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In the spirit of the ‘Speak Greek’ campaign, Festival Hellenika and Greek National Day celebrations are helping to keep the Greek language and traditions alive.

March is without a doubt the most exciting month of the year in South Australia, thanks to a series of cultural events that take place all around the city.
For those of us who ‘breathe and speak Greek’, Festival Hellenika continues the inspiring journey of exploration that has enriched Australian society, with activities that broaden our horizons, break down stereotypes, build links and foster greater harmony and understanding of our origins.

The Adelaide Festival Centre came alive last Friday night, filled with music presented by musical director Tsambika DeGeorge, four vocalists and an eight piece band.

Presented by the South Australian Council for the Greek Cultural Month Inc. (SACGCM), the sold out event Greece, Mother of Mine was a tribute to the amazing and talented composer Stavros Xarhakos.

Also part of Festival Hellenika, the Hellenic Symphonic Choir and Orchestra presented a lecture dedicated to inspirational scientist Professor George Kallistratos.

Entitled ‘A Greek Scientist from Egypt Who Changed the Direction of Our Planet’, the lecture took place on Sunday in the Norwood Town Hall with guest speaker Professor Dinos Grous.

Professor Grous personally knew Professor Kallistratos, having had the honour of working alongside him at various universities abroad.

With Greece’s National Day celebrated on March 25, no doubt it gives this month even greater meaning for all Hellenes.

Dating back to 1821, the Greek Revolution, also know as the Greek Declaration of Independence, saw the armed uprising of the Greeks against the Ottoman Empire.

The Greek people were forced to live under Ottoman rule following the fall of Constantinople in 1453, lasting almost four centuries.

As has been the case in previous years, the Inter-Communities Council of the Holy Archdiocese of South Australia honoured those heroes who gave their lives for the independence of Greece, with a celebration that took place on Sunday 22 March.

The official doxology was conducted by His Grace Bishop Nikandros of Dorileou at the Greek Orthodox Church of St Spyridon, followed by a moving memorial service and laying of wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

This was followed by a student parade, with the attendance of a number of Greek schools of South Australia taking part to show their respects.

Similarly, the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia also commemorates this historic day on Sunday 29 March.

A celebratory doxology was conducted in the Church of the Archangels in the presence of the executive committee and students of the community’s Greek schools.

The Cenotaph of Heroes holds official proceedings, where the official speeches took place, wreaths were laid and the national anthem was heard.

It was followed by a school celebration at the Olympic Hall with poem recitals, short theatrical plays, traditional songs and dances performed by the students.

source: Neos Kosmos

Luke Simpkins in parliament. Photo: AAP

I wish to raise a matter of great importance to many of my constituents and in fact many people around the country. It is rare that I take exception to our government’s foreign policy because I think that on all the big issues the foreign minister and the executive as a whole have gotten the calls right.

The issue I speak of is that of the failure of successive federal governments to call the Republic of Macedonia by its constitutional name. On every occasion when the name issue comes up for those Australians of Macedonian heritage – and there are more than 100,000 of them – they feel insulted by this country’s continued use of the term ‘Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’. Yugoslavia itself ceased to exist some 20 years ago and our country continues to be locked in the past.

Why? There is no doubt that both sides of politics are ultimately fearful that this one issue will somehow galvanise the Australian Greek community into a block vote against whoever makes this change to recognise the Republic of Macedonia. Both sides are wrong. Those of Greek heritage are pretty much like every other ethnic community of second generation or more heritage in this country. They are not locked into some false and paranoiac belief that Australia officially uttering the words ‘Republic of Macedonia’ will somehow lose territory of the Hellenic Republic. Australians of Greek heritage have bigger issues in their lives than this and they vote like any other Australians on issues that really affect them, such as the economy and opportunities for them and their families.

There are a handful of Australians of Greek heritage who do contact members of parliament and talk about how many votes would be lost by whoever made such a change. But it remains a handful and, despite the talking, there are not enough people who would vote only on this issue to affect the result in a single electorate. It is tragic that literally a handful of nationalists can exert such power as to control the foreign policy of this nation.

Of course, that is not the reason given as to why Australia is against doing the right thing on the name issue. Officially, our biased position is to stand with a very small group of nations, a group that does not include our traditional allies of the United States, the United Kingdom or Canada. This small group excuses their biased pro-Greek position by talking about the need to remain committed to the UN-sponsored process that aims to achieve a mutually-accepted agreement over the name issue. This is of course a smokescreen that is good for hiding behind for a perceived domestic political advantage.

Our position is wrong on many counts. Firstly, that stated objective can be achieved by maintaining the reference to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia at the UN and in multilateral fora. Secondly, it does not take any notice of the outcomes over the last almost 20 years. Those outcomes have been minimal and, despite very big concessions on the Macedonian side regarding borders and even changing their flag, the Greek side insists that the name ‘Macedonia’ cannot be in the name of the country at all. Former Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras said in the past that all they have to do is to ensure there is no agreement at these UN-sponsored talks and Albanian nationalism and other economic instability resulting from economic problems will see Macedonia fall apart.

I would remind the parliament that in vetoing Macedonia’s entry to the EU and NATO, the International Court of Justice found against Greece in 2011. The ICJ said that Greece, in vetoing Macedonia, had broken the original agreement to not bar the way for their neighbour. I find it disappointing that DFAT does not acknowledge this and, overall, provides advice that is biased.

As I have said before in my report, following a visit to Greece and the Republic of Macedonia in 2011, I believe that there is a real reason why Greece bars
the economic future of the Republic of Macedonia by locking them out of the EU and NATO. That reason is that if they were allowed into the EU, then EU laws would allow those who lost houses and land after the civil war in the 1940s to claim restitution, and the cost would be highly challenging for Greece to bear.

Our prime minister said late last year that the Macedonia request for bilateral name recognition was ‘fair enough’. Yes, it is fair enough that Australia should do the right thing and recognise the Republic of Macedonia by its constitutional name. This would actually help the UN-sponsored process by increasing pressure to end the intransigence and get real negotiation happening. Our duty should be to change to an unbiased position by providing bilateral recognition and increasing pressure to end the economic siege provided by the vetoing of entry to the EU. Bureaucrats who excuse our biased position by talking about freedom of the press and independence of the judiciary should know that Macedonia has already met the standards for entry to the EU.

Australia has so far taken a biased position and, through our unwillingness to seek progress, we are helping to hurt the economy of a small nation in Europe. The Greek government wants instability in the region and our support of one side aids them. Over the terms of successive governments Australia has held back the homeland of some 100,000 immigrants to our country and it is no surprise that they are not happy about it. The time to do the right thing has come.

* This is an edited version of Liberal MP Luke Simpkins’ speech in federal parliament.

source: Neos Kosmos

Young students in national dress to mark Greece’s National Day in Melbourne. Photo: Kostas Deves.

While Greek National Day fell mid-week in Australia, thousands flocked to mark the day over the weekend, participating in a number of parades, memorial services and church services.

Melbourne hosted it’s annual parade at the Shrine of Remembrance on Sunday, with hundreds of Greek students marching to the steps of the Memorial greeted by both sides of politics and our community’s church leaders.

Greece’s Ambassador to Australia, Haris Dafaranos and Melbourne’s Greek Consul General Christina Simantiraki laid a wreath together at the Eternal Flame,
as did Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews.

Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria president, Bill Papastergiadis stood alongside Bishop Ezekiel Dervis and Bishop Iakovos of Militoupolis marking the sombre occasion.

The main event was preceded by a church service at St Efstathios and a smaller memorial service held by the Hellenic RSL in Melbourne.

Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide also held memorial services, with the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia hosting hundreds of Greek Australians at the The Cenotaph of Heroes.

It was followed by a school celebration at the Olympic Hall with poem recitals, short theatrical plays, traditional songs and dances performed by the students.

source: Neos Kosmos

Ολόκληρος ο πλανήτης συμμετείχε στην επιχείρηση «Ώρα της Γης» που πραγματοποιήθηκε αργά το βράδυ του Σαββάτου.

Περίπου 1.200 μνημεία σε 170 χώρες έστειλαν, έτσι, το δικό τους μήνυμα για την προστασία του περιβάλλοντος.

Στη Νέα Υόρκη τα συνήθως εντυπωσιακά νυχτερινά φώτα στο Empire State Building χαμήλωσαν ενώ οι πινακίδες νέον στο Μπρόντγουεϊ έσβησαν.

Λίγες ώρες νωρίτερα, στο Παρίσι, ο Πύργος του Άιφελ βυθίστηκε στο σκοτάδι για πέντε λεπτά. Η διάρκεια της «επιχείρησης» αυτής ήταν περιορισμένη για λόγους ασφαλείας. Εκτός όμως από τον Πύργο του Άιφελ, άλλα 300 παριζιάνικα μνημεία έσβησαν τα φώτα τους στο πλαίσιο της «Ώρας της Γης» που οργάνωσε για ένατη συνεχή χρονιά στο Παγκόσμιο Ταμείο για τη Φύση (WWF).

Για το WWF, η βασική ιδέα δεν είναι να εξοικονομήσει ο πλανήτης ηλεκτρική ενέργεια για μία ώρα αλλά να υπενθυμίσει σε όλους το κόστος που έχει για τη Γη η ενέργεια που καταναλώνεται και να ζητήσει μια ισχυρή διεθνή δέσμευση ώστε να ανακοπεί η κλιματική αλλαγή.

Πηγή:in.gr

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s planned visit to Moscow on April 8 will be a “big event” in the course of relations between Greece and Russia, according to the Russian ambassador in Athens, Andrey Maslov, who told Sunday’s Kathimerini that his government would examine any request from the SYRIZA-led coalition for a loan.

“The new Greek government is aiming to strengthen Greek-Russian ties,” said Maslov. “Russia is prepared to progress in this direction,” he added, referring to recent meetings between officials from the two countries, including foreign ministers Nikos Kotzias and Sergey Lavrov, who met in Moscow on February 11.

“We are certain that the Greek prime minister’s working visit to Moscow will be a big event for our bilateral relations,” said Maslov. “The possibility of further cooperation in trade, energy, technical military issues, education and culture will be examined.”

Maslov said that any request from Athens for a loan would have to be “examined very carefully” because of Greece’s euro membership. “If the Greek government submits a request for a loan, it will be examined – as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after meeting his counterpart Nikos Kotzias and as Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has said,” the Russian ambassador told Kathimerini.

Maslov played down the possibility of Moscow lifting the embargo on food imports from Greece or other European Union countries as long as the EU keeps its sanctions on Russia in place. However, the ambassador praised Athens for helping prevent a rift in the EU’s relations with Russia.

“We are grateful for Greece’s efforts in helping ease the tension in relations between Russia and the EU, which is mainly due to the sanctions,” he said. “The stance of our Greek partners and other EU member-states during the council of foreign ministers in January and at the EU leaders’ summit in February prevented the hawks… from creating a permanent rift in Russia-EU relations.”

source:ekathimerini.com

Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is to hold a cabinet meeting Sunday as Greek officials and creditors in Brussels discuss overhauls the country proposes to secure more funds from the euro-area to stave off fiscal collapse.

Discussions with Greece’s creditors are continuing hour by hour, and the government is presenting a program that would allow a primary budget surplus of 1.5 percent of its 2015 economic output, Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said in an interview published Sunday in the Athens-based To Vima newspaper.

Tsipras’s Syriza party was elected Jan. 25 on a platform of easing austerity measures tied to the bailout and restructuring debts related to the nation’s financial rescue. While the government has retreated on those positions, resulting in a Feb. 20 agreement with euro-area partners to extend a loan accord until the end of June, it faces an uphill task persuading creditors that Greece is making the pledged reforms.

Greece has red lines and won’t agree to any “recessionary measures” such as cutting wages or pensions or allowing mass layoffs, Tsipras told Real News newspaper of Athens this weekend.

The proposed reforms will bring in 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) of additional revenue this year and enable the economy to grow by 1.4 percent in 2015, said a Greek government official who asked not to be identified in line with policy. Creditors agreed to extend Greece’s bailout program until June in return for commitments such as creating a new culture of tax compliance.

Capital Flight

Athens’ anti-austerity government is planning to raise the 3 billion euros with steps that include increasing duties on alcohol and cigarettes, clamping down on tax evasion and privatizing state assets under certain conditions.

“After capital flight of 50 billion euros within three months, it is difficult to see how Greece could muster any growth at all this year, and after the plunge in tax revenues in January and February, Greece is on track for a primary deficit, not a surplus,” Holger Schmieding, chief economist at London- based Berenberg Bank, said in an e-mailed answer to questions.

Tsipras must also win over members of his own government. The only way for Greece to end its crisis is through confrontation, if not conflict, with a “Germanized Europe,” Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis said in an interview with the Athens-based Kefalaio newspaper. Privatizations, especially in strategic areas, “can’t and won’t happen,” he said.

‘Bad Scenario’

Euclid Tsakalotos, international economic affairs minister, said Greece won’t abandon its anti-austerity philosophy in return for aid, according to an interview with the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper. Greece wants an agreement but will go its own way “in the event of a bad scenario,” he said.

Fitch Ratings lowered Greece’s credit rating on Friday by two levels to CCC, or seven levels below investment grade, citing the country’s liquidity constraints and difficulties in reaching a financing deal with its creditors.

“Lack of market access, uncertain prospects of timely disbursement from official institutions and tight liquidity conditions in the domestic banking sector have put extreme pressure on Greek government funding,” Fitch analysts led by Douglas Renwick said.

European officials have said that Greece could default on its obligations within weeks. The nation will need to make a payment to the International Monetary Fund on April 9 of about 360 million Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), equal to about 458 million euros.

“With every week that passes, the hole that Syriza is digging for Greece is getting bigger,” Berenberg’s Schmieding said. “I would be surprised if the institutions were to simply sign off on such Greek assumptions for growth and the primary balance.”

source:ekathimerini.com

Η κυβέρνηση του Mike Baird επανεξελέγη άνετα στις πολιτειακές εκλογές που έγιναν το Σάββατο στη Νέα Νότια Ουαλία, παρά το γεγονός ότι η στροφή υπέρ των Εργατικών άγγιξε το 9%.

Η νίκη του Συνασπισμού Φιλελευθέρων-Εθνικών δίνει «ανάσα» και στον ομοσπονδιακό πρωθυπουργό, Τόνι ‘Αμποτ, γιατί σε περίπτωση ήττας θα ήταν πολύ πιθανή και η δική του ανατροπή από την ηγεσία του Φιλελεύθερου κόμματος.

Στις εκλογές του Σαββάτου εξελέγησαν και δύο νέοι ομογενείς βουλευτές:

-Στην έδρα Miranda, στα νότια του Σϊδνεϊ, η 28χρονη Ελένη Πετεινού, που κατήλθε με το Φιλελεύθερο Κόμμα, κατήγαγε θρίαμβο αποσπώντας το 56% των ψήφων πρώτης προτίμησης. Η νέα ομογενής πολιτικός, αν και πολιτικά άπειρη, θεωρείται ανερχόμενο αστέρι για την Συντηρητική παράταξη, με την οποία αναμιγνύεται από τα γυμνασιακά της χρόνια. Περνάει δε στα χρονικά ως η πρώτη Ελληνίδα στη βουλή των αντιπροσώπων της Νέας Νότιας Ουαλίας.

-Στην έδρα Rockdale, όπως αναμενόταν, νικητής αναδείχθηκε ο Στηβ Κάμπερ (Σταύρος Καμπερογιάννης) με το Εργατικό Κόμμα. Με την εκλογή της κυρίας Πετεινού και του κ. Κάμπερ η ομογενειακή ομάδα στο νέο Κοινοβούλιο θα ανέλθει στους τρεις, αφού επανεκλέγεται η Εργατική γερουσιαστής και σκιώδης υπουργός Σοφία Κώτση, που κατείχε την πρώτη θέση στο ψηφοδέλτιο του Εργατικού Κόμματος για την ‘Ανω Βουλή (γερουσία).

Σημειώνεται ότι, σύμφωνα με τη μέχρι τώρα καταμέτρηση, οι Συντηρητικοί θα σχηματίσουν αυτοδύναμη κυβέρνηση έχοντας 53 έδρες στην Κάτω Βουλή, η οποία συνολικά αριθμεί 93 έδρες.

Οι Εργατικοί, μετά το πιο χαμηλό ποσοστό που πέτυχαν στα χρονικά πριν τέσσερα χρόνια, ανεβαίνουν τώρα από τις 20 σε 34 έδρες, και επομένως δύνανται να ασκήσουν και πιο ισχυρή αντιπολίτευση αλλά και να είναι σε καλύτερη θέση για τη μάχη του 2019.

Ενισχυμένη παρουσία στη Βουλή θα έχουν και οι Πράσινοι που από μία θα έχουν τώρα τέσσερις έδρες.

Πηγή:madata.gr

Στο πανεπιστημιακό ιατρικό κέντρο της Πάντοβα της Ιταλίας βρίσκεται από τα ξημερώματα της Κυριακής ο μικρός Αλέξανδρος, προκειμένου να υποβληθεί σε μεταμόσχευση καρδιάς.

Όμως το ταξίδι προς την Ιταλία ήταν περιπετειώδες, αφού το πρώτο στρατιωτικό μεταγωγικό αεροσκάφος C – 130, που απογειώθηκε χθες το βράδυ από τον Άραξο, παρουσίασε βλάβη και επέστρεψε στο αεροδρόμιο.

Ωστόσο, έπειτα από λίγη ώρα, με πρωτοβουλία της ηγεσίας της Αεροπορίας, έφθασε στον Άραξο δεύτερο μεταγωγικό αεροσκάφος, το οποίο παρέλαβε την κινητή ιατρική μονάδα που μετέφερε τον μικρό Αλέξανδρο, τους γιατρούς που τον συνόδευαν, καθώς και μέλη της οικογένειάς του.

Το αεροπλάνο προσγειώθηκε λίγο πριν από τις 3 τα ξημερώματα στο αεροδρόμιο της Βενετίας και από εκεί ο τετράχρονος Αλέξανδρος μεταφέρθηκε με την κινητή ιατρική μονάδα, στο πανεπιστημιακό κέντρο της Πάντοβα.

Ο Αλέξανδρος νοσηλευόταν τις τελευταίες έξι ημέρες στην μονάδα εντατικής θεραπείας παίδων και εφήβων του πανεπιστημιακού νοσοκομείου, αντιμετωπίζοντας σοβαρό καρδιακό πρόβλημα. Αρχικά, είχε μεταφερθεί από την Πρέβεζα, όπου διαμένει μαζί με την οικογένειά του, σε νοσοκομείο των Ιωαννίνων και από εκεί στο πανεπιστημιακό νοσοκομείο.

Πηγή:zougla.gr

Philhellene Mark Arey, executive director of The Hellenic Initiative in Melbourne this week. Photo: Mike Sweet.

A year after discussions took place to mobilise an Australian arm to The Hellenic Initiative (THI) – the philanthropic organisation established in the US to assist crisis relief and business entrepreneurship in Greece – THI’s executive director Mark Arey visited Melbourne and Sydney this week to prepare for the launch of THI Australia.

Darwin-born Andrew Liveris, president and CEO of the Dow Chemical Company, is the chairman of THI in the United States. Its board members include solicitor and chair of South Sydney NRL club Nick Pappas and Perth lawyer Nicholas Mitaros, who will be closely involved in rolling out the new Australian initiative.

Since its conception in 2012, THI, based in New York, has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to Greek NGOs to provide crisis relief in the country, along with business entrepreneurship and venture capital programs, with the funds being provided by hundreds of individual US-based donors.

The idea now is for the same approach to be adopted in Australia. At a media briefing event at Melbourne’s Greek Centre, Mr Arey told Neos Kosmos that his visit was to discuss the “pitfalls and opportunities” facing THI Australia, and that the US not-for profit’s mission had always been to develop a global response to assisting Greece as it deals with the ongoing impact of the economic crisis.

“We’ve distributed something like $US2 million into direct crisis relief, and in investment in entrepreneurship – outside of the [$US7 million] Hellenic Entrepreneurship Awards which is a zero-interest loans program, and we’ve committed something like $US750,000 to help Greek entrepreneurs,” said Mr Arey.

“What we hear when we go to Greece is always the same – ‘we need capital and we need liquidity. We need to be able to borrow money’. And what THI is about is building those bridges.”

Last year THI invited fifteen new Greek companies to the US to explore venture capital opportunities. As a result, three of the start-ups received nearly $US 5 million worth of investment.

Through its crisis relief programs THI has funded NGOs such as SOS Villages Greece, Praksis and Doctors of the world.

THI is expected to make an announcement in June concerning the structure and programs of THI Australia and its board composition.

source:Neos Kosmos

Pressures on Greek bank deposits have continued in March, with sector officials estimating that households and enterprises have withdrawn a net 3 billion euros in the first weeks of this month.

This comes on top of the deposits outflow of 7.6 billion euros in February, 12.2 billion in January and 4 billion in December 2014, taking the cash flight since the end of November to almost 27 billion euros. Bankers are expressing concern that unless there is a definitive and clear agreement between Athens and its creditors, accompanied by the disbursement of significant amounts of funding to Greece, bank accounts will continue to bleed.

From an initial level of 237 billion euros in December 2007, private sector deposits crumbled to 150 billion by June 2012 and rebounded to 165 billion euros last September before dropping again to 140.4 billion in February, according to the latest figures issued this week by the Bank of Greece.

The drop is attributed to concerns over Greece’s problems in its negotiations with the eurozone.

Bank officials further fear that the prolonged worries have inflicted serious blows on market confidence, which will likely take a long time to heal.

source:ekathimerini.com