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241. Bicommunal health committee working on reopening of crossings

Authorities in the north have instructed the bicommunal technical committee on health to draw up a road map for the restoration of crossings to pre-pandemic conditions as soon as the epidemiological situation allows....

242. Gloves are off again over golden passports

Cyprus’ auditor general told a House committee this week that the Cabinet used old rules to approve over two hundred golden passports after the cutoff date for an investigation ordered by the attorney general, who pushed back on the criticism saying there was 'no bottom to the abyss'...

243. IMF: Withdrawal of support measures should be gradual

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission met virtually with the Cypriot authorities from March 8–29, 2021 to discuss recent economic developments and policy priorities on the island. In an interview with Kathimerini Cyprus, IMF mission chief for Cyprus, Anita Tuladhar, said the longer the recovery period in sectors related to tourism, the greater the chance that permanent scars will remain in the economy of Cyprus. Tuladhar also noted the importance of state-sponsored programs to support the economy....

244. Cyprus wraps up cheese that grills

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades says the registration of halloumi and hellim with the European Union is “to the benefit of all Cypriot producers, Greek and Turkish” following Monday’s designation for the famous cheese that grills but not without protests on both sides...

245. Hotels cry foul over ban on local stays

The Association of Cyprus Tourist Enterprises is calling on the government to terminate a ban on hotel stays by locals, saying overnight lodging for island residents should be allowed after restaurants also opened this week...

246. Govt meets extension of restrictions with new support measures

Cyprus Ministers of Finance, Constantinos Petrides and Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance, Zeta Emilianidou announced Friday an economic support package to the tune of €70 million for businesses and employees in an attempt to counterbalance the extension of restriction measures....

247. EU regulator approves Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot jab

The European Medicines Agency has authorized Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose Covid-19 shot, giving the European Union a fourth licensed vaccine to fight the pandemic as its vaccination drive continues to proceed much more slowly than hoped. ...

248. Local government reform on the ballot

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris is calling for local government reform to be decided by voters during parliamentary elections, citing his frustration over a long and protracted debate on the issue...

249. Peter Piot: Vaccination passports a one-way street

Professor Peter Piot, advisor to the Commission President, speaks to ‘K’...

250. Cyprus wages battle for air connectivity

Two Cypriot ministers have joined forces this week to call on the EU’s Competition commissioner to allow more state subsidies for airlines amid the pandemic, citing improvements in scheme criteria but also the remoteness of the island...

251. Former AG says he cautioned over passports

The state’s former attorney general says his department had cautioned the government years ago that the country’s golden passport scheme might have been incompatible with European law, essentially contradicting the executive branch's position that nobody had said anything...

252. Anastasiades takes the stand in passports probe

Cyprus’ citizenship by investment scheme will not be revived but other incentives will be given to attract investments, excluding citizenship, President Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday, following a 3-hour-long testimony before the investigative committee probing Cyprus’ nixed citizenship-by-investment scheme....

253. Cyprus’ vaccine appointments booked solid

Appointment slots for the vaccine were booked solid in Nicosia after midnight, with other districts quickly following suit as Cypriots rushed to the state’s vaccine portal to reserve their shot...

254. Report says ministry was shuffling papers

An initial redacted report on golden passports made public in the Republic of Cyprus on Tuesday painted a picture of an Interior Ministry serving as a “filing office” without ability to examine cases in any meaningful way, with opposition crying foul over the committees’ selective method...

255. 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...

256. Cyprus' auditor general makes Jiu Jitsu move

The audit office is reportedly preparing an unflattering report on Cyprus’ film industry government scheme, with local media suggesting some type of possible connection between newly-established Olivewood and golden passports...

257. Government ups rhetoric against auditor

The Cypriot government hinted over the weekend it might refer the auditor general to the Supreme Court over “indecent” behaviour, after the audit office published yet another damning report alleging offences in a Cabinet decision to grant investor passports to individuals linked to a casino project without meeting the criteria...

258. KPMG survey: companies see climate change as financial risk but disclosure quality must improve

56% of the world’s 250 largest companies (G250) now acknowledge climate change as a financial risk to their business in their corporate reporting, according to a new KPMG International survey, which also revealed that the quality of climate-related risk disclosures among these companies needs to improve...

259. Prisoners released early as part of RoC 60th anniversary

Fourteen prisoners have been released early after President Nicos Anastasiades moved to reduce the sentence of a number of prisoners to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, the Central Prisons announced Wednesday....

260. Cyprus suspends freedom of assembly

The health ministry in the Republic of Cyprus has issued a ban on public gatherings, including the right to a peaceful assembly, saying high risks of spreading the coronavirus could take a toll on the country’s healthcare system...

261. Cypriots to protest over golden passports probe

A new demonstration will take place outside the Presidential Palace on Friday, with protesters gathering to express their frustration over the government’s handling of the golden passport scandal and demand that officials take ownership of the crisis...

262. Constitutional crisis unfolds over passports

An unprecedented constitutional crisis has been unfolding in the Republic of Cyprus, with the attorney general publicly scolding an inquisitive auditor general and asking him to back off from seeking access to files in connection with golden passports linked to a casino project...

263. Attorney General calls Auditor ‘to order’

Cypriot Attorney General George Savvides issued a stern warning on Saturday, calling to order the state’s auditor general over his insistence on examining specific golden passport case files linked to a casino project on the island...

264. 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...

265. 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....

266. Greece asks EU countries to halt military exports to Turkey

Greece has asked fellow European Union countries to halt military exports to Turkey, the country's foreign minister said Tuesday, amid a deepening dispute between the two neighbors over maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean....

267. 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...

268. Transport ministry proposes EU Flight Pass based on local model

The Cyprus transport ministry sent a non-paper calling for a joint approach by all EU member states in addressing the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic on air transport....

269. Driver permit rules stiffer for non-residents

The Cypriot transport ministry has issued tougher rules for some foreigners seeking to obtain a driver’s permit, essentially linking visa status to eligibility while barring refugees with pending applications as well as introducing stricter criteria...

270. Passports under the watchful eye of the Commission