News
AHI urges Obama: Place Cyprus, Aegean Sea, Ecumenical Patriarchate On Agenda With Turkish Prime Minister
Written by Guest
WASHINGTON, DC — The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) released a letter it sent today to President Barack Obama ahead of the president’s May 16, 2013 meeting with Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Report: World turmoil means fewer have free press
Written by eter James Spielmann
NEW YORK (AP)—A slump in global media freedom driven by Mali’s turmoil, Greece’s decline and tightening media control in Latin America pushed the percentage of the world’s population in countries with a completely free press to its lowest level in 16 years, the democracy watchdog group Freedom House said Wednesday in its annual survey.
Greek lawmaker accused of trying to punch mayor
Written by Elena BecatorosATHENS (AP)—A lawmaker from Greece's extreme-right Golden Dawn party allegedly tried to punch the mayor of Athens on Thursday, swinging at him but reportedly missing and hitting a 12-year-old girl instead. The confrontation came hours after police used pepper spray to prevent the nationalist party from distributing free food to Greek citizens only in the city's main Syntagma Square in defiance of a municipal ban the mayor had vowed to uphold.
As an ex-pat British man my first Easter on Symi, Greece was something of a surprise to say the least. I remembered the Easters of my youth as to do with chocolate eggs and holidays, time off school and peace and quiet. I had no idea what to expect from my first Greek Easter but people kept telling me about the noise. Assuming they meant the singing and celebrating from one of the 16 churches near to me in the small village where I lived, each with a bell tower, I went about my new life undaunted. The house was within 50 feet of one of the main parish churches, Agia Triatha, and so close that at night I could hear the mechanism of the bells as they clunked into action, ready to strike the hours. After six months on the island I was adjusting to the chimes, though when a wedding or baptism was celebrated and the peels range for half an hour, there was no point in trying to hold a conversation, or watch the television. So yes, I was ready for the noise of Greek Easter on Symi.
Chicago-area Orthodox Christians show unity to support the work of the IOCC
Written by GuestOn Thursday April 11, Orthodox Christians throughout the Chicago area gathered for the Annual Pan-Orthodox Grand Banquet and Silent Auction at the Rosewood Restaurant and Banquets to show their gratitude and faithful support for the work of the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC).
AHI Appalled by U.S. Commission’s International Religious Freedom Report Upgrading Turkey
Written by AHIWASHINGTON, DC — The American Hellenic Institute is appalled by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) two-tier upgrade of Turkey from a designation as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) in 2012 to a less harsh status of “other countries and regions monitored” in its 2013 Annual Report which the commission released April 30.
Ionian Village adds “Repower Greece Day” to Summer Program
Written by GuestNEW YORK—The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s Office of Ionian Village is excited to announce the establishment of a cooperative one-day program, “Repower Greece Day at Ionian Village.” This groundbreaking event will encourage Ionian Village participants to closely examine their experiences of Greece, cultivate a high level of appreciation of their Greek heritage, and to become ambassadors for the country’s image abroad.
Greek Public Order Minister visits New York
Written by Maria A. Karamitsos
On April 26, Public Order and Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Dendias concluded a two-day visit to New York, where he visited the FBI and New York Police Department joint (NYPD) operations centres and was briefed on the way law enforcement and terrorism issues are handled in the United States.
In statements following his speech, Dendias stressed that the police force and other law enforcement agencies in Greece are undergoing a radical overhaul designed to give them a new, more flexible organizational structure in order to meet contemporary challenges, for which know-how transfer from the US is deemed important.He also said that Greece has made great progress in handling migration issues, noting that cooperation with Turkish authorities has improved, but not satisfactorily.
Speaking on CNN on the same day, Dendias stressed that Greeks are not xenophobic, but illegal migratory flows are a huge problem which should be tackled though, with respect to all human beings.
Qatar Airways Expands with New Chicago Route
Written by Maria A. KaramitsosChicago–-On April 11, Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight to Chicago landed at O’Hare International Airport, marking the airline’s fourth gateway in the United States. To commemorate the milestone, Qatar’s CEO Akbar Al Baker held a press conference in Chicago to speak about the airline’s further expansion plans.
With the inclusion of thrice-weekly services from Chicago, Qatar Airways now operates 24 passenger flights a week between the US–daily from New York, Washington DC and Houston—and Doha.
Effective June 15, the Chicago–Doha route will increase to daily service. Since August 2010, Qatar Airways has operated twice-weekly dedicated cargo flights between the two cities.
Flight QR991 arrived to a grand airport ceremony attended by a number of dignitaries, including Qatar’s Ambassador to the USA His Excellency Mr. Mohamad Bin Abdulla Al-Rumaihi, Al Baker and airport officials.
The maiden flight carried international media and airline management. The new route offers a connection between Chicago and a vast number of destinations across the Middle East, Africa, India and Asia Pacific via Doha.
Al Baker and Chicago airport authorities delivered speeches at O’Hare marking the occasion, noting the economic impact of Qatar Airways’ arrival in the city.
“I would like to thank the people of Chicago and local airport authorities for their great support in helping Qatar Airways launch passenger flights to this vibrant city,” said Al Baker.
“After more than five successful years of operations in North America, we are pleased to introduce Chicago as our newest US gateway and look forward to welcoming travelers from the Midwest to fly with us to many parts of the world and, similarly welcome visitors from around the world to this great city.”
The CEO said, “Chicago is a key route for business and leisure travelers alike, home to the world’s second busiest international airport with 70 million passengers a year.” Al Baker explained why Chicago was selected.
“With the local tourism industry receiving 50 million visitors annually and Chicago being the headquarters of some of the world’s biggest corporates, including Boeing, there are many business opportunities linking our two cities and regions.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sent a congratulatory message to Qatar Airways, commenting: “Chicago is pleased to welcome Qatar Airways’ world-class service to our global gateway, O’Hare International Airport. This new international air service creates additional economic opportunities, increases tourism to our city and strengthens Chicago’s cultural and business connection to the world. This service will generate more than $200 million in annual economic impact.”
Qatar Airways’ North American operations also include thrice-weekly services to Montreal.
In just 16 years, Qatar Airways has become one of the world’s fastest growing airlines. Its modern fleet, comprised of 122 aircraft, flies to 126 key business and leisure destinations worldwide. Qatar Airways is set to launch services to a diverse portfolio of new routes during 2013.
Qatar Airways flies to Athens, Greece via Doha.
They’ve been named Airline of the Year 2011 and 2012 by Skytrax Global Survey. Skytrax is the only global independent passenger survey monitoring airline standards and is considered the ultimate benchmark for excellence in the airline industry. Additionally, they were named Best Airline in the Middle East for the seventh year in a row. In October 2012, Qatar Airways became the first of the major Gulf carriers to officially join a oneworld group global alliance. Qatar Airways is a code share partner to US-based US Airways. The company maintains they are one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world.
For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com
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Ionian Village adds “Repower Greece Day” to its 2013 Summer Camping Program
Written by Maria A. KaramitsosNew York, New York – The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s Office of Ionian Village is excited to announce the establishment of a cooperative one-day program, “Repower Greece Day at Ionian Village.” This groundbreaking event will encourage Ionian Village participants to closely examine their experiences of Greece, cultivate a high level of appreciation of their Greek heritage, and to become ambassadors for the country’s image abroad.
Every summer, Ionian Village provides campers with a transformative experience of Greece, Hellenism and Orthodoxy through a powerful and meaningful travel program. Through close encounters with Greece, her people, and the Greek Orthodox faith, Ionian Village has fostered a love and appreciation of Greece and Hellenism in its participants for over forty years.
Assisting the Ionian Village team in this visionary program will be Repower Greece, a public diplomacy campaign whose mission is to challenge negative perceptions of Greece on an international scale, replacing them with stories of success and positive experiences in efforts to restore Greece’s worldview.
Ionian Village, together with Repower Greece, will build upon campers’ transformative experiences of Greece to spark constructive dialogue and heighten awareness among participants of their ability to serve as ambassadors for the country, spreading the positive message of growth and beauty that exemplify Greece.
“Repower Greece Day at Ionian Village” will infuse aspects of the Repower Greece initiative into traditional Ionian Village daily activities. Preliminary ideas include visual and tangible projects that will creatively allow the participating teenagers to confront their individual thoughts and feelings about Greece. Ionian Village Staff Members will lead these activities, joined by members of the Repower Greece team who will both participate in activities and engage in open forum style discussions with campers throughout the day.
This programmatic addition to the Ionian Village repertoire will allow Repower Greece to introduce its worthy initiative to a group of more than 350 Greek American young people who will return to America ready to help redefine Greece’s image in the world. As well, Ionian Village campers will benefit from the challenge to understand and evaluate their experiences at an intellectual level.
Ionian Village is the unique summer camping program of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America located in Peloponnesos, Greece. In two 20-day sessions each summer, Ionian Village campers travel across Greece with their peers to sites of religious and cultural importance. Greek Orthodox teenagers who have completed grades 8 through 12 are eligible for this experience. For more information or to register for the Ionian Village 2013 camping season, visit www.ionianvillage.org.
Repower Greece is coordinated by the Institute for Regional Dialogue & Strategy and FORESIGHT Communications in Athens and Repower Greece Inc., a non-profit organization in New York. For more information on Repower Greece, visit www.repowergreece.com.
COURTESY: REPOWER GREECE
