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1921. Anastasiades invites National Council to informal Cyprob summit

President Anastasiades briefed the National Council on Thursday on the latest developments in the Cyprus Problem, and extended an invitation to Council members to accompany him on the informal meeting the UN is organising, that is expected to take place in New York in late February or early May....

1922. Cyprus, UAE sign first military cooperation agreement

Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday signed their first military cooperation agreement as the eastern Mediterranean island nation seeks to bolster relations with nearby countries in the Middle East....

1923. Spehar meets leaders ahead of UNFICYP mandate renewal

The UN Secretary General’s Special Representative Elizabeth Spehar held tête-à-têtes with the leaders of the two communities on Wednesday morning ahead of the Security Council’s upcoming vote on the renewal of UNFICYP’s mandate....

1924. Greek, Cypriot and US special forces hold joint exercise

Special forces from Greece, Cyprus and the United States are holding a joint exercise in the sea area off the naval base at Souda Bay on the southern Greek island of Crete, state-run Athens-Macedonia news agency (ANA-MPA) reports....

1925. Ledra substation up and running in old Nicosia

A police substation is back up and running 24 hours a day in downtown Nicosia, with officials hoping not only to promote a sense of security in the old city but also carry out inspections to ensure compliance with the latest emergency health laws...

1926. Protesters march against lockdown measures

Two people were arrested on Saturday in connection with a demonstration downtown Nicosia, where a group of citizens gathered to protest against a partial lockdown that went into effect Sunday morning...

1927. SMS system returns as Cyprus enters three-week lockdown

Cyprus Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced the new restrictions agreed upon by the Cabinet on Friday, which include a clampdown on unnecessary movements, and social and professional gatherings....

1928. Government buys time on new COVID measures

The health, finance, and labour ministers of the Republic of Cyprus have been tasked to reconcile a number of issues before a Cabinet meeting on Friday, essentially stalling the announcement of new COVID measures which was expected on Thursday...

1929. Officials in the dark over mutation spread

Health officials in the Republic of Cyprus say the new strain of coronavirus, found initially in the UK and confirmed on the island last week, has spread in the community but an accurate picture of the problem remained unclear due to only a very small sample size being tested...

1930. Cyprus holds turned thumb over lockdown

Cyprus’ lockdown stance continued to remain unclear following a special meeting between experts and the health minister, with the government hinting thumbs down for a new lockdown citing economic reasons but also thumbs up for stricter measures after hospitalizations reached dangerous levels...

1931. Legal experts pounce on Yiolitis case

A well-known Cypriot lawyer, who raised questions over a home search after Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis filed a criminal complaint against a Twitter parody account, has written to the Police Chief asking to obtain public information as a concerned citizen...

1932. Lute set to visit Cyprus anew by mid-January

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cyprus, Jane Holl Lute, is expected to visit the island anew during the first half of January in view of holding meetings with the leaders of the two sides as preparations continue toward the organisation of an informal conference on the Cyprus problem....

1933. All education levels revert to distance learning

Primary, middle, and high school won’t be returning to school classrooms on January 7, as the Education Ministry announced Tuesday that the school year will resume via distance learning....

1934. Ankara wants Lausanne Treaty change

Reiterating a call frequently made by Turkish leaders, Turkey’s Energy Minister Fatih Donmez raised the issue of renegotiating the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which set out the modern borders between Greece and Turkey....

1935. Police story not good enough for health expert

A member of the coronavirus task force has drawn a connection between his role in the pandemic and a recent incident when his car was vandalized, while police said the incident appeared to be a random act...

1936. Cabinet agrees on plastic bag ban at sales points

The Cabinet on Tuesday agreed on a blanket ban on thin plastic bags at points of sale, with the decision to come into force once passed by the House plenum....

1937. Police to step up checks, patrols amid holiday period

With the health ministry sticking to the plan despite the holidays, the police will be stepping up patrols and checks, even in private homes in the event of a complaint....

1938. Cabinet narrowly waters down measures

The President’s Cabinet has decided to extend measures throughout the winter holidays with only slight deviations on special days, noting recent developments did not allow a further lift of restrictions aimed at combating the spread of the coronavirus...

1939. Cyprus stays calm as virus unknowns remain

Biontech says it is confident its COVID-19 vaccine expected within days in Cyprus would remain effective against a variant that has been spreading in Britain, but questions still remain over the effectiveness of the vaccine as mutations continue to spread...

1940. Heath ministry announces 457 new cases

1941. Health ministry announces one death, 401 new cases

The health ministry announced one coronavirus fatality and 401 new cases on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 85 and total cases to 16,190....

1942. Turkey’s defence industry to go it alone

US Senator Robert Menendez says he is not worried about retaliation from Turkey after Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara, with officials in Turkey warning further development of their domestic defence industry could speed up as a result...

1943. Cyprus mourns two more deaths, detects 339 new cases

The health ministry announced two more coronavirus fatalities and 339 new cases on Tuesday, raising total deaths attributed to the virus to 84 and total cases recorded since the outbreak of the pandemic in March to 15, 789....

1944. Electors pick Biden

President-elect Joe Biden delivered a forceful rebuke on Monday to President Donald Trump’s attacks on the legitimacy of his victory, hours after winning the state-by-state Electoral College vote that officially determines the US presidency...

1945. Cyprus, Greece and Jordan to step up cooperation

Cyprus, Greece and Jordan vowed Tuesday to further enhance their trilateral cooperation, which will cover defence and security issues as well as economic and trade cooperation....

1946. Cat-and-mouse game with Turkey must stop, Michel says

A game of “cat-and-mouse” between the European Union and Turkey needs to come to an end, European Council President Charles Michel said on Friday, in reference to a dispute over natural gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean....

1947. Cyprus revises travel rules for vaccinated passengers

An inter-ministerial committee set up to spearhead the gradual resumption of flights agreed on an updated action plan on Thursday that allows those passengers who have been vaccinated against coronavirus to be exempted from the requirement of showing proof of a negative test....

1948. Cabinet shrinks security detail for VIPs

Party leaders and former state officials in the Republic of Cyprus will see their security detail downsized following a Cabinet decision on Thursday, also tasking police to evaluate the size of the presidential guard...

1949. Man gets six years in Ayia Napa rape

A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for the rape of a British girl in Ayia Napa, after prosecutors said DNA evidence linked him to the crime...

1950. New coronavirus call centre launched

A new call centre was launched to provide support and information on all issues related to the local coronavirus pandemic and rules in place....