manager at Ibis Care Blakehurst was referred to us by a friend, and he was very professional, knowledgeable, and caring. He put our minds at rest and helped to organise dad’s transfer and admission promptly whilst we were on a waitlist at another home and still waiting.”
From their physical and emotional wellbeing, to understanding the needs of her loved ones, Marckatos emphasises that the care of her loved ones has been a collaborative effort with the Ibis Care team.
Ibis Care facility at 24 Cheddar St, Blakehurst.
“It has been like a partnership,” Marckatos says.
“We have worked as a team together with all Ibis Care staff to ensure our parents and parents-in law have had the best of care and were comfortable and happy.”
Ibis Care CEO, La Stacey Baramy, is encouraging all families facing the difficult decision to reach out to her team to explore their options.
Ibis Care supports the St George and Sutherland Shire communities with independent living units and residential aged care homes in Blakehurst, Bexley, Miranda, Mortdale and Kirrawee.
“The decision to put a loved one in care is often accompanied by a sense of guilt by the family member responsible for making that decision, but the reality is that nothing could be more courageous and caring than making that call,” Baramy says.
“We see the amazing sense of responsibility and care shown by family members every day at Ibis Care – it’s our job to support that and ensure that their loved one is cared for as though they are family.
“It’s never easy, but with the right support and a facility that feels like home, families can find peace of mind knowing their loved ones are well cared for.”
Ibis Care supports the St George and Sutherland Shire communities with independent living units and residential aged care homes in Blakehurst, Bexley, Miranda, Mortdale and Kirrawee. For more information or to make an enquiry call Ibis Care on 02 8080 3851 or visit www.ibis.care
Over a decade after Louisa Ioannidis was discovered face down in a creek wearing a pink robe, there are renewed calls to reopen the investigation into her mysterious death.
According to The Herald Sun, the 24-year-old’s body was found by strangers at Darebin Creek in Melbourne on October 11, 2011.
How Ioannidis ended up there remains unclear, but neighbours reported seeing blood on her ear in her final hours, followed by a failed attempt to leave the country.
During the investigation, police partly relied on her partner, known as Joe, which is not his legal name. He was facing a domestic violence charge at the time, but the case did not proceed due to her death.
Months before her death, Ioannidis had been identified as “at risk” by police during Operation Check Up 2011, a proactive domestic violence initiative.
There are no suggestions that Joe is responsible for what happened to Ioannidis.
Louisa Ioannidis. Photo: change.org.
Currently, a change.org petition gaining traction calls for a coroner’s inquest into her death, spurred by new evidence from ex-cop turned private investigator Julia Robson.
Despite the cause of death being recorded as “consistent with drowning,” questions remain about how she ended up in the creek.
Her half-brother Anastasios, known as Tass, has been seeking answers since her death.
“I’m sure if she had gone down a different road she might have lived a better life … we just want a thorough investigation,” Tass told The Herald Sun.
Crystalbrook Collection, Australia’s largest independent five-star sustainability-led hospitality company and leading South Australian property developers and structural steel fabricators, Samaras Group, have today broken ground on their new $120 million luxury hotel development, named Crystalbrook Sam, in Halifax Street, Adelaide.
Peter Malinauskas MP, Premier for South Australia, joined project development leaders including Chris Samaras, Chief Executive Officer and George I. Samaras, Director for Samaras Group, and Geoff York, Chief Executive Officer for Crystalbrook Collection Hotels & Resorts, to mark the official commencement of construction on South Australia’s first Crystalbrook operated hotel.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas (second from right) was present to mark the official commencement of construction on South Australia’s first Crystalbrook operated hotel. Photo: David Mariuz.
Crystalbrook Collection will manage the 13-level five-star luxury hotel, which will feature 206 guest rooms and suites, a grand lobby with communal spaces, and a pool and fitness centre facilities.
Crystalbrook Sam will also house state-of-the-art multi-functional meetings and events space, as well as a new food and beverage establishment on level 12 showcasing Adelaide’s finest produce. The jewel in the hotel’s crown will be a unique rooftop Eléme bathhouse and day spa, with panoramic views of the Adelaide Hills and CBD. The hotel is due for completion in 2026.
Design for the hotel on 15 Halifax Street in Adelaide.
Geoff York, Chief Executive Officer for Crystalbrook Collection, said, “Along with our partners at Samaras Group, we are truly excited to officially celebrate the commencement of construction on Crystalbrook Sam this morning. Adelaide is fast becoming a global destination and one of Australia’s leading tourism markets that offers exceptional food and wine, unrivalled nature experiences and a vibrant art and cultural scene. We believe this project will transform the site on Halifax Street and be a catalyst in adding to Adelaide’s growing status as a leading lifestyle destination.”
“This project marks an exciting and significant expansion for Crystalbrook into one of Australia’s fastest growing cities,” Mr York added.
SA Premier Peter Malinauskas joined the development team to mark the introduction of the luxury hotel brand to Adelaide, and affirmed the development as an important new addition that will contribute to the growth of Adelaide’s $10.2 billion visitor economy.
“On so many independent measures, we are the number one performing economy in the nation, and this project will drive significant further growth in our tourism and hospitality sectors,” he said. “The Crystalbrook Sam project will create over 100 new jobs during the construction period, and an estimated 120 new jobs once the hotel is operational.”
Chris and George Samaras.. Photo: David Mariuz.
Leading South Australian property developers and structural steel fabricators, Samaras Group, are well-known for their expertise in building multi-disciplinary commercial and industrial developments including the Adelaide Convention Centre, Rod Laver Arena, Chadstone Shopping Centre and One Central Park Sydney.
Chris Samaras, Chief Executive Officer for Samaras Group, said, “Today is an important milestone as we commence construction on our first hotel development for the Samaras Group. We have a deep personal connection with Adelaide, our home city, and we are passionate about bringing a world-class, luxury lifestyle development to South Australia. Crystalbrook Sam has been purposefully designed to celebrate the spirit of the local area while delivering something new and unseen, that will excite locals and draw visitors to Adelaide”
“George Samaras and I are looking forward to working with Geoff York and the team at Crystalbrook Collection who will operate the hotel under their signature Crystalbrook lifestyle brand,” Chris said.
Crystalbrook Collection operates eight award-winning hotels across New South Wales and Queensland, offering luxury and innovative sustainability-led hospitality experiences. With another hotel development underway in Canberra, the hotel group has invested in excess of $1 billion in Australia and operates close to 2,000 hotel rooms.
