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631. KISA weighs in on downtown clashes

An NGO director in Cyprus is challenging the notion that foreign rival gangs have desolated the historic centre of the capital, saying bad practices by some local employment agencies are often behind many disputes including a fatal incident last Sunday...

632. EU foreign policy chief to hold string of meetings in Cyprus this week

The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is set to hold a meetings with top Cyprus government officials including president Nicos Anastasiades on June 25 and 26, the Cyprus News Agency reported Tuesday....

633. Interior minister presents bills for streamlining asylum procedures

The house legal committee discussed on Tuesday a bundle of four bills, submitted by interior minister Nicos Nouris, that seek to streamline procedures for the processing of applications filed by asylum seekers as well as appeal proceedings....

634. Pournara camp lockdown measures to be scrapped Monday

The Interior Ministry announced Friday that lockdown measures at the Pournara camp for refugees and asylum seekers will be scrapped on Monday....

635. Police use tear gas at migrant camp

Police officers responded with tear gas at a group of migrants at the Pournara camp in rural Nicosia, as the debate over detaining asylum seekers continues on Cyprus...

636. Cyprus cries foul over Turkey’s pick at UNGA

Cyprus and Armenia have sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General explaining the reasons why the two countries object to the election by silence procedure of Volkan Bozkir of Turkey as President of the UN General Assembly at its 75 session...

637. Cyprus blocks another boat citing coronavirus

A video showing a Republic of Cyprus coast guard vessel pursuing a boat of undocumented migrants has emerged, with police saying they blocked the boat due to the coronavirus crisis...

638. Deputy mayor draws back racist declaration

Limassol’s deputy mayor Nikos Sykas has issued a statement following widespread criticism over a post on Facebook when he self-identified as a racist...

639. Racism, xenophobia rife in Cyprus, refugees say

A teleconference on Tuesday raised the multifaceted problems faced by refugees and asylum seekers on the island, such as racism and xenophobia, hardships during the coronavirus pandemic, and difficulties with integrating into Cyprus society....

640. Cyprus to launch SMS campaign to stem migrant arrivals

Cyprus is launching a multilingual SMS campaign to head off more migrant arrivals by dispelling the mistaken belief the European Union member country is a gateway to the continent, the Cypriot interior minister said Sunday....

641. Greece to make massive riot police equipment purchase

Greece is planning purchases worth millions of euros to equip the Hellenic Police’s (ELAS) riot force with shields, helmets, uniforms, bullet-proof vests and other supplies, including large quantities of tear gas, in anticipation of a fresh push on the northeastern border with Turkey by undocumented migrants and refugees trying to force their way into the European Union....

642. Greece, Turkey exchange barbs over migrants

Greece on Thursday pushed back on criticism by Turkey that is violating the rights of refugees and migrants attempting to reach the country, saying Ankara has “instrumentalized human suffering”...

643. Mass deportations underway in Cyprus

The Republic of Cyprus has begun expelling foreign nationals who have been turned down for asylum, citing concerns over security threats and changing demographics due to a migration crisis...

644. Demonstration outside refugee camp sparks Government reaction

A demonstration staged outside the Pournara camp in Kokkinotrimithia on Sunday calling for an end to the arbitrary detention of hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers stirred reaction from the Government on Tuesday, with an Interior Ministry announcement claiming it won’t be allowing any further ghettoization of the island....

645. Greek FM insists Evros fence will be completed

646. Cyprus readies to deport suspected terrorists

The Republic of Cyprus says it is getting ready to deport 17 undocumented migrants suspected of having ties to foreign terrorists, but proceedings could be delayed due to ongoing pandemic and other legal issues...

647. All asylum seekers at Pournara locked in

Health ministry officials say going in and out of the migrant facility in rural Nicosia is temporarily forbidden due to a scabies infestation, with the government defending migration policies amid criticism over living conditions and restriction of freedom of movement at the camp...

648. Divided Cyprus slammed over refugee pushback

Two dozen groups around the world have condemned authorities on both sides of divided Cyprus after 175 Syrian refugees were denied the right to seek asylum...

649. Migrant camp declared ‘local infected area’

Human rights advocates in the Republic of Cyprus are crying foul over the government's handling of asylum seekers at Pournara camp, after the health ministry declared the migrant centre a “local infected area” citing public health laws due to an infestation...

650. Migrant camp near boiling point

Police said three people were arrested at Pournara migrant centre during a protest on Wednesday, one day after a hunger strike, as camp residents demand better living conditions and the right to leave camp...

651. Coronavirus death toll and confirmed cases record small rise

The death of a 75-year-old man on Monday raised the coronavirus death toll to 15, while the confirmation of five new cases brought total known cases in the Republic of Cyprus to 822....

652. Conditions at migrant camps improving, but arbitrary detention issues remain

The UNHCR office in Cyprus said on Monday that it was pleased with the steps being taken to improve the living conditions of asylum seekers on the island, but expressed hope that additional measures will follow to tackle the multifaceted issues that emerged amid the coronavirus outbreak....

653. Coronavirus death toll in Greece at 136

The death toll from the coronavirus in Greece rose to 136 on Monday after two patients being treated in hospitals in northern Greece passed away, reports said. ...

654. Report draws attention to migrant centres

A report published this week by Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides takes stock of current conditions in migrant facilities in the Republic of Cyprus, pointing out medical challenges, problems associated with weather, and asylum issues...

655. Greece eyes gradual easing of lockdown measures

The Greek government is working on a plan to ease some of the restrictions that have been introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expected to make announcements next week....

656. Coronavirus hits third migrant facility as Greece plans to ease lockdown

The death of a 101-year-old woman at Sotiria Hospital in Athens took Greece’s coronavirus toll to 120 on Tuesday afternoon....

657. Future for rescued refugees in north unknown

The fate of 175 Syrian refugees, trapped in the north of the island amid the coronavirus pandemic, remains unknown while a human rights group is calling on Greek Cypriot authorities to take them in...

658. Greece to move over 2,300 refugees to mainland after Easter

Greek authorities will begin the gradual transfer of 2,380 asylum seekers and their families from island camps to accommodation facilities on the mainland after Orthodox Easter (April 19), the country’s Migration Ministry said Thursday. ...

659. UNHCR steps in to ensure refugees in Cyprus receive proper protection

The UNHCR office in Cyprus has stressed that refugees must be included in the government’s planning and response to the Covid-19 pandemic, offering hands-on solutions to the myriad problems in the government’s handling of refugee and asylum procedures that have only been exacerbated by the current crisis....

660. NGOs raise alarm over inhumane conditions at overcrowded migrant camp

Two migrant and refugee support NGOs, Cyprus Refugee Council and Caritas Cyprus, have raised the alarm over the inhumane conditions that have developed in the Kokkinitrimithia camp, particularly since the coronavirus pandemic broke out on the island....