Search

1021. Tactical moves by Ankara before EU summit

The anticipated suspension on November 29 of the activities of the Oruc Reis seismic vessel within parts of the Greek continental shelf after having scanned the entire area it had reserved since August is being touted by Ankara as a goodwill move ahead of the European Council in December 10-11, where one of the main topics of discussion will be the possibility of imposing sanctions on Turkey over its behavior in the Eastern Mediterranean. ...

1022. Trump okays Biden transition

After weeks of waiting, President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday cleared the way for President-elect Joe Biden to transition to the White House, giving him access to briefings and funding even as Trump vowed to continue fighting the election results...

1023. EU could approve vaccines ‘late 2020, early 2021’

Europe’s medicines regulator said Monday that it could approve the first coronavirus vaccines late this year or early next, as it evaluates the most promising candidates....

1024. Pfizer ends Covid-19 trial with 95% efficacy

Pfizer Inc said on Wednesday that final results from the late-stage trial of its Covid-19 vaccine show it was 95% effective, adding it had the required two-months of safety data and would apply for emergency US authorization within days....

1025. Pfizer, BioNTech say their Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective

Pfizer Inc on Monday said its experimental vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 based on initial data from a large study, a major victory in the fight against a pandemic that has killed over 1 million people, roiled the world’s economy and upended daily life....

1026. Opposition turns up pressure over passports

Parliament in Cyprus is expected to debate proposals over the passport scandal, including whether a new law can force the government to hand over files to the auditor general as well as a freeze on pending applications allegedly being squeezed through before the disgraced scheme is set to go on hiatus...

1027. Leonidas A. Phylactou at Digital Agenda Cyprus Summit 2020

1028. France, Germany give Turkey a week to clarify positions

France and Germany accused Turkey on Thursday of continuing to provoke the European Union with its actions in the Eastern Mediterranean, and gave it a week to clarify its positions....

1029. Nicosia wants teeth in UNSC Varosha response

The UN Security Council on Friday will hold deliberations on Varosha after the Republic of Cyprus has urged members to call on Ankara to undo steps it has taken over the divided island’s fenced-off ghost town...

1030. Spanish foreign minister drops by Cyprus

Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya, who avoided commenting on Cyprus’ veto to sanctions against Belarus, is visiting Nicosia on Wednesday just one day ahead of a crucial Special European council in Brussels...

1031. Greece, US affirm commitment to boosting ties after high-level review

Greece and the US on Monday issued a joint statement following a high-level review of the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue that took place in Thessaloniki amid a visit to the northern port by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias....

1032. Greek President stresses solidarity with Cyprus

President Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Monday underlined the unity and solidarity between Greece and Cyprus in the face of Turkish provocations during a two-day official visit to Nicosia....

1033. Parliament passes bills to streamline asylum procedures

The House on Friday passed three amendments to the Refugee Law, streamlining asylum procedures....

1034. Law professor takes on manslaughter case

The Russian suspect accused of being behind the death of a Ukrainian man in Paphos has appointed a law professor for his defence, a Cypriot attorney with research interests in criminal procedures...

1035. Turkey-Cyprus dispute holding up EU's Belarus sanctions, diplomats say

European Union sanctions on Belarus are being delayed by a separate dispute between Cyprus and Turkey over energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, four EU diplomats said, in the latest sign of paralysis in the bloc's foreign policy....

1036. AstraZeneca vaccine study on hold

AstraZeneca Plc said it has paused global trials, including large late-stage trials, of its experimental coronavirus vaccine due to an unexplained illness in a study participant...

1037. Al Jazeera journalist denies political motives

Cypriot Interior Minister Nikos Nouris is expected on Wednesday to provide answers to Al Jazeera’s “golden passports” story, while the network has rejected accusations of political motives behind the story...

1038. Leaders of Cyprus, Greece talk strategy

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades was briefed on Tuesday by the Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the situation in Greece’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, where Turkey’s seismic exploration vessel is currently stationed, with the two leaders agreeing on coordinated action....

1039. Cyprus welcomes Brits back amid spike

Five flights from British airports were scheduled to land in the Republic of Cyprus on Saturday, after the island listed the United Kingdom in Category B, which means arriving passengers are not required to be under self-isolation...

1040. Cyprus tones down tourism expectations

Cyprus Deputy Ministry for Tourism halved its target for tourist arrivals in August to 100,000 as main tour operators exclude Cyprus of their programmes...

1041. Cyprus to draw over €2.7b from EU pandemic recovery fund

European Union leaders reached a deal on a massive stimulus plan for their coronavirus-blighted economies at a pre-dawn meeting on Tuesday after a fractious summit that went through the night and into its fifth day....

1042. Elderly man on moped killed in road accident

Nicosia police say there was no arrest in a fatal accident on Monday, where an elderly man on a moped was killed after he collided with a car in the Sopaz area, while a bus driver was crushed to death when his idling vehicle ran him over...

1043. EU gives go-ahead for Cyprus-Greece ferry connection subsidy

Cyprus’ outgoing Deputy Shipping Minister Natasa Pilides said on Monday that the goal to establish a ferry connection between Cyprus and Greece is moving forward, noting that following consultations which began a year ago, the EU Competition Directorate-General has approved a state subsidy for the project valued of at a maximum of €6 million per year....

1044. EU agrees on ‘safe’ travel list, excluding United States

The European Union has excluded the United States from its initial 'safe list' of countries from which the bloc will allow non-essential travel from Wednesday....

1045. Cyprus to host next trilateral meeting of Greek, Cyprus, Israel FMs

Cyprus will host the next trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Cyprus, Israel and Greece, the Cyprus foreign minister Nicos Christodoulides agreed with his Israeli counterpart during a visit to Israel on Tuesday....

1046. Cyprus FM on 'short but important' visit to Israel

The “short but important” visit of Cyprus foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides to Israel on Tuesday, as his Isreali counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi described it in a tweet, is set to focus on ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. ...

1047. Cyprus urged to provide trafficking victims free legal aid

The human trafficking arm of Europe's top human rights body is expressing concern over Cyprus' failure to grant free legal aid and expertise to trafficking victims during criminal proceedings....

1048. Lockdown-defying bishops off the hook

Two local bishops who were facing charges in connection with violation of public health laws during the pandemic lockdown are off the hook, with state prosecution reportedly lacking clear and convincing evidence...

1049. President seeks input ahead of big decision

A crucial event is taking place on Friday at the Presidential Palace, as the epidemiological taskforce is meeting with President Nicos Anastasiades to assess the situation on the ground and the next steps in easing lockdown restrictions...

1050. Measures being prepared for reopening of airports in June

The expert team of scientists advising the Health Ministry are coming up with measures that would allow airports to resume operation by June, Head of the Pancyprian Medical Association’s Special Committee on dealing with the coronavirus, Maria Koliou, said Tuesday....