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181. Church bells toll for Hagia Sophia

Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos has ordered church bells across the island to ring on Friday, marking what he described as a “criminal conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque"...

182. Turkish court rules to let Hagia Sophia return as mosque

183. Mother detained in child abuse case

Police brought to light a suspected child abuse case in Limassol this week, during an investigation into an assault complaint launched against the parents by the baby’s grandmother who said she was assaulted by her son and daughter-in-law...

184. Hagia Sophia mosque conversion verdict expected within 15 days, says report

A verdict on whether Hagia Sophia in Istanbul will be converted into a mosque is to be issued within 15 days, Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported Thursday....

185. Student’s letter causes media storm

A student in Nicosia is taking social media by storm, after she wrote a letter criticizing school prayer and how religion is being taught in state schools in the Republic of Cyprus...

186. Hijab and kosher end up in report on Cyprus

A State Department report has called out Cyprus on matters of religious freedom, following a number of stories in the media including the right to wear hijab in school, kosher laws, and access to religious sites...

187. Greek PM says Greece ready for any challenge

Amid renewed tensions with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed on Wednesday that Greece “will face all challenges with consistency, stability, confidence and always with a commitment to international law, as it always does.”...

188. Holy Synod says yoga no good

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece rebuffed a call for dialogue between Orthodox churches regarding Holy Communion in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, while also denouncing yoga and warning cleric to stay away from the Lions...

189. Police vague over clues in downtown deaths

Police continue to search for clues in connection with the death of two foreign nationals in downtown Nicosia on Sunday, with investigators not ruling out double murder or murder-suicide...

190. Communion ritual unchanged in Orthodox Church despite virus

One by one, the children and adults line up for the centuries-old ritual of Holy Communion, trying to keep a proper social distance. The priest dips a spoon into the chalice of bread and wine, which the faithful believe is the body and blood of Christ, and puts it into the mouth of the first person in line....

191. Nicosia youth who lost fingers speaks out

A teenager, who blew off three of his fingers after a firework tube exploded in his hand, took to social media to warn his peers against the use of illegal pyrotechnics...

192. Police enlist drones in Easter gatherings clamp down (VIDEO)

Police conducted 3,269 checks and booked 119 pedestrians and drivers in violation of restriction measures in just 12 hours, between 6pm on Sunday and 6am on Monday....

193. Cyprus confirmed cases drop to single digits

The number of new confirmed Covid-19 cases in Cyprus has dropped to single digits, following a long-drawn effort by authorities on the island to flatten the curve, but results won't be fully known before the month is over....

194. Cyprus shaken by loud Easter fireworks

Nicosia was shaken by non-stop fireworks and police sirens on Holy Saturday, as Greek Orthodox Christians observed the first celebration of Easter at midnight amid a pandemic lockdown...

195. Lockdown weighs heavily on Orthodox Christians during Easter

196. Police seize scrap wood for Easter bonfires

Local crews in Nicosia’s Strovolos municipality have been busy removing scrap wood stashed away in abandoned buildings in an effort to crack down on illegal lambradjia bonfires on upcoming Holy Saturday...

197. President: mistakes, complacency over Easter will mean restrictions drag on

Addressing the nation anew on Thursday, President Nicos Anastasiades said that this weekend, which marks the Greek Orthodox Easter, will test the island’s population but stressed the need for absolute compliance with restriction measures so that it can remain feasible to begin a gradual lifting of the measures as soon as possible....

198. President to address nation Thursday evening

President Nicos Anastasiades will be addressing the nation anew on Thursday at 6.15pm....

199. Greece to move over 2,300 refugees to mainland after Easter

Greek authorities will begin the gradual transfer of 2,380 asylum seekers and their families from island camps to accommodation facilities on the mainland after Orthodox Easter (April 19), the country’s Migration Ministry said Thursday. ...

200. Believers use side door to attend church

A video posted on YouTube Thursday morning showed Easter worshippers using a service door at a church in Latchia, despite access prohibited due to a lockdown during the pandemic...

201. Three movements per day possibly the first move in lockdown exit strategy

The expert group of scientists consulting the government in its efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus will be convening on Friday to map out Cyprus’ gradual lockdown exit strategy....

202. Cops won’t mess around during holy week

Law enforcement officials have announced they will step up patrols throughout the holy week, leading to the Greek orthodox Easter on April 19, singling out delinquent teens while giving a heads up to groups of foreign nationals...

203. Morphou bishop defies church lockdown

Morphou Bishop Neophytos spoke out against decree orders on Palm Sunday, after accusing police officers of being “rude” and praised the Bulgarian government for keeping churches open...

204. 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...

205. Easter church services to take place behind closed doors

Church services to mark the Orthodox Easter will take place behind closed doors, Archbishop Chrysostomos assured President Nicos Anastasiades in a meeting held at the Presidential Palace on Thursday. ...

206. Cyprus stays put beyond Easter

Church and state got behind scientists this week in the Republic of Cyprus, with the government extending measures beyond Easter to stop the spread of Covid-19 despite partial data suggesting a flattening of the curve...

207. President: Lockdown measures extended until end of April

Lockdown and other measures in place to contain the coronavirus outbreak will be extended until April 30, with no exceptions to be made during the Orthodox Easter period, President Nicos Anastasiades said in his televised national address on Wednesday night....

208. Cyprus in the mix as world seeks cure

An Israeli military aircraft has delivered five tons of chloroquine to Cyprus this week, amid reports of secret wars over limited access to the drug but also uncertainty over its effectiveness in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic...

209. Archbishop tells believers to shelter in place

Archbishop Chrysostomos has called on believers to stay home during Orthodox Easter, saying “if we truly love God, then our mission should be to put an end to this pandemic...

210. Cyprus on right path as cases drop

Confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been steadily dropping over the past few days in the Republic of Cyprus, with health experts praising the government for relying on science in the battle against the pandemic...