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721. Cyprus announces measures to curb airport congestion

A broad meeting on Monday chaired by transport minister Yiannis Karousos agreed on the need to take action to prevent congestion at Cyprus airports, after viral photos of passengers crammed into each other at the Larnaca airport caused intense public reaction over the health and safety measures being implemented....

722. Airport video shows no social distancing

Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos has reacted to viral photos that showed passengers crowding each other at the Larnaca airport terminal, arguing that face masks are the next best thing where social distancing is not an effective measure...

723. Cyprus scrambles to contain virus flare-ups

The government is expected to announce additional measures in response to fears over a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, after known cases on Thursday, most of them in Limassol, remained in double digits for a second consecutive day...

724. Opinions differ on cause of recent spike

The Cypriot health minister says complacency is to blame in the recent spike of coronavirus cases locally, but a health expert on the government’s task force is pointing the finger at the opening of airports last month...

725. UNFICYP renewal invokes reactions

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a new resolution on Tuesday, providing for the renewal of the mandate for the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus for another six months while also invoking mixed reactions...

726. Cypriot health experts lay it on the line

Health officials in the Republic of Cyprus say recently detected clusters of the coronavirus in Limassol do not pose a direct threat to the community but warn the bug never went away and only more testing will show how widespread it may be in the southern town...

727. 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....

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

729. Parents ordered to stay away from baby

New reports say a social worker, who went to the police station where a mother was arrested on suspicion of child abuse, was pleading with officers to let the woman walk to take care of her baby...

730. Number of people allowed to gather to increase on July 12

Cyprus’ positive epidemiological indicators allowed the Health Ministry to fast track raising the number of people allowed to gather in homes, public spaces, food and drink spots, and mass gatherings. The new rules will come into effect on July 12....

731. North draws criticism over virus declaration

Turkish Cypriot authorities declared the coronavirus a “dangerous infections disease” over the weekend, prompting criticism over the basis and timing of the announcement...

732. Global coronavirus cases top 10 million; deaths surge past 500,000

The world surpassed two sobering coronavirus milestones Sunday -- 500,000 confirmed deaths, 10 million confirmed cases -- and hit another high mark for daily new infections as governments that attempted reopenings continued to backtrack and warn that worse news could be yet to come....

733. Horses can also splash around at dog beaches (VIDEO)

In addition to dogs, horses can also be taken for a short swim at designated dog beaches across the island....

734. Health officials raise number of people to be allowed to gather from June 24

With Cyprus’ epidemiological situation faring well, health authorities raised the total number of people to be allowed to gather indoors from June 24 from 50 to 75, and outdoors from 100 to 150....

735. Cyprus airports enter phase two on Saturday

The opening of Cyprus airports is set to enter phase two on Saturday, when passengers arriving from countries listed in category A by the Health Ministry will not need to present proof of a negative coronavirus test, but will be subjected to a mandatory rapid test upon arrival....

736. Cyprus outlines drastic step on migration

Republic of Cyprus Interior Minister Nikos Nouris is urgently seeking a constitutional amendment to shorten the time of due process for asylum applicants, calling a set of government-sponsored bills a “holistic approach” to immigration during a press conference on Thursday...

737. Post-lockdown jump in coronavirus cases rattles Turkish officials

Turkey may have to adopt a harder line on social interactions following a worrying jump in coronavirus infections but it has no plans to reverse an easing of lockdown restrictions aimed at reviving the economy, officials say....

738. Police go after unworried violators

Police carried out over a thousand daytime and nighttime inspections over the weekend, checking business establishments and sending a message that violations of public health measures would result in a citation...

739. Letter to UNSG denounces Turkey's violations of Cyprus' airspace, maritime zones

A letter dated May 28 sent by the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN Andreas Mavroyiannis to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that denounced Turkish violations of the island’s airspace and maritime zones was released on Thursday as an official document in the General Assembly of the UN Security Council....

740. Cyprus gets tough on golden passports

A House emergency bill that could allow authorities to revoke dozens of Republic of Cyprus “golden passports” is said to eliminate grey areas that so far prevented the state from revoking ill-gotten investor citizenships...

741. Cabinet approves stricter regulations for citizenship-by-investment scheme

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved new regulations to the citizenship-by-investment program, an important provision of which ties the program to anti-money laundering legislation, interior minister Nikos Nouris said. ...

742. Police urge caution after 32 businesses booked

After 32 food and drink spots were fined for violating health and safety protocols over the long weekend, police on Tuesday urged caution, highlighting that bars and restaurants are obliged to fully comply with the Health Ministry’s latest decree governing their operation....

743. Checkpoints partially resume operation after three months

The first group of Turkish Cypriots passed through the Ayios Dometios and Strovilia checkpoints on Tuesday, many carrying bedding, cookware, and other essential items as they won’t be able to return to the north for at least two weeks....

744. Government announces rules for crossing checkpoints

The Cyprus government on Friday announced the special rules that will apply for those groups permitted to move through crossing points as of June 8, but it remains unclear whether the ‘government’ in the north will be following through on the agreement between President Nicos Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot leader....

745. Decision to postpone weddings until September 'political'

Though many were disappointed to hear that wedding and baptism ceremonies won’t be permitted to take place until September, and though the health advisory committee suggested these could resume from as early as June 25, committee member Petros Karayiannis said the government made the right move in taking the political decision....

746. Finance minister makes the case for Cyprus

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides is confident the tourism industry in the Republic of Cyprus won’t have a catastrophic year following the pandemic, while calling on Europe to step up its recovery plan equally across the board...

747. Health Ministry clarifies rules governing number of people at gatherings

After the Health Minister announced Wednesday morning that the 10 person rule governing gatherings would be scrapped at the end of phase three on June 24, an announcement issued later in the day clarified that we won’t be jumping into normality straight away....

748. Communion ritual unchanged in Orthodox Church despite virus

One by one, the children and adults line up for the centuries-old ritual of Holy Communion, trying to keep a proper social distance. The priest dips a spoon into the chalice of bread and wine, which the faithful believe is the body and blood of Christ, and puts it into the mouth of the first person in line....

749. Republic of Cyprus starts its biggest engine

A new presidential address to the nation on Wednesday is expected to set the tone as the Republic of Cyprus is gearing up for the summer season but debate over health concerns and social distancing still rages on...

750. New quarantine rules issued for repatriated persons

With the mandatory 14-day quarantine for returnees from abroad officially scrapped on Monday, the Health Ministry issued new guidelines whereby those being repatriated will only be required to stay in a quarantine hotel until their test results are out....