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1171. Medical files set on fire at a Larnaca school

Police are investigating a suspected arson at a Larnaca elementary school, where medical records of pupils appeared to have been set on fire...

1172. Rhetoric cranked up over Laundromat story

The Presidential Palace is fighting back against criticism over claims that President Anastasiades’ law firm was involved in a network of shell companies that laundered billions out of Russia...

1173. Brussels piles on pressure over Greece-Cyprus-Israel electricity cable

Just when the Greek Energy Minister thought he could take a short August break, after a hectic first 30 days of the Mitsotakis administration, a stern warning from Brussels has exposed the wavering attitude that Athens has chosen by succumbing to pressure from the Chinese-controlled transmission system operator ADMIE over the Attica-Crete subsea electricity cable...

1174. Authoritarian, divisive, hard right?

A few days ago, the New York Times published an opinion piece on political developments in Greece on its front page in which the author denounced the return to power of the “hard” right under the leadership of an “authoritarian” prime minister with “anti-democratic instincts.” ...

1175. Interview with Endy Zemenides

Ever since Joe Biden declared that Cyprus was a “strategic partner” of the United States, people have been trying to identify substance behind those words. There has been a similar search of what “best relations ever” between the U.S. and Greece means...

1176. Greek PM in charm offensive aiming to ease primary surplus targets

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is planning a series of trips abroad toward the end of this month and next, hoping to convince Greece’s creditors of the recently elected government’s commitment to reforms and to lay the groundwork for reducing demanding primary surplus targets agreed under the country’s post-bailout agreement....

1177. Substantive debate and ministers who listen

All of the participants on the Committee for Public Administration need to be applauded for the outcome. The former minister of administrative reform in the SYRIZA government, Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou, publicly lauded the stance of State Minister George Gerapetritis, stressing that he showed a very creative and positive mood. ...

1178. Trump’s yuan move makes a China deal much harder

The decision to label China a currency manipulator boxes in Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. The U.S. Treasury Department made the move after Beijing allowed the yuan to slide below the key level of 7 to the dollar. It’s the first such designation for the People’s Republic since 1994. The sudden escalation will make it harder for both sides to reach a trade truce...

1179. Tangible rewards for alliance-building

Greece's military spending has shrunk dramatically as a result of the crisis, widening the defense gap with Turkey. Successive Greek governments have spent billions on armaments over the past few decades, yet there is very little to show for it in terms of a defense industry. After an ambitious start, state-owned firms such as the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (EAV) and others were gradually choked by mismanagement from political parties and unionism...

1180. Ercan officers suspended over police brutality video

Police officers at Ercan airport are being investigated over an alleged incident of violence, after a video made public showed a traveler being dragged and kicked by an officer while others were late to intervene...

1181. Varosha in the spotlight

The government closely follows developments and the Turkish Cypriot side’s actions with regard to the closed off area of Turkish occupied Famagusta, known as Varosha, a government source has told CNA, noting that representations have been made where they ought to be made. ...

1182. Early signs of civility and consensus

Despite some natural degree of skirmishing and isolated criticism, rays of civility, consensus and cooperation are breaking out across the Greek political landscape. ...

1183. Stepping into power, Johnson seeks more diverse cabinet

Taking over as prime minister on Wednesday, Boris Johnson is expected to unveil a more diverse top team in a government to be tasked with delivering Brexit by the end of October, with or without a deal. ...

1184. No time for mixed signals

We are entering a very thorny patch in Greek-Turkish relations. Turkey’s activities within Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), combined with the standoff with the United States over Ankara’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system are increasing the tension further in Greece’s wider region. ...

1185. Golden Dawn voters, women and Mitsotakis

Some foreign journalists have in recent days made two negative observations regarding New Democracy’s victory in the July 7 snap election and the makeup of the new cabinet...

1186. Trump says 'not fair' that U.S. can't sell F-35s to Turkey

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday it is “not fair” to either Turkey or the United States that Washington cannot sell Ankara billions of dollars worth of F-35 fighter jets after it bought a Russian air defense system...

1187. David Harris: US closer to Greece, Cyprus, Israel

Washington recognizes Greece’s strategic value and reliability as an ally, attributes that only grow stronger as doubts deepen over Turkey’s stance, American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO David Harris tells Kathimerini in an interview...

1188. Recovering lost ground

The government that has just taken power in Greece is different to what we are accustomed to and close to what a big chunk of the population is eager to see. The center-right administration appears well-prepared. The comparison is not only being made with SYRIZA, which was completely unprepared when it took over at a crucial period in 2015, but also with other supposedly experienced administrations before them. That said, in politics plans can be undone by unforeseen events. ...

1189. Which way will SYRIZA go?

It will take a couple of months before we see what kind of style SYRIZA plans to adopt in its reprised role as the country’s main opposition party. For the time being at least, it appears willing to cut some slack to the new government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. ...

1190. Trump congratulates Mitsotakis, pledges to maintain close cooperation

The two leaders expressed their mutual interest in working together and continuing strong cooperation between the United States and Greece, the White House said. ...

1191. Syrians trapped at Ercan head to Turkey

Turkish Cypriot officials say Ankara has decided to host 50 Syrians who have been trapped in Ercan airport due to visa issues...

1192. Mitsotakis, expectations and the need for unity

The coming weeks will naturally see an emphasis on New Democracy’s proposals on all the major issues, from the economy and security, to education and health. At the same time the new prime minister will have to strike a balance between the rival forces within his party’s ranks, combining the new with the old. ...

1193. Eurogroup rules out any talk of primary surplus target reduction for Greece

Discussion on Greece was brief at Monday’s Eurogroup, but the council of eurozone finance minsters sent a clear message to Athens that creditors are ready to cooperate with the new government while warning that the handouts announced in May by the previous administration are putting growth and fiscal targets at risk...

1194. ND surges to power, promising change

1195. Turkey issues Navtex for exercises off Kastellorizo on Sunday

Turkey has issued a navigational telex reserving a large area south of the island of Kastellorizo, within Greece's continental shelf, for military exercises on Sunday as Greeks go to general elections...

1196. New missile scenarios tossed in the mix

Reports in the Turkish Cypriot press point to a number of different scenarios, as authorities on both sides of the divided island try to learn more about the rogue missile that ended up on Cypriot soil...

1197. North gears up for mobile link-up with south

Turkish Cypriots are gearing up ahead of a much-awaited linkage of cellular networks between north and south, which could bring down costs considerably for local users...

1198. No final conclusions yet in stray missile incident

The Republic of Cyprus remains in the dark over the missile incident in the north, while an effort is underway by officials to sound out “friendly countries” in order to connect the dots...

1199. Nicosia expects UN to maintain position on Varosha based on Security Council decisions

The government said on Friday that it expected from the UN to maintain their long-standing position with regard to the ghost-town of Famagusta, that is consistent with the UN Security Council decisions which are explicit and are now blatantly violated through the announcement made in the Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus...

1200. Playing with fire

The emerging crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean over Turkey’s drilling activities in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) raise the prospect of an open Greco-Turkish conflict to a level higher than anytime since the Imia crisis...