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1561. Euro zone ministers look for economy quick fixes

Euro zone finance ministers are likely to converge on Tuesday on three quick options to support the economy in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, officials have said, with some discussion also of longer-term ideas to aid a recovery....

1562. China's ambassador responds to US criticism

The Chinese ambassador in Nicosia is firing back at US and media criticism over his country’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, adding that he believes Cyprus will win the battle against the coronavirus...

1563. EU leaders call for recovery plan

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades took part in a video conference with the EU leaders, as the bloc sought to find common ground on how best to share the burden...

1564. Hospitals the Achilles heel of the pandemic

The suspension of patient admissions at all four state General Hospitals was one of the initial fears that was expressed by the state health services organization (SHSO), which oversees the island’s public hospitals that have borne the brunt of the coronavirus outbreak....

1565. Government: Supermarkets closures, curfew not on the table

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said in a tweet on Thursday that the government has no intension of shutting supermarkets, urging the public to avoid clustering in supermarkets....

1566. North Cyprus bars entry to citizens from all countries, including Turkey

In a further escalation of measures amid the unfolding coronavirus health crisis, the north moved to bar entry from land, air, and sea, to all third country nationals, including Turkish nationals....

1567. Cyprus to ban flights from 28 countries

As of Saturday, flights to the Larnaca and Paphos airports from 28 countries will be banned, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou announced on Tuesday night, noting that this stricter measure does not affect cargo....

1568. Elections in the north postponed for six months

Elections in the north that were set to take place in April have been postponed for six months amid mounting chain reactions of the coronavirus outbreak, Turkish Cypriot media reported on Tuesday....

1569. Confirmed cases continue to rise, total reaches 14

The coronavirus outbreak continued to grow on the island on Friday after four additional coronavirus cases were confirmed, raising the total to 14 in government-controlled areas, while three new cases in the north raised the figure to five....

1570. UNFICYP urges cooperation in addressing coronavirus emergency

UNFICYP called on the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides to maintain communication and cooperation in addressing the coronavirus health emergency, and expressed its readiness to assist toward this end....

1571. EU slams Trump’s Europe travel ban

The European Union has slammed the new anti-virus travel ban announced by US President Donald Trump, lashing out at an “unilateral” decision taken “without consultation.”...

1572. Erdogan likens Greek authorities to Nazis

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said there is “no difference” between Nazis and the Greek authorities trying to hold the country’s border against the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees spurred to push into the European Union by Ankara....

1573. UN ask T/C leadership to close Ledra checkpoint

A UN proposal issued to the Turkish Cypriot leadership on Monday suggested the closure of the Ledra checkpoint from the north, as has been done by Greek Cypriot authorities, effectively forbidding the movement of civilians into the Ledra Buffer Zone....

1574. EU executive tells Turkey to take migrants back from Greek border

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ahead of talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey must move refugees and migrants away from the Greek border....

1575. President of Cyprus to pay an official visit to Austria

Migration and the Cyprus issue are among the topics President Nicos Anastasiades is expected to discuss in Vienna, during a two-day official visit he is paying to the country at the invitation of the Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen....

1576. Anastasiades dubs UNFICYP position 'unfortunate' intervention

President Nicos Anastasiades on Friday described the statement issued by UNFICYP as “unfortunate”, noting that such announcements go beyond its mission as a peacekeeping force....

1577. CEOs: Drop in Optimism and Reversal of Sentiment

1578. Akinci tells UNFICYP head coronavirus has nothing to do with checkpoint closures

The Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met with UNFICYP head Elizabeth Spehar on Wednesday to discuss the move by the Greek Cypriot Government to shut four crossings along then UN-controlled Buffer Zone last week....

1579. UN: EU needs to stop bickering, support Greece on refugees

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Tuesday urged European Union countries to give more resources and support to Greece as it faces a new wave of migrants and refugees from Syria and other parts of the Middle East....

1580. EU Commission notified of checkpoint closures

The European Commission has been informed of the temporary closing of four checkpoints, and said it would continue monitoring the situation closely in order to ensure that each closure and health checks remain in accordance with the Green Line Regulation....

1581. Greek army, police dig in along Turkey border after migrant clashes

Greek troops and riot police remained on high alert on Tuesday along the land border between Greece and Turkey, the main flashpoint in an escalating row between the EU and Ankara over how to deal with a new wave of migrants and refugees....

1582. Shutting checkpoints not part of the deal, Akinci says

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said that unilateral actions by either community for coronavirus protection, such as the closing of checkpoints, had not been agreed upon by the two leaders during the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Health meeting they co-chaired earlier in February, but stressed there is no need for panic....

1583. Support for solution widespread though many undecided, survey shows

Support for a solution remains strong, contact between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots is at its uppermost level and demand for economic contact between the two communities is high, the latest, the February 2020 Pulse survey showed....

1584. 14 EU countries demand Syria govt, Russia return to 2018 ceasefire deal

Foreign ministers from 14 European countries, including France and Germany, demanded on Wednesday that Syrian government forces and their Russian backers end their offensive in Idlib province and return to the terms of a 2018 ceasefire deal....

1585. Prince Charles and Camilla to visit Cyprus in March

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will be flying over to Cyprus for their first joint official visit, to take place from March 18 until March 21, the British High Commission announced on Tuesday....

1586. Interior Minister in Brussels for meetings with European Commission on migration

Cyprus’ Minister of the Interior Nicos Nouris will be travelling to Brussels on Monday for a series of meetings with the senior leadership of the European Commission to discuss migration....

1587. Greek PM meets with five EU leaders over bloc's budget

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held talks in Brussels on Friday with the leaders of Germany Angela Merkel, France Emmanuel Macron, Spain Pedro Sanchez, Italy Giuseppe Conte and Portugal Antonio Costa in a bid to break a deadlock in negotiations for the European Union’s 2021-2027 budget....

1588. Summit standoff as EU leaders grapple with Brexit-sized hole in budget

EU leaders made no headway on Thursday in fractious talks on a joint 2021-27 budget that was left with a 75 billion-euro (62.9 billion pounds) hole after Britain’s departure at a time when they face costly new challenges from climate change to migration....

1589. Cyprus in the midst of massive football corruption storm, Justice Minister says

“We’re in the midst of a massive storm,” Justice Minister Giorgos Savvides said on Tuesday, referring to the wave of football corruption allegations that has been sweeping over Cyprus recently....

1590. Greek-US ties and the East Med

By Lieutenant General Thomas Trask On the occasion of his meeting last month with President Donald Trump in Washington, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis remarked how the US-Greece relationship “is the best it ever was. But it can become even better.”...