News Stream

British visitors start trickling into Greece after ban is lifted

Greece began receiving British visitors on Wednesday after lifting a ban on arrivals from that country. The decision may prompt health concerns but it also opens one of the most important sources of revenues for Greek tourism....

Cyprus announces six new coronavirus cases

The Republic of Cyprus’ Health Ministry announced six new coronavirus cases on Thursday, involving three refugees, a football player, and two contacts of another known case. ...

Akrotiri British Bases police donate 60 care packages

Akrotiri British Bases police donated 60 boxes containing food supplies and essential items to 100 families financially affected by the coronavirus pandemic living in the surrounding communities....

Paphos restaurant and bar owners to take to the streets

Paphos restaurant and bar owners said they were ready to take to the streets to demonstrate against the crippling conditions that emerged as a result of the coronavirus pandemic....

Tseriou Avenue revamp plans picking up speed

Greek-Turkish ties come under strain

The already tense relationship between Greece and Turkey has been strained further in the wake of Ankara’s leaking of a supposedly secret meeting between Greek, Turkish and German officials following Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque and amid an increasingly aggressive Turkish stance in the East Mediterranean. The already tense relationship between Greece and Turkey has been strained further in the wake of Ankara’s leaking of a supposedly secret meeting between Greek, Turkish and German officials following Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque and amid an increasingly aggressive Turkish stance in the East Mediterranean. ...

Cypriot minister rides bicycle boom wave

Bicycle commuting conditions around town may not be ideal in Cyprus but a minister is on a mission to change that, with reports saying a proposal may soon reach the Cabinet...

Supreme Court orders Syrian man’s release

An asylum seeker, who was detained on national security grounds and his application had been rejected, was ordered to walk free after the Supreme Court ruled state authorities had no legal basis to keep him locked up...

Two new coronavirus cases in Cyprus

The Health Ministry announced two new coronavirus cases on Wednesday involving an arrival from Romania and a contact of a Limassol gym employee that was announced positive for coronavirus on Monday....

Berlin bridge-building effort undermined by Ankara

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday revealed that a secret trilateral meeting between Turkish, German and Greek officials, mediated by Berlin, took place ahead of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in the wake of Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque. ...

522 Cyprus army recruits planning to study at UK universities

A total of 522 incoming army recruits have informed the Education Ministry that they are either candidates for or have secured a spot at a UK university for the 2020-21 academic year, but who plan to defer their offer until the following year, when home fee status and loans for EU students will be scrapped, due to their 14-month military service requirement....

Cyprus among five countries that present UNSG with note verbale on Tukey-Libya MoU

Cyprus, Bahrain, Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia have presented a note verbale to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterrres, outlining the reasons why the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the Government of National Accord of Libya on the delimitation of maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean in Istanbul on 27 November 2019 should not be registered by the UN Secretariat in the list of international treaties....

Cyprus President meets with UNSG's Special Representative

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades held a meeting on Wednesday morning with the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Cyprus and head of the UN peacekeeping force on the island (UNFICYP), Elizabeth Spehar....

Turkey issues Navtex in Cyprus’ EEZ

Turkey has issued a new Navigational Telex (Navtex), reserving a maritime area within Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for drilling activities, Greece's Skai reported on Wednesday....

Accused mother gets supervised visit

A Limassol judge has granted supervised weekly visits to the mother of a 19-month-old baby in connection with an ongoing child endangerment case...

Tourism minister tries to manage expectations

The tourism minister is managing expectations for the Republic of Cyprus after tour operators made clear they would send British tourists to countries where PCR tests were not required...

Health ministry issues decree for asylum seekers

The health ministry has issued a new decree requiring all asylum seekers who are ordered to stay in migrant camps to be tested for COVID-19 before checking in...

Wailing sirens mark 1974 coup in Cyprus

Emergency sirens sounded all over the island of Cyprus on Wednesday morning, marking the anniversary of the military coup of 1974...

Cyprus to boost number of random tests at airports

The health ministry will be boosting the number of random coronavirus checks conducted on passengers arriving at Cyprus airports from category A and B countries to 600....

Person repatriated to Cyprus from Albania tests positive for the virus

The Health Ministry announced one new coronavirus case on Tuesday involving an Albanian national permanently residing in Cyprus who flew into the island from Albania (category C) via Athens on Monday....

It's time for dynamic EU action against Turkey, Greek PM says

Turkey’s repeated violations of Greece and Cyprus’ sovereign rights in the Mediterranean and its “unnecessary and petty” decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia into a mosque “require a comprehensive European response,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday....

74% of Cypriots want higher EU budget to tackle pandemic

Three in four Cypriots believe the EU needs additional economic means in order to deal with the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic, a study conducted by the European Parliament during the second half of June showed....

Asylum seeker delivery man gets arrested

A food delivery guy was arrested on suspicion of illegal employment in Paphos after he went to take food to the town’s police headquarters...

Presidents of Cyprus, Greece discuss escalating Turkish provocations

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou held their first meeting in Athens on Tuesday, focusing the discussion on Turkey’s actions in the region and the close ties between the two countries....

Anastasiades lauds France as a pillar of stability in EastMed region

In a period of immense challenges and illegal actions, the presence of the French naval force in the broader geographical region tangibly proves the readiness and determination of France to act as a pillar of stability in the region, while it sends a clear message to those who aim at escalating tensions by acting in an unacceptable way, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said Monday....

Serbia, UK in category C of Cyprus' new risk-based list

Cyprus health services updated the epidemiological risk categorization of various countries, with the new list to be valid until July 16....

As EU mulls sanctions, Turkey defiant

The European Union is seeking ways of imposing sanctions on Turkey in the event that its transgressions in the East Mediterranean are scaled up, and in the wake of its decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque. ...

Man crushed to death on the job in Limassol

A local worker was killed on the job on Tuesday when wood weighing over a ton collapsed on him at a worksite in Limassol...

Cyprus readies launch of 5G bid

The Republic of Cyprus is moving forward with opening a public bid for the country’s 5G network, with permits expected to be approved before the year is out...

Accused mother asks for supervised visits

A mother who was remanded in custody on child abuse charges and ordered to stay away from her baby has asked for supervised visits...