Manuel Valls Image: Thibault Camus AP/Press Association Images By AFP Tuesday 6 Dec 2016, 8:31 AM Image: Thibault Camus AP/Press Association Images 8,289 Views http://jrnl.ie/3122179 FRENCH PRIME MINISTER Manuel Valls is set to resign today to free himself to do battle for the Socialist nomination in next year’s presidential election.In a week of prime minister resignations, Valls joins his Italian and New Zealand counterparts after Matteo Renzi and John Key announced they were stepping down.Former interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve was named as the new prime minister to replace Valls shortly after the announcement.Announcing his candidacy for president yesterday, France’s prime minister of the past two-and-a-half years said he would step down to try to rally the fractured left ahead of a primary in January.Health Minister Marisol Touraine and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve are among those tipped to succeed him as premier for the six months until the next legislative elections.In a combative speech, 54-year-old Valls vowed to take the fight to the conservative opposition and the far-right National Front, who are both leading the Socialists in election polls.His announcement came four days after President Francois Hollande announced he would bow out after a single term, paving the way for Valls to try to become the left’s new standard bearer.“My candidacy is one of reconciliation,” Valls, seen as a divisive figure, said in a speech from his political base in the tough Paris suburb of Evry.He warned of the risk of far-right leader Marine Le Pen pulling off a repeat of France’s 2002 electoral upset when her father Jean-Marie Le Pen edged the Socialist candidate for a place in the presidential runoff.Le Pen’s nationalist policies would “ruin the working class”, he said.Polls show Marine Le Pen winning or being placed second in the opening round of the election on April 23 but later being defeated by the conservative Francois Fillon.Valls attacked the Thatcherite Fillon, accusing him of rehashing “the old recipes of the 1980s” by promising to cut spending and social programmes.“We’re told that Francois Fillon is the next president of the Republic. Nothing is set in stone,” he said defiantly.Divided SocialistsValls faces an uphill task to unite the divided French left, reeling after four tumultuous years under Hollande.The prime minister himself is a polarising figure who has turned off many lifelong Socialists by using decrees to force contested labour reforms through parliament and endorsing controversial bans last summer on the Islamic “burkini” swimsuit.His government’s bleak economic record could also clip his wings.Yesterday, he said he wanted to help the working class “regain its dignity” in the face of globalisation.He faces a challenge from at least seven other candidates in the two-round primary on January 22 and 29.Martine Aubry, a veteran Socialist and the mayor of the northern city of Lille, said yesterday it was “not a given” that she would back him.Polls show Valls nonetheless winning the nomination but trailing in the presidential race, dragged down by competition on the left from business-friendly former economy minister Emmanuel Macron, an independent, and the fiery hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon of the Left Party.When Valls last sought the Socialist nomination five years ago, he garnered only 5.6 percent.He went on to become a spokesman for Hollande’s campaign and was later rewarded with the interior portfolio.In 2014, he was promoted to premier with a mandate to rein in a group of unruly ministers who were undermining Hollande’s authority.Within months he had a rival for the title of reformer-in-chief, in the telegenic banker-turned-economy minister Macron, a protege of Hollande.In August, Macron walked out on his boss to further his own leadership ambitions while Valls remained by Hollande’s side.In recent weeks, however, Valls had made clear he saw himself — and not Hollande — as the Socialists’ best chance of keeping the keys to the Elysee Palace.- © AFP 2016.Read: French Prime Minister suggests bare breasts are a better symbol of France than burkinisRead: Nicolas Sarkozy knocked out of French presidential race Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article Dec 6th 2016, 8:31 AM French PM quits role, plans to battle Le Pen for presidency The socialist candidate will look to battle Marine Le Pen’s National Front in next year’s election Manuel Valls Share138 Tweet Email1 Short URL 11 Comments read more
Pollution kills 1.7 million children under five worldwide each year Over half a million deaths each year are from diseases attributable to air pollution and second-hand smoke. By AFP Short URL http://jrnl.ie/3273322 Monday 6 Mar 2017, 3:13 PM 6 Comments Image: Shutterstock/Dipak Shelare Share38 Tweet Email Image: Shutterstock/Dipak Shelare Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article Mar 6th 2017, 3:13 PM 4,539 Views MORE THAN ONE in four deaths in children under five are linked to polluted environments, according to two new World Health Organization reports published today.Each year, environmental risks such as indoor and outdoor pollution, second-hand smoke, unsafe water and poor sanitation kill around 1.7 million children between the ages of one month and five years, the reports found.Harmful exposure can start in the mother’s womb, increasing the risk of premature birth, which can lead to life-long health problems.When children are exposed to air pollutants they also can face a lifelong increased risk of chronic respiratory diseases, like asthma, and of heart disease, stroke and cancer.The findings were in line with a WHO study published last year showing that about a quarter of all deaths worldwide, across all age groups, were attributable to environmental factors like air, water and soil pollution, as well as unsafe roads and workplace stress.But the new reports highlight the particular dangers faced by the youngest in society.‘Especially vulnerable’“A polluted environment is a deadly one, particularly for young children,” WHO chief Margaret Chan said in a statement.“Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water,” she said.An estimated 570,000 children under five die each year from respiratory infections such as pneumonia, which are attributable to air pollution and second-hand smoke, the reports found.And 361,000 others are killed by diarrhoea resulting from poor access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene, the agency said.Another 200,000 children under five die from unintentional injuries linked to unhealthy environments, including poisonings, falls and drowning, WHO said.The agency emphasised that a large portion of deaths among children stemming from common causes like diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia could be prevented by reducing environmental risks.Simply increasing access to safe water and clean cooking fuels, removing unsafe building materials like lead paint, and reducing the use of hazardous pesticides and chemicals could go a long way in preventing such deaths, the reports said.A full 200,000 deaths each year among children under five due to malaria, for example, could be avoided through actions like reducing breeding sites for mosquitoes and covering drinking water storage, the WHO said.At the same time, a range of new environmental hazards are emerging, like the ballooning piles of discarded mobile phones and other electronic and electrical waste, which is expected to hit 50 million metric tonnes globally by next year.When not properly recycled, such waste can expose children to toxins that can lead to reduced intelligence, attention disorders, lung damage and cancer, the WHO warned.Climate change is also taking its toll on children, the reports found.Rising levels of carbon dioxide contributes to pollen growth, which in turn is leading to rising rates of asthma in young people, the agency said.- © AFP, 2017Read: Not even the deepest, darkest parts of the planet have escaped human pollutionRead: Spending a day in Delhi is the equivalent to smoking 40 cigarettes. We went to see for ourselves read more
Share Tweet Email 24,321 Views By eoin Wife of man murdered in row over chihuahua throws water bottle as men convicted of killing Outside the building Nevin’s family and friends stood shouting while gardai kept the families of the convicted men inside. A MAN HAS been convicted of murder and a second of manslaughter for killing a man with an axe during an argument over a pedigree chihuahua.Wayne Cluskey (25) of Mooretown, Ratoath, Co Meath was found not guilty of murder, guilty of manslaughter for the killing of Christopher Nevin at Tailteann Road, Navan on 19 November, 2015.Josh Turner (24), of the same address, was convicted Nevin’s murder. Angry scenes greeted the verdicts with the wife of the dead man, Lisa Nevin, hurling a plastic water bottle in the direction of the two accused, but instead hitting one of the defending junior barristers. Gardaí removed Ms Nevin from the court as she shouted at Wayne Cluskey: “You brought in the axe.” Outside the building Nevin’s family and friends stood shouting while gardai kept the families of the convicted men inside.The jury of nine men and three women reached both verdicts by ten to two majorities after more than two days of deliberations. Justice Patrick McCarthy thanked the jurors and told them they are exempt from jury duty for ten years.He remanded Cluskey and Turner in custody until 27 February for a sentencing hearing. Prosecuting counsel Michael O’Higgins SC said Nevin’s family will make a statement on that date. Counsel for Wayne Cluskey asked for a prison governor’s report to be supplied.EvidenceThe jury sat through eight days of evidence during which CCTV of the assault on Nevin, described as “savage” and “awful” by one barrister, was shown several times. The State’s main witness was Wayne Casserly, a close friend of Christopher Nevin and a friend of the two accused. Wayne Casserly told the trial that Josh Turner had loaned Christopher Nevin a male chihuahua to breed with three female chihuahuas. But Nevin complained that the dog was “shooting blanks” as only one of the females got pregnant. A dispute arose over what Turner would be paid.Casserly and Christopher were so close that when Josh Turner wanted to speak to Christopher about payment for the dog, he called Wayne Casserly, knowing the two would probably be together. Turner and Nevin arranged to meet at Casserly’s home on Tailteann Road. In his evidence to the trial Turner said that Nevin had agreed to pay him. That was why, he said, he and Cluskey called to Tailteann Road that afternoon.Turner and Cluskey arrived by car shortly before 2pm and Turner knocked on the window of the house. Casserly and Turner said that when Nevin answered the door he had a hatchet in his hand. Cluskey told gardai the same thing during interviews days after the killing.Turner said that Nevin was “roaring and shouting” and threatening to chop his head off. He said he backed away and suddenly Wayne Cluskey entered the fray. Carrying an axe in his hand, Cluskey barreled into Nevin, dropped the axe and the two grappled on the ground.As that fight continued down the driveway of the house Josh Turner picked up the axe that Wayne Cluskey had dropped and used it to hit Nevin several times, including blows to the head that Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis said caused his death. Meanwhile Cluskey got free, took the hatchet from Christopher Nevin’s hands, and used it to strike him twice on the body.Wayne Casserly called an ambulance and tried to resuscitate his friend. A passerby also stopped to help before paramedics arrived. He was pronounced dead in hospital some hours later.Cluskey and Turner went voluntarily to Navan garda station four days later and admitted their roles in Nevin’s death. Josh Turner claimed that he had lost all self control after Nevin threatened him with the hatchet and struck his friend Wayne Casserly with it as they struggled on the ground. Cluskey said that he was defending Turner when he ran in carrying the axe.Comments are closed as the matter is awaiting sentencing. Image: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland Image: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland Friday 17 Feb 2017, 3:29 PM Feb 17th 2017, 3:29 PM Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article Short URL No Comments http://jrnl.ie/3245610 read more
The controversial Poolbeg incinerator has taken its first delivery of waste The facility will fire up this weekend. Share402 Tweet Email5 Monday 24 Apr 2017, 1:37 PM Apr 24th 2017, 1:37 PM Short URL 109 Comments http://jrnl.ie/3355256 Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article The new incinerator and the iconic Poolbeg chimneys photographed from St Vincent’s Hospital. Source: Sam BoalUpdated at 1.40pm THE CONTROVERSIAL POOLBEG incinerator will fire up in the coming days – two decades after the project was first proposed.Managing director of Covanta Ireland John Daly confirmed in an interview with Morning Ireland that the Dublin 4 plant was taking its first delivery of waste.It would be what’s generally referred to as “black bag waste,” he said – waste that’s not going for recycling. The actual incineration process won’t start for a few days – probably at the weekend, he said.Only one of the two boilers at the state-of-the-art plant is operational at the moment, he said. The facility would be operating at only a fraction of its full capacity, Daly explained. Full production will be reached by around September, it’s planned.Photos taken at the plant today showed trucks delivering the first batches of rubbish to the facility. Photos of the first delivery of waste were taken today. Source: Conor McCabe Photography LtdLocal oppositionThe plant – which will process waste from the four Dublin local authorities – was initially proposed in 1997.After years of hold-ups construction of the the Public Private Partnership (PPP) project finally began in late 2014.Dublin City Councillors had voted against the project just weeks earlier – but Dublin City Chief Executive Owen Keegan insisted the facility was needed and made commercial sense.Many locals in the nearby areas of Ringsend, Irishtown and Sandymount still have concerns about it, however – regarding emissions and traffic in particular. John Daly, Managing Director of Covanta Energy Ireland Limited, at the plant today. Source: Conor McCabe Photography Ltd120 trucks per day will drive to and from the plant over a six day week, according to Covanta. Deliveries – even ones from the south – will be via the M50 and the Port Tunnel, the company insists, although waste from the immediate local area will be brought straight to the facility.Strict limits have been set for emissions at the plant, and in an update on Poolbeg issued in recent weeks the Environmental Protection Agency said its inspectors had been visiting the site regularly in the last few months.Covanta Ireland has said data on emissions and furnace temperature will be displayed on the company’s website and updated every half hour. Source: TheJournal.ie/YouTube‘Hot commissioning’ has been taking place at the plant in recent weeks – resulting in an occasional steam plume above the incinerator. The process involves the drying out of bricks in the boilers and cleaning out of the boiler pipes.According to a statement on the Covanta website:The hot commissioning of the plant is ongoing with the steam blows almost 80% completed. Over the coming days trucks will be seen delivering waste to the plant to enable commissioning of the weighbridge and bunker cranes. It is expected that the first fire of waste will occur within seven working days of first waste acceptance. Dublin Waste to Energy will send out a further information bulletin closer to this time.Read: Man snorkels headfirst into crocodile, escapes with only minor injuries >Read: There’s some wintry weather on the way this week > 51,234 Views By Daragh Brophy read more
https://jrnl.ie/4096103 Image: Wanderley Massafelli/RollingNews.ie Wednesday 27 Jun 2018, 10:15 PM 24 Comments Jun 27th 2018, 10:16 PM 10,509 Views By Cormac Fitzgerald In this context, I will continue to engage with Garda management and, of course, Commissioner Harris in addressing the issues arising from these statistics.Also commenting on the figures, John O’Keeffe, spokesperson for the Garda Representative Association, said that the group was “not surprised” that crime has risen in almost all areas.“At the moment, there is zero deterrent for those who may wish to commit crime,” he said.O’Keeffe put this down to a lack of garda resources and legislative deterrents to offenders. Image: Wanderley Massafelli/RollingNews.ie New figures show increases in crime across every category (except homicides) Sexual offences were up by just under 15% in the year to the end of March. Share59 Tweet Email1 NEW CRIME FIGURES have revealed significant increases in the number of sexual offences, robbery, extortion and hijacking offences and fraud offences over a single year.Meanwhile, the figures – which account for crimes for the year to the end of March of this year – show a decrease of over 17% in the number of murders and illegal killings.The Q1 2018 crime stats were published today “Under Reservation” – which means that the quality of these statistics do not meet the standards required of official statistics published by the CSO.This follows on from the publication of crime stats being stopped for over a year due to concerns over the accuracy of information provided by the gardaí.The latest figures show rises in the number of many crimes being committed.Sexual offences were up by just under 15% in the year to the end of March, rising from 2,638 to 3,026 (a rise of 388). Burglaries and related offences rose slightly, from 18,357 to 18,576 (1.2%).The biggest jump was in kidnapping and related offences – which jumped 112 to 130 (a rise of 16.1%). Weapons and explosives offences also rose by 12% (from 2,112 to 2,365 offences).Attempts or threats to murder, assaults, harassments and related offences also took a big jump – from 16,856 to 19,137 (a rise of 13.5%).Homicide offences was the only category of crime to see any drop – from 87 to 72.Commenting on the stats, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said that he welcomed the reduction in the number of homicides, but said more needed to be done to tackle crime in other areas.“This Government remains totally committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána have all the necessary resources to tackle all forms of criminality in our State,” he said. Short URL Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article read more
Image: AP/PA Images 9 Comments By Aoife Barry https://jrnl.ie/4086842 Image: AP/PA Images Jun 24th 2018, 9:31 AM Thursday 28 Jun 2018, 11:01 AM Panda conservation is worth billions of dollars a year A new study looked at pandas and their reserves, and compared them in 1980 to today. 15,492 Views Our analysis contradicts this view and demonstrates clearly the great value of the panda, both for its cultural and intrinsic value and for the ecosystem services provided by panda reserves.Between 1990 and 2010, China’s National Conservation Project for the Giant Panda and Its Habitat (NCPGPH) doubled panda habitat.And by 2010, a total of 67 panda reserves with an area of more than 33,000 km2 had been established, which covered more than half of suitable panda habitat.What’s it worth?The new study questioned what was that worth. Wei and colleagues used the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services framework.Ecosystem services include three parts: provisioning services, regulatory services, and culture.According to the study, panda reserves offer a variety of provisioning services that are valued by local people – these include growing crops, grazing animals, procuring water supplies, and harvesting firewood and useful plants.The regulatory services include the benefits of managing precipitated water runoff, sediment retention, carbon sequestration, nutrient retention, and more.The researchers reviewed each of the regulating, provisioning, and cultural services associated with panda reserves, and collated estimates of the value of each from numerous studies.Then, they converted those estimates to US dollars and used the median value for each to generate a combined estimate of the annual per-hectare value of panda reserves.Through this, they found a median estimate of US$632 per hectare per year.Next, they multiplied that per hectare per year value by estimates of forest area within the 67 panda reserves – and came to a value of US$562 million per year in 1980.By 2010, the value of ecosystem services of the panda and its reserves had increased to somewhere between US$2.6 and US$6.9 billion per year.“Now, we know that the system of reserves and protections [for pandas] are working to reverse the panda’s decline and that these efforts have benefits for society and nature at large,” Wei says.This should provide added motivation for people to continue backing panda conservation to bring about the eventual recovery of the species.The researchers say that this news provides justification not just for efforts to preserve the panda, but for other endangered species as well.However, this is not necessarily news that will be welcomed in all quarters, with some environmentalists and conservations – such as Chris Packham – being opposed to the conservation of pandas. Share127 Tweet Email1 PANDA CONSERVATION IS often criticised because of the associated cost, but a new analysis says that it is actually worth billions of dollars.The analysis, reported in Current Biology on June 28 shows that panda conservation has a value that goes beyond protection of pandas themselves.The new findings say that the panda’s protection as an umbrella species yields 10 to 27 times as much value as it costs to maintain the current reserves. They also suggest it might be worth expanding those panda reserves and other investments.China rents pandas to other countries at a cost of about $1 million a panda, and the research is Chinese-based. “Many detractors have argued that spending valuable resources on panda conservation is wasteful,” says Fuwen Wei of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Short URL Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article read more
All metro stations in Athens, as well as some bus stops, will have wireless internet access by next year, the government and the Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) agreed on Monday. According to the plan, Wi-Fi will be installed in all the metro stations, at bus stops and at squares. Wireless internet access will also be available at Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) stations. The program will begin at Panepistimio metro station in central Athens, where Wi-Fi will be set up within the next three months. The bus stop outside the station, which is located next to Athens University, will also have wireless internet. Authorities said the initiative would give passengers greater access to information and would be a useful tool of communication in case of emergency. Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram read more
Discrimination due to above average weight and ‘size profiling’ is what Catherine Bouris’ article, published on her personal blog last week, is all about. Catherine, a 20-year-old university student in Sydney, makes a point on some people being naturally fat, an idea which society finds reluctant to accept in contrast to the ‘naturally skinny’ acknowledged trait. Recording experience of hers and of counterparts, she brings readers face to face with everyday disturbing incidents, from derogatory comments to even sexual harassment cases, or discriminatory attitudes by professionals and companies. “Overweight cancer patients are being given the ‘standard’ chemotherapy dose, as in, for someone who is of average size,” she states. “Then you have airlines charging fat people more for plane fares because ‘a kilo is a kilo’, whether it’s on a person or part of your checked luggage.” Catherine identifies herself as fat for as long as she can remember. “Most of my immediate family have been or are overweight. I’m often asked by complete strangers how much I eat, what food I eat, which diets I’ve tried, how often I exercise – basically: why the hell are you so fat?” ‘Skinny shaming’, a situation where really thin women are often criticised because of their skinny appearance, is not comparable to the weight stigma overweight or obese people carry, according to Catherine. Readership of the article reached a peak when republished in the popular news.com.au website. Feedback from readers came back mixed. Some welcomed her thoughts or felt empathy for being subjected to discrimination on the same grounds. Others accused her for showing no understanding towards skinny women, also suffering from society criticising their appearance. Catherine clarifies she no longer cares about people’s remarks. Over the years, people have offered explanations on her above average weight, such as: excess weight attributed to lack of self control, bad nutrition or not exercising. As she states, after fifteen years of criticisms about her weight, she has learned to avoid toxic environments which lead to low self esteem. In terms of expression, Catherine got backlash for failing to present the real problem and not just the manifestation of it on overweight people. That being said, Ana, a reader commented: “What bothers me, however, is the article’s failure to consider these problems holistically and intellectually (that is, without the sense of victimisation). The changes we need are not strictly the acceptance of those who are deemed ‘fat’; rather, we need the ability to overlook body shape and type, and to withhold our comments and judgements.” You can find Catherine Bouris’ article on her personal blog: http://lasso.tumblr.com/ Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram read more
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram For the 32nd year in a row, in the presence of tens of thousands of festival goers, Hellenism of Sydney stayed loyal to its annual meeting with Darling Harbour for the two-day event and the official opening of the Greek Festival of Sydney, held by the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW. Those who found themselves in Tumbalong Park on Sunday afternoon witnessed and welcomed a historic moment, since for the first time in its 32 year history the festival was officially launched by the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Tony Abbott. Announcing the Festival officially open, Mr Abbott stressed the importance of supporting Australia’s multicultural community and in particular the contribution of the Greek community to the development and wellbeing of the wider Australian society.The presence of the prime minister reinforced the prestige the festival enjoys not only as one of the leading multicultural events of NSW, but also the whole of Australia, as the President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW Harris Danalis and the chairperson for the Greek Festival of Sydney Nia Karteris stressed in their speeches.They both congratulated the members of the Greek community in Sydney for their massive turnout and invited them to take part in over 30 events during the next two months. These cultural initiatives are part of this year’s fFestival, which aims to cover multiple aspects of Greek Australian identity. This year’s program includes events for the 400 years since the death of the painter Dominikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco), the presentation of a book on the poet C.P. Cavafy, the presentation of research on the Greek communities from Albania to Ukraine and many other events.Among the speakers during the official launch of the festival were the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Stavros Kirimis, the Shadow Minister for Finance Tony Burke, who represented the leader of the federal opposition, the Chair of the Community Resources Commission of NSW, Vic Alhadeff, representatives of local and state government, representatives of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, community leaders and Mr Tom Christopoulos, NSW Manager of Delphi Bank, the festival’s sponsor.Attending the event were also Assistant Treasurer Senator Arthur Sinodinos, federal Liberal MP for Barton Nick Varvaris, and Victorian Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Nicholas Kotsiras.The festival program included a plethora of music events, while the central figures of the two nights were singer Konstantina and well known Greek Australian actor George Kapiniaris, who not only proved himself in the presenter’s shoes, but also made thousands of festival goers laugh with his Greek Australian jokes. For one more year, the NSW Greek Community youth had a strong presence at the festival. At some point on Saturday, three people were seen wearing T-shirts and handing out leaflets for Golden Dawn. They were quickly identified and removed by security officers. read more
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram Sometimes the only people that know what a carer is going through is another carer facing the same burdens, the same challenges. In Australia’s multicultural community, often people with disability or those caring for them have an added burden, as they are battling language and culture barriers. With ADEC Greek Carers Group proposed to take off this October in Melbourne’s western suburb of Werribee, in the City of Wyndham, carers of Greek background will have the opportunity to share their experiences and support, and learn from one another in a group setting.A not-for-profit organisation, ADEC (Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities) strives to empower people living with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD), their carers and families to fully participate as members of the Victorian community, and to ensure that service systems are inclusive and responsive to their needs. And Effie Meehan knows best the importance of assistance for people with disability and their carers within ethnic communities, the need of which inspired her to found ADEC in the early 1980s.Greek Australian Effie Meehan, one of ADEC’s most prominent ambassadors and facilitator of Greek groups, told Neos Kosmos the proposal for the Greek Carers Group in the western suburbs comes after a successful 10 year running of a first of its kind group in Preston. With support from the City of Wyndham council that will provide the location, the Werribee group is expected to take off in late October.“There is a need for these groups in Werribee, with its large Greek – and Italian – community. “Our group in Preston arose from six and ten members, to 18-30 carers that attend the sessions now. We go out once a month, another month we have sessions that always feature a guest speaker, and the carers love it. They are looking forward every month to the next meeting of the group,” Effie told Neos Kosmos. “These groups are very important because these carers often can’t go out at all as they look after someone with disability, and also they can’t speak English. When they come to the group, they have common things and experiences to share – they talk, they laugh, they cry together. “I would like to encourage all the Greek carers from the Wyndham area to join us.”ADEC have been providing assistance to people living with a disability and their carers from CALD backgrounds for over thirty years. Some of the services they provide include advocacy, multicultural respite, group activities, EAL training and transcultural mental health assistance. The goal of ADEC’s Transcultural Mental Health Access Program is to improve access to mental health services for people from CALD backgrounds. The information session date for the Greek Carers Group in Wyndham will be held on Wednesday 22 October, from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm, at the Civic Centre, 45 Princes Highway, Werribee.Detailed information about the work that ADEC undertakes can be found at www.adec.org.auFor more information about Greek Carers Groups contact ADEC on 03 9480 1666 or info@adec.org.au read more
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram An interesting lecture about Australia’s British Greeks will be presented by Andonis Piperoglou, on Thursday 14 July, at the Greek Centre, as a part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars, offered for sixth consecutive year by the Greek Community of Melbourne.The history of Greek settlement in Australia is long and rich. It is a trans-imperial and transnational history that has attracted multi-disciplinary interest and approaches, including greater incorporation within the Australian meta-narrative. However, the formative beginnings of a Greek-Australian presence has often been framed within a fragmented historical context, often limited to narratives of assimilation and contribution. By tracing moments when early Greek community-leaders interested with the colonial, racialized and labour based politics of Australian nation-building this presentation aims to demonstrate that the formation of an early Greek-Australian consciousness often worked in tandem with the shifting contours of Australian nationhood. Through a close reading of public articulations made by the Greek Orthodox Priest Sepherim Phocas (1839-1917), and the foundational President of the Hellenic Association of Queensland Christy Freeleagus (1889-1957), this paper will gauge not only how Greek settlers were represented by these leaders but will also expose how their articulations were intrinsically linked to identifications with Britain, ‘non-white’ racial exclusion and the romantic allure of Hellenism. Such an investigation offers new light on how the making of Australia was affected by the distinctive presence of Greeks within its borders. The articulations of early Greek leaders, I will argue, was particularly significant, especially when considered within racialized economy of Australian labour. In sum, this paper elucidates how early Greeks leaders created a distinctive space for Greeks in Australia by representing themselves, and their countrymen, as indisputable inclusions into the racial cultural confines of the nation. Such an investigation hopes to enrich our historical understanding of ethnic-identity formation and its ties to the politics of race and nation-building more broadly. Andonis Piperoglou has Castellorizian and Cypriot heritage and is a doctoral candidate at La Trobe University. He lectures at the Australian Catholic University and La Trobe University teaching core-subjects which focus on the historical processes of Australian and global migration. He has successfully applied innovative ‘hands-on’ teaching methods which encourage students to critically explore the historical complexities associated with human mobility and identity formation. His thesis Greek Settlers: race, labour and the making of White Australia, 1890s – 1920s, locates the formation of an early Greek Australian identity and its multifaceted relationship to the processes of Australian race-making. Research for this project has taken him across Australia, Greece and the United States. Of particular interest to him are the intersecting transnational histories of mobility, race, and ethnic identity formation in settler societies and the global Greek diaspora more generally. His article ‘Greek or Turks, white or Asiatic: Historicising Castellorizian Racial Consciousness, 1916-1920’ will be published later this year in a special edition of the Journal of Australian Studies tilted Boat People: The Long History of Immigration. When: Thursday 14 July 2016, 7:00pm Where: Greek Centre, (Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale St, Melbourne) read more
Honouring the promise he gave to the Greek community of Victoria during a recent interview with Neos Kosmos, Premier Daniel Andrews announced exclusively to our paper on Thursday that the government will renew its funding commitment to the ‘Provide Settlement Services for People Newly Arrived from Greece’ project delivered by PRONIA, providing $420,000 for the next four years. The premier clarified that the funds will consist of $360,000 for the program and an additional one-off boost of $60,000 in the form of recognition on behalf of the government for the “excellent service PRONIA provides to the community”.“We understand the needs and that it is only the young people who had to leave Greece and settle in Australia but also those who have lived their life here, who have decided to go back to Greece and retire there, but because the things there became tough they have decided to come back. They are a busy place down there at PRONIA, a very busy place and they need the support. I told you their funding will not run out last time and I meant it,” assured the premier.Daniel Andrews grabbing the traditional koulouri on Ermou St, Athens.PRONIA’s CEO Tina Douvos-Stathopoulos expressed her gratitude to the premier and his government adding that “this announcement is an acknowledgement of the importance of the program, the significant outcomes it achieved for the clients and participants and it recognises the ongoing settlement needs of the Greek newly arrived”. George Spiliotis, Pronia’s president, thanked the government for their ongoing support and he said Pronia will ensure the needs of the Greek newly arrived are addressed and will enable them to settle into the wider community.With fresh memories of his “unforgettable crispy winter morning experience visiting the Acropolis” as Mr Andrews described his first physical encounter with the symbol of western civilisation, the premier briefed Neos Kosmos about the announcements he made while visiting Greece.The full interview – in which the premier explains in detail the scope, the timeline and the course of action about his recent announcements on strengthening Victoria’s Greek language programs and developing stronger business ties between the two countries – will be published next week. Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram read more
Twitter s’ouvre à la publicité pour gagner de l’argentÉtats-Unis – Le service de microblogging Twitter veut dégager des revenus. Pour ce faire, la start-up californienne fait une offre aux annonceurs. Créé en 2006, Twitter est l’un des sites Internet les plus visités au monde. Il revendique aujourd’hui plusieurs dizaines de millions d’utilisateurs dans le monde. Afin d’être rentable, la firme basée à San Francisco a annoncé hier qu’elle décidait d’intégrer à ses flux de microblogging des tweets publicitaires. Ces messages promotionnels, payés par des annonceurs, seront diffusés sur les blogs.Le réseau social autorise ainsi entreprises et organisations à communiquer auprès d’une vaste communauté. Chaque utilisateur pourra, de plus, faire la promotion d’une annonce qui lui plaît en la diffusant sur son blog.L’intérêt pour Twitter est évident : être rémunéré. Les annonceurs, quant à eux, n’auront pas à payer si leurs publicités ne circulent pas. Enfin, les utilisateurs auront pour leur part la possibilité de supprimer le tweet promotionnel, ou de le diffuser.Le 14 avril 2010 à 10:19 • Emmanuel Perrin read more
Greffe d’organes : une loi contre le tourisme de transplantationFrance – Une députée vient de déposer une proposition de loi visant à lutter contre le tourisme organisé dans les pays pauvres en vue d’une greffe d’organe.Cadre en milieu hospitalier, la députée UMP Valérie Boyer a déposé le 19 octobre dernier une proposition de loi qui a pour but d’endiguer le tourisme de transplantation. Si elle est adoptée, ce sera sous forme d’un amendement au projet de révision des lois de bioéthique. Le phénomène du tourisme de transplantation reste assez marginal en France, puisque seulement trois cas ont été avérés en 2009, sur quatre patients greffés à l’étranger. Au niveau mondial, selon l’Organisation mondiale de la santé, 10% des transplantations effectuées chaque année sont issues de transactions financières entre “touristes-patients” et personnes démunies, dans des pays en voie de développement. Ces pratiques concernent majoritairement des greffes de rein avec des donneurs vivants, principalement en Chine, au Pakistan et aux Philippines.Le 22 octobre 2010 à 11:33 • Emmanuel Perrin read more
Une brochure sur la bronchiolite du nourrisson pour sensibiliser les parentsL’Institut national de prévention et d’éducation pour la santé (Inpes) a édité en partenariat avec le ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Santé, une brochure explicative à destination des jeunes parents concernant la bronchiolite du nourrisson, qui touche près de 30% des enfants de moins de deux ans chaque hiver.Chaque année, au moment de l’hiver, trois enfants sur dix âgés de moins de deux ans sont diagnostiqués comme victimes d’une bronchiolite, cette infection respiratoire des petites bronches très contagieuse. Pour lutter contre la propagation de ces infections, une brochure explicative a été éditée à l’intention des parents afin que ces derniers sachent comment limiter les risques de transmission de la maladie. Il s’agit là d’un enjeu important pour l’Inpes qui explique que la bronchiolite du nourrisson peut être grave chez les enfants et notamment chez les très jeunes.Le virus de l’infection respiratoire des petites bronches se transmet généralement par des éternuements, par la toux, ou par le contact des mains avec un objet souillé. Les symptômes de la bronchiolite du nourrisson commencent par ceux du rhume avant que l’enfant ne présente des difficultés respiratoires, à boire et à manger. L’Inpes délivre comme conseil pour l’entourage d’un jeune enfant, de souvent se laver les mains, davantage avant de s’occuper du nourrisson et d’éviter les contacts avec les jeunes enfants lorsque atteint d’un rhume, ce dernier pouvant se transformer en bronchiolite chez la population cible. Si votre enfant présente des signes de bronchiolite, il est recommandé d’appeler le médecin plutôt que de se déplacer directement en cabinet afin de limiter l’épidémie.Le 16 décembre 2010 à 18:25 • Emmanuel Perrin read more
Alice relance l’ADSL à 10 eurosLe fournisseur d’accès à Internet va lancer un forfait Internet haut débit et téléphone à 9,99 euros par mois. La guerre de l’Internet continue et elle ne risque pas de s’arrêter de sitôt. Après avoir disparu du catalogue, l’offre d’Alice refait son apparition avec le même nom qu’auparavant, l’AliceBox Initial. Mais Iliad, la société maison mère d’Alice et de Free, a radicalement changé la donne par rapport à l’offre antérieure, qui proposait un accès à l’Onternet haut débit, la téléphonie vers 60 destinations et le service TV de 60 chaînes pour 19,99 euros/mois. Désormais, Internet et téléphonie vous coûteront 9,99 euros/mois. Mais ceci à certaines conditions…Cette offre n’est ainsi valable que si vous êtes en dégroupage partiel, c’est-à-dire que vous payez toujours un abonnement à France Télécom. Si vous choisissez le dégroupage total, c’est 9,99 euros mensuels qu’il vous faudra rajouter. Quant à l’option TV, elle vous reviendra à 1,99 euro/mois. Les frais d’activation et de résiliation restent les même que sur la première version, 40 euros pour l’engagement d’un an et 45 pour la résiliation de son forfait. Au final, une nouvelle offre qui ressemble à s’y méprendre à la première…Le 4 février 2011 à 12:06 • Emmanuel Perrin read more
Fukushima : un drone photographie les dégâts à la centraleLa société Air photo service a dévoilé il y a quelques jours des photos aériennes prises à l’aide d’un drone. L’aéronef a survolé la centrale nucléaire de Fukushima au Japon pour réaliser des clichés témoignant de l’ampleur des dégâts.Bien que tous les regards soient portés depuis le vendredi 11 mars sur la centrale nucléaire de Fukushima au Japon, rares sont les images qui montrent avec autant de précision l’état des réacteurs au cœur des préoccupations. Le drone envoyé par l’agence Air photo service a réalisé une série de clichés faisant état des dommages de la centrale. Murs écroulés, toits soufflés par les explosions, la situation semble réellement critique. À lire aussiSaurez-vous reconnaitre à quel objet du quotidien appartiennent ces gros plans ?Suite au violent séisme de magnitude 9 et au tsunami qui a suivi, trois des réacteurs de la centrale de Fukushima alors en opération avaient été immédiatement mis à l’arrêt et toute l’alimentation électrique de la centrale avait été coupée. Depuis, l’arrêt total des systèmes de refroidissement oblige les techniciens présents sur le site à bombarder d’eau les réacteurs afin d’éviter la fusion des combustibles.L’eau de refroidissement répandue en masse sur les réacteurs ruisselle jusqu’à l’océan Pacifique provoquant une hausse de la radioactivité dans les milieux marins proches de la centrale. Les efforts se déploient pour tenter d’empêcher la catastrophe nucléaire alors que de toutes parts s’échappent des rejets radioactifs. Goshi Hosono, conseiller spécial du Premier ministre japonais, a précisé hier qu’il faudrait “probablement plusieurs mois avant de stopper les fuites radioactives”.Visualisez les clichés pris par Air photo service sur Maxisciences en cliquant ci-dessous : https://www.maxisciences.com/catastrophe-nucl%e9aire-au-japon/la-centrale-accidentee-de-fukushima-vue-du-ciel_art13663.html Le 4 avril 2011 à 12:20 • Emmanuel Perrin read more
Grippe : le vaccin conseillé pour les femmes enceintes et les personnes obèsesSelon un rapport publié jeudi, le Haut Conseil de la santé publique (HSCP) recommande aux femmes enceintes et aux personnes obèses de se faire vacciner pour prévenir la prochaine épidémie de grippe saisonnière.Le Haut Conseil de la santé publique (HCSP) a annoncé des mesures préventives pour éviter l’épidémie de grippe qui pourrait se manifester cet hiver. Se basant sur les chiffres de l’an passé, le HCSP conseille aux personnes les plus vulnérables de se faire vacciner contre le virus, à savoir les femmes enceintes ayant franchi le seuil des trois mois de grossesse, les personnes atteintes d’obésité et comme chaque année les personnes agées. À lire aussiPaludisme : l’OMS lance un test de vaccin à grande échelle pour lutter contre la maladieSelon l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), les souches grippales pour la saison 2011-2012 sont les mêmes que celles qui composaient les vaccins de la saison dernière : la souche A/California/7/2009(H1N1), proche des vaccins grippaux pandémiques A(H1N1)2009, la souche A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2) et la souche B/Brisbane/60/2008, rapporte Romandie.com.Par ailleurs, le HCSP rappelle qu’en hiver 2010-2011, le virus A (H1N1) a provoqué plus des trois quarts des cas admis en réanimation, dont la plupart concernait des personnes obèses (20%) ou des femmes enceintes (4%). Un nombre de cas plus élevé que dans la population générale, d’où la recommandation de vaccination. Dans l’hypothèse probable de circulation de la souche A(H1N1) en 2011-2012, “on peut s’attendre à la persistance d’un nombre élevé de cas graves” a néanmoins ajouté l’HCSP.Le 29 juillet 2011 à 17:23 • Maxime Lambert read more
Un spécimen rarissime de baleineau blanc observé en AustralieJeudi, un témoin a annoncé avoir observé un spécimen rarissime de baleineau à bosse, un cétacé parfaitement blanc et âgé de seulement quelques semaines près de la Grande barrière de corail en Australie. C’est un “spectacle unique dans une vie”. Alors qu’il faisait du bateau en famille, Wayne Fewings, un habitant de Port Cid dans la région des îles Whitsunday en Australie a eu la chance d’apercevoir un spécimen particulièrement rare de créature marine : un baleineau d’un blanc immaculé. Il raconte : “On dérivait doucement en observant un banc de baleines, quand j’ai vu que la plus petite était blanche. Je n’en croyais pas mes yeux et j’ai attrapé mon appareil photo. Le baleineau s’est ensuite approché du bateau, comme s’il voulait nous regarder. J’étais stupéfait.”À lire aussiRoi de l’imitation, cet oiseau-lyre peut reproduire le son d’un pistolet-laserD’après la photo prise, le cétacé appartient à l’espèce des baleines à bosses et est âgé de seulement quelques semaines. Mais les baleines blanches sont très rares et les spécialistes estiment leur nombre entre 10 et 15 sur une population totale qui compte entre 10 et 15.000 baleines à bosses vivant le long de la côte est de l’Australie, a précisé Mark Read, du parc national de la Grande barrière. Les spécimens entièrement blancs comme ce jeune baleineau sont même encore plus rares. D’après ce spécialiste, cette blancheur immaculée pourrait provenir d’un gène récessif de la peau blanche présent chez les deux parents de couleur sombre. Ou bien, l’un des parents pourrait tout aussi bien être blanc comme son petit. La plus célèbre des baleines blanches observées en Australie s’appelle Migaloo (“visage pâle” en aborigène) et a été vue pour la première fois en 1991. Le 29 septembre 2011 à 12:23 • Maxime Lambert read more
Tanzanie : les flamants nains menacés par un projet d’usineDans le nord de la Tanzanie, le lac Natron est le seul lieu de nidification des flamants nains d’Afrique de l’Est. Mais un projet d’usine à carbonate de soude menace la sauvegarde de l’espèce qui ne se reproduit que tous les cinq à six ans.Les flamants nains d’Afrique de l’Est viennent par dizaines de milliers faire leur nid au milieu du lac Natron, situé au pied du Doinyo Lengai au nord de la Tanzanie. Cette montagne, sacrée pour les Massaï, est l’unique volcan actif du monde à émettre de la carbonatite, une lave riche en carbonate de sodium. Des rejets qui confèrent aux eaux du lac sa causticité, et tient les prédateurs des flamants à distance de leurs nids.À lire aussiCes 18 animaux méconnus à l’aspect étonnant pourraient disparaître avant vousCe lac est le seul lieu de nidification des volatiles d’Afrique de l’Est. D’après la Société britannique de protection des oiseaux (RSPB), qui sur son site Internet révèle la menace qui pèse sur les l’espèce, la région abrite les trois quarts des flamants nains du monde. Mais le président tanzanien, Jakaya Kikwete, projette de construire une usine qui assure-t-il, fera de la Tanzanie le plus grand producteur de carbonate de sodium au monde.Face à la colère des écologistes, le gouvernement a consenti à éloigner l’usine, pour l’édifier à quelques dizaines de kilomètres du lac. Mais cela ne suffira pas, affirme la RSPB. “Le chantier et les infrastructures associées entraîneront le déplacement et la dispersion des 500.000 couples de flamants nains qui nichent au lac Natron. Il suffit de très peu de perturbations pour pousser une colonie entière à abandonner ses nids”, alerte l’association. En outre, indique la RSPB, la nouvelle route que le gouvernement prévoit de construire à travers le célèbre parc Serenegeti “aura un énorme impact sur la biodiversité de la réserve, et passera près du Lac Natron, constituant une pression supplémentaire sur les flamants roses”.Les conséquences pourraient être d’autant plus dramatiques pour l’espèce que les flamants nains, qui peuvent vivre jusqu’à quarante ans, ne se reproduisent que tous les cinq à six ans, alerte l’association.Le 22 octobre 2011 à 12:01 • Maxime Lambert read more