https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/finmin-confirms-cyprus-won-t-reinstate-‘golden-passports-scheme
Finance minister Constantinos Petrides assured that the government will not be reinstating the Cyprus Investment Program (CIP), that was shut down after the shocking corruption revelations that emerged through an Al Jazeera investigation and the subsequent stark criticism by the European Commission. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/new-coronavirus-call-centre-launched
A new call centre was launched to provide support and information on all issues related to the local coronavirus pandemic and rules in place....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/auditor-general-makes-jiu-jitsu-move
The audit office is reportedly preparing an unflattering report on Cyprus’ film industry government scheme, with local media suggesting some type of possible connection between newly-established Olivewood and golden passports...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/government-ups-rhetoric-against-auditor
The Cypriot government hinted over the weekend it might refer the auditor general to the Supreme Court over “indecent” behaviour, after the audit office published yet another damning report alleging offences in a Cabinet decision to grant investor passports to individuals linked to a casino project without meeting the criteria...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/support-schemes-averted-drastic-rise-in-unemployment
The package launched by the government to support employees and businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic has averted a drastic rise in unemployment, labour minister Zeta Emilianidou said Thursday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/domestic-violence-maintain-concerning-climb
The police’s domestic violence unit received 180 complaints in September and October and made 29 arrests, justice minister Emily Yioliti said Wednesday. Meanwhile, the association for the prevention and handling of violence in the family (SPAVO) said it has marked an increase of 40% in calls received at the 1440 helpline....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/greece-uae-commit-to-mutual-defense-assistance
The mutual defense assistance clause, activated in the event that one of the two countries’ territorial integrity is threatened, is probably the most important part of the defense and foreign policy cooperation agreement signed by Greece and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week, according to sources with inside information....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/al-jazeera-turns-attention-to-jho-low
Cypriot-naturalized citizen Jho Low, the Malaysian fugitive financier whose golden passports came under scrutiny last year, was back in the news this week after Al Jazeera published a video with actual voice recordings of 'the biggest fish' seeking a way out of the 1MDB colossal scandal...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/elusive-businessman-with-cyprus-ties-pops-up
The whereabouts of elusive Russian hedge fund manager German Lillevali, who was linked to a flurry of companies in Cyprus after he became a resident, are no longer a mystery after reports that he was detained in the US on an immigration violation but released due to overcrowding amid the coronavirus pandemic...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/support-schemes-added-to-fight-lockdown-consequences
Alongside the tough restriction measures that came into effect on Thursday, additional support schemes were announced by the ministers of finance and labour in a bid to cushion the inevitable economic blow....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/government-unleashes-new-bundle-of-support-measures
Along with the new restrictions imposed to curb the recent spike in coronavirus cases, the labour minister Zeta Emilianidou said Thursday that the Cyprus government agreed on a new batch of support measures budgeted between 130 and 150 million euros....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/passport-committee-shuns-media-over-covid
The special investigative committee probing the passport scandal in the Republic of Cyprus cited the pandemic this week after banning reporters from hearings, while it was unclear how Thursday’s additional COVID measures would further affect media coverage...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/athens-starts-diplomatic-offensive
Athens has embarked on an ambitious diplomatic offensive aiming to woo old and new friends in the bid to advance its positions in the face of Turkey’s stance in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. ...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/anti-corruption-measures-on-the-way-anastasiades-says
President Nicos Anastasiades said Friday he will be announcing new measures aiming to crack down on corruption next week.
...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/police-search-homes-offices-of-those-implicated-in-al-jazeera-video
Police on Thursday searched the homes and offices of the people embroiled in the Al Jazeera video on the Cyprus Papers that caused ongoing political turmoil on the island.
...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/foreign-investors-rush-to-meet-deadline
Days before Cyprus’ Citizenship by Investment Programme is set to go offline, interior ministry officials and paralegals kicked things into high gear to handle the last batch of petitions by foreign investors before the programme ends on Sunday...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/fresh-total-lockdown-out-of-the-question-for-cyprus-govt
Finance minister Constantinos Petrides on Monday strongly refuted the possibility of Cyprus entering a second lockdown, such as the one it was plummeted into in March as a result of the outbreak of coronavirus....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/attorney-general-calls-auditor-‘to-order
Cypriot Attorney General George Savvides issued a stern warning on Saturday, calling to order the state’s auditor general over his insistence on examining specific golden passport case files linked to a casino project on the island...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/mps-reject-dissolution-of-parliament-amid-passports-scandal
After officially electing AKEL MP Adamos Adamou as the new House President following the resignation of Demetris Syllouris amid intense backlash against his involvement in the recent golden passports scandal, MPs on Thursday debated on whether parliament should be dissolved making way for early elections, with the proposal eventually rejected with 26 votes in favour and 30 against....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/opposition-turns-up-pressure-over-passport-scandal
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...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/reynders-golden-passport-schemes-must-be-abolished
The EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders briefed the plenary of the European Parliament on Thursday on the Commission’s decision to initiate infringement proceedings against Cyprus and Malta in view of their ‘golden passports’ schemes which appear to be in violation of EU law....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cyprus-greece-egypt-present-united-front
Cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Egypt aims to safeguard peace and stability in the region on the basis of international law, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said during a trilateral summit in Nicosia Wednesday....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/president-defends-block-on-audit-office
President Nicos Anastasiades invoked the Constitution during a televised interview, saying the job description of the auditor general, who is currently seeking information on foreign nationals linked to a casino project, does not authorize him to 'have a say in everything'...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/ec-launches-infringement-procedures-against-cyprus-golden-passports
The European Commission launched infringement procedures against Cyprus and Malta on Tuesday in response to their ‘golden passport’ schemes, and allowed a two-month period for the countries to respond in writing to the Commission’s warning letter....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/police-get-to-work-on-passport-scandal
Cypriot police appear to have their plate full with three different probes into alleged corruption in the golden passport scheme, with investigators facing their biggest challenge by a shocking Al Jazeera video that dealt the fatal blow in the country’s Citizenship by Investment Programme...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/golden-passports-pushed-forward-in-commission-agenda
After the Al Jazeera revelations, the Cyprus Investment Program is being pushed into the European Commission’s discussion agenda....
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cypriot-minister-has-one-regret-over-passports
Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides, who oversaw Cyprus' disgraced golden passport scheme while he was serving as interior minister, says he should have pushed harder to end the program much sooner...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/game-plan-to-circumvent-passport-rules
Meme culture enthusiasts in Cyprus upped their game this week following a passport scandal reported by Al Jazeera, with catchphrases such as “this is Cyprus” and name dodging tricks seen in a secret video prompting media to spot five ways a lawyer could circumvent the system in the golden passport scheme...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/cypriots-rise-up-against-corruption
A crowd of protesters gathered outside Filoxenia Conference Centre in Nicosia on Wednesday evening, calling on House Speaker Demitris Syllouris to resign after he was featured in an Al Jazeera undercover story on corruption...
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/syllouris-accepts-waiving-of-his-parliamentary-immunity
President of the Cyprus Parliament Demetris Syllouris said Wednesday that he won’t stand in the way of his parliamentary immunity being waved to accommodate a probe launched by local police after a fresh batch of Al Jazeera allegations situated him at the epicentre of a massive corruption scandal involving the island’s golden passports scheme....
