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1201. ISIS ‘Beatles duo’ plead not guilty

Two Islamic State suspects from the UK, including one with Cypriot origins, have pleaded not guilty in a US court to charges of conspiring to murder four American hostages...

1202. Nicosia wants teeth in UNSC Varosha response

The UN Security Council on Friday will hold deliberations on Varosha after the Republic of Cyprus has urged members to call on Ankara to undo steps it has taken over the divided island’s fenced-off ghost town...

1203. Nicosia in the midst of diplomatic marathon over Varosha

Ersin Tatar’s descent upon Ankara but also the intense rumours regarding a reopening of the coastal front of the fenced-off city of Varosha have over the past days mobilized Nicosia....

1204. Summer temps here to stay this week

A warm air mass is still affecting areas over Cyprus this week, with inland temperature highs firmly in the upper 30’s with a noticeable drop not expected until after Thursday...

1205. East Mediterranean dialogue prospects ‘at sea’

Cypriot government spokesman Kyriacos Koushos said Turkey’s pulling out of Yavuz drillship from waters off Cyprus was a positive step but cautioned it was not known whether the withdrawal would be short-lived...

1206. Pompeo sees window of opportunity for dialogue, in Kathimerini interview

In an interview with Kathimerini, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo deplores the use of threats and unilateral actions as a way of resolving bilateral disputes, sending a clear signal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan....

1207. Woman says she received death threats

A woman in Paphos says a female friend has threatened to kill her, citing death treats she reportedly received over the phone and through text messages...

1208. Let’s keep Akamas clean

This year, for the 6th consecutive year, the action #Akamascleanup, an initiative of “Kathimerini” newspaper, Alphamega supermarkets, and Latchi Watersports, was crowned an absolute success....

1209. What Berlin made clear to Nicosia

German officials coordinating with Nicosia, after the Republic of Cyprus told the foreign affairs council that it would use its veto power if sanctions against Belarus are not linked with those against Turkey, said that the prospect of sanctions against Turkey is a distant scenario....

1210. Week begins with weather roller coaster

A warm air mass moving across Cyprus will stick around this week with temperature highs reaching 40 degrees on Tuesday, with a noticeable drop expected the following day in half of the island and further cooling for the rest of the week...

1211. The EU did not act in united fashion, Cyprus President tells Le Figaro

In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro published Thursday, President Nicos Anastasiades said that in responding Turkey’s actions in the eastern Mediterranean, the EU did not act in a decisive and united fashion, while refuting that Cyprus vetoed sanctions against Belarus....

1212. The four scenarios after the 'veto'

The decision on EU sanctions has been postponed for the meeting of the 27 leaders of member states, likely to take place on October 1 and 2 due to a case of coronavirus. At that meeting, it will become clear whether the case of Belarus will be linked with whether sanctions will be imposed on Turkey for its provocations in the Cyprus EEZ or not. Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides made it clear to the Council of Foreign Ministers that what was agreed in Berlin should be respected, in essence using his veto. Whether Nicosia will maintain this position until the end will be seen at the summit of the 27....

1213. Cyprus uses EU veto amid Turkey push

A scheduled teleconferenceon Tuesday between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Charles Michel is expected to be pivotal for a crisis in Greek-Turkish relations which Berlin has been trying to defuse ahead of a summit of European Union leaders later this week...

1214. Rain cometh with slightly cooler temps

A weak low pressure system and a warm air mass are expected to break up by the end of the workweek, with more clouds popping up along with chances of rain before the weekend is out...

1215. Education ministry launches disciplinary probe against artist-headmaster

The health ministry announced on Wednesday that it will be launching a disciplinary investigation against a public school headmaster, whose artwork, which he uploaded onto his personal Facebook profile, came to the attention of local social media users in recent days, drawing mixed reactions....

1216. Turkey accuses Greece of treaty violations

Turkey has issued a navigational telex to mariners accusing Greece of violating the Lausanne Treaty by militarizing the Greek island of Chios just 10 miles from a Turkish port...

1217. Turkey extends Yavuz drillship Navtex in Cyprus EEZ

Turkey extended a Navtex for its ultra deepwater drillship Yavuz until October 12, currently floating northwest of Cyprus....

1218. Anastasiades finds sympathetic ear at MED7

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades highlighted a need for a decisive EU stance towards Turkey, while praising his French counterpart for showing “practical and stable support” towards Cyprus...

1219. Mountains under orange warning in Cyprus

An orange alert for the mountains has been issued for Wednesday afternoon, with maximum temperatures climbing inland but also rain chances expected later in the week...

1220. Passports under the watchful eye of the Commission

1221. Mountains under yellow warning in Cyprus

Weather officials have issued a heat warning for the mountains on Monday, while temperatures in other parts of the interior are expected to climb once again over 40 starting on Tuesday...

1222. Turkey: Russia to hold live-fire exercises in Mediterranean

Turkey has announced that Russia will hold live-fire naval exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, amid escalating tensions between Turkey and its coastal neighbors Greece and Cyprus over rights to search for energy resources in the region. ...

1223. Golden passports scheme to remain as is

The citizenship-by-investment program will not be terminated, nor will it be suspended for a short period as a way of managing the crisis developing crisis, the government decided during its Tuesday morning coffee at the Presidential Palace. What was strongly tabled was that a potential freezing or termination of the investment program at this point in time would send a message that the government is acting in light of the Al Jazeera publications, and that by extension, that it accepts them....

1224. Police arrest eight ‘trespassers’ at Pournara

Police say they arrested eight trespassers at Pournara migrant camp on Tuesday night, with some of them reportedly holding edged weapons and blunt instruments...

1225. EU ‘very clear’ on expectations from Turkey for de-escalation

The message, the expectations, the timeline and the consequences of not acting towards a de-escalation of tension in the Eastern Mediterranean were “made clear” to Turkey, both via the informal Foreign Affairs Council last week in Berlin and in the telephone call on Monday between EU High Representative Josep Borrell and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, according to EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano....

1226. Cyprus weather gets code red

Weather officials in Cyprus have issued for the first time a red warning for Monday, with temperature highs expected to reach 44 degrees in the interior and 36 high up in the mountains...

1227. Sweltering heat wave hits Cyprus

Weather officials have issued an orange warning for Cyprus due to extreme high temperatures both inland and in the mountains, with a slight drop expected gradually in the coming days only in some areas...

1228. Ankara accuses Athens of beating the war drum

Turkey says the European Union is not sincere in its efforts to weigh in on the maritime disputes in the eastern Mediterranean, while accusing Athens of beating the war drum by intending to expand Greek territorial waters...

1229. International EastMed tension-diffusing efforts battling on

International moves to de-escalate tension in the eastern Mediterranean continued on Tuesday, with the German Chancellor holding a tete-a-tete with the NATO Secretary General and the kickstarting of the informal meetings of EU ministers in Berlin, where regional tensions were at the top of the agenda....

1230. Pickup driver facing involuntary manslaughter

The pickup truck driver, who was transporting steel pipes that ended up fatally striking a truck driver, will most likely be charged with causing another person's death through reckless behavior as well as carrying an unsecured load...