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1741. Eurovision 2020 cancelled amid Covid-19 pandemic

The 2020 Eurovision Song Contest has become the latest high profile cultural event to be hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with the annual song competition delayed until 2021....

1742. EU slams Trump’s Europe travel ban

The European Union has slammed the new anti-virus travel ban announced by US President Donald Trump, lashing out at an “unilateral” decision taken “without consultation.”...

1743. The north in turmoil after first coronavirus case

The north was hurled into turmoil on Tuesday after confirming its first coronavirus case, with authorities in the north moving to place hotels in lockdown, health services placing tens of persons in isolation, and the ‘government’ shutting primary and secondary schools until March 16, with universities in the north being the next possible target of intervention....

1744. CEOs: Drop in Optimism and Reversal of Sentiment

1745. 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....

1746. Police presence to be boosted on roads to curb fatalities

The issue of serious and fatal road accidents was discussed on Wednesday in a broad meeting at the Presidential Palace, chaired by President Nicos Anastasiades, with the participation of all relevant Ministries and agencies....

1747. 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....

1748. Greek Deputy Minister of Development to visit Cyprus on Wednesday

Greek Deputy Minister of Development and Investment, responsible for Research and Technology, Christos Dimas, will be in Cyprus on Wednesday for a one-day visit, with an aim to strengthen bilateral cooperation in issues concerning the promotion of research, innovation and digital technologies....

1749. Shutting checkpoints not part of the deal, Akinci says

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said that unilateral actions by either community for coronavirus protection, such as the closing of checkpoints, had not been agreed upon by the two leaders during the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Health meeting they co-chaired earlier in February, but stressed there is no need for panic....

1750. Interior Minister talks migration, Cyprus investment program with EU officials in Brussels

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris informed the EU Commission’s Vice-President Margaritis Schoinas on Cyprus’ needs and the issues the country faces in dealing with the increased flow of migrants, ahead of the presentation of relevant proposals by the Commission next month....

1751. Cypriot ministers touch base on virus threat

The health minister says the Republic of Cyprus is prepared in case the coronavirus outbreak reaches pandemic levels, saying discussions on additional measures continues...

1752. Greek and French Defence Ministers declare united front

Greek and French Defence Ministers, Nikos Panagiotopoulos and Florence Parly, denounced Turkey’s illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean during their meeting in Athens on Monday....

1753. Christodoulides talks Turkish activity in EEZ, Varosha with UNSG

Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Geneva on Monday....

1754. 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....

1755. Cyprus and Norway prepare to sign energy MoU

Cyprus and Norway began preparations on Friday to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on energy issues, that will contain provisions for the exchange of expertise in relation to the national hydrocarbon fund (sovereign fund), among other things....

1756. One in four in Cyprus at risk of poverty

Some 200,000 persons (23.9 per cent of the Cyprus population), or one in four, are at risk of poverty, participants of a two-day discussion in Nicosia organized by Cyprus and EU-wide anti-poverty networks heard....

1757. Summit standoff as EU leaders grapple with Brexit-sized hole in budget

EU leaders made no headway on Thursday in fractious talks on a joint 2021-27 budget that was left with a 75 billion-euro (62.9 billion pounds) hole after Britain’s departure at a time when they face costly new challenges from climate change to migration....

1758. Cyprus Shipping Chamber backs EU Shipping Industry positions on EU Green Deal

The Cyprus Shipping Chamber expressed its fully supports the EU Shipping Industry’s positions on the EU Green Deal, noting that the shipping industry is fully committed to eradicating its GHG emissions completely as soon as possible in this century. ...

1759. Residents up in arms over 'virus camp'

Local residents in rural Nicosia are reacting to government plans aimed at establishing a quarantine facility in their area to treat potential confirmed coronavirus cases in Cyprus...

1760. French Defence Minister expresses solidarity with Cyprus

The French Defence Minister, Florence Parly, who met on Tuesday with President Nicos Anastasiades and her Cyprus counterpart Savvas Angelides, expressed France’s solidarity with Cyprus, which she said is under intense pressure when seen from an international perspective....

1761. Anti-aircraft systems activated in joint military exercise with France

French Rafale fighter jets put the capabilities of the Cyprus army’s anti-aircraft umbrella to the test during a joint military exercise on Monday....

1762. Israeli FM director-general in Athens for talks

Israel’s Foreign Ministry director-general Yuval Rotem will visit Athens Wednesday for talks with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and other officials, the Israeli embassy announced....

1763. Cyprus' plan to strip citizenship stalls in legal vacuum

A legal technicality has led Cyprus to temporarily halt a process to strip citizenship from 26 individuals who benefitted from a secretive passports-for-investment scheme, lawmakers said on Monday....

1764. Nicosia to press on with energy plans

Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades says Nicosia’s energy plans are moving forward while criticizing Ankara for seeking preconditions for dialogue...

1765. Turkish clothes makers see orders shifting from coronavirus-hit China

Several fashion retailers that manufacture clothing in coronavirus-hit China are in talks with Turkish firms about shifting production to Turkey, two sector officials told Reuters, with one predicting new orders worth up to $2 billion....

1766. Defence Minister requests US muscle against Turkey

Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides asked senior US energy official Francis Fannon for a substantial US contribution to efforts seeking to end Turkish activities in the Cyprus exclusive economic zone....

1767. Greek Defence minister denies Erdogan's phone talk claims on Imia

Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos rejected on Thursday claims by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he sent a message to Greece through Defence Minister Hulusi Akar not to make any “move” over the eastern Aegean islets of Imia, for which the two countries were brought to the brink of war twenty-four years ago....

1768. Embassies warn Cyprus over fake marriages

Cyprus is under harsh criticism from at least three foreign embassies that accuse the government and local municipalities of not doing enough to shut down a fake marriage industry...

1769. Istanbul street sign draws attention

A street sign in Larnaca was the topic of a heated discussion on Facebook, with social media users calling on the city to remove “Istanbul Street” in the Turkish Cypriot borough...

1770. Cyprus, Lebanon begin preparations for first Trilateral Summit

Cyprus and Lebanon have begun preparations for the first Trilateral Summit at the level of Heads of State and Government, to be held in Nicosia in the spring, the Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides announced on Friday...