Football legend Mimis Domazos opens first free Soccer Academy in Greece

Retired Greek football legend Mimis Domazos, who is considered by many to be one of the best players that Greece has ever produced has opened the first free soccer academy in Greece, which will also support stray animals in Athens.

According to the announcement made by the Academy of Greek Football, the 77-year-old nicknamed “The General” is inviting children between the ages of 4 and 16 to enroll and train for free throughout the season, while also supporting stray dogs and other animals in the Greek capital.

The only catch is he requests that those who are in a position to do so, provide dry food, canned food and anything else they wish to donate towards stray animals in Athens.

The Favourite lives up to its name at European cinema's night of nights, wins 8 awards

The Favourite certainly lived up to its name at this year’s European Film Awards.

It was the clear winner at the Berlin ceremony, picking up a total of eight awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Yorgos Lanthimos.

Its Oscar-winning star Olivia Colman was unable to attend because of filming commitments, but co-producer Andrew Lowe addressed the audience on behalf of the crew.

Lowe paid a heartfelt tribute to the director, who beat some of cinema’s great masters to scoop the award.

Roman Polanski and Marco Bellocchio, two other favourites, came home empty-handed.

"I'd like to say a special thank you to Yorgos Lanthimos, our friend and leader on this great and epic voyage we have all shared,” Lowe told the Berlin crowd. “It's been a great honour for us tonight to be included among so many great nominees in this show."

Fans around the world wish Giannis Antetokounmpo a happy 25th birthday! (videos)

Reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo celebrated his 25th birthday on December 6th and fans from around the world - including Greece, Malaysia, Russia, the Philippines, China, Malawi, Australia and the US - took time to send him their wishes.

Χρόνια Πολλά Γκρικ Φρικ!

Αστυνομικός σε περιπολία τραγούδησε στο πλάι μουσικού του δρόμου στο Μοναστηράκι (video)

Ένας αστυνομικός στο Μοναστηράκι πήρε το μικρόφωνο από μουσικό του δρόμου και τραγούδησε με τη συνοδεία κιθάρας.

Στο βίντεο που δημοσιεύτηκε ο ένστολος φαίνεται να στέκεται δίπλα στον μουσικό έξω από τον σταθμό του Μετρό. Πιάνοντας το μικρόφωνο, αρχίζει να τραγουδά το «Stand by Me» του Ben E. King.

Το περιστατικό συνέβη την Πέμπτη και ο αστυνομικός φαίνεται πως «κέρδισε» τις εντυπώσεις με την ερμηνεία του, αφού ολοκληρώνοντας το τραγούδι χειροκροτήθηκε από περαστικούς.

92-year-old Melpomeni Dina meets families of WWII Jews she saved (video)

One by one, the 40 descendants of a group of Israeli siblings leaned down and hugged the elderly Greek woman to whom they owe their very existence, as she sat in her wheelchair and wiped away tears streaking down her wrinkled face.

Clutching the hands of those she hid, fed and protected as a teenager more than 75 years ago, 92-year-old Melpomeni Dina said she could now “die quietly.”

Sunday’s emotional encounter in Jerusalem was the first time Dina had met the offspring of the Mordechai family she helped save during the Holocaust. Once a regular ritual at Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, such gatherings are rapidly dwindling due to the advanced ages of both survivors and rescuers and may not happen again. The soon-to-be-extinct reunion is the latest reminder for Holocaust commemorators preparing for a post-survivor world.

“The risk they took upon themselves to take in an entire family, knowing that it put them and everyone around them in danger,” said Sarah Yanai, today 86, who was the oldest of the five siblings Dina and others sheltered. “Look at all these around us. We are now a very large and happy family and it is all thanks to them saving us.”

Greece wins European creditors’ approval to repay IMF early

Three weeks after issuing debt carrying a negative interest rate, Greece has won approval from its European creditors to repay part of its debts to the International Monetary Fund earlier than required, thus avoiding cumbersome interest payments.

Monday’s decision also spares Greece the obligation of having to make a massive early repayment to the Europeans too, whose loans carry lighter interest than the IMF ones.

Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said the decision would improve Greek debt sustainability and boost market confidence in the country which underwent a painful financial crisis in 2010.

Spyros Gianniotis to be inducted into International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame in 2020

The International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame announced on Saturday that Greek swimmer Spyros Gianniotis will be inducted into the Swimming Hall of Fame in 2020.

Gianniotis will become the second Greek swimmer to be a member of the Hall of Fame, after Jason Zirganos, who was honored back in 1971.

Gianniotis has competed in every Olympic Marathon event since 2008.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he came in 16th place. In the 2012 London Olympics, he finished in the 4th place, when he missed the bronze medal by only five seconds.

In 2016 during the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he finished second, winning the silver medal.

Αναστασία Γερολυμάτου: H 81χρονη windsurfer από την Κεφαλονιά που σκίζει το Ιόνιο με την σανίδα και το πανί της (video)

Η κ. Αναστασία Γερολυμάτου, γεννηθείσα το 1938, εδώ και 40 χρόνια κάνει windsurf, ένα άθλημα όχι και τόσο διαδεδομένο στους ανθρώπους της τρίτης ηλικίας μια και απαιτεί τεχνική και μυϊκή δύναμη.

Ξυπνά κάθε πρωί στην Κεφαλλονιά, ζυμώνει το ψωμί της στον πέτρινο φούρνο της, μαζεύει τις ελιές από τα δέντρα, καλημερίζει τους μακρινούς συγγενείς της μέσω του skype στον υπολογιστή της και έπειτα με το αυτοσχέδιο τρόλεϊ της κατευθύνεται προς το πέλαγος. Στήνει ολομόναχη τον εξοπλισμό της και ξεχύνεται στα πέραντα του ωκεανού.

Γεμάτη αισιοδοξία δηλώνει ότι μόνο όταν ανοίγεται στη θάλασσα με την ιστιοσανίδα της είναι πραγματικά ο εαυτός της.

«Μπορούμε»: Πάνω από 128 τόνοι φρούτων και λαχανικών σώθηκαν και προσφέρθηκαν το 2018 από λαϊκές αγορές

Πάνω από 128 τόνοι φρούτων και λαχανικών, συνεργασία με 23 λαϊκές αγορές σε Αθήνα και Θεσσαλονίκη, εκατοντάδες ενθουσιώδεις εθελοντές αποτελούν τον απολογισμό του προγράμματος «Μπορούμε στη Λαϊκή» για το 2018. Τα 128.000 κιλά περισσευούμενων φρούτων και λαχανικών που «σώθηκαν» από τους εθελοντές που συμμετείχαν στις δράσεις του προγράμματος ισοδυναμούν με πολλές δεκάδες χιλιάδες μερίδες θρεπτικού φαγητού που στήριξαν κοινωφελείς φορείς στο έργο τους για τη στήριξη ανθρώπων που βρίσκονται σε διατροφική ανασφάλεια.

Όλη αυτή η προσπάθεια δε θα είχε αυτά τα αποτελέσματα αν, εκτός από τη στήριξη των εθελοντών, το Μπορούμε δεν είχε τη στήριξη των λαϊκών αγορών καθώς και τη συνεχή και αμέριστη συμπαράσταση του The Hellenic Initiative Australia (THI). Το THI, εκτός από τη χρηματοδότηση του προγράμματος «Μπορούμε στη Λαϊκή», στηρίζει ενεργά τις δράσεις του προγράμματος με τη συμμετοχή εθελοντών του και φροντίζει για την προβολή του έργου του Μπορούμε στο εξωτερικό.

Citizenship awarded to migrant fishermen who rescued Greeks from devastating July fires

Greece has awarded citizenship to three migrant fishermen - two Egyptians and an Albanian - who rescued Greeks from a devastating fire near Athens last July.

At a ceremony the Greek President, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, thanked the fishermen for showing "solidarity and humanity" by rescuing dozens of people.

"You are now European citizens too, and so you can teach all our partners who don't realise the values of Europe, to do what they ought to do," he said.

The wildfire killed at least 90 people.

Fanned by strong winds, the inferno engulfed part of the Attica Peninsula, with the resort town of Mati among the worst-hit areas. Eyewitnesses said that hundreds of people were forced into the sea as the flames approached, but others were trapped near the coast.