https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/weekend-news-roundup
Here are a few of the stories that made news in Cyprus over the weekend....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/twenty-years-since-9-11
Today marks the 20 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the US. A day that will forever be etched in the minds of people around the world....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/shocking-details-emerge-after-pushback-in-cyprus
More shocking details have emerged about a Syrian refugee’s ordeal in Cyprus, with police saying they were unaware last month they were separating a pregnant woman from her family during a pushback while some members of a House committee told a different story...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/biden-taps-close-advisor-as-energy-plots-thicken
US State Secretary Antony Blinken has appointed a businessman and former lobbyist as energy security envoy, signaling a new strategic focus in Washington in the aftermath of thorny geopolitics over Nord Stream 2 and unresolved issues relating to the eastern Mediterranean...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greece-mounts-‘superhuman-efforts-in-multiple-fronts
Thousands of people have fled their homes on the Greek island of Evia as wildfires burned uncontrolled for a sixth day on Sunday, and ferries were on standby for more evacuations after taking many to safety by sea...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/thousands-flee-fires-in-greece-turkey
Thousands of people fled wildfires burning out of control in Greece and Turkey on Friday, including a major blaze just north of the Greek capital of Athens that claimed one life, as a protracted heat wave left forests tinder-dry and flames threatened populated areas and electricity installations...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/wildfires-roar-back-to-life-near-athens
Wildfires north of Athens leapt back to life on Thursday as searing conditions persisted and emergency crews battled blazes across Greece for a third day running...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/nicosia-okay-with-latest-unsc-draft-on-varosha
Nicosia appeared to be at ease on Thursday night after a draft statement on Varosha, expected to be adopted by UN Security Council members on Friday afternoon, was said to 'condemn' recent announcements by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot leaders regarding the island’s ghost town...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-wants-strong-unsc-response-on-varosha
The UN Security Council is scheduled to tackle Varosha on Thursday, after the Republic of Cyprus requested closed consultations to take place following a Turkish Cypriot announcement to reopen part of the ghost town in the north, a move heavily criticized by Greek Cypriots in the south...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/asylum-seekers-stuck-in-cyprus-buffer-zone
Cypriot Interior Minister Nikos Nouris says the ordeal of three Cameroonians currently stuck in the buffer zone could end if EU fellow members agreed to take them in, with reports saying the bloc is still looking for consensus on migration policy but nothing has been agreed to date...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greek-cypriots-unleash-varosha-cancel-campaign
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades declared on Tuesday that no Greek Cypriot from Famagusta 'would become an accomplice to Turkish plans' in Varosha, while also rejecting accusations that he was against Turkish Cypriots sharing power on the island...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/erdogan-cyprus-visit-redraws-lines-of-division
The lines of division on the island of Cyprus are expanding beyond the traditional split along ethnic lines, with a visit by the Turkish president this week expected to cause friction within the Greek Cypriot community over the fate of Varosha but also within the Turkish Cypriot community over political values...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-against-the-clock-to-stop-erdogan
Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides has been going all out on a preemptive diplomatic strike aimed at garnering support in Brussels, Washington, and the international community to stop the Turkish President from revealing ‘surprises to the world’ during a scheduled visit to the island on July 20...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-wants-to-cut-red-tape-in-fire-response
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has instructed officials to look for ways to cut red tape in the prevention and handling of fires, following a devastating blaze that killed four workers and exposed lack of coordination between state and local authorities...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/jewel-sets-sail-fully-vaccinated-from-limassol
The Jewel of the Seas sets sail from Limassol on Saturday marking the beginning of Royal Caribbean’s return to the Mediterranean, a bold move mid-pandemic after Cypriot authorities jumped on board to offer a helping hand to an industry desperately looking for a welcoming port...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/government-responds-to-fire-with-€6-million-aid
The Republic of Cyprus has announced €6 million in financial aid for villages affected by a deadly fire, including compensation to the families of victims, with the government clarifying that illegal or uninsured structures would not be an issue...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/officers-to-face-discipline-in-serial-killer-case
A police internal affairs committee in the Republic of Cyprus has recommended disciplinary action against members of law enforcement in the island’s serial killer probe, after criminal prosecution was ruled out against officers and superiors who dropped the ball on cases of missing women later found murdered...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/four-laborers-died-trying-to-escape-cyprus-fire
The bodies of four farm workers were discovered Sunday, the second day of a huge wildfire in Cyprus that so far burned 55 square kilometers, with reports saying the laborers perished while desperately trying to escape the inferno...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-airports-to-accept-eudcc-on-july-1
The Cabinet that convened Wednesday, amended the Action Plan for the operation of airports to include the EU Digital COVID Certificate which will be issued by the EU Member States, as well as by the countries of the European Economic Area and by the Switzerland...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/no-fly-on-the-wall-during-brussels-meeting
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet Monday in Brussels where they are attending a NATO Summit, with reports saying the two leaders at some point plan to have only their interpreters in the room...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/nations-look-to-train-at-cyprus-security-center
Three European Union member nations and three Middle Eastern countries are looking to train personnel in border, customs, maritime and cybersecurity techniques at a cutting-edge US-funded facility in Cyprus that is expected to be ready early next year, the Cypriot foreign minister said Thursday...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/blinken-covers-all-bases-in-phone-call-to-cyprus
US State Secretary Antony Blinken has pledged support for a federal solution in Cyprus, urging both sides to be open to compromise while also warning over Russian and Chinese influence in the region...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/athens-irked-over-cavusoglu-s-minority-tweet
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday began his trip to Greece, with a tweet about an unofficial visit to the northeastern province of Thrace prompting angry reactions from Athens...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/women-and-children-allowed-off-refugee-boat
Close to a hundred Syrian refugees were spotted on board a vessel on Wednesday off Cyprus’ Cape Greco, with reports saying half of them were women and children while coast guard officials ordered the men to remain on the boat...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/geneva-resumes-after-leaders-slept-on-it
The two Cypriot leaders and media coverage of their separate discussions with the UN chief in Geneva could not be more diametrically opposed, with the parties in the 5+1 meeting called to reflect on their positions before assembling again on Thursday...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/jam-packed-day-in-geneva-underway
UN chief Antonio Guterres started his day with a full plate on Wednesday, with reports saying efforts could be made to draft a joint statement in Geneva despite the two Cypriot leaders reportedly painting different pictures of their priorities during the 5+1 meeting...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/christodoulides-failure-in-geneva-won-t-benefit-anyone
A failure of the informal five-party summit would constitute a negative development for all participants, Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said in an interview with Kathimerini Cyprus' Marina Economides, just before the new UN-led initiative was set to kick off in Geneva on Tuesday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/anastasiades-sets-course-for-geneva
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is flying to Geneva on Monday ahead of an informal five party meeting held by the UN to ascertain whether there is common ground to push for a new round of peace talks for the divided island...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/local-government-reform-heads-for-summer-freeze
Interior Minister Nikos Nouris has been asked by EU officials to give the rundown of the administration’s latest efforts in local government reform, just days after a proposal for a referendum was defeated by opposition parties that cried foul over the move...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greek-turkish-foreign-ministers-stand-their-ground
Greek and Turkish foreign ministers Nikos Dendias and Mevlut Cavusoglu hailed the relaunch of exploratory talks between Athens and Ankara and called for a de-escalation of tension, but both stood their ground on key issues dividing the two sides in an unusually frank press conference following their meeting in Ankara on Thursday...
