Monthly Archives: December 2015

Germany’s Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble criticized Greece on Sunday over the way it deals with refugees, saying Athens has ignored for years the European Union’s Dublin rules that oblige migrants to file for asylum in the first European Union (EU) country they arrive in.

Schaeuble told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that German courts had decided some time ago that refugees were not being treated humanely in Greece and could not be sent back there, contrary to the Dublin rules.

Greece, a main gateway to Europe for migrants crossing the Aegean sea, has faced criticism from other EU governments who say it has done little to manage the flow of hundreds of thousands of people arriving on its shores.

“The Greeks should not put the blame for their problems only on others, they should also see how they can do better themselves,” said Mr Schaeuble, who has repeatedly clashed with Greek officials over economic policy this year.

In contrast to his criticism of Greece, Schaeuble sought to offer to compromise with eastern European states that have voiced reluctance to accept migrants under EU quotas.

“Solidarity doesn’t start by insulting each other,” he said. “Eastern European states will also have to take in refugees, but fewer than Germany.” The biggest migration crisis in Europe since World War Two also means that European countries will have to increase spending on the military, he said.

“We will have to spend a lot more funds for joint European defence initiatives,” Mr Schaeuble said.

“Ultimately our aim must be a joint European army. The funds that we spend on our 28 national armies could be used far more effectively together,” he said.

“For Germany, this means that we will have to support our foreign and security policies more strongly than we would perhaps like,” he said, adding the Middle East would not become stable without stronger European engagement.

Germany has gradually adopted a more assertive role in global missions. Earlier this month, lawmakers approved a mission in Syria, including sending six Tornado reconnaissance jets, a frigate to help protect a French aircraft carrier, refuelling aircraft and 1,200 military personnel.

Schaeuble said he also planned to top up money for development aid in order to achieve the goal of 0.7% of gross domestic product (GDP) more quickly. Germany currently spends around 0.43% of GDP on aid.

source:ekathimerini.com

One of Australia’s best loved rock stars and the lead singer of The Easybeats, Stevie Wright, has died aged 68.

Reports of his death were first published on The Noise11 music website, which said he had fallen ill on Boxing Day and then died in Moruya Hospital on the NSW south coast on Sunday night. The hospital said it could not comment on patient matters.

Rock historian Glenn A. Baker confirmed to radio station 6PR he had been informed of the rock legend’s death.

Wright was a migrant, born in Leeds, England in 1948, he came to Australia with his family when he was nine years old, living in Melbourne first and then Sydney.

He formed The Easybeats in 1964 at the age of just 16 with a group of other young migrant teenagers – Harry Vanda, George Young, Dick Diamonde and Snowy Fleet. Within a few years the band had become one of Australia’s most popular musical groups, inspiring their own brand of Beatles-style fandom, dubbed ‘Easyfever’.

Their best known song, Friday On My Mind, reached the number one spot on the music chart in Australia in 1966, and later went on to become a top ten single in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy and a top 20 hit in the United States, according to

The song was later covered by David Bowie on his Pin-Ups album.

In 1967, the band toured as the supporting act for the Rolling Stones and released several successful albums.

The band split up in 1969, but Wright had another major hit with Vanda and Young in 1974 with the 11-minute Evie.

Wright struggled with substance abuse for decades, including an addiction to heroin, which he was introduced to to while starring in the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar in 1972.

He underwent treatment, including now notorious ‘Deep Sleep Therapy’ at Chelmsford Hospital, which involved electric shock treatment. Dozens of patients died following the therapy, and it left its mark on Wright. He went on to suffer from alcoholism and bouts of violent psychosis.

Asked on ABC’s Australian Story whether there were things in his life he would not do again if he had the chance, Wright said “I wouldn’t pick up any hard drugs… It can destroy, it does destroy.”

He and partner Fay Walker told the program in 2013 that he had been off alcohol for 20 years and heroin for 12 years, though he now suffered from liver and kidney problems, and was a diabetic.

The Easybeats were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2005.

source:smh.com.au

THE most destructive blazes in Victoria since Black Saturday in 2009 are expected to rage for weeks.

They spread across five towns in the southwest and razed at least 116 homes.

The 2200ha Jamieson Track fire destroyed 98 homes in Wye River and 18 in Separation Creek as it swept through bushland and began to ­advance toward the town of Lorne on Christmas Day.

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said strong winds had made conditions worse.

“This fire doesn’t go away,” Mr Lapsley said.

“We move back into very hot weather, particularly in northern Victoria, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.”

The Christmas blazes saw:

FOUR coastal towns evacuated including Wye River, Separation Creek, Kennett River and Grey River;

THREE firefighters injured and 116 homes lost;

RESIDENTS finally able to return to their homes in Lorne Saturday morning;

THE Insurance Council of Australia declared the bushfires a catastrophe, estimating initial losses of $25 million.

EMERGENCY grants of up to $1300 were paid to evacuated households, with the State Government promising further assistance of up to $32,500 for those left homeless.

Premier Daniel Andrews praised the effort of emergency services who had been working around the clock to battle the blaze, as well as people who had opened up their homes to support those who had been evacuated or lost their homes.

“This is one of those times when the very worst of circumstances brings out the very best in our state,” Mr Andrews said.

The blaze originally started from lightning on the evening of December 19.

Now 500 firefighters, 60 tankers, 13 aircraft and 29 dozers were still fighting the fire last night.

Mr Andrews said authorities would communicate with people who had lost their homes over the next 24 hours.

The blaze was stopped by CFA crews about 500m short of Kennett River. Mr Andrews said more properties could have been lost.

He praised the work of emergency services personnel for avoiding any injuries or loss of life yesterday.

Fire authorities said hot weather was forecast for New Year’s Eve but the winds were not predicted to cause extreme conditions.

Locals were left to count the cost yesterday including a CFA volunteer who watched his Wye River home burn as he tried to protect the town.

Tony Maly made the “gut-wrenching” phone call from the fire front to his wife Lesley yesterday morning to tell her their home was destroyed.

Meanwhile, the CFA warned there were still a number of hazardous burnt trees that could be dangerous.

Septic systems may have been damaged and leakage from these systems could pose a health hazard.
Blazes still a threat

COMBATING the devastating Lorne bushfire could take “weeks and weeks”, with some residents still uncertain whether their homes had survived.
Incident controller Alistair Drayton told hundreds of concerned residents at Cumberland Lorne Resort they were still assessing the safety of the Wye River township.

“It’s going to take weeks and weeks to combat this one,” he said.

Mr Drayton said they had not secured a containment line to the west of the fire and was concerned conditions could worsen when the temperature rises in the coming days.

He said Wye River residents would not be let into the fire zone due to safety ­concerns.

“The power is off but (fallen) solar power live wires are a danger,” he said.

Asbestos from burned old homes and falling gum trees were also a concern.

Separation Creek residents were told they would be escorted by the Red Cross to view their homes last night.

They would be told prior if their home had burned down.

“We want to reassure tonight that we are here for you,” Mr Drayton said.

Many residents raised concerns about an influx of tourists to Lorne in the New Year.

One man said he was concerned that foreign tourists were unknowingly entering the fire ground because they could not understand the road signs in place.

Mr Drayton said the emergency management team had dropped off information booklets at Melbourne Airport hire car companies to alert tourists of the danger.

Others were concerned more people would visit Lorne for Falls Festival next week.

Event organisers announced last night the popular music event had been relocated to Torquay.

While Lorne was spared the fire storm, the town feared big tourism losses could add to the devastation for locals.

The fire had a dramatic effect on visitor numbers in town with the main street virtually deserted yesterday.

The foreshore caravan park, usually packed with holidaymakers, was deserted.

It was the same situation throughout the tourist town, usually teeming with visitors.

source:heraldsun.com.au

Australia’s holiday road toll has climbed to 17 after six people were killed on the country’s roads on Boxing Day.

Two people have died and three have been injured in a single-vehicle crash in the north west of NSW.

Police say two people died at the scene of the crash near Narrabri on Sunday morning, where it appears the vehicle crashed into a tree off the Newell Highway.

In Queensland a 26-year-old man died in a two-car crash on the Burnett Highway at Gayndah and a motorcyclist aged in his 30s died after losing control and being thrown from his bike at Mount Nebo.

In Richmond, western Sydney, a 78-year-old woman was killed while trying to cross the road on Saturday afternoon.

Earlier, another female pedestrian died after being struck by a car on the Newell Highway in the NSW Central Highlands.

Also in NSW, a 26-year-old woman was killed in a three-car crash near Yass in the state’s Southern Tablelands.

The woman died about noon after the small sedan she was driving crashed into two oncoming cars on Lachlan Valley Way, 5km west of the Hume Highway.

In country Victoria, a man in his 50s was killed after a van carrying six people slammed into a tree on the Hume Highway in Boho at 1.40pm.

The van’s male driver and another passenger are both fighting for their lives after being critically injured in the crash.

The Northern Territory is the only state or territory not to record any road deaths since the holiday toll started on Wednesday.

The national road toll period runs from 0001 December 23, 2015 until 2359 January 3, 2016, local times.

source:skynews.com.au

Ο νόμος του «Ανφιλντ» μέτρησε για ακόμα μια φορά και η Λίβερπουλ νίκησε 1-0 τη Λέστερ, για τη 18η αγωνιστική της Premier League, γνωστή και ως «Boxing Day».

Η ομάδα του Γιούργκεν Κλοπ κυριάρχησε από το πρώτο λεπτό, εκμηδένισε το «φονικό δίδυμο» των φιλοξενούμενων (αλλαγή έγιναν οι Βάρντι, Μαχρέζ) και υποχρέωσε τη Λέστερ στην πρώτη της ήττα μετά από ακριβώς τρεις μήνες (26 Σεπτεμβρίου, 2-5 από την Αρσεναλ).

Ετσι, το βράδυ η Αρσεναλ θα έχει την ευκαιρία να κλείσει την ημέρα μόνη στην κορυφή της βαθμολογίας. Απαραίτητη προϋπόθεση, να περάσει από την δύσκολη έδρα της Σαουθάμπτον.

Κατά τα άλλα, η εκπληκτική Γουότφορντ έφυγε με θετικό αποτέλεσμα (2-2) από την έδρα της Τσέλσι, ενώ η… τραγωδία της Αστον Βίλα συνεχίζεται, καθώς μετά το 1-1 εναντίον της Γουέστ Χαμ οι «Χωριάτες» παραμένουν χωρίς νίκη από την πρεμιέρα (8 Αυγούστου) και ήδη βρίσκονται δέκα βαθμούς μακριά από την σωτηρία.

Νωρίτερα στον πρώτο αγώνα της ημέρας, μετά τις Μπόρνμουθ και Νόριτς η Μάντσεστερ Γιουνάιτεντ φρόντισε να «αναστήσει» αγωνιστικά και την Στόουκ Σίτι. Η ομάδα του Φαν Γκάαλ, η οποία έχει να γνωρίσει τη χαρά της νίκης στο πρωτάθλημα από τις 21 Νοεμβρίου, ηττήθηκε 2-0 και από την Στόουκ Σίτι στο «Μπριτάνια Στέντιουμ».

Τα τέρματα της αναμέτρησης, η οποία δεν αποκλείεται να αποτελέσει το «κύκνειο άσμα» του Ολλανδού τεχνικού στον πάγκο της Γιουνάιτεντ, σημείωσαν οι Μπόγιαν Κρκιτς στο 19ο λεπτό και Αρναούτοβιτς στο 26ο λεπτό με εκπληκτικό σουτ έξω από την περιοχή.

Με γκολ του Τόμας Κλέβερλι στον 3ο και τελευταίο λεπτό των καθυστερήσεων, η Εβερτον πέρασε με νίκη από το «St James’ Park» επικρατώντας 1-0 της Νιούκαστλ. Ετσι, κατάφερε να ανέβει στο πρώτο μισό του βαθμολογικού πίνακα και παράλληλα να αφήσει τους «ανθρακωρύχους» στη ζώνη του υποβιβασμού.

Αποτελέσματα, σκόρερ και βαθμολογία:

Στόουκ Σίτι-Μάντσεστερ Γ. 2-0
(19΄ Μπόγιαν Κρκιτς, 26΄ Αρναούτοβιτς)

Άστον Βίλα-Γουέστ Χαμ 1-1
(62΄πεν. Αγιού – 45+3΄ Κρέσγουελ)

Μπόρνμουθ-Κρίσταλ Πάλας 0-0

Τσέλσι-Γουότφορντ 2-2
(32΄,65΄ Ντιέγκο Κόστα – 42΄πεν. Ντίνι, 56΄ Ιγκάλο)

Λίβερπουλ-Λέστερ 1-0
(63΄ Μπεντέκε)

Μάντσεστερ Σίτι-Σάντερλαντ 4-1
(13΄ Στέρλινγκ, 17΄ Τουρέ, 22΄ Μπονί, 54΄ Ντε Μπράιν – 59΄ Μπορίνι)

Σουόνσι-Γουέστ Μπρομ 1-0
(9΄ Κι)

Τότεναμ-Νόριτς 3-0
(26΄πεν.,42΄ Κέιν, 80΄ Κάρολ)

Νιούκαστλ-Εβερτον (19:30)
Σαουθάμπτον-Αρσεναλ (21:45)

ΒΑΘΜΟΛΟΓΙΑ (σε 18 αγώνες)
Λέστερ 38
Άρσεναλ 36 -17αγ.
Μάντσεστερ Σίτι 35
Τότεναμ 32
Κρίσταλ Πάλας 30
Μάντσεστερ Γιουν. 29
Γουότφορντ 29
Λίβερπουλ 27
Στόουκ Σίτι 26
Γουέστ Χαμ 26
Έβερτον 23 -17αγ.
Σαουθάμπτον 21 -17αγ.
Γουέστ Μπρομ 20
Μπόρνμουθ 20
Τσέλσι 19
Σουόνσι 18
Νόριτς 17
Νιουκάστλ 17 -17αγ.
Σάντερλαντ 12
Άστον Βίλα 8

Πηγή:in.gr

A Mexican man who had weighed as much as 450kg died in an ambulance after a heart attack on Christmas Day.

A Mexican man once regarded as the world’s most obese has died of heart failure at the age of 38, two months after bariatric surgery to lose weight.

Andres Moreno Sepulveda, who had weighed as much as 450 kilograms, died en route to hospital in the northwestern state of Sonora on Christmas Day, a friend told DPA.

“He was doing well, but he had had two previous heart attacks. He became short of breath, and died in the ambulance,” said Carmen Palacios, who had been helping him during his rehabilitation process over the past year.

Moreno Sepulveda had slimmed down to 320kg before undergoing gastric bypass surgery to reduce his stomach.

His doctor said following the procedure that they hoped to get him down to about 85kg eventually.

source:sbs.com.au

More than 100 homes have been lost in an out-of-control fire still burning on Victoria’s surf coast.

Firefighters have conducted an extensive search of Wye River and Separation Creek on Saturday, where all of the homes were lost.

Country Fire Authority deputy incident controller Mark Gunning said 116 houses have been destroyed in the 2200-hectare Jamieson Track blaze.

“That will probably be the final number, as we’ve just completed an extensive search,” Mr Gunning told AAP on Saturday.

On Friday, authorities feared the intense blaze would also raze homes in Kennett River and possibly reach Victoria’s major tourist spot, Lorne.However, the fire stopped just 500 metres short of Kennett River.

Residents and holidaymakers were told it was safe to return to Lorne shortly after 9am on Saturday after spending most of Friday evening evacuating the area.Although the CFA has downgraded the fire warning to a watch and act in Lorne, Mr Gunning said the fire was still out-of-control and people needed to remain vigilant.

Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley said the blaze was intense though not large, and had been pushed along by strong winds.It could continue burning until January or February because a dousing of rain on Saturday was unlikely to do much in the long term once the state began to dry out.

The Victorian and Commonwealth governments confirmed on Saturday households hit by the fires would be abe to apply for up to $!300 in immediate natural disaster relief, and $32,500 in re-establishment payments.

Premier Daniel Andrews praised the effort of emergency services who had been battling the blaze, as well as people who had opened up their homes.’

This is one of those times when the very worst of circumstances brings out the very best in our state,’ he said.The road to Lorne is open, but it will be closed south for days.

The Insurance Council of Australia on Saturday declared the bushfires a catastrophe, estimating initial insurance losses of $25 million.

source:skynews.com.au