General News
Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
CHICAGO – Twenty-one priceless ancient coins are being returned to Greece after they were found during an inspection by the authorities at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced.
The coins were stolen from Greece several years ago and were brought to the U.S. in order to be put up for illegal auction through black market circles. Nevertheless, the authorities prevented their transfer from Chicago’s main airport and on December 21, a ceremony took place in the presence of Consul General of Greece Emmanuel Koubarakis at the HSI offices in the Chicago suburb of Lombard.
HSI Director Sean Fitzgerald told Chicago’s Fox32: “This is a very big deal. This is the largest repatriation of Greek coins in recent history for Homeland Security Investigations… I can’t put a price on them because if they got on a black market auction we’d be talking tens and tens of thousands of dollars… This is really a theft and a pillaging of cultural heritage. These countries, they want our help, and they need our help to bring back their history for them.”
Consul General of Greece in Chicago Emmanuel Koubarakis expressed the country’s gratitude to the American authorities for their cooperation, but also for the fact that the objects of significant historical value will return to Greece, noting that “these items are very important to the cultural heritage of my country.”
“I would like to thank you for organizing this ceremony. On behalf of the Hellenic Republic, I would like to express my appreciation and commend the very capable American authorities for their diligence and dedication in tracking the illegal trafficking of antiquities. I would like to thank the U.S. for its cooperation and the repatriation of the 21 coins to their country of origin, Greece. These objects are very important to our cultural heritage. We also thank the Homeland Security Investigations Department for their excellent cooperation,” said Koubarakis.
HSI agent Paige Williamson noted that the coins were found at O’Hare airport in a shipment that came from Europe, in order to continue their illegal journey.
“These coins were found in a DHL facility at the airport. They were coming from Austria and were going to end up in private hands here in the U.S.,” she said.
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Three Russian missiles slammed into a downtown area of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Wednesday, hitting an eight-floor apartment building and killing at least 13 people, authorities said.
ATHENS - A primary surplus of 2.
ATHENS – The Divani Palace Acropolis, nestled in the heart of Athens, is set to elevate the city's dining and nightlife scene with the grand opening of its much-anticipated rooftop restaurant and bar next month.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sen. Bob Menendez may seek exoneration at his May bribery trial by blaming his wife, saying she kept him in the dark about anything that could be illegal about her dealings with New Jersey businessmen, according to court papers unsealed Tuesday.
It was a close brush with death but a 40-year-old British tourist bitten by a deadly viper while at a yoga retreat on Cyprus is recovering after getting swift hospitalization to counteract the venom.