A London court has issued an order for a former curator of the Ancient Greek collections at the British Museum, Mr Peter Higgs, who was accused of stealing hundreds of artefacts.
Reuters reported that Mr Higgs has now been asked to list all items that were stolen from the Museum, and return them.
After being dismissed for the alleged thefts, Mr Higgs will now face a civil lawsuit from the museum, however he has not been criminally charged.
Some of the stolen artefacts include ancient Greek and Roman jewellery.
Mr Peter Higgs, the artefact thief. Photo: Mirror.co.
Despite Mr Higgs not attending his hearing, the Museum’s lawyers have taken legal action to recover the missing items.
“While the full extent of the thefts is unknown, it is presently believed that over 1,800 items were stolen or damaged and that many hundreds of them were sold or offered for sale by (Higgs),” the Museum’s lawyer, Daniel Burgess, said.
Mr Burgess further added that Higgs tried to “cover his tracks by, among other things, using false names, creating false documents and manipulating records held on the Museum’s IT systems.”
“The British Museum has had 356 items returned so far,” Mr Burgess added.
With an innovative educational program created especially for their little friends, the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) Schools have invited children on a charming journey into the world of stars on the school holidays.
This innovative program, entitled “The Magic World of the Stars,” is aimed at children aged 4-10 and will take place on Tuesday, April 2, in two areas of the city, Bulleen and Huntingdale, to meet the needs of as many families as possible.
Its aim is the interdisciplinary approach of language through the sciences and arts and the acquaintance with the magical world of stars and space through a fantastic journey guided by the Greek language and mythology.
During the program and under the guidance of experienced teachers of the GCM Schools – Mrs Soumi and Mrs Vikatos in Huntingdale, Mrs Poutahidou and Mrs Gliogou in Bulleen – children will enjoy a wonderful tour in the world of space through book readings, storytelling, Greek myths, experiments, drama, theatrical games, and crafts.
A great idea for this school holidays that will stay in their memory for a long time!
The 94th Street/Grand Central overpass to LaGuardia Airport, in Queens, New York, was named after Greek American Officer Pavlos Pallas, cbsnews has reported.
Pallas was a Port Authority Police officer who died from 9/11-related cancer and will forever be remembered. He served with the Port Authority of New York and the New York City Police Department for 12 years.
Photo: Port Authority PBA
His courageous work responding to the World Trade Center attack resulted in cancer that took his life in 2011. Family members remembered the late officer at the ceremony.
“For him, it came down to this: do the right thing toward your fellow men, take care of your community, and do it all with a smile without taking yourself too seriously,” Margarita Loukas, Pallas’ wife said.
For the first time in ten years, a rare and endangered pygmy hippopotamus, has been born at Athens’ zoo.
The people working at the zoo were thrilled with the birth of the male calf, as a lack of male pygmy hippos in captivity had complicated breeding efforts.
Noi Psaroudaki, the zoo’s wildlife veterinarian, mentioned to Reuters “This is the first birth in the zoo in 2024, and what a birth!”
Photo: Attica Zoological Park
“Every captive birth of pygmy hippos is extremely important.”
According to the independent.co.uk, around 2,000-2,500 pygmy hippos still live in the wild, they are native to swamps and rainforests in western Africa.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists pygmy hippos as an endangered species.
Greek communities from across Australia gathered alongside politicians at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday, March 27 as its halls turned blue and white to mark Greek Independence Day.
The inaugural cocktail party event was hosted by the Parliamentary Friends of Greek Australians and Greece in the Great Hall and was attended by more than 300 people.
Official guests included Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese; Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton; Greece’s Alternate Interior Minister, Theodoros Livanios; Greece’s new Ambassador to Australia, Stavros Venizelos; Archbishop Makarios of Australia; Federal Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles; Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney; and NSW Minister for Industrial Relations, Sophie Cotsis MP; among many others.
Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Greek Australians, the Federal Minister for Home Affairs, Clare O’Neil MP and Federal Member for Sturt, James Stevens MP, were also present, alongside the Federal Member for Adelaide, Steve Georganas MP and Senator Hollie Hughes, respectively the Co-Chair and Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Greece.
Parliamentary Friends is an Australian Federal Parliament non-partisan initiative for MPs and Senators to support and celebrate common interest areas. Wednesday night’s event brought together two groups to celebrate the Greek and Australian connection, and to recognise the significant contribution of the Greek Australian community to the nation.
Following some mingling between guests – which included Greek and Cypriot community leaders from places such as South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory – official proceedings kicked off with speeches by Ms O’Neil, Mr Albanese, Mr Dutton, Senator Hughes, Archbishop Makarios of Australia, Mr Stevens, and Mr Georganas.
In her speech, Ms O’Neil, who represents the electorate of Hotham in Victoria, said she was really lucky and privileged to work in an area with a large Greek population. She also thanked the Zaparas family from Zaparas Lawyers in Victoria who helped make the night possible.
Photo copyright: Nick Bourdaniotis / GCT.
“They are the absolute best example of what this generation of young Greek Australian leaders is doing for our beautiful country,” she said.
The Australian Prime Minister spoke next and said “the connection between Australia and Greece is as deep as it is warm, and where better to celebrate the contribution than in the home of Australian democracy, given the history of democracy and the role that Greece has played in it.”
Mr Albanese also spoke of his strong connection to Marrickville in Sydney and mentioned the precinct in the Inner West called ‘Little Greece.’
In his speech, the Federal Opposition Leader Mr Dutton commended the Greek community for their contributions in all spheres of Australian society.
“Thank you for the contribution that you and your families have made in very different ways since the 19th century in our country,” Mr Dutton said.
“It is a wonderful contribution that people of Greek heritage have made to our country – people who have worked hard and made sacrifices to come here with nothing, people who have educated their children, people who have led a life that could never have been imagined three or four generations ago. The fact that people still celebrate their heritage and their culture is incredibly important not just for this generation but for generations to come.”
Archbishop Makarios of Australia spoke of the double celebration that is celebrated on March 25th – Greek Independence Day and the Annunciation of the Theotokos. He also mentioned the centenary of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and gave a history on how Greek Orthodoxy has evolved in Australia over the years.
Federal Member for Adelaide, Mr Georganas acknowledged the heroes and heroines of the 1821 Greek Revolution and said it would be a pity if Greeks in Australia lost the Greek culture when Greeks who were under Ottoman occupation for 400 years were still able to maintain their Greek heritage and fought to keep it alive.
With the conclusion of official proceedings, guests were treated to traditional Greek music and dances by the Canberra Hellenic Dancers. Everyone, including the politicians, were up and dancing the night away.
The Department of Modern Greek at the University of Sydney has announced a special event as part of the 42nd Greek Festival of Sydney Program, marking its 50th anniversary milestone.
Established with a generous donation from Sir Nicolas Laurantus, the department has been a pillar of Greek language and culture education in Australia’s tertiary sector for five decades.
The event, titled “50 Years of the Department of Modern Greek in Sydney University,” will be a highlight of the festival, showcasing the importance of Greek language and culture in the Australian academic landscape.
Among the distinguished academics who will speak at the event are Professor Vrasidas Karalis, Sir Nicholas Laurantus Professor of Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies at the University of Sydney; Associate Professor Anthony Dracopoulos, Chair, Discipline of Modern Greek and Byzantine Studies, School of Languages and Cultures; Dr Alfred Vincent, Honorary Research Associate, University of Sydney; Dr Panayota Nazou, former member (and Chairperson) of academic and educational committees at the University of Sydney.
Additionally, past presidents and students from the Sydney University Greek Society (SUGS) will join the celebration, highlighting the enduring impact of Greek language and culture on the university community.
Harry Danalis, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW), expressed his enthusiasm for the event, stating, “This milestone is a testament to our commitment to preserving and promoting Greek heritage and education. We look forward to celebrating this achievement with our esteemed guests and the wider community.”
The event is a testament to the enduring legacy of Greek language and culture, emphasising their profound importance in Australia’s multicultural fabric and academic discourse.
Event Details:
What: 50 Years of the Department of Modern Greek in Sydney University
When: Sunday 14 April 2024 | 3:00 pm
Venue: Chau Chak Wing Museum, University Place, Camperdown NSW 2050
The meeting with Livanios took place on Tuesday. Photo: Supplied.
The Alternate Minister was accompanied by the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Yannis Mallikourtis, the Director of the Alternate Minister’s Office, Konstantinos Tsantidis, the First Secretary for Public Diplomacy at the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney, Anastasia Christofilopoulou, and staff member of the Consulate, Spyros Georgiou.
GOCNSW President, Harry Danalis, welcomed the Alternate Minister and discussed the activities of the Community and its contribution to the Greek diaspora in Australia. Issues concerning the diaspora with Greece, such as education, culture, and traditions, were also discussed.
Theodoros Livanios attended the meeting along with many other Greek community members. Photo: Supplied.
The Alternate Minister referred to the contribution of Greeks in Australia to their homeland, Greece, especially regarding the issue of postal voting.
The meeting concluded with various gifts offered by the Community to Mr Livanios.
During his week-long visit to Australia, Greece’s Alternate Interior Minister Theodoros Livanios met with business, political and faith leaders to discuss matters affecting the local Greek diaspora.
Along his travels, the Greek minister also connected with the local Greek communities in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra to discuss how Greeks residing abroad can now postal vote in the upcoming European elections following recent reform by the Greek government.
Greece’s Alternate Interior Minister met with multicultural media on Tuesday, March 26.
On the postal vote, the Minister explained the registration procedure and stressed that all valid Greek passport holders are eligible to participate. He also said he was optimistic more Greeks in Australia would register to postal vote in the European elections compared to numbers from Greece’s national elections last year.
— Consulate General of Greece in Sydney (@GreeceInSydney) March 26, 2024
With regards to Greek Consulates in Melbourne and Sydney, Mr Livanios responded to a question by The Greek Herald asking what the Greek government plans on doing to offer support in the face of long service delays and staff shortages.
“Hopefully we will have two answers…” he said.
“The first one is that we continue the digitisation of all procedures so we can reduce the number of people who are visiting the Consulate General, and the other is to find, on a contract basis, local people and hire them in order for them to take care of the backlog of applications.”
Minister Livanios next to the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Yannis Mallikourtis.
The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) first pointed out the problem of insufficient staffing at the Greek Consulate in Melbourne in a letter to Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last month, highlighting the inconvenience suffered by the Greek expatriates of Victoria for the slow processing of various cases, as there are only four employees at the Consulate.
The Schools of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) celebrated the anniversary of the 25th of March by organising commemorative events in all their school campuses.
Photo: Supplied.
March 25th is associated with the path to national liberation and the establishment of the Greek State.
Teachers, parents, and students gathered to pay tribute to this important national day through parades, wreath laying, and beautiful school celebrations.
Photo: Supplied.
The celebrations combined historical storytelling with puppet shows, traditional dances, and songs.
Photo: Supplied.
The atmosphere was full of emotion, joy, and pride as the younger students got to know the messages and lessons that stem from the struggle of the Greeks for freedom and national independence, while the older students remembered them.
Photo: Supplied.
GCM Schools place special emphasis on commemorative events like these, as they deepen the bonds between members of the school community, connect generations, help continue traditions, create experiences and memories, and ultimately cultivate national consciousness and identity.
Subway Joeys’ Head Coach, Brad Maloney has named a 24-player squad to travel to Italy for an intensive two-week camp, featuring some of Australia’s brightest players born in 2008/09, as this age group begins its journey through a new qualification cycle.
The squad – which includes five European-based players – will train at the Australian Institute of Sport European Training Centre in Varese from April 5-19, playing two friendlies against U-16 Switzerland and U-17 Inter Milan FC.
Following extensive scouting and monitoring over the past 12-months, this will be the first camp Maloney – also a current Subway Socceroos’ Assistant Coach – has called for this age group, as the Subway Joeys look ahead to the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2025™ scheduled for April and the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025™.
April’s camp represents the first taste of a national team environment for this squad, as they begin their respective journeys through Football Australia’s elite development pathway.
It’s also the first time Football Australia has assembled a squad for the new cycle, following FIFA’s announcement that the FIFA U-17 World Cup will become an annual event from 2025, where Qatar will host the men’s tournament for the next five years.
Football Australia’s National Youth Championships 2023 U-15 Player of the Tournament, Alexander Houridis (Football Victoria) will travel to Italy alongside his twin brother James (Football Victoria), reinforcing the importance of the annual talent identification tournament.
After becoming the third youngest player to debut in the A-League Men and youngest ever goal scorer in the Australia Cup during the 2023 edition, Brisbane Roar FC’s Quinn MacNicol (Football Queensland) has also been selected for this camp.
The Subway Socceroos linage is also on display within the squad with Marcus Neill (Sunderland AFC), son of Lucas Neill #421, and Gianluca Okon (Football NSW), son of Paul Okon #377, featuring in the squad.
Subway Joeys’ Head Coach, Brad Maloney said he was eager to embark on a new journey to qualify for next year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup with this group of players.
“We’ve worked extremely hard over the last 12-months, scouting and monitoring players based both in Australian and abroad, ensuring we’ve identified the best emerging talent for future Australian national teams,” Maloney said.
“Our focus during this camp is not just on honing individual skills but introducing this group to our playing philosophy and principles, while also laying the foundations for the strong and supportive team culture we want to see within all our national teams.
“Having this camp in Italy provides this playing group with a taste for what to expect as a professional footballer and to have two matches against strong European opposition will also provide a marker as we prepare for October’s Asian Cup Qualifiers,” concluded Maloney.
The squad list.
SUBWAY JOEYS SQUAD | AIS INTERNATIONAL CAMP | MATCH SCHEDULE
