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1201. A grim five years for Greek tourism

Greece may not repeat the tourism arrivals and revenues record of 2019 before 2025, according to an Ernst & Young report on the effects of the pandemic on Greek tourism, heralding a five-year crisis for the sector. This year alone the local industry is set to lose about 10 billion euros, it said....

1202. Cyprus president calls off Israel visit

Republic of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has called off a visit to Israel next week, citing coronavirus concerns, just a day after the Greek Premier concluded his first foreign trip the neighbouring country...

1203. Cyprus epidemiological report shows 84% of recent cases imported

A total of 985 COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths have been reported in the Republic of Cyprus until June 16, with the fatality rate standing at 2.5%, according to the national surveillance report on COVID-19 published on Thursday....

1204. 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...

1205. Interior minister presents bills for streamlining asylum procedures

The house legal committee discussed on Tuesday a bundle of four bills, submitted by interior minister Nicos Nouris, that seek to streamline procedures for the processing of applications filed by asylum seekers as well as appeal proceedings....

1206. 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....

1207. 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...

1208. Man jailed in another Ayia Napa rape case

A man has been sentenced to eight years for the rape of a young British woman, who said she was raped after being driven in a dark remote area outside Ayia Napa last year...

1209. Cyprus enters third phase of new normal

Swimming pools opened to the public on Friday in the Republic of Cyprus, marking the beginning of the third phase of a plan to ease restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic...

1210. UK tourists possibly to be allowed into Cyprus within weeks

Tourists from the UK are expected to be allowed to visit Cyprus within weeks, Deputy Minister for Tourism Savvas Perdios told Sky News on Thursday, noting that the Cyprus government is doing everything it can to ensure incoming visitors do not need to spend a period in quarantine....

1211. Cyprus must remain successful in battle against virus, Health Minister says

Cyprus has been successful so far in controlling COVID-19 but needs to remain so, said Health Minister Constantinos Ioannou, noting that the EU must improve the overall quality of its healthcare services to be better positioned to deal with issues like COVID-19 in the future....

1212. Holy Synod says yoga no good

The Holy Synod of the Church of Greece rebuffed a call for dialogue between Orthodox churches regarding Holy Communion in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, while also denouncing yoga and warning cleric to stay away from the Lions...

1213. 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....

1214. Cyprus to launch SMS campaign to stem migrant arrivals

Cyprus is launching a multilingual SMS campaign to head off more migrant arrivals by dispelling the mistaken belief the European Union member country is a gateway to the continent, the Cypriot interior minister said Sunday....

1215. SpaceX delivers two NASA astronauts to ISS

Nearly 24 hours after launching from Florida, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule delivered NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station on Sunday, marking the first US space capsule to do so with a crew since 2011...

1216. Egypt one of Cyprus' closest friends, Anastasiades says

“Egypt is one of our closest friends and a strategic partner” President Nicos Anastasiades said in a tweet on Friday after sharing a telephone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi....

1217. Mass deportations underway in Cyprus

The Republic of Cyprus has begun expelling foreign nationals who have been turned down for asylum, citing concerns over security threats and changing demographics due to a migration crisis...

1218. Sir Stelios wages battle against board

EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou had some harsh words to say about the company’s finance director, with the Greek Cypriot billionaire renewing his call to whistleblowers to help with useful information to scrap an Airbus deal...

1219. Migration agents raid building in Larnaca

Police and immigration agents raided a place of residence in Larnaca on Wednesday where they inspected 22 individuals in an effort to combat illegal immigration, human trafficking, and labour exploitation...

1220. Health services dealing with positive case at high school

The Ayiou Charalambous high school in the Paphos district Emba village, where a teacher had tested positive for coronavirus, remained closed on Tuesday while the premises were disinfected, and the state health services identified his possible contacts....

1221. 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....

1222. Health advisors propose Cyprus government moves forward with phase two

New coronavirus cases in the Republic maintained their low streak on Friday as just three new cases were confirmed, but experts speaking at the Health Ministry’s daily briefing said the coming days are crucial as students are set to return to school....

1223. Change of plans in return of students to schools

With less than a week left until schools fully resume operation on May 21 as part of the second phase of the relaxation of restriction measures, Education Minister Prodromos Prodromou announced Friday that not all students will be returning to classrooms, as per the initial plan....

1224. EU pushes to unlock borders as coronavirus ravages travel

1225. Teachers refuse to livestream their classrooms

Public school teachers in the classroom remain firm on their refusal to live stream lessons online, saying it would be unproductive and dangerous, while reports point to a fear over internet memes...

1226. Cabinet in tight spot talks measures

The President’s Cabinet is discussing the ease of measures ahead of a meeting later this week with health experts, amid reports there could be second thoughts among scientists...

1227. New rules issued for food and beverage establishments

With all restrictions on movement to be scrapped on May 21, when gatherings of groups of up 10 people will be permitted, the Health Ministry on Monday issued new instructions for cafes, restaurants and bars....

1228. 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....

1229. Fake cops visit woman's apartment

Cyprus police are telling the public to remain vigilant following a complaint where a woman says she was robbed by two cop impersonators who entered her residence on false pretenses...

1230. Greek government unveils plan for easing restrictions

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday unveiled a long-awaited plan for the gradual lifting of restrictive measures imposed last month to curb the spread of the coronavirus. ...