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4771. Ferry link hopes end with a whimper

Shipping transport companies remained unconvinced over Cyprus’ effort to revive and subsidize a ferry link with Greece, with the government going back to the drawing board after no bidders came forward by Friday’s deadline...

4772. Cyprus unveils plan to tackle corruption

Cyprus’ fight against corruption is based on three pillars, President Anastasiades said Friday, announcing the eagerly-awaited steps the government will take in a bid to restore credibility to the Republic after its reputation was shattered by revelations of corruption through the nixed Citizenship-by-Investment Program (CIP)....

4773. Mayor defends pushing for vaccinations

The leadership of a trade union has accused Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras of threatening a group of staff at a senior home over their refusal to get vaccinated for COVID-19, with the official saying he only pleaded with them to reconsider...

4774. President lashes out at critics

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in a televised address on Thursday rejected allegations of corruption within his office and administration, accusing the opposition and media of singling out his former law firm for being involved with golden passports and appealing on the political parties’ patriotism to support a new strategic plan to fight corruption...

4775. Policy priorities unaffected by pandemic, FinMin says

Despite the crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic Cyprus’ economic policies remain the same, targeting macroeconomic and financial stability, prudent fiscal policies, and establishing a competitive, business-friendly regulatory environment of high standards, Minister of Finance Constantinos Petrides said on Thursday....

4776. Speed limits drop for city centre streets

Drivers on major roads in Cypriot cities may soon need to slow down further, if a new effort by the Road Safety Council takes hold reducing speed limits further from 50 down to just 30 kilometres per hour...

4777. Lawyer says Al Jazeera took him out of context

Cypriot attorney Andreas Pittadjis, who was targeted in an Al Jazeera undercover investigation into allegations of corruption over golden passports, took to social media to reiterate his position he did nothing illegal, accusing the foreign network of being dishonest...

4778. Cabinet okays bill for establishment of Dep. Ministry of Social Welfare

The Council of Ministers on Wednesday approved a bill for the establishment of a Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare in Cyprus, the deputy government spokesperson Panayiotis Sentonas said in a written statement on Wednesday....

4779. Officials want young people settle in Strovilia

Dherynia officials are seeking ways to have young people populate abandoned homes in Strovilia, on British Base soil, despite challenges stemming from restrictions that were somewhat eased last year...

4780. Cypriot hacker pleads guilty in Atlanta

A Filipino-Cypriot young man who was extradited to the United States last year on cyber crime charges has pleaded guilty after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors...

4781. Big if as Cyprus set to deliberate on measures

The Cypriot government is taking stock of recent restrictions against a further rapid spread of COVID-19, with reports pointing to plans being discussed to lift measures next month but also amid concerns over mutation fears and unknowns...

4782. Slow vaccine rollout affecting Cyprus strategy, President tells EU leaders

President Nicos Anastasiades briefed EU leaders in a videoconference on Thursday evening on the problems Cyprus is facing due to the slow rollout of coronavirus vaccines mainly brought about by the production delays of pharmaceutical companies supplying jabs for the EU....

4783. Dueling small parties help pass budget

The House in the Republic of Cyprus approved a revision of the government’s 2021 state budget on Thursday, following a month of consultations between the administration and small opposition parties that offered additional amendments to the bill...

4784. Rampant spread contained but Cyprus still in red zone

Despite indications that the rampant spread of the virus has been contained, Cyprus remains in the red zone, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said Thursday....

4785. MPs vote on budget hanging by a thread

The House takes another vote on the state budget on Thursday, with representatives expected to pass the bill narrowly following behind-the-scenes consultations since the first time it was rejected in mid-December...

4786. Experts mulling methodology of lockdown relaxations

Any relaxations to current restriction measures that are expected at the end of the month should be gradual and targeted, member of the government’s coronavirus advisory committee, Dr Maria Koliou, told the Cyprus News Agency on Tuesday....

4787. The chaos of the pandemic in the north

The coronavirus pandemic is continuing to affect the north against the backdrop of broad political and economic insecurity, with the recent manoeuvres of the Ersan Saner ‘government’ raising questions as to the ability of the Turkish Cypriot leadership to effectively address the pandemic....

4788. Inoculated president sets tone for country

4789. Cypriot FM visits Gulf before US inauguration

Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides flew to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to hold a private meeting with his counterpart, days after the two countries signed a military cooperation agreement but also days before a changing of the guard in Washington could spell trouble for US arms sales to Gulf states...

4790. Cyprus launches online social insurance payment system

Cyprus’ new online system for the payment of social insurance contributions was presented on Thursday by Labour Minister Zeta Emilianidou and Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Kyriakos Kokkinos....

4791. Smoothening the cliff edge in EU-UK relations

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) between the United Kingdom and the European Union came into effect on January 1, 2021, capping a tumultuous four-and-a-half-year period since the shocking result of the July 2016 Brexit referendum, in which 51.9% of the British voters voted in favor of leaving the EU. Subject to the delayed assent of the European Parliament, this UK-EU free trade agreement (FTA) extends zero-tariff and quota-free trade in goods between the two economic areas....

4792. Cyprus in ECDC red category

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) marked Cyprus in its red category along with most other EU countries, indicating that daily new coronavirus cases amount to 150 (or more) per 100,000 people....

4793. 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....

4794. Top editor quits over Anastasiades claim

A renowned journalist and editor-in-chief at Kathimerini Cyprus has resigned his post amid backlash from a piece he wrote on Sunday, where he claimed Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades let slip information that he had been flying millions generated from golden passports to the Seychelles on private flights...

4795. Cyprus puts national minimum wage on hold until full employment

The Cyprus government will launch a social dialogue for the implementation of the national minimum wage when full employment is reached, namely when unemployment is around 5%....

4796. Cyprus aiming for full absorption of EU funds

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides said Cyprus wants to achieve an absorption of 100% of the maximum of €968 million it could receive from the European structural and investment funds, but this requires that Cyprus invests in projects amounting to €1.8 billion....

4797. 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....

4798. Officials weigh in on Pournara brawl

Eight tenants at Pournara migration facility were placed under arrest on Tuesday, following a violent brawl on camp grounds that erupted between two groups under circumstances still unclear...

4799. Five-party meeting within eyeshot

UN special envoy Jane Holl Lute on Monday got both leaders of divided Cyprus to commit to the possibility of informal talks as early as next month, with local media on both sides noting the lack of an official statement from the global organization...

4800. 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...