Daily Archives: August 18, 2015

The 49th anniversary of the bloody Battle of Long Tan has been marked at Vietnam Veterans Day commemorations around the country.

During the four-hour battle 120 Australian troops held off an attack from up to 2,500 enemy soldiers until reinforcements arrived.

The violent engagement saw 18 Australian troops killed and 24 wounded while hundreds of Vietnamese soldiers died.
I want to make sure that veterans that follow me are looked after better than what we were.

Tasmanian Vietnam Veterans Association secretary Brian McKenzie

Prime Minister Tony Abbott paid tribute to Long Tan veterans and all 60,000 Australian soldiers who served in the conflict at a remembrance ceremony in Canberra.

“Courage, determination, resourcefulness and unflinching loyalty to mates marked that battle and indeed the entire Australian experience in Vietnam,” he said.

“Today we remember all who served in the Vietnam War, we remember those who died, we remember those who were scarred physically and mentally, we remember their families and their loved ones that suffered with them.”

Queenslander Keith Payne, 81, one of Australia’s most decorated soldiers, marked Vietnam Veterans Day at a ceremony in Darwin.

Mr Payne is Australia’s last living Vietnam War Victoria Cross recipient, the highest military decoration for gallantry “in the presence of the enemy”.

He received the award for helping to find and save 40 wounded soldiers in one night during the war.

“It was my responsibility, I was the company commander, I couldn’t tell anybody else to go and do a naughty job,” he said.

“Of course I wasn’t going to leave my soldiers in the field if I could get them out.”

Mr Payne said attitudes towards Vietnam veterans had changed dramatically since the diggers first returned from war.

“It was a terrible time for the nation and the Vietnam veterans because they were booed,” he said.

“We were doing the duty of the government of the day.

“They sent us there and why should we, as veterans, suffer the consequences of your not liking us go there.

“But I am happy to say, with the welcome home parade in Sydney [in 1987], it was not only bringing the Vietnam veterans home and giving [them] a welcome home by the Australian people, it was also a reunification of our nation.”

Veterans committed to ‘looking after’ returned soldiers

Tasmanian Vietnam Veterans Association secretary Brian McKenzie said there was a fierce commitment among veterans to care for returned soldiers of all generations and their families.

“Our motto is ‘honour the dead, fight like hell for the living’,” he said.

“I want to make sure that veterans that follow me are looked after better than what we were.”

Tasmanian Vietnam War veterans are backing calls to officially recognise the gallantry of the men who fought the Battle of Long Tan.

Retired Colonel Harry Smith said officers received gallantry awards, while the men he led still had not been recognised.

Mr McKenzie joined the call for greater recognition for the soldiers.

“I think there were a lot of things that were done incorrectly,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s restricted to just that particular battle either, there were quite a number of significant battles that have really been un-recognised.”

Tasmanian Retired Major John Opie fought in the Battle of Long Tan.

“I was there on the day,” he said.

“Long Tan was a bad day for a lot of people.

“My unit was badly mortared the night before which in fact drew the company out and that’s the genesis of the Battle of Long Tan.”

He said he remembered some moments with perfect clarity.

“Most vividly [I remember] checking the outposts with no shirt on, in the dark,” he said.

“[It was] to ensure that my people knew that I wasn’t Vietnamese.”

Major Opie now volunteers with Legacy Australia, a charity providing services to returned veterans and their families.

“We look after the families of Vietnam veterans as well as World War I, World War II, Afghanistan, Iraq,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter where they are, if they’re fallen or they’re injured to a point where they can’t look after their family; we step in and do what we can.”

source:abc.net.au

H Μελβούρνη, οι ουρανοξύστες της και ο ποταμός Yarra που τη διασχίζει…

Για 5η συνεχή χρονιά
H Μελβούρνη είναι η καλύτερη πόλη να ζει κάποιος για πέμπτη συνεχή χρονιά με βάση την αξιολόγηση του Economist Intelligence Unit.

Τον κατάλογο με τις εκατό καλύτερες πόλεις του κόσμου για να ζει κανείς δημοσίευσε ο Economist, στο πλαίσιο της ετήσιας έρευνας του «The Economist Intelligence Unit», και η Μελβούρνη φαίνεται ότι πληροί για ακόμα μία χρονιά τις προϋποθέσεις που την οδήγησαν στην κορυφή της λίστας.

Η πολιτική σταθερότητα, οι παροχές υγείας, ο πολιτισμός, το περιβάλλον, η εκπαίδευση, η ασφάλεια και οι υποδομές είναι μερικές από τις παραμέτρους που αξιολογήθηκαν και τοποθέτησαν και την Αδελαίδα στην 5η θέση.

Στη λίστα συμπεριλαμβάνονται επίσης το Βανκούβερ (3ο), το Τορόντο (4ο) και το Καλγκάρι (60ο) (από τον Καναδά) ενώ καλύτερη ευρωπαϊκή πόλη για να ζει κανείς ανακηρύχθηκε η Βιέννη που είναι 2η στην παγκόσμια κατάταξη.

Πηγή:Νέος Κόσμος

Yiorgos Karagounis during his Greece playing days at the Brazil 2014 World Cup. Photo: EPA/Kai Foersterling.

Greece’s football governing body swings the axe

The Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) announced sweeping changes late last week with the removal of manager Sergio Markarian, as well as his assistants Roland Marcenaro and Nikos Costenoglou, and national team director Yiorgos Karagounis.

The decision to part with Markarian, Marcenaro and Costenoglou was reportedly agreed to by mutual consent, but Karagounis, Greece’s most capped player, is said to be a sticking point with the organisation, with the EPO stating his contract was terminated for an unspecified “significant reason”.

The former national captain accused the EPO of showing no respect throughout the process.

“The most striking thing is that since all of this first started, I have kept seeing my professional dignity being tarnished in the media and nobody [from the EPO] has bothered to contact me to tell me anything,” Karagounis told Greece’s Sport FM.

“This is not consistent with my behaviour over the years, especially towards the national team that I’ve served for 24 years. They should respect all these years that I’ve been involved.

“It’s so bad to let rumours and heresy continue with so many lies being bandied about and nobody responding to them.”

Greece’s Under-21 coach Costas Tsanas will stand in as caretaker manager until a permanent replacement is found. Greece has four Euro 2016 qualifiers remaining, with the next on September 4 against Finland in Piraeus, and sits last in its group on two points.

source: Neos Kosmos

A Turkish fighter jet flies above the Incirlik airbase. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Airspace violations between Greece and Turkey are a common issue, especially over the Aegean Sea.

A formation of six Turkish fighter jets violated Greek national air space over the northeastern and southeastern Aegean on Tuesday, according to Greek defence officials.

The Turkish jets, which were flanked by another three electronic-warfare aircraft that were not a part of the formation, carried out a total of eight transgressions, without determining whether any of the aircraft were armed or whether any dogfights occurred.

The reported violations took place in Greek airspace over the north, central, and southern Aegean Sea.

On a previous chase which took place last week, two of the Turkish jets were carrying armaments and a tense close-quarters confrontation occurred between the neighbouring countries’ jets.

The island-filled stretch of water separating Turkey and Greece contains maritime boundaries that are a persistent source of disagreement between the two countries.

Although violations happen with frequency between the two countries, Turkey and Greece have seen a rapid increase in incidents since 2013.

“In the first month of 2014 alone, Turkish aircraft allegedly violated Greek airspace 1,017 times,” Metin Gurcan, who reports for Al-Monitor, confirms.

“This was twice the number of total airspace violations between the two countries for the first half of 2013.”

In all cases, the Turkish jets were chased off by Greek aircraft, as usually occurs in the case of such incursions.

source:Neos Kosmos

4

TV presenter Sophie-Theodora Giltizi, whose family still lives in Kos, is not just saddened but alarmed for her island’s predicament.

Island residents react to the staggering migrant influx and EU’s immobility

More than 5,000 refugees are piled up in the port of Kos, while another flock of dinghies spits out nearly a thousand souls from Syria.

“I spent the entire summer of 2014 here and within a few months the island has turned into a completely different place,” says MTV Greece presenter Sophie-Theodora Giltizi.

“I live in Athens but my family are permanent residents. I’m gobsmacked by how Kos went from paradise to hell in a jiffy.”

Giltizi feels that describing the situation as ‘dire’ is an understatement. She fears the backlash from the poor living conditions the refugees, as well as the Kos residents, are faced with will be immense.

“Thousands of people were locked in the Antagoras football ground screaming for food, water and registration,” she tells Neos Kosmos.

“The unbearable heat and the poor hygiene conditions are making the immigrants aggressive.”

The majority of Kos’ people go to great lengths to feed and care for the refugees out of their own pockets, however, the local authorities’ unwillingness and the increasing numbers of people landing on the coasts in shambles on a daily basis, have worn them out.

“Our beautiful island is in disarray. My family tries to help but they are starting to worry and fear for the worst,” emphasises Giltizi, wondering “what will happen in a month or two?”

“There’s no reception centre and no official government program to provide them with essentials.”

Greece is a cash-strapped nation going through its own hell at the moment, which is why Giltizi and people living on islands like Kos were pinning their hopes on the first measures under the EU Migration Agenda.

“International aid groups are criticising the Greek government for the poor treatment,” she says, stressing that Greece has received no help from the EU.

Meanwhile, Greek American Kos resident Elias Svinos describes an even worse predicament for the island’s population of 35,000.

“Our daily ‘refugee-intake’ is in the thousands,” he says.

“The situation is far beyond our capacity as it is, yet, the UNCHR are estimating another 25,000 to arrive by the end of October.”

Svinos, who works as a translator and English teacher, is thinking of relocating to the United States.

“No one seems to be thinking long term,” he adds, pointing to the over 100,000 Syrians stacking up in the Turkish coasts, ready to jump on board the first vessel heading towards the Mediterranean.

“These are the circumstances under which hot-headed Golden Dawn supporters convince people racism is the only solution.”

Fights broke out during a registration procedure the other day and Svinos confirms both ends were aggressive.

“A lot of people are taking matters into their own hands as the EU and local government have turned their backs on Kos,” he admits.

“Most refugees are of Syrian background, fleeing an ongoing civil war to re-obtain their freedom and are being locked-up all over again.”

According to Svinos, the people of Kos are afraid hunger and frustration might make the immigrants resort to criminal behaviour down the track. The residents are divided and ideologically confused.

“I am concerned about my family; they don’t feel safe,” he says.

“There have been some petty crimes and a couple of muggings but it feels like the situation can explode and escalate at any given moment.”

Svinos is disappointed with the indifference being demonstrated by people across the globe towards this pressing issue.

“The world has practically become numb by the information and misinformation overload, or maybe humans are inherently selfish and continue to live as such until disaster explodes on their own doorstep.”

source:Neos  Kosmos

Melbourne named the world’s most liveable city in The Economist’s annual study for the fifth year running.

Adelaide ranked in fifth place

Melbourne has been named the world’s most liveable city for the fifth year in a row achieving a near perfect score on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) liveability survey of 140 cities.

The survey rated cities out of 140 in the areas of health care, education, stability, culture and environment and infrastructure.

While 20 per cent of the cities surveyed by the magazine’s Intelligence Unit experienced declines in liveability over the past year, Australian cities were found to be “a relative picture of stability”.

Melbourne again achieved a score of 97.5, just two-and-a-half points shy of perfection.

Adelaide was ranked in fifth place again with an overall rating of 96.6.

The editor of the survey, Jon Copestake, said while Melbourne remained top for a fifth year, the “hostage siege in Sydney late last year has put Australia on a high terror alert, which could affect future scores” for Australian cities.

According to the EIU report, those that score best tend to be mid-sized cities in wealthier countries with a relatively low population density, which makes them able to foster a range of recreational activities without leading to high crime levels or overburdened infrastructure.

While seven of the top ten scoring cities were in Australia and Canada, Damascus in Syria was ranked as the least liveable city.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s capital Harare was the most improved city in the EIU report.

Most liveable cities top 5:

Melbourne, Australia
Vienna, Austria
Vancouver, Canada
Toronto, Canada
Adelaide, Australia

Least five liveable:

Tripoli, Libya
Lagos, Nigeria
Port Moresby, PNG
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Damascus, Syria

source:Neos Kosmos

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is due to meet with his economic policy team to decide the actions the government must take in the coming weeks as part of its bailout commitments, which could deter the premier from moving swiftly to trigger snap elections.

Although last week it seemed certain that Tsipras would quickly call a confidence vote, perhaps then leading to another trip to polling centers for Greek, the prime minister and his advisers now seem to be holding off on any sudden moves.

Government sources suggested on Monday that Tsipras first wants to discuss with his economic team how the first tranche of Greece’s third bailout, which was passed through Parliament on Friday and then rubber-stamped by eurozone finance ministers, will be disbursed.

Athens is due to receive 26 billion euros of the total 86 billion as its first installment but this will be broken into sub-tranches, with 10 billion going toward recapitalizing Greek banks.

The prime minister also wants to be briefed on what measures the government will have to adopt over the next few weeks in order to comply with the bailout terms and ensure that there will be no complications when the lenders’ technical teams return in October to review the program’s implementation.

“We cannot put at risk the smooth implementation of the agreement,” said a government source who preferred to remain anonymous.

A government official said that if Tsipras is advised that bailout-related legislation needs to be passed through Parliament immediately, then the option of early elections in September is likely to be rejected. Instead, the government will seek to clear the first review and snap polls will be considered for October or November.

In fact, Tsipras could ask for Parliament to hold reduced summer sessions during August for the draft laws to be approved. A delay in calling a confidence vote or snap elections would also allow for the discussion with lenders about debt relief to proceed.

Either way, Tsipras is expected to take his final decision in the days immediately after Thursday, when Greece has to pay 3.2 billion euros to the European Central Bank. The bond will be covered by money that Athens is due to receive from the new bailout.

source:ekathimerini.com

Μπερδεμένοι οι Κινέζοι επιστήμονες μελετούν εδώ και μερικές ημέρες το νέο απόκτημα του ζωολογικού κήπου της Νανίνγκ: μια νεογέννητη κόμπρα που, από μια γονιδιακή μετάλλαξη, είναι δικέφαλη!

Το νεογέννητο φίδι ανακάλυψε αρχικά στην αυλή του ένας κτηνοτρόφος στην Κίνα, ο οποίος και το παρέδωσε με έκπληξη στους υπευθύνους του ζωολογικού κήπου.

Τα δύο κεφάλια του φιδιού έχουν ξεχωριστούς εγκεφάλους, με αποτέλεσμα πολλές φορές να κινούνται προς διαφορετικές κατευθύνσεις, με τους ζωολόγους να ισχυρίζονται ότι στις (ελάχιστες) φορές που έχει γεννηθεί ένα τέτοιο… τερατούργημα, συνήθως το ένα κεφάλι, το πιο δυνατό, καταλήγει να τρώει το διπλανό του.

«Το φίδι γεννήθηκε πριν δέκα ημέρες και έχει αλλάξει ήδη μία φορά δέρμα. Ωστόσο αν συνεχίσει έτσι δεν πρόκειται να επιβιώσει καθώς αρνείται να τραφεί ή να πιει νερό», ενημέρωσε ο υπεύθυνος του ζωολογικού κήπου Λι Κεκί.

Πηγή:in.gr