Category: GREECE

Source: .jerusalemonline.com

An ancient sculpture of the Greek god Apollo was found by a Gaza fisherman off the coast of Gaza. The statue itself apparently has a price tag of half a million dollars.

Athens: A group of 500 anti-government demonstrators has set fire to a toll booth on a motorway east of Athens to protest a near-tripling of prices, Greek police said.

The announcement last week of the toll hike from 55 cents (USD 0.74), rising to 1.45 euros (USD 1.97) tapped into general rage by Greek motorists who complain that they are paying a high price for roads that are not always properly maintained.

Austerity measures hitting Greek citizens are also fuelling the indignation. The demonstrators yesterday blocked the motorway, set fire to tyres and chanted slogans against the government. They dispersed hours later.

But Transport Minister Mihalis Chryssohoidis said Friday the toll increases were part of the contract signed with the motorway operators in 2007.

“Whoever obstructs passage through the tolls is acting to the detriment of the Greek people,” he said.

He said however that everyday commuters using the tollway at the centre of the protest would pay the previous lower fare.

According to a document Chryssohoidis presented to parliament, Greece has raised 1.3 billion euros (USD 1.7 billion) in toll revenue since 2008. He said average tolls were among the lowest in Europe.

Source: variety.com

BERLIN — George Clooney said the U.K. should return Greek art treasures in its possession, during a press conference for his film “The Monuments Men” at the Berlin Film Festival Saturday.

Asked by a Greek journalist whether Greece should claim its historic monuments back from Britain, he said: “I think you have a very good case to make about your artifacts. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing if they were returned.

“I think that is a good idea. I think that would be a very fair and very nice thing. Yeah, I think it is the right thing to do.”

The possession by British museums of Greek artifacts — such as the Elgin Marbles, which were taken from the Acropolis in Athens — has long been a bone of contention between the two countries. The question fitted nicely with the theme of Clooney’s film, which follows the attempt by a squad of art experts to return stolen works of art to their rightful owners in post-war Germany.

The press conference had got off to a somber start when festival chief Dieter Kosslick announced that the reason that the press conference had started late was that a journalist had collapsed at the preceding press screening of Clooney’s film. He added that the journalist had been taken to hospital and was okay.

In the press conference, Clooney was also asked why he had expressed his support for the protesters in the Ukraine, through a message he posted on YouTube. He explained that the Klitschko brothers, who are among the leaders of the opposition movement in the Ukraine, were friends of his, dating back to his work on “Ocean’s Eleven,” in which Wladimir Klitschko had a role, but he said it went further than just friendship.

“I like them very much, but I was also aware of (Ukraine politician) Yulia Tymoshenko and the fact that Yulia hasn’t committed a crime, yet she has been placed in jail. And it seems like it gets lost in all the shuffles of news, and doesn’t get talked about, so I just wanted to show some support for that.

“I think the protesters are having a very difficult time, and I know that there are some hooligans on their side who are also making life difficult. So it is going to be a very long struggle, but I find it to be an important one to at least point out that the people are hoping for their own self determination.”

Source: theguardian.com

From pleats to geometric designs and intricate embroidery, the full splendour of Greek fashion is on display at a new show called Patterns of Magnificence

The history of Greek fashion is the focus of a new exhibition at London’s Hellenic Centre, revealing the biggest collection of traditional Greek costumes ever seen outside the country. Two years in the making, the Patterns of Magnificence exhibition, which opens on Tuesday, is a partnership with the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation Museum, which boasts a staggering 45,000 items. While the selection here is much smaller, it’s rich in detail.

Most of the costumes date from the late 18th century to the middle of the 19th. The vast array of designs would have been worn not only for everyday wear but for weddings and formal dances. They range from geometric patterns on a late-18th-century kaftan to velvet jackets embroidered in gold thread – work that would have taken a master craftsmen months to complete. “I wanted to call it ‘Greek chic’,” smiles curator Ioanna Papantoniou, “but you can see the influence of everything from the Roman empire to the Muslims.”

Cult brand Ancient Greek Sandals has been a huge success since launching in 2011.

This exhibition makes it clear that national dress is never singular – influences from other cultures meld to form something that we think of as distinctly “Greek”. One particularly intriguing influence is German-born Queen Amalia, who was on the throne from 1836. A fashion fan, she adapted the Greek dress of the day to feature the fashions of mainland Europe. The result was the “Amalia jacket”, a cropped, form-fitting bolero style, which used traditional embroidery. It became the statement item of Greek fashion in the mid-19th century, endlessly copied by women all over the country. “She was a style icon of her day,” says Papantoniou, “and her influence spread far – to Cyprus and the Balkans.” Marios Schwab, the Greek-born, London-based designer, who will give a talk at the exhibition on 21 February, is thrilled that stories such as these will be told to a wider audience. “I am obsessed with Greek costume, having seen these pieces in museums as a child,” he says. “This exhibition will show the younger generation why it’s so influential.”

The timing of this exhibition is canny. There is a burgeoning Greek-inspired aesthetic in fashion for spring. Ancient Greek Sandals, founded in 2011 by Greek designers Christina Martini and Nicholas Minoglou, has become a cult success. Sales of the sandals, which have been worn by Hollywood stars including Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried, rose by 30% in 2013. The trend for pleats featured in collections by Burberry and JW Anderson can be traced back to Greek traditional dress too. Papantoniou says pleats are “at the base of all of the clothes”. An early example shows a kind of bodice from the 19th century with tightly packed pleats, reminiscent of those used by Anderson, covering the back. The bodice is red, which was an expensive colour to dye at the time; this piece would have been worn by a wealthy woman.

Schwab puts the continued influence of Greek style on fashion down to an essentially timeless geometry of design. The embroidery may be complicated but “the lines are very simple”. He credits the sleeve of a man’s uniform from the Attica region as an influence on the cuts of his spring/summer collection.

The sculptural use of fabrics and classical lines of Greek costume have long been familiar to fashion, of course. Designers ranging from Madame Grès to Madeleine Vionnet used pleats for designs in the early 20th century. More recently, John Galliano, Jil Sander and Jean Paul Gaultier have been inspired by the Greek design tradition. The dates of this exhibition, running over London fashion week, are no coincidence: the idea is to underline this connection – and reveal more Greek design culture to the wider world.

• Patterns of Magnificence: tradition and reinvention in Greek women’s costume is at the Hellenic Centre in London until 2 March

NICOSIA – Agence France-Presse

Greek Cyprus said on Feb. 3 it would not accept Turkey’s “provocations” after claims a Norwegian ship was ‘harassed’ while surveying for offshore oil and gas reserves.

Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said the vessel was undertaking seismic research for French oil giant Total near Blocks 10 and 11 off the south coast when a radio communication ordered it to “abandon position.”

He said the incident came at a time when the United Nations was trying to find a formula for long-stalled Cyprus peace talks to begin.

Officials said that Turkish frigate “Giresun” had ordered Norwegian seismic vessel “Princess” to “leave Turkish waters” while it was within the island’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

The government said it would not be swayed from its aim to exploit energy riches beneath the east Mediterranean.

“Verbal provocation from Ankara does not affect us exercising our sovereignty,” government spokesman Victoras Papadopoulos said.

“The republic of Cyprus, with a steady confidence given it by international law, will continue its efforts to find hydrocarbons in its EEZ.” Papadopoulos said the incident happened on Feb. 1 when the Turkish warship was some 16.5 nautical miles from the research vessel, “but there was no pursuit as Turkey has alleged.”

Turkey, has reacted angrily to the Greek Cypriot-led internationally recognised government’s search for energy. Ankara has branded Nicosia’s gas hunt as illegal and begun its own exploratory drilling off the north coast.

The almost bankrupt Greek Cyprus government is hoping so far untapped offshore energy resources can pull it back from the financial brink after a banking meltdown prompted an EU-IMF bailout last March.

The eastern Mediterranean has been a hive of exploratory activity, with Greek Cyprus granting permits to international prospectors after Israel discovered massive offshore gas deposits in 2010.

U.S. firm Noble Energy made the first find off Greek Cyprus’s southeast coast in 2011 near the Israeli maritime boundary, in a test well named Aphrodite-1 after the island’s mythical goddess of love.

Based on a preliminary 4.5 trillion cubic feet assessment of reserves by Noble, the government expects a profit of $12-18 billion (9-13 billion euros) over a 14-year period.

Greek Cyprus has signed agreements with Total and a consortium between ENI of Italy and South Korea’s Kogas for oil and gas exploration in its waters. Nicosia is hoping to commercially export its gas, and maybe oil riches, by 2020.

One of the most expensive houses in Britain – the former home of media mogul Chris Evans and now owned by singer George Michael – is up for sale with an £8.25 million price tag.

The six-bedroom Victorian corner house, which boasts its own tower and walled garden, is – in terms of pounds per square foot – Britain’s dearest property, but with floor space of 4,250 square feet, it is hardly bijou.

The house is in Gilston Road, a small street in South Kensington, and was once nicknamed Goldman Sachs Alley after the investment bank. It is just around the corner from other expensive addresses, including The Boltons and Tregunter Road.

The quiet west London street, with its white stucco houses, is already home to celebrities including David Bowie, comedian Rowan Atkinson and fashion designer Tom Ford. But their houses are likely to be outshone by Michael’s, as the singer hopes to achieve what would be a record-breaking price.

Jonathan Hewlett, of FPD-Savills, said: “This house always commands the most extraordinary price every time it sells.

“It is a mixture of its provenance, its appearance and its location on Gilston Road, which has become a destination address.”

The house hit the headlines last year when radio and television presenter Evans bought it for £6.7million but never moved in. Only months later, it was again in the papers when it was sold on to George Michael for £7.25 million.

In the late Eighties, the property became one

of the first houses in London to fetch a sevenfigure sum after it was bought for £1 million from an elderly woman who shared it with dozens of cats.

The Flick family, whose Ger man industrial empire included the Mercedes-Benz motor company, were the buyers and brought over builders from Germany to completely redesign the interior.

“You would be thrilled every time you came home to walk up to the front door and think, ‘This is my house’,” said David Forbes of estate agency Chesterfield.

“It has great presence on the street, with its lovely walled garden. It has always been a marker house for the market.”

But not all estate agents were quite so impressed.

One said: “It’s all hat and no cattle, as they say in Texas.

“You walk into a wonderful series of reception-rooms, with a lovely library, a fine drawing room and huge kitchen, but after that it fizzles out.”