Latest news with #Niki
GMA Network
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Mikee Romero ranks 6th in US Polo Rankings in April
Mikee Romero made history for the Philippines again after ranking as the 6th overall player in the United States Polo Rankings last April. The Filipino athlete collected 130 points to barge into the top ten just weeks after he rose to 24th overall in the World Polo Tour (WPT) amateur rankings, which allowed him to become the highest Southeast Asian player. Romero's rise to top 6 now sees him in an elite company with some of the powerhouse names in polo. Tomas Panelo is at No. 1 with 205 points while Juan Martín Nero and Adolfo Cambiaso occupy the second and third spots. Barto Castagnola and Alejandro Poma are tied at fourth spot with their identical 140 points. Romero's polo pony, Niki, also earned recognition after it was included in joint number one in polo horse ranking in the United States alongside Nero's Catwoman, Grant Ganzi's Girl Power, and La Dolfina Binter and La Dolfina Jetcost of Cambiaso. "This is a deeply meaningful moment. To stand among the best players in the U.S. and to see Niki recognized beside the finest horses in the world is a tribute to the effort, preparation, and heart that went into every game," said Romero. —Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News
eNCA
07-06-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Greek artist warns of fanaticism after art vandalised
ATHENS - A Greek artist whose work was vandalised by a far-right nationalist MP warned last week that fanaticism could spiral out of control in Western democracies. "This violence is increasingly present in Europe and the United States, where ideas of purity, race or faith fuel nationalism," artist Christophoros Katsadiotis told AFP in an interview on May 29. On March 10, four of Katsadiotis's artworks at Greece's National Gallery were thrown to the ground by two members of extreme-right Orthodox Christian party Niki -- one of them a party lawmaker -- who viewed them as "blasphemous". Two months later, about 30 masked individuals attempted to assault him before an event in Thessaloniki, resulting in the 53-year-old engraver being put under police protection during public appearances. Katsadiotis said the vandalisation incident at the National Gallery was "an attack on democracy... (and) our civilisation". "If I need police protection, then freedom of expression no longer exists. It's a form of censorship," he told AFP on the sidelines of his new exhibition in Athens. The art in question -- four engravings depicting Saint Christopher with a dog's head -- was part of a collective exhibition titled "The Allure of the Bizarre". The two perpetrators, who smashed the glass protecting the engravings, were detained by police but later released. Niki later expelled the lawmaker involved, Nikolaos Papadopoulos, from the party and the National Gallery has sued him. Katsadiotis is also planning to take legal action. "I was surprised and upset. It was the first time this had happened to me," he said. The incident at the National Gallery sparked an outcry and was condemned by the culture ministry. But the Orthodox Church, which holds broad influence over politics and society in Greece, has publicly criticised parts of the exhibition involving Katsadiotis, who spends his time between Athens and Paris.
Pink Villa
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
ENHYPEN's Niki is 'scary senior'?, ILLIT‘s Minju reveals HYBE director warning her against offending him
HYBE is under scrutiny for allegedly spreading negative rumors about ENHYPEN members. A recent speculation about Niki's supposedly unfavorable attitude was highlighted by ILLIT's Minju's revelation of being cautioned about it. Niki appeared taken aback by the rumor and questioned its origin. Fans also voiced their discontent, feeling that HYBE was unfairly portraying its artists in a negative light despite being responsible for protecting them. Niki was portrayed as a scary senior by HYBE officials On June 6, ENHYPEN members Niki and Sunoo appeared as guests on ILLIT member Minju's YouTube show, Minju's Pink Cabinet. Before they arrived, she mentioned feeling "intimidating and scary" to her since she hadn't had a chance to interact with them before. During one segment, Niki tried some drinks to identify which one contained Samdasoo. After being successful in his mission, he offered Minju to taste it as well. To that the ILLIT junior replied, 'One of the directors said that if you drink that Niki would get angry.' Niki seemed shocked at the unexpected reputation he held and promptly asked, "Who said that? A strange rumor started going around." He even inquisitioned, "Are they trying to make me seem like a scary senior at the company?" Minju further shared how sacred she was to host them after being warned against offending Niki. Check out fan reactions to the rumor about Niki's scary behaviour Engenes (ENHYPEN's fandom) didn't like the way HYBE portrayed Niki. They called it "annoying" and accused them of spreading "groundless rumors" against the artists. One comment read, "we are here defending enha for every rumors spreading yet the staffs are some of the ones starting it?!" They also felt that these were the reason that made the newer or relatively younger K-pop idols refrain from interacting with other groups. They also recalled how it wasn't the first time an ENHYPEN member was portrayed in a negative light. Previously, when Sunghoon appeared on Minju's show, she mentioned hearing from the company staff that Sunghoon "hated" them decorating a dog plushie of his, which was revealed by him to be untrue.
France 24
06-06-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Greek artist warns of fanaticism after art vandalised
"This violence is increasingly present in Europe and the United States, where ideas of purity, race or faith fuel nationalism," artist Christophoros Katsadiotis told AFP in an interview on May 29. On March 10, four of Katsadiotis's artworks at Greece's National Gallery were thrown to the ground by two members of extreme-right Orthodox Christian party Niki -- one of them a party lawmaker -- who viewed them as "blasphemous". Two months later, about 30 masked individuals attempted to assault him before an event in Thessaloniki, resulting in the 53-year-old engraver being put under police protection during public appearances. Katsadiotis said the vandalisation incident at the National Gallery was "an attack on democracy... (and) our civilisation". "If I need police protection, then freedom of expression no longer exists. It's a form of censorship," he told AFP on the sidelines of his new exhibition in Athens. The art in question -- four engravings depicting Saint Christopher with a dog's head -- was part of a collective exhibition titled "The Allure of the Bizarre". The two perpetrators, who smashed the glass protecting the engravings, were detained by police but later released. Niki later expelled the lawmaker involved, Nikolaos Papadopoulos, from the party and the National Gallery has sued him. Outcry Katsadiotis is also planning to take legal action. "I was surprised and upset. It was the first time this had happened to me," he said. The incident at the National Gallery sparked an outcry and was condemned by the culture ministry. But the Orthodox Church, which holds broad influence over politics and society in Greece, has publicly criticised parts of the exhibition involving Katsadiotis, who spends his time between Athens and Paris. The Greek Church's governing body, the Holy Synod, voiced "regret" over "the content of certain works in this exhibition" and said it would "take action with the Greek government", without providing further details. Katsadiotis is currently presenting a solo exhibition, including engravings and collages, at the Benaki Museum in Athens. Security was reinforced around the building during the opening last week and police stationed three vehicles outside the entrance, he said. Papadopoulos has continued to publicly condemn the artist's works as "a brutal insult" to sacred Orthodox icons. At the National Gallery, Katsadiotis's engravings are now protected by a transparent panel and an alarm is triggered if visitors get too close. 'Dangerous for the public' The museum, which houses masterpieces of modern Greek and European art, has also increased protection overall due to "ongoing threats against the exhibited works and its staff". "Initially, the idea was to leave the damaged works on the ground to illustrate... the violence," Katsadiotis said. "(But) far-right sympathisers came to trample on them, which was dangerous for the public." Niki, known for its nationalistic and homophobic rhetoric, has 10 MPs in the 300-seat Greek parliament. This is not the first time it has sought to influence art policy. In late 2023, the conservative government took down the work "Flag" by US-Greek artist Georgia Lale from the Greek consulate in New York following a complaint from the ultra-conservative party. The artist had depicted a Greek flag with pink and red stripes instead of its official blue and white colours, to denounce feminicides in Greece. "This decision left the field open for Niki to continue its attacks," said Katsadiotis. He said there was a rise in militant vandalism and warned that "fanaticism" could spiral out of control, offering the example of the fatal attacks in Paris in 2015 after satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo republished caricatures of the prophet Mohammed from the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greek artist warns of fanaticism after art vandalised
A Greek artist whose work was vandalised by a far-right nationalist MP warned last week that fanaticism could spiral out of control in Western democracies. "This violence is increasingly present in Europe and the United States, where ideas of purity, race or faith fuel nationalism," artist Christophoros Katsadiotis told AFP in an interview on May 29. On March 10, four of Katsadiotis's artworks at Greece's National Gallery were thrown to the ground by two members of extreme-right Orthodox Christian party Niki -- one of them a party lawmaker -- who viewed them as "blasphemous". Two months later, about 30 masked individuals attempted to assault him before an event in Thessaloniki, resulting in the 53-year-old engraver being put under police protection during public appearances. Katsadiotis said the vandalisation incident at the National Gallery was "an attack on democracy... (and) our civilisation". "If I need police protection, then freedom of expression no longer exists. It's a form of censorship," he told AFP on the sidelines of his new exhibition in Athens. The art in question -- four engravings depicting Saint Christopher with a dog's head -- was part of a collective exhibition titled "The Allure of the Bizarre". The two perpetrators, who smashed the glass protecting the engravings, were detained by police but later released. Niki later expelled the lawmaker involved, Nikolaos Papadopoulos, from the party and the National Gallery has sued him. - Outcry - Katsadiotis is also planning to take legal action. "I was surprised and upset. It was the first time this had happened to me," he said. The incident at the National Gallery sparked an outcry and was condemned by the culture ministry. But the Orthodox Church, which holds broad influence over politics and society in Greece, has publicly criticised parts of the exhibition involving Katsadiotis, who spends his time between Athens and Paris. The Greek Church's governing body, the Holy Synod, voiced "regret" over "the content of certain works in this exhibition" and said it would "take action with the Greek government", without providing further details. Katsadiotis is currently presenting a solo exhibition, including engravings and collages, at the Benaki Museum in Athens. Security was reinforced around the building during the opening last week and police stationed three vehicles outside the entrance, he said. Papadopoulos has continued to publicly condemn the artist's works as "a brutal insult" to sacred Orthodox icons. At the National Gallery, Katsadiotis's engravings are now protected by a transparent panel and an alarm is triggered if visitors get too close. - 'Dangerous for the public' - The museum, which houses masterpieces of modern Greek and European art, has also increased protection overall due to "ongoing threats against the exhibited works and its staff". "Initially, the idea was to leave the damaged works on the ground to illustrate... the violence," Katsadiotis said. "(But) far-right sympathisers came to trample on them, which was dangerous for the public." Niki, known for its nationalistic and homophobic rhetoric, has 10 MPs in the 300-seat Greek parliament. This is not the first time it has sought to influence art policy. In late 2023, the conservative government took down the work "Flag" by US-Greek artist Georgia Lale from the Greek consulate in New York following a complaint from the ultra-conservative party. The artist had depicted a Greek flag with pink and red stripes instead of its official blue and white colours, to denounce feminicides in Greece. "This decision left the field open for Niki to continue its attacks," said Katsadiotis. He said there was a rise in militant vandalism and warned that "fanaticism" could spiral out of control, offering the example of the fatal attacks in Paris in 2015 after satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo republished caricatures of the prophet Mohammed from the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. hec/yap/jph/rmb
