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1591. Akinci tells UNFICYP head coronavirus has nothing to do with checkpoint closures

The Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met with UNFICYP head Elizabeth Spehar on Wednesday to discuss the move by the Greek Cypriot Government to shut four crossings along then UN-controlled Buffer Zone last week....

1592. EU Commission notified of checkpoint closures

The European Commission has been informed of the temporary closing of four checkpoints, and said it would continue monitoring the situation closely in order to ensure that each closure and health checks remain in accordance with the Green Line Regulation....

1593. 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....

1594. 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....

1595. Greek Government to proceed with new island camps, despite reactions

The Greek government is determined to move ahead with its plan to build new holding facilities for migrants and refugees as part of a plan to accelerate asylum procedures and deportations on the five islands hosting camps, its spokesman said on Tuesday, amid reactions to the scheme from island residents....

1596. Coronavirus protocols to be revised on Tuesday

Cyprus’ Minister of Health Constantinos Ioannou assured on Monday that the Government was constantly following WHO and ECDC instructions on the coronavirus and was adjusting its action plan accordingly....

1597. Greek PM meets with five EU leaders over bloc's budget

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held talks in Brussels on Friday with the leaders of Germany Angela Merkel, France Emmanuel Macron, Spain Pedro Sanchez, Italy Giuseppe Conte and Portugal Antonio Costa in a bid to break a deadlock in negotiations for the European Union’s 2021-2027 budget....

1598. Pressed in Syria, Turkey ups the ante in the East Med

1599. Akinci brushes off Varosha talk as election gimmick, Anastasiades calls for bicommunal committee

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci has suggested that Varosha, a southern suburb of Famagusta that has been fenced off and abandoned since Turkey invaded northern Cyprus, is being used as an election gimmick, adding that he supports UN-backed efforts to reopen the ghost town....

1600. Cavusoglu: Greece must be prepared to share in the East Med

Turkey is willing to reach a compromise with Greece as long as the latter is prepared to share in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday....

1601. Cyprus enjoys strong growth prospects but contingent liabilities remain

Strong growth prospects and sustained fiscal discipline places Cyprus on a firm declining path but contingent liabilities, healthcare and public sector wage-related costs, as well as weaker external conditions, pose risks to the fiscal outlook, Scope rating agency said in commentary on Cyprus....

1602. Minister says ‘no panic’ over coronavirus

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou says the Cypriot government is taking all precautions against the coronavirus threat, adding that the administration is on alert but there is no panic...

1603. UK refutes Tatar comments over potential UK-north Cyprus flight link

UK, north Cyprus, Tatar, flight, Ercan airport...

1604. Potatoes to be brought in from the north after cold blast damages crops

Potatoes harvested in the north will be transferred next Monday to government-controlled areas, where potato crops suffered heavy blows after successive days of heavy rain and frost....

1605. Two in custody over Cyprus football corruption

There were new developments on Wednesday in the world of Cypriot football, with two suspects remanded in custody over suspicions of rigging the Beautiful Game...

1606. Cavusoglu slams Akinci after comment that Turkey-north annexation would be 'horrible'

“I’ve never worked with a more unreliable politician,” the Turkish Foreign Minister Melvut Cavusoglu said on Monday, referring to the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci in response to an interview where Akinci said the prospect of Crimea-style annexation with Turkey was “horrible”....

1607. US president hails close ties between Washington and Athens

1608. Turkey deploys extremists to Libya, local militias say

Syrian militants affiliated with groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are currently being sent by Turkey to fight on behalf of the UN-supported government in Libya, according to two Libyan militia leaders and a Syrian war monitor....

1609. Cyprus Government picks Cablenet’s Fiberpower® network

Cablenet’s Fiberpower® network has been selected as the network of choice for the Cyprus Government Internet Network...

1610. Greece not trying to create ‘anti-Turkish front,’ Greek FM says

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias says Greece is not trying to drum up opposition against Turkey but rather support for what is reasonable and would enable more cooperation in the Mediterranean....

1611. Aksoy: Turkey will continue protecting T/C rights

Turkey’s ongoing survey and drilling activities off Cyprus aim at protecting the rights of Turkish Cypriots, a foreign ministry spokesman said Thursday, adding that “until these rights are guaranteed, Turkish Petroleum will continue to operate” in the areas licensed by the breakaway state....

1612. Shift in global funding led by private capital

Private equity firms now manage commitments of nearly US$3.4t globally, up from less than US$500b in 2000, and in a significant shift new capital from private markets has surpassed for capital raised in public markets for the first time ever...

1613. Insurers need profound transformation and the right talent

As insurance industry growth remains stagnant for another year due to low interest rates, the shifts in consumer demographics around the world coupled with heightened expectations for digital experiences present insurers with risks and opportunities...

1614. Turkish hackers target Cyprus government emails

Sweeping cyberattacks targeting governments and other organizations in Europe and the Middle East are believed to be the work of hackers acting in the interests of the Turkish government, three senior Western security officials said. The hackers have attacked at least 30 organizations, including government ministries, embassies and security services as well as companies and other groups, according to a Reuters review of public internet records. Victims have included Cypriot and Greek government email services and the Iraqi government’s national security advisor, the records show. ...

1615. Nicosia ups efforts ahead of UNFICYP vote

Nicosia is intensifying efforts over the final makeup of an UNFICYP draft resolution in New York, as the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus is expected to be renewed ahead of its expiry at the end of the month...

1616. Digital transformation of health services is indispensable

1617. Harry and Meghan go it alone

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will no longer be working members of Britain’s monarchy and they will pay their own way in life as they embark on an independent future...

1618. Libya summit will not discuss maritime borders

The summit that will be held in Berlin this Sunday, January 19th, to try to find a path to peace for Libya will not discuss a contentious deal signed between Turkey and Libya on maritime borders, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday, responding to a question on why Greece was not invited to the conference, despite its request to participate....

1619. Renewable power is only part of the solution to meet net-zero targets

1620. Iran says military shot down plane in error

Iran said on Saturday it had mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian plane killing all 176 people aboard and voiced its deep regret, after initially denying it brought down the aircraft in the tense aftermath of Iranian missile strikes on US targets in Iraq...