https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/social-media-checks-now-part-of-u-s-student-visa-process
Foreign students hoping to study in the United States will now face much stricter screening, including having their social media accounts reviewed, under a new U.S. State Department policy announced this week....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/student-grant-system-under-fire-over-payouts-to-the-wrong-people
The Office of the Auditor General has raised concerns over how student scholarships are awarded and paid out in Cyprus, following a 2023 audit that found gaps and procedural problems in the system....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/business/keravnos-takes-gratuity-tax-exemption-proposal-to-cabinet-opposes-one-size-calculation
Finance Minister Makis Keravnos on Wednesday signaled support for a proposal to exempt from taxation a 15% gratuity granted to officials, but said the measure still requires Cabinet approval....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/house-speaker-pushes-back-on-claims-over-spending
In response to public scrutiny and a report by Kathimerini's Apostolos Tomaras about parliamentary expenses, House Speaker Annita Dimitriou has stepped in to defend how taxpayer money is being spent, ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-s-booming-defense-industry-nets-€40m-as-officials-call-for-faster-growth
Cyprus’s defense industry has grown tenfold in recent years, with approximately 30 companies now generating an estimated €40 million in revenue annually, officials revealed Tuesday during a session of the Parliamentary Committee on Energy, Commerce and Industry....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/posh-perks-and-pricey-trips-inside-parliament-s-2023-spending-spree
The Auditor General of the Republic has issued a series of significant recommendations in his report concerning the operations of the House of Representatives for the year 2023....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greece-eyes-3-year-university-degrees-but-not-everyone-s-on-board
Greece is gearing up to shorten university degrees from four years to three, but not without a fight. Professors, public university officials, and some students are already lining up to challenge the reform, which they see as a threat to the country’s long-standing academic structure....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/limassol-implements-30-km-h-speed-limit-in-city-center
A maximum speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour is now in effect on specific streets in the historic center of Limassol, according to an official announcement issued today by the Limassol Municipality....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/business/over-60-000-work-permits-issued-to-foreign-talent-in-cyprus-since-2014
Cyprus has issued more than 60,000 residence and work permits to foreign nationals over the past decade as part of a push to attract tech talent and investment, according to figures released by Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/tensions-erupt-over-abramovich-case-allegations-at-parliamentary-committee
Allegations of high-level political interference surrounding a multimillion-euro VAT debt linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich escalated Thursday in Cyprus’ Parliament, with tensions erupting between lawmakers and investigative journalist Makarios Drousiotis....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/do-something-palestinian-un-envoy-breaks-down-over-gaza-deaths-and-starvation
In an emotional address to the United Nations Security Council, the Palestinian ambassador broke down in tears as he described the suffering of children and families in Gaza, urging the international community to act decisively and immediately to stop what he called a "genocide."...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-launches-voluntary-return-plan-for-syrians-ready-to-return-home
The Cypriot government on Thursday rolled out a new voluntary repatriation plan for Syrian families who wish to return home, as the country begins to rebuild in the wake of a long civil war....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/comment/opinion/cypriots-rush-to-borrow-as-rates-drop-but-are-banks-repeating-old-mistakes
As interest rates continue their downward trend, and with further cuts expected, borrowers are feeling more confident. This isn’t hearsay from bank insiders or coffee shop chatter; ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/turkish-academy-grants-observer-status-to-breakaway-state-in-north
The Turkish Academy has granted observer status to the so-called turkish republic of northern cyprus (trnc), according to Turkish media reports, marking what they describe as “yet another new status” for the breakaway entity....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/thousands-of-property-claims-filed-in-occupied-north-only-a-fraction-settled
More than 8,000 applications have been filed with the "real estate committee" in the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus, but just over 2,000 cases have been resolved, according to its chairwoman, Novber Ferit Vejhi....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/business/jordan-pulls-the-plug-on-imports-from-occupied-north-cyprus
Jordan has stopped importing halloumi and similar cheeses from the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus, becoming the third country to pull out of that market in recent months, after Lebanon and Qatar....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/business/over-€620-000-in-upgrades-heading-to-polis-and-nearby-villages
In a welcome boost for the Paphos district, more than €620,000 in grants will soon flow into Polis Chrysochous and surrounding communities as part of a government push to breathe new life into rural, mountainous, and remote areas....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/grigoris-kamberis-nikolas-argyrou-giorgos-louka-and-elias-kokkinos-to-speak-at-green-agenda-cyprus-summit
This year’s Sustainable Development Conference will focus on supporting and strengthening Cyprus’s national strategy for the Green Transition....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/new-evidence-in-cyprus-papers-passport-scandal-shows-photos-and-faxes-pointing-to-political-interference
Testimony continued Tuesday in the high-profile case sparked by Al Jazeera’s 2020 Cyprus Papers investigation, with a police sergeant detailing evidence suggesting political interference and irregularities in the naturalization of foreign investors....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-plans-upgrade-to-smart-traffic-lights-impacting-photo-enforcement-law
Proceedings began Wednesday before the Supreme Constitutional Court regarding the President's referral of a law passed by Parliament concerning the use of timers in the photo-enforcement system....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/transport-ministry-to-relaunch-electric-car-grants-after-public-backlash
The Cypriot government is preparing new grant schemes to support the purchase of electric cars, following criticism over its recent decision to scale back an earlier subsidy program due to low uptake....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/business/cypriots-eye-business-opportunities-but-fear-of-failure-still-looms
A growing number of Cypriots believe the island is ripe for starting a business—but fear of failure is still holding many back, according to the National Report on Entrepreneurship in Cyprus 2023/2024, released Tuesday by the Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of Cyprus....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/hotels-race-for-private-desalination-plants-as-summer-approaches
Large hotel groups across Cyprus are seriously looking into installing their own small desalination plants as a way to secure enough water during the island’s scorching, dry summers....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/business/why-electric-vehicle-grants-are-being-put-on-hold
The Cyprus Ministry of Transport has reduced its electric vehicle (EV) grant allocation due to low demand, scaling back funding from €38 million to €32.8 million. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/business/from-brain-drain-to-brain-gain-cyprus-rolls-out-incentives-to-bring-talent-home
The Cypriot government has approved a plan to offer tax breaks to citizens working abroad in a bid to reverse the country’s “brain drain,” a government spokesperson said Wednesday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/this-isn-t-about-headscarves-it-s-about-who-we-are
For nearly a month, Turkish Cypriot teachers have been protesting against the introduction of headscarves in secondary schools, standing in defense of secular education....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/banquet-hall-in-nicosia-built-and-operating-without-permits
A building in Nicosia that now operates as a popular banquet and events hall was constructed and opened without the proper permits or approvals, according to a damning report by the Auditor General of the Republic. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/turkey-says-eastern-mediterranean-power-cable-project-cannot-proceed
The Turkish Ministry of Defense said Thursday there is no change in its position regarding energy projects in the Eastern Mediterranean that it views as infringing on Turkish rights and interests....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/court-upholds-denial-of-cypriot-citizenship-to-individual-from-mixed-marriage
The Supreme Constitutional Court of Cyprus has upheld a decision to deny citizenship to a woman born in the Turkish-occupied north of the island, highlighting national security concerns linked to her parentage in a mixed marriage....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/grants-up-to-€35-000-for-renovating-empty-homes-–-with-a-catch
The Ministry of Interior has officially launched the ''Renovate-Rent'' Scheme, opening the door for property owners to receive grants of up to €35,000 to fix up vacant homes — as long as they rent them out affordably....
