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1381. Turkey deploys extremists to Libya, local militias say

Syrian militants affiliated with groups such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are currently being sent by Turkey to fight on behalf of the UN-supported government in Libya, according to two Libyan militia leaders and a Syrian war monitor....

1382. UN says its plan for military contacts not recognition

The UN intend to enquire both sides in Cyprus about their ideas concerning the establishment of an effective mechanism for direct military contacts, after a relevant reference in the UNFICYP resolution the Security Council passed Thursday. ...

1383. Cyprus rejects Ankara call for a stop to drilling

Nicosia on Thursday rejected a call by Ankara for a halt to drilling activities off the island's south as a precondition for it to stop its own activities off the divided island. ...

1384. Serious planning, not tough-guy posturing

1385. Driver in head-on crash dies in hospital

A young footballer, who was critically injured last week in a road accident, passed away on Thursday after his parents took the end-of-life decision...

1386. Mother says state ‘dishonest’ in son’s death

A woman in Cyprus is accusing the state of a cover-up in her son’s death, saying a recent ECHR judgment reprimanding the Republic over an 'inadequate investigation' was not enough and she was demanding to know the whole truth...

1387. UNFICYP draft under ‘silence procedure’

A resolution renewing the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus for an additional six months is under the “silence procedure” and it is expected to be adopted on Thursday if no member breaks the silence...

1388. Greece, Cyprus talk defence cooperation

Cooperation on defence and security is main discussion topic between Defence Minister Savvas Angelides and his Greek counterpart, Nicos Panayiotopoulos, in the framework of the 6th Greece-Cyprus Intergovernmental Defence Council taking place in Athens....

1389. Charles De Gaulle to dock in Limassol, demonstrating fortified ties

The flagship of the French Navy, aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, will be docking at Limassol port at the end of February, prior to the wrapping up of its Eastern Mediterranean mission, Ambassador of France to Cyprus Isabelle Dumont told the Cyprus News Agency on Tuesday....

1390. Democrats lay out case against Trump

Democrats planned to plow ahead on Thursday at President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial with their arguments for removing him from office, but Republicans showed no signs of softening their resistance to the Democratic case...

1391. Foreign powers back Libya ceasefire

Foreign powers agreed at a summit in Berlin on Sunday to shore up a shaky truce in Libya, but the meeting was overshadowed by blockades of oilfields by forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar that could cripple the country’s crude production...

1392. House condemns Turkish involvement in Libya

The House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, in a resolution adopted unanimously, condemns the decision of Turkey to sell and dispatch weapons and troops, which violates the Libya embargo, and calls on the UN to monitor the implementation of the UN and EU embargo on weapons by Turkey, in order to impose sanctions wherever necessary, at least in the EU framework, and also calls on the Cyprus government to send humanitarian aid to the Libyan people. ...

1393. Haftar tells Athens Turkey-Libya deal invalid

The agreement on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean signed between Turkey and the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord is in violation of international law and is therefore invalid, Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar said after a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens on Friday...

1394. Cyprus hopes to join US visa waiver

Cypriot officials say they are setting up a task force aimed at including the country in the US visa waiver programme the soonest possible...

1395. Greece has asked Germany to participate in Libya summit

Greece has asked to attend a summit in Berlin which will discuss a path to peace in Libya, government spokesman Stelios Petsas revealed on Tuesday...

1396. Libya truce on shaky ground

Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army, has left Moscow without signing a ceasefire agreement drafted at talks in Russia on Monday...

1397. Libya in the wake of a ceasefire

Libyan eastern forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar announced on Saturday a ceasefire in the western region, which includes the capital Tripoli, starting 00:01 on Sunday and the internationally recognized Government of National Accord agreed to the truce...

1398. Iran says military shot down plane in error

Iran said on Saturday it had mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian plane killing all 176 people aboard and voiced its deep regret, after initially denying it brought down the aircraft in the tense aftermath of Iranian missile strikes on US targets in Iraq...

1399. Missile suspected in Iran plane crash

The plane crash in Iran that killed 176 people aboard was likely brought down by a missile unintentionally, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says, while Tehran has invited officials from the US, Ukraine, and Canada to join the investigation...

1400. Cyprus hopes cooler heads will prevail

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades on Thursday said he hoped more sensible ideas would prevail regarding the situation in the Middle East, while sources expect "no unpleasant surprises” ahead of a mandate review for UN peacekeeping on the island...

1401. Terrorism suspect jailed in the north

A suspected terrorist arrested in the north earlier this week was ordered to remain in custody on Friday, as Turkish Cypriot authorities continue to investigate possible links with ISIS...

1402. Both US and Iran claim ‘self defence’

Iranian UN ambassador has sent a letter to the UN Security Council calling Tehran’s missile strikes a "measured and proportionate" act of "self-defense,” while the US also says killing Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani was for self defence...

1403. Cyprus okays US ’forward deployed’ unit

Nicosia has accepted a request from Washington regarding the arrival of an American Rapid Deployment Forces unit for humanitarian purposes in case of an emergency...

1404. Iran attacks US air bases in revenge

Iran launched missile attacks on US-led forces in Iraq early on Wednesday in retaliation for the US drone strike on an Iranian commander whose killing last week raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East...

1405. Iran escalation continues after midnight tweet

US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to hit 52 Iranian sites “very hard” if Iran attacks Americans or US assets after a drone strike that killed Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, as tens of thousands of people marched in Iraq to mourn their deaths...

1406. US preemptive strike put to the test

The Trump administration on Friday justified its killing of a top Iranian general as an act of self-defense, trying to deflect accusations that it violated international law and concerns raised by legal experts and a senior UN rights investigator....

1407. Cypriot FM works the phones over Libya

Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides has been working the phones Thursday and Friday, discussing with counterparts of other nations the situation in Libya and a need to avoid illegal actions...

1408. Athens says Ankara 'playing with fire'

Athens says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is “playing with fire” as he seeks parliament approval to send military troops into Libya, following a formal request from Tripoli...

1409. Diplomatic hype over eastern Mediterranean

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias attended Christmas Mass in Istanbul amid diplomatic tensions and power play between Athens and Ankara over gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean...

1410. Cyprus hails US EastMed bill signed into law

A new US law geared toward boosting energy and security cooperation in the east Mediterranean is indicative of the significance that Washington attaches to the region, Cyprus' foreign minister said Saturday...