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If Turkey is genuine about talks to reunify the island, it must first recognize the Republic Cyprus, President Nikos Anastasiades said on Thursday. He was responding to earlier remarks by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who repeated a demand that the island’s natural gas reserves be split equitably with Turkish Cypriots. Cavusoglu had also called on the European Union to intervene so that Cypriot natural gas goes to Europe through Turkey. “What I have to say to Mr Cavusoglu, is that if he truly wishes for us to hold talks, then first and foremost they need to recognize the Republic of Cyprus. “Secondly,” he went on, “and equally important, they must accept our proposal, our invitation either to have a dialogue to delineate the demarcation lines for the Exclusive Economic Zones of the Republic and of Turkey, or to go to arbitration.” Should Ankara agree to this, and a decision determines the demarcation lines between the two countries’ EEZs, everything can be on the table, also provided that studies show that this solution would be optimal. Asked whether Nicosia prefers a pipeline running from Israel to Cyprus, and a floating liquefaction unit for the gas in Cyprus, Anastasiades said this is not a matter for Cyprus alone. “It would be a quadrilateral decision among Cyprus, Israel, Greece and Italy,” he noted, alluding to the mooted East Med pipeline.

From 18 April 2022, all Australian citizens and permanent residents, including the unvaccinated, will be able to leave Australia without an individual travel exemption. On Facebook, Senator Gerard Rennick wrote: “I’ve checked this with the Ministers office and can confirm this true. Don’t all leave at once now will you. Elsewhere, vaccinated Australians and permanent residents can enter New Zealand if they have had a negative pre-departure test. On arrival, they must self-test for Covid-19, and unless it comes back positive for the virus, there is no requirement to enter quarantine or self-isolation. Wednesday marks the first step in re-welcoming international visitors back to the country – a long wait for many, which was evident as family and friends greeted arrivals with tears and embraces, to the backdrop of waiata (Māori song). For their part, health experts are predicting this week’s Easter period could see a surge in undetected cases of COVID-19, as more Australians prepare to travel over the long weekend. Infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Griffin from the University of Queensland said those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms could be putting off testing, for fear a positive result could interfere with holiday plans. “People have obviously been planning a well-deserved break, maybe travelling around and they don’t want to cancel that by having a positive test,” Dr Griffin said. “We need to make people understand that even if it’s a well-deserved break, maybe looking at travelling somewhere nice or catching up with family… if you are unwell, you do need to get tested and stay home.” Inaccurate at-home tests are also believed to be contributing to lower numbers of daily COVID-19 cases. COVID-19 patient Deborah Dowsett said despite showing numerous symptoms, saliva RATs purchased online have all produced a negative result. It was announced on Monday that Greece will become the 30th nation to remove Covid-related entry requirements for all travelers, including those from the US, Canada, and the UK. The new rules are scheduled to go into effect on May 2, 2022, according to local reports released earlier this week. If you don’t have a vaccination certificate, you won’t have to worry about any internal restrictions throughout Greece come summer. On top of removing all travel restrictions for international arrivals, Greece will also be scrapping all internal vaccine passport requirements from May 2nd until September. Just last week, officials in Greece indicated that they would be making it easier for fully vaccinated travelers from the US to visit the Republic this summer, but Monday’s announcement takes things one step further. Currently, fully vaccinated travelers to Greece have to show proof of vaccination in order to enter Greece test-free. This will allow them to cross the land or air border as well as travel internally throughout the Republic. The testing requirement for fully vaccinated US and Canadian travelers was removed in February of this year. Unvaccinated international travelers, they must show either a negative rapid antigen test result taken 24 hours of arrival to Greece or a PCR test 72 hours from arrival. There’s also the possibility that some travelers will be required to take a rapid antigen test upon arrival. As for the internal vaccine passport system, the current rules state that travelers must carry proof of vaccination, proof of full recovery from Covid, or a negative Covid test result in order to enter most public spaces throughout Greece. The Covid test result must be a PCR from 72 hours of entry or an antigen test 48 hours from entry. According to Greece’s official tourism board, this includes all tourist accommodations and most outdoor public spaces including outdoor dining and live events. For indoor public spaces, the rules are a little more rigid. In order to access services such as restaurants, bars, cafes, and museums, all patrons must show either proof of recovery from Covid (from 6 months or less) or proof of full vaccination.

Αυτό το ενημερωτικό έντυπο τυχαία έπεσε στα χέρια μου προχτές. Αμέσως ήρθε, στο μυαλό μου η πρώτη ανακοίνωση του “δίδυμου των κοντών” και των περί αυτών αστέρων που μας ενημέρωνε, χωρίς ίχνος ντροπής, πως ήταν στα σχέδια τους να ξεπουλήσουν, μετά όλη την υπόλοιπη ακίνητη περιουσία που εξαφάνισαν και μια ή δυο εκκλησίες από τις τέσσερις, με σκοπό να εξαλειφθεί το υπέρογκο χρέος του οργανισμού προς την τράπεζα. Οι φανερές αντιδράσεις ορισμένων από εμάς, αν δεν ήταν τόσο έντονες, θα είχαν προβεί στην ιεροσυλία αυτή εδώ και μήνες. Γι' αυτούς προείχε να φύγουν από την εξουσία και το ταμείο να μην έχει αρνητικό πρόσημο. Θα ήταν αυτό που θα προβάλαν ως μεγάλη επιτυχία τους, φυσικά στους αδαείς και στους αδιάφορους ομογενείς, με σκοπό ν' αποπροσανατολίσουν την κοινή από τις τεράστιες ευθύνες τους όσον αφορά στην κατάντια του οργανισμού. Εκ των γεγονότων φάνηκε πως οι εκκλησίες γι αυτούς δεν είναι τίποτα παραπάνω από ένα όγκο ζωγραφισμένου τσιμέντου, πάνω σ ένα οικόπεδο της Καναδικής γης. Όμως για όλον τον άλλο ελληνισμό, ακόμη και για όσους δεν είναι τόσο πολύ θρησκευόμενοι, μια εκκλησιά αποτελεί θρησκευτικό πολιτιστικό μνημείο ανεκτίμητης αξίας, που όσο περνούν τα χρόνια όλο και θα γίνεται πιο ανεκτίμητη. Φανταστείτε αυτές οι εκκλησίες που θα ήθελαν να τις "ρευστοποιήσουν", να υπάρχουν συντηρημένες μετά από πέντε ή δέκα γενεές, τι ανεκτίμητα κέντρα Ελληνισμού και Ορθοδοξίας θα είναι και πόσο θαυμασμό θα προκαλούν σε οποιοδήποτε Καναδό επισκέπτη. Σε άρθρο μου στην εφημερίδα ΕΒΔΟΜΑΔΑ (13 Απριλίου 2021) είχα γράψει ... "Περισσότερες πιθανότητες από τις προηγούμενες περιπτώσεις θα έδινα στο να εμφανιστεί κάποιος Ιμάμης και να κάνει μια αξιοπρεπή προσφορά. Γι’ αυτούς είναι πιο απλά τα πράγματα. Δυο χέρια πράσινη μπογιά για να καλύψουν τις αγιογραφίες και το τζαμί θα είναι σχεδόν έτοιμο. Εδώ ολόκληρη Αγιά Σοφία κατάφεραν να μετατρέψουν σε χώρο λατρείας τους. Θεωρητικά εδώ οι πιθανότητες μπορεί να αγγίζουν το 25% και ίσως και παραπάνω, όμως και οι πιθανότητες να εξαφανιστούν από προσώπου γης όσα μέλη της ΕΚΤ θα υπερψήφιζαν μια τέτοια πρόταση, θα μπορούσε να αγγίξει και το 99%.". Βλέπουμε λοιπόν και με ντοκουμέντα πλέον, πως οι Μουσουλμάνοι επιμένουν να αγοράσουν μια χριστιανική εκκλησία, αδιαφορώντας για οποιοδήποτε άλλο κτίριο που από τα χιλιάδες που είναι προς πώληση. Τον λόγο μπορεί εύκολα να τον καταλάβει ο κάθε ομογενής, εκτός του ακτύπητου "διδύμου". Από την άλλη, οι δικοί μας οι φαρισαίοι και "μεταπωλητές μυστηρίων", από ότι φάνηκε θα προτιμούσαν να πουλήσουν ελληνορθόδοξους ναούς, ακόμη και σε αλλόθρησκους, από το να περιέλθουν στην Αρχιεπισκοπή Καναδά και μάλιστα με το αζημίωτο μόνο και μόνο για να διασωθούν. Θα τρίζουν τα κόκαλα του πρώην προέδρου γιατρού Λεωνίδα Πολυμενάκου και των άλλων εθελοντών και δωρητών που έφυγαν απ' αυτή την ζωή και πίστεψαν πως θα ήταν σε καλά χέρια, οι εκκλησίες που έχτισαν, μετά από ερανικές προσπάθειες που έγιναν με όραμα το μεγάλωμα του οργανισμού και υποστηρίχθηκαν από χιλιάδες ομογενείς, ακόμη και μη μέλη του. Τα τελευταία χρόνια οι έρανοι γίνονται για να μετριαστεί η πτώση, να αποφευχθεί η συντριβή και να φύγουν ως "λευκές περιστερές" οι σημερινοί διοικούντες, όπως ακριβώς έφυγαν και οι προηγούμενοι. Με άλλα λόγια ο κόσμος πληρώνει πολύ ακριβά τα λάθη, τις εμμονές , τις αυταπάτες και τις ιδεοληψίες των τελευταίων "ηγετών" της Ελληνικής Κοινότητας Τορόντο και δεν πηγαίνει ούτε ένα δολάριο για την ανάπτυξη του οργανισμού. Ας ελπίσουμε ότι σύντομα η Ελληνική Κοινότητα Τορόντο θα ξεφύγει τόσο από το στυγνό μάνατζμεντ του οικονομολόγου όσο και την αδιέξοδη βεντέτα του σύντεκνου.

H επιχείρηση ΤουρκοΑμερικανου η οποία παράγει και πουλάει βουνά από γιαούρτι, σήμερα έφτασε να αξίζει γύρω στα 20 δισεκατομμύρια. Η επιτυχία του πανούργου επιχειρηματία είναι πως εφάρμοσε παραπλήσιο τέχνασμα με αυτό του "Δούρειου Ίππου", για να μπει μέσα στην παγκόσμια καταναλωτική αγορά και να την αλώσει. Βάφτισε λοιπόν το τουρκικό γιαούρτι ελληνικό και μάλιστα για να φαίνεται ακόμη ακόμη πιο ελληνικό τ' ονόμασε και Τσομπάνης. Απαξίωσε ακόμη και την μητρική του γλώσσα και απέφυγε το "Τσομπαν" (ο βοσκός στην τουρκική). Ο ιδρυτής της Chobani Inc. Hamdi Ulukaya ποζάρει στα κεντρικά γραφεία της εταιρείας στη Νέα Υόρκη Αυτό το σύνδρομο κατωτερότητας που έχουν οι Τούρκοι γενικά και προσπαθούν να εκμεταλλευτούν κάθε τι ελληνικό χρίζει ψυχιατρικής προσέγγισης. Βέβαια εμείς σαν "τσομπάνηδες" περασμένων αιώνων, όπως αδιαφορήσαμε για δεκαετίες ολόκληρες και επιτρέπαμε αδιαμαρτύρητα στον κάθε "μαου μαου" να βγάζει λευκό τυρί και να το βαφτίζει "φέτα", κάπως έτσι υποθέτω πως θα συμβαίνει και με άλλα ελληνικά προϊόντα πρώτης γραμμής. Από την άλλη μπορεί να πει κανείς πως είναι και μια έμμεση διαφήμιση του ελληνικού γιαουρτιού που οφείλετε στο επιτυχημένο μάρκετινγκ που έγινε από ένα Τούρκο επιχειρηματία "φιλέλληνα". Ας το δούμε από την θετική του πλευρά για να αισθανθούμε καλύτερα.

The average Greek taxpayer must work 179 days in order to meet obligations to the tax office and social security funds, the annual report of the Markos Dragoumis Center for Liberal Studies (KEFiM) published on Tuesday has found. It takes Greeks just under six months to pay the 71.9 billion euros of total dues, which is twice as much as what households pay to cover their annual basic needs. Still, if one adds the deficit of the general government for 2021 that represents future taxes, then the symbolic Tax Freedom Day for this year will come 42 days later – on August 10. The survey also found that Greeks may work a long time to pay off their taxes and social security contributions but they are not happy with the way they are taxed, as Greece has one of the lowest confidence levels in relation to the taxes imposed among the 26 countries sampled. While the tax burden in Greece is similar to that in Germany, and far above that in Sweden, Finland and Italy, the satisfaction rate of Greeks with the services offered in healthcare, education and justice is one of the lowest among the member-states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Nevertheless in the last three years there appears to have been an improvement in Greece’s record: From the 186 days of annual work it took in 2018 to cover tax and social security obligations, this dropped to 181 days in 2019, 175 in 2020 and 179 this year. In 2021 Greeks worked 75 days for the payment of indirect taxes, 60 days to cover their social security contributions, 43 days for indirect taxes and one day for the payment of capital taxes. Between 1999 and 2018 Greeks had to increase their working days for the state by 47 days; this is attributed to a great extent to the bailout requirements that had the state collect increased taxes. However, in social policy efficiency terms the Greeks rank 24th among 26 nations in Europe.

President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou received a delegation of Greek-American students visiting Greece as part of the 13th annual educational visit organised by the "American Hellenic Institute Foundation". (Photo by Eurokinissi) Greek-American students who have been traveling to Greece and Cyprus met on Tuesday the President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou. Sakellaropoulou urged them “to promote the spirit of Greece in such a strong democracy in the world as the United States and to be the best ambassadors, strengthening the Greek-American friendship and the excellent relations between the two countries.” The Greek President underlined that their visit to Greece this year coincides with the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution that led to the foundation of the modern Greek state and she stressed that it was an opportunity to realize what Greeks have achieved so far, but also an inspiration for creating the desired future for the country. “The main and steadfast carrier of this great heritage is you, the numerous and active Greek community, especially its young people. I am sure that, returning to the USA, you will be the best ambassadors of Greece, strengthening the Greek-American friendship and the excellent relations between the two countries,” she added. Greek-American students are “next generation of leaders” The Greek-American students’ visit to Athens was organized by American Hellenic Institute Foundation. It was the 13th annual educational visit by the Foundation with students from across the United States. “We are excited for the traditional return of our college student foreign policy trip for a thirteenth year as we slowly return to normal as we begin to put the pandemic behind us,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said. “The AHI Foundation is proud once again to present this invaluable opportunity for the community’s next generation of leaders. The 2021 program promises to be beneficial for our participants as they are eager to learn about the foreign policy issues that are important to the Greek American community and United States interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. “With developments in the region occurring at a rapid pace, they will be immersed from the get-go, starting with briefings in Washington to high-level meetings with government officials abroad,” Larigakis added. During the two-week program in Greece and Cyprus, the students will receive firsthand experience about the foreign policy issues affecting Greece and Cyprus, their relations with the U.S., and the interests of the U.S. in the region. There will be meetings or briefings with American embassies, officials from various ministries of each country, including Foreign Affairs and Defense; military officers and parliament members, religious leaders, think-tank organizations, and members of academia and the private sector. In Greece, the students will also take a daytrip to visit Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay, Crete, where they will tour the NATO Missile Firing Installation (NAMFI) and NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Center (NMIOTC), as well as Salamis Naval Base, and receive briefings.

Fifty eight new charging points in the country’s cities and highways will be created, as electric car sales continue to rise. The average distance between the location of fast charging points for electric vehicles in Greece in a year will be 54 kilometers, with the maximum gap stretching to no more than 150km, a conference on infrastructure and transport has heard. According to Evangelos Bekiaris, director of the Hellenic Institute of Transport, Greece already has 17 fast charging points and a plan is underway to install another 58 in the country’s cities and highways in the next year. Fourteen fast charging stations will be created soon, while 26 are in the study phase. Sales of electric cars in Greece reached 2.5% of the total last year, a figure expected to exceed 5% this year, added Bekiaris, who was speaking at the 4th Infrastructure and Transport Conference, held earlier this month.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his wife Mareva Grabowski-​Mitsotakis were the guests of media mogul Barry Diller and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg on the Cycladic island of Antiparos on Sunday, according to media reports. The dinner was reportedly also attended by Amazon’s billionaire founder Jeff Bezos, CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper, as well as Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and his wife, actress Rita Wilson. Sources said participants talked about the Greek summer, Greece’s contemporary image, global technological developments and plans about foreign film productions in the country. Unfortunately no picture of the stylish dinner leaked to the press but we got lots of spectacultat pictures of Antiparos where Tom Hanks has a summer house.

Tennessee native Stamatia Scarvelis will be participating in the Tokyo Olympics this summer as a member of the Greek national track and field team. Scarvelis announced in an Instagram post that she will participate in the hammer throw. “Dreams becoming reality. This is truly greater than just me..it took a whole damn village,” Scarvelis said on Instagram. An American of Greek heritage, Scarvelis’ personal record of 71.33 meters ranks second all-time among female hammer throwers in the country. Scarvelis attended the University of Tennessee from 2016-19 after transferring from UCLA. She won the SEC championships in the hammer throw (2018) and weight throw (2019) and hammer throw (2019).

The Thessaloniki metro was initially expected to be completed by 2012, but has been delayed for years due to the archeological finds - now to be repositioned. Greece’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, has green-lighted the temporary removal and repositioning of the antiquities unearthed during excavation work for the metro in the northern port city of Thessaloniki. The antiquities were discovered at the under-construction Venizelou metro station and debate over how to proceed has raised considerable controversy among archaeologists, local authorities and Attiko Metro, the company managing the project. With a paper-thin margin of 13 out of 25 votes among the panel members, the court rejected all three appeals filed by scientists, professionals and nongovernmental groups against the Culture Ministry decision to move the antiquities to storage outside the city and place them back after the station’s construction. The appeals were submitted in 2020 by the Hellenic Society of Environment and Culture together with the Christian Archaeological Society, by 26 Thessaloniki citizens, and by the Association of Greek Archaeologists together with another 10 institutions and Thessaloniki citizens. The applicants requested the annulment of the decision of the Culture Ministry in 2020, which accepted the opinion of the Central Archaeological Council (KAS) and approved the proposal of Attiko Metro for the temporary removal of the antiquities and the relocation of 92% of them inside the station. However, in its ruling on Tuesday, the court accepted the argument put forth by KAS that the temporary relocation of the antiquities is necessary in order to ensure their integrity and protection during the works as well as to prevent a risk to human health during the execution of the project. The project is already many years behind schedule due to the discoveries. The construction of the Thessaloniki metro was commissioned in 2003 and was initially expected to be completed by 2012.