Greece’s foreign minister Nikos Kotzias inaugurated on Tuesday the renovated building of the Consulate General of the Hellenic Republic in Turkey’s Izmir.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mevlut Cavusoglu, also attended the ceremony.

In addition to its symbolic and historical significance for Hellenism, the renovated consulate building is expected to contribute significantly to the upgrade of the services of the Consulate to Greek and Turkish citizens.

The Consulate of Greece in Izmir was declared inappropriate for use and closed in 2003 to be renovated with funding from the Greek state.

The building was the home of Emmanuel Kapetanakis or Apergis, one of the few Greek houses on the waterfront of Izmir that survived the devastating fire of 1922, during the persecution of the Greeks.

The building is a typical example of a local architecture and was donated to the Greek state in 1948 by the Greek merchant Emmanuel Apergis or Kapetanakis.

Philanthropist Pantelis Boumbouras (left) with Odessa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov 

A Greek park to promote Hellenic culture was inaugurated in Odessa, Ukraine on Sunday, with a generous donation of the Boumbouras family of Lemnos island and several Greek officials attending.

The Greek Park, a dream of the Boumbouras family, became a reality as the opening of the park is expected to become a pole of attraction for visitors who want to learn about Greek culture.

Pantelis Boumbouras, president of the phlilanthropic organization “Boumbouras Foundation” and owner of Hephaestus Basketball Club of Lemnos, cut the ribbon along with Odessa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov, opening the Greek Park to Odessa residents.

The 34,000-square-meter theme park is an open museum with replicas of ancient Greek statues and has a big playground for children.

According to the Boumbouras Foundation press release, the idea of ​​building the park came a few years ago, when the City of Istanbul decided to donate a Turkish park to Odessa. Pantelis Boumbouras thought that the city where the Society of Friends (Filiki Eteria) planned the 1821 uprising of Greeks against the Ottomans should have a Greek park as well.

“Thank God for sending me to Ukraine 21 years ago, to a city full of Greeks, because if it wasn’t for Odessa, we don’t know if we would ever be liberated, Moumbouras wrote in the press release.

British historian Nigel Konstam has published a booklet arguing that many of the works stolen from the Parthenon by Lord Elgin in the 1800s are in fact Roman reproductions of the Greek originals.

His theory is based on the recent discovery of a chimney near the Parthenon used by the great 5th century sculptor Phidias to cast his giant bronzes.

Konstam suggests that the originals had been eroded by acid rain caused by chimney effluent.

He argues that the Roman statues were carved differently and look much cleaner than the Greek ones, which were etched with fragile iron and bronze tools, causing bruising and microcracks which allowed the smoke to penetrate deeper.

The British Museum’s senior curator Ian Jenkins described Konstam’s theory as “radical”.

“I have never heard before the connection between Roman replacements of the west pediment sculptures of the Parthenon and smoke…Nobody been so radical as to suggest that the entire west pediment is a Roman replacement,” he was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

Lord Bruce a descender of Lord Elgin is not convinced. Speaking to the British tabloid he said he can’t believe here was that much pollution caused by the chimney.

“His theory is at least not as ridiculous as one currently doing the rounds that the Parthenon was a burial ground for young maidens,” he added.

Greek wine will dominate the tourist exhibitions 4th Grecka Panorama and 3rd Greek Food Show in Warsaw, from November 30 to December 2.

The exhibitions will be organized by North Events with the view to highlighting and supporting the major pillars of the Greek economy, tourism and exports.

This year’s event will present Greek wine for the first time as a result of the strategic synergy between Wine Expo Poland and North Events to promote Greek wine in Poland. Poland’s wine consumption is increasing by 5 pct per annum, which is also linked to the economic development of Poland. In 2016 it is estimated that 107 million liters of wine were consumed, compared with 87 million liters in 2010.

Greek wines correspond to a small share of total Polish wine imports with high growth potential. More than 100 winemakers are operating in the country today, according to an announcement.

Moreover, Greece is one of the most popular destinations for Poland. Poland will be the new member in the “club” with over 1,250,000 arrivals in Greece.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has warned that the reported cases of people who were contaminated by the virus of West Nile in Europe are 3.5 times more than last year.

Greece’s toll of victims rose to 21 this week after another death being reported, while Serbia has the same number of victims at 21 dead, and Italy has had 12 deaths.

Taking into consideration that Italy’s population is 5.5 times higher than Greece’s, it is easy to understand that Greece and Serbia suffer the most from the virus of West Nile.

In order to reduce the risk of West Nile Virus, people should use insect repellent and wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites.

About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, that is considered as First among Equals in the Orthodox Christianity, announced that it will start the procedure for the official recognition of the Church of Ukraine as Autocephalous.

The Ukrainian Church belongs to the Patriarchate of Moscow and has asked for a separation via the recognition of its Ecclesiastical independence by being granted the status of Autocephaly.

Moscow’s Patriarchate strongly disagrees with this move as it would confine its Authority.

In addition to this, Ukraine and especially Kiev is considered by many as the cradle of Russian Christianity, since it was there where the first Russians converted to Christianity more than one thousand years ago.

Moscow’s Patriarch Cyril visited the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, a few weeks ago in order to discuss the issue but the decision of the Ecumenical Patriarch seems to have already been made.

By Aspasia Zontanou
Director Bernd Desinger, of the Filmmuseum Blackbox, was accompanied by Greek General Consul in Düsseldorf, Maria Papakonstantinou, to welcome the film “The Last Note”. Together with curator Eleni Giannakoudi, responsible for the program and organisation of the Greek Filmclub Voulgaris was introduced as the most influential and important Greek director next to Theo Aggelopoulos.

They presented to the audience how the drama film “The Last Note” (2017) was based on the shooting of 200 Greek prisoners on May 1st 1944 in Kaisariani by German Nazi occupiers.

The massacre was in retaliation for killing a German General by Greek resistance fighters, and especially seems to fit into the current political situation referring to the riots in the town of Chemnitz (of the former East Germany) which saw far right demonstrators performing Nazi salutes last week.

Voulgaris mentioned that it was the first time that all members of his family worked together: his well-known wife, writer Ioanna Karistianni being responsible for the script, son Alexander, also a director and music composer, created a musical dialogue between the German and Greek culture using elements from the classical music as well as Greek traditional music (Crete and Pontian) and daughter Constantina Voulgaris as the casting director.

The film was shot in Chania Crete with the help of almost 2000 local citizens who volunteered to be part of the project. Actor Andreas Konstantinou played the leading role of prisoner Napoleon Sukatzidis. This prisoner is enlisted to serve as interpreter to the German SS Commander Karl Fischer of the Chaidarie Camp played by actor André Hennicke. The film created a dramatic interplay between prisoner Sukatzidis and his fiancé Chara played by actress Melia Kreiling.

The lives of fellow prisoners are interwoven with Sukatzidis’ personal struggle which dramatically culminates the moment he gets the option to be excluded from execution if he is willing to cooperate with Commander Fischer.

The conclusion of the film brought the audience to an extended standing ovation followed by a podium discussion with both Pantelis and Alexander Voulgaris answering questions from the mostly German and Greek cinephiles.

Starting on the 6th September, the Film Museum will host Greek Films every Thursday until June 2019.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I (right) with Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill

The Russian Orthodox Church slammed the Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate for sending representatives to Ukraine and vowed to retaliate, Hurriyet Daily News says.

The two churches are in a row over the future of Ukraine’s Church and its affiliations. Accusations come a week after Patriarch Kirill of the Orthodox Church of Moscow visited  his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Bartholomew I, in Istanbul.

In the coming months Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I will rule on a Ukrainian appeal to cut spiritual ties with Moscow and become independent.

The Ukrainian Church belongs to the Patriarchate of Moscow and has asked for a separation via the recognition of its Ecclesiastical independence by being granted the status of Autocephaly. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew announced that it will start the procedure for the official recognition of the Church of Ukraine as Autocephalous.

Russian Church spokesman Vladimir Legoyda called this “nothing more than an unprecedented brutal invasion of the canonical territory of the Moscow Patriarchy…Such actions cannot remain unanswered.” He also accused the Greek Patriarchate for not informing Moscow of the decision.

The Orthodox Church in Ukraine is split between a branch whose clerics pledge loyalty to Moscow and one that is overseen by the unrecognised Kiev-based Patriarch Filaret.

Earlier the Ecumenical Patriarchate had sent two bishops in preparation for the
autocephaly procedures.

German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas said Turkey’s road to the European Union is linked with the solution to the Cyprus problem, calling on the Turkish side to show a constructive stance towards the settlement of the Cyprus problem.

He was speaking in Berlin during a joint press conference with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides, who said that Germany and Cyprus share common aims and interests in many fields.

Christodoulides, who is paying a two-day working visit to Berlin, met with Maas with whom he discussed the latest developments on the Cyprus problem, bilateral relations between the two countries, EU-Turkey relations, migration and other European and regional issues of common interest.

Source: C.N.A.

Turkey has woken up to a 5.2 magnitude earthquake rocking the country this morning, around 92km from the popular tourist city of Antalya on the south coast of the country.

The quake was felt also in Cyprus where local media report that people evacuated buildings.

The epicenter of the earthquake is said to have taken place 66 km south of popular resort Tekirova in the area of the town of Döşemealtı, Greater Antalya.

The quake struck around 93.9 km (58.4 mi) south-southeast of Greater Antalya.

Initial reports from the US Geological Survey (USGS) state the depth of the quake is around 58.8km.

At present there are no reports of injuries or damage in Turkey and Cyprus

UPDATE: Strong #earthquake (#deprem) mb=5.2 – 66,6 KM SE of #Tekirova, #Turkey. Depth: 58,8 KM.
>Also felt in #Cyprus.<
More info at: https://t.co/2wfrdIbQtT |<.#EQVT, #quake, #σεισμός, #seismós, #seísmo, #sismo, #temblor, #terremoto.
Did you feel this earthquake?, Tell us!. pic.twitter.com/m5aCIk3hUX

— American Earthquakes (@earthquakevt) September 12, 2018

The Constitutional Court of Turkey is due to decide on Thursday whether Hagia Sophia will be turned into a place of Muslim worship after an appeal made by a private organization called “Authority for Historical Monuments and Environment”.

The Temple that was built in the 6th Century AD by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian as a Christian Cathedral, is now a Museum.

The organization had requested the Turkish government in 2004 to make arrangements to open Hagia Sophia as a mosque but did not receive a response.

Then, in 2005, they appealed to the Council of State, which rejected their request.

The organization, which campaigns to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque since 2004, claims that the denial of the conversion is against freedom of religion.

The European Parliament voted earlier this year on a proposal for the abolition of the measure of Summer Time — something that every member state of the European Union has observed for decades.

Following this vote, the European Commission launched a public debate that lasted months and resulted in millions of Europeans voting for the abolition of the measure of changing the clocks twice every year — however, the majority expressed its preference towards keeping Summer Time and getting rid of Winter Time.

So, what now?

The European Commision’s President, Jean Claude Juncker, during his last State of the Union in the European Parliament said that the issue will be up to the Member States to decide.

This means that some States might decide to keep Summer Time all year long, while others might keep Winter Time, and change the clocks twice a year.

Therefore, many have started to wonder if this is any good for the economic activity inside the EU, as such an option could bring major disruptions to commerce and travel.

The EU has already said that it encourages member states that are close to each other to adopt a common policy regarding the issue of time, but, until now, very little is known about what will really happen to Europe’s time zones.

The Constitutional Court of Turkey decided that Hagia Sophia will not be turned into a place of Muslim worship after an appeal made by a private organization called “Authority for Historical Monuments and Environment”.

The Temple that was built in the 6th Century AD by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian as a Christian Cathedral, is now a Museum and will remain a Museum.

The organization had requested the Turkish government in 2004 to make arrangements to open Hagia Sophia as a mosque but did not receive a response.

Then, in 2015, they appealed to the Council of State, which rejected their request.

The organization claimed that the denial of the conversion is against freedom of religion.

The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church announced that it will end its participation in every structure that is chaired by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and it will no longer mention the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, as the latter plans to recognize the Ecclesiastical Autocephaly (independence) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

”We have decided to suspend joint performance of church services with the hierarchs of the Constantinople Patriarchate, to suspend our membership in all structures, which are headed or co-chaired by the representatives of Constantinople”, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church’s External Relations Department, Bishop Helarion said.

It is mentioned that this move is not a complete Schism, something that would split the Christian Orthodox Church into two, but a bold step taken by the Russian Orthodox Church against the Ecumenical (Global) powers of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, that is considered to be ”First among Equals” in the Orthodox world.

This move was expected as The Patriarchate of Moscow strongly opposes the plans for Independence by the Ukrainian Church.

The European Central Bank revealed the new €100 and €200 banknotes in Frankfurt.

The new banknotes will be available from May 28, 2019 and they will replace the old ones that have been in circulation since January 1, 2002.

The two new banknotes will conclude the complete renewal of the European currency that started a few years ago, since the ECB decided that the €500 banknotes are no longer going to be printed.

The European Central Bank claims that the new banknotes will be much more difficult to be forged, as they will include brand new security features.

The €100 banknotes represent the 23 per cent of the total value of cash that’s been circulated throughout the Eurozone, while the €200 ones represent just 4 per cent.

On average, 40-60,000 fake banknotes are confiscated every month in Europe, with the majority of them being the €50 ones.

A 2,000-year-old painting depicting a naked servant carrying a jug of wine and a vase, has been discovered inside a tomb in Cumae, which is considered to be the first settlement of  ancient Greeks in modern Italy, a Daily Mail online report says.

The part of the painting with the servant is the only one that has survived in the tomb, which archaeologists believe was looted in the 19th century. They believe that the painting depicted a banquet.

Historians believe that Cumae was founded in eighth century BC by Greeks, the first  colony in today’s Italy. It is located 15 miles west of Naples, in southern Italy.

Archaeologists and researches have been working at the site since 2001. A Greek sanctuary, roads and a necropolis have previously been found in the area, the tomb with the painting being the latest find.

Researchers said that the remaining plaster and pigments are in an excellent state of conservation and that such decorations were rare in that period.

The French singer Charles Aznavour – often hailed as his country’s Frank Sinatra – has died at the age of 94.

Aznavour, who was born Shahnour Varinag Aznavourian in Paris to Armenian parents, sold more than 100m records in 80 countries and had about 1,400 songs to his name, including 1,300 he wrote himself. He was sometimes described as the French Sinatra because of his stirring, melancholic style.

Over the years he recorded duets with the likes of Sinatra, Elton John, Céline Dion, Bryan Ferry and Sting, as well as the classical tenors Luciano Pavarotti and Plácido Domingo.

Aznavour was very popular in Greece. He appeared in duets with Greek singers such as Nana Mouskouri and Aleka Kanellidou.

Mouskouri, who worked with Aznavour, described him as a “great master”, she will “never forget”.

Primera Air, a Danish leisure airline with flight services from Northern Europe to more than 40 destinations in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North America, declared bankruptcy on Monday, leaving hundreds of tourists stranded on the Greek islands without knowing how they will get back to their home countries.

More than 400 passengers were left at the Chania Airport on Crete and dozens more on the island of Zakynthos (Zante).

Primera Air also provided services in Greece to Athens, the islands of Rhodes and Kos, and the Peloponnese region. It is not clear whether the airlines had scheduled flights to these destinations on the day it declared bankruptcy.

Leonidas Antonakopoulos, the Head of the information office of the European Parliament in Greece, was suspended along with two other members of staff due to their involvement in an investigation conducted by OLAF, the European anti-fraud office.

In an interview with Greece’s Kathimerini, Marjory van den Broeke, the European Parliament’s deputy spokesperson said that ”there are serious doubts concerning certain economic transactions conducted by these specific individuals,” adding that ”OLAF conducted a preliminary investigation into the matter and concluded that a full investigation needs to follow.”

OLAF did not share with the public neither the names of the two other officials involved in the investigation nor the nature of the possible fraud.

Yet more positive news from Cyprus as the unemployment on the island has dropped from 10.5 percent in August 2017 to 7.5 percent in August 2018.

More specifically, the unemployment among men fell to 7.0 percent while women saw their rate falling to 7.9 percent.

Thus Cyprus registers, once again, as having the largest annual decrease in unemployment for August 2018, according to Eurostat‘s data, the statistical office of the European Union.

Meanwhile, the euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in August 2018, down from 8.2 percent in July 2018 and from 9.0 percent in August 2017.

This is the lowest rate recorded in the EA19 since November 2008.

The EU28 unemployment rate was even lower, at 6.8 percent in August 2018, stable compared with July 2018 and down from 7.5 percent in August 2017.

With information from C.N.A.