Monthly Archives: November 2015

‘I think there is only one answer. You open the door [to refugees] and you give them shelter’ … former finance minister of Greece and Q&A panellist Yanis Varoufakis. Photo: ABC

Greece’s former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis appeared on ABC’s Q&A show yesterday, stressing that intolerance towards Muslim refugees would only fuel further violence.

The former finance minister of Greece Yanis Varoufakis answered his question backed by the experiences of a country that has borne the brunt of Europe’s refugee crisis.

“There’s no doubt that when you have a massive exodus of refugees, there may very well be a couple of insurgents that infiltrate. But it’s neither here nor there,” Varoufakis said.
“Both the terrorist attacks and the refugee influx are symptoms of the same problem but one doesn’t cause the other. “There is a correlation but no causation,” he said.

“The vast majority of the people who exploded bombs, and blew themselves up, and took AK47s to mow people down, these were people who were born in France, in Belgium. Think of the bombings in London. Britain doesn’t have free movement [over its borders] it is not part of the Schengen treaty. So the notion that we’re going to overcome this problem by erecting fences, electrifying them, and shooting people who try to scale them … the only people who benefit from that are the traffickers, because their price goes up … and Isis. They are the only beneficiaries.”

Referring to the thousands of refugees who fled the Islamic State and “washed up on [Greece’s] shores”, Varoufakis said one simple thought came to his mind:
“If somebody knocks on your door at three in the morning, they are wet, bleeding, they’ve been shot at, they’re frightened, what do you do? I think there is only one answer. You open the door and you give them shelter,” he said.

Source: The Guardian, ABC

South Australian Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis welcomed the announcement.

Billionaire Con Makris, whose wealth has been estimated at $1.03 billion in the latest BRW Rich 200 List, is joining the throng of developers setting up new luxury hotels in Adelaide.

Up to 500 new jobs are expected to be created when work begins on the long-neglected site formerly occupied by LeCornu in North Adelaide, following a deal signed by the developer.

The agreement was signed between Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and the Makris Group to begin work, with one of the hospitality sector’s most iconic names, the Sheraton, agreeing to run a 160-room hotel on the O’Connell Street site.

The $200 million luxury residential, retail and hotel development received planning approval in June, and the hotel construction is now expected to start either late next year or in early 2017 and open its doors in mid-2019.

South Australian Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis welcomed the announcement, saying public investment in Adelaide was helping leverage private investment in and around the city.

“We are well aware of the jobs and investment that the visitor economy brings to our state, which is why our recent state budget included an unprecedented $35 million over two years to promote SA to key international and domestic markets,” he said.

The hotel will offer leisure facilities including a state-of-the-art fitness centre and indoor swimming pool, with innovative work spaces and meeting rooms for business guests and a 300m2 ballroom.
The development will boast eight buildings, including the five-star hotel, a 16-storey apartment tower, public piazza, underground carpark, retail stores and restaurants.

Sheraton is owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, while the Makris Group owns the O’Connell St land and hotel. Sheraton will run the hotel on behalf of Makris.

The development will bring to an end more than 25 years of inactivity on a prime slice of Adelaide real estate. It will be the first Sheraton hotel in South Australia.

The state is attracting more Asian and interstate tourists chasing premium food and wine experiences and has capitalised on the popularity of the new $535 million redevelopment of the Adelaide Oval, which attracts regular sellout crowds of more than 50,000 for Australian Football League matches and is within walking distance of the new Makris project.

The higher tourism numbers were a bright spot in a state economy being hit hard by the looming closure of the car manufacturing industry as Holden prepares to exit by 2017, and heavy job losses as energy company Alinta is preparing to shut down two power stations at Port Augusta in the state’s north, with the loss of 438 jobs.

source:Neos Kosmos

A PROMINENT Hamilton master jeweller has admitted luring a clockmaker into a back room of his shop before four unknown thugs bashed, robbed and kidnapped him over a debt.

Peter Edward Charles Williams, of Williams Jewellers on Beaumont Street, pleaded guilty in Newcastle District Court on Tuesday to the aggravated kidnapping of the 54-year-old clockmaker in November 2013.

The clockmaker had owed money and had kept several clocks belonging to Islington businessman William Barry Jones when the victim arrived at the jewellers on the promise of work from Williams, whom he had had a sporadic work relationship with for 15 years.

But the victim was instead walked into a back “polishing room” after Williams told him ‘‘in here’’, where the four men confronted him about the debt.

Jones, who has already been handed a suspended two-year jail sentence, was also present.

‘‘The apparent leader of the group said to the [victim] “you owe him money”, indicating to Jones,’’ an agreed statement of facts said.

Williams left the room, turned off the CCTV inside the shop and played no further part in the crime.

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The victim was punched several times in the back room, causing a bloody nose and a cut above an eye.

He was also tied up and taken away in a car before he was driven to a storage shed where jewellery, clocks and other items were taken before he was freed.

‘‘The offender was not owed money by the complainant and the demands for money and property were not made for his benefit,’’ the facts read.

‘‘‘The offender has therefore been involved to the extent that he arranged for the complainant to attend the store, arranged for persons to confront and detain the complainant in the secure rear room of his premises and caused the complainant to enter and be detained by the group inside the room where he was assaulted.’’

‘‘The offender asserts that he [had] no expectation that the complainant would be taken or that weapons would be produced.”

The statement of facts said the four men had not been identified.

It was not expected that there would be any evidence given on their identities.

Sentencing submissions will be held on March 18.

source:theherald.com.au

Observing the SYRIZA-led government is like watching the third sequel of the same bad movie. The script is basically identical, with just a few minor changes.

A politician craves power. His ambition, fanned by party acolytes, makes him oblivious to concerns of political stability. He forces early elections without displaying any support for radical, albeit much-needed reforms. His lavish promises are not backed by any serious plan for the day after.

The power-hungry politician sharpens the tone of rhetoric and encourages people to take to the streets in protest. He demonizes his political rivals, portraying them as soft in negotiations, as corrupt and even as traitors. The politician finally wins the elections and moves into the Maximos Mansion.

In the beginning, he feels omnipotent. Coaxed by the country’s establishment, he forms the impression that he will be treated like a king for many years to come. However, as time goes by, reality sets in and he starts to see that his past promises were in fact untenable.

Faced with no other option, he begins to take back his pledges, one by one. His old supporters begin to desert him. Every crucial parliamentary vote deals a blow on his majority. The situation inside the Maximos bunker becomes uncomfortably reminiscent of tenures past. Similar to previous occupants, he and his people come under fire from every direction. Their tactics have backfired.

Under mounting pressure, he deems he is doing what needs to be done – it’s the others who fail to see that. Behind closed doors, he may even argue that the problem lies with the country, that it’s “ungovernable.”

The ephemeral allies start to slink away as they see that their demands, in exchange for their support, are not being fulfilled. The prime minister begins to see enemies in his ranks. He turns against vested interests that used to be on his side, accusing them of being corrupt.

All of a sudden, he realizes the need for consensus. But after all the fat that has been poured onto the flames in the meantime, no one really wants to hear talk about a national plan. His throne begins to creak beneath him; the majority is drifting away and panic sets in. This is where governments usually lose control.

The screenplay is unchanged. The only thing different is the characters and the level of irresponsibility and fanaticism. I am personally fed up of seeing the same movie again and again. The one thing that frustrates me more is all those people who saw part I and II, yet failed to make any sense of theM.

source:ekathimerini.com

O Mάρκο Σίλβα μιλώνστας στο κανάλι της UEFA τόνισε ότι ο Ολυμπιακός δεν πρέπει να φοβηθεί τη Μπάγερν αντίθετα να απολαύσει μία τόσο μοναδική αναμέτρηση.

Παράλληλα ο προπονητής των «ερυθρολεύκων» τόνισε για το ματς της Τρίτης στο Μόναχο ότι η ομάδα του θα παλέψει έως το τέλος σε έναν από τους δυκολότερους ομίλους της διοργάνωσης.

«Θα τους πω να χαρούν το παιχνίδι κόντρα σε έναν μεγάλο αντίπαλο, να απολαύσουν την ατμόσφαιρα και να μη φοβηθούν. Γιατί αν παίξουμε φοβισμένα, σίγουρα θα χάσουμε. Η Μπάγερν είναι ξεκάθαρο φαβορί, αλλά κι εμείς δεν πάμε σε κανένα παιχνίδι για να χάσουμε.

»Μέχρι στιγμής τα πράγματα μας πάνε καλά, ωστόσο ακόμα δεν έχουμε κερδίσει τίποτα. Είμαστε στη μάχη και θέλουμε να παλέψουμε ως το τέλος σε έναν από τους δυσκολότερους ομίλους» είπε ο 37χρονος προπονητής.

Πηγή:in.gr

Maria Vamvakinou MP PHOTO: SBS.

Member for Calwell Maria Vamvakinou responds to the Paris attacks and warns against tarring all Muslims with the same brush

Terrorist attacks carried out by members of extremist group IS in Paris and Beirut last week have refuelled concerning sentiments of Islamophobia across Australia.
Former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson came under fire after appearing on the Nine Network’s Weekend Today program, declaring that Australia should close its borders to incoming Muslim refugees who could be “ISIS plants”.
She went on to address Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, claiming that Australians didn’t want more Muslim refugees Down Under.
But according to Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou, such public statements are precisely what should be avoided, and says the language public figures employ is crucial.
“It’s important that people in public don’t say inflammatory things that might further reaffirm in the minds of some people that they’re not wanted,” said the member for Calwell, whose electorate has the largest Muslim population in Victoria.
Following the news of the attacks in Paris, and the 136 deaths of innocent civilians, the sentiment across the Muslim community has been one of outrage and condemnation.
“These atrocities are committed in the name of Islam, and being a community that has a very high number of people of Muslim faith, it’s their own faith that’s always brought into question by these acts of terror.”
it’s their own faith that’s always brought into question by these acts of terror.”
Instead, the MP emphasises the need for Australians to try and understand the “narrative” behind the events, which is what she believes the Grand Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohammed was trying to communicate in his recent statement following the attacks.
Otherwise there’s the concern that an entire community could be “tarred with the same brush”, which has seen a number of attacks committed against innocent Muslims, particularly women wearing the hijab.
It is this kind of behaviour that, Ms Vamvakinou says can lead people to feel isolated, namely young vulnerable people who are in the process of forming their identity.
With ISIS using social media as a key tool in its recruitment and radicalisation process, the level of interaction can often times prove to be a challenge for communities and families to monitor.
Which is why she advocates de-radicalisation programs, having proven to be effective in both Germany and Sweden.
“The only way it’s going to be tackled is when you’ve got a good picture of what’s being said, what are people feeling, and where the difficulties.
“I think we’re very able to respond to them in this country. We have the infrastructure and we have the know how to do that,” said Ms Vamvakinou.
Mr Turnbull appears to be on a similar page. After meeting with President Barack Obama and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, the PM communicated that he is opposed to foreign invasion, and instead is pushing for compromise and pragmatism.
Despite France’s decision to launch a series of airstrikes on the ISIL-held Syrian city of Raqqa on Monday, Mr Turnbull says a political solution is required, rather than a military invasion, which he believes would be counter-productive.
On Monday night, Independent Senator Nick Xenophon expressed a similar sentiment on Q&A.
“We must acknowledge that … what happened in Iraq was a bloody mess. What we have been doing to date has not been working – we’ve actually seemed to have strengthened ISIS and strengthened the terrorists,” he said.
But for the Calwell representative, the only way to come to a proper solution is through “understanding”.
“Prevention is very important, so that’s what we need to do. When you know what you’re up against and you know what’s being said, then people and communities can respond to it,” she said.
“We’re a multicultural society, we’ve dealt with diversity for decades. We need to give the community an understanding that what happened in Paris, or what’s happened in the name of Islam, doesn’t mean that every person who is a Muslim thinks in the same way.”
Meanwhile, the man alleged to have been behind the Paris attacks, 27-year-old Abdelhamid Abaaoud, has been shot dead during a police raid in a flat in Saint-Denis.

Source: The Australian, news.com.au

Sky News CEO, Angelos Frangopoulos. PHOTO: CORPORATE CLUB AUSTRALIA

Sky News CEO Angelos Frangopoulos in the running for ABC managing director role

Amid talk of finding a replacement for ABC managing director Mark Scott, a number of names have been circulating, including Sky News Australia CEO Angelos Frangopoulos.

According to reports, the ABC board are keen to name a replacement as soon as possible, with short-listed candidates expected to be interviewed in the next fortnight.

Among those in the running are former News Corp Australia chief executive Kim Williams and SBS managing director Michael Ebeid.
Other external candidates, along with Mr Frangopoulos, are Australian Communications and Media Authority chairman Chris Chapman and media entrepreneur Deanne Weir.

Four ABC staff members are also expected to vie for the job, including digital network director Angela Clark, head of television Richard Finlayson, chief operating officer David Pendleton, and director of corporate strategy David Anderson.

Neos Kosmos got in touch with Mr Frangopoulos regarding the speculation of his candidacy. Choosing not to give much away, he said “I am very committed to my role at Sky News, which continues to be a very exciting business to be part of”.

Having pursued his tertiary studies in journalism, Mr Frangopoulos worked as a reporter and producer with the Nine Network and British Sky Broadcasting.

He was appointed CEO of Sky News Australia in 2000, and sits on a number of boards, including the Walkey Foundation for Journalism.
Though Mr Frangopoulos boasts an impressive CV, it has been noted that Sky News is a much smaller organisation compared to that of the ABC, which could influence decision makers.

But whoever takes out the top job can be assured of one thing; they will be handsomely rewarded for their hard work.

While Mr Scott was noted to have been paid a total of $823,613 in 2013-2014, Fairfax Media have revealed the successful candidate could see a 40 per cent pay increase to $1.2 million.

The successful candidate is expected to be finalised by the end of the year.

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald