https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/ministers-to-decide-on-holiday-leniency
With Christmas day and the New Year approaching, businesses and the public are growing increasingly eager to see whether restriction measures in place will be loosened, but recent figures and the climbing death toll point to any relaxation being a highly unlikely scenario...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/eu-leaders-weigh-sanctions-over-turkey-s-med-drilling-work
Concerned that their credibility is at stake, European Union leaders are set Thursday to give the green light to the expansion of sanctions against Turkey over its exploration of gas reserves in Mediterranean waters claimed by EU members Greece and Cyprus....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/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....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/eu-to-talk-turkey-after-all-is-said-and-done
The 'Turkey issue' is far from clear as EU leaders prepare to meet on Thursday, with Ankara accusing Athens of taking a provocative stance and Paris laying it all out before the Union could resume talks with NATO’s eastern flank member...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-greece-and-jordan-to-step-up-cooperation
Cyprus, Greece and Jordan vowed Tuesday to further enhance their trilateral cooperation, which will cover defence and security issues as well as economic and trade cooperation....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/past-week-was-the-worst-epidemiologically-since-outbreak
Health minister Constantinos Ioannou was the bearer of unpleasant news on Tuesday, announcing that the current epidemiological situation doesn’t appear to leave room for the planned relaxation of measures from December 14....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/turkey-shrugs-off-effect-of-sanctions-as-euco-looms
The intense consultations between European Union member-states on the bloc’s response to Turkish aggression in recent months are expected to continue until the 11th hour before the start of Thursday’s crucial leaders summit. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/no-‘cold-turkey-route-as-eu-ministers-meet
No big steps are expected Monday as EU foreign ministers meet to evaluate possible sanctions against Turkey, laying the groundwork for a more substantive debate between EU leaders later in the week...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greek-foreign-minister-drops-by-nicosia
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is visiting the Republic of Cyprus on Friday, here he will meet with his counterpart and the country’s president ahead of an upcoming EU Foreign Affairs Council with a focus on Turkey...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/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....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/eu-warns-against-easing-pandemic-containing-measures
As millions of European citizens gear up for the festive season, the European Union's executive commission urged member countries to keep strong anti-Covid-19 restrictions in place to avoid a post-holiday surge of coronavirus cases and deaths but stopped short of advising against travel....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-calls-on-turkey-to-engage-in-maritime-zone-delimitation-talks
In an interview with the UAE television channel Alarabiya, defence minister Charalambos Petrides called on Turkey to accept the Republic of Cyprus’ invitation to engage in talks in view of reaching an agreement over the delimitation of the contested maritime zones between the two countries, or alternatively refer the issue to the International Court of Justice....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/anastasiades-participates-in-prep-meeting-ahead-of-euco
With the European Council coming up next Wednesday and Thursday, President Nicos Anastasiades participated in a preparatory videoconference hosted by European Council President Charles Michel to discuss issues on the agenda, which is also expected to include a discussion of the potential imposition of sectoral sanctions against Turkey....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/government-ups-rhetoric-against-auditor
The Cypriot government hinted over the weekend it might refer the auditor general to the Supreme Court over “indecent” behaviour, after the audit office published yet another damning report alleging offences in a Cabinet decision to grant investor passports to individuals linked to a casino project without meeting the criteria...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/support-schemes-averted-drastic-rise-in-unemployment
The package launched by the government to support employees and businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic has averted a drastic rise in unemployment, labour minister Zeta Emilianidou said Thursday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/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. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/holiday-period-restrictions-to-be-announced-friday
The Cyprus cabinet will be deciding on Wednesday on the restrictions that are to apply for December and the Christmas holidays, with the new measures to be announced to the public by the health minister on Friday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/virus-continues-to-attack-nursing-homes
Spokesperson for the Cyprus state health services Charalambos Charilaou told the Cyprus News Agency on Friday that the virus’ assault on nursing homes in Nicosia and Limassol is ongoing, with an estimated 25% of coronavirus patients at the Famagusta general hospital involving residents of nursing homes....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/turkey-s-behavior-‘widening-its-separation-from-eu-borrell-says
Turkey’s rhetoric on Cyprus is aggravating tensions with the European Union and Ankara must understand that its behavior is “widening its separation” from the 27-nation bloc, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-israel-greece-agree-to-boost-defense-cooperation
The defense ministers of Greece, Israel and Cyprus agreed Thursday to step up military cooperation which they said will keep their armed forces better prepared, help create more jobs and bolster security in a fraught region.
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https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-israel-affirm-excellent-bilateral-relations
Israeli Minister of Defence Benny Gantz has stressed the necessity for Turkey to immediately terminate its illegal actions in Cyprus and the broader region, in order to create the favourable conditions that would allow for the resumption of a productive dialogue on the Cyprus issue....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/support-schemes-added-to-fight-lockdown-consequences
Alongside the tough restriction measures that came into effect on Thursday, additional support schemes were announced by the ministers of finance and labour in a bid to cushion the inevitable economic blow....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/citizens-to-protest-over-passport-probe
A new demonstration will take place outside the Presidential Palace on Friday, with protesters gathering to express their frustration over the government’s handling of the golden passport scandal and demand that officials take ownership of the crisis...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-fm-expresses-grave-concern-over-turkey
The Cyprus Foreign Minister, Nikos Christodoulides, stressed before his Council of Europe counterparts on Wednesday the need for a full implementation of European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgments, including the Interstate Case of Cyprus against Turkey, while expressing his grave concern for the escalating Turkish provocations against Cyprus....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/athens-starts-diplomatic-offensive
Athens has embarked on an ambitious diplomatic offensive aiming to woo old and new friends in the bid to advance its positions in the face of Turkey’s stance in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-greece-israel-to-bolster-cooperation
The foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Israel hailed the tripartite partnership between the three countries, aimed at bolstering economic and energy cooperation, during a meeting in Athens on Tuesday, and agreed that it could be expanded to include other countries in the region....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/two-ministers-and-deputy-shipping-minister-in-isolation
Transport minster Yiannis Karousos, defence minister Charalambos Petrides and the deputy shipping minister Vasilis Demetriades all went into isolation on Tuesday after a close associate of the transport minister tested positive for the virus....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/constitutional-crisis-unfolds-over-passports
An unprecedented constitutional crisis has been unfolding in the Republic of Cyprus, with the attorney general publicly scolding an inquisitive auditor general and asking him to back off from seeking access to files in connection with golden passports linked to a casino project...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greece-and-turkey-take-it-down-a-notch
Greece and Turkey have mutually cancelled military exercises on each other’s national holiday this week, as a gesture of goodwill following a special NATO-sponsored meeting between the two defense ministers...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/reynders-golden-passport-schemes-must-be-abolished
The EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders briefed the plenary of the European Parliament on Thursday on the Commission’s decision to initiate infringement proceedings against Cyprus and Malta in view of their ‘golden passports’ schemes which appear to be in violation of EU law....