Latest news with #Larnaca
Free Malaysia Today
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
US begins evacuation flights from Israel
Israel's national airline El AL aircraft waits next to the control tower at Cyprus' main airport in Larnaca. (AP pic) TEL AVIV : The US has begun evacuation flights from Israel, the US ambassador said Saturday, as Israel trades deadly strikes with archenemy Iran. Mike Huckabee wrote on X that the US government was offering assistance to American citizens and permanent US residents living in Israel or the West Bank. A state department official said around 70 people were flown from Tel Aviv to Athens, Greece on Saturday on two government-organised flights. The official urged US citizens to depart on their own if possible, without waiting for government assistance. Several other countries, including China, India and several European nations, have also arranged evacuations for their nationals. Israel and Iran have exchanged wave after wave of devastating strikes since Israel launched its aerial campaign on June 13, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Iran's health ministry on Saturday gave a toll of more than 400 people killed in Israeli attacks. Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 25 people in Israel, according to official figures.
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Cops in Cyprus suspended after being filmed having sex in patrol car
Two police officers who were filmed having sex in a patrol car in the middle of the day have been suspended from duty. A resident of Larnaca, in Cyprus, was driving through an open field when he spotted the male and female cops having intercourse. The clip went viral, with hundreds viewing the scandalous images. 'If I or you did it and a patrol car was passing by, we would be arrested', one offended user pointed out on social platform X. Another said that the cops 'must suffer the consequences of their actions.' The police officers involved were quickly identified and have been suspended. One is understood to have been on-duty at the time, while the other was not, local media reported. Police are now carrying out a criminal and disciplinary investigation. Criminal charges could include neglect of duty as well as public indecency, according to Cyprus Mail. 'Such actions and behaviors are unacceptable as they insult the work of thousands of our members', a police spokesperson said. But a statement from the Cyprus Police Association has called for members of the public to respect the privacy of the officers involved. 'From the very beginning, the leadership of the force gave instructions for an immediate investigation of the incident, so that any responsibilities that arise can be attributed,' the statement said. 'The public's trust is precious to us and there is no room for excuses on issues of ethics and professionalism. 'At the same time, however, we are watching with concern the way in which the public debate has been diverted into a tidal wave of discredit for the entire police force.' Irini Loizidou Nicolaidou, the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, said 'the priority is to protect the privacy of their families, especially if there are minor children involved.' The viral video comes months after it was revealed more than 25 police officers in the UK were fired or disciplined in the past year after being caught having sex on duty. According to The Sun, information requests to UK forces found at least 26 officers faced disciplinary hearings in the last 24 months for having sex on duty, 20 of whom lost their jobs. But a number of forces refused to give details, meaning the true total is likely to be higher. In one case, a Sussex officer turned off his bodycam to have sex with a woman in her house after she had made a 999 call. In Northumbria, another member of the force was dismissed for having sex with his lover in a police van parked outside a supermarket. One Cleveland Police officer was also banned from policing after filming herself performing a solo sex act in a toilet. The figures led one former Chief Superintendent to blast these disgraced officers as 'damaging the reputation of the police service.'
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cyprus' lyrical duelists spit fierce rhymes as they battle it out to the licks of a fiddle
LARNACA, Cyprus (AP) — Lyrical duelists in Cyprus spit rhymes in head-to-head contests, keeping alive a tradition known as 'tsiattista' that emerged centuries before the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Konstantinos Christou Grilias and Adamos Peratikos are among a new group of poets in this Mediterranean country who battle it out live on stage to the rhythms of the lute and fiddle. The battles are fierce, but you won't find any Kendrick-Drake style beef. Tsiattista made UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011. The similarities with American hip-hop diss songs and battle rap are many: two duelists using their wits and turns of phrase to boast how superior they are, giving opponents a schooling in an onslaught of lyrical beatdowns. It's complete with assertive gestures and the hands-behind-the-back patience of the poet waiting to pounce. 'Even if you'd been a paramedic, I'd send you to hospital with a heart attack,' Peratikos told one adversary — a line with more snap in the Cypriot Greek dialect, whose syntax is akin to ancient Greek. Grilias dissed his opponent as a lightweight and a laughingstock. The audience of hundreds along a seaside promenade murmured in approval. Tsiattista battles which have been around since at least the end of the 19th century, are undergoing a bit of a revival, thanks to performers like Grilias and Peratikos. 'We urge other kids who like it to come along to safeguard this institution,' said Peratikos, 41. 'The goal isn't about awards, the goal is to keep tradition alive.' The 44-year-old Grilias said he's never really delved into the world of Kendrick Lamar or Jay-Z. 'Honestly, I've never listened to rappers. They told me that they battle in their own language, in their own way,' Grilias said as he prepared for a tsiattista duel at the peak of a festival for the Orthodox Christian Pentecost. 'Rappers don't know where Cyprus is," he added. The new group of performers, known as tsiattistaes, started to replace the older generation about 15 years ago at the premier competition in Larnaca during the annual Pentecost festival known as Kataklysmos, said ethnomusicologist Nicoletta Demetriou, who is director of the island nation's Music Archive. The new generation includes women, though few participate because of lingering social exclusion, Demetriou said. The current tsiattista format of a two-verse rhyme with a total of 15 syllables was developed in the late 18th to early 19th century, evolving from the introduction of the rhyming verse to the Greek-speaking world in the 15th and 16th centuries, Demetriou said. It draws on a tradition of poets matching wits from the times of Pericles in ancient Greece. The structure and musical accompaniment are simple, so that the rhymes are clear and understandable for both the audience and the adversary. Contests can address a range of themes, but the underlying premise is to determine who's the best at the diss. 'It's usually a fight, meaning 'I'd clobber you, kill you, bury you,' Grilias said. 'But I believe the public likes more a bit of humor, too.' For contestants, it's about who shows up ready, can stay cool and make the fewest mistakes in front of a crowd. 'Truth is, you're stressed, you're under pressure," Grilias said, and 'the person who can best handle this has the advantage.' One useful strategy is guessing how to get into your opponent's way of thinking, predicting possible responses to your lines, Peratikos said. He dismissed AI technology as incapable of coming up with effective rhymes in the Cypriot Greek dialect. 'There are words that we've heard but we don't even know, so there's no way artificial intelligence does,' Peratikos said. At the end of a long night of battling, Grilias and Peratikos finished fourth and fifth, respectively. A judging panel composed of men and women determined the winners. The two contestants took their places in stride. 'We're all friends, that's what's important,' Grilias said. Menelaos Hadjicostis, The Associated Press
Washington Post
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Cyprus' lyrical duelists spit fierce rhymes as they battle it out to the licks of a fiddle
LARNACA, Cyprus — Lyrical duelists in Cyprus spit rhymes in head-to-head contests, keeping alive a tradition known as 'tsiattista' that emerged centuries before the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Konstantinos Christou Grilias and Adamos Peratikos are among a new group of poets in this Mediterranean country who battle it out live on stage to the rhythms of the lute and fiddle. The battles are fierce, but you won't find any Kendrick-Drake style beef. Tsiattista made UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011.
Associated Press
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Cyprus' lyrical duelists spit fierce rhymes as they battle it out to the licks of a fiddle
LARNACA, Cyprus (AP) — Lyrical duelists in Cyprus spit rhymes in head-to-head contests, keeping alive a tradition known as 'tsiattista' that emerged centuries before the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Konstantinos Christou Grilias and Adamos Peratikos are among a new group of poets in this Mediterranean country who battle it out live on stage to the rhythms of the lute and fiddle. The battles are fierce, but you won't find any Kendrick-Drake style beef. Tsiattista made UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011. The similarities with American hip-hop diss songs and battle rap are many: two duelists using their wits and turns of phrase to boast how superior they are, giving opponents a schooling in an onslaught of lyrical beatdowns. It's complete with assertive gestures and the hands-behind-the-back patience of the poet waiting to pounce. 'Even if you'd been a paramedic, I'd send you to hospital with a heart attack,' Peratikos told one adversary — a line with more snap in the Cypriot Greek dialect, whose syntax is akin to ancient Greek. Grilias dissed his opponent as a lightweight and a laughingstock. The audience of hundreds along a seaside promenade murmured in approval. Tsiattista battles which have been around since at least the end of the 19th century, are undergoing a bit of a revival, thanks to performers like Grilias and Peratikos. 'We urge other kids who like it to come along to safeguard this institution,' said Peratikos, 41. 'The goal isn't about awards, the goal is to keep tradition alive.' The 44-year-old Grilias said he's never really delved into the world of Kendrick Lamar or Jay-Z. 'Honestly, I've never listened to rappers. They told me that they battle in their own language, in their own way,' Grilias said as he prepared for a tsiattista duel at the peak of a festival for the Orthodox Christian Pentecost. 'Rappers don't know where Cyprus is,' he added. The new group of performers, known as tsiattistaes, started to replace the older generation about 15 years ago at the premier competition in Larnaca during the annual Pentecost festival known as Kataklysmos, said ethnomusicologist Nicoletta Demetriou, who is director of the island nation's Music Archive. The new generation includes women, though few participate because of lingering social exclusion, Demetriou said. The current tsiattista format of a two-verse rhyme with a total of 15 syllables was developed in the late 18th to early 19th century, evolving from the introduction of the rhyming verse to the Greek-speaking world in the 15th and 16th centuries, Demetriou said. It draws on a tradition of poets matching wits from the times of Pericles in ancient Greece. The structure and musical accompaniment are simple, so that the rhymes are clear and understandable for both the audience and the adversary. Contests can address a range of themes, but the underlying premise is to determine who's the best at the diss. 'It's usually a fight, meaning 'I'd clobber you, kill you, bury you,' Grilias said. 'But I believe the public likes more a bit of humor, too.' For contestants, it's about who shows up ready, can stay cool and make the fewest mistakes in front of a crowd. 'Truth is, you're stressed, you're under pressure,' Grilias said, and 'the person who can best handle this has the advantage.' One useful strategy is guessing how to get into your opponent's way of thinking, predicting possible responses to your lines, Peratikos said. He dismissed AI technology as incapable of coming up with effective rhymes in the Cypriot Greek dialect. 'There are words that we've heard but we don't even know, so there's no way artificial intelligence does,' Peratikos said. At the end of a long night of battling, Grilias and Peratikos finished fourth and fifth, respectively. A judging panel composed of men and women determined the winners. The two contestants took their places in stride. 'We're all friends, that's what's important,' Grilias said.
