Search

31. Rumors fly after Antonov crash in Greece

A retired intelligence officer in Cyprus says there is no way a downed Ukrainian cargo plane could have been carrying illegitimate weapons, with rumors still raging over allied weapons to Ukraine being sold on the black market while experts in Greece saying they found no evidence of dangerous substances at the crash site...

32. Divided Cyprus scrambles as fire rages in the north

Planes over divided Cyprus were fighting another day to put out the Kantara wildfire previously thought to have been under control, with reports overnight saying Turkish Cypriot authorities were evacuating local communities as the flames were spreading westwards...

33. Staff shortages lead to travel chaos at European airports

Even though the COVID-19 travel restrictions have already been lifted in the majority of European Union states, travellers continue facing other inconveniences at European airports....

34. Nouris: 'We have reached the point where migrants call the police and ask to be picked up'

In a bill submitted to Parliament, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Interior are requesting the recruitment of 300 special police officers with a contract of up to 28 months to monitor the green line and conduct other tasks relating to the increased migration flow into the Republic of Cyprus....

35. Nouris seeks EU sanctions for airlines carrying irregular immigrants to Turkish-occupied Cyprus

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris has asked for the imposition of EU sanctions to Turkish airlines systematically carrying irregular immigrants to Turkish-occupied Cyprus....

36. Cyprus-EU sign agreement on return of migrants

In a first, Cyprus and the EU have signed an agreement governing the rules for the return of migrants, and a Memorandum of Understanding is expected to be signed soon, which will detail the actions needed to effectively control migrant flows in Cyprus....

37. Mystery aircraft parked in Cyprus draws attention

UN experts are coming to Cyprus to inspect a possibly-modified plane believed to have been used in carrying forbidden cargo to Libya, but Cypriot air traffic control say they have no records of the aircraft landing on the island...

38. Turkish drones on Cyprus pose flight risks

A Turkish drone base in the breakaway north of ethnically divided Cyprus could increase safety risks for thousands of commercial flights ...

39. Thousands flee fires in Greece, Turkey

Thousands of people fled wildfires burning out of control in Greece and Turkey on Friday, including a major blaze just north of the Greek capital of Athens that claimed one life, as a protracted heat wave left forests tinder-dry and flames threatened populated areas and electricity installations...

40. Cypriot minister vies for UK's green status

Cypriot deputy tourism minister Savvas Perdios has been trying to sway British officials towards including his country on the UK’s green list, following a recent improvement of the epidemiological situation on the island that could still be argued either way in London...

41. Limassol biker dies in wild crash

A local biker was killed in Limassol on Saturday after he lost control of his motorcycle and went flying into the air, with witnesses saying he was popping wheelies before the crash and police not ruling out dangerous motorist behavior...

42. Minister makes roadblock checks random

Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis on Monday stepped in after reports that highways were backed up for miles due to lockdown roadblocks, saying she instructed police to carry out only random checks during peak hours...

43. Support schemes added to fight lockdown consequences

Alongside the tough restriction measures that came into effect on Thursday, additional support schemes were announced by the ministers of finance and labour in a bid to cushion the inevitable economic blow....

44. Roadblocks as Cyprus cuts off two districts

Police say officers will man random checkpoints in Limassol and Paphos districts, both which have been ordered essentially isolated from the rest of the island, following new strict measures to combat a second wave of the coronavirus...

45. Winter season a window of opportunity for tourism

With the tourism sector’s performance this summer having refuted even the most optimistic forecasts that were made, the question for tour operators is what more can be done over the next period to reduce the big losses. As such, everyone's attention has shifted to the winter period that begins next November and ends in March 2021....

46. Airport video shows no social distancing

Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos has reacted to viral photos that showed passengers crowding each other at the Larnaca airport terminal, arguing that face masks are the next best thing where social distancing is not an effective measure...

47. Letter to UNSG denounces Turkey's violations of Cyprus' airspace, maritime zones

A letter dated May 28 sent by the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN Andreas Mavroyiannis to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that denounced Turkish violations of the island’s airspace and maritime zones was released on Thursday as an official document in the General Assembly of the UN Security Council....

48. Medical supplies arrive after eventful flight

Another huge load of medical supplies from China was delivered to the Republic of Cyprus on Wednesday, after an “adventurous” flight on a Russian aircraft that did not have enough fuel to make it in one go...

49. Officials downplay drone risk off Paphos

Cypriot officials dismiss reports that say Turkish drones had interfered with flight paths of commercial airplanes taking off or landing at Paphos airport...

50. Emergency flight to Ercan forced to revise plan

A Turkish flight en route to Jordan, which diverted to Ercan due to a medical emergency, was forced to perform a fly-over in Antalya before heading to its final destination...

51. Cyprus strongly protests to UN over airspace and sea violations by Turkey

Cyprus has strongly protested to the UN the violations of its national airspace, the infringements of international air traffic regulations in Cyprus’s flight information region and the illegal use of closed ports and airports in Cyprus by Turkey...

52. Missing Romanian teen gets married in Cyprus

A tip from Interpol about a concerned family in Romania over their teenage daughter led to the arrest of a male suspect at Larnaca airport in a possible human trafficking case...

53. Death toll from Sri Lanka attacks rises sharply to 290

54. Turkish Cypriots to touch base with Ankara

Turkish Cypriot officials are reportedly getting ready for a trip to Ankara where they will discuss the Turkish economic crisis and its impact on the northern part of the island...

55. Greek airports unprepared for increased traffic volume

Pressured by the explosive growth of passenger numbers generated by Greece’s expanding tourism market, officials are calling for additional air traffic controllers to ensure safe travel....

56. Cyprus under flood watch until 6pm

A flood watch is in effect due to heavy rainfall in parts of Cyprus, with authorities saying there are traffic delays due to weather and even electricity outages...

57. Harry and Meghan seal it with a kiss

Britain’s Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle were pronounced husband and wife on Saturday by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a glittering union that brought a measure of modern Hollywood glamour into the 1,000-year-old monarchy...

58. Greece's Souda Bay naval base is ‘world-class’

Greece’s military base in Souda Bay, Crete, is an “essential hub” for NATO operations in the Mediterranean, combining world-class facilities with access to North Africa, the Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples and US Naval Forces Europe and Africa, US Navy Admiral James Foggo....

59. Auditor says air traffic control needs to do better

The Department of Civil Aviation’s Safety Regulation Unit was recently under the Auditor’s microscope, and findings show it is not properly organised and lacks efficiency due to a lack of best practices...

60. Passenger killed when engine explodes on Southwest Airlines US flight

The death of 43-year-old Jennifer Riordan on Flight 1380 was the first in a US commercial aviation accident since 2009...