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31. Activists attacked during animal liberation protest

Animal Party Cyprus is calling on Cypriot authorities to investigate an incident over the weekend after two animal rights activists said they were attacked by an unknown person during a peaceful demonstration in Nicosia...

32. Grief over fire at Istanbul’s Balikli Greek Hospital

A fire broke out on the roof of Istanbul’s Balikli Greek Hospital on Thursday, forcing the evacuation of more than 100 patients and staff...

33. Cyprus’ church wars over Ukraine quiet down

Cyprus' Tamasos metropolitan bishop Isaiah, a top contender for the archbishopric throne who fell out of favor with Archbishop Chrysostomos, traveled to Istanbul this week with the primate’s blessing, a possible signal that the island’s ugly church split over Ukraine was drawing to a quiet close ahead of possible elections...

34. Holy Synod protests over baptism of gay couple’s children

The Holy Synod of Greece’s Orthodox Church unanimously voted on Monday to send a letter of protest to Archbishop of America Elpidophoros over his decision to baptize the twin children of a same-sex couple in the Athens suburb of Glyfada last week....

35. East-West orthodox split deepens in Cyprus

An interview with the Archbishop of Cyprus, who used unfavorable words for detractor bishops as well as the Patriarch of Moscow, is causing all sorts of reactions on the island where campaign drama is unfolding both in a highly contested presidential election and a looming replacement for head of church...

36. Orban gets his way as EU bans Russian oil

The European Union on Thursday gave its final approval to new sanctions on Russian oil and top bank Sberbank, after much wrangling with Hungary, as punishment for Russian President Vladimir Putin's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine...

37. Pope Francis says NATO started war in Ukraine by ‘barking at Putin’s door’

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis has floated the idea that he wants to take a trip to Kyiv to try to broker a ceasefire. But now he says he would prefer to go to Moscow to try to talk some sense into Vladimir Putin, who he has not outwardly condemned in the now nearly three-month-old war and only did so lightly in a lengthy interview with an Italian newspaper....

38. 'Orthodox faithful are holding back the antichrist', says Russian Patriarch

The return of Famagusta can be the ideal confidence-building measure, pledged Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides on Wednesday, noting the government will insist on the proposal for the opening of the airport in Turkish occupied Tympou and Famagusta port in exchange for the return of the fenced-off area of Famagusta....

39. Ukraine crisis stains church elections in Cyprus

A Cypriot theologian has blown the lid off the game of thrones in archbishopric elections on the island, suggesting anti-Russia agenda is behind efforts to take the vote away from believers who might favor a pro-Moscow candidate in order to task the Holy Synod with naming the winner...

40. Averof Neofytou promises an end to corruption and radical education reform

The Supreme Council of the ruling party Democratic Rally (DISY) unanimously ratified the candidacy of the party’s president Averof Neofytou for the Presidency of the Republic....

41. Russian Orthodox church in Amsterdam splits with Moscow

A Russian Orthodox church in Holland has said it is cutting ties with the Moscow patriarchate and has requested to join the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople instead....

42. Mitsotakis and Erdogan agree to improve ties amid Ukraine conflict

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan agreed on the necessity to deescalate tensions between Greece and Turkey and support stability in the East Mediterranean amid the war in Ukraine, Greek government sources said following the lunch on Sunday between the two leaders in Istanbul....

43. Op-ed: The case of the British woman raped in Ayia Napa showed a deeply sexist society

On the occasion of the acquittal of the young Brit on charges of public mischief announced by the Supreme Court of Cyprus last Monday 31/1, we spoke with Dr. Christina Kailis from the Mediterranean Institute for Gender Studies about the decision, the legal components and the steps that still need to be taken to properly deal with complaints such as rape. ...

44. Patriarch protests to Ankara over DJ performance at Sumela monastery

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios has sent a complaint to Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy in the wake of footage showing a DJ playing electronic music at the historic Monastery of Panagia Soumela in the mountainous Trabzon region, known among Greeks as Trapezounta....

45. Turkish convert to Orthodoxy caught Holy Cross in Istanbul

A Turkish citizen, who had been baptized Christian Orthodox, caught the Holy Cross in the waters of the Horned Gulf in Istanbul in a moving ceremony presided by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Bless the Waters of Fanari on the day of the Epiphany....

46. Charalambidou: Need for coordination of support services for victims of sexual violence

The Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women, Ms. Irini Charalambidou, stated that a holistic approach is needed and that cross-sectoral cooperation and the coordination of all support services for victims of sexual harassment is needed....

47. Cypriot president snubs Archbishop in New York

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has canceled a meeting with Archbishop Elpidophoros in New York City, amid reports that Nicosia and Athens were displeased after the high churchman attended the opening of a Turkish House a day earlier...

48. 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...

49. Protesters want cops on trial in Orestis case

A group of protesters on Wednesday called on the state attorney to order criminal prosecution against police in Cyprus’ serial killer case, following reports that officers could potentially face at most disciplinary action because witnesses would not come forward in a trial...

50. Erdogan calls on Greek Istanbulites to return

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and others that he welcomes the return of Istanbulite Greeks back to their ancestral homes...

51. Bishop apologises over reporter incident

Bishop Nikiforos of Kykkos, who told a reporter to “shut up” on Wednesday as cameras were rolling, has issued an apology, saying he regretted his behaviour, with the incident revealing tensions remain high over the Ukrainian issue...

52. 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....

53. 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...

54. Lockdown weighs heavily on Orthodox Christians during Easter

55. 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....

56. President Anastasiades officially welcomed in Sofia

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades was officially welcomed on Tuesday in Sofia by President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, during a ceremony in Alexander Nevsky square, where Anastasiades laid a wreath at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier....

57. Diplomatic hype over eastern Mediterranean

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias attended Christmas Mass in Istanbul amid diplomatic tensions and power play between Athens and Ankara over gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean...

58. Russian church in the north under criticism

A Russian Orthodox Church in the north has come under criticism with the Archbishop accusing the local priest of recusancy and embassy officials reiterating Moscow’s respect to the autocephalous Church of Cyprus...

59. An enlightened decision

60. Ankara raises issue of eight officers again

A few days before Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visits Turkey, the country’s National Security Council said in a statement on Thursday that Ankara will continue to pursue people it accuses of taking part in the failed coup attempt in 2016 – including the eight servicemen Greece has refused to extradite....