GREEK WORLD MEDIA

Australian Museum celebrates blockbuster exhibition by announcing the The Week of Alexander – 22 to 26 April Calling all named Alex & residents of Alexandria

Australian Museums blockbuster exhibition Alexander the Great: 2000 Years of treasures must close its doors on Sunday 28 April after setting attendance records for the museum over summer.

As a final celebration before these treasures are packed for transport back to the State Hermitage in St Petersburg, the Australian Museum announce The Week of Alexander.

Between Monday 22 and Friday 26 April, anyone who has Alex in their first or surname will gain entry at a special price. (proof of identity required)

And as Alexander the Great founded 20 cities that bore his name, the Museum has extended this offer to all residents of Alexandria. (proof of address required)

I urge people to take the opportunity to see these treasures for 28 April as they will not travel to Australia again in our lifetime, says Frank Howarth, Director of the Australian Museum. And I urge all Alexes to come along and discover the legacy of their famous historic namesake.

The Week of Alexander offer
to purchase your discounted tickets mention the promotional word ALEX
Adult $18 (normally $24) saving of $6 or a 25% discount
Family $50 (2 adults & 2 children – normally $60) saving of $10 or 16% discount

Alexander the Great: 2000 years of treasures
Collection from the State Hermitage, St Petersburg, Russia
Exclusive in Australia to the Australian Museum in Sydney
http://www.alexandersydney.com.au

Tickets available at the museum, but to avoid the queues pre-purchase tickets
at http://www.ticketmaster.com.au or by calling 136 100

Scientists develop simple blood test to track tumour evolution in cancer patients

Source CancerResearch.uk

Cancer Research UK Press Release

Cancer Research UK scientists have developed a new way of looking at how tumours evolve in real-time and develop drug resistance by tracking changes in the patients’ blood, described in a study1 published in Nature.

Scientists at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute at the University of Cambridge2 used traces of tumour DNA, known as circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) found in cancer patients’ blood to follow the progress of the disease as it changed over time and developed resistance to chemotherapy treatments.

They followed six patients with advanced breast, ovarian and lung cancers and took blood samples, which contained small amounts of tumour ctDNA, over one to two years.

By looking for changes in the tumour ctDNA before and after each course of treatment, they were able to identify which changes in the tumour’s DNA were linked to drug resistance following each treatment session.

Using this new method they were able to identify several changes linked to drug-resistance in response to chemotherapy drugs such as paclitaxel (taxol) which is used to treat ovarian, breast and lung cancers, tamoxifen which is used to treat oestrogen-positive breast cancers and transtuzumab (Herceptin) which is used to treat HER2 positive breast cancers.

And they hope this will help shed new light on how cancer tumours develop resistance to some of our most effective chemotherapy drugs as well as providing an alternative to current methods of collecting tumour DNA – by taking a sample direct from the tumour – a much more difficult and invasive procedure.

Dr Nitzan Rosenfeld, Cancer Research UK funded scientist and one of the study authors, said: “Tumours are constantly changing and evolving which helps them develop a resistance to many of the drugs we currently give patients to treat their disease.

“We’ve shown that a very simple blood test can be used to collect enough tumour DNA to suggest to us what parts of the cancer’s genetic code is changing and creating tumour resistance to chemotherapy or biologically-targeted therapies.

“We hope that our discoveries can pave the way to helping us understand how cancers develop drug resistance as well as identifying new potential targets for future cancer drugs.”

Kate Law, director of clinical research at Cancer Research UK, said: “Research is helping us to find answers to one of cancers’ biggest questions – how tumours develop resistance to many of our most effective drugs.

“New techniques like this blood test, which offers a more personalised approach to treating cancers, will help us improve the effectiveness of treatments for patients.”

Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn Thugs Clash with Roma in Kalamata Hospital Raid

Source: IBTimes.UK

Members of Greece’s neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party have clashed with a group of Roma in a raid on Kalamata Hospital in the southern Peloponnese.

The extremists, led by MP Dimitris Koukoutsis, swooped on the hospital hunting for foreign nurses. Earlier this year, four women from Bulgaria were forced to leave the Panarkadiko hospital in Tripoli, Peloponnese, after dozens of Golden Dawn members evicted them.

This time, however, they were confronted by Roma who had taken to the hospital a 22-year-old victim of a racially motivated attack. Violence broke out between the two groups but was broken up by police.

Koukoutsis accused the Roma of “involvement in delinquency” and said Golden Dawn would not regard them as equal citizens until they gave up crime. He said delinquency was “in their DNA”, according to ENET website.

Hospital director Yirgos Bezos said that Golden Dawn’s raid on the hospital was “unacceptable.

The row came days after a leading member of a Roma settlement in Komotini, northern Greece, threatened Golden Dawn with a provocative video on YouTube.

In the footage, two Roma men wield guns, axes and chainsaws and dare the neo-Nazi party to launch a raid on their camp. “You will have to send a lot of guys to my camp,” says one man.

Addressing Nikos Michaloliakos, chairman of Golden Dawn, the unnamed Roma leader brags about having many “crazy guys” watching his back.

“Michaloliakos, round up your mongrels,” says the man.

Greece Records Negative Inflation

Source: GreekNewsAgenda

Greece recorded its first negative inflation rate in 45 years in March 2013, according to data released by the Hellenic Statistics Authority on April 9.

The consumer price index fell to -0.2%, from 0.1% in February, reaching thus its lowest reading since 1968.

Deflation came despite a 26.9% increase in heating oil prices and a 12.3% increase in electricity rates, while medicines recorded the biggest drop, averaging at 14.6%.

The deflation process is expected to continue for the remainder of the year, with inflation seen coming in at zero at the end of 2013.

Revised data on Greek international commercial transactions, including petroleum products, from 2004 to 2012 released by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) on March 28, show an unprecedented increase in Greek exports since 2004.

In particular, exports have increased by 57% in the period 2009-2012, thus accounting for 13.8% of the GDP in 2012 compared to 7.6% in 2009.

Furthermore, the Panhellenic Exporters Association (PEA) analysis shows a 109.4% increase in exports, a small rise in imports (8.8%) and a significant improvement of the Greek trade balance (-32.7%) compared to 2004. The top three sectors with trade surpluses are: tobacco and beverages, animal and vegetable oils & fats, and raw materials.

It should be noted that the data revision was based on the implementation of an Action Plan, between ELSTAT and Eurostat in order to enhance external trade statistics and harmonize them with EU requirements.

‘Einstein parents’ say no to kids’ vaccination

Source: The Daily Telegraph

ALMOST 80,000 Australian children are not immunised against deadly diseases, and the highest number live in Sydney’s west.

Experts say the “baby Einstein” demographic – parents who take an intensive interest in their children’s education and health, eat organic food and use alternative medicines – is responsible.

Sydney’s west has an immunisation rate of 90 per cent for five-year-olds but last financial year was home to 3600 children who were not fully immunised. In wealthy Manly, Mosman and eastern Sydney, however, fewer than 85 per cent of children are immunised in some age groups.The figures are contained in a National Health Performance Authority report.

The World Health Organisation says immunisation rates for measles must be above 93 per cent to prevent its spread. Immunisation expert Julie Leask says parents who perform extensive research and are often suspicious of medicine are more likely to object to vaccination.

“I think what these figures say is … you can’t rely on herd immunity in your region,” the University of Sydney academic said.

Australian Medical Association president Dr Steve Hambleton said the removal of an $18.50 government incentive for doctors to chase up unvaccinated children would exacerbate the problem.

New data on immunisation rates in smaller areas shows the Richmond Valley on the north coast, home to the anti-immunisation Australian Vaccination Network, has the lowest immunisation rate in the country. Only 82 per cent of one-year-olds are fully immunised, falling to just 80 per cent for two-year-olds and 75 per cent of five-year-olds.

NSW Health infectious diseases expert Dr Jeremy McAnulty said two children died on the north coast last year during a whooping cough epidemic that infected 24,000 people. Western and southwestern Sydney were also hard hit by a measles outbreak, with 199 cases last year.Naturopath and mother-of-two Genevieve Milton is convinced vaccines can be harmful and decided against immunising her sons.

Husband Darrell, however, is pro-vaccination and admits he is not entirely comfortable with the decision. “I don’t know I totally agree with her but if Gen wasn’t going into this armed with all the information that she obviously has, then I would be more against her,” he said.Mrs Milton believes she can best protect sons Cadel, 4, and Keanu, 21 months, by strengthening their immune system with good nutrition, vitamins and good hygiene.

She says her boys “line up every day for their echinacea and fish oil” and stresses white sugar and flour must be eliminated from children’s diets for a strong immune system to develop.

Brain Drain 120,000 Professionals Leave Greece Amid Crisis

Source: Spiegel

State hospital nurses protesting in Thessaloniki. Many have left the country looking for work elsewhere.

Greece’s sky-high unemployment and shrinking economy are leading to significant brain drain, a new study has found. The number of young scientists leaving Greece has become painfully high, as more professionals abandon their homeland for better opportunities abroad.

More than 120,000 professionals have left Greece since the start of the country’s financial crisis in 2010, according to a recent study by the University of Thessaloniki.

Doctors, engineers, IT professionals and scientists have found it increasingly difficult to find work amid deep cuts to funding of health care and other publicly supported sectors.

“The number of young scientists who emmigrate has reached 10 percent of the country’s potential, and that’s very high,” the study’s director Lois Lambrianides told the Athens newspaper Ethnos on Tuesday.

Lambrianides, professor of economic geography at the University of Thessaloniki, said that the emmigrating professionals tend to leave for other European countries, settle in big cities and end up working in the private sector. She said half of them have multiple degrees from the world’s top 100 universities.

Highest Unemployment in the EU

The study’s release followed a spec of good economic news last week when government figures showed hirings in the private sector outpaced layoffs in March. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said while the economy remains in “critical” condition, the news was a sign of recovery.

Greece has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union, at just over 26 percent. Its economy is in its sixth consecutive year of negative growth, partially the function of deep austerity measures that have been demanded by the country’s main lenders.

The so-called “troika,” comprising the EU, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank, began a new round of talks in Athens last week to evaluate Greece’s progress in reforming its economy and reducing its deficit. The lenders are demanding 150,000 fewer public sector jobs in Greece by 2015.

The leader of the junior coalition Socialist party, Evangelos Venizelos, said Tuesday after a meeting with the troika that the reform of the bloated public sector in Greece was a “test of our credibility.”

“We should not be afraid of reform,” he added. “We need it.”

Προκαλούν με διαφήμιση οι Τούρκοι: «Στη βόρεια Κύπρο δεν έχει κρίση»

Source: Ant1iwo.com

Χαλαρώστε – Στη Βόρεια Κύπρο δεν υπάρχουν ανησυχίες για το Ευρώ, είναι το σλόγκαν της τουριστικής καμπάνιας του ψευδοκράτους.

Η οικονομική κρίση της Κύπρου φαίνεται πως λειτουργεί σαν βούτυρο στο ψωμί των Τουρκοκύπριων που δεν έχασαν ευκαιρία να «χτυπήσουν» τον τουρισμό της Κύπρου και να αποπειραθούν να μαγνητίσουν τους «διαφυγόντες τουρίστες».

Καλούν, λοιπόν, τους ξένους να επισκεφθούν τη «Βόρεια Κύπρο» γιατί εκεί θα είναι ασφαλείς… αντίθετα, όπως υπονοούν με το… νότιο τμήμα του νησιού.

«Πολλοί άνθρωποι δεν γνωρίζουν πως το νόμισμα στη βόρεια Κύπρο είναι η τουρκική λίρα.

Τα οικονομικά προβλήματα τα οποία υπάρχουν στις ειδήσεις τώρα περιορίζονται μόνο στη νότια Κύπρο», γράφουν οι Τούρκοι στην ιστοσελίδα τουριστικής προβολής των κατεχομένων.

THE NEW TAXATION LAW FOR EXPATRIATES WILL BE REVIEWED

WORLD COUNCIL OF HELLENES ABROAD (SAE)

Δρ. Όλγα Σαραντοπούλου
Γραμματέας

Vienna, 09.04.2013

THE NEW TAXATION LAW FOR EXPATRIATES WILL BE REVIEWED

Following the pointing out of aspects of the proposed new taxation law for Expatriates and the multiple interventions by the World Council of Hellenes Abroad through SAE Secretary Dr. Olga Sarantopoulos, and the subsequent mobilization of the Greek Organizations around the world, the Greek Government decided to review this extremely important issue.

We believe that the review of the new law regarding the taxation for Greeks living abroad should deal with the essence of the problem and should not exclude the Diaspora from the process. It is necessary that the Government takes seriously into consideration the proposal for the establishment of a Committee involving representatives of the Tax Department for residents abroad, who know in depth the issue, tax consultants, finance professors, representatives of the Omogeneia , SAE, the Secretariat for Greeks Abroad of MFA and the Ministry of Finance. So that the new regulations which will emerge through this cooperation will meet up with a just solution for the Expatriates and will bring them closer to the Homeland in these difficult times experienced by our country.

As highlighted by Dr.Sarantopoulos, after long consultations she had with relevant personalities responsible for the Tax Department for residents abroad, tax consultants, legal advisers and other competent people, each region where expatriates live has its own pecularities, which should be examined in detail. It is a fact that intergovernmental agreements to avoid double taxation do not exist everywhere -like e.g. in Australia for which she called for the immediate commencement of procedures in order to reach an intergovernmental agreement. She also pointed out that the certificates requested by the law are not issued by all countries as they have different rules.

Regarding the review of the law, Dr. Olga Sarantopoulos called upon Finance Minister Ioannis Stournaras to take into account the serious objections from the part of our organizations around the world and to take personally care of the very important issue. She underlined once more that the institutional process should be followed in order to restore the sense of justice in the Greek Diaspora.

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ΕΠΑΝΕΞΕΤΑΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΝΟΜΟΣΧΕΔΙΟΥ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΦΟΡΟΛΟΓΙΑ ΟΜΟΓΕΝΩΝ

Κατόπιν της ανάδειξης των πτυχών του προτεινόμενου νέου νομοσχεδίου για την φορολογία Ομογενών και των πολλαπλών παρεμβάσεων εκ μέρους του Συμβουλίου Απόδημου Ελληνισμού μέσω της Γραμματέως ΣΑΕ Δρ.Όλγας Σαραντοπούλου και της ακόλουθης μαζικής κινητοποίησης των Ομογενειακών Οργανώσεων ανά τον κόσμο, η Ελληνική Κυβέρνηση αποφάσισε να επανεξετάση το άκρως σημαντικό για την Ομογένεια αυτό θέμα.

Θέλουμε να πιστεύουμε ότι η επανεξέταση της φορολόγησης των Ελλήνων του εξωτερικού θα ασχοληθεί με την ουσία του προβλήματος και δεν θα γίνει ερήμην της Ομογένειας. Είναι αναγκαίο η Κυβέρνηση να λάβει σοβαρά υπόψη της την πρόταση για την σύσταση Επιτροπής στην οποία θα συμμετέχουν ειδικοί εκπρόσωποι της ΔΟΥ κατοίκων εξωτερικού, που γνωρίζουν σε βάθος το θέμα, φοροτεχνικοί, καθηγητές οικονομικών, εκπρόσωποι της Ομογένειας και του ΣΑΕ, της ΓΓΑΕ και του Υπουργείου Οικονομικών, ώστε οι νεες ρυθμίσεις που θα προκύψουν να ανταποκρίνονται σε μία λύση που δεν θα αδικεί την Ομογένεια και θα την φέρει πιο κοντά στην μητέρα Πατρίδα στίς δύσκολες στιγμές που βιώνει η χώρα.

Υπενθυμίζεται ότι όπως ανέδειξε η Δρ.Σαραντοπούλου, μετά από πολύωρες διαβουλεύσεις με τους αρμόδιους υπεύθυνους της ΔΟΥ κατοίκων εξωτερικού, φοροτεχνικούς ,νομικούς και άλλων αρμοδίων, υπάρχουν ιδιαιτερότητες σε κάθε περιφέρεια οπου ζουν Ομογενείς , οι οποίες θα πρέπει να εξεταστούν λεπτομερώς. Δεν υπάρχουν παντού διακρατικές συμφωνίες για την αποφυγή διπλής φορολόγισης -όπως π.χ.στην Αυστραλία για την οποία ζήτησε την άμεση έναρξη των σχετικών διαδικασιών για να υπογραφεί διακρατική συμφωνία. Υπογράμισε δε οτι και τα πιστοποιητικά που ζητάει ο νόμος δεν εκδίδονται απο όλες τις χώρες .

Η Δρ. Όλγα Σαραντοπούλου καλεί τον Υπουργό Οικονομικών κ. Ιωάννη Στουρνάρα κατά την επανεξέταση του νομοσχεδίου, να λάβει υπόψη τις σοβαρές ενστάσεις εκ μέρους των ομογενειακών μας οργανώσεων ανά τον κόσμο και υπογράμμισε ότι θα πρέπει να ακολουθηθεί η θεσμική διαδικασία για την αποκατάσταση του αισθήματος δικαίου στον Απόδημο Ελληνισμό.

Elli Kokkinou, Katerina Stanisi and Kosta Karafotis in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide 10, 11 and 12 May 2013

Three famous Greek singers of Laika (Folk-Popular) songs, Katerina Stanisi, Elli Kokkinou and Kostas Karafotis, are preparing for their performances in Australia.

The three singers on May 10 will be in Sydney, May 11, in Melbourne and May 12 in Adelaide.

Elli Kokkinou has also performed in concerts in America and Australia in the past, with Christos Dantis.

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A TRIBUTE TO TSITSANIS PERFORMED BY REBETIKI on the 11/4/2013

vasilis tsitsanis

Coming to Sydney for one night only, acclaimed Melbourne group Rebetiki’s Tribute to VASILIS TSITSANIS celebrates and pays homage a legend of Greek folk and blues music. Vasilis Tsitsanis (b. 1915) was a Greek songwriter and bouzouki player. He became one of the leading composers of Greek music, particularly the style Rebetika.

Vasilis Tsitsanis (1915 – 1984) is considered the finest rebetika composer having written over two thousand songs. Though not a rebetes in the sense of being an outcast, (he came to Athens to study law), he has written some of the best rebetika and laika. He also discovered and recorded with some of the finest female singers including Marika Ninou and Sotiria Bellou.

Melbourne’s REBETIKI will bring the heart and soul of Greek blues back to life. With a variety of instruments including the traditional six string bouzouki, baglama, oud, lute, guitar and percussion Rebetiki present an acoustic passage through a musical style just as vibrant today as it was during its initial development.

For years REBETIKI have been playing urban Greek blues along with rural folk music from many regions of Greece. These songs dominated the music scene in Greece for decades during the 20th century and remain to this day a major influence in the direction of modern musical trends.

Members of the band include, Argyris Argyropoulos, (Baglama, Oud), Takis Dimitriu, (Bouzouki, Tzoura), Tony Iliou, (Guitar, Lute), and Achilles Yiangoulli (Bouzouki, Toubeleki).

Rebetiki have performed at WOMADelaide, sheppARTon Festival Shepparton, the National Folk Festival Canberra, Bellingen Global Carnival, and at Carnivale Multicultural Festival at the Sydney Opera House. The band also played on the occasion of the Greek Prime Ministers Australian Visit and Manolis Mitsias Concert, Melbourne in 2007.