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31. Erdogan's threatening statements after Larnaca mosque attack (Update)

A few hours ago, the representatives of the Turkish government made statements about the attack on the mosque located in the coastal zone of Larnaca....

32. Locals up in arms over mosque plans

Local residents in a village in Paphos are up in arms over hearsay that Syrian inhabitants in the community want to have a mosque in the small rural town, with the debate on migration getting more intense and political...

33. Man shoots people with bow and arrow in Norway

A man armed with a bow and arrow killed five people and wounded two others on Wednesday in Kongsberg, southwestern Norway, before being arrested....

34. Contentious TV drama airs on EOKA Day

A new series about ethnic warfare in Cyprus from a Turkish Cypriot point of view was launched in the north on Thursday, a national holiday for Greek Cypriots in the south, eliciting comments from the leaders of both communities on the divided island...

35. Police probe burning of Greek flag in Pyla

A Greek flag that was hoisted at an elementary school in Pyla was reportedly stolen and set on fire this week, but the exact time of the incident in the bicommunal village was not fully clear...

36. Vandals spray paint mosque with graffiti

A graffiti incident at a mosque in Limassol has drawn wide condemnation on Thursday, a holiday with bicentennial celebrations on the island marking the Greek revolt against the Ottoman Empire...

37. 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....

38. ‘No going back’ on Varosha decision

Over 200 Varosha property owners are seeking to return to the divided island’s most popular ghost town, with Turkish Cypriots appearing ready to address Greek Cypriot grievances with or without a solution to the Cyprus problem, adding there is “no going back” on the plan to open the abandoned city...

39. Cyprus tightens restrictions, imposes 11pm curfew

In a national address on Wednesday night, the Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said the government was obliged to take tough decisions for stricter measures as the island was no exception to Europe’s second coronavirus wave, before the health minister stepped in to outline the new measures that come into effect on Thursday....

40. Protesters detained outside French embassy

Five protesters were arrested on Tuesday outside the French embassy in Nicosia, where dozens of Muslim residents gathered to demonstrate against France’s stance towards Islam...

41. Dendias, Lavrov discuss Cyprus in Athens meeting

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Athens on Monday, at the start of the foreign official's visit to the Greek capital....

42. Measures imposed in Larnaca as virus flares

After the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the Larnaca district, where multiple chains of infection continue to grow daily, the health ministry on Wednesday re-imposed a number of localized restriction measures in a bid to tone down the spread....

43. Turkey resumes drilling in eastern Mediterranean, Erdogan says

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey had resumed energy exploration work in the eastern Mediterranean as Greece had not kept its promises regarding such activities in the region. ...

44. Greek PM proposes fresh talks with Turkey on maritime zones, or World Court

Greece’s Prime Minister reiterated a call for bilateral talks with Turkey on the delimitation of maritime zones in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, adding that if these don’t work, they should refer the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague....

45. Church bells toll for Hagia Sophia

Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos has ordered church bells across the island to ring on Friday, marking what he described as a “criminal conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque"...

46. Athens and Ankara can settle differences via diplomacy, says Turkey’s presidential spokesman

Greece and Turkey can resolve their differences “within the framework of mutual respect,” Turkey’s presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin has said, however stressing that Ankara will not compromise on its interests in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean....

47. Cyprus President calls for EU sanctions against Turkey

President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed the matter of the two countries’ relations with Turkey at the EU Foreign Affairs Council held in Brussels on Friday, with both demanding that additional sanctions are imposed against Turkey....

48. Greek-Turkish ties come under strain

The already tense relationship between Greece and Turkey has been strained further in the wake of Ankara’s leaking of a supposedly secret meeting between Greek, Turkish and German officials following Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque and amid an increasingly aggressive Turkish stance in the East Mediterranean. The already tense relationship between Greece and Turkey has been strained further in the wake of Ankara’s leaking of a supposedly secret meeting between Greek, Turkish and German officials following Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque and amid an increasingly aggressive Turkish stance in the East Mediterranean. ...

49. Berlin bridge-building effort undermined by Ankara

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday revealed that a secret trilateral meeting between Turkish, German and Greek officials, mediated by Berlin, took place ahead of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council on Monday in the wake of Turkey’s controversial decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque. ...

50. It's time for dynamic EU action against Turkey, Greek PM says

Turkey’s repeated violations of Greece and Cyprus’ sovereign rights in the Mediterranean and its “unnecessary and petty” decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia into a mosque “require a comprehensive European response,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday....

51. Presidents of Cyprus, Greece discuss escalating Turkish provocations

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou held their first meeting in Athens on Tuesday, focusing the discussion on Turkey’s actions in the region and the close ties between the two countries....

52. As EU mulls sanctions, Turkey defiant

The European Union is seeking ways of imposing sanctions on Turkey in the event that its transgressions in the East Mediterranean are scaled up, and in the wake of its decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque. ...

53. Harsh words for Turkey from archbishop

Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos has slammed Turkey over the country’s decision to allow Hagia Sophia to revert from museum back to mosque status, accusing Turks of having no respect for the civilized world...

54. Turkish court rules to let Hagia Sophia return as mosque

55. Divided Cyprus reacts to Hagia Sophia

Cyprus has weighed in on Turkey’s controversial decision to allow Muslim prayer inside Hagia Sophia, with different reactions across the divided island and amid reports of nuanced differences in President Erdogan's statements in two different languages...

56. US ambassador sees opportunities in Cyprus

US Ambassador to Nicosia Judy Garber says the pandemic aftermath in Cyprus could be seen as an opportunity for the island, praising officials for managing the crisis and calling the country a “fantastic place for people” to do business...

57. Aegean tension fueling Berlin concern

With Germany assuming the European Union presidency on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern over developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Greek-Turkish relations in response to questions from MPs in the Bundestag....

58. Hagia Sophia mosque conversion verdict expected within 15 days, says report

A verdict on whether Hagia Sophia in Istanbul will be converted into a mosque is to be issued within 15 days, Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported Thursday....

59. North uneasy as coronavirus cases spiral in Turkey

After easing restriction measures on June 1, Turkey appears to be once again faced with the nightmare of soaring numbers of new coronavirus cases....

60. Hijab and kosher end up in report on Cyprus

A State Department report has called out Cyprus on matters of religious freedom, following a number of stories in the media including the right to wear hijab in school, kosher laws, and access to religious sites...