Together with the mayor of Mannheim and representatives of both the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums and the German Archaeological Institute, the Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office Gernot Erler opened a new special exhibition earlier this month at the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums in Mannheim entitled “Alexander the Great and the Opening of the World”. The exhibition devoted to the ancient general and ruler, who lived from 356 to 323 BC, runs till February 21 and features some 400 unique exhibits.

In order to celebrate the 90th birthday of her mother, Yannoula, Greek-Australian Olympia Panagiotopoulou thought up an unusual gift. Apart from the family party she organised, in an effort to turn the clock 50 years back, she placed an ad in the Greek-Australian newspaper, “Neos Cosmos”, asking Greek-Australians who arrived in Australia on the ship “Tasmania”, which sailed from Piraeus Port in August 1955, to contact her.

South Australia’s Attorney-General, Michael Atkinson, was awarded the Golden Trantellena Award by the Federation of Pontian Associatons in Adelaide last Saturday.

Brookline-born Greek-American Sid Ganis, who has been at the helm of the Oscar Awards for four years, says he wants people to regard the Academy as an elitist American institution, but as a world cultural organisation.

Ivan Savvidis, a Russian MP and World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE) Black Sea countries Regional Coordinator, has expressed optimism that the Turkish authorities are ready to enter into a discussion on the likelihood of holding a service at the Monastery of Panagia Soumela.