Tougher penalties against those employing illegal migrants, incentives for couples to live in the city center and the price of a ticket plus 200 euros to migrants that voluntarily leave the country, were among measures decided during a government meeting on reviving the center of Athens held on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister George Papandreou.
Other measures included a sweep to collect abandoned cars, increased policing and urban renewal projects that simultaneously made use of abandoned buildings.
The meeting was attended by several top ministers.
(source: ana-mpa)
PM Chairs Athens Center Revival Meeting
Profile of Female Cargo Ship Commando Vaso Konidari
She plies the oceans all over the world. 55-year-old Vaso Konidari has been in command of cargo ships and tankers for more than twenty years, giving orders to male crews. She doesn’t get influenced by whispers she sometimes listens to coming from new members of the crews, who see her for the first time. “At the beginning, when they see a woman being in command of the ship, they are suspicious. ‘Is a woman going to cope with this job?’ they wonder, but when they see that I can do it, they stop”, she underlined and then added: “Especially, during the first years, my presence at the wheel of the ship seemed strange to men. It’s true that the job of captain is a male dominated job”. Vaso is one of the four vessel first mate women of Greece. She has travelled to ports in Europe, America, China, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Greece. “I was born to do this job. I couldn’t do anything else. The sea gives me life, fulfills me, it is my friend, my confessor. I share my happiness, my sadness, and my problems with it. The price is that I wasn’t able to create a family and have children”, the 55-year-old says, with words that prove her boundless love for the job.
36th Cyprus International Fair Scheduled May 6th-15th, Nicosia
The 36th Cyprus International Fair will take place from the 6th – 15th of May 2011, at the Cyprus Conference Exhibition Centre, EXPO Cyprus in Nicosia, inaugurated by President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Dimitris Christofias. It is expected that Greek Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Spyros Kouvelis will be present.
President of Cyprus State Fairs Authority, Mr. Loizos Konstantinou, maintained that this year the exhibition will be multi-dimensional and will focus on all fields of economy, business and trade. He stated that despite the turbulent financial times, there will be more exhibitors and state participations, including Greece, the U.S.A., Spain, Palestine, Poland, etc. than last year.
Greece Names Anti-Terror Cop to Run Tax Evasion Crackdown
Greece on Monday appointed Ioannis Diotis, a former anti-terror prosecutor to spearhead its latest tax evasion crackdown in a bid to boost its depleted state coffers by a hoped 11.8 billion euros within two years.
Diotis was in charge of prosecuting crimes of terrorism and played a key role in the investigation and prosecution of the urban guerrilla group November 17, which was dismantled in the early 00s.
Australian Football Unites Cultures & Nations
The Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, Nicholas Kotsiras has praised the latest graduates of the AFL’s Multicultural Camp. The camp is supported by AFL Victoria, in partnership with AFL Multicultural Program partner clubs.
The AFL Multicultural Camp brings together young Victorians from culturally different backgrounds for a high performance program, including leadership training and personal development. In the Camp, the young Victorians learn how to become team players with fellow footballers from different backgrounds, and the camp teaches them to respect their teammates on and off the field.
Mr. Kotsiras stated about the Camp: “The AFL’s Multicultural Camp has shown these young footballers how to work as part of a team, regardless of their diversity”. My message and one that you can learn through football – is that our differences are our strength,” he said. “Importantly, we must remind ourselves that we are part of the bigger Team Victoria.” Mr. Kotsiras thanked the AFL for bringing together 40 young people from culturally diverse backgrounds, and reminded the participants that the most exciting game of life in footy terms, is only the first quarter.
Cyprus Boost Security Measures After Bin Laden Death
The Cyprus Police have stepped up security measures for the protection of potential Western and US targets in Cyprus, following the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the relevant statements by US President Barack Obama.
According to Police Spokesman Michalis Katounotos, the force has adopted additional security measures in the event of new terrorist activities or reaction to the death of bin Laden.
Speaking to CNA, Katsounotos also said that Police Chief Michalis Papageorgiou has given orders to Police Stations and the respective departments to increase their readiness in protecting Western and US targets in particular. Increased security measures are also enforced at entry and exit points of the Republic, he added.
“The situation will be continuously monitored by the competent counter terrorism office of the Police Headquarters, in order to brief the leadership on the adoption of necessary measures” Katsounotos concluded.
(source: cna)
ELPE Launches 10 Day Strike
Employees of Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE) are launching a 10-day strike beginning on Friday that could potentially disrupt the smooth supply of fuel.
The employees at ELPE, which controls three of the four oil refineries in Greece, will be on strike through May 16th. This results after seven rounds of negotiations with the ELPE management, since the suspension of their previous 10-day labor action in mid April failed to result in an agreement between the two sides.
(source: ana-mpa)
“Cyprus-11,000 Years of History & Culture” Exhibition, Melbourne
An exhibition titled “Cyprus – 11,000 years of History and Culture”, was inaugurated by the Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship, Nicholas Kotsiras, and attended by the High Commissioner of Cyprus, Ioannis Iakovou, at the Cypriot Community of Melbourne.
The exhibition includes 16 panels with photographs covering the history of the island along with the findings and monuments, starting from the Neolithic Period, the 9th century B.C., the Bronze Age, the Classical period, the Roman and the Byzantine period.
There was a significant political presence in both state and federal levels: the MPs Jenny Mikakos, Graham Watts, the co-chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of Friendship with the Republic of Cyprus, Adam Foley, Marlene Conroz, Jane Garrett, Elizabeth Miller, Thelmo Lanquila, Wendy Halfpenny, Kevin Thompson and Nazih Elasmar MLC.
Pension Fraud by Unknown Greek-Australian
The pension of a Greek-Australian from New South Wales, who died ten years ago, was normally disbursed until recently by a Greek pension fund to an unknown recipient.
The General Consul of Greece in Sydney, Basilios Tolios, revealed the fraud case. Mr. Tolios said that “the Greek-Australian, although he had died in 2000, seemed to take his pension regularly.
The money was being disbursed by the insurance fund, but its recipient still remains unknown. For privacy reasons, Mr. Tolios said that intentionally, information about the identity of the deceased pensioner will not be published.
Day Long "Iliad" Reading at Getty Museum, Malibu
A special event at the famous Getty Museum in Malibu, California, was held last Saturday and was organized by the International Greek Theatre, with main characters the “Readers of Homer.”
This special event, which proved once again that the poetry of Homer continues to travel around the world and fascinate crowded audiences, took place in the auditorium of the Getty Villa, alongside with the permanent display Stories of the Trojan War, which shows antiquities related to the Homeric epics.
The day-long reading of the “Iliad” with the active participation of the audience was attended by 160 people from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. Among the participants there were distinguished scholars, artists and businessmen, students and representatives of many international communities of Los Angeles. The twenty-four rhapsodies were enriched by melodies coming from ancient Greek instruments played by the music ensemble “Lyravlos”.
The reading was based on the English translations of Stanley Lombardo. Any reader was free to read the quote in his own way and language preference. Part of the Epic was pronounced in Japanese as a sign of solidarity to the suffering people of Japan and especially the dedicated “reader of Homer”, Professor M. Genung.
The evening ended with a reception and dishes from the era of Homer in the classic courtyard of the museum.