Monthly Archives: June 2014

By MALCOLM FARR National Political Editor

Canberra’s newest bromance. Source: News Corp Australia

IT’S the great carbon reduction policy swindle and Clive Palmer is laughing all the way to the nickel refinery.

Last November the coal mining MP and refinery investor announced he would abstain from voting on repeal of the carbon price because of a conflict of interest with his many mining assets – But he didn’t really believe in global warming anyway.

In April Mr Palmer said any temperature rise was merely “part of the natural cycle”.

Since yesterday Mr Palmer, using the unlikely and almost inert prop of former US Vice-President Al Gore, is posing as a global warming warrior determined to protect investment in renewable energy investment.

Clive Palmer arrives at Parliament House, Canberra, this morning ahead of his breakfast meeting with PM Tony Abbott.

However, at the same time he is backing a legislative program which would essentially result in all anti-carbon emission measures being dumped. Mr Palmer wants the four senators he effectively will control from next week to vote against a carbon price, and against the Government’s alternative of Direct Action.

No talk of conflict of interest by Mr Palmer these days.

Mr Palmer claims he wants to remove the fixed carbon price — the so-called carbon tax — and move to an Emissions Trading Scheme with a price that floats on the international market.

However, Australia would not adopt this ETS until a vaguely defined quorum of trading partners first implemented their own.

The notion that the US, China, Europe, Japan and Korea would engage in policy mimicry any time in the future is feeble.

The Government would just keep the ETS option in the back pocket until this unlikely conjunction of international measures occurs.

So what’s left of the Palmer program?

Stuck in the middle: Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Pic by Kym Smith

He wants it legislated that electricity sellers must reduce prices to the full extent of savings generated by the removal of the carbon price. Which is what Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said he wants for the past 18 months.

So draping himself in green motives, standing next to a man whose life is dedicated to reducing harmful emissions around the world, Clive Palmer has pretended to be worried about global warming.

At the same time he has moved to tear up existing defences against that warming. And his new best friend, Tony Abbott, will know that.

To slightly rewrite the words of Johnny Rotten, “Ever get the feeling you’ve been swindled?”

source: theaustralian.com.au

Η λάμψη του Παγκοσμίου Κυπέλλου σκέπασε για λίγο με… χρυσόσκονη τα βαθύτατα οικονομικά και κοινωνικά προβλήματα που μαστίζουν τη Βραζιλία.

Η λάμψη του Παγκοσμίου Κυπέλλου σκέπασε για λίγο με… χρυσόσκονη τα βαθύτατα οικονομικά και κοινωνικά προβλήματα που μαστίζουν τη Βραζιλία και είχαν βυθίσει τη χώρα σε αναταραχή λίγο πριν από την έναρξη του Μουντιάλ.

Σε μια χώρα όπου το ποδόσφαιρο είναι συνυφασμένο με την ίδια τη ζωή των κατοίκων από τα παιδικά τους χρόνια και η μπάλα είναι η απόλυτη «θεά», ένας ολόκληρος λαός έχει καθηλωθεί μπροστά στις τηλεοπτικές οθόνες. Ακόμη και στα δημόσια ουρητήρια έχουν τοποθετηθεί τηλεοράσεις, έτσι ώστε οι φίλαθλοι να μη χάνουν ούτε λεπτό από τους ποδοσφαιρικούς αγώνες.

Οι φωτογραφίες, όμως, από τις παραγκουπόλεις, τις φαβέλες, όπου οι κάτοικοι παρακολουθούν με αγωνία την πορεία της εθνικής τους ομάδας, αποτυπώνουν ανάγλυφα το πρόβλημα της ανισότητας: από τη μια το ακριβότερο Μουντιάλ μέχρι σήμερα και από την άλλη η φτώχεια και η εξαθλίωση τεράστιας μερίδας του πληθυσμού.
Παρ’ ότι κάποιες από τις φαβέλες είναι πολύ κοντά στα γήπεδα όπου διεξάγονται οι αγώνες του Παγκοσμίου Κυπέλλου, οι περισσότεροι κάτοικοι δεν μπορούν να παρακολουθήσουν την ομάδα τους από κοντά, καθώς δεν έχουν αρκετά χρήματα για να αγοράσουν εισιτήριο και να βρεθούν στη γιορτή του ποδοσφαίρου.
Σύμφωνα με το «Forbes», η Βραζιλία είναι η πέμπτη χώρα στη λίστα με τους περισσότερους δισεκατομμυριούχους και την ίδια ώρα περίπου 31 εκατομμύρια Βραζιλιάνοι ζουν κάτω από το όριο της φτώχειας (δηλαδή με περίπου 1,25 δολάρια την ημέρα).

ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΑ

Κι όμως η εικόνα θα μπορούσε να είναι πολύ διαφορετική, καθώς η χώρα της Λατινικής Αμερικής είναι έβδομη στη λίστα με τις μεγαλύτερες οικονομίες του πλανήτη, με ΑΕΠ που ανέρχεται σε 2,533 τρισεκατομμύρια δολάρια και ρυθμό ανάπτυξης 2,8%.

Η αυξημένη εγκληματικότητα, η πορνεία, η τεράστια φτώχεια, τα σκάνδαλα διαφθοράς που πυροδότησαν τις διαδηλώσεις και τις ταραχές πριν ξεκινήσει το Μουντιάλ, που κόστισε 11,5 δισ. δολάρια, τώρα φαίνεται να έχουν μπει για λίγο στο περιθώριο.

Η «στρογγυλή θεά» κυριεύει τα πάντα και σκορπίζει χαμόγελα στις παραγκουπόλεις. Για πόσο όμως, αυτό είναι το ερώτημα. Η ημερομηνία διεξαγωγής των προεδρικών εκλογών πλησιάζει και το Παγκόσμιο Κύπελλο με τα πανάκριβα έργα υποδομής δεν αποτελεί μεγάλο ατού στην προεκλογική εκστρατεία της προέδρου, Ντίλμα Ρούσεφ.
Ορισμένοι παρατηρητές εκτιμούν ότι σε περίπτωση που η Σελεσάο σηκώσει το Κύπελλο, οι φτωχοί Βραζιλιάνοι θα συγχωρήσουν την κυβέρνηση για τα σκάνδαλα και την κακοδιαχείριση. Μια κακή επίδοση της Σελεσά.

Ορισμένοι παρατηρητές εκτιμούν ότι σε περίπτωση που η εθνική τους ομάδα, η θρυλική Σελεσάο, σηκώσει το Κύπελλο, οι Βραζιλιάνοι θα συγχωρήσουν την κυβέρνηση για τα σκάνδαλα και την κακοδιαχείριση και θα ξεχάσουν τα προβλήματά τους για λίγο – τουλάχιστον μέχρι την επομένη των εκλογών.
Μια κακή επίδοση της Σελεσάο, όμως, θα μπορούσε να γίνει η σταγόνα που θα ξεχειλίσει το ποτήρι.

Πηγή: Νέος Κόσμος

Το νησί που έχει συνδέσει το όνομά του με τον μοναστικό βίο.

Πριν από σχεδόν σαράντα χρόνια επισκέφτηκε η σύζυγός μου Μέλπω μια φίλη της στην Πάτμο και, ξυπνώντας το πρώτο της πρωί στο νησί, άρχισε να ψάχνει για σπίτι! Σήμερα θεωρώ ότι είμαστε πάρα πολύ τυχεροί που μπορούμε να τη χαιρόμαστε εμείς και τα παιδιά μας.

Η πρώτη εικόνα του νησιού είναι η Χώρα. Ένας πάρα πολύ πυκνός μεσαιωνικός οικισμός με πεζόδρομους πλάτους περίπου ενός μέτρου, που αναπτύχθηκε γύρω από την αγέρωχη Μονή του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Θεολόγου, που βρίσκεται στο κέντρο της. Από τη Μονή ξεκίνησε η ανάγκη της αμυντικής χωροταξίας, με το σπειροειδές λιθόστρωτο με τα πέτρινα θολωτά περάσματα που αγκαλιάζει το μοναστηριακό κάστρο να μπερδεύει τον διαβάτη ή τον… πειρατή. Εκεί που χάνεσαι, όμως, βρίσκεσαι ξαφνικά στη μεγαλύτερη πλατεία της Αγια-Λεβιάς, πολύπλευρο πέρασμα και στέκι για την ταβέρνα του Βαγγέλη και μικρά μαγαζιά σαν της Ζαφειρίας. Ή στην αρχοντική πλατεία του Ξάνθου, με το δημαρχείο, περήφανο νεοκλασικό. Τη Χώρα της Πάτμου νιώθεις να την ανακαλύπτεις συνέχεια. Γι’ αυτό και έχει επισκέπτες σαν κι εμάς, που ριζώσαμε. Πριν από δύο χρόνια, άλλωστε, στη λίστα του περιοδικού «Forbes» με τα δέκα πιο ειδυλλιακά μέρη της Ευρώπης για να ζήσει κανείς, η Πάτμος κατείχε την πρώτη θέση!

Το νησί έχει συνδέσει το όνομά του με τον μοναστικό βίο ήδη από τον 11ο αιώνα, οπότε και επετράπη η ανέγερση της Μονής του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Θεολόγου με χρυσόβουλο του Βυζαντινού αυτοκράτορα Αλέξιου Κομνηνού έπειτα από παράκληση του Οσίου Χριστόδουλου. Σήμερα η μονή έχει ένα μοναδικό σκευοφυλάκιο, σημαντικές τοιχογραφίες (όπως του Αγίου Πέτρου κολυμβητή, 12ου αιώνα), φορητές εικόνες, αλλά και δώρα από προσωπικότητες όπως η Αικατερίνη η Μεγάλη. Εξίσου σημαντική είναι και η Βιβλιοθήκη της, με σπουδαία χειρόγραφα και παλαιότυπα και όλα ψηφιοποιημένα από τον μοναχό Χρυσόστομο, με σπουδές βιβλιοθηκονομίας στη Σορβόνη. Άλλη ενδιαφέρουσα μονή στη Χώρα είναι αυτή της Ζωοδόχου Πηγής (γυναικείο μοναστήρι), με θαυμάσιες τοιχογραφίες που συντηρήθηκαν πρόσφατα. Εκτός Χώρας βρίσκεται η γυναικεία Μονή του Ευαγγελισμού, δραστήρια και ζωντανή, με τη σχολή αγιογραφίας και την αξιόλογη μοναχή Ολυμπία. Στην άνοδο προς τη Χώρα συναντάμε το Σπήλαιο και τη Μονή της Αποκάλυψης, όπου τα τελευταία δέκα χρόνια πραγματοποιούνται έργα σε δική μου μελέτη, καθώς προσπαθούμε, με μια νέα είσοδο, να κάνουμε εύκολα προσπελάσιμο το Σπήλαιο σε όλους. Υπάρχει αρκετή δουλειά που πρέπει να γίνει ακόμη στους βασικούς χώρους της μονής, που θα λειτουργεί πλέον ως Σχολή Βυζαντινής Συντήρησης (αγιογραφίες, χειρόγραφα κ.λπ).

Η Πάτμος έχει περίγραμμα ακτής δέκα φορές μεγαλύτερο απ’ ό,τι της Ελλάδας ως προς τη στερεά της γη. Μια μεγάλη δαντέλα απλώνεται γύρω της, που εναλλάσσεται από βότσαλο χρωματιστό σε βότσαλο μαύρο και από ψιλή άμμο σε βράχια με σπηλιές. Ο οικισμός του Κάμπου κατεβαίνει στην πιο πολυσύχναστη παραλία του νησιού, οργανωμένη και ιδανική για νέους και μικρά παιδιά. Εδώ, δίπλα στη θάλασσα, βρίσκεται το φημισμένο σνακ μπαρ και καφέ George’s Place, απλωμένο με σκιερές πέργκολες έως την ώρα της δύσης. Ο Γροίκος είναι ένας άλλος παραθεριστικός όρμος με τον πολύ χαρακτηριστικό βράχο της Καλικατσούς με σπηλιές (πρώην ασκηταριά), που ενώνεται με μια στενή λωρίδα γης με τη στεριά και λειτουργεί ως θεατρική σκηνή, όπου ανεβαίνουν κάθε καλοκαίρι ονομαστές παραστάσεις – η Πάτμος άλλωστε παρουσιάζει έντονη πολιτιστική δραστηριότητα σε ό,τι αφορά το θέατρο, τον κινηματογράφο και τις άλλες τέχνες. Επίσης στον Γροίκο άνοιξε, πριν από δύο χρόνια, στη θέση του παλιού Ξενία, το τελείως νέο και πολύ γοητευτικό ξενοδοχείο Patmos Aktis (T/22470-32.800, www.patmosaktis.gr), με χαμηλούς όγκους και αυλές, και ειδικά σχεδιασμένες δεξαμενές με θαλασσινό νερό.

Πιο πέρα, η Ψιλή Άμμος είναι μια εμπειρία από μόνη της. Γιατί μπορείς μεν να την προσεγγίσεις δίχως κόπο από τη θάλασσα με καΐκι, πολύ περισσότερο όμως αξίζει να περπατήσεις το μονοπάτι που αρχίζει από τον όρμο του Διακόφτη και οδηγεί στην κρυφή αυτή παραλία του νησιού με τους αμμόλοφους και την κατάξανθη ψιλή -όπως λέει και το όνομά της- άμμο, κυρίως για την εικόνα που θα σου χαρίσει το κατέβασμα από την κορυφογραμμή. Η καλύτερη ώρα της είναι η απογευματινή, για να αποφύγεις τον καυτό ήλιο, αλλά και για να απολαύσεις το φαγητό στο μοναδικό οικογενειακό ταβερνάκι της παραλίας. Έπειτα -και αφού θα έχει νυχτώσει πια- θα πάρεις το δρόμο της επιστροφής, και πάλι από το μονοπάτι, με ένα φακό (απαραιτήτως) στο χέρι και τη μαγευτική αστροφεγγιά για παρέα.

Στην Πάτμο υπάρχουν εστιατόρια, καλά και ακριβά, όπου τον Αύγουστο μπορεί να χρειαστεί να κλείσεις τραπέζι έως και δύο μέρες νωρίτερα, όπως ο διάσημος Μπενέτος (Σάψυλα, Τ/22470-33.089), που έχει πάντα την καλύτερη κουζίνα πάνω στη θάλασσα. Άλλες καλές επιλογές για φαγητό είναι το Κύμα (Τ/22470-31.192), στον κόλπο της Σκάλας απέναντι ακριβώς από τη Χώρα και τη φωταγωγημένη Μονή. Εδώ, εκτός από καλό φαγητό, θα απολαύσεις και τη δροσιά από το απρόσμενο φούσκωμα της θάλασσας κάθε φορά που περνάει ένα μεγάλο πλοίο. Για το βράδυ, έξω από τα όρια της Χώρας βρίσκεται το Αλώνι (Τ/22470-31.007), που φιλοξενεί και μεγαλύτερες εκδηλώσεις, με ζωντανή μουσική και χορούς της Πάτμου και των Δωδεκανήσων. Αξέχαστη επιλογή είναι και ο Ταρσανάς (Τ/22470-32.159), που βρίσκεται στο μεγάλο ιδιωτικό καρνάγιο στο Διακόφτη.

Από το νησί σού μένουν όμορφες λέξεις, που έχουν σχέση με τις ακτές, όπως η Λάμπη με τα πολύχρωμα βότσαλα (και τα δύο εστιατόρια στην ακτή και το ένα στην Πάνω Λάμπη) ή του Απολού με τη μικρή μονή, το Φανάρι του Γερανού, η Τρυπητή και η Φωκιά (όπου όντως λιάζονται φώκιες), η από παλιά δημοφιλής αμμουδιά Μελόι, η Κουμάνα, τα Καμπαναριά με τις όρθιες πέτρες μέχρι 5 μ. ύψος, ο Χοχλακάς. Ωραία ονόματα, πατινιώτικα. Και όμορφες ακτές, τις περισσότερες από τις οποίες μπορείς να τις προσεγγίσεις με αυτοκίνητο (οι δρόμοι είναι ωραία χαραγμένοι, σε θαυμάσια κατάσταση και σε οδηγούν παντού). Ακόμη και τον Δεκαπενταύγουστο θα βρεις τη μεριά σου, χωρίς πολυκοσμία και χωρίς συνωστισμό.

Πηγή:Νέος Κόσμος

It was an oft repeated axiom by Socceroos fans before Brazil that Tim Cahill had scored more World Cup goals than Lionel Messi and Ronaldo, the planet’s top two players, combined.

It was one of those wonderfully anomalous statistics – true, but barely believable.

Sure, ”Super Timmy” has been Australia’s talisman for a decade, but not even his biggest fan could put him on the same page as Messi and Ronaldo, no matter how much love the Sydneysider gets down under.

Ronaldo has done little to enhance his own goal tally or image during this tournament as Portugal crashed in their first two games, losing 4-0 to Germany and drawing 2-2 with the USA. One or two twists and turns and a glorious cross deep in stoppage time for the Portuguese equaliser against the Americans aside, he has been little more than a prissy, pouting, sad faced presence, his output belying the reputation his brilliance has deservedly bought him.

But Messi, on the other hand, is starting to live up to the extraordinary statistics and achievements he has amassed in every other facet of the game.

The diminutive Argentinian has been to as many World Cups  – three – as Tim Cahill, but at least now he’s equalled Australia’s most famous Socceroos son. His brace against Nigeria in an exhilarating rollercoaster of a game in Porto Alegre in the early hours of Thursday (AEST) brought his overall tally to five.

Four of them have been scored in this tournament as he truly lives up to his billing as one of the top two players in the world and the man worthy to wear the number 10 shirt for Los Albicelestes so mythically borne by Diego Maradona before him.

It seemed unthinkable, for Argentinians, that any player could ever be the equal of Maradona. Yet here, barely 20 years after the man who most would agree single-handedly won the World Cup for the South Americans in 1986, entered another phenomenon.

There is little to be said about Messi’s displays for Barcelona. Suffice to say he was the key player in the team that, for several years, delighted the world with its possession-based football and set a standard that few others could match, let alone rival.

Barca has slipped down the pecking order a little, and while Messi’s club season might not have been quite as lustrous (by his extraordinary lights) as his previous ones, the World Cup in Brazil, the spiritual home of the beautiful game, always loomed as a major landmark in his career.

Messi has never quite performed with the same brilliance for Argentina that he has for his club. In 2006, as a teenager, he was a peripheral presence, coming off the bench to score his first ever World Cup goal in that remarkable 6-0 rout of Serbia and Montenegro in a group game in Germany, a tournament in which Argentina eventually went out to the hosts in a penalty shootout in a Berlin quarter final.

In 2010 he was the main man, but failed to deliver. While Argentina made it through to the quarter-finals under the (or perhaps despite the ) coaching of Maradona, they were humbled by the rampant Germans 4-0, Messi departing South Africa without having scored so much as a single goal.

This time, with the World Cup in South America in the country of Argentina’s biggest continental rivals, surely it had to be different.

Now in his mid 20s (he turned 27 the day before Argentina’s final group match with Nigeria) he is at the peak of his powers.

The youngster who left Rosario as a youngster to travel to Spain to have hormone treatment to cure his stunted growth (it worked,but only up to a point as he still only stands 169cm tall) came now to Brazil with the weight of the Argentine nation on his shoulders, not to mention the spectre of the fabled number 10, Maradona.

No matter what he achieves at club level, unless Messi can lift his country to another World Cup triumph (for what would be its third, bringing it level with Italy and Germany) he will not be given similar status to the troubled genius of the 1980s and 1990s.

From what he has displayed so far in this tournament, he is eminently capable of doing so.

Argentina began the competition slowly, despite being given a free gift of an own goal inside three minutes in their first match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. It took a Messi special to guarantee them a 2-1 win.

Then, when the stubborn Iranians had defended doggedly for 90 minutes, repelling every Argentine attack and threatening themselves, Messi somehow found a way to break the deadlock with a stunning long-range drive in stoppage time to ensure qualification.

It was the same in that final group game against Nigeria, one of the most thrilling of the tournament so far. Messi opened the scoring after three minutes, lashing a fierce shot into the roof of the net, and put his side back in front on the stroke of half-time with a sumptuous free-kick from distance that left the Nigerian goalkeeper rooted to the spot.

His goals this time have borne the mark of genius and have rather overshadowed the fact that, the topsy turvey Nigeria match aside, Argentina have not played all that well.

But maybe they won’t have to to go all the way. With Messi in this kind of scintillating form, anything is possible.

Their fans, who sing a song designed to taunt their Brazilian hosts, certainly hope so.

The ditty,which refers back to the 1990 World Cup when a Maradona-inspired but rather limited team defeated Brazil in the knockout stage en route to the final, will surely haunt their hosts and provide a reminder of what could, in their nightmares, happen: Argentina being crowned world champions on their soil.

The translation of the song, as reported by a number of Spanish speakers, goes thus:

Brazil, tell me how it feels  to have daddy in your home.

I swear that even as the years go by we’ll never forget

How Diego dribbled  and Cani (a reference to striker Claudio Canniggia, who scored the winner against Brazil) ] stuck the needle in.

You’ve been crying since Italy until today.

You’ll see Messi bring the cup back to us.

Maradona is greater than Pelé.”

The last sentence will always be argued. But there’s no disputing that the penultimate one could ring true.

source:smh.com.au

A seven-year-old boy has died after being buried in snow on Mount Buller, in Victoria’s north-east.

A major search was launched at the popular ski resort when the boy’s family reported him missing just before 5pm on Wednesday.

A ski patrol found the Roxburgh Park boy unconscious and covered in snow near a chalet on The Avenue just after 6.30pm, a Victoria Police spokesman said.

The boy was in cardiac arrest and was taken to the Mount Buller Medical Centre, where unsuccessful attempts were made to resuscitate him, Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said.

The boy was believed to have been playing outside the chalet when a large amount of snow fell from the roof and buried him.

Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Terry Ryan said there was a near white-out when the boy went missing and visibility was very poor.

The temperature was just below freezing at 5.30pm but winds of 43km/h would have made it feel closer to minus 10, Mr Ryan said.

The death was not being treated as suspicious and a report would be prepared for the coroner, the Victoria Police spokesman said.

source: theage.com.au

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/boy-7-dies-after-getting-buried-in-snow-on-mount-buller-20140626-3aubl.html#ixzz35hIGnf1l

Greek Australian Phoebe Panaretos to play Fran.

Melbourne season for Strictly Ballroom the Musical confirmed with Phoebe Panaretos as the leading lady.

Baz Luhrmann’s much-loved hit show Strictly Ballroom the Musical will open in Melbourne at Her Majesty’s Theatre in January 2015, with Greek Australian Phoebe Panaretos playing the leading lady Fran.

But it’s not only Phoebe who is leading the Greek surge in this musical; Sophia Katos will play Liz Holt, the role made famous in the movie by fellow Greek Australian actress Gia Carides.

This new production is staged by the original creative team behind the classic 1992 film, including director and co-writer Baz Luhrmann, set and costume designer Catherine Martin, choreographer John ‘Cha Cha’ O’Connell and co-writer Craig Pearce.

“We are pretty excited that there are two Greek girls in the lead, and for me, I am playing the role Gia Carides made famous, so that’s a real privilege for me.”

But what’s it like for Sophia to tackle such a performance?” Sophia Katos told Neos Kosmos.

“She really nailed it, didn’t she?” says Sophia, who confesses she’s been practising her screaming as Gia did in the larger than life role. However, she says that Baz is asking of his cast to not only honour the roles, but bring themselves to the fore as well.

“Baz gives you the freedom to not feel like you have to copy anything,” Sophia explains. “Obviously it has to be those characters and that’s what the audiences love and what I love, but he’s cast it so our natural energies are where they have to be.”

Strictly Ballroom the Musical is the inspiring story of a championship ballroom dancer who defies all the rules to follow his heart. This uplifting and courageous tale originated as a stage play that Baz Luhrmann devised with a group of students at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) back in 1984.

“From a small student play to my first motion picture and now a full-blown theatrical stage musical, Strictly Ballroom has been an almost thirty year journey for me. I have often marvelled at how this story, born so long ago, has been in my life for so many years and has managed to touch, move, entertain and uplift so many different people from so many different backgrounds. I think the simple truth is that, despite all the sequins, outrageous hairdos and classic Hollywood musical plotting, the simple message, that there isn’t only one way to cha cha cha, and that within us all we have the true potential to dance through life with our own steps, is something that appeals to all of us. The message that life doesn’t have to be strictly ballroom is something I hope to have our audiences carry with them as they dance down the aisles,” said director Baz Luhrmann.

source: Neos Kosmos

A DOUBLE from Lionel Messi a day after his 27th birthday inspired Argentina to a 3-2 win over African champions Nigeria and assured them of finishing top of Group F at the World Cup finals.

Nigeria’s defeat — their fourth in four meetings at the finals against Argentina — came with the considerable consolation that they still progressed to the second round as Iran lost 3-1 to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the other group game.

Argentina, who are set to face either Switzerland or Ecuador in the second round, began to turn on the style after low key wins over Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran.

Nigeria, who will be appearing in the second round for the first time since 1998, are likely to face France next Monday.

“I feel honoured, and happy it’s going our way, I want to thank the players and the fans and some of the media,” commented Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi.

On Messi’s impact he added: “Messi is one heck of a player, he’s blessed, but with due respect to Messi there are other calibre players in Argentina that are very strong, but Messi is from Jupiter.”

Keshi reported that Ukraine-based forward Michael Babatunde’s world Cup was probably over after suffering a broken wrist in the second half.

His Argentina counterpart Alejandro Sabella for his part observed: “As we advance we start improving our structure, in general I saw improvement today.

“We’ve got nine points, but we can always get better.”

On Messi, who came off with half an hour to go, he added: “It seemed to me at 3-2 that we needed Messi to rest — it was agreed beforehand.”

The match got off to a stunning start as Messi fired home his third goal of the finals after two-and-a-half-minutes — the fastest goal of his career — to finally crack a Nigerian defence that had not conceded a goal in their previous two matches.

A telling pass by Fernando Gago found Angel di Maria only for the Real Madrid man’s shot to ricochet off the near post. As the loose ball bounced Messi magically appeared to slam into the roof of Vincent Enyeama’s net.

Argentina’s lead lasted all of 80 seconds when CSKA Moscow striker Ahmed Musa curled the ball artfully past Sergio Romero into the far post.

Enyeama then did well to keep the scores level when keeping out di Maria’s thunderous low drive from 30m out.

On 38 minutes Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella was forced into an unscripted change of personnel when Sergio Aguero limped off to be replaced by Ezequiel Lavezzi.

As the interval approached Messi struck a peach of a free kick from outside the box, only denied by another fine save from Enyeama.

But the Lille stopper couldn’t perform the same heroics when from a near identical position shortly after another Messi free kick thudded into the near corner for his fourth goal of the tournament.

Musa levelled only two minutes into the second half when, getting the better of Argentine defenders Federico Fernandez and Marcos Rojo, he clipped the ball past Romero.

In an at times breathtaking encounter Rojo bagged his first international goal three minutes later, knocking the ball home with his knee off a corner after Nigeria failed to clear Ezequiel Garay’s header.

With his work done Sabella rested Messi on the hour, Ricardo Alvarez coming on in his place.

Musa had ‘hat-trick’ flashing in front of his eyes in the final quarter of an hour when he cut inside Pablo Zabaleta only for the Manchester City defender to produce a superb tackle to deny him the scoring opportunity.

source: theaustralian.com.au

While household consumption spending had continued to increase.

The wage price index rose by 0.7 per cent in the March quarter and by 2.6 per cent over the year. The year-ended pace of wage growth was 1 percentage point below its long-run average and around the slowest pace in the 17-year history of this series, according to the June monetary policy meeting minutes of the Reserve Bank of Australia.

However, household consumption spending had continued to increase, with growth in the volume of retail sales in the March quarter around the same strong pace as in the December quarter. At the same time, a range of indicators of housing construction confirmed that a significant recovery was underway in this sector. Forward-looking indicators of new dwelling investment were at high levels relative to recent years, although building approvals had declined in recent months.

Source: RBA

Ambassador of Greece to Australia, Haris Dafaranos speaks on the Greek economic crisis, From a Country in Crisis to a Country in Recovery.

The Department of Modern Greek Studies of The University of Sydney, invites you to attend a public lecture presented by H.E. Mr Haris Dafaranos,
Ambassador of Greece to Australia, on the Greek economic crisis, From a Country in Crisis to a Country in Recovery.

Ambassador Dafaranos will give a lecture on the Greek economic crisis at the University of Sydney on the occasion of his official visit to New South Wales.

The Ambassador will focus on the origin and causes of the crisis, its European dimension, the remedies and the factor of European solidarity, as well as on the impact on the Greek economy and society and future prospects.

From a country in crisis, Greece emerges as a country in recovery, with a big social cost but with promising and challenging perspectives for the future.

When: Thursday 26 of June at 6.00 pm
Where: The Old Geology Lecture Theatre, Science Rd, University of Sydney (across from Footbridge Theatre, on south side of Parramata Road)

source: Neos Kosmos

The two magistrates leading a criminal investigation into Golden Dawn are set to resume hearing testimonies from MPs of the neofascist party after a judicial council rejected an appeal by detained Golden Dawn leader Nikos Michaloliakos for them to be dismissed due to alleged bias.

The Council of Appeals Court Judges rejected Michaloliakos’s request, which was based on allegations that the magistrates, Ioanna Klapa and Maria Dimitropoulou, were coercing Stathis Boukouras, a Golden Dawn MP who left the party in March, to testify against Golden Dawn. The council found that the appeal constituted an abusive use of legal tactics aimed at obstructing the investigation.

Unless a new legal complication arises, the magistrates are scheduled to hear the testimony of Eleni Zaroulia, a Golden Dawn lawmaker and Michaloliakos’s wife, and another MP, Constantinos Barbaroussis.

According to sources, Klapa and Dimitropoulou plan to summon the remaining Golden Dawn lawmakers over the coming weeks with the aim of hearing all their testimonies by the end of July. Their goal is for the case against Golden Dawn to go to trial late this year or in early 2015, the sources said.

As the investigation into Golden Dawn’s alleged criminal activities gets under way, a series of photographs surfaced, showing leading party officials performing the Nazi salute in front of flags with swastikas, bolster a wealth of evidence pointing to Golden Dawn members’ Nazi sympathies.

source: Neos Kosmos