Heres What Happened Today Monday
10,259 Views A drunk driver jailed for the death of a four-year-old boy has had 18 months cut from his jail term following an appeal.A new report commissioned by Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan for an EU grouping takes aim at both RTÉ and billionaire media mogul Denis O’Brien.Ashers Bakery has lost an appeal to a ruling which found they were guilty of discrimination for not making a wedding cake that supported gay marriage.A former garda, whose patrol car was rammed by a lorry in 2000, was awarded €75,000 damages in the High Court today.A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport this afternoon.Two men have died in separate crashes in Leinster.Anthony Foley’s 11-year-old son has launched a Facebook site asking fans of his father to attend mass.Dunnes Stores has jumped ahead of Tesco to take the position of Ireland’s second-largest.INTERNATIONAL Source: PA Wire/PA Images#CALAIS: More than 2,000 people have been relocated to locations around France from the so-called Jungle migrant camp in Calais.#RIP: British singer Pete Burns has died.#MALTA: A plane crashed near the runway at Malta International Airport, killing all five people onboard.INNOVATIONThese webcams are being recalled after last week’s massive web outage. [TechRadar]This company is turning news into video games. [BusinessInsider]PARTING SHOTDublin Fire Brigade has tweeted out footage of the severe flooding experienced in Dublin five years ago this evening.It says it received over 900 calls for assistance throughout the night.5 yrs ago this evening Dublin suffered severe flooding. “A watch” received over 900 calls for assistance throughout the night #Dublin #fire pic.twitter.com/o9bWzmLPyv— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) October 24, 2016 NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of today’s news.IRELAND Launch of a report on the concentration of media ownership in Ireland Source: Leah Farrell via RollingNews.ie https://jrnl.ie/3044414 Get our daily news round up: No Comments Oct 24th 2016, 9:04 PM By Cliodhna Russell Share Tweet Email Monday 24 Oct 2016, 9:04 PM Short URL Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article Here’s What Happened Today: Monday Singer Pete Burns has died, more than 2,000 people relocated from Calais and emergency landing at Shannon – it’s the Evening Fix. 
29 Comments Share Tweet Email1 There is extreme concern about plurality in the media in the event that the merger proceeds.The Irish Times reports today that the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has specifically called for businessman Denis O’Brien to appear before the committee.The proposed acquisition by INM has been referred for further assessment to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).The Taoiseach told the Dáil that once a proposed media merger receives clearance from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission on competition grounds, it has to be notified to the minister for communications to assess the proposed merger on media plurality grounds.After examining the proposed merger, the minister can decide to send the case to the BAI to provide him with a report detailing its recommendations on the matter.Media plurality “The Taoiseach should not pretend this will be an even-handed discrepancy or that the media depends on good journalism. That is not the case because editorial control is everything. This is an issue of national interest and the Taoiseach should be concerned about it,” said Smith.“I am concerned,” said the Taoiseach, but he said there is a process under way. Submissions to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland must be made within the next two weeks.“I don’t want to pre-empt what the recommendations or the view or the analysis of the BAI are,” he said.Smith confirmed to TheJournal.ie that members of the NUJ, INM and Celtic Media have been invited to a meeting of the committee next Tuesday.Read: Ross urges unions and Bus Éireann to start negotiations with “a blank sheet of paper”>Noonan: Chance of Nama recovering €74bn from bad loans ‘was lost in the crisis’> Businessman Denis O’Brien. Image: RollingNews.ie 10,736 Views Feb 1st 2017, 6:54 PM Businessman Denis O’Brien. Short URL Wednesday 1 Feb 2017, 6:54 PM Image: RollingNews.ie By Christina Finn TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has said he is “concerned” about the media merger between Independent News and Media (INM) and publishing company Celtic Media.INM – which owns the Irish Independent, the Sunday Independent, the Herald and a number of regional titles – will gain ownership of a number of other regional newspapers if the acquisition goes ahead.The Celtic Media group is made up of seven regional titles, including the Connaught Telegraph, the Meath Chronicle and the Anglo-Celt.The takeover was approved by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) in November.Denis O’Brien is the major shareholder in INM and is also the owner of Communicorp which has multiple Irish radio stations, including Newstalk and Today FM.Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, the Taoiseach said the proposal from INM to buy Celtic Media “is a matter of concern”.Enda Kenny told the chamber that the process of examining the merger is underway.Calling for further investigation, AAA-PBP TD Bríd Smith said:“This issue needs public scrutiny as otherwise we will hurtle towards a dictatorship in the media.“The joint committee [on Communications, Climate Action and Environment] will send an invitation to Denis O’Brien’s news and media company to see if it will appear at the hearing.There must be proper public scrutiny of what is taking place… in terms of media ownership, the country will be almost entirely owned by Denis O’Brien and his consortium, Independent News and Media, if the merger goes ahead. Enda Kenny says he’s concerned about INM major media merger Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he is concerned about the INM and Celtic Media merger. http://jrnl.ie/3217087 Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article
Boutique shopping in Dublin in the 1960s Source: Four Courts PressIN THE AFTERMATH of The Emergency, neutral Ireland’s experience of World War II, the country experienced a couple of decades’ worth of intense change, no more than the rest of the world.The 1950s and (particularly) the 1960s saw Ireland dragged kicking and screaming into a new, modern era.How the capital evolved in those 20 years is explored, in text and evocative images, in ‘Dublin in the 1950s and 1960s: Cars, Shops and Suburbs’ by UCD geographer and Associate Professor Joe Brady, the latest volume in the Making of Dublin City series. Traffic gridlock on Grafton Street Source: Four Courts Press Source: Four Courts Press Source: Four Courts PressThe evolution of the city has been an interest of Brady’s all his academic life. A native of Fairview on the city’s northside he says: “any good geographer is always interested in the landscape around them.”“The new book looks at what things were like in Dublin in two very contrasting decades,” he says. Sandymount Strand Source: Four Courts Press“The 50s were quite gloomy, but not for everybody. It’s true there was probably a lot of dull and fairly dark things happening in Ireland in the 50s, but for others life went on.”The book is just an attempt to get a flavour for what the city was like.In Brady’s own words, he does so by looking at the bigger picture, and smaller, more personal vignettes, “like the Bowl of Light on O’Connell Bridge”, which was placed there in 1953. The Bowl was the centrepiece of An Tóstal, an annual festival that ran throughout the 1950s. “The row over it went on for nearly 10 years,” laughs Brady. “The population was horrified when they saw it – this bowl with its rotating flames.”So you have a Trinity student who grabs the plastic flames and throws them into the Liffey, and then you have a whole load of cartoons of the Liffey flinging them back! The Bowl of Light was the centrepiece of the “An Tóstal” on O’Connell Bridge in 1953 @LouiseClissold #Dublin pic.twitter.com/vFYH59ROH0— Old DublinTown. com (@OldDublinTown) September 1, 2013 By Cianan Brennan Saturday 18 Mar 2017, 8:50 AM Bigger pictureBut the book also looks at how Dublin came to evolve into its current guise – that means infrastructure, retail therapy, and house-ownership.“The only real difference in the 1950s from the previous era was that car-ownership was on the increase,” says Brady. “And the growth in cars couldn’t be totally accommodated, but you could do so to a certain degree.” O’Donovan Rossa Bridge, with Christchurch in the background Source: Four Courts Press Merrion Square Park Source: Four Courts Press Traffic leading onto O’Connell Street Source: Four Courts PressThis leads to the 40 years of planning that went on up until a decade ago. The idea back then was to build urban motorways that cut right through the city. Fortunately, in the 1950s the money just wasn’t there.This saw Dublin engaging in much “soul-searching” as to what kind of city would be needed by a car-owning population.The other big movement in society, says Brady, was Dublin people’s discovery of the joys of suburban life, and the changing of the relationship between citizens and their city centre. Source: Four Courts Press Tallaght, 1960s Source: Four Courts Press“This is all a product of the 1960s,” he says. “The car is opening out areas that couldn’t previously be used. With that comes new methods of shopping, and suddenly you have alternatives to the city centre.”In the 40s there was only one Dublin city centre. Now there are many focuses for retail sales. So you’ve got shopping centres opening in Stillorgan and Cornelscourt in the late 1960s.So how would he describe the two decades he’s been scrutinising?“The 50s is slow and steady, the 60s is fast and energetic.”In the 60s people were starting to see a bit of money in their pocket. Everyone had rented before but now people are starting to think about owning their own home. They’re thinking about the car and the television, even foreign holidays. http://jrnl.ie/3293405 27,021 Views Mar 18th 2017, 8:50 AM 
31 Comments Pictures: A new book explores how the 1950s and 1960s shaped the Dublin we know today 1950s saw the mass-introduction of cars in Dublin. The 1960s saw a people’s way of life change at a rate of knots. The GPO on O’Connell Street, prior to the fall of Nelson’s Pillar in 1966 Source: Four Courts Press“Not everyone was of course. But it was the people who changed things.”‘Dublin in the 1950s and 1960s: Cars, Shops and Suburbs’ is available now hereRead: Picture this: Looking back at Dublin’s old St Patrick’s Day ParadesRead: ‘This is Ireland’: Beautiful one-stop website really sells the country to the world Share Tweet Email9 Short URL Source: Old DublinTown. com/Twitter Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article
Mar 18th 2017, 1:22 PM Osborne’s journalism career: –Didn’t get hired by The Times graduate trainee scheme–Bit of freelance work–Becomes Evening Standard editor— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) March 17, 2017 41 Comments Short URL Saturday 18 Mar 2017, 1:22 PM Some on social media mockingly questioned Osborne’s qualifications for the job, announcing their candidacies for unlikely posts.Before entering politics, Osborne briefly did some freelance work for The Daily Telegraph, in 1993.The Standard, Britain’s biggest-circulation evening newspaper, is typically available at transport stops in London for commuters heading home.The paper stopped charging a cover price in 2009, shortly after Lebedev and his Russian businessman father, Alexander, took it over.© – AFP 2017Read: Brexit vote would mean border checks and a “shock” to the North’s economy – Osborne >Read: George Osborne refuses to apologise as he is forced to reverse disability welfare cuts > https://jrnl.ie/3294415 Source: Jim Waterson/Twitter Frankly @George_Osborne will provide more effective opposition to the Government than the current Labour Party— Evgeny Lebedev (@mrevgenylebedev) March 18, 2017 15,378 Views Source: Evgeny Lebedev/Twitter Osborne will remain the member of parliament for Tatton in northwest England.He will edit the paper an average of four days out of five, working at the newspaper in the morning and in parliament in the afternoon once it has gone to print.Last week it was also announced he had secured a post as a global economy adviser for US asset management giant BlackRock worth €750,000 a year.A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour party, said Osborne’s newest appointment made a “mockery” of media independence.It was “yet another example of the establishment revolving door, a closely knit clique who are holding back the British people”, he said. Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article Share Tweet Email By AFP A Tory finance minister has been named as the editor of one the UK’s biggest newspapers George Osborne is still an MP and also has a €750,000-a-year job with a wealth management company. FORMER UK FINANCE minister George Osborne has been appointed as the surprise new editor of The London Evening Standard newspaper.Osborne, 45, said he was “thrilled” to take on the job and wanted to make the daily “the definitive voice of the world’s most exciting city”.Osborne, a conservative lawmaker, was the chancellor of the Exchequer in prime minister David Cameron’s 2010-2016 government, dealing with the aftermath of the global financial crisis.He was a prominent Remain campaigner in last year’s referendum on Britain’s membership in the European Union.About 60% of the eligible voters in London wanted Britain to remain in the EU, but the UK as a whole voted for Brexit.“We will judge what the government, London’s politicians and the political parties do against this simple test: Is it good for our readers and good for London? If it is, we’ll support them; if it isn’t we’ll be quick to say so,” Osborne said.Osborne reportedly never saw eye to eye with Theresa May, and when she became prime minister in July after Cameron resigned in the wake of Brexit, she replaced him with Philip Hammond as finance minister.Social media mockery The Standard has the fourth-largest circulation of any British daily newspaper, at nearly 900,000 copies.The freesheet’s Russian owner Evgeny Lebedev said Osborne was someone of “huge political achievement, and economic and cultural authority”.His “political viewpoint — socially liberal and economically pragmatic — closely matches that of many of our readers,” Lebedev said.
‘Ramadan is about so much more than refraining from food and drink’ Ramadan is that one month where you can easily focus on your spirituality in a busy world, writes Hajar Akl. Hajar Akl 211 Comments By Hajar Akl http://jrnl.ie/3433792 Student Short URL Saturday 10 Jun 2017, 7:30 PM 3,315 Views MUSLIMS FAST FOR a month during the month of Ramadan – the ninth month in the Islamic calendar – which means not eating or drinking anything from before sunrise until sunset.To those who do not fast during Ramadan, you might think it’s just about refraining from food and drink, but Ramadan is so much more than that.It took me a while to understand the true meaning of Ramadan and what it symbolises, but once I did, I felt a unique sense of empowerment, one that only fasting can give.A feeling of nostalgiaWhen Ramadan is just around the corner, there’s always a lingering feeling of nostalgia in the air. Everyone is reminiscing about the feelings that Ramadan brings with it. It’s a beautiful time because it is a chance to start afresh, and to focus solely on repairing your relationship with God.Arriving only once a year, it’s an opportunity that needs to be made good use of and being given that opportunity is a huge blessing, even though we might not appreciate the enormity of it.The realisation of how Ramadan is empowering hit when I understood what refraining from food and drink actually means. Eating and drinking are physical needs that we as humans desire. But for a whole month, to be able to control your physical needs, means that you can control and discipline yourself if you put your mind to it.It’s empowering because you realise that these desires do not drive you, you are the one who holds the reigns.You can focus on your spiritualityFor the rest of the year, we’re all too busy prioritising work, school, relationships or whatever. It feels like materialistic, worldly achievements take centre stage while our spiritual lives are put on the back burner. And believe me, before you know it, you will exhaust your soul.Ramadan is that one month where you can easily dedicate more time to focus on your spirituality. With Taraweeh (nightly prayers that take place during Ramadan) happening every night, and food, drink and other physical needs out of the picture, you find yourself with a lot more time to read the Quran, pray and work on your relationship with God.Ramadan to me is more than giving up food and water from sunrise to sunset, it’s a time to heal the intricate workings of your soul, the corners you have left untouched and neglected. Ramadan is a time to recharge and to give yourself a boost to strengthen you for what is to come.And Ramadan is also about family, friends and neighbours. Thinking of Ramadan brings back fond memories of sharing meals with family and friends, of the kindness of strangers, of people standing on the streets at Maghreb (prayer at sunset) time, giving out bags of free food and drinks to cars passing by.Subtle festivity in the atmosphereThere is something about Ramadan that makes people kinder and more generous. There’s a subtle festivity in the Ramadan atmosphere. Every evening you’re gathered around with family for Iftar (the meal when you break your fast) and every night, you’re meeting your friends in the mosque for Taraweeh. You only find such a familial atmosphere in Ramadan, which is part of the reason why we look forward to it so much.So not only does Ramadan help in giving you time to focus on healing the broken crevices of your heart, it’s also a time to reunite with friends and family, to pick up the phone and call family members who you haven’t spoken to in a long time. It has been a long-standing tradition in my family to call my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all over the world to wish them a blessed Ramadan. Ramadan helps in strengthening family bonds, and reaching out to those who you have not been in contact with for a while.And finally, Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss academic, philosopher, writer and professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies in the University of Oxford, summed up fasting perfectly:The philosophy of fasting calls upon us to know ourselves, to master ourselves, and to discipline ourselves the better to free ourselves. To fast is to identify our dependencies, and free ourselves from them.Hajar Akl is a journalism student in DIT who’s lived in five different cities growing up, which has helped her develop a curiosity about the world and its inhabitants. From there, stems a passion for journalism, investigation, photography and all aspects of storytelling. She speaks both Arabic and English, and currently lives in Dublin. Opinion: ‘We still don’t have crucial parental rights for same-sex married couples’>Andréa Farrell: ‘There is such a social taboo in admitting to bowel troubles’> Share Tweet Email3 Jun 10th 2017, 7:30 PM Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article
A slightly strange atmosphere at #pmqs as neither May or Corbyn can effectively attack the other over resignations as both parties have experienced them— Sophy Ridge (@SophyRidgeSky) February 20, 2019 20,470 Views Of course, the UK’s membership of the EU has been a source of disagreement both in our party and our country for a long time. Ending that membership after four decades was never going to be easy.“But by delivering on our manifesto commitment and implementing the decision of the British people we are doing the right thing for our country. And in doing so, we can move forward together towards a brighter future.”Earlier today, Joan Ryan became the eighth former Labour MP to leave the party to join The Independent Group. In a Times/YouGov poll, weighted by likelihood to vote, 38% said they would vote for the Tory party, 26% said that they would vote for Labour, and The Independent Group has already gathered 14%.As politicians took their seats in the House of Commons at noon today for Prime Minister’s Questions, the former Tory MPs sat beside DUP MP Ian Paisley Junior.Responding to questions, May responded to Jeremy Corbyn’s request to rule out a no-deal Brexit by saying there were two ways of doing that: to agree to a Brexit deal or to remain in the European Union. 61 Comments Share75 Tweet Email Feb 20th 2019, 11:21 AM Updated Feb 20th 2019, 11:56 AM THREE CONSERVATIVE MPS have quit Theresa May’s party to join the newly formed Independent Group. Heidi Allen, Sarah Wollaston and Anna Soubry have confirmed their departure from Theresa May’s party this morning, dealing a serious blow to the Prime Minister.The Independent Group was formed by seven breakaway Labour politicians on Monday, who had said they would try to tempt Conservatives to the new parliamentary grouping. Confirming her decision this morning, Soubry said that her party had “shifted to the right”.“We no longer feel we can remain in the party of a government whose policies and priorities are so firmly in the grip of the ERG and DUP,” Soubry said in a letter to May. By Rónán Duffy Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article Source: Sophy Ridge/Twitter Short URL Anna Soubry MP outside Westminster. Image: Yui Mok/PA Images
As the clock ticks down, get all the best Brexit news and analysis in your inbox: Source: Anna Soubry MP/Twitter Soubry wrote the MPs intedend to continue to support the government on some matters.“We intend to sit as independents alongside The Independent Group of MPs in the centre ground of British politics. There will be times when we will support the government, for example, on measures to strengthen our economy, security and improve our public services,” she said. Responding to the departing MPs in a series of tweets, May expressed disappointment at their decision.“I am saddened by this decision – these are people who have given dedicated service to our party over many years, and I thank them for it,” May said. https://jrnl.ie/4503269 Three Tories quit party to join breakaway ex-Labour MPs in Independent Group Anna Soubry said her party had “shifted to the right”. She also added that Honda’s decision to move its Swindon factory to Japan wasn’t related to Brexit, but due to changes to the car manufacturing industry, which prompted jeers and shouts from MPs. It is with a heavy heart I have today resigned from the Conservative Party. pic.twitter.com/wzPUB84w5Z— Anna Soubry MP (@Anna_Soubry) February 20, 2019 Anna Soubry MP outside Westminster. Image: Yui Mok/PA Images Wednesday 20 Feb 2019, 11:56 AM
One of the devices. Police investigating claim group calling itself the ‘IRA’ behind parcel bombs Police said that a claim for responsibility had been received yesterday by a media outlet in Northern Ireland. Tuesday 12 Mar 2019, 10:50 AM Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article https://jrnl.ie/4536358 One of the devices. Image: London Met Police 13,141 Views Image: London Met Police Mar 12th 2019, 10:50 AM Short URL By Cormac Fitzgerald POLICE IN LONDON have said that they are investigating the claims that a group calling itself the “IRA” is responsible for sending a number of parcel bombs to buildings in the city and in Glasgow last week.Met police last week launched a terrorism investigation after three small explosive devices were reported at three public transport locations in London on Tuesday afternoon. The packages – all A4-sized white postal bags containing yellow Jiffy bags – were assessed by specialist officers and found to be small improvised explosive devices.The following day a package was received at the University of Glasgow. The package was not opened and no one was injured.Police said that a claim for responsibility had been received yesterday by a media outlet in Northern Ireland using a recognised code word. The claim was allegedly made on behalf of the ‘IRA’, police said. They also said that the group claiming responsibility had indicated that five devices had been sent, but that to date only four packages had been recovered. As the packages resembled devices sent in the past that were linked to dissident groups associated with Northern Ireland, police said they were already following this line of enquiry. They said they were continuing to keep an open mind and that enquiries were continuing. “Extensive advice has already been issued to relevant businesses and sectors to be vigilant for and report suspicious packages to police,” police said in a statement. “This advice was previously sent to armed forces personnel and is being reiterated again in light of this claim. We continue to urge the public to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to police.People in England can report suspicious activity by calling the confidential phone line 0800 789 321 or filling in a secure form at www.gov.uk/act. In case of an emergency, people can call 999. The incident At around 9:55 am on Tuesday last week police received a report of a suspicious package at The Compass Centre, Nelson Road, Hounslow, which is a building near Heathrow Airport.The package was opened by staff at the building, causing the device to initiate. This resulted in part of the package burning. No one was injured and the building was evacuated as a precaution. At around 11.40 am the British Transport Police were called to reports of a suspicious package in the post room at Waterloo Station. The package was not opened and specialist officers attended and made the device safe.At 12.10 pm the Met Police were called to a report of a suspicious package at offices at London City Aviation House in Newham.The package was not opened and no one was injured, but the building was evacuated as a precaution. Met Police issued advice to transport hubs across London to be vigilant for and report suspicious packages to police.The following day, a suspicious package was received at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. The emergency services were alerted and several buildings were evacuated as a precaution. Specialist officers then carried out a controlled explosion of the device. 27 Comments Share101 Tweet Email1 
Irish data watchdog launches probe into Facebook password storage as millions left exposed Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner is Facebook’s lead regulator in the European Union. https://jrnl.ie/4607405 Image: Niall Carson Share Tweet Email3 Apr 25th 2019, 9:24 PM 12,416 Views By Ceimin Burke Thursday 25 Apr 2019, 9:24 PM
We have this week commenced a statutory inquiry in relation to this issue to determine whether Facebook has complied with its obligations under relevant provisions of the GDPR. Earlier this year the DPC said it is conducting seven statutory inquiries into Facebook and three-more into Whatsapp and Instagram. It said it expects to wrap up the first of these probes in the summer and the rest by the end of the year.A firm found to have broken EU data processing and handling rules can be fined up to 4% of their global revenue from the prior financial year. Image: Niall Carson IRELAND’S DATA PROTECTION Commissioner has launched a statutory inquiry into Facebook’s password storage after the social media giant revealed that it stored millions of accounts’ passwords in plain text on its internal servers.In March Facebook announced in a blog post that a routine security review carried out in January found the passwords were being stored in a readable format on its data storage systems.It said it would be contacting “hundreds of millions” of users to make them aware that their password was involved in the glitch. Last week the company updated the post to say that it now estimates that the issue has also impacted “millions” of Instagram users.A Facebook source told cyber security blog KrebsOnSecurity that more than 20,000 Facebook employees had access to the passwords.Today the DPC announced it would be investigating whether Facebook broke EU data rules by storing users’ passwords in this manner.As Ireland hosts Facebook’s European headquarters, under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation’s (GDPR) the DPC is Facebook’s lead regulator in Europe. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg outside Government Buildings on his way to meet members of the Oireachtas Communications Committee in Dublin. Source: Sam Boal“The Data Protection Commission was notified by Facebook that it had discovered that hundreds of millions of user passwords, relating to users of Facebook, Facebook Lite and Instagram, were stored by Facebook in plain text format in its internal servers,” it said in a statement. Short URL 15 Comments Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram Neos Kosmos celebrated its 54th birthday last Sunday. The ethnic newspaper first published its four-page edition in 1957 and has subsequently grown from strength-to-strength. Today, Neos Kosmos is one of the longest serving Greek newspapers in Australia, and is the largest ethnic newspaper in Australia. Both Greece and Australia, the community and the world has changed dramatically in the past 50-plus years and Neos Kosmos has had to adapt and change too in order to survive. And while other media publications are falling by the wayside due to the rise of the internet, Neos Kosmos has tackled online global immediacy head on by giving readers up-to-date and topical news through high quality and objective journalism. It also provides readers with information on issues facing the Greek-Australian community. The English edition began as a supplement to the Greek Neos Kosmos over 25 years ago. Moving with the times, Neos Kosmos has invested significantly in the English edition, which now comes out as a stand alone paper with a Greek language supplement every Saturday. The Saturday edition will be officially launched on Wednesday 23 February by the Premier of Victoria at the Arts Centre in Melbourne. Paul Capsis will be performing at the event, as will Ross Wilson.The ethnic publication also has a strong online presence, seeing the news of Neos Kosmos read everywhere in the world, from Melbourne, Athens, New York, Mumbai, Beijing and Barcelona. The newspaper had a double birthday celebration last week with the 80th birthday of one of the founders and publishers of Neos Kosmos, Takis Gogos. Takis Gogos, who was born in Chios on February 13, 1931, arrived in Australia on January 1, 1950. He was active in the Greek-Australian community as the secretary of the Pan-Hellenic association Orpheus, which developed cultural events and services in support of newly settled Greek immigrants. He also played an active role in the executive committee of the Greek Orthodox community of Melbourne, Victoria. He was also involved in the committee, Bring Democracy to Greece, which worked hard to democratise Greece. His work also led to the establishment of a Modern Greek Department at the University of Melbourne. He is also a founding member of the Antipodes Festival, of which Neos Kosmos was and is still the principal supporter. His greatest success was working with Nondas Pezaro and Christos Mouriki in establishing Neos Kosmos in 1957. From the humble beginnings of a small four-page newspapers, Neos Kosmos now has tens of thousands of Greek Australian readers across all the generations. Christopher Gogos, Taki’s son, is now the Managing Director and Neos Kosmos is in safe hands, remaining at the forefront of ethnic publications in Australia.
MP Anthony Albanese is in Cyprus this week to discuss transport, infrastructure and joint business opportunities. The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport is hoping to strengthen bilateral relations and is his second trip to Cyprus. On the agenda, Mr Albanese told Neos Kosmos that he will “talk with his Cypriot counterpart about the opportunities both countries can collaborate on, like the protection of ocean environments and maritime safety”. The Minister is a long term supporter and advocate of justice for Cyprus and continues to attend commemoration services in his electorate. His visit follows the then Foreign Minister’s Steven Smith visit in 2008. On the agenda will be a meeting with the Cypriot Minister for Communications and Works, Efthemios Flourentzou. He will also call on President Demetris Christofias, Foreign Minister Dr Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis and Head of AKEL (Progressive Workers Party) Andros Kyprianou during his visit. In a statement Mr Albanese said “Australia and Cyprus share a close and longstanding relationship that is underpinned by strong people-to-people links and joint membership of the Commonwealth”. Australia is the second largest Cypriot community with over 80,000 migrants living in the country. He arrives in Cyprus on Friday 27 July. Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram The new and improved Council of Greeks Abroad appears to be taking form. A proposed bill for the for its institution has now been made available for public comment by all Greeks living abroad, on the website of the aptly named Ministry for Administrative Reform and Electronic Governance, at www.opengov.gr. Interested parties have until 31 January 2012 to comment on the proposed legislation that will in effect, re-institute the Council. Deputy Foreign Minister Kostas Tsiaras commented: “We have managed to submit the proposed legislation to the General Secretariat on time. We are optimistic that its implementation will be the catalyst for the creation of a more substantial relationship between the motherland, Greece and world-wide Hellenism.” The announcement has met with mixed reaction and scepticism both among former delegates to the Council of Greeks Abroad in Australia, and the broader community. One such delegate, who did not wish to be named, stated: “It took so long to come up with a bill comprising twenty articles that are extremely brief and broad in focus. For example, according to article one, the aim of SAE is to be an “expression of the strength of world-wide Hellenism.” That could mean anything.” Another former delegate pointed to the fact that while the proposed legislation sets out broad aims and a structure for the organisation, it does not provide any mechanisms for achieving such stated aims as the promotion of the Greek language. “We all agree on what we want to do,” she stated, “but it appears from the draft bill that we still haven’t been able to work out how to achieve these aims. It feels as if we are going around in circles.” In some community circles the new proposed legislation was welcomed as it allows for all registered Greek organisations to take part in the Council, as opposed to the old Council which was mainly comprised of Federations of regional organisations. Others expressed concerns that given the multiplicity of organisations that exist in Australia, this could have the effect of making the institution unwieldy or even less representative than before. Some expressed the concern that the new legislation does not solve pre-existing problems and merely perpetuates them, stating that since any registered organisation may be a member of the Council, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, which did not take part in the previous Council owing to its objection to the inclusion of schismatic communities within it, will most likely be compelled to remain outside the Council once more as its concerns have not been addressed. The issue of representation seems to be the key concern. “On the one hand, the Greek government has failed to understand one important home truth,” one member of the community stated. “Most Greeks in Australia no longer belong to or are represented by community organisations, which are mostly defunct anyway. Effectively, the majority of Greeks are denied representation on this new Council. On the other hand, I note that membership of the Council is obtained by application but we are not told what the criteria for approval are. In effect, the Greek government itself may arbitrarily determine membership, just as they did in the previous Council. So what is the difference?” It is not known at this stage whether the draft bill will, upon its passage in Greek Parliament, be accompanied by auxiliary regulations that will give effect to its provisions.
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram McKean Park Lawyers have a long history, dating back to 1863 when James McKean started his first practice on Collins Street in Melbourne. Endeavouring to promote confidence and develop trust with their clients, their philosophy has taken them from strength to strength, boasting an expert team of lawyers.Greek Australian Maria Kourtis is a senior lawyer at the firm, and has a career spanning almost fifteen years in a wide variety of cases with a primary focus on family law.“I work closely with my clients to understand and represent the particularities of each case. Whether it is parenting or property related, each client receives comprehensive advice about their entitlements, and I take a pragmatic approach to resolve difficulties and to achieve a fair and equitable outcome as efficiently as possible,” says Ms Kourtis.Experienced in working on family trusts, inheritances, large gifts from family, self-managed superannuation funds and family businesses, she says without seeking the advice of a lawyer on such matters, many people may overlook the commercial and taxation implications of property settlement. Also an independent children’s lawyer, Ms Kourtis sits on the Executive Committee of the Family Law Section of the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) and chairs the Family Law Section of the Education Working Group for the LIV.McKean Park Lawyers, Level 11, 575 Bourke Street, Melbourne, 3000. For more information visit www.mckeanpark.com.au or call (03) 8621 2888.
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram The 41st Paniyiri Greek Festival brought South Brisbane to life last weekend with thousands of people attending the two day event.More than 50,000 festival-goers enjoyed entertainment on multiple stages and a range of stalls and devoured a record number of Greek delicacies between dancing sprees.This year’s revellers have reportedly devoured over 300,000 loukoumades, a record number even for Australia’s longest living Hellenic festival.Greeks and lovers of all things Greek also consumed 100,000 dolmades, 1.6 tonne of haloumi and one tonne of baby octopus, thousands of souvlakia and had their fare share of Greek beer, wine, ouzo, and of course frappe.It was easy to spot celebrity guests such as Home and Away’s Ada Nicodemou and co-star Penny McNamee in the happy crowd, alongside House Rules winners Luke and Cody and current contestants Aaron and Daniella. Nicodemou attended the festival for the first time and won the dance contest.“I have heard so much about the festival throughout the years, so I’m really excited to check it all out but I didn’t realise how big it was,” Nicodemou said. “It smells insane. I am really looking forward to eating the food.” Photo: Giannis KarrasThe Prime Minister also issued a statement saying that Paniyiri has a special place in the cultural life of Brisbane, paying tribute to the organisers and volunteers that have been making this event happen over the last 41 years.“As the streets come alive with the sights, sounds and tastes of Greece, it [Paniyiri] is a festival that brings the whole community together in celebration.“As much as an opportunity for Greek Australians to take great pride in their cultural heritage, it is equally a chance for the broader community to be part of the joyful spirit that makes Greek culture so vibrant, dynamic, and creative, Malcolm Turnbull added. “Paniyiri is truly something to be shared and celebrated.”This year also marked the 40th anniversary of Hellenic Dance performances at Paniyiri and to celebrate, a special showcase program took place with all funds raised going back into the community via the Greek Orthodox Community of St George.
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram Just when you may have thought the dual citizenship ‘saga’, as it is so aptly referred to, was over, Alex Hawke is the latest parliamentarian to be called into question. The Liberal MP has been accused of potentially holding Greek citizenship, given his mother was born in Greece and immigrated to Australia in the 1950s.However the Australian-born assistant immigration minister has denied he is a dual citizen, and maintains he only holds Australian citizenship.“I am an Australian citizen only and have never held or acquired or sought Greek or any other citizenship,” Mr Hawke told News Corp Australia.Meanwhile the Greek Embassy in Canberra has reportedly said that when born to a parent of Greek nationality that the child acquires Greek citizenship at birth, whether activated or not. Currently both the Liberal and Labor parties are carrying out internal audits of all MPs to ensure they do not hold dual citizenship. While the Greens will be setting up a committee for when the Senate next sits, to force senators to prove their citizenship status.
Asthme et eczéma : des remparts contre le cancer ?Québec, Canada – Les hommes ayant un historique d’asthme ou d’eczéma auraient, de façon générale, un risque moindre de cancer selon une étude réalisée par une équipe de chercheurs québécois. “L’asthme et l’eczéma sont des maladies allergiques provoquées par une hyperréactivité du système immunitaire, un état qui permettrait peut-être d’éliminer plus efficacement les cellules anormales et ainsi de réduire les risques de cancer”, explique la professeure Marie-Claude Rousseau de l’Institut national de la recherche scientifique–Institut Armand-Frappier, coauteure de l’étude. Les chercheurs ont analysé les données recueillies au cours d’une étude sur les expositions professionnelles et le cancer, menée entre août 1979 et mars 1986 auprès de 3.300 hommes âgés de 35 à 70 ans, diagnostiqués d’un cancer, et d’un groupe témoin de 512 personnes non atteintes de cancer et provenant de la population générale. Leur but : réutiliser ces statistiques pour mettre en évidence un éventuel lien entre allergie (s’exprimant par de l’asthme ou de l’eczéma) et huit types de cancers parmi les plus courants. Les résultats obtenus enrichissent les connaissances dans le domaine de la santé des populations. Bien que l’étude ne permette pas d’identifier quels facteurs spécifiques reliés à l’asthme et l’eczéma seraient responsables de la diminution du risque de cancer, elle ouvre la voie à de nouvelles pistes de recherche pour mieux comprendre les mécanismes moléculaires et immunologiques impliqués dans l’immunostimulation, qui pourrait être une stratégie prometteuse pour prévenir le cancer. Les résultats, publiés dans les Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology indiquent en effet que les hommes atteints d’eczéma ont un risque plus faible de développer un cancer du poumon, tandis qu’un historique d’asthme aurait un effet similaire contre le cancer de l’estomac.Le 3 août 2010 à 18:33 • Emmanuel Perrin
Température en baisse : prudence face au monoxyde de carboneComme beaucoup d’entre vous l’ont d’ores et déjà constaté, les températures ont fortement baissé cette semaine, poussant de plus en plus de Français à allumer leur chauffage. Ce geste doit être fait avec précaution afin d’éviter les intoxications au monoxyde de carbone.Si l’on en croit Météo France, les températures devraient désormais continuer à baisser, et cela notamment à l’approche de l’hiver. Une situation qui amène beaucoup de personnes à pousser un peu plus le chauffage afin d’augmenter la température de nos intérieurs. Pour autant, l’Institut national de prévention et d’éducation pour la santé (Inpes) ainsi que le ministère de la Santé, expliquent les dangers du chauffage, afin de prévenir les intoxications au monoxyde de carbone.Le Parisien rappelle les règles de bonne conduite en matière de chauffage. La première est de faire vérifier son installation à l’approche de l’hiver. De son côté, l’Inpes recommande à chacun, et cela même en période de grand froid, d’aérer son logement durant dix minutes chaque jour et d’entretenir les systèmes de ventilation. Très important également, il est rappelé que les chauffages d’appoint ne doivent pas être utilisés en continu, seulement lors de courtes périodes. Le monoxyde de carbone tue encore chaque année des personnes qui n’ont su faire ces gestes. Ce gaz est invisible, non irritant et inodore.Le 13 novembre 2010 à 11:42 • Emmanuel Perrin
Oise : un jeune français décède d’une méningite à méningocoquesUn adolescent de 16 ans vivant dans l’Oise est décédé dimanche dernier d’une méningite à méningocoque, une maladie qui, lorsqu’elle entraine la mort, doit obligatoirement être déclarée.L’adolescent décédé de la méningite à méningocoques travaillait en tant qu’apprenti dans une entreprise de Beauvais, explique l’AFP, et l’Agence régionale de santé a fait savoir que l’ensemble des individus ayant été en contact avec le jeune homme dans les dix jours précédant son décès doivent suivre un traitement préventif à la maladie. A ce jour, 38 personnes ont été recensées.La méningite à méningocoque ou méningococcie est plus couramment observée en Afrique subsaharienne et se transmet d’homme à homme par le partage de sécrétions respiratoires, comme lors d’un éternuement, ou d’un baiser. Cette maladie est favorisée en collectivité, explique l’Organisation mondiale de la santé, et se caractérise notamment par des sensations de raideurs dans la nuque, des vomissements, des céphalées et de la fièvre. Du fait de son importance, la maladie est étroitement observée par l’OMS et tout cas recensé doit être déclaré.Le 4 janvier 2011 à 15:33 • Emmanuel Perrin
Il y a 100.000 ans, l’homme moderne d’Afrique émigraitL’homme moderne a émigré d’Afrique il y a 100.000 ans au moins. C’est ce que viennent de découvrir des chercheurs d’une équipe internationale. C’est 40.000 ans plus tôt que ce que les précédents vestiges découverts le laissaient jusqu’alors supposer.Une équipe de recherche internationale vient de découvrir dans la Péninsule arabique des traces d’Homo sapiens. Les outils de pierre qui ont été retrouvés révèlent que son émigration depuis l’Afrique remonterait à au moins 100.000 ans, soit beaucoup plus tôt que prévu.La revue Science rapporte les travaux qui ont été réalisés. Grâce à une technique de luminescence par stimulation optique, les archéologues ont pu déterminer depuis combien de temps les objets retrouvés n’avaient pas été exposés à la lumière. Les résultats indiquent une période allant de 100.000 à 125.000 ans.Les silex taillés qui ont été retrouvés permettaient de couper, creuser, racler, etc. Les chercheurs précisent que ces outils étaient déjà utilisés et fabriqués de la même manière que ceux retrouvés en Afrique de l’est, région connue pour être le berceau de l’humanité.À lire aussiLe Kilimandjaro, un volcan dormant caché dans la plus haute montagne d’AfriqueAutre découverte d’importance, l’émigration qui a eu lieu serait survenue suite à un changement climatique. En effet l’apparition de l’Homo sapiens correspond à une période glacière, période au cours de laquelle le niveau des océans a beaucoup diminué, rappelle l’Express. A cette époque, le niveau de la Mer Rouge était de 100 mètres inférieur à son niveau actuel. Suffisamment pour que l’homme ait pu passer de l’Afrique à l’Arabie.Les scientifiques estiment que l’homme moderne aurait ensuite étendu son territoire jusqu’en Inde puis en Australie. A cette période, la Péninsule arabique, beaucoup plus fertile et verdoyante, était une zone idéale pour les Homo sapiens.Toutefois, certains archéologues restent sceptiques, estimant que les outils qui ont été retrouvés n’ont pas été réalisés avec le même procédé que ceux d’Afrique de l’est. D’autant que les chercheurs auteurs de la découverte sont les premiers à ne pas exclure la possibilité que ces outils aient été réalisés par des hommes de Néandertal ou des Homo erectus, les anciens cousins de l’homme moderne.Le 28 janvier 2011 à 12:48 • Emmanuel Perrin
Anonymous: le site du ministère de la Défense piratéLes attaques du collectif de pirates suite à la fermeture du site Megaupload continuent de plus belle. C’est aujourd’hui au tour du site du ministère de la Défense d’avoir été infiltré et mis hors service.Les Anonymous avaient promis en représailles, suite à la fermeture du site Megaupload, la première guerre mondiale du web. Même si les termes peuvent paraître exagérés, la détermination des pirates se voit renforcée de jour en jour. Après de multiples attaques durant le week-end contre des sites gouvernementaux américains ou des maisons de disque, les Anonymous ont attaqué et mis hors-ligne cette nuit le site du ministère français de la Défense.À lire aussiMaladie de Charcot : symptômes, causes, traitement, où en est on ?L’évènement aurait eu lieu peu avant 2 heures du matin, selon les premiers tweets le signalant. Des membres de l’organisation auraient revendiqué l’attaque dans la foulée. Twitter est dans cette affaire un lieu de rassemblement et d’organisation, les Anonymous ayant même créer un “hashtag”, permettant de suivre leurs actions mondiales, #opMegaupload, rappelle France Info.Pour l’heure, le site du ministère est toujours inaccessible et ce n’est pas le seul qui ait été victime d’intrusion. Le site de l’Hadopi est depuis hier également en maintenance, et celui de l’Elysée, même si la situation a été résolue, avait subie une attaque du même ordre. Le site restait accessible mais l’adresse Internet était agrémentée de messages comme “Nous sommes Anonymous, nous sommes une légion”. Facebook est lui aussi menacé d’attaque dans les prochaines 48 heures par le collectif, si Megaupload ne revient pas. Les pirates affirment même s’y être déjà introduits, sans toutefois toucher aux données personnelles. Le 23 janvier 2012 à 11:24 • Maxime Lambert
Téléphone mobile : l’Europe veut un “marché unique des services de roaming”Lors du Mobile World Congress, qui a ouvert ses portes ce lundi à Barcelone, la commissaire européenne chargée des nouvelles technologies, Neelie Kroes, a déploré les tarifs encore trop élevés pratiqués par les opérateurs à l’étranger. Appelant à une plus grande concurrence, elle a plaidé en faveur d’un “marché unique des services de roaming”.”Nous allons injecter de la concurrence dans le marché du roaming” a déclaré la commissaire européenne Neelie Kroes lors du Mobile World Congress de Barcelone. Pour elle, les tarifs pratiqués par les opérateurs européens à l’étranger demeurent trop élevés, et la concurrence trop faible. “Je sais que 40% des consommateurs de mobiles sont nerveux à l’idée d’utiliser des services de données à l’étranger, parce que, avec les prix du roaming en Union européenne qui sont encore tellement élevés, ils savent qu’ils pourraient avoir une vilaine surprise au moment d’ouvrir leur facture” a-t-elle déploré, citée par l’AFP.À lire aussiSFR Red : forfait d’entrée de gamme en baisse et débit en hausseLe roaming, ou itinérance en français, est ce surcoût appliqué par les opérateurs lorsqu’un client utilise son téléphone mobile dans un pays étranger. La facture peut très vite grimper, surtout avec les smartphones qui se connectent à Internet. Certains préfèrent alors ne pas se servir de leurs mobiles à l’étranger. Et “cela veut dire qu’ils n’en ont pas pour leur argent avec leur smartphone et qu’ils n’en ont pas non plus pour leur argent avec le marché unique”, a regretté Neelie Kroes.La commissaire européenne chargé des nouvelles technologies a déclaré espérer “parvenir à un accord politique ambitieux”, et ce dès “le mois prochain”. Cet accord devra “permettre d’assurer un marché unique vraiment compétitif en matière de roaming, avec plus de choix et des prix beaucoup plus bas pour les consommateurs” a-t-elle insisté.Le 1 mars 2012 à 09:06 • Maxime Lambert