NEWS
Despina Vandi
On Thursday 22nd June | 7:30PM – DESPINA VANDI WILL BE LIVE IN LONDON
Despina Vandi is considered one of the top Greek and International performers in the world. Beginning her career in 1994, for more than 2 decades she has achieved record sales on her multi-platinum recordings, racked up 25 awards, boasts ten international releases and a Billboard No. 1 as she won the US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay with her album “Geia!” (“Hello!”). She is indeed one of Greece’s largest and most loved commercial exports.
Despina received her first major award in 2000 from the director of Virgin Megastores, London, for the success of her CD single “Ypofero” (“I Am Suffering”), as the best-selling CD of all time in Greece. In 2001, for her album “Geia!” (which went 4 times Platinum within just eleven days) she won World’s Best Selling Artist at the World Music Awards held in Monte Carlo, marking the first time this was awarded to a Greek artist. For the same album and tracks from it, she received prestigious accolades from Portugal and Russia. Despina followed up with more multi-platinum discs, sold-out concerts in Europe, America and Australia, collaborations with international DJs and world-renowned producers such as Armand Van Helden, Milk & Sugar, Nick Skitz, Roger Sanchez and German electronic impresario, Schiller.
Despina Vandi is also a star of the small screen, starting in 1999, in the role of Haroula, in the television series “Two Foreigners” which received raving reviews at the time. In 2013 and in 2014, together with Greek actor Giorgos Kapoutzidis, Despina co-hosted the Greek final song selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Later, in 2016, she hosted the 6th “MadWalk” (MAD TV) with resounding success! Despina Vandi was one of the four “legend” coaches in the TV talent show “The Voice” of Greece (2014-2015), and was the winner coach in the first year. She returned to the judging panel for a new format primetime TV talent show “Rising Star” of Greece.
From the small screen to the stage, and her participation in the hit musical MAMMA MIA was her first step into musical-theater. Despina Vandi, interpreting her role as Donna Sheridan, grabbed headline reviews and won the hearts of critics and audiences alike, opening a new chapter to her multidimensional and highly successful artistic career.
EVENT INFO
Stalls – seated with mezze dinner £175 (*please note these are sharing tables – 14 people per table)
Balcony seated no mezze £75
Balcony standing (no mezze) £50
All tickets include a welcome glass of champagne.
TIMINGS
Doors 7pm
Dinner served for stalls ticket holders 7.30pm
Support act 9pm
Despina 10pm – 1am (with a half hour interval)
Balcony ticket holders are advised to arrive at 8.30pm.
TICKETS
Hippodrome Casino <<< Click Here
AGE
STRICTLY OVER 18’s | ID REQUIRED
Article written by
Last night Cyprus and Greece celebrated qualifying through to this Saturday night’s Eurovision Song Contest final. This year’s Eurovision will be held in Kyiv, Ukraine, at the International Exhibition Centre IEC.
Demy (representing Greece) and Hovig (representing Cyprus) made it to the Top 10 qualifying songs after enduring a very competitive semi-final phase. The semi-final rankings will not be announced publicly until after this weekend’s Eurovision final, which maximises fans’ suspense.
It is a result which spelt the Greek’s return to the contest’s final after last year’s very early exit. It’s a solid come-back, for this country who’s always qualified except that minor-blip, which we can now begin to erase from our memories.
Demy looked absolutely stunning in her pale outfit as she performed her song ‘This is love’. It’s a progressively up-tempo track which is catchy and radio-friendly. The track was composed by Eurovision veteran Dimitris Kontopoulos, with creative staging by Fokas Evangelinos, the Greek’s dynamic Eurovision team.
Demy secures Greek’s place in the final…
The 25-year-old Greek pop singer seemed to enjoy her time on the stage, joined by her dancers Iasonas Mandilas and Paris Paraskevadis-Planets. She was also accompanied by off-stage backing-vocalists Erasmia Markidi, Evgenia Liakou, and Marcus Giakoumoglou. For those who missed it, we can confirm it was a very slick and well rehearsed performance.
Cypriot singer Hovig also celebrated a successful night. His performance involved an excellent staging concept which complimented his song greatly. He performed a modern radio-friendly track with electronic beats, written by Thomas G:Son, a well-known Swedish composer and producer in Eurovision circles.
Hovig pulls out all the stops for his gravity song…
28-years-old Hovig, a Cypriot artist of Armenian heritage, shows he was proud to have this chance to fly the Cypriot flag. The Cypriot broadcaster internally selected Hovig and G:son for this year’s Cypriot song.
Hovig was vocally very solid and interacted well with his dancers Marios Charalambous and Pavlos Lazarou Kertepene. The artist seemed relaxed and sung his cool song, mastering the stage’s full width to tell us his story, about gravity.
The Cypriot artistic director Charis Savva put much effort in to make sure he nailed the performance, and clearly it worked extremely well. The Cypriot’s have pulled out all the stops to be noticed and they were.
Greece and Cyprus confirmed they will be performing second-half draw for the final, with 26 countries competing. Demy and Hovig have to wait till Thursday to find out the other qualifiers. What we know for certain is that they have earned their place next to the big 5 automatic placers: the UK, Spain, France, Germany and Italy in the final this weekend.
The Eurovision Song Contest Final airs this Saturday at 8 pm UK time; you can follow it live on BBC 1.
For those who missed the first semi final, you can catch the Top 10 qualifiers being revealed, here:
Article written by Tony Neophytou
The National Federation of Cypriots in the UK calls on the Cypriot community to vote and make their voice heard in the General Election on Thursday 8 June.
NFC: Vote for candidates who have demonstrated support for Cyprus
Federation President, Christos Karaolis said: “The UK Cypriot community must make its voice heard during this election campaign. I urge all Cypriots firstly to ask their candidates to pledge their support for Cyprus; secondly to join and engage with the political party that is most aligned with their views; and most importantly to go out and vote for 8th June. I would also like to ask the community to ensure they encourage their friends and family to do the same.”
How you can help:
Vote for candidates who have demonstrated support for Cyprus
There are candidates standing for election who are supporters of Cyprus and our community. We must ensure that these candidates, from all political parties, are elected by casting our votes and having our voice heard. These candidates have asked questions and spoken about Cyprus in Parliament; attended and supported our events; actively shown that they support a free, united Cyprus based upon a just and viable solution to the Cyprus Issue; and have campaigned against the Turkish occupation.
We must also support these candidates, from across the political spectrum, by campaigning for them. There are ongoing campaign events for our parliamentary friends over the coming weeks. If you would like to join any of these campaign events, please email us at enquiries@cypriotfederation.org.uk
We call upon all Cypriots to go out and vote on June 8th to ensure that these candidates are elected. We must make our community’s voice heard and show our support for these candidates with our votes.
Ask candidates to pledge their support for Cyprus
Given the ongoing negotiations in Cyprus, this election we will also be asking parliamentary candidates to sign the Cyprus Pledge Card.
We need your support to collect candidates’ signatures. Please contact your local candidates and ask them to sign the pledge card by emailing their support enquiries@cypriotfederation.org.uk and/or tweeting their support to @UKCypriotFed using #Vote4Cyprus. Draft emails and a picture of the Cyprus Pledge Card can be found on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/UKCypriotFed and on our website: www.cypriotfederation.org.uk
We will be updating our Facebook page as well as our Twitter page (@UKCypriotFed) with the names of candidates that have signed the pledge card on an ongoing basis. We will also publish the full list of signatures in community media closer to the election.
Write to your local candidates about Cyprus
We are also asking the community to write to local parliamentary candidates about the Cyprus issue and engage with them directly on the Cyprus issue. Draft letters can be found on our website.
Voting Information
To vote in the upcoming election you must be registered to vote. Registering to vote is a simple and easy process – more information can be found below. You must be registered by Monday 22 May and you can register to vote by visiting the following website: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
If you are unsure about which constituency you are in, the BBC has a useful webpage that allows you to enter your postcode and shows you your constituency, current MP and the results from the previous election: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies
For information on alternative ways to vote please visit the websites below:
Postal vote: https://www.yourvotematters.co.uk/how-do-i-vote/voting-by-post
Proxy vote: https://www.gov.uk/voting-in-the-uk/voting-by-proxy
EVERY CYPRIOT VOTE COUNTS – OUR VOTE IS OUR VOICE
Article written by LGR/NFC
Greek Cypriot Roula Violaris and members of her Think Zumba class managed to raise £4000 for cancer patients after completing last Sunday a 8.5 mile sponsored walk.
Roula Violaris in the middle with her Zumba group and her mother LGR presenter Soula Violaris (Front-Left)
The Think Zumba group covered the distance by passing through parks from East Finchley to Westminster as part of a North London Hospise Fun Walk.
The Think Zumba group was established six years ago in Barnet by Roula Violaris, daughter of LGR’s long-established presenter Soula Violaris.
“Unfortunately we have all lost someone close to us from cancer and we saw the North London Hospice as an appropriate charity to raise funds for, to help patients become more comfortable whilst having terminal cancer.” Roula Violaris told the Hendon and Finchley Times.
Article written by lgr.co.uk
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has said that the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot side have agreed on a definition as regards the issue of the legal domicile and exercising the four EU fundamental freedoms by the citizens of a future federal Cyprus.
Today’s meeting was creative, but there are still a lot of things to do, President Anastasiades said
In statements to the press after his four-hour long meeting on Tuesday with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, in the framework of the UN-led negotiations on the Cyprus problem, Anastasiades said that they also discussed issues concerning the effective participation of Turkish Cypriots, adding that differences still remain on this issue.
There has been however an agreement on a definition as regards the legal domicile and the safeguarding of the four freedoms, “however some issues remain pending as certain details have to be clarified,” he added.
“There is a problem as they raise an issue relating to the regulation of the right to property acquisition,” the President said, recalling that this issue was first raised in Geneva. He said that the discussion will continue to find ways to overcome this problem. “I hope that we will reach a conclusion on this, if the other side has a constructive approach,” he added.
Anastasiades said that even though the right of abode has been determined – the right to work, the right to settlement, the right to property acquisition etc – “nevertheless there are certain differences, also concerning the issue of those who will be entitled to be considered citizens with legal domicile.”
The President said that they also agreed that during the EBRD 2017 Annual Meeting and Business Forum that will take place here, several international organizations will discuss issues concerning the post-solution economy.
He also noted that on May 10 the two leaders will meet with the head of European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker`s office to review the progress achieved at the Ad hoc Committee dealing with the Turkish Cypriots` harmonization.
Anastasiades said that this issue very important in that it will show whether the Turkish Cypriots will be able to harmonise fully in case of a political settlement, to allow the acquis communautaire to apply from day one of a solution.
Asked if the issue of the four freedoms has to do with the Turkish citizens, Anastasiades replied negatively, noting that it concerns the citizens of a future federal Republic of Cyprus.
Responding to other questions, Anastasiades said that the percentage of 20% concerning the political rights has been agreed, adding that “what we have said is that the right to free movement, settlement, work and acquiring property does not automatically entitle someone to have the right to legal domicile.”
“Someone will have to decide that he will stay somewhere legally. Their number may rise to 20% (Greek Cypriots in the Turkish Cypriot constituent state and Turkish Cypriots in the Greek Cypriot constituent state) or if it exceeds this percentage then weighted voting will apply at local elections,” he added.
Invited to say if he believes that the Geneva Conference on Cyprus may proceed after today`s meeting, President Anastasiades said that “there are still many issues to be examined, and I have made it clear that it is not enough to have an agreement on the definition of the right to exercise the four freedoms.”
Anastasiades said that he suggested that all limits should be exhausted by the end of May-mid June where this is deemed necessary, and if the necessary progress is achieved, then they shall proceed with a Conference in Geneva.
He noted that the Greek Cypriot side is not against such a Conference since it is Turkey which will have to outline its positions on the issues of guarantees, security and all relevant issues.
“Today’s meeting was creative, but there are still a lot of things to do,” he added.
Responding to another question, Anastasiades underlined that he will not discuss the continuation of the Geneva Conference in combination with the suspension of the Republic of Cyprus sovereign rights, noting that this is out of question and was not discussed at the negotiating table.
Moreover he said that the issue of the four freedoms for Turkish citizens was not discussed during today`s meeting.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. UN-led talks between Anastasiades and Akinci have been underway since May 2015 with a view to reunite the island under a federal roof.
Article written by
Cypriot singer Hovig will represent Cyprus in the up coming Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place at International Exhibition Centre IEC in Kyiv. He will sing ‘Gravity’ written by Thomas G:Son, a Swedish producer, well-known in Eurovision circles.
Hovig Demirdjian was confirmed as the island’s representative on 16th October 2016, internally selected by the Cypriot broadcaster CyBc. It was stipulated then that G:Son would be responsible for producing the song. The Swede’s involvement in last year’s Cypriot Eurovision entry means he composes the country’s tune for a second year.
Hovig
28 years-old Hovig was born in Nicosia and is a Cypriot artist of Armenian origin. Hovig, whose mother is Cypriot, says he is proud to fly the Cypriot flag at the 2017 contest.
The song’s official video clip, which was exclusively released on 1st March on Eurovision.tv features dancer Natalia Michael. The video was filmed by Emilios Avraam using the CyBc’s studios in Nicosia.
Hovig explained on his Facebook page the idea of gravity in this song, suggesting it’s a concept that can be interpreted to mean different things to all listeners.
“Anyone can relate and interpret “GRAVITY” into their lover, their religion, their family. To anything that gives them support and push to keep going. It’s a bigger power encouraging anyone to continue their path. “I’ll catch u when u fall”. Who comes into ur mind saying this to u? Is it your God? Ur mum? Ur partner? Or maybe even ur own self doing some reflection?”
The reaction to the song was impressive to say the least as it exceeded over 1.000.000 views in the first month since the release on Eurovision.tv. It is a radio-friendly pop track with electronic beats throughout the song.
The information we have about the Cypriot live Eurovision performance, is that Hovig will be joined on stage by a couple of dancers, who have been named as Marios Charalambous and Pavlos Lazarou Kertepene. They will be seeking to re-create the video’s atmospheric feel. It is a team which comprises talented stage director, choreographer Charis Savva, also vocal coach Christos Kyriakides and his costume designer Notis Panagiotou, who is to fit Hovig with his Eurovision’s outfit.
The Cypriot delegation will be quietly optimistic about their qualifying chances for a third year, following the recent successes by Minus One and John Karayiannis.
The Cyprus entry competes in the First Eurovision Semi-Final, which airs on Tuesday 9th May, televised live on BBC 4. Hovig will be hoping to advance to the Eurovision Final on Saturday 13th May 2017.
If you haven’t watched ‘Gravity’ yet, check out the official video here:
Article written by Tony Neophytou
The agenda of the next meeting between the two leaders, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, has been agreed between the two negotiators Andreas Mavroyiannis and Ozdil Nami at a meeting they had on Thursday.
The agenda of their next meeting has been agreed
The discussion during the meeting between Mavroyiannis and Nami which took place in the presence of UN SG`s Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide was “very productive,” CNA sources have said.
The same sources added that the agenda of the meeting between the two leaders next Tuesday has been agreed.
This was the last meeting between the two negotiators before the leaders` meeting.
Article written by CNA
Demands by the Turkish side at the Geneva Conference on the Cyprus problem last January and onwards have led to difficulties in the UN-led peace talks, Deputy Government Spokesman Victoras Papadopoulos has said.
Deputy Government Spokesman Victoras Papadopoulos
He pointed out however that the Greek Cypriot side will continue to show political will and will keep trying with all means available for progress in the negotiations for the reunification of Cyprus.
Papadopoulos was talking to the press after today’s meeting of the National Council, the top advisory body to the President on the Cyprus issue. The political leaders were briefed by President Nicos Anastasiades on the talks, which resumed last week following a two month suspension because the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci walked out condemning a decision taken by the Cyprus House on the 1950 enosis (union) referendum.
He said that the National Council also exchanged views on the situation in Turkey following the referendum on April 16 for constitutional reforms as well as Ankara`s provocations in Cyprus` exclusive economic zone ( EEZ). Turkey has issued a navigational warning (NAVTEX) and has reserved an area within the territorial sea, continental shelf and exclusive economic zone of Cyprus off the coast of Famagusta for the conduct of seismic surveys, between 21 April and 30 June 2017, by the survey vessel “BARBAROS HAYREDDIN PAŞA” and support vessel “BRAVO SUPPORTER”.
Papadopoulos described the meeting as fruitful, saying that the exchange of ideas took place in a very good atmosphere.
Invited to comment on statements about a stalemate in the talks, he said that convergences and progress were made in the past, but now “we are faced with some difficulties and our side is showing good will to help overcome them.”
He added that the Greek Cypriot side will not abandon the negotiating table and the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, and will intensify these efforts for progress to take place.
Papadopoulos also said that soon there will be another meeting of the National Council.
Replying to a question on possible efforts made by some to attribute responsibilities to the President, as well as to the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, Papadopoulos said that he is not aware of who is trying to attribute such responsibilities.
He underlined that the Greek Cypriot side is showing real political will and the President himself has taken bold decisions in the past in order for the dialogue to move forward. He also said that at this point it is not wise to get involved in a blame game and should remain focused on the aim to reunify our country.
Asked what steps have been taken to address the Turkish provocations in Cyprus` EEZ, he said that too many things have been done with respect to developments at any given time. Papadopoulos said that that patience and unity should prevail.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. UN-backed talks aim to reunite the island under a federal roof.
Article written by
The Cyprus House plenary passed on Friday, by 30 votes in favour and 20 against, a bill tabled by the ruling Democratic Rally (DISY) party for a legislative amendment to shift decision-making power on school celebrations from the Parliament to the Ministry of Education.
Thirty MPs vote in favour and twenty against DISY’s bill
The bill was tabled by three DISY MPs Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis, Georgios Karoullas and Annita Demetriou, in the aftermath of a dispute caused by the introduction of a brief annual commemoration of the 1950 Enosis (union with Greece) referendum in state schools, prompting Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to withdraw from the reunification talks until the decision was rescinded.
The UN announced on Tuesday that talks for a Cyprus solution will resume on April 11.
Article written by CNA
Zoe Tiganouria
The famous Greek composer and singer
Zoe Tiganouria LIVE in London.
Sunday 14th May at 7:45pm.
Also making a special appearance and well known in our community is Elena Hadjiafxendi.
Millfield Theatre,
Millfield Arts Centre,
Silver Street,
Edmonton,
N18 1PJ
Tickets:
Front Seats: £20
Further Back: £15
Telephone for reservations:
Millfield Theatre: 020 8807 6680
For more information call LGR on: 0208 349 6950
Article written by London Greek Radio
