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2281. Trump and wife Melania test positive

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 and were going into quarantine, upending the race for the White House...

2282. Spanish FM stresses solidarity with Cyprus, importance of dialogue

Spain’s Foreign Affairs Minister Arancha González Laya expressed her country’s solidarity and support for Cyprus in the face of tensions with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean....

2283. Pompeo sees window of opportunity for dialogue, in Kathimerini interview

In an interview with Kathimerini, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deplores the use of threats and unilateral actions as a way of resolving bilateral disputes, sending a clear signal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan....

2284. What Berlin made clear to Nicosia

German officials coordinating with Nicosia, after the Republic of Cyprus told the foreign affairs council that it would use its veto power if sanctions against Belarus are not linked with those against Turkey, said that the prospect of sanctions against Turkey is a distant scenario....

2285. Winter season a window of opportunity for tourism

With the tourism sector’s performance this summer having refuted even the most optimistic forecasts that were made, the question for tour operators is what more can be done over the next period to reduce the big losses. As such, everyone's attention has shifted to the winter period that begins next November and ends in March 2021....

2286. Greece, US affirm commitment to boosting ties after high-level review

Greece and the US on Monday issued a joint statement following a high-level review of the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue that took place in Thessaloniki amid a visit to the northern port by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias....

2287. The four scenarios after the 'veto'

The decision on EU sanctions has been postponed for the meeting of the 27 leaders of member states, likely to take place on October 1 and 2 due to a case of coronavirus. At that meeting, it will become clear whether the case of Belarus will be linked with whether sanctions will be imposed on Turkey for its provocations in the Cyprus EEZ or not. Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides made it clear to the Council of Foreign Ministers that what was agreed in Berlin should be respected, in essence using his veto. Whether Nicosia will maintain this position until the end will be seen at the summit of the 27....

2288. Coronavirus measures bring sharp drop in EU asylum applications

First-time asylum applicants in the EU recorded a sharp drop of almost 70% during the second quarter of 2020, mainly as a result of coronavirus emergency measures imposed by member states from March, Eurostat figures showed Wednesday....

2289. Transport minister reveals future plans for trains, trams in Cyprus

"The Republic of Cyprus recognizes that the railways can play an important role in improving the efficiency of the transport of goods and people, for short and long distances," transport minister Yiannis Karousos said Monday during a teleconference shared with his European counterparts...

2290. EP adopts resolution condemning Turkey's EastMed activities

With 601 votes in favour, 57 against and 36 abstentions, the European Parliament adopted a Resolution condemning Turkey’s activities in the EEZ of Greece and Cyprus, ahead of next week’s extraordinary European Council summit that will focus on the heightened tensions in the eastern Mediterranean....

2291. Athens and Ankara in dialogue rehearsal

In the wake of the almost month-long standoff between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, the foreign ministers of both countries, Nikos Dendias and Mevlut Cavusoglu, give their analysis of the situation and the way forward in articles they wrote exclusively for Kathimerini...

2292. Sanctions unfeasible and ineffective

Nathalie Tocci was a close adviser to former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, during the years when the Cyprus Problem came – according to many - closer than ever to a solution. Today, she is a close advisor to Josep Borrell and, having monitored the Cyprus Problem for many years and having played a central role in the effort to formulate a European strategy for foreign policy, she has a strong view not only on Cyprus but also on the Greek-Turkish conflict. At the same time, she takes a critical approach to the efforts exerted by Athens and Nicosia to link sanctions against Turkey with those against Belarus. ...

2293. Thousands protest after Greek refugee camp burns down

Thousands of protesting refugees and migrants left homeless on the Greek island of Lesbos after fires destroyed the notoriously overcrowded Moria camp gathered on a road leading to the island's main town Friday, demanding to be allowed to leave....

2294. Anastasiades finds sympathetic ear at MED7

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades highlighted a need for a decisive EU stance towards Turkey, while praising his French counterpart for showing “practical and stable support” towards Cyprus...

2295. Passports under the watchful eye of the Commission

2296. Politics turn ugly over Cyprus Papers

The main left party opposition in the Republic of Cyprus is firing back at the government, after reports emerged over threats and a confidential letter about Cypriot golden passports a decade earlier...

2297. Fierce battle over ‘Cyprus papers’

A fierce battle over documents has began following Al Jazeera’s “Cyprus papers” on golden passports, with the audit office demanding to examine specific files and the interior ministry refusing to hand them over...

2298. Old rivalries continue in eastern Mediterranean

Greece has issued a competing navigational telex after Turkey extended seismic surveys in the eastern Mediterranean, with no signs between the two NATO allies of burying the hatchet over old rivalries that continue to this day...

2299. Shop owners block road work in Limassol

Shop owners in Limassol, who oppose the construction of a median strip on a popular avenue, blocked road workers on Friday morning, with reports saying police officers were trying to hold back angry protesters...

2300. Cyprus 'golden passports' under more scrutiny

A foreign investigative report says leaked documents from the Republic of Cyprus suggest the island’s government violated its own rules in granting “golden passport” citizenships, with Cypriot officials denying the accusations and raising credibility issues over the report...

2301. Erdogan reveals massive gas find in Black Sea

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered on a promise for a surprise on Friday, when he announced that Turkey has carried out the largest natural gas reserve exploration in the Black Sea...

2302. France and Germany tackle eastern Med

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel made statements seen as mutual support for Greece and the Republic of Cyprus on Thursday, prompting a reaction from Ankara...

2303. Organ donor preference in new driver permits

New driver’s permits in the Republic of Cyprus will include organ donor information and other features, including security enhancements, a far cry from current licences printed on a piece of paper...

2304. Borrell doubles down on Turkey criticism

EU High Representative on Foreign Policy Josep Borrell scorned Turkey over the weekend, calling on Ankara to end drilling activities off the island of Cyprus and engage in a broad dialogue with the European Union...

2305. Turkey says it wants to resolve dispute with Greece through dialogue

Turkey’s Energy Minister Fatih Donmez tweeted Wednesday that Turkey plans to lay two cables, totaling 1,750 km in length, for seismic research for energy resources in the Mediterranean Sea by August 23....

2306. 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....

2307. Larnaca officials rooting for two injured turtles

Two adult sea turtles are receiving treatment in Larnaca after they were found injured in Limassol, with officials saying the prognosis was good for the resilient duo...

2308. Turkey says Greece making a ‘big fuss’

Ankara has accused Athens of having “no legal basis” for raising objections over Turkish exploration in the eastern Mediterranean, as Greek armed forces were placed on high alert Monday after Turkey sent a seismic survey vessel in contested waters...

2309. 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....

2310. Cypriot rescuers sift through Beirut rubble

Members of the Cypriot rescue team in Lebanon were seen on video along with sniffing dogs searching through the rubble in Beirut, as approximately 60 people were still missing following Tuesday’s deadly blast...