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301. More than two thousand deportations in 2021

More than two thousand irregular migrants were deported from Cyprus to their countries of origin in 2021, Police spokesperson, Christos Andreou, has told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), noting that during the last two years the number of deportations has doubled....

302. Pope flies to Cyprus to set tone on migration

Pope Francis flies to Cyprus on Thursday in a show of support for migrants on the island, where debate on asylum seekers has been intense, with reports saying his entourage has arranged for dozens of refugees to fly back to Italy...

303. Immigration: Anastasiades' five requests to the EU

"The country is in a state of emergency in terms of migration flows, and there is absolutely no chance of accommodating more migrants,"...

304. Averof: Irregular immigrants increase crime

DISY President Averof Neophytou expressed his concern about the increase in crime due to immigration. ...

305. The sins of the EU and Nouris' obligation

The numbers are buzzing about the huge problem Cyprus faces with irregular immigration and asylum seekers....

306. Refugees choose rough seas over Cypriot port

A refugee boat believed to be bound for Italy escaped custody at Kato Paphos port on Thursday, after passengers were not allowed to disembark the previous day but spent the night onboard awaiting further instructions from Nicosia...

307. Cyprus wants asylum right curbed for irregular migrants

Cyprus wants action to curb irregular migration to the island, including a suspension of asylum applications for persons entering illegally, a government official said...

308. North calls on Greek Cypriots to cooperate on migration

Turkish Cypriots say the north is in favour of working together with the south on the challenge of irregular migration, calling on Greek Cypriots to address the issue jointly in a 'spirit of cooperation' at a time when Interior Minister Nicos Nouris has been ramping up his rhetoric on drastic measures...

309. Cypriot ‘superminister’ accused of obstructing sea rescues

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris has slammed a report about him calling the shots to hinder sea rescues of refugees, accusing a journalist of pushing an 'extremely dangerous' open doors agenda while the local newspaper is hitting back with a little-known 'embarrassing' incident...

310. Cyprus airs migration grievances at divided Europe

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris wants strong EU awareness on external borders to be shown in Cyprus as well, in remarks he made near the buffer zone on Sunday, just two days after the European Commission president signaled there would be no funding for barbed wire and walls...

311. Israeli forex boss in Limassol faces extradition

The lawyers of a foreign exchange company boss in Limassol, who has been arrested in Cyprus in connection with a multimillion takedown of illegal online investments in Germany, have asked for more time before their client appears for his extradition hearing...

312. Cyprus sees increase in migrant arrivals

Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas and Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson presented a Report on Migration and Asylum on Wednesday,...

313. Cyprus turns refugee boat back to Lebanon

Dozens of refugees who were on board a vessel spotted off Cyprus on Sunday returned to their point of departure in Lebanon, contradicting earlier reports that the boat had been escorted to Cape Greco...

314. Stars in Al Jazeera video face committee

315. Damning State Dep. report highlights Cyprus human rights issues

A US State Department country report on human rights practices in 2020 proved damning for Cyprus which was found to have had significant human rights issues last year....

316. Cyprus scrambles to reduce asylum backlog

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris says the government is moving forward with rejections of asylum applications under new, faster procedures to clear a system backlog, with Europe seeking a comprehensive solution and a commissioner calling on Cypriot authorities to investigate illegal pushbacks...

317. Cyprus to push for help from Brussels on migration issue

The Republic of Cyprus will make its case to Brussels and other international fora, both at the political and technocratic level, over migratory pressure and the need for assistance. ...

318. Government ups rhetoric against auditor

The Cypriot government hinted over the weekend it might refer the auditor general to the Supreme Court over “indecent” behaviour, after the audit office published yet another damning report alleging offences in a Cabinet decision to grant investor passports to individuals linked to a casino project without meeting the criteria...

319. Council of Europe report critical of Greece's migrant pushbacks, detention conditions

A Council of Europe report, released Thursday, calls on Greece to stop pushbacks of migrants and calls out the country on the conditions in several migrant detention centers....

320. Biden plans ahead as Trump refuses to concede

Democrat Joe Biden began preparing on Sunday to deal with the coronavirus and other problems that will confront him as president of a divided America, while President Donald Trump planned campaign-style rallies to contest the election...

321. President defends block on audit office

President Nicos Anastasiades invoked the Constitution during a televised interview, saying the job description of the auditor general, who is currently seeking information on foreign nationals linked to a casino project, does not authorize him to 'have a say in everything'...

322. Cypriot minister has one regret over passports

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides, who oversaw Cyprus' disgraced golden passport scheme while he was serving as interior minister, says he should have pushed harder to end the program much sooner...

323. Bad blood continues over golden passports

A prolonged and bitter dispute between the interior minister and auditor general, over probing Cyprus’ golden passports scheme, was renewed this week following a mini report with details on a number of applications through citizenship by investment...

324. Commission presents new migration plan for EU

The European Union's executive proposed on Wednesday overhauling the bloc's broken migration and asylum rules, seeking to end years of feuds and bitterness over the many people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa....

325. Berlin to take in 1,553 refugees from Greece

As Germany indicated on Tuesday that it would take in more than 1,500 refugees from Lesvos and other Greek islands, the Greek government welcomed the move, indicating however that it should not be seen as rewarding irregular immigration. ...

326. Von der Leyen: rule of law violations through 'golden passports' won't be tolerated

The European Commission has prepared the first annual report the rule of law in EU member states, to be published later in September, Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said Wednesday, indirectly referring to the Cyprus Investment Program....

327. EU calls on Cyprus to manage migration flows in line with EU law

The EU said Tuesday that it acknowledges the difficulties faced by the Republic of Cyprus in terms of the flow of refugees it is called to deal with, but stressed that basic principles and EU legislation must be respected....

328. Period for filing appeals against asylum service decisions slashed

The Cyprus Parliament on Friday amended the constitution to allow for a slashing of the time in which appeals can be filed against decisions of the asylum service from 75 days to 15 days....

329. Boat carrying 23 migrants reaches Pervolia shore

23 irregular Syrian migrants who arrived by boat at a Larnaca beach on Sunday night were on Monday transferred to the Pournara camp in Kokkinotrimithia....

330. Berlin bridge-building effort undermined by Ankara

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday revealed that a secret trilateral meeting between Turkish, German and Greek officials, mediated by Berlin, took place ahead of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in the wake of Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque. ...