Latest news with #Georgiadis
France 24
4 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Pro-Palestinian tourist ship protests irk Greek govt
At the crack of dawn on Thursday at the port of Piraeus outside Athens, dozens of riot police armed with truncheons, tear gas and shields sealed up a cruise terminal from hundreds of demonstrators. Their ire was directed at the "Crown Iris", a hulking Israeli tourist ship that has attracted protests at each of its stops in the country since last month. Tourism is a pillar of the Greek economy, but pro-Palestinian activists say the visitors "whitewash" Israel's devastating war in Gaza that was sparked by the unprecedented 2023 Hamas attack. According to the All Workers Militant Front (PAME), a communist-affiliated union that called the rally, the Crown Iris was carrying Israeli soldiers. "We cannot tolerate people who have contributed to the genocide of the Palestinian people moving amongst us," protester Yorgos Michailidis told AFP in Piraeus. "We want people everywhere to see that we don't only care about tourism and the money they bring," the 43-year-old teacher said. For Katerina Patrikiou, a 48-year-old hospital worker, the visitors "are not tourists -- they are the slaughterers of children and civilians in Gaza". 'Useful idiots' Greece traditionally maintained a pro-Arab foreign policy, but governments of different political stripes have in recent years woven closer ties with Israel in defence, security and energy. Athens has carefully tried to protect both relations during the war, accusing the left-wing opposition of undermining the strategic Israel alliance aimed at counterbalancing the influence of historic rival Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean. "The useful idiots for Turkey have been in our ports, where their extreme actions seriously damage Greece's image in Israel," Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis wrote on X last month. "We must protect this alliance as the apple of our eye and isolate these fools... Those who exhibit antisemitic behaviour act against Greece's interests." Before joining the ruling conservative party in 2012, Georgiadis was a prominent member of far-right party Laos, which had a history of anti-Semitic statements. When first named health minister a year later, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) had urged the government to reconsider, noting that Georgiadis had made "troubling remarks" about Jewish people and had promoted an anti-Semitic book. In 2017, he publicly apologised for having "coexisted with and tolerated the opinions of people who showed disrespect to my Jewish compatriots". Several protests each rallying hundreds of people attempted to prevent the Crown Iris from docking at Mediterranean islands including Rhodes, Crete and Syros last month, with occasional scuffles between demonstrators and police. According to The Times of Israel, the ship's owners decided to skip Syros after 200 people protested as the vessel approached. Israel's ambassador to Greece, Noam Katz, condemned an "attempt to harm the strong relations between our peoples, and to intimidate Israeli tourists" in Syros. Greece's Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis has said that anyone who "prevents a citizen of a third country from visiting our country will be prosecuted" for racism. 'Whitewash crimes' PAME accused the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of using antisemitism allegations "to whitewash the crimes of the murderer state, suppress any reaction, and any expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people". "Nobody is racist, nobody has a problem with Jewish identity... Our problem is the people who support genocide," Michailidis said at Thursday's rally. The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Gaza's Hamas rulers resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Palestinian militants also took 251 hostages that day, with 49 still held in Gaza, including 27 who the Israeli army says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable. An Israeli aid blockade has exacerbated already dire humanitarian conditions in the devastated strip and plunged its more than two million inhabitants into the risk of famine.
Euractiv
30-06-2025
- Health
- Euractiv
Greece accelerates digital health plan with new infrastructure and drug pricing reforms
Greece is advancing its digital health agenda with the rollout of a comprehensive digital health data infrastructure, part of a broader push to modernise its healthcare system. The initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health, also includes the introduction of a transitional compensation framework for high-cost, innovative medicines, expected to launch later this year. These developments were at the forefront of discussions at the 2nd SFEE Summit in Athens on June 24, 2025. Held under the theme 'Delivering Value in an Evolving Landscape,' the event brought together healthcare stakeholders to explore strategies for delivering sustainable value in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment. At the event, Greek Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis also underlined the role of the Transitional Compensation Scheme in supporting access to innovative medicines. Strategic shift Georgiadis claimed that additional measures will be taken to control pharmaceutical expenditure and to reduce the mandatory returns borne by businesses. The 'transitional compensation scheme', previously called the 'innovation fund', is expected to bridge the cost gap for cutting-edge therapies entering the healthcare system. The initiative aims to reduce the clawback burden, a contentious automatic returns mechanism, and ensure patients gain timely access to innovative treatments. This policy is part of a broader European discussion on how to remain competitive in pharmaceutical innovation. Bayer's Pharmaceutical Division President and newly appointed EFPIA President, Stefan Oelrich, stressed at the Summit that Europe must adopt a 'bold regulatory framework' to reclaim its leadership in healthcare innovation. He noted that while the U.S. and China continue to dominate drug development, Europe must focus on reducing bureaucracy, speeding up approvals, and providing appropriate incentives for novel therapies. National health data ecosystem Alongside innovation financing, the Greek government is investing in the country's digital health transformation. Dimitris Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance, acknowledged that the pandemic accelerated digital adoption but often without a structured foundation. 'We are now working under the right framework,' he said, noting that the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system marks a significant achievement for the Ministry. Efforts to overcome the challenges still lingering regarding data collection and interoperability are intensifying as Greece moves towards developing a digital environment where integrated data sources support care, research, and policy-making, based on the requirements of the European Health Data Space (EHDS). Aris Aggelis, Secretary General for Strategic Planning at the Ministry of Health, elaborated on the Ministry's ongoing efforts to map all available health data, in collaboration with PwC. He noted that a regulatory framework for the primary and secondary use of health data is under development. Moreover, a dedicated Health Data Access Body is being established to coordinate secure and ethical access to health data for stakeholders, including trusted entities like the National Organisation for Healthcare Services Provision (EOPYY). The Ministry is also actively engaged in European initiatives like the EHDS (and the eHealth Network to ensure alignment with continental standards and benefit from shared best practices. Lessons from Finland International experience offers valuable insight for Greece's data strategy. Mervi Siltanen, Executive Director of Finland's Findata, highlighted the importance of decades-long data collection, a culture of trust, and strong cross-sector collaboration in Finland's success with health data utilisation. 'We built on what already existed and created something impactful,' she said, emphasising cooperation among healthcare providers, regulators, and patients. Industry leaders in Greece echoed the need for trust and data maturity. Konstantinos Papagiannis, General Secretary of SFEE and CEO of Novartis Greece, stressed that Greece must transition from digital readiness to digital maturity. 'We have made progress, but we need system interoperability and quality assessment of data,' he said. The ultimate goal, he added, is to create a digitally mature healthcare system that serves both the patient and the broader system efficiently. Ioannis Pandis, Head of Pfizer's Thessaloniki Digital Innovation Hub, cited a successful data integration pilot project as a model for how patient and provider collaboration can yield meaningful insights. 'By combining datasets from all stakeholders, we could identify which drug categories added the most value to the system,' he explained. Pfizer's ongoing investment in Thessaloniki, according to Pandis, is aimed at fostering a broader innovation ecosystem in Greece. The patient perspective Yet with all the technological promise, the human element remains essential. Dimitris Skaltsas, CEO and Co-Founder of Intelligencia AI, underlined that data must be trustworthy and continually updated to remain relevant. 'You fall behind in health innovation if your data is outdated or poorly curated,' he warned, adding that new technologies can help bridge this gap, but governance and expertise remain critical. Representing the patient voice, Giorgos Kapetanakis, President of the Hellenic Cancer Federation (ELL.O.K.), emphasised that human-centred data policies must guide this transformation. 'We risk building sophisticated infrastructures without clarity on how data is selected or used,' he said, warning against excluding patients from the design of secondary data usage frameworks. Kapetanakis also provided an update on the National Cancer Registry, which is in its pilot phase and expected to become a key tool for oncology care in Greece. The project includes the digitisation of 12 oncology hospitals and is seen as a flagship initiative for data-driven healthcare. [Edited by Brian Maguire]
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nazareth seniors answer through art in 'Who Am I? Who I Am' Exhibit
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — As graduation quickly approaches, Nazareth University's BFA Thesis Exhibition opened on Friday, featuring three student artists in the program. The exhibition titled Who Am I? Who I Am features work of various media, including painting, printmaking, and digital art by Jude Landry from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Rochester native Christina Georgiadis, and Brenna Lancto from Fairport. All three students expressed excitement to News 8 after seeing their projects shown to the community on opening night. Georgiadis's work features a combination of elements from the world and figures to explore the perception of body image. She added a touch of her family history to her artwork. 'All of the flowers kind of tie in with Greek mythology, I come from Greek parents, so I wanted to bring in a little personal layer to my art,' Georgiadis told News 8. Lancto's art is expressed through invented mythological beasts that examine the topic of self-discovery and strong emotions reflective of her own emotions when creating. Eastman students perform for East House residents in recovery Lancto said, 'My pieces come to me in a time of high emotion, it doesn't matter if it's negative or positive or in between. I see them in my head, and then I try to bring them to life the best I can with my iPad.' Landry uses his experience as a transgender man in his lithography to encourage his younger self 'that her dreams live on in him, and, regardless of what dad used to say about her, through him, she is capable of anything she wishes to accomplish.' In the time it took him to complete the piece, he was shocked at the progress he'd made. 'I've only been doing the work I have up on the wall for a year and a half,' Landry said, 'So, the fact that I have as much as I do, like I kind of shocked myself when I went to go hang it all, but I could not be more proud of myself seeing it all up.' Those interested in viewing the artwork may visit the exhibit Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday through Thursday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. until the exhibit's closing on May 9. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Banksy's Broken Heart painting defaced on a Brooklyn wall is up for sale
A slab of Brooklyn wall, which the artist Banksy emblazoned with a bandaged, heart-shaped balloon, is emerging after more than a decade in storage. The preserved wall, dubbed Battle to Survive a Broken Heart, will be up for sale on May 21 at Guernsey's, the New York auction house. Some proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association. When the enigmatic street artist spray-painted the piece, the nondescript brick building was instantly transformed into an art destination and the canvas of an unlikely graffiti battle. Almost as soon as Banksy revealed the piece back in 2013, an anonymous tagger brazenly walked up and spray-painted the words 'Omar NYC' in red beside the balloon, to the dismay of onlookers. Days later, someone stencilled 'is a little girl' in white and pink beside Omar's tag, followed by a seemingly sarcastic phrase in black: 'I remember MY first tag.'Some think it was Banksy himself who secretly returned to the scene to add the rejoinder. The apparent graffiti battle did not end there. Another tagger also attempted to leave his mark but was stymied by security guards. Today, the phrase 'SHAN' is still visible in light purple paint. Maria Georgiadis, whose family owned the now-demolished warehouse and ultimately removed the section of wall to preserve the artwork, says the graffiti pastiche is quintessentially New York. 'It looks like a war going on,' she said recently. 'They're literally going at it on the wall.' Ms Georgiadis, a Brooklyn schoolteacher, says the sale is bittersweet. Her father, Vassilios Georgiadis, ran his roofing and asbestos abatement company from the warehouse adorned with the balloon. He died four years ago at age 67 from a heart attack, which is why some of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the American Heart Association. 'It's just very significant to us because he loved it and he was just so full of love,' Ms Georgiadis said on a recent visit to the art warehouse where the piece was stored for more than a decade. 'It's like the bandage heart. We all have love, but we've all went through things and we just put a little Band-Aid over it and just keep on moving, right? That's how I take it.' The nearly four-ton, six-feet-tall wall section is one of a number of guerrilla works the famously secretive British artist made during a New York residency in 2013. At the time, Banksy heralded the work by posting on his website photos and an audio track recorded partly in a squeaky, helium-induced voice. Guernsey auction house president Arlan Ettinger said it is impossible to know for certain because Banksy works clandestinely. You haven't heard? A Banksy will be auctioned at Brookfield Place on 05/21 @BFPLNY and on display for viewing from 04/22 through 05/21. #atBFPL #banksy #banksyart #banksyartwork #banksymuseum — Guernsey's (@Guernseys1975) April 2, 2025 But he said the neat stencilling and wording 'strongly suggest that this was a gentle way for Banksy to put the other artist in his place'. Ulrich Blanche, an art history lecturer at Heidelberg University in Germany, called the piece a 'very well executed' stencil, notable partly because of Banksy's decision to place it in Brooklyn's port area of Red Hook. 'This part of NYC was not easy to reach at that time,' he said by email. 'Banksy wanted people to go to places in NYC they never have seen and love them as well.' But Mr Blanche questioned whether the additional stencilled text was truly the work of Banksy, saying the word choice and design do not appear to comport with the artist's style at the time. Mr Blanche also said he is ambivalent about the pending sale, noting Banksy usually does not authorise his street pieces for sale. At the same time, he understands the burden placed on property owners to protect and maintain them. 'Banksy's works should be preserved, but for the community they were made for,' he said. Spokespersons for Banksy did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Banksy's Broken Heart painting defaced on a Brooklyn wall is up for sale
A slab of Brooklyn wall, which the artist Banksy emblazoned with a bandaged, heart-shaped balloon, is emerging after more than a decade in storage. The preserved wall, dubbed Battle to Survive a Broken Heart, will be up for sale on May 21 at Guernsey's, the New York auction house. Some proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association. When the enigmatic street artist spray-painted the piece, the nondescript brick building was instantly transformed into an art destination and the canvas of an unlikely graffiti battle. Almost as soon as Banksy revealed the piece back in 2013, an anonymous tagger brazenly walked up and spray-painted the words 'Omar NYC' in red beside the balloon, to the dismay of onlookers. Days later, someone stencilled 'is a little girl' in white and pink beside Omar's tag, followed by a seemingly sarcastic phrase in black: 'I remember MY first tag.'Some think it was Banksy himself who secretly returned to the scene to add the rejoinder. The apparent graffiti battle did not end there. Another tagger also attempted to leave his mark but was stymied by security guards. Today, the phrase 'SHAN' is still visible in light purple paint. Maria Georgiadis, whose family owned the now-demolished warehouse and ultimately removed the section of wall to preserve the artwork, says the graffiti pastiche is quintessentially New York. 'It looks like a war going on,' she said recently. 'They're literally going at it on the wall.' Ms Georgiadis, a Brooklyn schoolteacher, says the sale is bittersweet. Her father, Vassilios Georgiadis, ran his roofing and asbestos abatement company from the warehouse adorned with the balloon. He died four years ago at age 67 from a heart attack, which is why some of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the American Heart Association. 'It's just very significant to us because he loved it and he was just so full of love,' Ms Georgiadis said on a recent visit to the art warehouse where the piece was stored for more than a decade. 'It's like the bandage heart. We all have love, but we've all went through things and we just put a little Band-Aid over it and just keep on moving, right? That's how I take it.' The nearly four-ton, six-feet-tall wall section is one of a number of guerrilla works the famously secretive British artist made during a New York residency in 2013. At the time, Banksy heralded the work by posting on his website photos and an audio track recorded partly in a squeaky, helium-induced voice. Guernsey auction house president Arlan Ettinger said it is impossible to know for certain because Banksy works clandestinely. You haven't heard? A Banksy will be auctioned at Brookfield Place on 05/21 @BFPLNY and on display for viewing from 04/22 through 05/21. #atBFPL #banksy #banksyart #banksyartwork #banksymuseum — Guernsey's (@Guernseys1975) April 2, 2025 But he said the neat stencilling and wording 'strongly suggest that this was a gentle way for Banksy to put the other artist in his place'. Ulrich Blanche, an art history lecturer at Heidelberg University in Germany, called the piece a 'very well executed' stencil, notable partly because of Banksy's decision to place it in Brooklyn's port area of Red Hook. 'This part of NYC was not easy to reach at that time,' he said by email. 'Banksy wanted people to go to places in NYC they never have seen and love them as well.' But Mr Blanche questioned whether the additional stencilled text was truly the work of Banksy, saying the word choice and design do not appear to comport with the artist's style at the time. Mr Blanche also said he is ambivalent about the pending sale, noting Banksy usually does not authorise his street pieces for sale. At the same time, he understands the burden placed on property owners to protect and maintain them. 'Banksy's works should be preserved, but for the community they were made for,' he said. Spokespersons for Banksy did not respond to an email seeking comment.
