Search

2341. EU leaders pull Turkey punch at last minute

European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to prepare limited sanctions on Turkish individuals over an energy exploration dispute with Greece and Cyprus, postponing any harsher steps until March as countries sparred over how to handle Ankara...

2342. Paphos mall floods with shoppers on eve of shutdown

Paphos residents flocked to the city’s mall on Thursday to buy Christmas presents before malls islandwide shut their doors as part of the tougher measures that will come into effect on Friday to curb the rampant spread of the virus. ...

2343. Bishop vows to keep churches open

The Bishop of Morphou says he will keep churches in his diocese open to the public, contrary to the latest government measures, with the Metropolitan adding he is ready to face trial in a court of law...

2344. EU to toughen sanctions on Turkish drilling, draft summit statement says

The European Union will impose sanctions on more Turkish individuals and companies responsible for drilling in contested waters in the Mediterranean, according to a draft statement prepared for EU leaders to agree at a summit on Thursday....

2345. President Anastasiades travels to Brussels ahead of European Council

2346. Cyprus-bound vaccine less than month away

The delivery of the first batches of the COVID-19 vaccine is less than a month away, with the Republic of Cyprus prepping a mix-and-match strategy to begin vaccinations early next year...

2347. Experts mulling over holiday period restrictions suggestions

Health experts are mulling over maintaining current restriction measures or making them even stricter, while the holiday period lenience that was initially announced could be scrapped if daily new cases remain at the current level....

2348. Chloraka murder suspects in custody

Two remaining suspects in a Chloraka murder earlier this year have been ordered in remanded custody in the south, after they were handed over by Turkish Cypriot authorities in the north following their extradition from Turkey...

2349. 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....

2350. State budget up in the air over golden passports

Opposition parties are cranking up the pressure on Interior Minister Nikos Nouris, who has been refusing to hand over files in connection with the golden passports scandal, with the Democratic Party making good on its promise not to vote the state budget later this month if there is no transparency...

2351. EU, Greece sign agreement for new migrant center on Lesvos

The European Commission on Thursday signed a memorandum outlining a detailed plan agreed by Greek authorities and EU agencies to establish a new, up-to-standard reception center on the island of Lesvos by early September 2021. This is a key step in resolving the situation following the fires that destroyed the Moria camp in September. It is the result of the work of European Taskforce that was created at that time....

2352. 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....

2353. Cypriot police scolded again over spy van

The Supreme Court in the Republic of Cyprus has recalled an arrest warrant for Avraham Shahak Avni, a Jewish community leader who is implicated in the spy van probe, ruling that police had no reasonable basis to detain a man who had been otherwise cooperating with authorities from the get-go...

2354. Cyprus struggles to regulate lobbying

Debate on a legislation proposal that would regulate lobbying in the Republic of Cyprus will continue next year, when parliamentary elections will be in full swing, after the justice ministry introduced amendments to reconcile transparency rules with realities of politicking on the island...

2355. President says anti-corruption measures to be announced by year's end

The new anti-corruption measures will be announced to the public before the end of the year, President Nicos Anastasiades said Wednesday, noting that the delay is due to the government’s efforts to take into account the suggestions of all stakeholders....

2356. Lute gets Cypriot nod for five-party talks

UN special envoy Jane Holl Lute met separately on Tuesday with the two Cypriot leaders, who said they were open to a possible five-party informal meeting but expressed diametrically opposite views on solving the Cyprus Problem...

2357. 318 new cases as Famagusta hospital nears capacity

A total of 318 new coronavirus cases were detected on Tuesday, when 10,962 tests were conducted, raising total cases to 10,883....

2358. Moscow blames ban on Cyprus Airways

Cypriot Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos says the government will do whatever necessary to overcome a disembarkation ban by Moscow, while reports say Russian aviation authorities imposed the ban on Cyprus Airways over the company’s failure to provide a passenger list...

2359. Cyprus' auditor general makes Jiu Jitsu move

The audit office is reportedly preparing an unflattering report on Cyprus’ film industry government scheme, with local media suggesting some type of possible connection between newly-established Olivewood and golden passports...

2360. Health ministry responds to questions on new measures

The health ministry on Monday responded to five questions regarding the new restriction measures that are to affect the island until mid-December....

2361. Lute in Cyprus to test the waters for new CyProb process

The UN Secretary General’s special envoy, Jane Holl Lute, met with the head of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar, in Nicosia on Monday morning, ahead of the separate meetings with the island’s two leaders scheduled for Tuesday....

2362. Cyprus makes last ditch effort to beat virus

The latest measures against the spread of the coronavirus went into effect on Monday, including a night curfew across all districts, as calls for all citizens to be tested multiplied just before Christmas holidays...

2363. New measures announced, 9pm curfew imposed islandwide

Health minister Constantinos Ioannou on Friday announced the Cabinet’s decisions on the new restrictions that will affect the Republic of Cyprus in December, with the starkest among them being an island-wide 9pm curfew....

2364. New court culture coming to Cyprus

The president of the Cyprus Bar Association says justice reform is in the air in the Republic of Cyprus, after proposed rules on Civil Law Procedure were submitted on Thursday to the Supreme Court in hopes to introduce a new court culture on the island...

2365. Turks reject European resolution on Varosha

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot administration have criticized a European Parliament vote on Varosha, saying the EPP resolution ignores Turkish Cypriots on the island and 'unjustly' accuses Turkey...

2366. France, EU lawmakers push for sanctions on Turkey next month

France is leading a push for European Union sanctions on Turkey next month to follow through on a threat made by the bloc in October, but has yet to win support from EU governments beyond Greece and Cyprus, officials and diplomats said. ...

2367. Strong afternoon winds batter Cyprus

Very strong winds are expected Thursday afternoon, with chances of isolated thunderstorms in the eastern half of the island and mountain snow or sleet likely on Friday...

2368. Bishop apologises over reporter incident

Bishop Nikiforos of Kykkos, who told a reporter to “shut up” on Wednesday as cameras were rolling, has issued an apology, saying he regretted his behaviour, with the incident revealing tensions remain high over the Ukrainian issue...

2369. Health Ministry to buy additional 400,000 rapid antigen tests

The Council of Ministers has approved a proposal tabled by the Minister of Health Constantinos Ioannou for the purchase of an additional 400,000 rapid antigen tests to bolster efforts toward monitoring the island’s epidemiological situation and limiting the spread of coronavirus. ...

2370. Cyprus, Greece coordinate ahead of EUCO summit

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke on the phone on Tuesday evening to coordinate their actions in light of the upcoming EUCO meeting in December and the visit of the UN envoy Jane Hall Lute to Cyprus for consultations with the leaders of the two communities....