Search

811. EU governments risk clash with EU exec in bid to save tourism season

European Union governments risk a clash with the EU executive arm over their support for travel firms issuing vouchers for cancelled holiday deals without giving customers the option of cash refunds as required by EU law, diplomats said....

812. MP fined for violating restriction measures

Diko MP Zacharias Koulias was caught lunching at a Larnaca grill house on Saturday without going through the proper SMS procedure, with reports on Tuesday claiming he had called the Chief of Police to get out of the fine to no avail....

813. Attorney general weighs in on casino probe

The identity of foreign companies suspected of embezzlement of EU funds pumped into a casino project in Cyprus remains unknown, with the island’s legal department clarifying there is no evidence of local companies being involved in illegal activity...

814. Chloroquine hype begins to wane

More doubts over chloroquine emerged this week, with new studies pointing to high risks and a US top health official saying he was fired after being pressured to direct money towards the “game changer” drug...

815. Coronavirus outbreak won't get in the way of completion of school year

The coronavirus outbreak won’t obstruct students from completing the school year, Minister of Education Prodromos Prodromou told CNA on Tuesday, noting that solutions will be found for graduates so that they receive an accredited leaving certificate allowing them to compete for positions at public universities in Cyprus and Greece....

816. Bill sparks kosher debate in Cyprus

Animal rights advocates are up in arms over a new government bill that would allow slaughterhouses in the Republic of Cyprus to incorporate kosher rituals, a procedure described by animal rights activists as inhumane...

817. 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....

818. Man breaks quarantine in search of meds

Health officials in Cyprus were perturbed over an incident when a self-quarantined man infected with the Covid-19 disease went out to local pharmacies in search of chloroquine, an existing drug that is still open to debate around the world...

819. Cyprus okays drugs with one big caveat

The Cypriot health minister says a special committee is moving forward with procedures to make drugs available against the COVID-19 disease, while warning that no medicines have been approved for treatment of the novel coronavirus...

820. Main hospitals partially resume operations, blood banks low

The island’s two main hospitals partially resumed operations on Thursday when coronavirus cases rose to seven after a person who recently returned from the UK tested positive....

821. Checkpoint closures to be extended until Monday

The closure of four crossing points last Saturday, in what the Government said would be a one-week temporary precaution against coronavirus outbreak, will be extended until Monday, the National Council agreed on Thursday....

822. Alexoui lawyer lashes out at police

Nicosia businessman Alexis “Alexoui” Mavromichalis pleaded not guilty on Thursday to four charges in an attempted murder case, with his lawyer lashing out at the police and accusing them of dirty tricks...

823. Greek Government to proceed with new island camps, despite reactions

The Greek government is determined to move ahead with its plan to build new holding facilities for migrants and refugees as part of a plan to accelerate asylum procedures and deportations on the five islands hosting camps, its spokesman said on Tuesday, amid reactions to the scheme from island residents....

824. Bomb squad called out to Larnaca

A death threat message scribbled onto a cardboard box was found in Larnaca after members of the bomb squad were called out to examine a suspicious package...

825. Minister says ‘no panic’ over coronavirus

Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou says the Cypriot government is taking all precautions against the coronavirus threat, adding that the administration is on alert but there is no panic...

826. Cyprus gets tough on economic migrants

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris says the government is determined to cut down on asylum and residence permit applications by blocking economic migrants from filing non-legitimate petitions...

827. Officials deny weak spots in virus front lines

State health officials have denounced questions in the media over the handling of the coronavirus risk at airports, saying the image of the Republic of Cyprus was at stake...

828. Cyprus 'golden passports' scheme a laundering risk, says watchdog

A European money laundering watchdog has cautioned that a secretive investment-for-passports programme run by Cyprus was vulnerable to money laundering and fraught with risk...

829. Greece seeking EU alliances to boost migrant returns

As tensions at migrant camps on the Aegean islands simmer amid continuing arrivals, the Greek government is looking at ways of accelerating the return of those whose asylum applications are rejected....

830. Greek position on EU migration pact

Greece’s position regarding the future of the migration and asylum pact that the European Commission is expected to table in the coming months rests on three fundamental principles: a European solution to a European challenge, a fair system that will stand the test of time, and the preservation of the European Union’s core values as enshrined in the EU Treaty....

831. Refugees spotted off Cape Greco

A vessel with about 80 presumptive refugees on board was spotted on Monday off Cape Greco in eastern Cyprus...

832. Cyprus wins halloumi battle in UK

The Republic of Cyprus has regained the halloumi trademark in the UK after almost two years of intense efforts by officials to correct an administrative blunder...

833. 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...

834. Health Ministry geared up against coronavirus

Health Ministry officials are fully prepared to implement a coronavirus management protocol that has been drawn up, should the virus affect the local population, Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Monday....

835. Cyprus ratifies Multilateral Instrument

On 22 January 2020, the Instrument of Ratification of the Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Mattersto Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting(“the Multilateral Convention”) were published in the Official Gazette of the Republic in Greek and English, (“Multilateral Instrument”)...

836. Greece elects first woman president

Greece’s parliament elected former Council of State head Katerina Sakellaropoulou as the country’s next president on Wednesday, a largely ceremonial role that also brings with it limited political powers...

837. CITR Cyprus calls for modern insolvency rules

838. Mogherini says EU stands with Cyprus

High Representative Federica Mogherini expressed the EU’s full solidarity with Cyprus in her closing statement in the European Parliament plenary discussing Turkey's drilling activities around the island...

839. Interior Minister says all have a duty to preserve Cyprus’ hard-fought reputation

We all have a duty to preserve Cyprus’ good name, Interior Minister Constantinos Petrides said on Thursday, adding that it took a lot of effort to reinstate the country’s fame under adverse circumstances....

840. Wrong guy arrested in abduction scares

A man detained over recent abduction scares in Nicosia was released Tuesday evening, with police saying he did not appear to be involved in the incidents...