Latest news with #Antoniou
Euronews
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Rival leaders of divided Cyprus seek progress on future
The rival leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus are meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday to discuss the future of the island and build upon talks in March, which marked the first step toward renewed dialogue after years of deadlock. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the latest meeting "will provide an opportunity to continue the dialogue and exchange views on the progress made since March. At that last meeting in Geneva, Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar agreed to trust-building measures on issues like energy, environment, youth affairs and demining, as well as opening four new crossing points along a UN-controlled buffer zone that divides the Mediterranean island. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek-backed coup triggered a Turkish military intervention. This led to a split between the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot-controlled Republic of Cyprus and the self-declared entity in the north. Only Turkey recognises the island's breakaway state of North Cyprus, and it maintains more than 35,000 troops in the territory. While the Republic of Cyprus is part of the European Union, EU law does not apply in the breakaway northern entity, which remains under Turkish military presence. Negotiations between the rivals have been stalled since 2017. As with the meeting in March in Geneva, guarantors from Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom will be at the two-day meeting in New York at the request of UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Ahead of the latest talks, the Republic of Cyprus' deputy government spokesperson Yiannis Antoniou — who serves under Christodoulides — told Euronews that the Greek side's main aim was to agree on specific outcomes for the trust-building measures. "The aim is to go to the next step, which is to create the conditions for direct negotiations," Antoniou said in an exclusive interview. "For us, this is the most important thing. That is to go to the negotiating table in search of a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem," he added. Concern over crossing points The primary obstacle to peace is Turkey's and Northern Cyprus' insistence on a two-state solution. This goes against Cyprus' desire for a federation — a model endorsed by the UN Security Council — that foresees Greek-speaking and Turkish-speaking zones. Greek Cypriots say they won't agree to any accord that formally partitions the island, allows for a permanent Turkish troop presence, gives Turkey rights to militarily intervene or offers the minority Turkish Cypriots a veto right on all government decisions. The rivals have made some progress since March on the trust-building measures, which also include work on a photovoltaic park inside the buffer zone and restoration work on cemeteries on both sides of the divide. However, the opening of four new crossing points has proved to be a sticking point. Antoniou told Euronews that the Turkish Cypriot side had deployed a "delaying policy". "They claim that they cannot decide for themselves and that it is a matter for the Turkish army. We cannot accept this argument," he said. "We can't agree to the opening of just one roadblock, because there must be an element of reciprocity, that is to say, we must accept the opening of crossing points, but these must serve the inhabitants on both sides of Cyprus, in the occupied and free areas." On the issue of the photovoltaic park within the buffer zone, Antoniou said his government objected to the Turkish Cypriot side's stance on the matter. "The other side essentially wants this photovoltaic park to operate in the conditions of two separate sovereign states, which we will certainly not accept," he said. 'Lack of trust' In the light of geopolitical challenges and conflicts ranging from the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Sryia to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has increasingly positioned itself as a point of stability and powerbroker in the Middle East. For the Greek Cypriots, this is a concern, according to Antoniou. "We see the Turkish side, after the fall of the al-Assad regime in Syria, approaching things with more political and diplomatic arrogance," he told Euronews. "What concerns us at the moment is that it seems that Tatar is following a delaying policy because he may be serving his own agenda due to the upcoming 'elections'," he added. Tatar faces reelection in October and says he is running on the same two-state platform — with the backing of Ankara — that first got him elected in 2020. Antoniou said he believed the mediators in New York intended to maintain dialogue during this meeting in the expectation that after the elections in Northern Cyprus "there may be a political environment that allows us to move forward". "We are not expecting anything drastic in New York, or any substantial change due to the attitude of the Turkish side", he added. In a recent interview with Politis, a daily Greek-language newspaper published in Cyprus, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy on Cyprus María Angela Holguín said she was worried about "the growing gap between the two communities at a societal level". Antoniou said that there was a lot of work to be done by both sides on this issue, although he stressed that the two very different situations should not be equated. "For our part, as far as possible, we are trying to work creatively around these issues with respect for the rights of Turkish Cypriots and respect for religious freedoms in the free areas for all the inhabitants of the island," he said. "Turkish Cypriots are free to come to the free areas controlled by the Republic of Cyprus and pray, visit their mosques and so on, while on the other side the same is not exactly the case. Consequently, they are two completely different worlds a lot of times, which exacerbates this feeling of lack of trust, unfortunately," Antoniou added.
Epoch Times
15-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Candidate Warns WHO Treaty Could Repeat COVID Mistakes That ‘Ripped' Lives Apart
One candidate who ran in the recent federal election in Melbourne says the WHO pandemic treaty, due to be considered later this month, is cautioning local lawmakers from supporting the pact. Ali Antoniou, ran in the electorate of McEwan, north of Melbourne, and ran for former Liberal Senator Gerard Rennick's People First Party. The treaty is currently being drafted by the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Intergovernmental Negotiating Body. It is aimed at strengthening pandemic preparedness and response between countries, and is expected to be finalised and considered by WHO Member States at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 19–27. The WHO's website says the theme for this year's Health Assembly will be: One World for Health. 'I'm really worried because we've got the pandemic treaty that both Labor and Liberal were supportive of,' he told The Epoch Times. Related Stories 5/5/2025 5/1/2025 'It didn't really matter who got through [and won the election] on that front. It worries me with what's going to happen with that because there are some nasty clauses in there.' 'I think they're trying to have a clause in there where there are forced vaccinations,' he said, alluding as well to the previous use of mandates by the Australian government. Antoniou was also concerned the definition of a pandemic could be widened. 'So it's easier to classify a new outbreak as a pandemic. The issue is, a lot of these [vaccination] companies, they make billions of dollars in profit. It's basically in their interests to have another pandemic,' he said. Antoniou recalls the 'nightmare' situation in Victoria during the pandemic, when the Andrews Labor government imposed the world's longest lockdowns. 'I'm a commercial landscaper—we do landscape design and construction,' he said. 'I was renting a factory in Keilor at the time where there were maybe 30 other tenants. During that time, I was talking to people who were literally biting their nails not knowing if they were going to be able to pay for their mortgage, and pay the rent for their factories. 'I saw lives getting ripped upside down.' During this election, Antoniou managed to get 3.32 percent of the votes in the McEwan electorate, with 2,841. Antoniou also warned cost of living could continue to be an issue if the country's energy grid is rewired to meet net zero by 2050. 'Already, utility bills are going through the roof. I saw video where there were working people living inside their cars in their early 20s,' he said. 'The rental market is so competitive that they're all living in their cars. Party Could've Done Better With More Exposure The People First Party faced a tough fight for cut-through in a state normally populated by right-leaning parties including One Nation, and the Trumpet of Patriots. Based on current counts, the party secured 0.5 percent of the total vote, 63,880 votes, from a standing start.. 'Gerard got [no airtime] at all. And I feel like if anyone hears him speak—I heard him speak live where he spoke for over an hour without looking at any notes—he's probably the most intelligent politician I've come across,' Antoniou said. Rennick has written on social media saying his current plan is to expand the party into other states and find candidates.
Boston Globe
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Eric Antoniou's music photography: when open eyes meet open ears
'On any given night,' the Boston-based photographer has said, 'I could go from photographing Seiji Ozawa at Symphony Hall to shooting River Phoenix at Advertisement Neither Ozawa nor Phoenix shows up at Panopticon. A whole lot of other musical people do. Among them are multiple local heroes: Peter Wolf, Aerosmith, Dropkick Murphys, Morphine, Donna Summer, Leonard Bernstein (born in Lawrence; Boston Latin, '35). There are also such notable out-of-towners as Johnny Cash, Sting, Sonny Rollins, David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Dizzy Gillespie, and Mick Jagger. Advertisement Jagger's is one of three color photographs in the show; the others are of Summer and David Byrne. Antoniou has captured a marvelous in-performance moment, with Jagger's hands clasped, prayer-like. What makes it even more marvelous is that next to the photograph is the one of Bernstein. At least for some of us, that juxtaposition summons a certain famous Stephen Sondheim line from a certain famous It's the musician subjects who matter — although with one of the pictures it's a band's fans who matter, that band being Green Day. But part of the fun of 'Rock to Baroque' is looking beyond the faces to note various musicianly appurtenances. Some are to be expected. Wolf, Bono, and Yoko Ono wear sunglasses. Wolf's are the best looking, Bono's the most theatrical, Yoko's the most … formidable. There are lots of hats: Wolf again; Dizzy; Waits; Junior Wells, who seems to be swallowing his blues harp; Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton. Morphine's Dana Colley and Billy Conway have their heads covered, but not Mark Sandman. One of the Dropkicks wears a scally cap (a kilt, too). Dewey Redman has what appears to be a toque atop his head. But the headgear is easy to miss, since what stands out is the look he's exchanging with his bare-headed son, and fellow tenor saxophonist, Joshua, as they duet. Some of the appurtenances are most definitely not to be expected: a bullhorn (Waits), a snazzy scarf (Bernstein), an apple (Yoko), a headband so elaborate it verges on tiara (a magisterial Bunny Wailer). Advertisement There is much else of note. Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong offers an extended middle finger — to the audience, not Antoniou. The tight framing around the face of James Cotton makes his expression seem all the more haunted. Who knew that Leonard Cohen, seen performing, and Philip Glass, posing for his portrait, look enough alike to be cousins? There's one complaint to make about the show. The photos lack dates, whereas many of those in Antoniou's book have them. 'Who,' 'how,' and 'what' take priority here, obviously; but 'when' would be welcome, too. The only one of Antoniou's subjects to make more than one appearance is Dizzy Gillespie. On Panopticon's Wall Gallery, Devo gets five. Two are by Allan Tanenbaum, with the others taken by Ebet Roberts, Neal Preston, and Richard Alden Peterson. Captions note that 'Purchase of prints includes exclusive VIP meet & greet with DEVO.' It's unclear whether 'VIP' refers to prospective purchaser or presented band. All of Antoniou's photographs have people in them, obviously, and all except for the shots of Morphine and the Dropkicks were taken indoors. This makes for a fundamental contrast with Joseph Levendusky's 22 photographs in 'A Sense of Place.' It runs through June 27 at the Paul Dietrich Gallery, which is in the offices of the architectural firm CambridgeSeven. Levendusky likes to shoot at magic hour, that time at dawn or dusk when light is at its softest and most forgiving, and these very handsome color photographs all but glow. Most show human handwork — downtown Providence, the Northern Avenue Bridge, a gingerbread Victorian, in Bennington, Vt. — but only two include actual humans. Advertisement That absence gives the images an arresting purity. They have a consistent look — clean unto pristine — which means the most arresting are of sites and structures that are anything but pristine: a decrepit wooden house, in Adams, say, or a ghost sign on a brick warehouse, in Chelsea. Levendusky's camera makes of decay a thing of wonder. Rust never sleeps, the saying goes. Here it can be seen to dream. ERIC ANTONIOU: ROCK TO BAROQUE — Four Decades of Music Photography At Panopticon Gallery, 502c Commonwealth Ave. (inside the Hotel Commonwealth), through June 30. 781-740-1300, A SENSE OF PLACE: Photographs by Joseph Levendusky At Paul Dietrich Gallery at CambridgeSeven, 20 University Road, third floor, through June 27. 617-492-7000, Mark Feeney can be reached at
Euronews
03-05-2025
- Science
- Euronews
Should the EU ease regulation on new generation GMOs?
ADVERTISEMENT Few topics are as divisive and controversial as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The same level of contention also characterises new genomic techniques (NGTS), often referred to as the new generation of GMOs. As explored in the last episode of Euronews Tech Talks, NGTs are cutting-edge technologies used to alter the genetic material of plants by editing their DNA. Currently, in the European Union, crops developed using NGTs are regulated under the same framework as GMOs. However, this situation might soon change. Related What are GMOs and why do they remain so controversial? | Euronews Tech Talks In 2023, the European Commission adopted a proposal to ease restrictions over gene editing techniques, making producing and commercialising NGT-derived crops simpler. This proposal is still under discussion and has the support of several scientists. However, the deregulation of NGTs also raised concerns among other experts and non-governmental organisations like Friends of the Earth Europe. To better understand the reasons for and against the deregulation of NGTs, Euronews Tech Talks spoke with two experts from different sides of the debate: Michael Antoniou, Professor of molecular genetics and toxicology at King's College London; and Nathalie Verbruggen, Professor of plant physiology and molecular genetics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. Is the proposed distinction between two types of new genomic techniques scientifically justified? Under the new EU proposal, NGTS would be split into two categories: NGT 1 and NGT 2. Crops classified as NGT 2 would remain subject to the GMO regulation, while those labelled as NGT 1 would be exempt from strict risk assessment and labelling requirements. This distinction would depend on the number of genetic modifications introduced into an organism, a criterion that, according to both professors, is inconsistent. "This distinction is considered completely artificial, which is true because nature does not draw neat lines," Verbruggen explained. "NGT 1 makes no sense to me at all because when you look at the criteria, it's a free-for-all," Antoniou said. Although the two experts agree that the division between NGT 1 and NGT 2 lacks scientific grounding, their reactions diverge. Related NGTs: Inside the first European gene-edited wheat field trial | Euronews Tech Talks Verbruggen would like to have more plants under the category NGT 1, to have greater deregulation. "We (scientists) don't see it as a risk, but as a missed opportunity," she said. Conversely, Antoniou is concerned about the high number of NGT crops that would already be in the category NGT 1. ADVERTISEMENT "There is no way you can bring about 20 large-scale changes in the DNA of the organism and that this could occur naturally," he explained. Could the deregulation of NGTS solve climate change and make our food system more secure? Antoniou and Verbruggen also have different perspectives on the impact of the EU proposal on climate change and the entire food system. Verbruggen embraces a balanced but optimistic position. "Like most technologies, the impact is not inherently good or bad; it will depend on the use [of the NGTs]," she said. ADVERTISEMENT Like most technologies, the impact is not inherently good or bad, it will depend on the use [of the NGTs]. Nathalie Verbruggen Professor However, the Brussels-based expert sees a strong potential in this tool. "If the uses are guided by sustainability goals, NGTs can become powerful tools to support agriculture and biodiversity," she told Euronews. According to Verbruggen, the strength of these new techniques lies in their ability to make precise genetic modifications, accelerating processes similar to natural breeding. "We talk about reducing fertilisers by making crops less dependent on nitrogen or phosphorus and making them more resilient to diseases and pests," she stated. ADVERTISEMENT Conversely, Antoniou is sceptical about the promises of NGTs. Related What are NGTs and why are they sparking so much controversy in the EU? "The types of characteristics that we would like our plants or animals to have in the face of climate change... are what are known as genetically complex traits," the professor explained. "It's not like one gene or two genes give you robust drought tolerance or saline tolerance or heat stress tolerance," he said. According to Antoniou, the problem does not lie within the crops, but with the agricultural system itself. ADVERTISEMENT "What we need are climate-ready systems of agriculture, not climate-ready crops or animals,' he told Euronews. Antoniou stressed that gene-editing tools can be less precise than believed, potentially leading to unpredictable effects on the environment. Related Governments agree to ease regulation of new-generation GMOs Why could patenting be a problem? One problem that Antoniou and Verbruggen are on the same page about is patenting. Under the new regulation, NGT-made crops would be subject to patenting, something both experts believe could have a detrimental effect on the balance of power in the EU economic system. ADVERTISEMENT "Farmers are going to suffer more because they will pay more for their seeds, they will be restricted on how they use and how they grow them," Antoniou explained. "This [the patenting of NGTs] can favour large biotech companies. And I think one of the spirits of this new regulation is to enlarge the access to new partners, smaller industries, public industries, and universities, so this could jeopardise this opening," Verbruggen said.
Boston Globe
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Photographer Eric Antoniou's ‘Rock to Baroque' reveals insider's view of Boston's music history
'We didn't have the right paper,' Antoniou recalled in a recent interview with the Globe. 'It looked bad.' All these years later, the photographer is set to publish his first true book, 'Rock to Baroque: Four Decades of Music Photography,' an elegantly designed coffee table hardcover that showcases his career's work (on high-quality glossy paper). A launch party takes place on Thursday at Panopticon Gallery in the Hotel Commonwealth, kicking off an exhibit that runs through June 30. From "Rock to Baroque," the Dropkick Murphys on the roof of Antoniou's South End studio in 2000. Eric Antoniou Antoniou, who freelanced for the Globe for several years around 1990 (and again, more recently, for the Globe Magazine), began taking photos at music shows after coming to Boston from his native Greece in the early 1980s. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'My first camera was point-and-shoot,' Antoniou says, 'and I started listening to music from a very young age. It was a dual passion.' Advertisement Some of his family elders had already resettled in the Boston area, including two great-uncles who opened the Model Cafe, the classic Allston barroom, almost 100 years ago. In Greece, he had to get the local music shop owner to make tape recordings of albums by his favorite bands — Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, AC/DC — since he didn't have a turntable. In Boston, the concert calendar overflowed, from great local groups to international superstars. Advertisement As a student at the New England School of Photography, Antoniou began getting assignments to shoot live shows for the Globe. He can't recall the first one, but he does remember snapping pictures of Timothy Leary during an appearance at Catch a Rising Star, the former Cambridge comedy club. The first photo in the book is a 1985 performance shot of the Irish songwriter and guitarist Rory Gallagher, who was a huge star across Europe, but not in the United States. 'I couldn't believe he was playing at the Paradise for 300 people,' Antoniou says. For the next handful of years, he photographed some of the world's biggest rock bands — the Rolling Stones, the Who, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie — for the Globe, as well as country artists (Steve Earle), jazz musicians (Sonny Rollins), rappers (Public Enemy), and plenty more. Eric Antoniou photographed Roy Orbison during a performance at the Channel nightclub on Dec. 3, 1988, days prior to the singer-songwriter's death. Eric Antoniou He was there for the show that Roy Orbison played at the Channel in December 1988, capping off a big comeback year for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Three days later, Orbison died of a heart attack at age 52. The Associated Press picked up his photo, 'and it went everywhere,' he says. 'I was 23 years old.' For the Globe and later the Boston Phoenix, Antoniou also shot hundreds of portraits of the city's homegrown bands and musicians, among them Morphine, Tracy Chapman, the Dropkick Murphys, Buffalo Tom, Aimee Mann, and Juliana Hatfield. One image in the book focuses on a steel guitar in the hands of the late blues guitarist Kenny Holladay, who busked on the streets around Harvard Square. 'He was amazing,' Antoniou says, 'but he never made it [in the music business].' Advertisement With a prologue written by Robert Pinsky, the former US poet laureate, the book includes captions provided by Jim Sullivan, the former Globe rock critic, as well as Ted Drozdowski, Jon Garelick, Lloyd Schwartz, and others. Some of the captions come from reviews or interviews written at the time of the concerts; others are recollections. According to Antoniou, concert photography grew more restrictive with the establishment of the 'three song' rule, which requires professional photographers to leave after the first three songs of the show. The rule is often attributed to Bruce Springsteen, but he says it may have been Hall and Oates. Singer Tracy Chapman during a July 3, 1990 performance at Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts (now Xfinity Center) in Mansfield. Eric Antoniou In any case, easy access and backstage passes are no longer part of the perks of being a concert photographer. Beyond Boston, Antoniou's work has been published in Rolling Stone, People magazine, and The New York Times. He has taken pictures of Mike Dukakis, Bill Clinton, and the late Paul Tsongas on the presidential campaign trail, during protests at the time of the first Gulf War and following the murder of George Floyd, and inside the world of the homeless population of his adopted city. One of his favorite photos is the one he took of Jim Morrison's tombstone in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. As a rock-obsessed teenager in the mountain village where he grew up in Greece, he was enamored with the Doors, whose lead singer liked to reference Greek mythology. The tombstone bears the Greek phrase 'kata ton daimona eautou.' It translates roughly as 'true to his own spirit.' James Sullivan can be reached at James Sullivan can be reached at
