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Trump likely target in White House dinner shooting as leaders call to end political violence

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Trump likely target in White House dinner shooting as leaders call to end political violence

US authorities believe President Donald Trump and members of his administration were likely targets of a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, as new details emerge from the president and witnesses.

Acting US Attorney-General Todd Blanche said early evidence suggests the alleged gunman, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of California, was targeting administration figures when he opened fire near a security checkpoint at the Washington Hilton on Saturday night.

The suspect, who was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives, was tackled and arrested after shooting a Secret Service officer. He is expected to face federal charges.

In a new interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump said he was unsure if he had been the intended target.

“I don’t know, it sounds to me I read a manifesto he’s radicalised, he was a Christian, a beliver and then he became an anti-christian, he had a change he’s been going through a lot based on what he wrote,” he said.

Trump added there had been prior concerns raised about the suspect.

“He was probably a pretty sick guy.”

Earlier, Trump described the accused as a “sick man” and praised law enforcement, saying officers “were outstanding, they stopped him cold”, while calling for “unity and healing” after what could be the third assassination attempt against him.

Investigators are examining a manifesto and other writings allegedly left by the suspect, with US media reporting the attack may have been politically motivated and directed at the Trump administration.

The incident has prompted renewed concern over political violence in the United States, with the White House stating: “this political violence has to end”.

Former president Barack Obama echoed the sentiment, urging Americans to “reject the idea that violence has any place in our democracy” and adding: “I’m grateful to them – and thankful that the agent who was shot is going to be okay.”

Witnesses at the event described chaotic scenes as the shooting unfolded. Kerry Kennedy said there was a “tremendous sense of fear” inside the room.

“We heard this big bang and then suddenly people started yelling ‘get down get down get down’,” she said.

“Twenty or thirty of them and they all had their hands on their holsters and they were looking around like they didn’t know if there were many shooters in the room and there was this tremendous sense of fear and the unknown.”

“I was so scared, it was like my body could not move.”

Former Kansas senator Donald Betts said the incident reflects the risks of public office in the US.

“When you run for Federal office you get the death threats, you always panic,” he said.

“It is very difficult for public servants is t is a scary deal.”

Security experts say the case highlights the difficulty of detecting so-called “lone wolf” attackers. Former counterterrorism official Javid Ali said authorities would now examine all aspects of the suspect’s life.

“Nothing stopped this person from doing what they did until they were literally running through one of the security checkpoints at the Capitol Hilton. That’s when they got stopped,” he said.

Despite the breach, officials said the response prevented greater harm, with the suspect stopped before reaching the main ballroom where senior political leaders and journalists were gathered.

A planned four-day visit to the US by King Charles and Queen Camilla will proceed as scheduled, Buckingham Palace confirmed.

Paul Nicolaou leads Business Sydney push to halt Victoria Barracks sale

The Greek Herald
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Paul Nicolaou leads Business Sydney push to halt Victoria Barracks sale

Business Sydney has ramped up opposition to the Federal Government’s proposed sale of Victoria Barracks, with executive director Paul Nicolaou urging Defence Minister Richard Marles to withdraw the site from a broader $1.8 billion defence asset divestment program.

Nicolaou said the organisation “wish[es] to express strong opposition to the potential sale of Victoria Barracks in Paddington,” arguing the historic site is not a solution to Sydney’s housing needs.

“While we recognise Sydney’s need for more housing supply, the sale of Victoria Barracks, which is part of the historic fabric of Sydney and the centrepiece of Defence operations, is not the solution,” he wrote.

Nicolaou stressed the barracks should remain operational to preserve its 175-year-old heritage and its role in national security.

“Victoria Barracks should remain open to not only preserve its irreplaceable 175-year-old heritage as Australia’s premier colonial-era military site but also to maintain its crucial, active operational role,” he said.

“Far from being surplus property, the site is an important and secure base for the Australian Army in Sydney and, as such, critical for national security and crisis response.”

He also highlighted the barracks’ function as a hub for military training and its “direct command role” over a third of the army, questioning why Defence continues leasing CBD office space instead.

“It is difficult to understand why the Commonwealth is spending millions of dollars each year to lease office space at Defence Plaza in the heart of the CBD when those functions could be located at Victoria Barracks,” Nicolaou wrote.

“Business Sydney calls on the government to withdraw any plans for the sale of Victoria Barracks and to announce this as a matter of urgency to end the current uncertainty.”

Business Sydney joins a growing list of critics, including former Chief of Army Ken Gillespie and NSW RSL president Vincent Williams, who argue the sale could weaken military readiness and national security in Sydney.

Source: Daily Telegraph.

Trump evacuated after armed attack at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

The Greek Herald
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Trump evacuated after armed attack at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

An armed man sparked scenes of chaos at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, DC on Saturday night, after confronting security and exchanging gunfire with law enforcement near an entry checkpoint.

The incident occurred at the Washington Hilton, where the high-profile annual event was being attended by political leaders, journalists and invited guests. Authorities say the suspect approached the main security screening area carrying multiple weapons before an exchange of gunfire took place.

US President Donald Trump was on stage at the time and was swiftly escorted from the ballroom by Secret Service agents, alongside other dignitaries including Vice President JD Vance.

Inside the venue, the situation escalated rapidly as attendees took cover under tables while heavily armed officers moved through the room to secure the area. Witnesses described confusion and panic as the formal event was abruptly interrupted.

The suspect, identified as Cole Allen, 31, from California, was detained at the scene. Authorities believe he acted alone.

Preliminary information indicates the man was carrying a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. Investigators are examining whether he intended to target senior officials, although no formal motive has been confirmed.

During the confrontation, a member of the US Secret Service was struck by gunfire, however the bullet was stopped by protective body armour and no serious injuries were reported.

The incident forced the cancellation of the dinner, one of Washington’s most prominent annual events, which typically brings together senior political figures and members of the media.

Authorities continue to gather forensic and ballistic evidence as part of the investigation, with the suspect expected to face multiple charges.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded to the incident, saying he was relieved that those in attendance were safe.

“I am pleased to hear the president and the first lady, along with all attendees at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, are safe,” Albanese said in a statement.

“We applaud the work of the Secret Service and law enforcement agencies for their swift action.”

Behind the scenes of ‘Wolf Creek: Legacy’ – The Greek connection

The Greek Herald
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Behind the scenes of ‘Wolf Creek: Legacy’ – The Greek connection

Dr John A. Martino

Under the eagle eye of writer-producer-director, Greg Mclean, the latest iteration of Australia’s most iconic horror movie franchise has taken shape in South Australia.

With fresh director, Sean Lahiff, at the helm of Greg’s work, I was fortunate enough to visit the set of this flick and stand near-paralysed as lead actor, John Jarratt (aka ‘Mick Taylor’), reprised his role as our country’s most malevolent serial killer.

As I was lucky enough to be a house guest of the Greek Consul General to SA, Dr Alexandra Theodoropoulou that week, we all decided to take a little road trip onto the set of Wolf Creek: Legacy. Another friend from Melbourne, Denise Zapantis, was staying with us – helping to translate some of Alexandra’s poetry – and she also took the fateful journey alongside us.

Now it just so happens that Greg is my brother-in-law and my sister, Bianca Martino, is not just also of Greco-Italian heritage, but is an accomplished film producer who works alongside her equally talented husband and runs their production company – ‘Emu Creek Pictures’, the force behind the franchise. And what a set visit that turned out to be!

Alexandra and Andreas immediately dubbed the movie ‘Wolf Greek’ and, as patrons of the Arts, were intrigued at the complexities of film-shooting. They were especially struck at how charismatic and chillingly ‘psychopathic’ Mick Taylor was on set, as a team of highly professional filmmakers buzzed around him.

So, in the radiant South Australian heat of that day, the set of ‘Wolf Greek’ was peppered with Hellenes, slick film auteurs and an evil star who sported his emblematic outback attire and weaponry, while stomping on the odd bull ant and sharpening his very, very long knife.

As Bianca informed us set visitors, the film would take not just five weeks to shoot, “…but was the culmination of five years of planning, writing, funding negotiations, casting, location scouting and a dozen other factors before the first camera was even pointed at Mick Taylor.”

With actual film production having just wrapped up, there is still the post-production phase to go and the often nail-biting phase of editing. In fact, director Sean Lahiff, a native South Australian, edited a Wolf Creek movie and the series, and Greg found him so gifted that it wasn’t at all a hard stretch to have Sean replace him in the director’s chair.

Always keen to uncover, assist and promote new talent, Greg quipped to me that, “My brief to Sean was to make the scariest WolfCreek flick yet – and from what I’ve seen, it’s definitely mission accomplished.”

The scriptwriting by Duncan Samarasinghe – an art form that I, too, try to practice – is not just first rate, but world class (not that I can give anything away here).

Another thing that really caught our eye during this unique experience was the remarkable attention to detail. Mick Taylor now looms so large over the global horror film market, that every aspect of his screen persona commands close scrutiny.

Bianca informed us that there are at least three replica versions of his battered Ford 100 pick-up in existence, with the version selected for Wolf Creek: Legacy being carefully monitored on set by one of its creators. Even Mick’s infamous flannelette shirt had to be reproduced from specially designed fabric, so it carried all the associations (and aromas?) of the original.

As a glowering John Jarratt (aka ‘Mick Taylor’) told Alexandra, Andreas, Denise and I before he stalked off into the bush to terrify his latest prey, “You Greeks have got a bit of style. So have I!” None of us sought to question that assertion.

*Dr John A. Martino is a retired (disabled) ADF veteran, a novelist and aspiring filmmaker. His ‘Olympia: The Birth of the Games’ is soon to hit the film markets of Europe.

John Legend set for final concert at Athens’ Herodeon before closure

The Greek Herald
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John Legend set for final concert at Athens’ Herodeon before closure

For many in Athens, a summer evening at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus is more than a concert—it’s a cultural tradition. On June 30, John Legend will deliver the venue’s final performance before it shuts down for a three-year restoration, according to tovima.com

The concert is part of his An Evening of Songs & Stories tour and marks his first appearance in Greece. Built in 161 AD on the slopes of the Acropolis, the Herodeon has long been a defining stage of the city’s summer cultural life.

A historic farewell

For decades, the Athens & Epidaurus Festival has hosted world-renowned performers at the Herodeon, making it Greece’s premier cultural event. This year’s program will conclude with Legend’s show—the 15th and final performance before restoration begins in July. Organisers describe the moment as a fitting convergence of artist and venue.

A career of milestones

Legend brings with him an extraordinary career: 13 Grammy Awards, an Oscar for “Glory” (from Selma), plus a Tony and an Emmy—making him the first Black artist to achieve EGOT status. His catalogue includes global hits like “All of Me” and “Ordinary People,” alongside collaborations with major names across the industry.

An intimate performance

This tour offers a stripped-back format: just Legend and a piano. Without elaborate production, the focus shifts to storytelling, with each song tied to personal moments and influences.

As the Herodeon prepares to fall silent, this performance promises a memorable and symbolic closing chapter.

Source: tovima.com

How a viral Greek yogurt craze changed shopping habits

The Greek Herald
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How a viral Greek yogurt craze changed shopping habits

Earlier this year, Greek yogurt vanished from shelves at Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi-not due to supply issues, but because of a viral TikTok recipe combining it with ingredients like Biscoff biscuits. The trend, tied to both a “Japanese cheesecake” craze and a growing “protein-maxxing” movement, sent shoppers rushing to buy it, according to phys.org

According to UNSW Business School consumer psychologist Nitika Garg, the shortage revealed deeper behavioral patterns. She points to three drivers behind viral food trends: aspiration, novelty, and fear of missing out (FOMO). Influencers blur the line between relatable and aspirational, making their recommendations feel both achievable and desirable.

“The social influencer, when they do something like that, it makes people want to try them as well,” said Prof. Garg. “There is an aspirational image to these cues and these trends at times, which people pick up on. Sometimes there’s novelty going on as well…”

FOMO amplifies this effect, pushing consumers to act quickly. “If you’re following this person… you don’t want to miss out on it. There are multiple emotional drivers, positive and negative, of these behaviors.”

However, Prof. Garg warns that many consumers rarely verify what they see online. “People don’t always do the research… The problem is when people blindly rely on this information from non-experts.”

While brands tend to vet influencer partnerships, viral content often escapes oversight. As social media-and increasingly AI-generated content—evolves, regulation struggles to keep pace, leaving consumers to navigate a fast-moving and often misleading digital food landscape.

Source: phys.org

Kastellorizo documentary festival faces uncertain future after funding loss

The Greek Herald
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Kastellorizo documentary festival faces uncertain future after funding loss

Organisers of the Beyond Borders International Documentary Festival on Kastellorizo have raised concerns that this year’s event may be cancelled after a major sponsor pulled its support, according to ekathimerini.com

For diaspora communities-particularly in Australia, where Kastellorizo has a long migration history, the festival represents more than a local event. It is a cultural bridge that preserves shared heritage, storytelling, and historical memory across continents.

In an official statement, the festival team explained that the departure of a key backer set off a chain reaction, leading other institutional and private supporters to withdraw as well. This has resulted in what they described as a situation of “complete financial instability.”

They also noted a lack of meaningful assistance from government bodies and authorities responsible for promoting cultural initiatives in remote and island regions, saying there has been “no substantial response” to their situation.

“As a result, an internationally recognized cultural event lacks the minimum level of support required to continue its operations,” the statement said.

Source: ekathimerini.com

Greece grants permanent protected status to wildlife haven Gyaros

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Greece grants permanent protected status to wildlife haven Gyaros

Greece has formally enacted legislation designating Gyaros as a marine protected area, securing long-term safeguards for one of the Aegean’s most important wildlife habitats, according to ekathimerini.com. The move was confirmed by WWF Greece, which described the signing of the presidential decree as a “decisive milestone.”

The decree establishes clearly defined protection zones and introduces concrete management measures, replacing earlier provisional arrangements. Located northwest of Syros, Gyaros is a crucial refuge for the endangered Mediterranean monk seal and supports one of its largest populations.

“This permanent framework can ensure that the island’s natural wealth is preserved over the long term, while also supporting, through this protection, the local communities of the Northern Cyclades,” WWF said in a statement.

Although the designation had been pending since 2018, conservation efforts have been underway for over a decade. WWF and more than 50 organisations have studied the island’s ecosystems, implemented conservation strategies, and introduced tools such as a remote surveillance system, active between 2015 and 2023.

These initiatives have contributed to noticeable environmental recovery, including improved marine and land habitats, rising fish populations, and the protection of rare species like the monk seal and the Yelkouan shearwater.

“Gyaros proves that when we join forces around a common vision, nature protection and sustainable development become reality,” said Dimitris Karavellas, general director of WWF Greece.

Today, the area is managed by Greece’s Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency in cooperation with the Coast Guard, offering a model for future marine conservation projects.

Source: ekathimerini.com

‘You’re in the army now!’ Melbourne Yale graduate pauses pro football to serve Greece

Mary Sinanidis
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‘You’re in the army now!’ Melbourne Yale graduate pauses pro football to serve Greece

At 24, George Stamboulidis was moving fast.

Melbourne-raised, forged in the Greek-Melburnian football heartlands of Northcote and Heidelberg, and sharpened at Yale where he studied economics while playing at an elite level, his trajectory was clear. The path was moving upward, but then he pressed pause.

“I had to decide: do I leave Greece, or stay and do my military service?” he says, regarding his professional career in the country. “But then I thought, ‘when else am I going to get this chance?’”

The decision to serve as a conscript came at a cost. He had just signed his first professional contract and was pushing toward his debut in Greece’s second division.

Momentum like that doesn’t wait. “As a footballer, the timing was terrible,” he says plainly. “For my football, it didn’t make sense on paper, but I did it anyway.”

As a diaspora Greek, his service lasted just three months, far shorter than the standard nine to 12 months most Greek conscripts complete. Even so, it was enough to significantly disrupt his first professional season of football in Greece.

Sent to Grevena

He was sent north, to Grevena. Mountains, cold mornings, and a base that runs on routine.

“Sixteen beds in a room. Old, squeaky bunks,” he says. “But that’s the point. You’re nobody special.”

Days started at 5:30am. Shaving was mandatory. Duties rotated: guard posts, patrols, skopia (guard duty)at the central gate, checking who came in, who left, and when.

“That camaraderie, that was the highlight,” he says. “You realise quickly, everyone’s in it together.”

It showed up in small, unplanned ways: coffees on rare breaks with guys from Thessaloniki, late conversations in the bunk with an architect, a finance grad, a football fanatic, people he says he’d “100% be friends with outside.” In a place designed to push you, those connections stuck.

From ‘Aussie’ to patriotis

Among mostly northern Greek recruits, George stood out.

“Everyone kept asking me, ‘What are you doing here?’” he laughs. “When they hear Australia, they picture something completely different.”

At first, there was curiosity and a bit of skepticism “but once they got to know me, I wasn’t the Aussie anymore,” he says. “I was a patriotis (patriot).”

Football helped, but so did time that allowed him to forge new connections, meaningful friendships.

On his first day on the base, George struck up a conversation with a stranger. Within minutes, they realised they were third cousins.

“I’d met him once as a kid in my dad’s village in Florina,” he says. “Next thing we’re on a four-way call, me, him, our dads, Greece to Melbourne. It was unbelievable.”

Weeks later, it happened again. Same surname. Another connection. Another branch of family rediscovered.

“You don’t expect to find family in a barracks,” he says. “But somehow, I did. Twice.”

The oath

The orkomosia (swearing-in) landed heavier than he expected. Standing with other soldiers, all in freshly pressed uniforms, uttering the same oath pledged through different periods of time in Greece’s history.

“That was the proudest I’ve ever felt,” he says. “I’m the first since my grandfather to serve.”

Unlike the other soldiers, my family wasn’t there but it didn’t feel like absence. “I felt them with me.”

He also felt proud to be serving in an army that shared a history with Australia through Anzac connections.

“Greece and Australia have always fought side by side,” he says.

His mother’s side of the family are from Krithia, located at the Gallipoli peninsula, where Australian soldiers fought the hopeless Second Battle of Krithia, resulting in costly assaults by the Anzacs as they moved to capture the village of Krithia and the nearby hill of Achi Baba.

“I have been aware of this shared history from a young age and every year my mother lays a wreath at the Australian Hellenic Memorial at the foot of the Shrine,” he says.

Challenges and surprises

The hardest part wasn’t the discipline but staying match fit.

“I thought we’d be exercising constantly,” he says. “But proper training? That was on me.”

Between the early morning wakeups and rotating duties, he squeezed training sessions into limited leave, often just a few hours in the afternoon to train, eat, wash, reset.

“Balancing that with the army, that was the real challenge.”

The surprise? “The food was good. Proper Greek meals. Fasolada, yiouvarlakia…you weren’t going to go hungry,” George says.

Back, but not the same

Now back in Melbourne, George is working in fintech and playing locally, with plans to return to Greece for the next season for the next step in his football journey. (Just watch this space.)

On paper, the trajectory resumes but something has shifted.

“It grounded me,” he says. “It connected me to my roots in a way nothing else has.”

For Greek Australians considering the same path, he doesn’t sugar-coat it.

“Be ready to step out of your comfort zone,” he says. “It’s not easy but it’s well worth it.”

Because somewhere between the early wake-ups, the guard posts, and the snores of sixteen men in one room, the question of ‘why am I here?’ quietly flips into something else: ‘I’m glad I came.’

From Laconia to Sydney: Peter Tsigounis’ lifelong service bridging Greece and Australia

The Greek Herald
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From Laconia to Sydney: Peter Tsigounis’ lifelong service bridging Greece and Australia

By Marcus Zouroudis

Peter Tsigounis has devoted the last decade to being President of the Greek Returned Ex-Serviceman League of NSW and is proud to have 50 dedicated members of Australians and New Zealanders who he plans to lead as long as he lives.

Peter was born in Laconia, Monemvasia and at 12 years of age he moved with his family to a village called Neapoli, Laconia.

He went to high school in Neapoli, in times when attending high school was rare because after the first World War few people could afford it. 

At the age of 21, Peter began his compulsory national service in Greece – completing his basic training in Araxos for 40 days before being assigned to the Air Force as a technician of aeroplane radars.

“I was taught what we need to know in case the country goes to war – how to protect the country, and fortunately there was no war but at times we were close to a war against the Turks,” Peter said.

“It was a very good experience, and it is a good thing for young boys in order to become really responsible.”

As soon as Peter finished national service in 1966, his sister, who lived in Australia, asked him to move here, telling him it was a beautiful country. Being excited by the idea, he agreed to migrate.

He voyaged alone to Sydney, Australia in 1966 travelling for 25 days in a ship called Sydney, an Italian ship of a large company Flotalaro, with over 1,000 on board across the Indian Ocean.

“I found the trip pleasant and with Greeks, Italians and Yugoslavs aboard I could learn the languages of neighbouring countries,” he said.  

In Australia, he started a family-owned business and worked as a taxi driver where he developed his English conversing daily with passengers.

After the birth of his first two children, he experienced xenitia (the sense of being a foreigner in a foreign land), and in 1974 sold everything and went back to Greece, because he loved and longed for his homeland.

“I arrived in Athens and when I arrived in 1974, 20th July, there were sirens. Greece was in a war with Cyprus against Turkey,” he said.

“I told my family that I am in Greece and would have to present myself ready to go to war.”

Peter at the Christening of his third child, Helen at St Andrew’s Parish Gladeville in 1976

He recalls that everyone within Greek borders and Cyprus were sent to fight while he was in Greece by himself. Under national law, he was not permitted to fight because he had lived in Australia.

His stay in Greece was short-lived as he found that he couldn’t restart his life in his homeland and support his family living there so he and his wife made the difficult decision to return to Australia forever.

After a successful long working career, Peter joined the Greek Returned Serviceman League (Greek RSL) in 2010 wanting to make a contribution to a significant organisation with many friends who were long term members.

He views the Greek RSL as an important committee as it honours the service of many Greek serviceman who provided auxiliary services and fought alongside Australians in numerous wars, including in Gallipolli and in defence of Greece, especially in Crete during World War II.

He has described his leadership of the Greek RSL as helping to form a bridge between the Australians and Greeks who served together in theatres of war and now live harmoniously in Australia.

On ANZAC Day every year, Peter leads the Greek RSL members as they march through Sydney and is very proud that the Australian public see the Greek flag and recognise the role of Greeks alongside Australians in many wars.

Peter reciting the Ode to the Fallen for ANZAC Day commemoration at Kogarah Church on 5 May 2025

“The Greek flag in the march is recognised by thousands of people of the Australian general public as they enjoy the march with the RSL members,” Peter said.

Before becoming President, Peter served as Treasurer and Vice President for 15 years and has commented that when he first joined, many of the members were veterans and now many of the members are family of serviceman who have passed away.

Peter is an impressive example of service to his community as he is motivated by both his appreciation of Australia and his love for Greece to fulfil his role as President of the Greek RSL.

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