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601. President says petty politics not behind IMO decision

Political criticism in Nicosia over not backing an ex-minister to lead a UN international shipping agency continues to dominate headlines this week, with President Nikos Christodoulides rejecting allegations that a lack of support was out of spite due to presidential election preferences...

602. Investors flock to 'green' bonds as a secure investment

603. Ex minister worries Nicosia dropped IMO ball out of spite

A Cypriot former minister is calling on the new government to offer an explanation as to why the Republic of Cyprus failed to seek a nomination currently being sought by foe Turkey at a UN agency responsible for regulating shipping, hinting at revenge politics and calling on his party to seek answers...

604. City employee arrested in driver permit middleman scandal

More suspects including a civil servant have been arrested in the document fraud scandal where foreign food delivery drivers allegedly paid hundreds of euros to a middleman in order to secure a driver’s permit...

605. Passports of Russian officials confiscated to prevent overseas escape

A Soviet-style practice is being resorted to by Russia's security services, confiscating the passports of senior officials and executives of state-owned companies to prevent travel abroad, as "paranoia about leaks and defections spreads in Vladimir Putin's regime," reports the Financial Times....

606. Cyprus transfers 76 refugees to France under EU relocation scheme

Yesterday morning, 76 applicants for international protection hailing from Syria and Afghanistan were transferred from Cyprus to France, marking the start of the voluntary relocation pilot program....

607. UNFICYP fails to stop illegal activities in buffer zone

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cyprus has expressed serious concern over the United Nations Peacekeeping Force's (UNFICYP) failure to stop illegal activities taking place in a stadium located in the buffer zone in Nicosia, despite repeated representations by the ministry....

608. Newly appointed presidential advisors to work pro bono

President Nikos Christodoulidis has appointed two new special advisors to his team to help with economic affairs and crisis management, respectively....

609. U.S. reporter arrested and accused of spying in Russia

Russia on Thursday charged an American correspondent for the Wall Street Journal with spying, in a case certain to escalate Moscow's diplomatic feud with Washington over the war in Ukraine and likely to further isolate Russia....

610. Ethics group says Chat GPT 4 a risk to privacy and public safety

The tech ethics group Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy is asking the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to stop OpenAI from issuing new commercial releases of GPT-4, ...

611. Agency owner arrested as new visa scandal unfolds

Cyprus Police have arrested an agency owner in Limassol in connection with an investigation into document fraud, after it emerged that foreign delivery drivers had sought to obtain or renew permits through his office...

612. Greek Cypriot protesters slam Tatar in London

A group of Greek Cypriot protesters in the United Kingdom attempted to block on Wednesday the vehicle of Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, who traveled to London to speak at an event...

613. WHO is no longer requiring doses of COVID vaccines

The World Health Organization has tailored its Covid-19 vaccination recommendations for a new phase of the pandemic, suggesting that healthy children and adolescents may not necessarily need a shot but older, high-risk groups should get a booster between 6 to 12 months after their last vaccine....

614. Generative AI could automate 300mn jobs

According to a report in the Financial Times, Goldman Sachs has found that "generative" AI systems such as ChatGPT could lead to the automation of a quarter of the work done in the US and eurozone....

615. Mossad helps Greece make terror arrests

Greek police said on Tuesday they had arrested two men suspected members of a group that was planning an attack against a Jewish restaurant in Athens, a case which Israel said was orchestrated from Iran...

616. New migration scandal looms after network uncovered

A new scandal involving services for asylum seekers may have been inadvertently uncovered in Limassol, where arrest warrants have been issued amid strict rules for renewing driver permits and a black market designed to overcome restrictions...

617. Nicosia 'UN'enthusiastic about Greco-Turkish bids

Nicosia says a new effort by Greece and Turkey to improve their relations is positive, but Greek Cypriot officials have been less excited about Athens and Ankara supporting each other’s bids in the United Nations...

618. At the EU summit with an eye on the Cyprus issue

Christodoulides attempted to lay out his vision for active EU engagement on the issue of breaking the six-year deadlock in Cyprus talks on the first day of his first European Council summit as President. ...

619. Cyprus and Bahrain recommit to cooperation

The Cypriot consul in Bahrain has issued a statement about a series of meetings in Manama on bilateral cooperation, following a diplomatic incident and further steps by Nicosia to install an ambassador in the Kingdom...

620. High prices continue to plague the market

621. Cyprus joins war against fake news

The members of the Association of Balkan News Agencies - Southeastern Europe, headquartered in Sofia, signed a declaration pledging to combat fake news in Thessaloniki on Monday, hosted by Athens-Macedonian News Agency...

622. Cyprus chips in as EU seeks quick ammo for Ukraine

The Republic of Cyprus has joined other EU member states as the European Defence Agency sought ways to procure ammunition for Ukraine, but ammo from Nicosia to Kiev is not expected any time soon...

623. Nicosia scolds Budapest over Turkic summit faux pas

Cypriot newly-appointed Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos warned his Hungarian counterpart this week that Nicosia would keep an eye on how Budapest carries forwards after a diplomatic faux pas involving a Turkish Cypriot delegation at a summit in Ankara...

624. Austrian chancellor calls for 'very high' walls at EU borders

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has demanded that the EU external border should be fenced by a high wall in an effort to curb illegal migration as more refugees are coming to Europe....

625. 1 billion euros from the EU for Turkey's reconstruction

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Ulf Kristerson, Prime Minister of Sweden, who holds the EU Council presidency, are hosting a donors' conference in Brussels today to raise funds and coordinate aid to those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria....

626. Greece accuses woman of being Russian spy

Greece’s National Intelligence Service is accusing a shop owner in Athens of being a Kremlin asset, as security services throughout Europe have been cracking down on alleged Russian spies dubbed the 'illegals'...

627. Moscow sees drone incident as provocation

Russia views the incident involving one of its Su-27 fighter jet and a U.S. military drone over the Black Sea as provocation, its ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, said in remarks published early on Wednesday...

628. Bahrain plays down Turkish Cypriot flag incident

A Turkish Cypriot flag at an inter-parliamentary union assembly in Bahrain has caught Nicosia’s attention, prompting Manama to reassure Greek Cypriots that it was 'not intentional' while dialogue still prevailed despite the diplomatic faux pas...

629. Deportation scheme agreed upon by EU interior ministers in secret

A report published by Statewatch and Heinrich Böll Stiftung has revealed that the European interior ministers signed a secret joint statement last year that committed EU/Schengen Area countries to increase financial as well as material support for deportations from the Balkans....

630. Strikes in Greece causing flight cancellations in Cyprus

Greek air traffic controllers are on strike for 24 hours, causing all flights to and from Greek airports to be canceled on Wednesday. The Greek Air Traffic Controllers' Union is organizing the strike, which began at midnight today and will end at midnight on Thursday....