https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/travel-categories-of-sms-system-that-returns-sunday
The SMS system that Cyprus was happy to be rid of in late spring last year will be returning on Sunday as the island grapples with the rampant spread of coronavirus that has left the healthcare system increasingly burdened....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cabinet-agrees-on-plastic-bag-ban-at-sales-points
The Cabinet on Tuesday agreed on a blanket ban on thin plastic bags at points of sale, with the decision to come into force once passed by the House plenum....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/tornado-leaves-15-homes-in-nicosia-outskirts-uninhabitable
Visiting the site of the tornado that blew through Nikitari in the suburbs of Nicosia, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said that thankfully “there were no human casualties,” adding that families whose homes were severely affected will receive a €2,000 grant to make do for the holiday period.
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https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/support-schemes-averted-drastic-rise-in-unemployment
The package launched by the government to support employees and businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic has averted a drastic rise in unemployment, labour minister Zeta Emilianidou said Thursday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/holiday-period-restrictions-to-be-announced-friday
The Cyprus cabinet will be deciding on Wednesday on the restrictions that are to apply for December and the Christmas holidays, with the new measures to be announced to the public by the health minister on Friday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greece-uae-commit-to-mutual-defense-assistance
The mutual defense assistance clause, activated in the event that one of the two countries’ territorial integrity is threatened, is probably the most important part of the defense and foreign policy cooperation agreement signed by Greece and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week, according to sources with inside information....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cabinet-meeting-cancelled-after-minister-tests-positive-for-virus
A scheduled Thursday morning meeting of the cabinet was cancelled after Agriculture Minister Kostas Kadis tested positive for coronavirus, with the remaining members of the cabinet instructed to self-isolate as a precaution....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/systems-tested-by-slaughterhouse-outbreak
A company that owns a slaughterhouse in rural Nicosia has until Monday to explain how 79 people were found working without proper authorization, following a coronavirus outbreak on the premises and days after the firm hinted that government officials were supplying asylum seekers for manual labour through backchannels...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/green-transition-in-transport-agriculture-an-uphill-task
Achieving sustainable transport demands policies on a governmental and local level which will give priority to users, providing more accessible, fair and clean alternative solutions, chairman of the parliamentary committee on transport, Charalambos Pittokopitis, has said, noting that the transition could not be achieved overnight....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/athalassa-national-park-in-troubled-waters
State authorities are warning the public to avoid contact with the water at the lake in Athalassa National park, following reports of dead fish floating upside down at the surface...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/22-year-old-confesses-to-igniting-seven-forest-fires
A 22-year-old who was arrested on August 31 in connection with a forest fire that broke out in a Nicosia suburb the same day later confessed to being behind six other forest fires....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/tourism-sector-in-ayia-napa-protaras-records-€15m-loss-in-2020
The tourism sector of the eastern coastal destinations of Ayia Napa and Protaras suffered losses estimated at €15 million during the current tourist season as a result of the stem in tourist arrivals against the backdrop of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/justice-ministry-looking-into-life-sentence-penalty-for-forest-arsonists
The Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis has proposed to the Ministry of Justice that the maximum penalty for forest arsonists gets hiked up to a life sentence, which, Kadis said, is the only move that can act as a deterring factor in a country where most forests fires are deliberately set....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/through-traffic-banned-on-forest-roads
Dozens of fires broke out on Saturday in Cyprus, prompting state authorities to ban private vehicles on forest roads after a pattern of arson emerged linked to suspicious cars in the area...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-sends-two-helicopters-to-assist-frantic-beirut-search-and-rescue-efforts
A Cyprus search and rescue team departed for neighbouring Lebanon on Wednesday afternoon to contribute to ongoing frantic efforts to locate missing persons and survivors of the massive blasts that rocked Beirut on Tuesday afternoon....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-slams-turkey-over-fish-wars
Republic of Cyprus Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis issued an indicting statement against Turkey this week, when he accused that country of illegal activities in Cypriot waters during a fisheries control teleconference...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/president-unveils-new-stimulus-package
President Nicos Anastasiades announced on Wednesday a new set of measures to support tourism, businesses, and the self-employed workers that took a hit in the coronavirus pandemic...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/pet-groomers-among-shops-to-reopen
The department of veterinary services has clarified that pet groomers can open starting on Monday, during the initial phase of easing restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus pandemic...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/no-sms-needed-in-dire-necessity-situations
Interior Minister Nikos Nouris clarified this week that the limit of one text message per day for exception-based movements during the pandemic does not apply to situations where going out is absolutely necessary...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/bill-sparks-kosher-debate-in-cyprus
Animal rights advocates are up in arms over a new government bill that would allow slaughterhouses in the Republic of Cyprus to incorporate kosher rituals, a procedure described by animal rights activists as inhumane...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/good-news-for-confined-dog-owners
Bummed dog owners in the Republic of Cyprus were relieved to hear on Tuesday that walking a family pet out in the neighbourhood would not count against a person’s limit of one outing per day under tighter coronavirus measures...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/food-products-imported-from-china-safe-for-consumers
Scientific evidence obtained so far from European bodies and the WHO show that food products imported from China do not pose a health risk to EU citizens and by extension Cypriot consumers....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/flamingo-deaths-raise-alarm-in-cyprus
Over a dozen flamingos were found dead at Aliki salt lake in Larnaca, with officials playing down the incident while members of the Green party are calling for an investigation...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/peace-water-on-hold-after-weather-incident
Turkish Cypriot officials say it will take two months to restore a submerged water pipeline from Turkey, following an incident due to severe weather...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/minister-suspects-dissent-in-akamas-fires
The fire department has called for backup in fighting multiple blazes in Akamas and other areas, with the agriculture minister saying the fires “can’t be a coincidence” as government policies move forward...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/eu-lawmakers-reject-turkey-s-safe-zone-in-syria-eye-sanctions-steps
European Union lawmakers on Wednesday condemned Turkey’s offensive to carve out a “safe zone” in northeast Syria and prepared the way for new EU financial sanctions against Ankara....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/kyriakides-closer-to-eu-health-chief
Commissioner-designate for Health Stella Kyriakides got on Wednesday the green light from ENVI EP Committee to move on to the next step in the procedure for her appointment...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/comment/opinion/greece-israel-beyond-the-elections
The divided Israeli society has once again failed to reach a clear decision. The results of Tuesday’s elections have cast the country back into a cycle of negotiations. Center-left Benny Gantz and conservative incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu are weighing their options, while former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman is pursuing the role of potential kingmaker...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/brexit-no-deal-preparedness-final-commission-call-to-all-eu-citizens-and-businesses
With 8 weeks to go until the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union on 31 October 2019, the Commission has today – in its 6th Brexit preparedness Communication – reiterated its call on all stakeholders in the EU27 to prepare for a ‘no-deal' scenario. In light of the continued uncertainty in the United Kingdom regarding the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement – as agreed with the UK government in November 2018 – and the overall domestic political situation, a ‘no-deal' scenario on 1 November 2019, remains a possible, although undesirable, outcome...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/locals-stage-protest-on-lara-beach
A protest in favour of local exploitation of Lara beach was held on Sunday in response to activists and state officials who recently reiterated that illegal human activity on turtle nesting sites will not be tolerated...