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2281. UN calls on Turkish Cypriot side to clarify checkpoints situation

The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) on Wednesday expressed concern over the “ongoing disruption” faced by residents of both sides of the island as a result of checkpoints remaining only partially open for specific groups....

2282. Cyprus blocks another boat citing coronavirus

A video showing a Republic of Cyprus coast guard vessel pursuing a boat of undocumented migrants has emerged, with police saying they blocked the boat due to the coronavirus crisis...

2283. 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...

2284. Checkpoints partially resume operation after three months

The first group of Turkish Cypriots passed through the Ayios Dometios and Strovilia checkpoints on Tuesday, many carrying bedding, cookware, and other essential items as they won’t be able to return to the north for at least two weeks....

2285. Government announces rules for crossing checkpoints

The Cyprus government on Friday announced the special rules that will apply for those groups permitted to move through crossing points as of June 8, but it remains unclear whether the ‘government’ in the north will be following through on the agreement between President Nicos Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader....

2286. Anastasides and Merkel discuss Turkish drilling plans, Covid-19 exit strategies

President Nicos Anastasiades and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed on Thursday Turkey’s illegal drilling activities in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), but also touched on the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and EU issues....

2287. 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.”...

2288. Finance minister makes the case for Cyprus

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides is confident the tourism industry in the Republic of Cyprus won’t have a catastrophic year following the pandemic, while calling on Europe to step up its recovery plan equally across the board...

2289. The growing complications of the reopening of checkpoints

The discussion for the reopening of checkpoints will be anything but an easy feat, as in addition to the role played by the epidemiological situation, the matter is inevitably being politicized in view of ‘elections’ set to take place in the north, but also in light of the UNSG’s report expected around the end of June....

2290. EU top diplomat urges Turkey to respect Greece, Cyprus sovereignty

Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, on Tuesday urged Turkey to respect the sovereignty of Greece and Cyprus....

2291. Some restrictions may be eased earlier than planned

The government and its health advisory committee discussed on Tuesday the possibility of relaxing certain restrictions sooner than anticipated, but final decisions are expected to emerge after the Cabinet’s meeting on Wednesday....

2292. No peace talks until mandate is renewed, Akinci says

Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci says that no progress can be made in reunification talks with the Republic of Cyprus if Turkish Cypriots in the breakaway north do not renew his mandate....

2293. Ankara sparks renewed tensions with Athens over claim for 24 blocks

Ankara on Tuesday responded to a complaint from Athens concerning a map published in the Turkish government’s gazette outlining areas where Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) has applied for exploration licenses, including several within Greece’s continental shelf, by insisting that these areas are within the boundaries Turkey has submitted to the United Nations. ...

2294. Cyprus condemns vandalism at mosque

Limassol police are investigating an incident of vandalism at Koprulu mosque, after gasoline bombs were thrown at the building and graffiti found spray-painted on the outer fence...

2295. Greece to make massive riot police equipment purchase

Greece is planning purchases worth millions of euros to equip the Hellenic Police’s (ELAS) riot force with shields, helmets, uniforms, bullet-proof vests and other supplies, including large quantities of tear gas, in anticipation of a fresh push on the northeastern border with Turkey by undocumented migrants and refugees trying to force their way into the European Union....

2296. Health experts on divided island compare notes

Health experts from the two communities on divided Cyprus are expected to touch base on Monday, leaving politics aside as scientists try to prepare officials for the reopening of crossings in the buffer zone...

2297. Greece, Turkey exchange barbs over migrants

Greece on Thursday pushed back on criticism by Turkey that is violating the rights of refugees and migrants attempting to reach the country, saying Ankara has “instrumentalized human suffering”...

2298. Bodies recovered in north drowning incident

A body found on Wednesday off the Kyrenia coast in the north belongs to a missing young man who drowned along with his girlfriend on the weekend in rough seas...

2299. Republic of Cyprus starts its biggest engine

A new presidential address to the nation on Wednesday is expected to set the tone as the Republic of Cyprus is gearing up for the summer season but debate over health concerns and social distancing still rages on...

2300. Greek FM insists Evros fence will be completed

2301. Local biker killed in Limassol accident

A biker was brutally killed in a road accident in Limassol on Sunday with reports saying he lost control of his motorcycle and landed into an empty field...

2302. Cyprus records zero new cases

No new infections of the coronavirus were announced in Cyprus on Saturday, the first time the island recorded zero confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak in early March...

2303. Negative coronavirus test certificate needed to go through crossings

With the partial opening of checkpoints on June 8, as agreed by the island’s two leaders on Thursday, Presidential Commissioner Photis Photiou said that in addition to the enclaved, Greek Cypriots who resettled in their villages in the breakaway north will also be allowed to pass through crossing points....

2304. First steps taken for the reopening of checkpoints

Substantial steps were taken on Thursday by the leaders of the island’s divided communities toward the reopening of crossing points, with the two agreeing that as a first step, certain groups of people will be allowed to cross through checkpoints as of June 8....

2305. Cyprus starting to feel normal again

People in the Republic Cyprus woke up to a new reality on Thursday, as the second phase of relaxed restrictions and ongoing health protocols kicked in following positive news in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic...

2306. Divided Cyprus slammed over refugee pushback

Two dozen groups around the world have condemned authorities on both sides of divided Cyprus after 175 Syrian refugees were denied the right to seek asylum...

2307. Cyprus comes together to put out fires

Authorities on both sides of divided Cyprus were battling with fires over the weekend, with students in the north ordered to evacuate their dorms and residents in the south grabbing garden hoses to put out flames in their backyards...

2308. UNSG calls on two sides to cooperate on pandemic, opening of crossings

The leaders on both sides of the Cyprus divide received a letter from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who called for cooperation in dealing with the pandemic and in lifting restrictions at crossings....

2309. Turkey defends Larnaca-bound flight decision

Ankara says a Larnaca-bound plane never submitted a timely request to fly through Turkish airspace, accusing the Republic of Cyprus of using the pandemic to score points for political gain...

2310. Commission calls on Turkey to show solidarity without discrimination

The European Commission called on Turkey "to maintain a spirit of solidarity without discrimination", referring to Wednesday’s incident where Turkey denied a flight transporting medical equipment to Cyprus to enter its airspace....