Podcasts about Cyprus

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Following the first of three days of talks between Jerusalem and Beirut, Magid discusses the sharp critique first issued by Israel's US Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, regarding the connection being made between the Lebanon talks and the US-Iran deal, and the notion that Iran is being allowed to demand a ceasefire in a separate country. There is a battle of narratives in US President Donald Trump's administration over the US-Iran deal, notes Magid, extending into the Israel-Lebanon talks. US Vice President JD Vance is leading the Israel-Lebanon talks and supports some degree of Iranian influence over Hezbollah in Lebanon, reports Magid, viewing it as the only way forward for the embattled country. It appears that Secretary of State Marc Rubio, currently on a regional tour in the United Arab Emirates, isn't as supportive of the terms of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, says Magid, or of Iranian influence in Lebanon, and is keeping some distance, perhaps to protect his place as a possible Republican Party candidate for the 2028 presidential election. Finally, Magid discusses Gaza's Board of Peace, as various members head to Cyprus for a retreat to continue figuring out how to move forward, while insisting that it will take time to make headway on Hamas disarmament and Gaza reconstruction. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: ‘A train wreck’: As Jerusalem and Beirut hold talks, Israeli envoy pans linkage to US-Iran deal Rubio: Iran will not be allowed to charge tolls in Strait of Hormuz under any final deal Board of Peace members to ‘recalibrate’ at Cyprus resort after rocky first six months Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht. IMAGE: US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing podcast (ToI/Israeli Embassy)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this inspiring episode I sit down with Dr. C. L. Max Nikias, renowned academic, engineer, author, and former President of the University of Southern California (USC).Born in Cyprus, Dr. Nikias' story is one of resilience, determination, and the transformative power of education. From humble beginnings on a small Mediterranean island to leading one of the world's most prestigious universities, his journey embodies the belief that our circumstances do not define our destiny.During this fascinating conversation, Dr. Nikias reflects on his childhood in Cyprus, the values instilled in him by his family, and the experiences that shaped his character and ambitions. He shares the challenges and opportunities that accompanied his move to the United States, where he pursued higher education and built an extraordinary academic career.As an internationally recognized expert in engineering and innovation, Dr. Nikias rose through the academic ranks to become the 11th President of USC, overseeing a period of unprecedented growth, academic excellence, and global impact. Yet behind the impressive titles and achievements lies a deeply personal story of perseverance, vision, and gratitude.In this episode, we discuss:Growing up in Cyprus and the lessons learned from his early yearsThe immigrant experience and adapting to a new countryThe role of education in transforming livesLeadership, vision, and building a legacyThe importance of innovation and lifelong learningThe values that guided him throughout his remarkable careerHis reflections on success, purpose, and giving backHis love for Greek history and philosophy and his favorite town in the worldDr. Nikias also shares insights from his memoir, American Trojan, a powerful account of his journey from Cyprus to the highest levels of academia and leadership in the United States.This episode is a testament to the power of dreams, hard work, and the courage to embrace new horizons.About Dr. Max NikiasDr. C. L. Max Nikias was born in Cyprus and went on to become a distinguished engineer, professor, university leader, and the 11th President of the University of Southern California. Recognized internationally for his contributions to engineering, education, and leadership, he has inspired generations of students and professionals around the world.

In this ScreenFish 1on1 Interview, director Minos Papas discusses MOTHERWITCH, reflecting on the film as a love letter to Cyprus and its cultural and emotional landscape. He explores the presence of the Kalikantzari within the story and how folklore shapes meaning and atmosphere. Minos also examines art as a form of relief from grief, considering how creativity can transform pain into expression, healing, and connection while grounding the film in both personal and mythic resonance.MOTHERWITCH premiered at IFFR '26.

They Boldly Spoke the Word of God Acts 4 by William Klock Chapter and verse breaks in the Bible are not part of the original text.  Chapter breaks were added about eight hundred years ago and verses about five hundred.  There's an old biblical studies urban legend that Robert Estienne, the French printer who published one of the early New Testaments with verse division, marked them out while riding on horseback from Paris to Lyon, explaining the often frustrating way they cut through thoughts and sentences.  Chapter breaks can be just as annoying.  I say this because last week we left off our study of Acts at the end of Chapter 3, but the end of Chapter 3 isn't where this story ends.  You'll remember that this story about Peter and John and the lame man followed right on the heels of Pentecost.  Peter and John were on their way to the temple to pray when they met a lame man begging at the temple gate.  “Silver and gold have I none,” said Peter, “but such as I have I give.  In the name of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk!”  And he lifted up the man the man began to jump up and down and to praise God.  And as everyone began to gather around, Peter began to preach.  He reminded them of their own story, of God's promises going all the way back to Abraham, and how all those promises were fulfilled and how the story was brought to its climax in the death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus. I won't repeat everything I said last Sunday, but needless to say—and even if you aren't familiar with the story—you probably knew that trouble was coming.  But that pesky chapter break.  It saved you from an hour-long sermon, but it also cut the story in half.  So we'll pick up after the break, with Chapter 4, now.  [It's page 1083 in the pew Bibles.] Luke continues: “As they were speaking to the people, along came the priests, the chief of the temple guard, and the Sadducees.  They were greatly annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming that the resurrection of the dead had begun to happen in Jesus.  They seized them and put them under guard until the next day, since it was already evening.  But a large number of the people who had heard the message believed it and the number of men grew to five thousand.” The idea of the resurrection of the dead was a big deal for the Jews and you'd think that announcing that it had somehow begun in Jesus would be good news.  And obviously it was for the thousands who believed.  Not so much for the Sadducees.  They were sad, you see, because they didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead.  Okay, not really.  Their name goes back to Zadok, the high priest in the days of David and Solomon.  That name, Zadok, is also related to the Hebrew word for righteousness.  So the Sadducees thought of themselves not only as the sons of Zadok, but also as the righteous ones.  And in the First Century, they controlled the priesthood.  They were aristocratic and they were in power and people like that don't usually like revolutionary ideas, and if there was there was a great revolutionary idea alive in Judah, it was the idea of the resurrection of the dead.  Resurrection means that things are broken and that God will, one day, come to set things to rights—and that implied that the Sadducees were part of the problem needing to be set right.  So they're upset at Peter's preaching.  The Pharisees didn't like this talk either.  As far as they—and everyone else who hoped for resurrection—were concerned, all God's people would be raised from the dead at the end of the age.  The idea that Jesus was raised all by himself was like heresy.  And, of course, if Jesus had been raised, it meant he was the Messiah and they refused to accept that idea.  So no matter how many eyewitnesses there were to the risen Jesus, it had never happened, so far as they were concerned. But back to the Sadducees.  They controlled the priesthood and the priests were the gatekeepers of Israel.  And this talk about Jesus as Messiah and his being resurrected, which means he'd initiated the age to come already, that was the sort of talk that might spark a revolution.  And, of course, a revolution was what was already happening as the gospel and the Spirit were beginning to do their work.  But just as they hadn't recognised it in Jesus, the leaders of Israel refuse to recognise it now and they have Peter and John locked up for the night.  Even still, Luke goes to the trouble to make the point that thousands believed anyway.  The gospel cannot and will not be stopped! Verse 5: “On the next day their rulers, the elders, and the scribes gathered in Jerusalem, along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family.  When they'd stood them in the midst, they asked, ‘How did you do this?  What power did you use?  What name did you invoke?'  Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit.  ‘Rulers of the people and elders,' he said, ‘if the question we're being asked today is about a good deed done for a sick man, and whose power it was that rescued him, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that this man stands before you fit and well because of the name of the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.  He is the stone which you builders rejected, but which has become the head cornerstone.  Rescue won't come from anyone else.  There is no other name given under heaven and among men by which we must be rescued.'” Do you remember that scene in Luke 11 where Jesus is confronted after casting out a demon?  “You can only cast them out, because you're one of them,” they accused him.  The same thing is happening again.  I think Luke wants to highlight that what's happening here might be an “act” happening through the apostles, but it's still ultimately Jesus acting.  Or the Spirit, which amounts to the same thing.  Luke makes a point of saying that Peter was full of the Spirit when he answered the accusation.  So just like Jesus, when the council asks them in whose name they healed the lame man, not only is Peter bold to announce that it's Jesus of Nazareth, they boldly assert that he is the Messiah—the one they crucified, but whom God raised from the dead.  So Peter is reasserting everything: It's Jesus.  Yes the one they crucified.  And this isn't just about a lame man walking again, this is about the resurrection of the dead.  It's about the fact that Jesus is Lord and that the revolution has begun.  The age to come, new creation, the kingdom of God is here.  In fact, they quote Psalm 118 at the council to explain it all.  Psalm 118 is a psalm of the temple.  It's about people going up to the temple to celebrate God's new day to claim his rescue, his salvation.  It's a psalm about God's life-giving power and it's about God bringing his people through trouble and rescuing them from danger. It's a psalm about trusting in God's mercy and it's a psalm about God's victory over the powers of the world.  “It is better trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man…than to put confidence in princes,” says the Psalmist (vv. 8-9). So they're saying, “It's Jesus.  He really is the Messiah and he really has inaugurated God's new age.  But then it's like they're deliberately poking a stick in these folks' eye.  The Sadducees (and the Pharisees, too, and most people) were all about the temple.  It was the embodiment of Israel's hopes for God's rescue and for the fulfilment of his promises to one day come again to dwell with his people.  And so this whole episode started with a man who'd been sitting in the temple gate for years, hoping for a rescue, yet never healed, and now suddenly healed by Peter and John—in the power of Jesus.  So that's the first thing.  It says that God has, in fact, returned to dwell with is people, but instead of being in the holy of holies, he's indwelling the disciples of Jesus.  And then, in case they hadn't made the connection, Peter, inspired by the Spirit, quotes Psalm 118 at them.  Yes, the hope of God's return is happening—in Jesus.  Yes, God is now present in his temple—but that temple isn't made of stone, it's these Jesus people.  And yes, God has come to rescue us just as he promised, to set this broken world to rights, to wipe away the tears—through Jesus.  And at the same time, it would be hard for the council to miss the hint that the mortal princes, the people from whom God's people need to be rescued are not the pagan nations, but the Sadducees and elders and scribes who are rejecting Jesus.  (Yes, the pagan nations, too, but first, God's got to deal with the corrupt leaders of his own people.) It's the same thing Peter has been preaching, first on Pentecost, then to the crowd who gathered around the lame man when they saw him jumping up and down.  Every time, Peter grounds God's salvation in Jesus as the fulfilment of his promises and of Israel's story.  Every time, it's the announcement that Jesus is Lord; that he's come to rescue his people; and every time, it's a call to repentance and faith.  This sort of situational astuteness and gospel boldness is what it looks like to be full of God's Spirit.  And the council recognised this, even if they didn't want to admit what (or who) it was.  Verse 13: “When they saw how boldly Peter and John were speaking and realised that they were untrained, ordinary men, they were astonished and they recognised them as men who had been with Jesus.  And when they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.  They ordered them to be put out of the assembly while they conferred amongst themselves.  ‘What can we do to these men?' they said.  ‘This is a spectacular sign that has happened through them.  All Jerusalem knows it, and we can't deny it.  But we certainly don't want it to spread any further amongst the people.  So let's threaten them with awful consequences if they speak anymore in this name to anyone.'  So they called them in and gave them orders not to speak at all or to teach in the name of Jesus.” It's comical and I think that's what Luke intended.  It's like they've completely missed the significance of what Peter and John have seen.  They've seen Jesus risen from the grave.  They saw him ascend to his throne.  They heard everything he said.  They saw everything he did.  And now they're doing the same sorts of things themselves in his name.  They know, without a doubt, that in Jesus God has come, that Jesus is Lord, that the kingdom is now, and that the days of the principalities and powers, the old temple, and its priests are numbered.  Peter and John know which is the winning side…without a doubt.  Threatening them isn't going to change that. Brothers and Sisters, we really need to think on that.  Don't just read Acts and let it go in one ear and out the other.  Stick a finger in one ear if you have to, but let this sink in.  Because you and I have just as much reason to be as confident as Peter and John.  No, we aren't eyewitnesses to the resurrection or the ascension, but we have every reason to believe the accounts of them.  Someone a while ago asked me about difficulties with the creation accounts in Genesis and with the history of the Exodus.  There are difficulties in the Bible.  There are hard philosophical questions for which I haven't yet found the perfect answer.  But I do know that Jesus rose from the dead.  I've heard all the arguments against it.  And they don't hold up.  I don't want to get into those details here, because that's not what our text today is about.  My point is simply that we have every reason to believe that Jesus rose from the dead and just like St. Paul, confronted by that inescapable reality, we have to accept that Jesus is the Messiah and that the rest of it all is true—even we have to wait til the New Jerusalem to understand the ins and outs of exactly how some of it is true.  It's true.  As Matt reminded us last week: Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.  And not only do those three facts change everything, they ought to give us confidence and boldness to proclaim the good news that Jesus is Lord, that God has come to our rescue, and that his kingdom is now.  I'm not terribly concerned, for example, about Bill C-9.  But even if I were, I'm not going to let it stop me proclaiming the good news.  Because Jesus is King and in him the resurrection of the dead has begun.  And that truth ought to be as revolutionary for us as it was for Peter and John and the King and his Parliament and his Prime Minister ought to be just as afraid of this resurrection revolution as the Sadducees, the elders, and the scribes were. So Luke goes on in verse 19: “But Peter and John gave them this reply: ‘You judge,' they said, ‘whether it's right before God to listen to you rather than to God.  As far as we're concerned, we can't stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.'  Then they [the council] threatened them some more, and let them go.  They couldn't find any way to punish them because of the people, since everyone was glorifying God for what had happened.  After all, the man to whom the sign of healing had happened was over forty years old. Brothers and Sisters, don't stop talking about what you have seen and heard.  Peter and John were witnesses to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  You know what you're a witness to?  You're witness to the transforming power of those events.  Somehow most Christians seem totally unaware of this witness.  Maybe it's because we're so oblivious to our own history.  Maybe we need to read up on history so that we'll be aware of the power of the gospel.  The very thing that Peter and John looked forward to is now—at least partially—in our past.  Luke says there were five thousand believers in those days just after Pentecost.  Brothers and Sisters, today there are 2.6 billion.  They lived in a world in which no one outside Judaea had ever heard of Jesus.  We live in a world where Jesus is known the world over.  They lived in a little Jewish pocket surrounded by pagan nations so mired in moral filth it's hard for us to image the depth of depravity, because even as bad as might think the world is today, it has been so dramatically transformed by the gospel.  Our world, even the secular parts of it, value things like mercy and compassion, because of the transforming power of the gospel.  Brothers and Sisters, we live in a world that has been radically transformed by the power of the gospel.  If Peter and John had reason to be confident, you and I have even more. But notice, too, what they do when faced with opposition.  Verse 23: “When they had been released, they went back to their own people and told them everything that the chief priests and the elders had said.  When they heard it, they all together lifted up their voices to God.  ‘Sovereign Lord,' they said, ‘you made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them.  And you said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David, your servant, “Why did the nations fly into a rage, and why did the peoples think empty thoughts?  The kings of the earth arose and rulers gathered themselves together against the Lord and against his anointed Messiah.” It's true, Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the nations and the peoples of Israel, gathered themselves together in this very city against your holy servant Jesus, the one you anointed, to do whatever your hands and your plan had foreordained to take place.  So now, Lord, look on their threats and grant that we, your servants, may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, so that signs and wonders may come about through the name of your holy servant Jesus.'” It would do us well—and it would do the kingdom well—if we responded to opposition the way the disciples did.  We need to pray more and fret less.  There is a battle raging in the world.  Jesus has won the decisive victory, but that doesn't mean that the powers of this old age aren't trying to maintain their grip.  They're like the bad guys in the movies, hanging on to the edge of the cliff with their fingers—doomed, but unwilling to give up.  To pray is to stomp on their fingers and to send them falling.  Pray.  Pray the psalms.  Pray Psalm 2 the way they do here.  This was Israel's prayer, but Jesus and the events surrounding those first Christians reoriented it.  They cry out with the Psalmist: Why do the nations rage?  Why do the peoples think with empty thoughts? The kings of the earth have huddled together against the Lord.  Except this time Israel herself had become one of the nations, her priests huddled together with Pontius Pilate.  They'd crucified Jesus.  And yet the disciples, in their prayer, also acknowledge that God is sovereign.  Remember that for Jews to quote a line from a Psalm was to call to mind the whole thing.  And in Psalm 2, yes the nations raged and their kings gathered together against his anointed, but then—do you remember Psalm 2?—God laughs at them, because they're fools.  And God establishes his king on Mount Zion.  The once raging nations become his inheritance.  And Peter and John and the rest knew that in Jesus this psalm was being fulfilled.  The Psalm concludes addressing those kings, “Now therefore, O Kings, be wise” and just so the disciples pray, “Now therefore, Lord, look on their threats and grant that we, your servants, may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, so that signs and wonders may come about through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”  Brothers and Sisters, pray the Spirit-inspired scriptures back to God and things will happen.  Luke writes in verse 31: “When they had prayed the place where they were gathered was shaken.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they boldly spoke the word of God.” We should learn this prayer.  When the principalities and powers of the old age push back, pray this prayer.  When the local council or the legislature or Parliament or the King or the courts push back, pray this prayer.  When the gospel gets you in trouble with your family or at school or in your work, pray this prayer.  When you become discouraged, if you're struggling to keep the faith, if you're wrestling with sin, if you feel cornered by the world, the flesh, and the devil, pray this prayer.  Remember that you are a witness to the power of the gospel in the world.  And pray this prayer. And immediately Luke shows us the church—not just boldly proclaiming the good news—but also living it out as a community.  Luke shows us the church as the working model of God's new creation in the midst of the old.  Luke shows us the church being the new temple: the place of God's presence and the fulfilment of his promises of abundance and generosity.  Look at verses 32-37.  I was tempted to save these for next week as they lead us into Chapter 5.  I actually think they could warrant their own sermon.  But look at them now: “The company of those who believed had one heart and one soul.”  Remember Paul telling the Philippians to “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Messiah Jesus”?  Be of one Jesus-like mind.  That plays out in all sorts of ways and Luke shows us one here: “Nobody said that they owned their property; instead they had everything in common.  The apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power and great grace was upon all of them.  For there was no needy person among them, since any who possessed lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sale, and placed it at the feet of the apostles, who then gave to each according to their need.  Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, to whom the apostles gave the surname Barnabas, which means ‘son of encouragement', sold some land which belonged to him, brought the money, and laid it at the apostle's feet.” As I said a few weeks ago when we looked at Chapter 2, this doesn't mean they became a bunch of proto-Marxists.  Luke's point is that they became a family that live out the generosity and abundance of God's new creation.  We know from what we read later, that they had their own homes in which to meet.  And the focus of their charity was on the truly indigent, especially widows—on people notably with no family to take care of them.  And Paul will warn in his own letters that the able-bodied should get jobs instead of mooching off the community.  Again, the point here is that they very visible became the community in which torah itself was being fulfilled.  They've become the land of overflowing with milk and honey.  They've become the people who truly love their neighbours.  They've become the new temple in which God has returned to dwell with his people.  And they're doing and being this community right in Jerusalem: showing up the old Israel, exposing the priest and the council, showing that the old temple and its sacrifices are done.  God has fulfilled his promises and he's done so in Jesus and in the people who gathered around him in faith. And, Brothers and Sisters, we ought to be the same sort of new creation, heaven-on-earth community here.  As in Peter and John's day, the powers that be will tell us to go away and concentrate on heaven while they run the earth.  They'll warn us not to shove our religion down anyone's throat, while they, of course, will do their best to shove their materialism, their commercialism, their hedonism down our throats.  They'll get frustrated with us when we refuse to worship in their temples to money and power and sex and politics and war.  And when that happens, Brothers and Sisters, pray.  And remember that Jesus has died, Jesus has risen, and that Jesus will come again.  Be shaped by that story.  Be confident, knowing that God has and is and will fulfil his promises.  Be bold knowing that the gospel has power and that we live in a world transformed by that power, even if everyone ignores it or denies it.  Pray.  Remember.  Be bold.  And then remember that we are the family of the Messiah, marked out by his powerful name in our baptism and that in those baptismal waters, he's plunged us in to his Spirit.  He has made us new and we're not the family meant be and to bring and to live out his new creation, to live out heaven on earth in anticipation of the day when Jesus finally sets it all to rights.  We are the family that refuses to stop singing his praises and proclaiming his glory.  That's what we were created to do in the first place.  That's what Jesus has rescued us to do right now.  And it's what all creation will one day, by his grace, do again. Let's pray: O Lord, hear us in your mercy, we pray, and grant that we, to whom you have given the desire to pray, may be defended and comforted by your mighty aid, and strengthened in all dangers and adversities, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Long before Putin's invasion of Ukraine, conflict was simmering on Europe's borders. In overlooked territories in eastern Europe, the eastern Mediterranean and the Caucasus –from the Balkans and Cyprus to Abkhazia on the fringes of Georgia – local disputes spiral into regional crises, global alliances are forged and broken, and power is brokered while the West looks elsewhere. In this episode, acclaimed correspondent Hannah Lucinda Smith joins Adam McCauley to discuss her new book Hinterlands: Journeys through Europe's Unfinished Frontiers. She draws on vivid first-hand experience to paint a gripping portrait of Europe at its edges - and the struggles that will define its future. Hannah Lucinda Smith is a journalist known for reporting across the Middle East and Europe for The Times of London, The Atlantic, WIRED, and others. She is the author of Erdogan Rising, an account of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's rise to power, and Zarifa, the memoir of Afghan human rights activist Zarifa Ghafari. Adam McCauley is a journalist, academic, and policy analyst currently based in Ottawa, Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lebanon is emerging as the newest flashpoint in the increasingly strained relations between Turkey and Israel, with the former's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issuing a stark warning that Turkish security begins in Beirut. Earlier this month, Erdogan addressed his parliamentary deputies with a forceful condemnation of Israel's strikes on Lebanon and Syria, warning that Turkey's security now stretches beyond its borders, reaching as far as Damascus and Beirut. Tensions between Israel and Turkey have been steadily escalating, with Erdogan vocally supporting Hamas and leading the chorus of condemnation against Israel's military campaigns in both Gaza and Lebanon. “Lebanon is a new area of competition or dispute between Israel and Turkey," says Gallia Lindenstrauss of Tel Aviv's Institute for National Security Studies think tank. “There was definitely concern in Israel after hearing Erdogan's speech. The fact that he speaks about Syria and Lebanon as part of Turkey's security is, of course, a problem for Israel….I think this adds complexity to already a very tense relationship between Israel and Turkey." Shifting influence  In recent years, Turkey has quietly but steadily expanded its soft-power presence in Lebanon, dispatching aid and broadening the reach of its humanitarian groups. This comes as Iran's influence in the region loosens, signalled by the collapse of the Tehran-backed Assad regime in Syria and growing pressure on Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon. “Turkey is concerned about Lebanon because it can create new venues of Israeli zone of influence, when the power of Iran is on the decline,” said international relations professor Ozlem Tur, of Ankara's Middle East Technical University. Tur notes that Turkey is eager to seize the opportunities created by these shifting dynamics: “Turkey feels a vacuum of power – and who is going to fill it? And all of this is part of a larger geo-strategic position that Turkey wants to put itself in." Turkey expands influence in Africa through military training Erdogan has frequently accused Israel of trying to assert dominance across the region, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, which is believed to hold vast untapped energy reserves. Ankara suspects Israeli influence was behind Lebanon's November 2025 landmark maritime demarcation deal with Cyprus, paving the way for potential exploration of offshore gas fields and energy cooperation in the Mediterranean – a deal Turkey argues undermines its interests, as well as those of the Turkish Cypriot administration and Syria.  “Lebanon joining the competition there is of course worrying [for Ankara]”, Tur added. "This maritime dimension adds to an already competitive environment, and it makes Lebanon a partner in this competition." Trump card Meanwhile, Turkey-Israel rivalries continue to escalate.  “The Israelis, especially the hard-liners, have been really working hard to get the United States on board with their plans to take Turkey as their next target,” said international relations professor Serhat Guvenc of Istanbul's Kadir Has University.  However, Guvenc suggests that Erdogan retains a trump card. so to speak.  "The personal rapport between the two leaders, Trump and Erdogan, has been an impediment to the materialisation of such American backing to whatever plan Israelis might have in regard to Turkey." Trump's recent criticism of Israel's bombing of Beirut and Israel's ongoing attacks on Lebanon after a peace agreement with Iran, will likely further strengthen Erdogan's hand with Trump, at a time when Washington is increasingly viewing Ankara as key to its regional goals. Turkey steps up as Europe's indispensable and uncomfortable defence partner “For stability, for mediation, for assistance... in these aspects definitely the US is looking for Ankara and looking for the role Ankara can play in relaxing tensions in the region,” said Lindenstrauss. "But Ankara itself is raising tensions and, of course, Erdogan's inflammatory rhetoric to Israel is not stabilising anything.” Trump is set to visit Ankara for next month's NATO summit, where Turkey's regional role will likely dominate discussions between US and Turkish leaders – a meeting poised to deepen Israel's unease and growing sense of isolation.

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is Professor Rachel E. Johnson, Professor of Modern African History at Durham University in the UK.We begin with the 50th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, which became a defining symbol of youth resistance to apartheid. We hear from one of the students who took part in the protest, which was violently suppressed by South African security forces in June 1976.Then we have the harrowing account of an ethnic Georgian poet who fled his home in Abkhazia when the breakaway region was engulfed in war in 1993.We also hear from one of the Greek Cypriot women who, in 1987, marched towards the ceasefire line dividing Cyprus to protest against the island's partition.Next, the scientist who identified Lyme disease in 1976.Plus, the discovery of the remains known as “Mungo Man”, a 42,000‑year‑old skeleton that transformed understanding of Australia's ancient past.And Brazil's heaviest defeat in a World Cup, which happened on home soil in 2014.Contributors: Professor Rachel E. Johnson – Professor of Modern African History, Durham UniversityBongi Mkhabela – Soweto Uprising participantGuram Odisharia – Georgian poet from AbkhaziaNiki Katsaouni – Greek Cypriot peace activistDr Jim Bowler – geologistProf Allen Steere – rheumatologistThomas Müller – German footballer(Photo: Black students protesting against the compulsory teaching of Dutch-based Afrikaans in schools. Credit: Getty)

Othello – Act I scene 3 A Turkish fleet heads for Cyprus. Othello tells a love story. Desdemona speaks her mind. Iago makes a plan.

The big news of the week is undoubtedly President Trump's deal with Iran to bring an end to the war that has seen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint, shut for months. This agreement, as experts have been keen to point out, is just a start, creating a process for opening the Strait of Hormuz in the short run, and laying out a sixty-day timetable to address many other outstanding issues. What will this mean for constraining Iran's nuclear ambitions? How will it impact Israel's war with Hezbollah in Lebanon? What will it mean for a rattled global economy that's seen global trade disrupted and energy prices shoot up? How will a deal impact Europe, Greece and Cyprus? These are just a few questions swirling around in the wake of this deal. Steven Cook, Vassilis Nedos, Ian Lesser, and Maria Demertzis join Thanos Davelis as we try to answer these questions, breaking down what this deal could mean for Washington, for the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, for Europe, and for the global economy.  A little more info on our guests: Steven Cook is the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Vassilis Nedos is Kathimerini's diplomatic and defense editor. Ian Lesser is the vice president and Brussels chief of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Maria Demertzis is a Professor of Economic Policy at the European University Institute. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

A version of this essay has been published by Open Magazine at https://openthemagazine.com/world/india-will-collapse-without-digital-sovereignty-and-pax-indica-lessons-from-hormuzBy now it is clear that the Iran War (or West Asia War) has been a disaster to all concerned, including the principals as well as assorted passersby. The massive amounts spent by the US (at last count $25 billion) are at least articulated; the bill for the enormous infrastructural and human suffering inflicted on Gulf states, in the theater of war, must be greater, by definition.The collateral damages suffered by the rest of the world from the cessation of trade through the Straits of Hormuz will presumably run into the trillions of dollars. As one of the worst affected, India, which imports 90% of its hydrocarbons from the Gulf, not to mention other essential items such as urea (for fertilizer), sulfuric acid, helium, etc., is on track to take a massive hit. As an article in The Economic Times said, “India must brace for broad-based economic shock”.Indian exports of up to $50 billion are also affected, especially agricultural products including perishable foodstuffs, but also gems and jewellery, electronics, textiles and garments. Some of this can be diverted via Oman and the UAE's Fujairah port, but much of it passes through the Straits of Hormuz and is potentially blocked and/or stranded at sea.The Hormuz closure is a body blow to India's economy. What can and will India do about it? The Indian State has a habit of rising to the challenge only when there is a crisis, while vegetating otherwise. The 1991 economic crisis is a case in point; the sanctions following “The Buddha is smiling”, and the denial of cryogenic rocket engines and supercomputers are other examples where the nation rallied. So were covid vaccines. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention.Turning a threat into an opportunityIf I were to be an optimist, I could say that the current crisis is actually an opportunity. In fact, a major opportunity. My reading of the Iran War is that it is President Trump's strategic tit-for-tat against China for denying him rare earths and cutting off soybean purchases. In return Trump decided to deny China access to oil by closing access to Venezuela and Iran. Whether this will work, or whether the G2 condominium (read ‘surrender') will prevail, is unclear.But that is, in a sense, background noise that needs to be managed. India needs to focus on its own issues, of which I see several as critical, and the solution in general is to become Atmanirbhar, self-reliant, and from that, to create an Anti-Fragile nation:* National security/defense* Food security* Energy security* Digital security/narrative control* Trade securityThe first three do not need an explanation: they are obvious. Internal and external security are pre-requisites for any successful society. If India's hard-won food security can be threatened by external threats, then there needs to be some deep introspection. Energy security means diversification, both of hydrocarbon sources, and of types of energy, including renewables, nuclear, biomass, coal-based, and so on.Malign narratives and digital sovereigntyNarrative control is something that the Indian State has failed at so far; it is laughably easy to create hate speech against Indians and India (as has been demonstrated freely by any number of players, starting from the MAGA crowd, to Audrey Truschke to a”Cockroach Janata Party” and some nitwit Norwegian journalist in just the last fortnight) and there are no consequences to the culprits. It's enough to make me pine for Lee Kuan Yew's aggressive legal battles against the media.It's one thing if it were only a problem with foreigners, but with the massive spread of social media, and in particular generativeAI, it is becoming a serious domestic issue. Since India is an avid consumer of social media, and because generativeAI is trained on things like Wikipedia, X, Whatsapp and Google content, biased and motivated material becomes ensconced as The Truth. I have written about narrative warfare and manufacturing consent.This used to be a one-way tsunami of (mis)-information by legacy media, but now there is also the opposite: the wholesale and free vacuuming-up of Indian data (whatever happened to “data is the new oil”?). The “Great Firewall of China” both kept out foreign BIg Tech applications and prevented their plundering Chinese data: is that the way to go?Manufactured narratives are intended for regime change: all the color revolutions today are hatched with massive bot-farms funded by some combination of Deep State, CCP, ISI, Qatar etc. (for example the alleged Gen-Z uprisings that rocked Nepal, drove Sheikh Hasina out of Bangladesh). Thus muzzling malign narratives, and ensuring data security, are imperative.Even Singapore is not immune: it had to block anti-India narratives that likely originated from Chinese sources.A particularly striking example of narrative warfare is the virtual hate speech inducted into Wikipedia by deeply prejudiced anonymous editors. Ashley Rindsberg, who exposed the mighty New York Times' biases in his book The Gray Lady Winked, provides many examples of this.Of note to Indians and Hindus is his recent substack titled “Wikipedia's India War” where he identifies just four editors as having created most of the content condemning the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) in ‘Wikivoice', i.e. the allegedly neutral perspective of Wikipedia. They are, on the contrary, shown to be highly one-sided.As Rindsberg mentions, Wikipedia being central to generativeAI, the damage is baked into the world-view of all AI applications. Truly Orwellian. Says Rindsberg: “four… anonymous accounts can have an enormous impact on what millions of people believe to be the truth.” “Over four years (2021-2025), editors systematically erased HAF's identity as an American civil rights group, transforming its Wikipedia page into a heavily curated dossier of accusations.”Trade, and how the Spice Route was far superior to the Silk RoadFinally, something that is becoming increasingly important: ensuring freedom of trade. This is more than just freedom of navigation, although I find it instructive that Emperor Rajendra Chola sent a huge fleet 1,001 years ago simply to open up the Straits of Malacca. India can make an active attempt to regain primacy in Indian Ocean trade, the whole Pax indica idea.Here is another example of the power of narrative: we have been led to believe that the Silk Road to China was some major highway of commerce between ancient Rome and ancient China, but it was a term coined only in 1877 by the German Ferdinand von Richthofen. There was no highway. A large caravan might take six months, and with 500 camels traversing treacherous deserts and braving bandits, it might carry a maximum of 100 tons. That is puny.In comparison, on the Spice Route, a single stitched ship from Muziris could carry 400 tons of ivory, pepper, silk, tigers and elephants; and the historian Strabo around 1 CE talks about fleets of 250 ships going from Alexandria to India on a six-week monsoon-powered journey. That is 100,000 tons of merchandise. No wonder Pliny the Elder complained that Rome's treasuries were being emptied of gold by India.Simple question: where are hoards of ancient Roman coins found in Asia? Answer: not along the Silk Road. The hoards are in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.Today, it is possible for India to aspire to port-led development of trade, especially with the major ports at Trivandrum (Vizhinjam), Maharashtra (Vadhavan), and Great Nicobar (Galathea Bay). The underlying ‘software' of India's millennia-old trade competency was a ‘multi-protocol switch' as I pointed out, and today's India Stack can replicate that. Then there is the need for a blue-water navy: muscle to provide security on the Hormuz to Malacca sea-lanes.So there is a vision. How can India get there? This is where policy matters, as I discussed with policy expert Anuj Gupta. Policy, especially industrial policy, has had a bad reputation in certain circles because it was deemed to violate the virginal purity of classical capitalism. However, in a recent U-turn, even the World Bank admitted that industrial policy may not be all that bad, after all: the success of Japan, the Asian Tigers, and China can't be ignored.That leads to the question of why policy in India has produced mediocre outcomes, what is different now, and where the best use of policy might be.Industrial Policy: What went wrong in the past?There are many problems here. To begin with, the Soviet model, which Nehruvians swore by, was, in hindsight, a dead end. Second, there is the problem of governance: post-Independence bureaucrats have awkwardly borne the legacy of imperial hauteur and the needs of a developing society. Third, until recently, the bare necessities (food, electricity, road access) were not available to many citizens, and GDP growth was not their priority.There is also the culture of jugaad: of clever ways in which you overcome constraints through frugal improvisation and seat-of-the-pants making-do. This is fine for one-off things (e.g. converting a tractor trailer into a makeshift transport vehicle because your truck broke down), but it does not make for efficient and replicable industrial products. As The Economic Times said recently, it is time to junk jugaad. Quality has to become ingrained in people's minds.The issue of governance is significant: the bureaucracy and the judiciary have both under-performed, politicians, as everywhere, have been venal. It is said that China's growth can be attributed to the fact that its babus are engineers, and therefore with engineering ruthlessness move in straight lines. The US' babus are lawyers, and India's are humanities graduates. Well, engineers are not very good at second-order effects (eg. China's lurch from one-child policy to demographic collapse), but a little bit of ruthlessness is probably good.What is going reasonably well?There are a few modest success stories: for example, in electronics manufacturing or assembly. The PLIs (and DLIs) have produced the desired effort, with clusters of excellence where global suppliers have also set up shop (as they did earlier for the automobile industry in, say, Sriperumpudur). The fact that a lot of iPhones in the US are now imported from India is laudable, even though it may be derided as “screwdriver jobs”. That's where one starts the move up the value chain.The current semiconductor policy is a big hope, especially after the landmark agreement by the Dutch firm ASML with Tata Electronics in Dholera, Gujarat. Given that ASML has a near-monopoly position in Deep Ultraviolet Lithography (DUV) this is a major boost to India's chip ambitions. My recent conversation with AMD CTO Suraj Rengarajan went into India's chances to realize its ambitions.A recent announcement from Trivandrum-based fabless startup NetraSemi (a recipient of DLI) of the commercial availability of its edge AI chips is a landmark.Next is the newly announced plan for energy security revolving around both coal gasification and intensive offshore exploration. These fall squarely into the Atmanirbhar category: India simply cannot afford to have its energy held hostage by distant nations. It also needs distinctly Indian innovation.The Samudra Manthan initiative is also showing some promise. At least one out of three deep-water wells in the Andaman Sea (SriVijaya Puram-3) are reported to be showing the availability of natural gas, although it will take 5-10 years for this to be commercially available.What should the future look like for India's Industrial Policies?This of course is the hard question. Here is my personal perspective, and I accept that reasonable people may disagree. I think three areas need to be focused on, and will pay large dividends.* Drones and swarming software* Social media and AI stack* Maritime Trade and Blue-Water NavyI admit that these are not the only worthwhile industrial policies. Another is for copper, which would reverse the catastrophic effects of the closure of the Sterlite plant in Thoothukkudi, as the metal is an increasingly important component in electronics, data centers, etc., and far from being self-sufficient earlier, India now imports 50% of its needs. Another area of interest in quantum computing.There are also failures from which the right lessons need to be learned. The policy for EV batteries has apparently failed: according to Swarajya magazine, India has not been able to escape from near-total dependence on imported Chinese batteries.Drone swarmsI wrote recently that drones may well herald a step-change in warfare. For the moment, though, they are searching for their niche in offensive/defensive warfare. Drone hardware is already a well-trodden path with Chinese and other nations dominating it, although with IdeaForge, Paras, Garuda, IoTechworld Avigation etc., India is also making progress there. And India is indeed buying the hardware, $2 billion-worth, according to the Economic Times.But I believe the real game is in drone swarms. AI-based control software (similar to HiveMind) that would allow an entire swarm to act autonomously, just like a murmuration of starlings, would be the gold standard to aim for. Such a self-managing swarm would be virtually impossible to defend against, and I think India should put in place a PLI to support it, leveraging software capability in the country.Of course, drones are not just for military purposes, but also for commercial uses including things like logistics and agricultural use, such as precision delivery of fertilizer and pesticide to crops (as Garuda demonstrates). An Indian initiative that supports both drone hardware, and especially drone software, would be a potential winner.Digital Sovereignty: Social media and AI stackThere is a raging battle over which part of the AI stack India needs to invest in. As an old Unix hand, I believe the foundational model is not where the differentiation is. In analogy with Linux (the open-source Unix variant that was popularized by Linus Torvalds and an army of volunteers), there is little value in re-writing the operating system, but one can differentiate by building on top of it, or by judiciously choosing certain modules of it.Besides, the cost of building an entirely new foundational model would be astronomical and would consume the entire budget of IndiaAI Mission.Thus, my personal opinion is that the foundational model (especially when, it is believed, there are more or less open-source models available for free, e.g. Llama, DeepSeek) is not where India should expend its precious R&D resources, but on the layers of the stack above it. It is the data that matters, as Larry Ellison apparently suggests too.But there is the interesting counter-example of Sarvam AI which is producing its own sovereign model: multi-lingual and presumably otherwise tuned to Indian needs. The question is whether this can survive when hundreds of billions worth of capital investment are going to the US Big Tech companies and their Chinese rivals. The sad history of Koo, a Twitter rival, comes to mind. So does Arattai, a Whatsapp rival, whose popularity has waned. .A well-thought-through industrial policy on generativeAI is therefore essential. The status quo ante is unsustainable; given the fact that Sarvam has also found it difficult to raise funds in the US, it is worth pondering whether a China-style massive subsidy is the answer. And where should it go, into foundational models or into the layers of the stack above it? The answer is “both”, but with priority to the latter.Here is where I would prioritize investments, in order:* Vertical applications in specific domains: e.g. defense, healthcare, agriculture, governance (particularly in the judiciary and in ease of doing business in the bureaucracy)* Fine-tuning and customization: for the needs of the Indian context, e.g. multi-linguality under Bhashini* Compute infrastructure: GPUs, sovereign and protected indian datasets* Sovereign Small-Language Models such as Sarvam AIAs mentioned above, at the moment India's data is being sucked up for free by US Big Tech. In addition, there is the real danger that Indic Knowledge Systems will be mined and digested, as has happened to yoga, pranayama, etc., which have been given Western analogs and nomenclature, as in Pilates, ‘coherent breathing' etc.These two problems are connected, and both need to be tackled in parallel. Social media is being weaponized against India, and this is magnified by the legacy media in a positive feedback loop. Three examples: one was the rage against Adani based on the dubious research of Hindenburg, which then went under; the second is Bloomberg's reckless accusation about gold reserves being sold by the RBI, which they were forced to retract, but social media and Wikipedia will remember it; the third is the meteoric (media) rise of the Cockroach Janata Party.Trade using major ports, Digital Public Infrastructure and a blue water navyUsing trade for competitive advantage is an age-old tactic. The trade tiffs between the US and China are examples of this: we are witnessing war by other means. Many nations are getting into this act, and India does have some advantages, partly based on geography. Maritime trade is likely to continue to be the key, which makes naval chokepoints the big story, but not the only story to watch out for.The major aspects of maritime trade include infrastructure, the digital “multi-protocol switch”, and security. On the one hand, India is developing not only major container ports, and the road/rail links to get to them, and the industrial goods to ship out through them, but also a serious shipbuilding industry, which was one of India's historical strengths. Then it used to be stitched wooden ships (teak beams lashed together with coconut rope). Now it's modern steel ships.There are the big, efficient new ports, which can now turn ships around with Singapore-like efficiency; the proposed third aircraft carrier group which will make it possible to patrol the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal at the time; the Air-Independent Propulsion diesel submarines and nuclear submarines that can monitor (and if necessary, deny) narrow straits; the sale of supersonic Brahmos cruise missiles to the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia (and Cyprus) that create ship-denial zones: all this is muscle.And the final piece, the ‘software' for trade, the “multi-protocol switch”. This last is complicated. Its value is underestimated by many. But this is what enables friction-less transactions between various unrelated parties. The India Stack and the Digital Public Infrastructure can be utilized to provide such a facility. But it is complex enough to need significant study as to what is possible, and how to roll it out.Second-order effectsIn closing, it is worth considering some of what the (unintended) consequences of these proposals may be. Let us note that the G2 has no interest in allowing India to grow and make it a G3. They will do everything in their power to kneecap India, by all means possible.There is also a certain derision for India in some circles. Here is a generic western opinion on why China got rich, and India didn't. Well, the author doesn't consider the second-order effects of the wholesale destruction of Chinese civilization: that is a tradeoff Indians may not prefer for themselves. We all know how China's well-intentioned One Child Policy turned into demographic collapse within a few years. Besides, as The Economist asks, “China is innovative. Its economy is a mess. Which will win out?”This is why I think planning for these second-order effects is important. We tend to ignore them because they seem counterintuitive or unlikely, but Nassim Taleb has sensitized us to how low-probability Black Swan events can have grave consequences.As an example, attempting digital sovereignty may have unwelcome side-effects: Big Tech have the first-mover advantage and network effects and there are increasing returns to scale. They will surely make it hard for a new player to break in. Besides, the large investments in data centers and GCCs that they are making in India would make it very difficult for them to be ejected with a “Great Indian Firewall”.Even taxing their capture of Indian data will be complicated; not to mention that they have demonstrated that they can happily violate copyright laws with no consequence; therefore they will find ways to chew up and spit out Indian Knowledge Systems, and essentially re-colonize India. Digital colonialism is not a threat, it is a reality today, and it is a consequence of the relatively open Indian system.In addition, there is a malign group, the “barbarians within” as Arnold Toynbee once put it, who are ready to sacrifice Indian sovereignty for a pittance.Given all this, it will be very difficult to put in place serious measures to gain digital independence; and the narrative-peddling is likely to gain further momentum: just consider the caste allegations that have haunted BAPS in the US (despite the cases being dismissed by the US DoJ), the Cisco Systems case where, again, the case was dismissed, but the narrative continues, and the persistent efforts in various US states to turn caste into a weapon to bludgeon Indians.Another sensitive issue is that of the multi-protocol switch for trade. While from an Indian point of view, it eases trade and harks back to a Golden Age of Indic maritime commerce, but that will be viewed elsewhere very differently, for instance by the US as an attempt to de-dollarize. The US has jealousy guarded – with very good reasons that we will not go into here – the dollar's reserve currency status.We have also seen what happened to those who attempt to hurt the dollar's primacy: in 1985, the Plaza Accord devalued the dollar, and that was a body blow to Japan's economy, which has not recovered its mojo to this day. Later, Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi both had ideas about replacing the petro-dollar with, respectively, the Euro and a new pan-African gold-backed currency. We know what happened to them.If the India Stack multi-protocol switch is perceived as an alternative to the US dollar, there may be grave consequences. Therefore, it should be conceived and deployed only as an adjunct to it and to the almighty SWIFT settlement system.ConclusionIndia is at a crossroads now. Even though the Hormuz closure is a serious problem, if it plays its cards right, adversity can be turned into opportunity across a variety of perspectives. The key is Atmanirbhar, self-reliance. If India can now implement a crash program of industrial policy, and at the same time overcome an ingrained Third-World tendency to cut corners, it can finally break free of the years of underperformance, what I called the Nehruvian Penalty in 2004.It is possible, but there are caveats: unforeseen consequences. Hic sunt dracones. Here be dragons. Be afraid. Be very afraid.3700 words, 7 June 2026This is episode 192 of the Shadow Warrior podcast. Here is a companion AI-generated slideshow. (Note that the borders of India are not necessarily depicted correctly here, because it is generated by an AI, notebookLM.google.com) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Go To Food, we sit down with the extraordinary Andi Oliver for one of the most captivating conversations we've ever had. From growing up between Cyprus, Norfolk and Suffolk to becoming one of Britain's most influential food voices, Andi takes us on a journey through a life filled with adventure, resilience, music, family and incredible food. Her stories are as rich and layered as the dishes she creates.Andi shares unforgettable memories from her childhood, including beach picnics in Cyprus, discovering the connection between sea and plate while watching fishermen pull squid straight from the Mediterranean, and learning to cook Sunday roasts and Bakewell tarts as a teenager navigating a difficult upbringing. She opens up about overcoming racism, finding solace in books and food, and hosting dinner parties at just 12 years old, long before she ever imagined a career in hospitality.We also dive into her remarkable music career, from London's wild club scene and the legendary Hot Style nights in Soho to joining Rip Rig + Panic alongside Neneh Cherry. There are brilliant stories about raising a young Miquita Oliver while touring, Miquita's unexpected rise to fame on Popworld, surviving the Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand, and the incredible cast of characters that passed through Andi's life during one of the most creative periods in British culture.Along the way, Andi reflects on the loss of her beloved brother Sean, her own journey through grief and recovery, the evolution of Saturday Kitchen and Great British Menu, and why preserving endangered food traditions has become such an important mission.You can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen.And remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set.Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!BUY TICKETS TO OUR LIVE SHOW HERE - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/go-to-food-podcast-live-with-chef-adam-byatt-tickets-1992111901323?aff=oddtdtcreatorWatch and Subscribe To Our Youtube Videos Here - https://www.youtube.com/@gotofoodYou can book a virtual demonstration with Quooker to find the right setup for your kitchen and remember, until the end of August, if you use the code GO TO FOOD, you'll get free installation and a free Quooker glassware set. Just head to www.Quooker.co.uk now!Get 2 Months of Blinq For Free - With Code - GOTOBLINQ - https://blinqme.com/Order The Greatest Meat In The Country From HG Walter Here & Have Restaurant Quality Meals From Home - www.hgwalter.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In June 1987, hundreds of women walked towards a ceasefire line that had divided Cyprus since 1974. The island was split after a coup backed by Greece and a subsequent Turkish military intervention, which left thousands displaced on both sides. Many of the women were Greek Cypriots who had fled their homes in the north during the conflict. They hoped their peace walk would draw international attention to the island's division, as they wanted to return to the homes they had lost more than a decade earlier. The group held white flags and banners with their slogan ‘We Come In Peace' in Greek, Turkish and English. Some media coverage at the time described the protest as potentially provocative and warned it could escalate tensions. Niki Katsaouni, one of the leading figures of the movement, speaks to Elena Angelides. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Women Walk Home march. Credit: University of Cyprus Library)

Join us as we dig deeper into last Sunday's sermon from Pastor Marcus Lane "The Gospel on Trial" and hear from Amy Duncan and Nate Zuellig on "Cornerstone". Digging Deeper Questions: How does the notion that "the word does the work" shift how you approach the calling to take part in God's mission?   Have you ever encountered the accusation or felt like Christianity is exclusive? How does the nature of grace help address this concern?   How might the life of the early church challenge you to grow in generosity? Scripture Reading: Acts 4:1-22, 32-37 1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.   5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."   13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, "What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name." 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.   32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. Intro/Outro Song: "Only One" Nate Zuellig ULC Artist In Residence    "Cornerstone" Hillsong CCLI Song # 6158927   CCLI License # 11254293

CELÉ TO NÁJDEŠ TU: herohero.co/piatocek/subscribe Čože, Roman, to už naozaj prešlo pol roka, odkedy sme naposledy so Samom Marcom rozobrali, čo sa deje v našej politike? Samo s Adamom tentokrát rozobrali, či je Andrej Danko ultimátnym politickým víťazom, či je dobrý nápad posielať Miroslava Radačovského na Cyprus alebo čo by mal robiť Matúš Šutaj Eštok namiesto ministrovania. Toto je len prvá časť rozhovoru. V druhej časti, ktorú nájdete na našom HeroHero, sa dozviete, či sa peniaze naozaj pri prevode na iný účet transformujú alebo prečo nevadí, že Fico aj napriek kauze okolo svojho syna stále rieši rodiny všetkých svojich oponentov. - PODPOR NÁS NA: herohero.co/piatocek/subscribe - Dajte odber na náš nový YouTube kanál: ⁠http://youtube.com/@piatocek⁠ - Instagram:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/piatocek_podcast/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Randall Robinson, a longtime member and Antioch graduate of Hope Church, opens by sharing his own story of being commissioned and sent to Kansas City to help plant a church — a story that mirrors the very passage he's preaching from. Picking up in Acts 13–14, he walks the congregation through Paul's first missionary journey with Barnabas, beginning at the church in Antioch where the Holy Spirit called them out while the believers were already actively worshiping, fasting, and seeking God. From there, Paul and Barnabas traveled through Cyprus and into the region of Galatia, going first to the synagogues and then to the Gentiles, boldly proclaiming the gospel in ways tailored to each audience — while keeping the message itself unchanged. Randall draws out five key points from these two chapters: the mission starts with God's initiative, the gospel must be proclaimed clearly, the gospel will be both received and rejected, the mission advances through resilient faith, and the glory for the results belongs to God alone. He's especially careful to remind the congregation that when people reject the gospel, they are not rejecting the person sharing it — they are rejecting God, and it is God who is ultimately responsible for the outcome. Closing with a personal reflection on God's faithfulness through job loss, illness, and transition, Randall challenges every believer to live sent, learn to share the gospel clearly, expect resistance, and hold the results with an open hand before the Lord.

The Black Death swept across Europe in the mid-14th century, killing millions and leaving entire regions devastated. No corner of the continent was spared, and Cyprus too fell victim to the deadly pandemic. Giovanni Francesco Loredano, writing under the pseudonym Henrico Giblet, claimed that the plague struck Cyprus in early 1348, spreading from Famagusta and lasting a full year. He described widespread devastation, the king's withdrawal to the “Castello Dio d'Amore,” (Saint Hilarion) and the ennobling of foreigners to replace lost nobility. Next month, I welcome back Dr. Tassos Papacostas (King's College London) to discuss the Black Death and Cyprus! Click HERE to follow on Instagram or copy and paste this link: instagram.com/thehistoryofcyprus Click HERE to support on Patreon or copy and paste this link: patreon.com/thehistoryofcypruspodcast  

Carol Post shares in our series, Acts. Today we are in Acts 13:1-12.

Reader: Bek Hudson Preacher: Jonathan Smith The first deliberate, organised mission in Acts is launched from the new community in Antioch - not in a strategic meeting, but as they worship and fast. Paul and Barnabas's first significant encounter on the island of Cyprus is a head-to-head with Elymas, a sorcerer who tries to prevent the proconsul from hearing the gospel. The encounter is not random, itʼs a sign: the mission will face spiritual opposition, but the Spirit of God will prevail. Red Door is an Anglican Church in Melbourne, Australia. We exist to be a community of people helping people make allbecau of life all about Jesus.

This week was one full of developments for the Eastern Mediterranean. Top of the list was the announcement in Houston of a major milestone for the region, as the US, Greece, Cyprus and Israel inaugurated the East Med Energy Center, putting into action a major provision of the landmark 2019 EastMed Act, a key priority of HALC. Earlier in the week the East Med Gas Forum was also in the headlines, as ministers and senior representatives from Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Italy, the US, and the World Bank sat at the same table in DC. The meeting highlighted both Washington's and Greece's increasingly important role in shaping the region's energy agenda. As we saw East Med countries expand their cooperation, Turkey's increasingly confrontational posture in the region was on full display this week as its fighter jets interfered with a military aircraft carrying European defense officials to an EU meeting in Cyprus. Turning our attention to Greece, we're shifting gears to look at an ongoing challenge facing the country, which is protecting its natural landscapes. With reports of small wildfires already popping up in local media, and given that last week was World Environment Day, we look into how groups like Ecogenia and the California Conservation Corps are partnering up in the field in this summer to protect Greece's most valuable natural landscapes. Lena Argiri, Sinan Ciddi, Lia Papazoglou, and Annie Schroeder join Thanos Davelis this week as we look into the significance of the new East Med Energy Center, Turkey's harassment of aircraft carrying European defense ministers to Cyprus, and the ongoing efforts to mobilize Greece's youth around climate action. Stay tuned as we're back with another “I am HALC” segment, this time turning our attention to Chicago's Eleni Apostolopoulos Katsoulis, an attorney working at the intersection of healthcare and law that's now also tackling the legal dimensions of AI. Recognized as a 40 under 40 attorney to watch in Illinois, Eleni is also a former president of the Hellenic Bar Association, a founding member of the Hellenic Legal Assistance Services pro bono clinic, a member of HALC's first flagship Leadership 2030 class, and a dedicated mom. A little more info on our guests: Lena Argiri is the Washington, DC Correspondent for Greek Public Broadcasting (ERT) and Kathimerini. Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and director of its Turkey program. Lia Papazoglou is the co-founder of Ecogenia. Annie Schroeder is a Project Coordinator for the California Conservation Corps. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

Exploring the lives of three Jewish doctors. Living in very different settings, yet linked by a common thread: compassion. They left a lasting mark on medicine and Jewish history and were dedicated to the strong belief that every fragile life matters. In New York, Dr Martin Couney helped save thousands of babies. His sideshow displays were controversial, but at a time when incubator technology was widely doubted, his exhibits brought life-saving technology into the public eye. Dr Mary Gordon was born in Lithuania and her trailblazing career as a pioneering female physician who was deeply connected to Jewish life, allowed her to carry her medical calling into some of the hardest moments of the twentieth century, in Palestine, in detention camps in Cyprus and through world wars. Dr Shlomo Adler's reputation in London as a beloved doctor and trusted medical confidant to Gedolim and Torah leaders as well as to thousands of patients, rested on his complete commitment to care, innovation and halacha. We also hear from his son Dr Yossi Adler - who has continued a 3 generational family legacy - about AI and other issues confronting medicine today   Timestamps: - **0:00:00 – 0:01:13** – Podcast intro, series context (Medicine Part 2), and mention of guests (Rabbi Tatz & Dr. Yossi Adler) - **0:01:13 – 0:02:16** – Introduction of Mary Gordon; granddaughter of Reb Eliezer Gordon; name changes (Miriam → Mary, Sara → Sylvia)   - **0:02:16 – 0:03:49** – Background on the Gordon family, Telshe Yeshiva, and Reb Eliezer Gordon's leadership and social conscience (matzah bakeries)   - **0:03:49 – 0:06:21** – Fire in Telshe (1908), Reb Eliezer Gordon's fundraising trip to England, his death, funeral, and Mary receiving apology from the Chief Rabbi   - **0:06:21 – 0:09:00** – Mary's struggle to enter university, re-doing exams in England, brilliance and speed of study, financial help from Rabbi Moishe Hirsh Siegel, graduation as a physician   - **0:09:00 – 0:10:27** – Status of women doctors in England; WWI, shortage of male doctors; Mary becomes first female medical student allowed to practice in the army   - **0:10:27 – 0:12:57** – Move to South Africa; reuniting with family; pioneering practice in Johannesburg General Hospital; treating rich and poor, all races; miners' strike of 1922   - **0:12:57 – 0:15:30** – Plans to move to Palestine; WWII intervenes; army medical role, rank of captain then lieutenant colonel; final move to Palestine (1946)   - **0:15:30 – 0:18:18** – Postwar DP situation; Anglo-American committee, Truman's proposal for 100,000 DPs; British refusal; Cyprus detention policy and harsh camp conditions   - **0:18:18 – 0:21:06** – Mary chosen by the Jewish Agency to serve in Cyprus; tiny medical team; overwhelming numbers, disease, births; her legendary dedication; quote about measuring temperature vs pain   - **0:21:06 – 0:22:28** – New Year's 1948 story (two big ships arrive, many pregnant women and newborns); Mary persuades nurses to stay; later work in Israel with Yemenite immigrants; return to South Africa, work in Soweto clinics, death and legacy   - **0:22:28 – 0:24:04** – Introduction of Dr. Yossi Adler; recognition that “Dr. Adler” was a global communal institution   - **0:24:04 – 0:26:24** – Growing up in a house that doubled as a practice; constant stream of patients; balancing family meals with emergencies, especially before Hatzalah   - **0:26:24 – 0:28:18** – What made Dr. Adler's practice unique: long-term relationships, personalized care, deep sense of responsibility, readiness to innovate   - **0:28:18 – 0:32:24** – Early roots of his father's connection to Gedolim (Gerrer Rebbe, Imrei Emes); later relationships with Gedolim and Rebbes (Stipler, R' Shach, Satmar, Klausenburger, etc.)   - **0:32:24 – 0:36:24** – Stories illustrating kavod from Rebbes (“Malach Refael goes with Dr. Adler”), and equal importance of all patients; how he handled treating Gedolim without intimidation   - **0:36:24 – 0:40:21** – Lessons Dr. Yossi learned: time use, achrayus (responsibility), integrating halacha and derech eretz into medicine; a few character-defining stories   - **0:40:21 – 0:44:04** – Role of a frum doctor today: giving clear medical facts for Rabbanim, especially in end-of-life, surgery, fasting, and shidduch situations; why doctor ≠ posek   - **0:44:04 – 0:49:05** – Community health issues:   - Vaccine hesitancy and mistrust of authorities     - Halachic support for following broadly accepted medical guidance     - SIDS reduction through “back to sleep” and risk of complacency   - **0:49:05 – 0:53:59** – Discussion on modern weight-loss medications (semaglutide, tirzepatide): when benefits outweigh risks (severe obesity) vs mainly cosmetic use   - **0:53:59 – 0:56:51** – Google and patient information: opportunities and dangers; importance of joint doctor–patient interpretation rather than self-treatment   - **0:56:51 – 0:57:40** – Rabbi Tatz introduction, playful comment about trying to “one up” Rabbi Hirsch with an unknown medical figure   - **0:57:40 – 0:59:37** – Background of Dr. Cooney (Mikhail Kohn): Jewish origins in Prussia, medical studies, interest in premature infants and early incubators   - **0:59:37 – 1:03:10** – Move to America; transformation into “Dr. Cooney”; sideshow incubator exhibits at fairs and Coney Island; hospitals giving up on babies, parents bringing infants in shoeboxes; high survival rates   - **1:03:10 – 1:05:00** – Framing ethical and halachic questions: doing something risky to save life; early incubators as both spectacle and lifesaving tool   - **1:05:00 – 1:08:32** – Classic halachic scenario: terminal/“Ha'ei Sha'ah” patient offered high-risk procedure with chance of cure vs certain shorter-term survival; introduction to “Lo chosheshin lechayei sha'ah” in this context   - **1:08:32 – 1:12:08** – Majority view:     - If chance of success >50%, patient *should* generally accept.     - If

Ivanka and Jared Kushner's plans for a billion dollar luxury resort in an environmentally-protected part of Albania is causing major protests in the Balkan country.Joining Seán to discuss is Helena Smith, the Guardian's Correspondent in Greece, Turkey and Cyprus...

Saint Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles, a Galilean; the Gospel accounts say little more about him. It is said that, after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he traveled in the service of the Gospel to Arabia and Persia, and brought to India a translation of the Gospel according to Matthew. Eusebius writes that one hundred years later Pantaenus, an illustrious Alexandrian scholar, found this gospel when he traveled in India. By most accounts Bartholomew ended his life in Armenia, where he met his martyrdom by crucifixion. According to many, he and Nathaniel are the same person: the Gospel accounts that speak of Bartholomew do not mention Nathaniel; and St John's Gospel,which mentions Nathanael as one of the Twelve, does not mention Bartholomew. But according to the Greek Synaxarion, Bartholomew and Simon the Zealot are one and the same.   Saint Barnabas was one of the Seventy, from Cyprus, a Levite and at one time a fellow-student with St Paul under Gamaliel. After Christ's Ascension, he led the Seventy until the Apostle Paul's conversion. He is mentioned often in the Acts of the Apostles, which describes some of his travels as a companion of St Paul. By all accounts, he was the first to preach the Gospel of Christ in Rome and in Milan. His wonder-working relics were discovered on the island of Cyprus in the time of the Emperor Zeno; on this basis the Church of Cyprus was established as an independent Church, since it had an apostolic foundation.

Friends of the Rosary,Today is the Memorial of St. Barnabas, Apostle.Born in Cyprus, he embraced the faith soon after Christ's death and became a member of the original Jerusalem community. He was a Hellenist, that is, a Jew who lived outside of Palestine and spoke Greek. His first name was Joseph; Barnabas (etymology: "son of consolation") was a surname.Barnabas first noteworthy deed was to sell his belongings and place the money at the feet of the apostles.He presented St. Paul to the other Apostles. He was Paul's companion and helper on his first missionary journey (about 45-48 A.D.)He played an important role in the first expansion of Christianity beyond the Jewish world.His name has been mentioned in the Canon of the Mass since ancient times.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠June 11, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Good morning. For followers of football, this is an important day. The FIFA men's World Cup begins, and all around the world, fans are preparing themselves to cheer on their favourite team. Although the real stars of the competition are the talented players and their coaches, we should not underestimate the importance of supporters. Numerous pieces of research have shown that the presence of fans does have a positive impact on how well a team plays. So much so, in fact, that they're often called the twelfth player. This became particularly clear during covid when football matches were played without anyone else present. When this happened, the home team advantage melted away. Without a crowd in the stands to cheer them on, the footballers struggled to play their best. The sudden lack of the presence of supporters at games highlighted that fans really do make a difference to how teams play. Today, churches around the world celebrate the feast of St Barnabas. Born in Cyprus, he was originally called Joseph but was renamed Barnabas by the earliest Christians, a name which means ‘son of encouragement'. Stories in the Acts of the Apostles show that Barnabas dedicated his life to encouraging others. He was generous and supportive, brave and compassionate, so much so, in fact, that he is the patron saint of encouragement. This doesn't mean that Barnabas spent his life simply being nice to people. He was courageous. When the apostle Paul first converted, many other Christians were frightened of him and Barnabas stood up for him; but when Paul later fell out with John Mark, for abandoning his missionary journey and returning to Jerusalem, Barnabas supported John Mark against the more powerful Paul. An encourager stands up for you when you need it most. Everyone needs encouragement. We all need people on our side, cheering us on and giving us hope, confidence and the strength to continue. The people who have been most important my life are not the ones who have, entirely correctly, pointed out the many things I've done wrong, but the ones who have given me the vision of who I could be and the things I could do. We need people to believe in us; it is what enables us to do our best. Over the next five weeks, whether you are a football fan or not, perhaps you can take a moment to pause and give thanks for the people who have been your biggest fans in life, and to remember that no matter what form it takes, encouragement really does make a difference.

Ťažko prezidentovi radiť, keď už vyslanie pána Radačovského dvakrát odobril, vraví bývalý veľvyslanec na Cypre Dušan Rozbora. V rozhovore s reportérom Dušanom Mikušovičom hovorí, ako vyzerá práca veľvyslanca na tomto ostrove, prečo je tento post pre Slovensko zvlášť významný aj čo vraví na prezentáciu Miroslava Radačovského na zahraničnom výbore.

Full Text of Readings Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle Lectionary: 580/362 The Saint of the day is Saint Barnabas Saint Barnabas' Story Saint Barnabas, a Jew of Cyprus, comes as close as anyone outside the Twelve to being a full-fledged apostle. He was closely associated with Saint Paul—he introduced Paul to Peter and the other apostles—and served as a kind of mediator between the former persecutor and the still suspicious Jewish Christians. When a Christian community developed at Antioch, Barnabas was sent as the official representative of the church of Jerusalem to incorporate them into the fold. He and Paul instructed in Antioch for a year, after which they took relief contributions to Jerusalem. Later Paul and Barnabas, now clearly seen as charismatic leaders, were sent by Antioch officials to preach to the gentiles. Enormous success crowned their efforts. After a miracle at Lystra, the people wanted to offer sacrifice to them as gods—Barnabas being Zeus, and Paul, Hermes—but the two said, “We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God” (see Acts 14:8-18). But all was not peaceful. They were expelled from one town, they had to go to Jerusalem to clear up the ever-recurring controversy about circumcision, and even the best of friends can have differences. When Paul wanted to revisit the places they had evangelized, Saint Barnabas wanted to take along his cousin John Mark, author of the Gospel, but Paul insisted that since Mark had deserted them once, he was not fit to take along now. The disagreement that followed was so sharp that Barnabas and Paul separated: Barnabas taking Mark to Cyprus, Paul taking Silas to Syria. Later they were reconciled—Paul, Barnabas and Mark. When Paul stood up to Peter for not eating with gentiles for fear of his Jewish friends, we learn that “even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy” (see Galatians 2:1-13). Reflection Saint Barnabas is spoken of simply as one who dedicated his life to the Lord. He was a man “filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. Thereby, large numbers were added to the Lord.” Even when he and Paul were expelled from Antioch in Pisidia—modern-day Turkey—they were “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Acts 13:1-8 New International Version   13 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. 4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. 6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.

Today we're diving into the incredible journey of Johnny Coyne, an actor who traveled from the rugged mountains of Cyprus to the legendary sets of the Star Wars universe. Known for his "great face" and iconic turns as authoritarian villains in The Blacklist, Preacher, and Alcatraz, Johnny pulls back the curtain on the "panic" and imposter syndrome that still fuel his craft today. We explore how a RADA-trained talent who once packed shelves at Toys "R" Us transitioned from "unconsciously unskilled" to landing direct offers from Jon Favreau and sharing the screen with legends like Denzel Washington and Viola Davis. Whether he's a mysterious warden or finding the vulnerable lost boy inside a master villain, Johnny's story is a raw, hilarious, and inspiring masterclass in resilience and the power of simply keeping the motor going. These are the unforgettable stories that landed Jonny Coyne right here. Credits: Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Alcatraz The Blacklist For All Mankind The Hangover Part III Gangster Squad Nightcrawler The Family Plan MOM Preacher The Toxic Avenger Guest Links: IMDB: Jonny Coyne, Actor THAT ONE AUDITION'S LINKS: For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don't forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition SELF TAPE SORTED WORKSHOP: LONDON - June 20th (in person) SELF-TAPE MAY CLASS: STM REPLAY THE BRIDGE FOR ACTORS: Become a WORKING ACTOR (50% off special) THE PRACTICE TRACK: Membership to Practice Weekly PATREON: @thatoneaudition CONSULTING: Get 1-on-1 advice for your acting career from Alyshia Ochse COACHING: Get personalized coaching from Alyshia on your next audition or role INSTAGRAM: @alyshiaochse INSTAGRAM: @thatoneaudition WEBSITE: AlyshiaOchse.com ITUNES: Subscribe to That One Audition on iTunes SPOTIFY: Subscribe to That One Audition on Spotify STITCHER: Subscribe to That One Audition on Stitcher EPISODE CREDITS: HOST/PRODUCER: Alyshia Ochse WRITER: Maddie McCormick WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu

What truly creates a strong organizational culture?In our latest podcast episode, we had the pleasure of hosting Stavros Ioannou, CEO of Grant Thornton Cyprus, to explore the critical role trust plays in building healthy, high-performing organizations.Trust is not built through policies or slogans. It is created every day through actions, consistency, and the way people interact with one another.During our conversation, we discussed:

Live Voluntarily For The Lord! Acts 4:34-37 34that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. 36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

With tensions running high in the Middle East, President Trump on Friday said Iranian leaders had not yet reached a deal with the US to end the ongoing war. President Trump has insisted that he's in no rush to make a deal, and that he doesn't care about how the ongoing war could impact the midterms. At the same time, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is showing little sign of slowing down, despite attempts by the Trump administration to broker a cease-fire between the two.  These conflicts have sounded the alarm in Europe, especially in countries like Cyprus, where dealing with the fallout from these crises has become a key part of the national debate. This was the climate that Cyprus recently held parliamentary elections in, elections that saw anti-establishment parties gain ground. These elections can be seen as a benchmark of trends ahead of the upcoming 2028 presidential election. Meanwhile, a major tourist development project in Albania, with links to Jared Kushner, has become the focus of protests and political controversy that is even pulling Greece into the story. Local residents, including many ethnic Greeks living in the area, have expressed concerns about the project, with issues ranging from transparency and environmental concerns to long running disputes over property rights. Aaron David Miller, Nektaria Stamouli, and Yannis Papadopoulos join Thanos Davelis to explore the wider ramifications of the ongoing war with Iran and the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon, look at the latest parliamentary elections in Cyprus, and turn our attention to an evolving story in Albania, where a planned billion dollar tourist project is at the heart of controversy and protests that has had a spillover effect into Greek-Albanian relations. Taking us to our “I am HALC” segment, we're highlighting one of HALC's earliest members and a member of its first flagship Leadership 2030 team in Chicago, Peter Kourkouvis. An attorney making a name for himself in real estate law, he's also playing an integral role in putting Greek culture - from the arts to music - in the spotlight in Chicago, setting up major tribute concerts dedicated to Rebetiko music, Mikis Theodorakis, and Manos Hatzidakis. A little more info on our guests: Aaron David Miller is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and expert on the Middle East. Nektaria Stamouli is the deputy editor in chief of Kathimerini's English Edition and Politico's Eastern Mediterranean correspondent. Yannis Papadopoulos is a journalist with Kathimerini. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.

In this episode of The Sacred Travel Podcast, Julia sits down with Eloise Bennett, international bestselling author, ordained Magdalene priestess, oracle, and founder of the Seraphina Temple of Light.Together they explore the sacred site medicine of Avalon and Cyprus, the path of feminine remembrance, the awakening of oracular gifts, and how sacred places help us clear, receive, and embody higher wisdom. Eloise shares her personal spiritual journey, the founding of the Seraphina Temple of Light, and the guidance she received that led to the creation of the Seraphim Healing modality.What You'll Walk Away With:Eloise shares openly about living with dyslexia and ADHD and how these qualities became strengths rather than limitations on her path.Don't miss Eloise's Oracle Reading at the end - powerful messages of healing for the collective at times of uncertainty and pain we are moving through

Mary and Martha, with their brother Lazarus, were especially devoted disciples of our Lord; their story up to the time of the Resurrection can be found in Luke 10 and John 11-12. Mary and Martha were among the Myrrh-bearing women. They, with their brother, reposed in Cyprus, where Lazarus became first Bishop of Kition after he was raised from death by Christ.   An ancient tradition holds that Lazarus was thirty years old when he was restored to life by the Lord, and that he lived another thirty years. After he was raised from the dead, he never again laughed; but once, when he saw someone stealing a clay pot, he smiled and said, 'Clay stealing clay.' His name is a Greek version of Eleazar, meaning 'God has helped.'

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Ahoy, me hearties! William Swallow became the pirate captain of the convict ship Cyprus after he seized the vessel in Tasmania in 1829. From there, it was a case of ‘Bring me that horizon!', with Swallow and his crew of motley misfits setting sail for freedom on the far side of the world. Author Ally Burnham joins us to explain how she researched this swashbuckling true story for Swallow, the first novel in an epic trilogy that will thrill fans of Master and Commander. It's an amazing tale of a fast-talking escape artist, of high stakes on the high seas, and of boldness and tenderness in an era of unspeakable brutality. Plus: Ally has some top tips on how to swear like a pirate! Support Forgotten Australia for a few bucks per month for ad-free early and exclusive bonus episodes and the chance to win prizes.Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustraliaApple: apple.co/forgottenaustraliaEmail: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.comCheck out my books!They'll Never Hold Me:https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.htmlThe Murder Squad:https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.htmlHanging Ned Kelly:https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.htmlAustralia's Sweetheart:https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Greek News Global for 4 June 2026, with legendary Greek-Australian journalist, John Mangos. In this bulletin; the EU and Israel weigh in on Turkey's Blue Homeland. Turkey dealt a blow on their Turkaegean campaign. Greek tensions with Albania escalate. And heavy metal causes an earthquake in AthensSend us Fan MailSupport the showEmail us at ouzotalk@outlook.comSubscribe to our Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OuzoTalkFollow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OuzoTalkFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ouzo_talk/

The boys return for another week to discuss the latest in Greek football, the gift that keeps on giving.International breakGreece travel to face Sweden and host Italy in PankritikoHow will Jovanovic give chances to in these friendlies?Cyprus play Slovenia and LiechtensteinSLGRThe Super League council votes on whether to keep the playoffs or alter the league with a new format.Other newsPanathinaikos hire Jacob NeestrupWill Nikos Papadopoulos stay at Levadiakos?Which SLGR players are heading to the World Cup?Olympiakos and AEK are already busy in the transfer market.A look back at Panathinaikos reaching the European Cup final Give us a follow on:X: https://twitter.com/HellasfootyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellasfooty/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/@HellasFootyRead our blogs on: https://hellasfooty.blogspot.com/Intro music credit to George Prokopiou (Ermou Street)

After the failed revolt against Persian rule, Cyprus experienced a brief and uneasy calm. But that peace quickly unraveled, as the island was drawn into the heart of the renewed conflict between Athens and Persia, becoming a key battleground in a decades-long imperial struggle. In this episode, we explore the turbulent and often overlooked 5th century BCE in Cypriot history -- the period between the failed Cyprus Revolt and the rise of Evagoras I. Dr. Christian Körner joins the History of Cyprus Podcast once more to help us navigate a challenging historical landscape, where much of what we know comes from fragmentary, Athenian-biased sources like Diodorus and Thucydides. As the Greco-Persian Wars intensify, Cyprus is repeatedly drawn into the conflict. We trace four major Athenian-led campaigns culminating in the death of General Kimon. Were the Athenians seen as liberators or invaders? And is the idea of “freedom” for Greek cities in Cyprus truly about independence -- or merely the exchange of one overlord for another?

The debut feature film of Cypriot filmmaker Myrsini Aristidou, titled Hold Me, is coming to this year's Sydney Film Festival, having already won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. The film will be screened on June 6 and 7 as part of the Festival's official program. - Η πρώτη μεγάλου μήκους ταινία της Κύπριας δημιουργού Μυρσίνη Αριστείδου με τίτλο «Κράτα με» έρχεται στο φετινό Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου του Σύδνεϋ, έχοντας ήδη κατακτήσει το Βραβείο Κοινού στην κατηγορία World Cinema Dramatic του Sundance Film Festival. Η ταινία θα προβληθεί στις 6 και 7 Ιουνίου, στο πλαίσιο του επίσημου προγράμματος του Φεστιβάλ.

(5) Josiah Osgood explains that by 58 BCE, Caesar's allies sent Cato to Cyprus to liquidate its treasury, a mission Catoperformed with obsessive rectitude. Simultaneously, Caesar departed for Gaul, building a formidable military reputation and a deep bond with his soldiers through strategic risk-taking. The alliance between Caesar and Pompey was cemented by Pompey's marriage to Caesar's daughter, Julia. However, Julia's death in childbirth severed this vital link. Catoexploited this loss, romancing Pompey toward the senatorial side as anarchy and riots plagued Rome, signaling the beginning of the Triumvirate's collapse.

For over 50 years, the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf has ministered to the Christians who live and work in the Muslim-majority countries that surround the Arabian Gulf. Parishioner Helen Goodkin shares her insights during Coffee Hour.

Antigoni — Cyprus' Eurovision 2026 singer — speaks with our William Lee Adams at the Eurofan House x Wiwibloggs interview series in Vienna. The "JALLA!" hitmakers unpacks her journey from a child with a distinct, smoky voice to the confident woman turning heads and winning hearts at Eurovision. She keeps it real: Antigoni spent many years messaging the Cypriot broadcaster CyBC about Eurovision before they finally acknowledged her. Family has been central to her journey. She tells us about her extended family in Cyprus — and we even get to sing happy birthday to her mother — the celebrated TV chef Tonia Buxton. Interviewer: William: http://instagram.com/williamleeadams  

Lack of healthcare infrastructure and distrust of authorities are challenging efforts to confront the latest Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo. Also, more trials begin for former Syrian officials involved in torturing their own citizens. And, rising geopolitical tensions complicate an already fragile dynamic in Cyprus. Plus, NASA announces plans to create a permanent presence on the moon. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We're decked out in our red carpet finest for our podcast's official awards ceremony: the Eurovangies! It just wouldn't be the end of the Eurovision 2026 season without some new awards, some old favorites, and even a listener postcard or two. Jeremy demands justice for Latvia's second place artist, Dimitry's stumping for his man Boy, and Oscar tells us we all need to Pray.  Watch Kautkaili's "Te un tagad" at Supernova this year on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmdfpyip0CQ  Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joineurovangelistsEurovangelists is an American Eurovision podcast, made in the US for Eurovision fans worldwide. The Eurovangelists are Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya and Dimitry Pompée.The theme was arranged and recorded by Cody McCorry and Faye Fadem, and the logo was designed by Tom Deja.Production support for this show was provided by the Maximum Fun network.The show is edited by Jeremy Bent with audio mixing help was courtesy of Shane O'Connell.Find Eurovangelists on social media as @eurovangelists on Instagram and @eurovangelists.com on Bluesky, or send us an email at eurovangelists@gmail.com. Head to https://maxfunstore.com/collections/eurovangelists for Eurovangelists merch. Also follow the Eurovangelists account on Spotify and check out our playlists of Eurovision hits, competitors in upcoming national finals, and companion playlists to every single episode, including this one!

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Ricardo Karam sits down with Farid Chedid in a conversation that goes beyond insurance and business, exploring the journey of a man who built, from Lebanon, a network of trust that expanded across the region and the world, in an industry fundamentally built around uncertainty and risk.The discussion begins with the meaning of insurance in times of war and collapse, when danger becomes part of everyday life and traditional ideas of safety and stability are constantly challenged. It explores how insurance companies redefine risk in a world shaped by recurring crises, and whether insurance in such circumstances remains a true form of protection or becomes an attempt to manage loss.The conversation also highlights the creation of “Chedid Re” and its journey from Cyprus to the Gulf, Europe, and Africa, reflecting on what it takes to build a global company from the region through risk-taking, long-term vision, and the ability to create trust in an industry built largely on promises. It further explores Farid Chedid's approach to leadership and decision-making, and the relationship between instinct, experience, and fear in navigating uncertainty and constant change.On another level, the episode touches on his relationship with Lebanon, the role of business leaders in public life, and the limits of reform within a deeply complex system.In a more personal dimension, the conversation reveals the quieter side of success the pressure, solitude, responsibility, and the fears that no form of insurance can truly protect against.Join Ricardo Karam and Farid Chedid in a conversation about trust, risk, leadership, and the challenge of bringing order to an unpredictable world.في هذا اللقاء، يجلس ريكاردو كرم مع فريد شديد في حوارٍ يتجاوز عالم التأمين والأعمال، ليغوص في تجربة رجلٍ بنى من لبنان شبكة ثقة امتدت إلى المنطقة والعالم، في قطاع يقوم أساساً على مواجهة المجهول وإدارة الخطر.ينطلق الحوار من فكرة التأمين في زمن الحروب والانهيارات، حين يصبح الخطر جزءاً من الحياة اليومية، وتتبدل مفاهيم الأمان والاستقرار. ويتناول النقاش كيف تعيد شركات التأمين تعريف المخاطر في عالم يعيش أزمات متكررة، وما إذا كان التأمين في مثل هذه الظروف يبقى أداة حماية حقيقية أم محاولة لتنظيم الخسارة.كما يضيء اللقاء على تأسيس “Chedid Re” والانطلاقة من قبرص نحو الخليج وأوروبا وإفريقيا، وعلى رحلة بناء شركة عالمية انطلقت من المنطقة، وما تطلّبه ذلك من قرارات، ومخاطرة، وقدرة على خلق الثقة في قطاع يقوم على الوعد أكثر من أي شيء ملموس. ويمتدّ الحوار إلى فهم فريد شديد للقيادة واتخاذ القرار، والعلاقة بين الحدس والخبرة والخوف، إضافةً إلى نظرته لعالم يتغير بسرعة تحت وطأة الحروب والانهيارات الاقتصادية والتحولات السياسية. وفي جانب آخر، يقترب اللقاء من علاقته بلبنان، ومن الأسئلة المرتبطة بدور رجال الأعمال في الحياة العامة، وحدود القدرة على الإصلاح داخل نظام معقّد ومتقلّب. أما في البعد الشخصي، فيكشف الحوار جانباً أكثر هدوءاً وإنسانية، من أثر كونه ابناً وحيداً، إلى كلفة النجاح، والضغط، والوحدة، والخوف الذي لا يمكن التأمين عليه.انضموا إلى ريكاردو كرم وفريد شديد في حوارٍ عن الثقة، المخاطر، القيادة، ومعنى أن يحاول الإنسان تنظيم المستقبل في عالم لا يمكن التنبؤ به.

BEAST SEED SPROUTING - 05.25.2026 - #943 BestPodcastintheMetaverse.com Canary Cry News Talk #943 - 05.25.2026 - Recorded Live to 1s and 0s Deconstructing World Events from a Biblical Worldview Declaring Jesus as Lord amidst the Fifth Generation War! CageRattlerCoffee.com SD/TC email Ike for discount https://CanaryCry.Support   Send address and shirt size updates to canarycrysupplydrop@gmail.com Join the Canary Cry Roundtable   Producers for this episode will properly be thanked on the next episode!   POPE/AI 15:45(from YouTube) Pope Leo Warns of Risks From A.I. in 42,300-Word Encyclical (NY Times) → Gonz response to Pope AI Encyclical (X)   The $118 pet whisperer: This Chinese smart collar gives beloved pet a voice (Business Today) → CCR 012: Personhood    TRANSHUMANISM 1:11:02 Enhanced Games claim 'we changed the world' but only one record broken and three clean athletes win (Guardian) Clip: Founder says 43% of olympians use PED's    Israeli national arrested at Cyprus airport for trying to smuggle four human embryos to Mexico (Wa. Ex)   ALIENS/UFOs 1:43:15 US government releases UFO sighting reports - 'Orbs swarming in all directions' (BBC) → Anna Paulina Luna and Transparency (Vanity Fair)   MASKS 1:57:50 Retired Navy SEAL Robert Harward's Fox News appearance sparks mask conspiracy theory (Snopes)   EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS 2:11:21 END 2:31:42

Little is recorded of his earthly life, except that he was a monk and ascetic on Cyprus who rose to episcopal rank, and that he was martyred during a persecution of Christians. His body rested for centuries in a church in Cyprus. Then in 806, during the reign of the Emperor Nikephoros, the Saint appeared to the church's caretaker, warned him that infidels were about to attack Cyprus, and ordered that his relics be transferred to Constantinople. Without hesitation the caretaker had the casket containing St Therapon's relics put in a ship bound for the Capital. During the journey a great storm arose, but the waters around the ship remained calm, and a sweet scent filled the ship. The caretaker opened the casket and found that it was full to overflowing of a fragrant myrrh which exuded from the holy martyr's relics. In Constantinople, a church was built over the Saint's relics, which became known as a powerful source of healing for those who approached in faith.

While the media showed you the conflict, Israel was delivering insulin to Pacific islands, saving Cyprus from running out of drinking water, and teaching Angolan farmers to grow five times their crops — quietly, in countries that don't even recognize Israel exists.A former Israeli ambassador who served on five continents pulls back the curtain on the Israel nobody told you about.  Meet Ambassador Shemi Tzur. You were given half the story. This is the other half.Purchase Book by Ambassador Tzur: https://www.amazon.com/Explorer-Childhood-Transit-Peaks-Diplomacy/dp/B0G5HD6G2Y_______________________________________________⭐ LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW— it's the only way new listeners find this show. Your life is better because of Israelis you've never met. 

Who is Andy Burnham—and is he ready to challenge Keir Starmer? PBS' Alexander Heffner on the growing power of mayors. What's at stake in Cyprus' elections? Then—Turkey's warning over French troop plans, social media bans for minors, red deer vs. Loch Lomond, and Spain's renewable energy edge. https://www.pbs.org/show/open-mind/&maca=en-podcast_inside-europe-949-xml-mrss

Today On The Eric Metaxas Show, Eric talks with former USC President C. L. Max Nikias about his new book American Trojan, his journey from a refugee childhood in Cyprus to the presidency of the University of Southern California, and what his story reveals about the American Dream. They also discuss the collapse of academic standards, the rise of identity politics in higher education, the loss of the Western classics, the future of universities in the age of AI, and what it would take to renew American education. Subscribe for clips from The Eric Metaxas Show to hear politics and culture from a Christian perspective.⭐ PRE-ORDER TODAY:Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World