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31. Cyprus defends blocking migrant boats

A police task force from the Republic of Cyprus is hoping to hash out a plan with Lebanese authorities to deter “economic migrants” from traveling to the island, as government and state officials rush to respond to criticism over a decision to send back undocumented migrants to the neighbouring country...

32. Urgent meeting after weekend refugee arrivals

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris has called for an emergency meeting following a number of arrivals of undocumented migrants over the weekend, with some of them transported back to Lebanon and others facing the prospect of crowding into an already maxed-out facility...

33. Cyprus prepared for expected Covid-19 surge in winter

The autumn and winter seasons are expected to see increased numbers of coronavirus cases, member of the government’s coronavirus advisory committee, Professor Constantinos Tsioutis, said Tuesday, noting that both the Cyprus health system and public is ready to face a new surge....

34. Police say party boat did not violate rules

Police say there were no health protocol violations on a crowded vessel off Protaras on the weekend, following concerns that passengers on a party boat had exceeded the legal threshold...

35. Crowded migrant camp running out of options

Officials at Pournara migrant camp are scrambling to find more space to host asylum seekers, after it emerged that more than half of detainees at the Nicosia facility are under quarantine due to coronavirus measures...

36. Justice minister on board with new drug policy

Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis says people addicted to drugs and alcohol ought not to be seen as lawbreakers but people who need treatment...

37. Quarantine not on the table for now

Despite chatter over the possibility of reintroducing quarantine in the Republic of Cyprus for repatriated persons, sources describe the tough alternative as a “very unlikely” scenario...

38. 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....

39. 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...

40. Karayiannis: guarded quarantines might be required due to over-relaxation

The public must continue to show caution and to take all suggested personal protection measures, health advisory committee member Petros Karayiannis said Thursday, noting that the over-relaxation being observed in Cyprus must stop....

41. 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....

42. 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....

43. 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...

44. President and Education Minister brush off mounting concerns

As concern mounts over the Cyprus government’s decision to send children back to school on May 21, Education Minister Prodromos Prodromou issued a press conference Friday morning to clarify how the return of students to classrooms will play out....

45. 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...

46. 'Better Days Are Coming' campaign calls on tourists to visit Cyprus

A new campaign launched by the Deputy Tourism Ministry promises that ‘Better Days Are Coming’, calling on tourists to begin making plans to visit Cyprus, where idyllic landscapes and crystal clear seas will be waiting to greet them....

47. Outpatient clinics to reopen doors in a couple of days

Outpatient clinics at the island’s state hospitals are expected to reopen their doors to patients in a couple of days, with the state health services finalizing operation protocols to ensure the protection of patients and medical staff alike....

48. Greece’s Covid-19 death toll reaches 100

Greece’s death toll from the novel coronavirus has reached 100, after a patient at the capital’s Attikon Hospital succumbed to the disease late on Monday....

49. 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....

50. Cabinet approves bills to decongest Central Prisons amid COVID-19 fears

Measures to decompress the overcrowded Nicosia central prisons where the risks associated with a potential spread of coronavirus are high were approved on Tuesday by the Cabinet....

51. Large fire breaks out at Moria migrant camp on Lesvos

A large fire has broken out at the Moria refugee and migrant camp on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos, according to local media reports on Monday. ...

52. EU-backed program foresees voluntary repatriation for 5,000 migrants

Migration Policy Minister Notis Mitarakis and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on Thursday jointly announced the establishment of a European Union-backed program for the repatriation of 5,000 migrants from Greece. ...

53. Greece to speed up creation of migrant holding centers to ease tension

Greece plans to accelerate the creation of detention centers on its outlying islands in the Aegean Sea after a backlash against overcrowded camps by some migrants and nearby residents....

54. Ticking bombs

55. Average Cyprus home is bigger than anywhere in Europe

The average size of a house in Cyprus is 141.4 metres squared making it the biggest in Europe, the Statistical Service said on Tuesday....

56. Cyprus police must show zero tolerance to abuse of detainees

Europe's top human rights body says Cyprus police must effectively address incidents of physical abuse against detainees amid "credible allegations"...

57. Tension rising on the Greek islands

More than 15,500 migrants are living in cramped conditions in state-run centres on the eastern Aegean islands...

58. EU-Turkey migrant deal ‘at risk’, report says

The deal signed between Ankara and Brussels in March 2016 to crack down on human trafficking over the Aegean is hanging in the balance as several countries are reportedly refusing to pay for it, insisting that the European Commission cover the next tranche of 3 billion euros in funding pledged to Turkey....

59. ECHR rules against Cyprus

The European Court of Human Rights upheld a complaint against Cyprus with four votes in favour and three against, where a Polish inmate accused the state of inhumane treatment....