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1351. Divided Cyprus reacts to Hagia Sophia

Cyprus has weighed in on Turkey’s controversial decision to allow Muslim prayer inside Hagia Sophia, with different reactions across the divided island and amid reports of nuanced differences in President Erdogan's statements in two different languages...

1352. Wanted man cleared in old Nicosia murder

Police have removed an Indian man from their wanted list in connection with a fatal incident in Nicosia, saying there was no evidence implicating him in any crimes...

1353. Greece to open seven border crossings with Balkan countries, Turkey

Greece will reopen seven of its 14 border crossings in the north on Wednesday, as part of the country’s further reopening to tourists from abroad....

1354. Global coronavirus cases top 10 million; deaths surge past 500,000

The world surpassed two sobering coronavirus milestones Sunday -- 500,000 confirmed deaths, 10 million confirmed cases -- and hit another high mark for daily new infections as governments that attempted reopenings continued to backtrack and warn that worse news could be yet to come....

1355. Cops criticized over handling downtown clash

Another suspect has been arrested on a court warrant following Sunday’s downtown fatal incident in Nicosia, while critics continue to cry foul over the way officials are handling the situation in the media...

1356. KISA weighs in on downtown clashes

An NGO director in Cyprus is challenging the notion that foreign rival gangs have desolated the historic centre of the capital, saying bad practices by some local employment agencies are often behind many disputes including a fatal incident last Sunday...

1357. Deputy mayor draws back racist declaration

Limassol’s deputy mayor Nikos Sykas has issued a statement following widespread criticism over a post on Facebook when he self-identified as a racist...

1358. Communion ritual unchanged in Orthodox Church despite virus

One by one, the children and adults line up for the centuries-old ritual of Holy Communion, trying to keep a proper social distance. The priest dips a spoon into the chalice of bread and wine, which the faithful believe is the body and blood of Christ, and puts it into the mouth of the first person in line....

1359. Greece to welcome Germans, Cypriots, Israelis in first wave of visitors

Greece will allow travelers from around two dozen countries including Germany, Cyprus and Israel to visit from mid-June without having to be quarantined, government officials said, part of a gradual easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions....

1360. Demonstration outside refugee camp sparks Government reaction

A demonstration staged outside the Pournara camp in Kokkinotrimithia on Sunday calling for an end to the arbitrary detention of hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers stirred reaction from the Government on Tuesday, with an Interior Ministry announcement claiming it won’t be allowing any further ghettoization of the island....

1361. Pandemic highlighted urgency of tackling climate challenges

While the coronavirus crisis has highlighted our vulnerabilities as a globally connected society, the recognition of the need to stabilize our climate and protect biodiversity preceded the current crisis by many years, Wolfgang Cramer, Scientific Co-Director of the Mediterranean Institute of Marine and Terrestrial Biodiversity and Ecology (IMBE), said Friday....

1362. Athens to undergo radical facelift

After the ambitious vision of creating a large traffic-free zone in Athens more or less fizzled out at the end of the previous decade, the Athens Municipal Council breathed new life into the project on Monday after approving a proposal for an extended pedestrian network and a drastic reduction of cars in the city center....

1363. As coronavirus lockdown eases, Cypriots still in limbo

Deniz Birinci had just hours to stuff her and her baby daughter’s belongings into suitcases and bin bags on March 16 before the two sides on the divided island of Cyprus imposed lockdowns to halt the spread of the new coronavirus....

1364. Lockdown brings striking drop in air pollution, energy demand

Pollution levels in Cyprus have plummeted as a result of restriction measures enforced amid the coronavirus outbreak, which brought a significant drop in traffic and electricity consumption, highlighting the benefits of pressing forward with sustainable transport and energy production solutions....

1365. More cell phone antennas torched in Cyprus

It turns out that another cell phone antenna was torched in Limassol earlier this week, when media reported on a second arson attack within just one month...

1366. Attorney general weighs in on casino probe

The identity of foreign companies suspected of embezzlement of EU funds pumped into a casino project in Cyprus remains unknown, with the island’s legal department clarifying there is no evidence of local companies being involved in illegal activity...

1367. Report draws attention to migrant centres

A report published this week by Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides takes stock of current conditions in migrant facilities in the Republic of Cyprus, pointing out medical challenges, problems associated with weather, and asylum issues...

1368. WHO: Coronavirus likely of bat origin, no sign of lab production

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that all available evidence suggests the novel coronavirus originated in animals in China late last year and was not manipulated or produced in a laboratory....

1369. Cypriot food blogger drives passion home

As we experience these hard times it is difficult to identify, let alone rejoice the blessings COVID-19 will bring with it. One of them is going back to beautiful habits and rituals of home cooking which are all about togetherness...

1370. Lockdown weighs heavily on Orthodox Christians during Easter

1371. Covid-19 death toll in Greece rises to 81

Greece’s coronavirus toll has risen to 81 with the death of a 42-year-old man in the northern port city of Thessaloniki and of an 84-year-old woman in Athens....

1372. PHOTO GALLERY: Athens streets deserted during lockdown

Deserted squares, padlocked parks, empty avenues where lines of cars once idled bumper-to-bumper in traffic as motorbikes and scooters zoomed through the narrow gaps between. The Greek capital, Athens, like so many cities across the world, has seen its streets empty under a lockdown designed to stem the spread of the new coronavirus....

1373. Sports betting industry crushed by coronavirus

OPAP, Europe’s fourth-biggest betting business, has had almost all its revenue wiped out following the coronavirus pandemic lockdown measures in Greece and Cyprus, after casino operations in the Republic came to a grinding halt...

1374. Second Paphos private hospital to limit operations after Covid-19 confirmation

The Evangelismos private hospital in Paphos became the second private hospital in the city on the southwest coast to limit its operations after a doctor working there tested positive for coronavirus on Friday....

1375. Greece to treat violation of Covid-19 protection measures as a crime

The violation of measures dictated by the authorities to contain the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus should be treated as a crime and prosecuted, the Supreme Court said on Thursday in a memo to the country’s prosecutorial services....

1376. No spectators at Tokyo 2020 Games torch lighting ceremony

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia will be the first in more 35 years to be held without spectators after organizers on Monday introduced tighter measures to protect against the coronavirus....

1377. Fatal stabbing suspect caught in the north

The second suspect in last month’s fatal stabbing in old Nicosia has been arrested in the north two days after he fled the south through the buffer zone...

1378. Mixed reviews on anti-money laundering

A US State Department anti-money laundering report on Cyprus includes fewer negative references but still points to vulnerabilities in the island’s financial services and gaming sectors...

1379. Guards use tear gas to disperse hundreds of migrants at Greek-Turkish border

Guards on Greece’s northeastern land border with Turkey made “deterrent use” of tear gas to disperse some 500 refugees and migrants trying to enter the country and the European Union after Ankara loosened controls on migrant flows....

1380. Greek border crackdown amid concerns over Turkey

Greek government sources on Friday stressed that authorities are boosting security at the country’s border following reports that Turkey will no longer stop Syrian refugees from traveling to Europe....