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91. Backchannel migration approvals probed

A man has accused the interior minister of approving visa extensions for a select number of foreign workers while rejecting others including his elderly mother’s helper, with reports pointing to a bigger scandal where rejected cases were being approved fraudulently through a channel involving a high price tag...

92. EU frontline ministers talk migration in Athens

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris is in Athens this weekend where he is attending a MED5 meeting on immigration, with some of the bloc’s Mediterranean members tackling issues stemming from Brussels’ new migration proposals that divide the union...

93. Cyprus scrambles to reduce asylum backlog

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris says the government is moving forward with rejections of asylum applications under new, faster procedures to clear a system backlog, with Europe seeking a comprehensive solution and a commissioner calling on Cypriot authorities to investigate illegal pushbacks...

94. Interior Minister fires Kouklia head councilor

A whistleblower head councilor in Paphos district has been relieved of his duties this week by the interior minister, who has placed the local council of Kouklia under the administration of the district chief officer following pandemonium in the heavily-audited community...

95. Minister points finger at north over barbwire

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris has fired back at critics in the north over the south’s decision to install barbwire near the UN buffer zone to halt illegal crossings, blaming the need for a fence on lack of action on the part of Turkish Cypriot authorities...

96. Cyprus begins sealing porous frontier

The Republic of Cyprus says a barbwire fence currently being set up along a strip adjacent to the UN buffer zone should not be seen as a border between north and south but a way to hold back undocumented migrants...

97. Cabinet proposes local administration reform referendum in May

The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to schedule the islandwide referendum on the local administration reform on the same date that the public will be heading to ballot boxes anyway to cast their vote in the parliamentary elections on May 30....

98. Local government reform on the ballot

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris is calling for local government reform to be decided by voters during parliamentary elections, citing his frustration over a long and protracted debate on the issue...

99. Government announces new housing schemes and incentives

New housing schemes and incentives with an emphasis on rural areas and young people were announced on Wednesday by the government....

100. Brussels concerned over Pournara refugees

The Republic of Cyprus’ handling of asylum seekers at Pournara camp remains on Brussels’ radar, with a host of different challenges raising questions over how the European Union and some member states can get on the same page without resorting to legal battles...

101. Asylum seekers at Pournara breach gate

A group of asylum seekers at Nicosia’s Pournara camp got a brief taste of freedom on Wednesday, after residents breached the front gate during a protest against long-term detention at the migration facility...

102. Archbishop will restore demolished houses, DISY Councillor says

Attorney General Giorgos Savvides, weighed in on the commotion caused by the Archbishopric’s unlawful demolition on Monday of four listed houses adjacent of its under-construction Cathedral project in the old town of Nicosia....

103. Reporters to sit in on golden passport hearings

A number of reporters will be allowed from now on to attend ongoing probe hearings into alleged corruption in connection with Cyprus’ disgraced Citizenship by Investment Programme, with journalists being asked to commit in advance not to breach data privacy laws...

104. Decree bans additional asylum seekers from living in Chloraka

It emerged on Friday that Interior Minister Nicos Nouris issued a decree last month banning additional asylum seekers from establishing permanent residency in the Paphos district village of Chloraka....

105. Officials weigh in on Pournara brawl

Eight tenants at Pournara migration facility were placed under arrest on Tuesday, following a violent brawl on camp grounds that erupted between two groups under circumstances still unclear...

106. Violent brawl breaks out at Pournara

A large-scale violent confrontation between groups of asylum seekers erupted at Pournara camp on Monday night, with police calling for backup and two dozen ending up in the Emergency Room...

107. Cyprus, US sign Declaration of Intent on border security

Cyprus and the USA signed on Tuesday a Declaration of Intent on strengthening cooperation on border security issues, in view of enhancing their capacity to counter common threats and foster stability in the region. ...

108. Tornado leaves some 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. ...

109. Cyprus’ migrant camp way over capacity

The overcrowding situation with refugees and asylum seekers at Pournara camp was back in the news, following an unannounced visit by the state’s Ombudswoman who said she saw some improvements but also some problems still not being addressed such as the right to move freely out of the camp...

110. 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....

111. Police search homes, offices of those implicated in Al Jazeera video

Police on Thursday searched the homes and offices of the people embroiled in the Al Jazeera video on the Cyprus Papers that caused ongoing political turmoil on the island. ...

112. Constitutional crisis unfolds over passports

An unprecedented constitutional crisis has been unfolding in the Republic of Cyprus, with the attorney general publicly scolding an inquisitive auditor general and asking him to back off from seeking access to files in connection with golden passports linked to a casino project...

113. President defends block on audit office

President Nicos Anastasiades invoked the Constitution during a televised interview, saying the job description of the auditor general, who is currently seeking information on foreign nationals linked to a casino project, does not authorize him to 'have a say in everything'...

114. Police get to work on passport scandal

Cypriot police appear to have their plate full with three different probes into alleged corruption in the golden passport scheme, with investigators facing their biggest challenge by a shocking Al Jazeera video that dealt the fatal blow in the country’s Citizenship by Investment Programme...

115. Cyprus suspends golden passport programme

The Republic of Cyprus announced unexpectedly on Tuesday that the current Citizenship by Investment Programme would be abolished, following an emergency Cabinet meeting a day after Al Jazeera published a secret video alleging corruption in the island’s golden passport scheme...

116. Parliament passes bills to streamline asylum procedures

The House on Friday passed three amendments to the Refugee Law, streamlining asylum procedures....

117. ECHR asks Cyprus to explain boat incidents

The European Court of Human Rights has asked the government of the Republic of Cyprus to answer questions concerning recent refoulement of undocumented travelers at sea, in response to a request of an interim measure from a local attorney handling another case...

118. EU calls on Cyprus to manage migration flows in line with EU law

The EU said Tuesday that it acknowledges the difficulties faced by the Republic of Cyprus in terms of the flow of refugees it is called to deal with, but stressed that basic principles and EU legislation must be respected....

119. Cyprus defends blocking migrant boats

A police task force from the Republic of Cyprus is hoping to hash out a plan with Lebanese authorities to deter “economic migrants” from traveling to the island, as government and state officials rush to respond to criticism over a decision to send back undocumented migrants to the neighbouring country...

120. Passports under the watchful eye of the Commission