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3361. EastMed diplomatic marathon in full swing

European Council President Charles Michel on Thursday held a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the former’s spokesman Barend Leyts....

3362. Amid tensions with Turkey, Greece in joint manoeuvres with France

Amid ongoing tensions with Turkey over disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean, the French military conducted training exercises with Greek forces on Thursday off the southern island of Crete, including in the maritime area reserved by Turkey’s Navtex earlier this month for seismic exploration....

3363. Athens warns of possible 'accident' in East Med

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday warned about the possibility of an "accident" in the Eastern Mediterranean where Greek and Turkish naval forces have gathered after Ankara decided to sent a vessel to conduct seismic research south of Kastellorizo...

3364. Dendias to meet Pompeo in Vienna

Athens says it will not accept a fait accompli in the Eastern Mediterranean, with reports saying Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is set to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Vien on Friday....

3365. Leaders of Cyprus, Greece talk strategy

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades was briefed on Tuesday by the Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the situation in Greece’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, where Turkey’s seismic exploration vessel is currently stationed, with the two leaders agreeing on coordinated action....

3366. Justice Ministry looking into life sentence penalty for forest arsonists

The Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis has proposed to the Ministry of Justice that the maximum penalty for forest arsonists gets hiked up to a life sentence, which, Kadis said, is the only move that can act as a deterring factor in a country where most forests fires are deliberately set....

3367. Covid-19 safety measures must become way of life, expert says

The additional coronavirus protection measures that the Cyprus government re-instated some ten days ago will constitute the island’s new normal for at least the next six months, member of the government’s coronavirus advisory committee Leondios Kostrikis said Monday....

3368. First batch of food donations ready to be shipped to Lebanon

Twenty tonnes of dry food have been collected so far in Cyprus, that are set to be distributed among the Lebanese public whose lives were overturned last week by the blasts that ripped through the capital, Beirut....

3369. Turkish seismic research vessel within Cyprus EEZ

The Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis was spotted on Monday off the Western coast of Cyprus and in the area delineated by Turkey’s fresh Navtex....

3370. Regional tensions flare up anew as Turkey issues new Navtex

3371. Beirut calls off search and rescue

The Cypriot rescue mission in Beirut was on its way back to the island after Lebanon shifted its search and rescue focus to recovery, while world leaders including Anastasiades pledged aid amid violent protests over the weekend. ...

3372. Orphan cases still a problem in Cyprus

At least 30 infected people in Cyprus have been traced back to a single individual, who traveled across the island and spread the bug last month, but experts say 21 “orphan cases” are more alarming because their contacts cannot be traced at all...

3373. A second lockdown would be a grim financial equation

With the rise in coronavirus cases which are mainly located within the local community and not just at the country’s points of entry, whispers of a second lockdown looming have resumed....

3374. Turkey resumes drilling in eastern Mediterranean, Erdogan says

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey had resumed energy exploration work in the eastern Mediterranean as Greece had not kept its promises regarding such activities in the region. ...

3375. US lifts 'Do Not Travel' advisory, Cyprus in Warning Level 3

The US on Thursday lifted its advisory against travelling abroad that was in force for nearly five months, but the US Centers for Disease Control still recommends against non-essential travel to more than 200 destinations, including Cyprus and Greece, due to the high coronavirus risk....

3376. Cyprus President urges public to generously donate to Beirut relief campaign

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has called on the Cyprus public, companies and businesses to contribute to the relief campaign collecting dry and canned foods for the Beirut population that was brought to its knees by the deadly blasts earlier this week....

3377. Cyprus and Qatar team up in Beirut rescue

Cypriot emergency rescuers are teaming up with their Qatari counterparts in Beirut, in an effort to find more victims as time is running out in the devastated town...

3378. Cyprus calls for EU task force on island

The European Union must do more to fill a power vacuum in the eastern Mediterranean brought on by a perceived US disengagement from the region, and Cyprus is ready to host an EU task force to achieve that goal, the island nation's foreign minister said Wednesday...

3379. Beirut blast has eerie connections to Cyprus

Following Tuesday’s deadly explosion in Lebanon, some eerie connections began to emerge in Cyprus, including a Russian national based in Limassol and a Hezbollah-related arrest on the island back in 2015...

3380. Cyprus lends a hand to frantic Beirut search and rescue efforts

A Cyprus search and rescue team departed for neighbouring Lebanon on Wednesday afternoon to contribute to ongoing frantic efforts to locate missing persons and survivors of the massive blasts that rocked Beirut on Tuesday afternoon....

3381. Male Cypriots urged to negotiate postponement of higher fees with UK universities

Male Cyprus high school graduates considering going on to a UK university but who must first complete a 14-month military service, by which time the UK is set to enforce its decision to scrap home fee status for EU students, are urged to directly contact their university of interest to negotiate a postponement of the fee increase, allowing them to enrol next under current fee status....

3382. Cyprus President expresses condolences to Lebanon, readiness to provide assistance

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has expressed his deep condolences to the government and people of Lebanon, stressing the island’s readiness to provide any assistance necessary, following the two explosions which shook Beirut on Tuesday....

3383. Majority of new cases young asymptomatic people, Cyprus health minister warns

Findings from the government-ordered random sampling program targeting 3,000 people that was finalized on Tuesday confirmed rising concerns that the virus is officially spreading anew through the Cyprus population, with an announcement by health minister Constantinos Ioannou on Wednesday raising the alarm over the dangerous repercussions of the spread getting out of hand....

3384. Cyprus at the ready to help Lebanon

Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides says the government has expressed its “immediate readiness” to assist the neighbouring country following two powerful explosions that rocked Beirut...

3385. UK tourists deterred by 'complicated' Cyprus process

Though Cyprus has officially re-opened to the UK tourism market, tour operators claim that the majority of visitors from the country are Cyprus expats, with UK nationals so far appearing reluctant to jump through the hurdles Cyprus has laid out for category B countries....

3386. Cyprus updates risk-based classification of countries

Cyprus on Tuesday issued an updated epidemiological risk-based classification of countries, including three amendments as regards Greece, Thailand and Morocco. The new classification will come into effect on August 6....

3387. Up to 1500 Limassol residents could be carrying virus, expert says

There could be as many as 1,000-1,500 Limassol residents carrying an active coronavirus infection, member of the government’s coronavirus task force, Leontios Kostrikis, said Monday....

3388. Greek tourism minister does 'not understand’ travel downgrade by Cyprus

The Greek Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis said he does not understand why Cyprus decided to downgrade Greece in its three-tier risk system grouping countries based on their epidemiological data, adding that he hopes the issue will be clarified between the two countries soon....

3389. Cypriots already in Greece to get free test upon arrival

With Greece being downgraded on August 6 to category B that requires arriving passengers to show proof of a negative coronavirus test, the Cyprus Health Ministry quickly responded to frustrated locals who had already travelled to Greece for holidays unknowing that they would have to make arrangements for a test in order to return to the island....

3390. 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...