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1951. MPs reject dissolution of parliament amid passports scandal

After officially electing AKEL MP Adamos Adamou as the new House President following the resignation of Demetris Syllouris amid intense backlash against his involvement in the recent golden passports scandal, MPs on Thursday debated on whether parliament should be dissolved making way for early elections, with the proposal eventually rejected with 26 votes in favour and 30 against....

1952. Opposition turns up pressure over passports

Parliament in Cyprus is expected to debate proposals over the passport scandal, including whether a new law can force the government to hand over files to the auditor general as well as a freeze on pending applications allegedly being squeezed through before the disgraced scheme is set to go on hiatus...

1953. Reynders: 'golden passport' schemes must be abolished

The EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders briefed the plenary of the European Parliament on Thursday on the Commission’s decision to initiate infringement proceedings against Cyprus and Malta in view of their ‘golden passports’ schemes which appear to be in violation of EU law....

1954. President defends block on audit office

President Nicos Anastasiades invoked the Constitution during a televised interview, saying the job description of the auditor general, who is currently seeking information on foreign nationals linked to a casino project, does not authorize him to 'have a say in everything'...

1955. EC: Cyprus, Malta golden passport schemes in violation of EU law

The European Commission launched infringement procedures against Cyprus and Malta on Tuesday in response to their ‘golden passport’ schemes, and allowed a two-month period for the countries to respond in writing to the Commission’s warning letter....

1956. Police get to work on passport scandal

Cypriot police appear to have their plate full with three different probes into alleged corruption in the golden passport scheme, with investigators facing their biggest challenge by a shocking Al Jazeera video that dealt the fatal blow in the country’s Citizenship by Investment Programme...

1957. Golden passports pushed forward in Commission agenda

After the Al Jazeera revelations, the Cyprus Investment Program is being pushed into the European Commission’s discussion agenda....

1958. Megatrends that will shape the future

EY’s recent report, Megatrends 2020 and beyond, examines the new "megatrends", the forces that created them and their potential impact...

1959. Cypriot minister has one regret over passports

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides, who oversaw Cyprus' disgraced golden passport scheme while he was serving as interior minister, says he should have pushed harder to end the program much sooner...

1960. Cyprus’ daily count surpasses 200

Newly detected coronavirus infections in the Republic of Cyprus reached a whopping 202 on Saturday, the highest daily count ever recorded on the island since the outbreak of the pandemic, with additional measures being rolled out on Sunday starting with Limassol...

1961. Divided island braces for Dherynia protest

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has called on Greek Cypriot bikers to be on their best behaviour during Saturday’s demonstration in Dherynia, warning that Turkish anti-protesters would look for an opportunity to use any unruly action as a pretext to start a riot...

1962. Game plan to circumvent passport rules

Meme culture enthusiasts in Cyprus upped their game this week following a passport scandal reported by Al Jazeera, with catchphrases such as “this is Cyprus” and name dodging tricks seen in a secret video prompting media to spot five ways a lawyer could circumvent the system in the golden passport scheme...

1963. Cyprus losing control as cases hit triple digits

The Republic of Cyprus broke a new record on Thursday after 104 new coronavirus cases were confirmed, with authorities already fearing the worse as chains of infection are out of control...

1964. Carrot-and-stick approach to Turkey failing, EU envoys say

The European Union's latest strategy to defuse tensions with Turkey is unravelling, two weeks after it was sealed, raising the risk of conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean, diplomats, officials and experts said....

1965. MOKAS refutes lawyer claim in passport scandal

The Republic of Cyprus’ Unit for Combating Money Laundering (MOKAS) has weighed in on the passport scandal following Al Jazeera’s earth-shuttering investigative report on corruption in the island’s Citizenship by Investment programme...

1966. Commission slams Cyprus over passports, mulls infringement procedures

The European Commission expressed “disbelief” over new revelations concerning Cyprus’ investment for citizenship scheme, saying that the body is looking into infringement procedures for Nicosia. ...

1967. House speaker offers public apology

House Speaker Demetris Syllouris says his mind is made up regarding his position in parliament but will abstain from duties and announce his decision after the conclusion of a probe into passport corruption...

1968. Cyprus suspends golden passport programme

The Republic of Cyprus announced unexpectedly on Tuesday that the current Citizenship by Investment Programme would be abolished, following an emergency Cabinet meeting a day after Al Jazeera published a secret video alleging corruption in the island’s golden passport scheme...

1969. Probe launched against Al Jazeera operation

The state attorney ordered a probe following a complaint filed by high-profile Cypriot officials targeted by an Al Jazeera secret investigation on corruption, with members of the public outraged as more shocking revelations emerged in a new Cyprus Papers video...

1970. Al Jazeera strikes again at Cyprus Papers

Al Jazeera’s investigative unit struck again on Monday with new Cyprus Papers material, involving a report accompanied by a one-hour video depicting undercover reporters who visited Cyprus and posed as representatives of an imaginary ultrarich investor, Mr X, who was convicted for palm-greasing and money laundering, to ‘test’ whether local authorities would still be willing accept his hefty investment and provide him with Cypriot citizenship....

1971. Passport revocation inquiries move forward

Cypriot authorities have identified seven individuals or foreign investors who could potentially be stripped of their Cypriot citizenship, after an internal probe pointed to forged documents or misleading information during the golden passport application process...

1972. Cabinet approves revocation of seven citizenships

The Cabinet on Wednesday gave the green light for the initiation of the process for the revocation of Cypriot citizenship granted to seven persons through the Investment Program. ...

1973. EY Cyprus Platinum Sponsor at first Cyprus Forum

1974. Green transition in transport, agriculture an uphill task

Achieving sustainable transport demands policies on a governmental and local level which will give priority to users, providing more accessible, fair and clean alternative solutions, chairman of the parliamentary committee on transport, Charalambos Pittokopitis, has said, noting that the transition could not be achieved overnight....

1975. Cyprus downgrades four countries in updated travel list

The Republic of Cyprus on Tuesday downgraded four countries in its three-tier risk-based classification of countries, with the updated travel list to come into effect on October 9....

1976. Man finds shrapnel grenade in Larnaca

Larnaca police officers were on full alert on Monday after a hand grenade was found at a local community out in the open within a built-up area...

1977. Greece, US affirm commitment to boosting ties after high-level review

Greece and the US on Monday issued a joint statement following a high-level review of the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue that took place in Thessaloniki amid a visit to the northern port by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias....

1978. Wealthy Britons turn to Cypriot citizenship

Interest in additional citizenships by British entrepreneurs is rising even as the European Commission examines possible steps to curb EU states selling passports and visas to wealthy foreigners, due to concerns it can help organized crime groups...

1979. Omonia on high alert after player tests positive

Coronavirus has once again infiltrated the local football scene, as after dozens of new cases were detected among players and staff of the Nea Salamina and Ethnikos Achnas clubs, a player of first division AC Omonia was also announced positive on Friday....

1980. Bad blood continues over golden passports

A prolonged and bitter dispute between the interior minister and auditor general, over probing Cyprus’ golden passports scheme, was renewed this week following a mini report with details on a number of applications through citizenship by investment...