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1591. Policy priorities unaffected by pandemic, FinMin says

Despite the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic Cyprus’ economic policies remain the same, targeting macroeconomic and financial stability, prudent fiscal policies, and establishing a competitive, business-friendly regulatory environment of high standards, Minister of Finance Constantinos Petrides said on Thursday....

1592. Cabinet okays bill for establishment of Dep. Ministry of Social Welfare

The Council of Ministers on Wednesday approved a bill for the establishment of a Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare in Cyprus, the deputy government spokesperson Panayiotis Sentonas said in a written statement on Wednesday....

1593. Greece, France to sign $2.8 billion fighter jet deal

Greece is due to sign a 2.3 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) deal with France on Monday to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets as tensions grow with neighbor Turkey....

1594. Slow vaccine rollout affecting Cyprus strategy, President tells EU leaders

President Nicos Anastasiades briefed EU leaders in a videoconference on Thursday evening on the problems Cyprus is facing due to the slow rollout of coronavirus vaccines mainly brought about by the production delays of pharmaceutical companies supplying jabs for the EU....

1595. Dueling small parties help pass budget

The House in the Republic of Cyprus approved a revision of the government’s 2021 state budget on Thursday, following a month of consultations between the administration and small opposition parties that offered additional amendments to the bill...

1596. MPs vote on budget hanging by a thread

The House takes another vote on the state budget on Thursday, with representatives expected to pass the bill narrowly following behind-the-scenes consultations since the first time it was rejected in mid-December...

1597. Cypriot FM visits Gulf before US inauguration

Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides flew to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to hold a private meeting with his counterpart, days after the two countries signed a military cooperation agreement but also days before a changing of the guard in Washington could spell trouble for US arms sales to Gulf states...

1598. Smoothening the cliff edge in EU-UK relations

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the United Kingdom and the European Union came into effect on January 1, 2021, capping a tumultuous four-and-a-half-year period since the shocking result of the July 2016 Brexit referendum, in which 51.9% of the British voters voted in favor of leaving the EU. Subject to the delayed assent of the European Parliament, this UK-EU free trade agreement (FTA) extends zero-tariff and quota-free trade in goods between the two economic areas....

1599. Top editor quits over Anastasiades claim

A renowned journalist and editor-in-chief at Kathimerini Cyprus has resigned his post amid backlash from a piece he wrote on Sunday, where he claimed Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades let slip information that he had been flying millions generated from golden passports to the Seychelles on private flights...

1600. Cyprus aiming for full absorption of EU funds

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides said Cyprus wants to achieve an absorption of 100% of the maximum of €968 million it could receive from the European structural and investment funds, but this requires that Cyprus invests in projects amounting to €1.8 billion....

1601. Legal blocking tests abroad in soldier's death

The clock is ticking for the family of a dead soldier, whose official manner of death in 2005 as suicide is being disputed, with the Legal department refusing to consent to any exhumed remains being sent abroad for specialized testing...

1602. A timeline of the coronavirus pandemic in Cyprus

The coronavirus pandemic in Cyprus, which kicked off mildly at first with double-digit daily new cases before the second wave sent the island into unprecedented terrain with hundreds of daily new cases and the healthcare system ready to give in at any given time, can be generally divided into four stages. ...

1603. EU to buy extra 100 mln doses of Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine

The European Union will buy an extra 100 million doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine, bringing the total from the two firms to 300 million doses, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday....

1604. Folli Follie report unveils 17-year scam

The troubled Folli Follie company’s major shareholders, the Koutsolioutsos family, reaped the benefits of a well-orchestrated fraud scheme that lasted for at least 17 years, under the nose of the supervisory authorities, generating hundreds of millions of euros in profits, according to an audit report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. ...

1605. DIKO raises conflict of interest for AG

DIKO president Nicholas Papadopoulos has raised concerns over conflicts of interest for the state’s attorney general in connection with a golden passports investigation, following a statement from the Presidential Palace on publicizing some findings but not in their entirety...

1606. The Greek scientist developing 6G

At the moment Greece is unveiling the 5G communications network, on the opposite end of Europe, a Greek professor, a communications engineer, is getting a grant from the European Research Council to develop 6G....

1607. Cyprus puts travelers from UK up in hotels

Cyprus’ health ministry rushed to clarify instructions for airports on Monday amid fears of a coronavirus mutation, saying a 7-day mandatory self-isolation for all adult travelers from the United Kingdom will take place in hotels with the state footing the bill...

1608. Police in the dark over Kolossi fight

Police investigators remain in the dark over a violent confrontation with political undertones in Limassol on Wednesday, with reports saying an army captain in remanded custody is refusing to cooperate with law enforcement authorities...

1609. Cyprus to begin vaccinations on December 27

Vaccinations in Cyprus will begin in unison with other EU member states on December 27 following approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)....

1610. Turkey’s defence industry to go it alone

US Senator Robert Menendez says he is not worried about retaliation from Turkey after Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara, with officials in Turkey warning further development of their domestic defence industry could speed up as a result...

1611. Nicosia cops detain six women in brothel raid

Six sex workers were detained Friday during a police raid in Nicosia, with officers arresting one of them on prostitution-related charges...

1612. Cyprus parliament approves legislation for social enterprises

Parliament on Thursday passed into law a bill allowing social enterprises to be set up in the Republic of Cyprus....

1613. COVID-19 to disrupt holiday shopping plans

1614. FinMin confirms Cyprus won’t reinstate ‘golden passports’ scheme

Finance minister Constantinos Petrides assured that the government will not be reinstating the Cyprus Investment Program (CIP), that was shut down after the shocking corruption revelations that emerged through an Al Jazeera investigation and the subsequent stark criticism by the European Commission. ...

1615. Cat-and-mouse game with Turkey must stop, Michel says

A game of “cat-and-mouse” between the European Union and Turkey needs to come to an end, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday, in reference to a dispute over natural gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean....

1616. Cyprus struggles to regulate lobbying

Debate on a legislation proposal that would regulate lobbying in the Republic of Cyprus will continue next year, when parliamentary elections will be in full swing, after the justice ministry introduced amendments to reconcile transparency rules with realities of politicking on the island...

1617. Parliament passes bills tackling sexism, bullying at schools

The Cyprus parliament on Thursday passed three bills that establish a legislative framework criminalizing sexism and one law that seeks to tackle bullying and intimidation at schools. ...

1618. Support schemes averted drastic rise in unemployment

The package launched by the government to support employees and businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic has averted a drastic rise in unemployment, labour minister Zeta Emilianidou said Thursday....

1619. Four women detained in brothel raid

A man in Limassol has been arrested on pimping charges following a raid at a suspected brothel in Germasoyia, while four women were also detained for questioning...

1620. EU could pay over $10 billion for Pfizer and CureVac vaccines

The European Union could pay more than $10 billion to secure hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine candidates being developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and CureVac, an EU official involved in the talks told Reuters....